Letters To The Editor

Stay on track

Last year the Northern Rivers community was united in its outrage over the Carr Government's decision to close the Casino-Murwillumbah rail line, but now that its happened many people are probably thinking 'well okay, we've lost that battle'. But we should not give up so easily: this is a rapidly growing region and railways are by far the best option for providing the backbone of our short and long term future transport infrastructure. With a new Transport Minister in Macquarie Street, the government has an opportunity to undertake a shift in policy. So what should we be lobbying Mr Watkins for, the restoration of the old Murwillumbah XPT service? Well, that might be good, but there may be a better option as a first step to getting local rail 'back on track', and that's a commuter rail service on the Casino-Murwillumbah line.

Firstly, the idea of introducing a commuter service is more likely to gain government support because it's less politically damaging than doing a complete about-face on the axing of the XPT. Secondly, the feasibility study produced by Price WaterhouseCoopers last September illustrates that such a commuter service is realistic, and features some sample timetables that indicate how user-friendly this service could be for people traveling between the towns along the line.

There are many groups of people who are potential users of a commuter service, and if you are among them you should have your say on what sort of service would best suit your needs.

Keep the issue alive, because with community clamouring for a commuter service, we may once again have trains on our tracks.

Nick Casmirri
Lismore

Senseless

Re 'Road to nowhere' (Echo, Feb 24).

There was a printing error in the copy of my letter which you published last week, and this made my article non-sensical. The sentence should read "if I paid Council rates on this hectare I would pay $8.46" (ie eight dollars and forty six cents) and not eight hundred and forty six dollars.

It is obvious protesting is having some effect on the Carr Government as they are reconsidering the vendor tax and the land tax so once again I urge all landholders affected by these changes, ie farmers and voluntary organisations to continue on protesting until the rates are changed back to $50 per year otherwise the fee will increase by the CPI each year.

Elizabeth Hamilton
Rous Mill

Paving the way

I have recently acquired an electric buggy to help me stay independent. This has been an eye opener to me as a previous car driver. It is designed to use on pavements, not roads, but there seems to be a dearth of good pavements. The new estates are installing wide, flat, good pavements, but at other places they are uneven, sloping and often non-existent, so one if forced to use the roads.

I am referring in particular to the main highway, which should have a good continuous pavement on one side of the road! After all there are, as well as disabled people, mums with prams, children on bicycles, joggers and the elderly, who are less steady on their feet.

One place in particular comes to mind, and that is between Rous and Invercauld roads where there is even a one in three slope to tackle, steep driveways to traverse, and in places no pavement, so one has to go on the road!

How about a petition to Council? We are supposed to encourage obese people to exercise. These conditions are no encouragement!

Frankie Hill
Goonellabah

Not funny

I was captivated by the photo in The Echo on Feb 24 of your editor, Simon Thomsen, proudly nursing his little son, whose arrival, I know, had been excitedly awaited.

However, my feelings turned to disgust, then anger, as I read the accompanying article. How far can you stoop - to use a defenseless, beautiful, week-old baby boy in a clumsy attempt at humour? This was cruel and uncalled for and certainly not funny!

Worse still, one or more of you have taken advantage of your employment on the staff of The Echo to circulate your pathetic, failed attempt as comedians, among the thousands of readers to whom the paper's distributed weekly.

You did not have the courage to include your name/names with the article.

Nicknames have an unfortunate habit of becoming permanently attached to people. Did you pause to consider the possible affects upon the baby's parents, at what should be a unique and exciting period in their lives?

When you have an urge to display your comic ability in the future, resist it and consider the possible consequences. Humour is definitely not your forte!

Patricia B Robinson
Lismore

Daddy editor writes: Thanks for your concern on our behalf, but it really was some gentle fun (directed at me!) that brought back childhood memories for those of us who used to watch the Archie cartoons (which featured a character called Jughead). For readers who are wondering, Sally chose the name, inspired by the character Archie, a young runner, in the movie Gallipoli. Our Archie came out with long legs (steel springs?).

It's certainly a wonderful time, but that doesn't mean it's devoid of humour - and moments of excruciating embarrassment that we will save up for retelling at Archie's 21st birthday.

