CONGRATULATIONS to all the people who made Star Struck 2023 happen, from the organisers, especially the teachers, to the sponsors, parents and the thousands of young performers ('Centre stage for bright young stars', Newcastle Herald 19/6).
We in Newcastle, the Central Coast and Hunter are fortunate to have so many talented and hard-working people in our area.
The three-hour show ran so smoothly, with 3000 performers in the right places at the right times. Remarkable.
This year, as usual, the show had everything. There were poignant to the happiest of moments. The finale, when all the participants packed into the Entertainment Centre and waved their arms and sang Disco Inferno, is a scene and sound to remember.
I thank all the youngsters and, in particular, my lovely granddaughter, who overcame her shyness to perform in front of hundreds of people, in the sweet item, Walk Like an Egyptian.
Thank you Star Struck for boosting the confidence of thousands of public schoolchildren over the past 31 years and giving them the opportunity to shine.
Moira Boettcher, New Lambton
Hope springs eternal on fast rail
THE fact the Albanese government has set up a high-speed rail authority to deliver a high-speed rail line is an interesting development.
The only problem is that we've heard it all before ('Promises and parody', Herald 17/6).
While it's easy to be sceptical, it's pleasing to see that something may actually happen this time.
On ABC Radio it was said they didn't want to make the same mistakes that were made with the inland rail. This time they want detailed planning work before construction begins. That was an interesting comment, as I thought that detailed planning had already been done on the inland rail.
I hope we see more action with high-speed rail this time, they may actually finish it. In any case, high-speed rail is long overdue. It should have been completed 20 years ago.
However, I hope they don't forget about the inland rail. That should have been completed 100 years ago.
Peter Sansom, Kahibah
Social housing isn't a panacea
SO the federal government will spend $2 billion on social housing ('Hunter needs slice of fund', Herald 21/6). This is to address the nation's housing affordability crisis amid soaring interest rates and rental prices. You might need to read that again.
This is new money, right now for new social housing. Then, further in one report in a Sydney newspaper, there are details about stopping the demolition of an inner-city public housing estate. Anyone picking up something here? How many public housing people are affected by interest rates, and don't the ones on a public housing waitlist get rental help to pay where they live?
There are plenty of working people who do not fit into the category, but still do not have a roof over their head. They pay taxes that go to provide social housing. What are you doing for them? Do they get swept under the carpet?
Amanda Johnstone, Mayfield
Plenty of examples for Voice
Regarding the proposed Voice to Parliament for Australian Indigenous people, I know how I'm going to vote and my reasons for doing so. I will be voting in the affirmative. But my reason for writing is that, in my opinion, the opposition to the vote seems to be based on a scare campaign and what ifs.
My advice to anyone who is undecided is to look to the countries that have been colonised in the past and see how many have already recognised the original inhabitants and given them a voice. My information is that Australia, like we are on many issues, is well behind.
There are many countries that have gone down that path, and everything seems to be going along very nicely. I'm not sure how many countries have done this, but some I do know are New Zealand, Canada, US, and India.
As I said, I have no need to check them out because I know how I am voting and why. But, for those who aren't sure, check them out.
Fred McInerney, Karuah
Aboriginality more than DNA
DAVID Pope's cartoon (Opinion 20/6) shows Pope's interpretation of various politicians' views on the 'Voice' referendum.
It is worth pointing out that the terms 'integration' and 'assimilation' are no longer accepted. They both involve the submergence and disappearance of Indigenous genes and culture. For the past 250 years, white Australians have exchanged genes with Indigenous Australians. Since both genetic alleles are recessive, in time, if this continues, my understanding is the 3 per cent Indigenous gene will be overwhelmed and submerged in the much larger gene pool. This is already happening, as evidenced by the many mixed-race people who no longer live in traditional Aboriginal lands. These people can struggle to maintain their traditional connections with their lands. Most of their lands are on the coastal fringe. These are the most productive land parcels that were the first to go, and are now owned and run largely by whites.
The test of Aboriginality in Australia is not based on DNA testing, but on individual claims that are backed by cultural and demographic belonging and acceptance. The acceptable term now used is self-determination and not integration or assimilation. A Voice to Parliament would make self-determination much easier to achieve for Indigenous Australians.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Federal case needs to be made
JOHN Hollingworth's decision to "not read Kerry O'Brien's book because I believed it would be too biased to the left" is probably a good idea (Short Takes, 16/23). The government has told us it will "address the root cause of Indigenous disadvantage". Mr Hollingsworth says that, because the government "fails to give any clue as to what the "root causes" are until after the vote, he is "still not convinced".
It is a shame this enormous undertaking seems to put the cart before the horse, or too many cooks spoil the broth. I am a member of a large family from the early 1940s and complex decisions were the order of the day. Time is of the essence, and whoever is the head of this initiative must quick-smart put together maybe 10 short, simple facts that convince the public they will make the correct decision.
There have been too many occasions that the saying "don't turn it into a federal case" has been used when making decisions. Well, what do you know; this is a federal case.
Pat Garnet, Wickham
SHORT TAKES
I AM amazed at Novocastrians who tell me that Newcastle has always been called Newy. This is nonsense. When did this nickname begin? I've lived here since arriving as an 11-year-old in 1957 - almost 66 years. I believe this name began no more than about 20 to 25 years ago. If you think back to the 1970s and '80s, almost everyone was calling Newcastle "our town", thanks to Newcastle Permanent Building Society advertising. However, who uses it now?
Keith Parsons, Newcastle
IT'S time they started locking up people who lock themselves on the rail lines, therefore stopping people getting to work. There are people wanting to get to work so they can feed their families and keep a roof over their heads. Meanwhile, these protesters apparently think it's a bloody game. I say lock them up instead of letting them go and risking them doing it all again.
Ken Stead, Lambton
ONCE upon a time we had a place called Ayers Rock. Lots of people visited and explored this great wonder of nature. Now it's called Uluru and no one is allowed on it. Now Fraser Island is called K'gari. How long before people won't be able to visit this great place, I wonder?
Shane Tull, Redhead
RICHARD Devon ("Power switch may not suit units", Letters, 19/6), I read in WA they have legislated that new unit buildings have mandatory solar generation. It can be remote from the unit building and generate enough power for its requirements. I assume each strata lot's share equals the unit entitlement. This should extend to be nationwide, and perhaps a similar scheme could be set up for houses with limited solar capacity.
Darryl Stevenson, Coal Point
IN regards to Dennis Crampton's letter ("Scam spike is a telling one", Letters, 21/6), about scammers; I believe these scum suckers should be chained up and publicly flogged. I'd rather have a chance defending cash against thieves and pickpockets than go up against a computer screen that suddenly reads bank balance zero.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
IT seems to me, given the result of the federal government's housing bill, that, when it comes to helping the wealthy, the conservative parties are allied with the Greens. Can we see the beginnings of an expanded alliance attempting to keep the progressive party out of power?
John Brattan, Thornton
I GOT a laugh when I heard that if Trump goes to jail over his espionage misdemeanours and wins the election, he will have to take his full presidential secret service detail with him into a tiny cell.
Alan Hamilton, Hamilton East
AT $7.50 a pie at one Newcastle shop, I wonder how they sell any pies, let alone have allegedly declining sales. Since Proudies closed, it has been impossible to get a good pie until now; try Farrar & Sons at Mayfield - excellent. Jimmy Humble's pies in the arcade near Union Street were the best, I reckon, but he's long gone.
