WHILE most art followers in Newcastle were heartened by the news that the Newcastle Art Gallery expansion/upgrade was going ahead, it is disheartening to note that the gallery may not reopen for a further 18 months ("Finishing touches to gallery design", Newcastle Herald 1/6).
That will make almost three years without Newcastle's gallery. Are all the staff still employed? If so, what's stopping them finding a warehouse somewhere able to display some of the thousands of paintings and objects now in storage, with a new selection, say, every month or so?
On a recent visit to the Cressida Campbell retrospective at the National Gallery in Canberra I saw a couple of the artist's landscapes of Newcastle which I had never seen before. Where were they from? The Newcastle gallery. There must be hundreds if not thousands of works in the Newcastle collection that we rarely get to see. Couldn't the Newcastle gallery authorities find some way to give us a look at some of them over the next 18 months?
Carl Boyd, Cooks Hill
What if it wasn't the British
NOT only do I agree with Steven Barnett's missive about if the British never landed (Short Takes, 1/6), I would add a couple of further points. If Captain Cook had not claimed Australia for the British then it could well have been the Dutch had they not landed on one of the most inhospitable parts of this Great Southern Land. If you do a little history lesson into the Dutch East India company and their treatment of the Africans, then I fear our Indigenous brothers and sisters may have fared even worse.
Had the French landed, what would our nation look like? If those evil white men and a few of our Indigenous brothers had not been able to repel the Japanese during WWII then we most certainly would have a different country. I know they are all what if's, but we need to stop focusing on the past and concentrate on the present and the future. Focusing on the past is a waste of time and energy.
Andrew Hirst, Beresfield
Past sins have accrued interest
I WRITE in response to Dave McTaggart's simple question (Short Takes 1/6): "what rights and privileges I have that my indigenous mate doesn't have?"
My reply is it's about rights and privileges previously taken away from a minority group of Australians, something done by our governments and institutions. I assume this never happened to Mr McTaggart or his ancestors, so now he has a consequential advantage with no generational trauma. Consequently, the minority group now needs extra help (privileges) and a (right) to give advice on matters that may have historically reduced their ability to help themselves. It is simply about setting up a communication structure that can't be easily removed, unlike a legislated voice that can be easily scrapped.
Darryl Stevenson, Coal Point
Inflation fight's a killer cycle
THE Reserve Bank has lost the plot, as they seem powerless to control inflation. They say rents will rise, which will lift the inflation rates higher, and their solution is to tell people to get flatmates or don't leave home. Sorry about those fleeing domestic abuse, the RBA just threw you under the bus.
I believe the policies of the RBA are causing price increases in housing and in turn this will cause rent increases, and so the vicious circle continues. They say to lift productivity, as wages are increasing without any productivity. Most of our job growth is in the service industry. Training, NDIS and aged care services do not produce value-added productivity. They produce a lot of activity but virtually no productivity.
It is the manufacturing industries that produce the measurable productivity; but we sent most of our manufacturing jobs overseas. Successive governments have decided, by their actions, that we should exploit the third world nations and let them produce the things we need and we will have unproductive work here while we can give lip service to anti-slavery laws (and we would not want those to apply to our imported products).
If you want a flourishing economy then get the manufacturing sector on the move, cut down on the dependence on imported products, cut back on immigration until the housing shortage is resolved, manage the laws governing the building industry to stop the rate of bankruptcies, and get Australia working again in real jobs. The laws governing the building industries must stop the principal contractor diverting funds from one project to others without paying the subcontractors and completing the homes, then filing for bankruptcy. I'm disgusted that we see the continual march to bankruptcy in the building industry while no action comes from the government.
Milton Caine, Birmingham Gardens
Nuclear option seems energised
MARVYN Smith ("Closer look at uranium", Letters, 30/5), says European countries are closing nuclear plants. Yet in April, Olkiluoto 3, Western Europe's first new reactor in over 15 years, and Europe's most powerful, began production in Finland. Last year France's President Macron announced six new-generation reactors would be built, with the possibility of a further eight.
