Letters To The Editor

Train rage

After reading Neale Battersby's comments about politicians playing with people's lives and livelihoods (Echo, Aug 26), I can remain silent no longer about my recent train travel experience.

Last year when I had to travel to Cessnock I got the 11.34pm XPT from Lismore. It got to Maitland at 9am and I had to wait 50 minutes for a local bus. Recently, when the first bus pulled up at Lismore on July 10, the driver refused to take anyone on board despite the fact there were several empty seats. We had to wait for another bus. At Casino station, we arrived with five minutes to spare. We could not book our luggage through and it was a mad rush to get to the train. Several passengers kindly helped me as I was a bit stressed. Instead of getting to Maitland at 9am, I arrived at 4.05am! Being a pensioner I didn't have the money for a hotel room (besides, they were closed). I was forced to wait five hours and 45 minutes for the first local bus to Cessnock!

Mr Costa and co, in their infinite stupidity, haven't provided a CountryLink bus service for Maitland, one of the busiest and oldest railway stations in the Hunter region! This is disgraceful! The Maitland staff were wonderful. They let me stay on the platform in safety and they checked on me every so often.

Mr Costa you are a liar of the highest order! You lied in your letter to me regarding our train line when you said that people of the North Coast would get a more efficient service.

What are you doing about this, Neville Newell, Larry Anthony, John Brogden, John Anderson, Steve Cansdell and particularly Mark Latham and Ian Causley?

This is more than a state issue, it's a humanity issue.

Mr Causley, when I rang your office last year to make an appointment to speak about the rail line, your staffer told me it was a state issue and I couldn't see you about it.

Now I see that you are trying to score points by pointing out state Labor's broken promises. Don't treat us like fools.

Mr Latham, as the head honcho of the Labor Party, what influence do you have over the Labor-governed states? Or are you only interested in seeing Kevin Bell shoving Ian Causley out of his seat at the election? We need you to intervene and order Carr, Costa and co to give us back our train!

My experience is indicative of the huge stuff up that Costa has inflicted on North Coast people. For God sake all those involved in this debacle just get your act together and get our train back for us!

We deserve better than the crap we have been dealt by the State Government.

I have left Don Page and Thomas George out of the criticism because they really give a damn about this issue. We are not numbers, we are human beings and we need this vital service.

Helen Coyle
South Lismore

Non-core truth

On ABC TV's 7.30 Report, February 1, 1996, the following conversation took place between the Prime Minister John Howard and Kerry O'Brien.

Kerry O'Brien: "Okay, the pledge of no new taxes, no increase in existing taxes for the life of the next Parliament. So for the next three years, not even a one cent increase on cigarettes or beer or wine or petrol, no other indirect tax increase, no tax increase of any kind?"

John Howard: "That promise is quite explicit".

Up to late 2002, that promise had been broken at least 130 times, according to Clerk of the Senate, Harry Evans. As at September 1, 2004, it is now 156 times.

Who can you trust? Certainly not John Winston Howard.

John X Berlin
Maclean

Lead by example

I recently heard that Rocky Creek Dam was currently 77% full and that water restrictions would soon be implemented, so will that mean Lismore City Council will stop putting the sprinklers on the local cricket pitches?

I have noticed lately the sprinklers watering at least twice a week for over two hours at a time. Who pays for this water? Why aren't the soccer, football, grass netball courts and hockey fields watered? I hope someone from LCC or Lismore Water or the cricket body can answer the above questions.

M Wawn
Lismore

Toothy policy

It's good to see Tony Abbott introduce a more friendly private medical insurance concession to our more wealthy elderly. I would like to have seen him take it a bit further by giving them an extra 10% rebate for every decade, until they get to a magical Bradman century where they get free private medical cover from then on.

I think private enterprise is the answer to a better health system. I am particularly concerned about the poor dental health seniors enjoy and would like to see a more generous joint enterprise with Medicare and Video Ezy.

Perhaps we could introduce $2 weekly video hire combined with free weekly hire of used dentures. Overnight, more expensive video hire, with relatively new overnight denture hire, and perhaps a Tuesday night $1 special, so that the poorer can get a taste for a less used set of dentures.

To create a feelgood climate for our government we could also remember poor people in aged care and give them free vouchers to attend aerobic sessions at their local gym.

