Whales and wind farms off Newcastle: we need more info on plans

WITH the Newcastle Herald being one of the best avenues for communicating with and enlightening Novocastrians, I call on Oceanex, BlueFloat Energy and any other tenderers for the wind farms off the east coast to publicly dispel any fears whatsoever that these wind farms will have absolutely no effect on the annual migratory path of the whales and/or ramifications for any other species. With hundreds of chains being anchored to the seabed, they should proclaim and guarantee there will be no such effect. Failing a definitive and unambiguous denial, Novocastrians can make their own assumptions or assertions.

They will no doubt read this very public challenge, or be told about it, and whilst satisfying this request they might also publicly enlighten us all with documentation as to the type and amount of oil each and every one of the hundreds of turbines off the coast holds to keep the gears etc lubricated; the frequency required to service each individual turbine; the type of craft that is to be used to attend each farm, and the nature and frequency of such service required by each. They might also include the life of the farm, the environmentally friendly disposal costs for the infrastructure, etc.

We must know to make an informed judgement of the proposal. There have been examples given of where currently in the world similar offshore wind farms are located but has it been documented where these have been strategically placed in the path of a migratory species?

Neil Allen, Newcastle East

Salute for those there at end

SHOUT out to the nursing staff at Belmont Hospital.

My mother passed away recently after some eight weeks there on level three. Alas, the last 10 days were in palliative care.

The nursing staff were simply wonderful; caring, attentive and very empathetic. My mum was feisty and a handful at times, but they carried on. We all know these wonderful people do a great job in society in increasingly difficult times. My family got to witness and experience this first hand.

Not all my family's experiences at hospitals have been a good experience, but when my mother was at her most difficult point in her last days they were there. Bravo! And so fortunate to have had the palliative care nurses on level three. My family salutes the staff. God bless you all.

Nick Maguire, Redhead

Channel energy into doing job

I WRITE to complain about our state government and its ongoing statements about dredging the Swansea Channel. In December 2021 the NSW government announced $7.5 million was allocated to dredging projects including Swansea Channel.

It described the steps in the Swansea dredging project being early project development and planning, hydrographic survey, environmental Investigations, confirming channel profile and placement strategy for dredge material, displaying a review of environmental factors and seeking community feedback, advertising a tender, awarding it and finally construction.

They said at the time they were already up to environmental investigations, with dredging expected to commence in the first half of 2022. In early 2022 the government pushed back the dredging start date to September, with completion in November.

In late September 2022 the government owned up that nothing had been done. New advice was the dredging would occur in two stages - the first being an emergency dredging, allowing boats in and out of the lake by Christmas 2022, with the real dredging occurring in 2023.

They now want us to believe the "emergency" dredging will complete before Christmas, and yet there's no detail of how this project will be delivered. As we approach the end of November with no evidence of work being done I believe the government is continuing its deceit.

Mark Delaney, Hamilton East

Resource value a taxing issue

AUSTRALIA'S leading exports of iron ores, coal and gas are being grossly undervalued and given away. Present world shortages have pushed market prices through the roof.

Having detrimental environmental effects, these industries have maintained good faith with communities by substantial investments, to secure a tolerance of their presence. The contribution to the community by providing jobs, paying wages and community donation exceeds royalty payments. Their annual statement of community benefits is most likely somewhat embellished but significant. Queensland is applying a staged increase of royalties based on coal sales, starting at 7 per cent and rising to 40 per cent. Both WA and NSW take below 8 per cent and I think need to follow the Queensland's lead.

The downside of increasing royalties is that companies will pull back on community spending to maintain profit margins. The main offender, the Offshore Petroleum/Gas PRRT tax is 10 per cent on paper, but rarely yields a fifth of that. Exploration and new plant cost can be accumulated as tax offsets to a level that no tax is paid for years. These existing arrangements are archaic, and the federal government needs to change a system. Go for it, Treasurer Jim Chalmers!

