AUSTRALIAN welfare costs us $227 billion a year (34 per cent of the budget) and at any time, about $3.5 billion is owed to the government for fraud and non-compliance. Who should pay for that?
A lot is being said about the robodebt debacle as it harshly affected many innocent people ("Robodebt lesson in common decency", Editorial 10/7); "Morrison has to live with impact", Herald 10/7). There's been a gratuitous kick to the former PM Morrison, pictured, by Education Minister Jason Clare and critical Short Takes from Michael Jameson, Daryl Stevenson and John Arnold (Letters, 11/7), but we should also give credit where it's due.
In 2011 Tanya Plibersek, as Minister for Human Services, and Bill Shorten, as Assistant Treasurer in the Gillard government, pioneered the automated robodebt plan. Debt recovery was administered much the same way but manually before then. Plibersek and Shorten are on record as having spoken out in support of automating the system. True, it was the following Liberal government that implemented the automated robodebt, and should take responsibility for its stuff-up, but credit should be given to the Labor party for laying the groundwork that led to them devising such a wonderful scheme.
Peter Devey, Merewether
Significance in eye of beholder
HAVING previously declared that Indigenous people "don't need" a Voice to Parliament ("Historical accounts not so rosy", Letters, 24/5), Peter Devey now authorises himself to determine the locations on their country that should continue to be of cultural and historical significance to them ("The modern Nobbys head no Whibayganba", Letters, 13/7). It looks to me like a neat summation of colonialist thinking - Indigenous people no longer need or deserve autonomy because there are now others better qualified to make decisions for them, such as Mr Devey. And so it is that we hear him announce that Nobbys / Whibayganba should no longer be of Indigenous cultural and historical significance.
Thankfully, he doesn't get to decide. It's for the country's traditional owners to determine what is significant to them. As much as many in this country would wish otherwise, there are some things 230 years of theft, legal fictions, ignorance and gratuitous mockery cannot erase.
Michael Hinchey, New Lambton
Pool numbers may really add up
REMIND me, what was the reason for seven councillors recusing themselves from responsibility for the pools' privatisation tender, by handing the decision to the CEO?
Jeremy Bath's justification ("Council's public notice deserves more of a local splash", Herald, 12/7), for selecting private contractor Bluefit is that 'modelling' shows that the contract will cost on average about $2 million a year less than if council employees did the same job, saving $39 million over 21 years (that's $400,000 per pool per year). Perhaps he could now use his 'model' on the more than 100 other services provided by council. In my opinion, the model is useful and could assist in privatising all council services, replacing about 1000 union jobs and saving about $200 million for ratepayers per year.
I wonder if other tenderers offered unsolicited carrots of up to $5 million in order to win the contract for a pool not even approved by council yet.
I believe this contract is contrary to Labor Party policy, and if that's the case then I imagine councillors wouldn't want to be responsible for breaching policy by replacing union jobs.
Bob Cook, Newcastle
Soaking deserves a spray
TO the driver of the water tanker who liberally sprayed the footpath outside Glendore Primary on Wednesday around 10am: I'm just letting you know that my joggers are pretty much dry now.
My sodden socks, trackpants, t-shirt and jacket have been washed (who knows where that water had been), and the cloth bag I was wearing on my shoulder has dried out.
My phone, which was in said bag, was luckily only damp, not wet like the rest of me, and seems to be doing well so far.
Just one other thing; as far as I'm concerned, there was no way you couldn't have seen me on the footpath before you started spraying. I had no idea what you were about to do, assuming you were going around the roundabout to the worksite at the school perhaps, and I had nowhere to go to avoid it, even if I had anticipated your actions.
Perhaps you thought it would be funny to spray an innocent old-ish lady out for a walk on a lovely day? Let me tell you, the 15-minute walk home wearing sodden shoes and socks, with my wet pants clinging to my legs, was less than amusing for me.
Jan Caine, Maryland
A SHOUT-OUT to Newcastle Regional Library and Kay Pisel, who fortnightly provide guidance, entertainment and discussion to those suffering from dementia and their carers. A themed meeting with a cuppa, music therapist and art therapists provide safe and interesting discussions. Kay has actively sought to have the library staff "dementia aware" for a caring and safe environment. Thank you Kay, let's hope your example becomes part of all at the council.
Gwynne Travers-Barnes, Mayfield East
Name game isn't worth playing
THE Newcastle/Newy/Newie debate is frustrating me. If we have a cathedral, we're a city and not a suburb. Show some respect.
Darryl Horne, Waratah
Questions around numbers
JOHN Ure ("Chance of disadvantage higher", Letters, 13/7) seems to take issue with perceived criticism about lack of "facts", so he quotes numbers in reply. The trouble is, his numbers don't seem to align with those from the last Census, which are on the Bureau of Statistics website. It looks like he has increased the Indigenous population by more than 16 per cent.
Michael Clarke, Ashtonfield
Nuclear is the only option
IS Chris Bowen the right person to hold the energy portfolio? In my opinion what he is doing to us with wind and sun to "save the planet" is criminal. We contribute 1 per cent of the world's pollution (yes, 1 per cent). Sun and wind will never be enough to keep the lights on and industry viable. All the while, we are paying China billions to supply us. Ridiculous. We must go to nuclear.
Don Fraser, Belmont North
Time to make tough calls
A MESSAGE to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his cabinet; the honeymoon is over. Defer the divisive Voice to Parliament referendum and also the stage three tax cuts indefinitely.
Brian Watson-Will, Corlette
Don't denigrate other voters
DENNIS Crampton (Short Takes, 10/7) states "Albo has shown his true colours . . . there was no-one else". To suggest that I must be classed as stupid for following my learned Labor Prime Minister's advice, I find offensive and degrading.
Neil Pitt, Carrington
Flagging some other examples
DON Fraser ("Flagging the duplicated symbols", Letters, 11/7), asks if any other country than Australia has three national flags. He could, of course, start with the United Kingdom, where the flag combines the flags of England, Scotland and old Ireland. (Wales missed out again). I agree it would be great if Australia could agree on 'a flag of our own'. Maybe next year.
