THE NSW State Planning Authority has created 'Greater Newcastle' encompassing five Lower Hunter councils: Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, Cessnock, Port Stephens, and Maitland. For what purpose, I am not sure. However, I would presume one reason is to assist in cross-boundary developments.
Newcastle appears to be in a bind as to where a new basketball stadium could be located, with suggested options proving to be unsuitable for one reason or another.
There is a parcel of land that was identified by a former state Member for Maitland Allan Walsh in the 1980s for a regional multi-sport complex at the junction of Newcastle, Maitland and Port Stephens that has good traffic access from Newcastle Road and Raymond Terrace Road ('Council joins push for new regional sporting complex site at Woodberry', Maitland Mercury, 16/9/1987). Access also includes an overhead bridge and slip lanes.
Maitland City Council purchased the land and it has remained idle for the past 40 years. The land itself is located at Woodberry and I believe was part of Greenway Dairy.
There would be several options available for car parking. If the land is suitable for a basketball stadium, I would not see a problem with the use of Newcastle - as in Newcastle Basketball Stadium.
We have had Newcastle Aerodrome at Rutherford going on 40 years.
Ray Fairweather, Tenambit
Applying the rules when it suits
Credit to John Carr ('Electoral extension', Letters, 23/8) for indirectly pressing the US Republican's Project 2025 plan to replace independent, apolitical, frank and fearless public servants with political hacks. For John, it appears a case of 'how dare public servants apply the law correctly when it gets in the way of my vote. Only possibility then is they're playing politics, but not in my favour'.
A good example, too, of the observation by multi Walkley Award-winning journo Chris Masters that politicians think like politicians and that everyone else thinks the same way.
In this instance, projected onto public servants, the blaming and accusing of whom we see trotted out whenever the law stands between someone and their money and/or ego.
It's a bit like people who condemn corruption - except when they want to bribe a cop to avoid a ticket or a politician when a law or regulation stands between them and their object of self-interest.
Or who turn up at a polling place at 7pm, bang on the closed door and accuse the election staff of denying them their right to vote.
Anyway, not to worry, I recall a potential candidate for Port Stephens Council who failed to lodge his nomination form correctly last time around, saying recently he had barristers' opinions that said he could have successfully appealed that decision.
I look forward to him passing that advice on to the Liberal Party head office and seeing how that goes.
Rod Stanton, New Lambton
Weapons already at Williamtown
MARY Sharkey ('Plan to build missiles puts region on map', Letters, 26/8) takes issue with the new missile manufacturing facility claiming that the Hunter will now be a target for foreign bombs come the next war.
I'm not sure how to break this to Ms Sharkey but the Williamtown Air Base is the major air force base in the country and home to most of our F35 strike aircraft. It stores hundreds of missiles, bombs and extensive supplies of ammunition.
Furthermore, just up the valley, at Denman there is an ammunition dump that contains hundreds of tonnes of explosives and ammunition.
So I reckon it might be a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted, when it comes to fears about the Hunter being targeted.
I reckon the Russians or Chinese or Iranians or Hamas or North Koreans or Taliban or whoever the enemy of choice is at the moment have probably already singled-out Williamtown and the Hunter Valley as targets.
Oh and by the way, don't think of moving to somewhere safe like Lithgow because it's the home of Australia's small arms factory.
Barney Langford, Whitebridge
Compulsory fee for police check
RECENTLY, I had cause to undergo a police check as I had volunteered at a local church to assist in their task of providing morning tea/groceries/supplies/personal hygiene facility, and conversing with the clients - some who are lonely and rely on the kindness and generosity of the helpers.
The crime check is a mandatory requirement, which to my dismay incurs a fee of $69.
Many of the volunteers are retired pensioners - without their help, many organisations would be in dire straits.
One would think this fee should be waived, for the selfless contribution they give is priceless.
Patricia Keating, Boat Harbour
'Forgotten suburbs' also need attention
WHAT hope do we have of getting any support for concerns in Bero or any of the forgotten suburbs when there seems to be so much political backbiting and feuding going on? Could we not revert to a system of help from the councillors regardless of their political persuasion? Let's get back to a council doing council work.
John Bradford, Beresfield
Qualifications for Oval Office
I CAN'T wait for Trump to challenge Kamala Harris's qualifications to lead the nation. The obvious difference is that Harris has not been in a movie or TV show.
Grahame Danaher, Coal Point
Sad end for sporting legend
WELL said Olga Parkes ('Sad end for Black Caviar', Letters, 23/8) regarding racehorse Black Caviar. I agree, at least she can now rest, but her life should have been much better.
Sandra Iceton, New Lambton Heights
Clean companies also profit
YOU are correct Brian Measday ('A baffling species', Letters, 26/8), but do you not think that large companies investing in renewable energy are not also making large profits by way of subsidies and incentives from our government, simply for trashing our farmland and oceans?
Greg Hunt, Newcastle West
Greed at the top
WOW! The other paper reports on power companies paying executives and CEOs millions while making billions in profit while people are struggling. Greed is one of the seven deadly sins.
Bruce Cook, Adamstown
Didn't follow the instructions
ALL that money on a private school education and a Liberal somewhere never learnt to read!
Colin Fordham, Lambton
Destructive and divisive politicians
FEDERAL Treasurer Jim Chalmers has called Peter Dutton, the Opposition Leader, destructive and divisive. This diatribe is political speak for "you are getting under my skin". Instead of denigrating Mr Dutton, the treasurer should tell us why Mr Dutton is destructive and divisive, then perhaps we may be listening. I would call blanketing our environment with solar panels and wind turbines for intermittent power and initiating a divisive referendum is destructive and divisive.