Paul Duggan, Garden Suburb

Give carbon credit where it's due

YOUR editorial claims that Australia needs to address climate change but our reliance on coal exports makes it a problem very difficult to solve "otherwise we would have done it long ago", ("The search for global climate balance", Opinion 21/11). Well we did actually. The Gillard government's carbon price resulted in a 2 per cent reduction in emissions in the brief time it existed. Modelling shows that if it still existed our emissions would now be around 30 million tonnes lower and we would be enjoying lower energy prices due to less volatility in the electricity market because of business certainty and investment. We went from an instrument where polluters paid the taxpayers to the Abbott policy where the taxpayer paid the polluters a $3 billion subsidy. Conservative government ideology has got us into the mess we now find ourselves.

John Arnold, Anna Bay

Boatload of woes bigger than cars

I DECIDED to research on behalf of us who drive petrol/diesel powered vehicles to try to identify other areas of concern that may have a more serious/perceived impact on climate change. The two areas I looked at were cruise ships and bulk carriers. At the end of 2021 there were 323 cruise ships worldwide. Picking one at random, this vessel used 302,832 litres of diesel per day. A 14-day cruise, whilst allowing for four days in port, equates to a total of 3,028,328 litres.

With bulk carriers, of which there were 12,700 registered around the world in 2021 with container ships making up 5534 of that number, my random selection used 224,653 litres of heavy fuel oil (HFO). An average return trip of this vessel from the US to New Zealand takes 46 days using a total of around 10,334,057 litres.

Now, remembering there are vessels constantly circulating around our world using various grades of fuel, perhaps one could assume our humble means of transport to work and play may not be the demons they are made out to be.

Peter Mullins, Rankin Park

SHORT TAKES

FULL marks to Canada's Justin Trudeau for telling that smirking Chinese dictator how it is with free speech in democratic countries. If Xi doesn't like it perhaps he could restrict his meetings to only his Hitler clone friend, Putin and that lunatic from North Korea.

John Bonnyman, Fern Bay

REMEMBER the scientists who tested the first atomic bomb in New Mexico in 1945 thought it could ignite the Earth's atmosphere and destroy the planet, but they went ahead with its detonation anyway? Some of the scientists even made a bet on whether or not the atmosphere would be set on fire by the test. Just keep this in mind when we're told the authorities are following science and we're thinking what a bunch of clever and responsible people they must be and how fortunate we live in a society run by these intelligent and responsible individuals who have our interests at heart. Between 1945 and 1947, 30 patients were injected with radioactive elements including plutonium by doctors working on the same Manhattan Project. "Records show that only one of the plutonium patients signed a consent form, which did not fully explain the medical procedure or risks" (Human Radiation Experiments, Atomic Heritage Foundation, 11th July, 2017).

Louis Shawcross, Hillsborough

STAN Keifer (Short Takes 21/11), don't place all the onus on schools to reform society's problems. Let's give it back to the parents to educate their own little darlings. Or maybe not because that's where their bad habits came from in the first place.

John Bradford, Beresfield

ELON Musk has cancelled the cancellers. Free speech for the unworthy, unwashed and unawakened. Sack 'em all, Mr Musk. I love you man!

Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay

I BELIEVE selecting Warner as Test captain would compromise the integrity and honour that the position holds.

Robert Menhenick, Charlestown

I SUSPECT racing connections might be getting worried about the fact that many young people are learning that racing is cruel after the Four Corners story telling us how many finished horses end up with a bullet in the head at the knackers? I was surprised to see the advert about winning a racehorse, but will they advise the winners that they won't be allowed to send failed horses to the knackers and that they must have them registered for the rest of their lives to save them from cruelty? Horses that don't win can be such a financial burden. Who wants that?

Pauline McCarthy, Salamander Bay

JOHN Cooper, (Short Takes, 19/11), at least Adz Carter is banging on about something real. Not making it up to suit his politics.

Colin Fordham, Lambton

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