I'm blessed to have a wonderful, supportive and loving team at The Echo, which has allowed me to have this time off. I'm as proud of them as I am of my young son. But you may be right about their poor judge of humour, since they always laugh at my jokes.

Ultimately, children in the playground will come up with nicknames far more devious than the playful suggestion you read in The Echo. At least we didn't call the poor lad Apple, Moon Unit, Cruz or Peaches. But no doubt when he gets older and starts to ignore his father's directions, I will call him other names.

Back on the beat

Re Cassandra Syndrom of Lismore Heights (Echo, Feb 24).

I agree with everything you say. How can a body lay undetected in long grass for over a week in Lismore when it was supposedly searched? Makes one wonder, and why did the police not bring dogs in long before this?

There are many issues I have with police re speeding drivers along our street. Plenty of information given to police in months past, but it has not been acted upon and I am still waiting for replies from police. It's so hard to obtain information- even letters go unanswered.

Society today is on a decline - one only has to look around and see drunks rolling out of pubs at 1.30am, and youths on bikes roaming around town at 2am.

What has happened to law and order? What has happened to police walking the beat?

Friday and Saturday nights the hoodlums go home at 4am smashing windows, damaging property, smashing cars, fighting and waking elderly residents because of anti-social behaviour. I have placed all these questions before police and still no reply. However in defence, I will say some years ago I received correspondence from police on many matters, but alas, no more. Different bosses in the chair I guess. I can also relate an incident some years ago whilst walking to the beat as a local night watchman in Ballina at 3am. I had two persons trapped on a roof. I notified police and requested they come down the back lane, and what happened, you can guess - they came down River Street sirens going and lights flashing, and of course the intruders raced across the rooftops and were gone.

We all know police are tied up on jobs, sometimes for hours, but old style policing must return, and they must not ferry persons who break the law home in police vehicles, and this includes drunks. Too much time is lost and I know of one job recently where police took three hours to get to a parking complaint. An elderly lady could not get out of her own driveway - she missed her medical appointment and the list goes on an on.

Task force police should be back on the beat getting the hoodlums off the street. Arrest and charge, otherwise big problems will occur down the track.

Allan O'Neill
Ballina

Party politics

The political pontificating about the shortcomings of the Carr State Government by Thomas George and Don Page, dressed up in their weekly columns as "information", wears a bit thin when one considers that there is little space given over to their political opponents. I am not accusing your paper of bias but a lack of balance when it comes to space in relation to the other political parties active in their respective electorates. With media outlets more frequently ignoring "Green" issues it seems to me that local media has a bigger role to play in presenting a balanced and extensive coverage of the political ponderings of others. Perhaps every time George and Page use your paper to attack the Carr Government you might ask for a response from the other major parties such as The Greens and Labor just to show that here on the North Coast cronyism is not the only political model available for we luckless voters.

M Mizzi
Tabulam

Road rage

It has come to my attention that the RTA is not willing to help Lismore City Council establish a road crossing or an overpass along Ballina Street, Lismore.

Recently I have been house sitting in Parkes Street and have had a good chance to see daily people take their lives into their own hands just to get across the road. Myself included. The roundabout near the defunct Chrissy's take away food shop partially blocks the pedestrians' view of the cars turning from the business end of Dawson Street into Ballina Street. This places pedestrians who have to cross at the unofficial road island there in danger as they can't always see what's coming around the roundabout.

On Wednesday, February 16, at about 7.55am a young mum, her daughter aged about eight and myself were waiting to cross Ballina Street from the corner of Dawson and Ballina streets.

The mother clearly warned her daughter not to cross the road without her as it was too dangerous. To our horror the girl ignored her and ran across the road; luckily she wasn't hit.

Then when it came to our turn to cross the road, we took our lives into our hands, and managed to get to the unofficial island in the middle of the road, and then had to do it again to get across the rest of the road. When we got across the road the mother quite rightfully let her daughter have it about how she scared the life out of her.