To encourage more people into private hospital cover I would like to see painkillers and anaesthetic surgery dosages reduced according to the level of medical insurance cover people have. Eg, 25% dosage for the freebies and 100% dosage to full paying private health cover customers.

Perhaps we could have 2-for-1 deals. Eg. Sign up to a 10-year contract and get two hip replacements instead of one.

Trevor Evans
East Ballina

TAFE underfunding

Governments are killing the goose that lays the golden egg by not providing funds to ensure people have access to TAFE.

A fraction of the $123 million GST collected from Northern Rivers manufacturing and farming industries each year must be returned to the TAFE budget to remedy the disastrous underfunding it has suffered.

To allow the 'highest quality vocational training facility in Australia' the means to meet the needs of public education in vocational training in the Northern Rivers.

The reduction in opportunities for young people and others who want to enter the workforce is an indictment on the planners and bean-counters that will prove to be a costly error of judgement.

Already the skills shortage in Australia is preventing industries from expanding, the answer in some cases has been to encourage emigrants to enter Australia providing they have the basic skills and basic vocational English.

This at a time when many young Australians are only able to get work in "McJobs", casual and part time, with little or no prospects of bettering themselves.

There were 53,700 people not able to get into TAFE courses this year in Australia and many in the North Coast are counted in these numbers.

Local MPs for Ballina and Lismore have raised the issues in Parliament in clear and concise terms... do we have to wait until the system collapses before this underfunding of TAFE is addressed?

Geoff Parry
Richmond Hill

Eggs-cellent war

I have read and listened to the litany of lies and blatant exaggerations being bandied about by the bleeding-heart, uni-educated elites who have decided once again to re-write history. As any good cook will tell you, omelettes need broken eggs and similarly a modern nation like Iraq could not have been built and governed without one or two unfortunate incidents.

This constant harping on the so-called "crimes of Saddam" fails to look at the whole story of Iraq in perspective, especially the many episodes in the development of that country of which the previous regime should be proud.

All I can say is it seems that the black arm-band brigade have once again hijacked the discussion and are again warping history with their blinkered, biased and bankrupt views.

Ross Macdonald
South Lismore

PS. The cricket world record for wickets is held jointly by two men who prove the usefulness for a thesaurus to differentiate their spin bowling technique, one is a tosser and the other a chucker, but only one is called a cheat, the other is called many nasty things in addition to champion. Anatomically speaking one can be ameliorated by straightening an elbow, the other exacerbated by bending the elbow.

Man of iron

How ironic that after claiming that the Prime Minister was out of puff, it was Mark Latham who ended up in the sick bed!

Since becoming leader of the ALP, Mark Latham has been determined to make an issue of the Prime Minister's age, but he has now learnt the hard way that age is not the determinant of physical wellbeing.

An enduring image of this Government is the Prime Minister taking his brisk early morning walks. In nine years of Government he has never taken a sick day.

He is clearly committed to keeping fit and healthy so he can carry out his office to the highest level.

Alternatively, in his first six months of leadership, Mark Latham has earned the nickname 'Mr Man Boobs' because of the weight he has gained.

Poor diet and lack of exercise must have played a significant role in the onset of his pancreatitis.

Despite Labor's optimistic spin, any medical professional would tell you that Mark Latham is not a well man.

So Labor has foiled itself.

Ultimately it was Mark Latham's lack of personal discipline that brought on ill health. Consequently Labor can no longer argue they have youthful energy on their side.

Bob Wilson
Alstonville

History repeats

John Howard is busily trying to convince voters that the past doesn't matter, such as forgetting children overboard.

Voters should only look to the future. His future? History influences the future this is an undeniable fact.

All voters know Howard's past, why should voters believe his version of the Coalition's future.

"Never ever, John!"

Don Hains
East Ballina

Vote thoughtfully

If our friends lied to us in the bold manner of too many politicians, we would be rightly horrified and fear for the future. While we digest the full implications and blatant opportunism of Mr Howard's children overboard lies we should not forget the slipperiness of local politicians on these and related issues.

Ian Causley, MP for Page, said three years ago that people in 'his' electorate "Are not interested in whether children were thrown overboard".

Larry Anthony in Richmond has said that children in detention "are happy". Last election Anthony also had leaflets distributed around caravan parks in his electorate saying 'boat people' would 'flood' the area and cause problems for residents.