What is Mr Smith's evidence that uranium "would be lucky to last a decade" should the world move to nuclear energy? I suggest that massive wind and solar farms are more disruptive for "food production or picnicking" than nuclear waste sites.
Iodine tablet distribution will continue for now in Switzerland, in a modified arrangement with the closing of the Muhlenberg power station after 47 years, but swissnuclear says their power plants "can cope with severe accidents", and "it is extremely unlikely that a serious accident will occur".
Peter Dolan, Lambton
Monumental effort in sculptures
ON behalf of Fort Scratchley Historical Society, I would like to congratulate Graham and Bec for the outstanding job they did in bringing together the recent sculpture exhibition at the fort.
Congratulations must also go to the artists for their wonderful creations. During the two-week period there were over 24000 visitors to the fort with the last day (Sunday) seeing a record 5300 in attendance.
The volunteers certainly enjoyed the interaction with visitors, many of whom were making their first visit to our iconic site. The positive feedback that has been received has prompted us to agree to hosting the event again next year, two weeks in June 2024.
Frank Carter, Fort Scratchley Historical Society
Another view of complaint count
GLEN Wilson bases his calculations on 25 million Australians watching the ABC (Short Takes, 26/5), but 1000 complaints is a whole lot if their viewership consists of Doris, Horace and the cat. I doubt there are more considering the ABC's ratings, so that's a lot of complaints. I hope Doris and Horace outlive the cat, because I'm sure Puss Puss is itching to get his paws on the remote.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
SHORT TAKES
With the King's birthday public holiday coming up, I suspect most republicans won't be foregoing penalty rates. Because no one wants to lose a public holiday, why not call it Indigenous Day provided it removes all the negativity regarding Australia Day? What's more fitting than an Indigenous celebration replacing a British royal celebration, making everyone happy? This is better than The Voice; it will actually bring people together.
Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek
THE whole Voice referendum to me is a dividing issue. I have grown up with Aboriginal workmates, my kids have gone to school with Aboriginal friends, my son's best mate at soccer was Aboriginal and my new doctor is a proud Aboriginal man (and the best doctor I've had in 62 years), so I keep asking myself why should I vote for Aboriginals to have a separate voice. We should be one voice, not divided by political grandstanding. Sure there are disadvantaged Aboriginals out there, but there are a hell of a lot of disadvantaged non-Aboriginals and that's growing at a rapid rate and they have had a Voice. Sorry, but it will be a "no" from me and no I'm not racist.
Brad Ryan, Mirrabooka
EVERY time I watch a rugby league game I discover a new rule. I have also seen players questioning the ref on a call because they don't know either. Go figure.
Bill Slicer, Tighes Hill
LOOKING at the picture of the art gallery design and the sign that's included ('Change, but no delay', Herald 1/6), something is not quite right there, or at least I hope it's not. "Incursion" means a hostile entrance or invasion of a place or territory. I hope they mean "excursion".
Marjorie Marsh, Newcastle
AT last, justice for Ali Jan and others ('A murderer and a war criminal', Herald 2/6).
Colin Robinson, Cardiff
LAWS are silent in war, according to Cicero, or as the saying goes: the first casualty in war is the truth. There are many examples.
Richard Ryan, Summerland Point
NO, Steve Barnett (Short Takes, 1/6), I very much doubt anyone would think Australia would still be "undiscovered" if Cook had taken a "wrong turn". That's because it's a silly proposition. But it seems, unfortunately, not silly enough for some to raise. What point are you trying to make? That the inevitable discovery of the country by someone excuses the actual impacts on Indigenous people of British colonisation? Why would anyone think that?
Michael Hinchey, New Lambton
IF we had more selfless pollies like Sonia Hornery ("MP hits back in pool saga", Herald 26/5), putting the community first, in my opinion we peasants wouldn't regard them as no better than phone scammers.