I have seen young kids and older people daily take their lives into their hands in order to get across the road. The RTA has told Council that there aren't enough pedestrians to warrant a crossing and an overpass is too expensive. Surely people's lives are more important than money!?

There is a local school whose teachers will not take their students across the road to the library as they consider crossing Ballina Street too dangerous.

I consider Ballina Street very poorly planned for pedestrians. Our residents shouldn't have to be dicing with their lives daily on that road. I urge all people who want a crossing of some sort in Ballina Street to write to the RTA and Paul O'Sullivan, the general manager at Lismore Council, and let them know your feelings on the matter.

Helen Coyle
South Lismore

• Edited for length.

Class warfare

The Minister for Workplace Relations, Kevin Andrews, has declared war on unions, the leader of the opposition, Kim Beazley, has declared that class war is dead. Wrong, boys, unions are needed like they were never needed before. This is because the class war is so one sided.

Huge termination payments are made by firms to get rid of ineffective CEOs. The employees of the same firms don't even get their statutory entitlements when the firm declares it is bankrupt. However there are exceptions to this. We saw the waterside workers fight tooth and nail to receive their correct entitlements when Corrigan decided to avoid paying workers on the technicality of shifting all his assets into another company. The reason these workers received their legal entitlements was because the union was strong.

Many workers are dying because companies do not enforce safety standards. Hardies allowed employees to work with asbestos even though it was known to be harmful since the 1930s. Greg Combe and the ACTU stood up to Hardies and forced them to help asbestos victims.

Two victories, both because of union involvement, but we are dictated to by politicians who have never worked as most Australians. Don't let them destroy the only real support Australian employees have.

Christine Russell
Dunoon

Anzac Day changes

With the recent closure of the Lismore RSL Club in Market Street, the City of Lismore RSL Sub-Branch has had to make certain changes to ANZAC Day 2005 activities.

The most significant change is in relation to the traditional ANZAC morning breakfast that used to be held at the RSL Club on completion of the Dawn Service. The Lismore and District Workers Club has agreed to provide this very important activity for the ex-service community and their families. The City of Lismore RSL Sub-Branch ANZAC Day committee would like to thank the board of directors and management of the Workers Club for their co-operation and assistance with this venture and also thank the City Bowling Club and the Italo Australian Club for their kind offers, but due to logistical and crowd size the Workers Club was chosen as the suitable venue.

While it is extremely sad that the RSL Club in Market Street has closed, the City of Lismore RSL Sub-Branch would like to take this opportunity to thank all staff, management and directors who over a number of years have worked tirelessly to make ANZAC Days a success for the ex-service community.

The Workers Club has also made their premises available for a combined ex-service luncheon on completion of the main march and service. Details will be made available at a later date.

The City of Lismore RSL Sub-Branch has also been working closely with the RSL Club management and receivers to ensure that the memorabilia contained within the club remains together as a collection to be displayed in Lismore for the people of Lismore.

Wilson McLelland
Secretary
City of Lismore RSL Sub-Branch

Breakfast success

On Saturday, February 26, a family breakfast was held at Perradenya in Caniaba, which was attended by over 85 people.

The breakfast was a fundraiser for the Tsunami Appeal by UnitingCare Lismore Uniting Church.

The total raised on the day was $2885 and this was added to the $3500 already donated, which adds up to well over $6000 donated to the Uniting Church Overseas Aid-Tsunami Appeal by members of Lismore Uniting Church.

Thank you to everyone who donated items for the auction and thank you to everyone who attended to make this breakfast such a success.

Rod Campbell
Lismore Uniting Church

Time for a change

The upcoming by-election for Mark Latham's seat of Werriwa is being kept as low key as possible, as objective events seriously threaten the government's credibility. While Bush's militarist agenda is becoming embarrassingly provocative, and Guantanamo Bay detainee Mamdouh Habib is threatening to sue the Howard Government, former weapons inspector Rod Barton has come forward to expose the Australian Government's complicity in the lies about Iraq and the torture of Iraq detainees.