It was recently, reported that Minister Vanstone said there is only one child in the prisons called Immigration Detention Centres. There are still around 90 kids still held in mainland and 'Pacific Solution' camps.

The Ministers careful dissembling actually said "only‚ one child from 2001 boat arrivals is still in immigration detention". This is true and she failed to mention all the others. Media picked up "the only one child in detention" part of the lie by omission. The Minister didn't seem to find it necessary to correct this confusion.

For anyone concerned about parliament locking up kids for three, four, five years, the question to put to Mr Causley and Mr Anthony is: "What have you personally done to get children out of detention?"

A complete overhaul and depoliticisation of immigration policy is the only solution. Causley and Anthony cling to power by 2%. Vote for any candidate or party with a better immigration policy than the Howard controlled Coalition and a better track record on upholding democratic traditions and ideals.

Politicians in power love it when people get cynical and vote informally, because it's a de facto vote for them. If you don't vote that's also a vote for the person in power. If you are not registered to vote, do it now. Please don't throw your vote overboard or lock up your power. Our democracy needs your thoughtful vote.

John Allan
The Channon

Kids thanks

The children, teachers and parents at Our Lady of Lourdes Infants School would like to thank the Lismore Workers Golf Club for their assistance in organising our Charity Golf Day. The day was a wonderful success enjoyed by all.

Thank you to our major sponsors - Oakes Auto Centre; Brands Pharmacy; Greg Clark Building; Sedgers Reef Hotel; Wal Murray Real Estate; Warren Morrissey Plumbing; Hairtique; Newton, Denny & Chappelle Surveyors; Hewitt Painting; M&T Tyres; A&A Lawson Concreting; Colour Magic; Keen Street Clinic; Haymans Electrical; R Gordon & Son Elders Real Estate; Ron Winkler Smash Repairs and Neil Pollard Car Sales.

Thank you to the host of minor sponsors who contributed to the success of the day and all the golfers who participated. The children are very excited about stage one of the playground and are eagerly looking forward to stage two. This is now our realistic goal!

Kathy Fry
OLOL Parent Group

Not those two

Before I talk about the election, I would like to remind voters as to why digital television was legislated so as to be virtually compulsory by 2008. You see apparently the 10 million colour variations available to me with digital are not an insult to my intellect, like the 20,000 available with analogue. Which party passed the law? It could have only been two.

Which one you ask? It there really a difference I ask? I don't care what telly I don't watch and I'm not suggesting the introduction of digital television sets precedence for the legislated introduction of a thousand party political system. This is my way of saying vote Greens (or anyone but Liberal or Labor). The two party system is an insult to our intelligence.

Marcus Davis
Lismore

Young voters

The cut off for enrolment to vote is September 7 and forms are available at post offices.

I am concerned that elections in October or November make it difficult for students involved in final exams to get registered to vote. Also the pressure of exams doesn't allow new voters time to consider their first vote. Perhaps this is cynically a good election time for the major parties knowing under 25-year-olds vote strongly for the Greens.

It's worth noting the Greens gain more votes than the National Party yet because of single-member electorates are denied influence equal to their share of the vote.

The old parties hold power by giving extra support to sitting members and having poll driven policies that are almost identical. It's time to turn the page.

David McInnes-King
Larnook

Drug games

Lets face it, drugs in sport are here to stay. Pharmaceutical companies will always stay a jump ahead of the testing authorities if there is buck to be made. So, if we can't beat 'em, lets join 'em. Athletes are obviously keen.

Don't just limit drugs to performance enhancing - give the recreational ones a go too. Here are some suggestions to stimulate your imagination.

Bronze to the athlete who wins with one joint, silver after two and gold to the winner with three joints under his belt. Just imagine the spectacle of the "heroin pole vault", (could be new world record) and the hash synchronised swimming and 200m swimming medley". In long events such as marathons etc. athletes will need top-up stations along the course and tracking devises to find the really lost when it gets dark. Anyone actually crossing the finish line would have to be tested in case they were drug free. The gold would go to the one that travelled the greatest distance in any direction.

The ensuing problem to both athletes and audiences alike, of chest pain from excessive laughing, could be handled by extra medicos armed with appropriate pharmaceuticals supplied by the original suppliers of the performance enhancers.