The Reserve Bank has foreshadowed another two interest rate rises in the near future, exposing the lie of the federal election scare campaign. Welfare cuts to disability pensions, legislation to prohibit workers' right to appeal against unfair dismissal, lower tax on the highest incomes, and full privatisation of Telstra, are just a few of the unpopular items which the government would rather keep quiet about. And the shocking revelation of the 10-month imprisonment of mentally ill Australian resident Cornelia Rau as a suspected illegal immigrant is bringing renewed focus and condemnation of detention policy.

The Labor Party's silence over the war crimes committed by the Howard Government, its refusal to condemn the imprisonment of hundreds of people without charges, its failure to differentiate itself on welfare policy and support for the corporate elite, have left large sections of the population hostile and alienated from the whole official process. The most intelligent by-election campaigns seem to be mounted by the socialist parties, demanding unconditional withdrawal of all troops from Iraq, the defence of democratic rights and an end to inequality. Perhaps it's time for a change.

Jillian Watt
Mullumbimby

A torturous rendition

Many of your readers may not be aware that Mungo McCallum's article (Echo, Feb 24), with its reference to the appalling Habib case, coincided with the appearance of a lead article, entitled "Outsourcing Torture", in The New Yorker magazine for February 14-21. The article, by Jane Mayer, exposes the extent to which the USA is transporting captives to Egypt, Morocco, Jordan and Syria, where they can be tortured without recourse to the US justice system.

The New Yorker is a highly reputable journal, with a longstanding reputation for in-depth and objective treatment of controversial issues, and what Jane Mayer has to say must be taken seriously. She tells of the existence under the US Government of a group entitled the "Special Removal Unit" which exists for the purpose of carrying out what they call, with Orwellian euphemism, "extraordinary renditions". She pulls together a variety of personal accounts that show a remarkable uniformity in the procedure for these "renditions". Typically, the captive is taken to an airport, has his clothes cut off with scissors, is swaddled in a diaper, clad in an orange jump suit, has both hands and feet shackled, is blindfolded and remains in this state while he is flown to a foreign destination where he is handed over to those who will torture him.

This is not fanciful gossip arising from anti-US bias. An expert on international law who has helped the NYU Law School and the NY City Bar Association (hardly extremist radical organisations!) prepare a report on "renditions" estimates that 150 people have been subjected to this treatment.

The nightmarish obscenity of all this may make it all the harder for Echo readers to believe. I can only say: get yourself a copy of The New Yorker for February 14-21 and judge for yourself. One can only hope that before long someone in the Australian Government will find enough moral fortitude to ask the question: just who are we associating ourselves with?

Peter Bowler
Ballina

Fair's fair

In relation to the letter from K Andersen, replying to the clearly worded letter by Brian Smith, president of Lennox Head Residents Association (Echo, Feb 3) about the unfairness and inequity of the present residential rating system in the Ballina Shire.

All councillors are required under the Local Government Act to set rates which are " fair", not favouring their Wards or other parochialisms.

It is misleading by K Andersen to write the ad valorem of base rates is applied over the whole country. The Local Government Association places all councils in different categories, Ballina is in Group 4, and 19 out of 30 councils have introduced the base rating system, and over 50 per cent of all councils have base rating, to make the total land valuation system fairer. By using a base rate councils are able to reduce the spread between higher and lower land valuations and distribute the costs evenly over the whole shire.

Every ratepayer receives the same basic services, and rates based solely on the value of rateable land ignores the cost and value of those councils services. (look in www.dlg.nsw.gov.au Link (Publications) (Rating Manual) for more information.

High land values occur in different periods, such as happened on the Alstonville Plateau and Ballina areas some years ago.

Further, some Ballina ratepayers were treated unfairly in 2003/4 and the base rate would help them in the future.

To attack Brian Smith personally is not looking at the big picture. Brian is a fine community leader, and has fought for the betterment of the shire as a whole, not just Lennox Head, for many years. His letter is presented as president of the Lennox Head Residents Association, the same as these comments are the views as vice president of the Association.

All the Association is seeking is for residents to have another view of other systems of rating, and decide which is fair and equitable, as the Local Government Act outlines in some detail. If they believe that the present system is unfair, then write or contact all councillors and the general manager.

P Dawson
Vice President
Lennox Head Residents Association