Imagine the media spectacular, the standing room only venues, the happy pharmaceutical companies.

In fact it may go some of the way to help us forget that the cost alone of the opening ceremony could have ensured the survival 100,000 or so refugees dying of starvation in Sudan.

Stuart Gibbons
Goonellabah

History repeats

Are there similarities developing between the Tanganikan groundnut scheme of over 50 years ago, and the proposed electricity co-generation plant of the NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative? The groundnut scheme was probably the most expensive failure in the history of agriculture. Will the co-generation plant follow in the same tracks, and will it wipe out the sugar industry, the very thing it is attempting to protect?

Is it really "green power" if so much fossil fuel is used in felling camphor laurel trees, chipping and transporting to the mill for co-generation? Who is kidding whom? How much toxicity is produced by the camphors in the burning process? What will be burnt when all the camphors are gone?

If Australia signs the Kyoto Protocol, and greenhouse emissions have to be compensated with a carbon credits scheme, how will this "green power" fare then? The first reading of the Kyoto Protocol Ratification Bill 2003 has already happened. Will the sugar mill be able to afford those credits as part of its co-generation profitability, or will it drag the cane farmer's income further backwards to subsidise the carbon credits?

Aren't wind farms the way of the future? Their turbines use the renewable energy of the universe, not a diminishing supply of camphors. $65 million, the figure quoted for each co-generation plant, buys a wind farm with 23 turbines which will supply power to 18,000 households and saves up to 2.1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in greenhouse gas emissions during a 25 year operating life. Wind farms are springing up everywhere - even in the North Sea where it meets the Thames in England.

So you cane farmers, don't be complacent about having to produce "green power" just because someone seeking political advantage tells you you have to. It's time to stand up and be counted and go further into the technicalities before going further into debt. Cane is already being used for mulch in macadamia production, and there is a man floating around who wants to buy your cane and export it to Japanese feedlots for double what your mill is paying you now.

Lets get the debate going, before it's too late!

Cr Margaret Howes
Ballina

Drug choices

With a federal election imminent Australians should examine and choose which direction we are to head on drug policy. The choices being offered put us at the crossroads between the road to recovery and the road to more drug addiction.

Drug Free Australia supports the Federal Parliamentary Family and Community Affairs Committee's 128 recommendations of The Road To Recovery Report.

We strongly support a policy that treatment should lead to the non-use of illicit drugs. Any use of pharmacotherapies, such as methadone, should be a temporary measure leading to a drug free status.

We are encouraged by the strong support for further Naltrexone implant trials as a part of a broader treatment program to assist addicts to cease their illicit drug use.

We strongly support the enforcement of laws against the possession and use of illicit drugs, for the protection of the individual, and the community, from the health and social consequences of such illegal activity.

This must include the enforcement of laws against; importation, manufacture, trafficking, sale, moving, altering and interfering with illicit drugs.

At these crossroads it is important that candidates and political parties seeking the public's support stand up for unambiguous and effective measures to prevent the use of illicit drugs, and to assist those affected to cease their illicit drug use.

Will our leaders take us down the road to recovery or the road to more drug use?

Michael D. Robinson
Executive Director
Drug Free Australia Ltd

Club hopeful

In response to "Kept in the dark" by Jim Hawkins (Echo, August 26).

As members of staff of the Lismore RSL Club Limited we would like to stress how disappointed we are with the text of the above letter. The Lismore RSL employs approximately 60 staff, all of whom are concerned about their future job prospects. Mr Hawkins suggestion that members not rejoin in 2005 can only be described as a retrograde step in the survival of the RSL Club. The club as a whole needs to continue trading in a positive way to make both clubs attractive to a potential amalgamation partner and thus ensure the long term future of the club.

We as staff are trying to be positive about the future viability of the club and as such are trusting that the receivers acting on behalf of the National Australia Bank are doing their utmost in this regard.

Mr Hawkins' suggestion that the NAB accept the offer from Twin Towns is unqualified without him knowing the facts of the offer. We as staff also would like to see a decision made on the future of the club but we are prepared to wait as long as necessary if this is what it takes to get a positive outcome.

What we need from the members is pro-active support and patronage of the club rather than a critical reaction.

Donna Battese & Sue Creamer
Lismore RSL staff