
It is totally unacceptable that a team (Jets A-League Women) playing in a national competition representing Newcastle and the Hunter region with a nationwide audience do not have a dedicated ground or facilities, not only for training but to play their matches on during the season ("Supposedly professional", Newcastle Herald 11/4).
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In the Newcastle and Hunter region, the majority of politicians in the state and federal governments are from the Labor side of politics. That's not to mention local government, and yet those politicians apparently cannot secure funding to provide suitable facilities for this important sporting team or manage to allocate appropriate facilities for the Jets A-League Women's Team.
Politicians are happy to stand in front of a camera showing support for the team, for free publicity, but are they unwilling to advocate on the team's behalf to secure a ground or facilities the team so desperately needs? How do you expect a team to perform to their best when the players are not provided with suitable facilities?
We should appreciate the support for women's soccer in this country, and in particular the Newcastle and Hunter region, given the record attendance at the recent Matildas match in Newcastle at McDonald Jones Stadium. Whatever happened to the $200 million Albanese promised to provide for women's sport in Australia during the 2023 Women's Soccer World Cup? Did any of that funding come to the Hunter?
Philip Amos, Belmont
Labels do little but limit us
WHEN my son came and told me he was a trans male, I wasn't shocked. He was in his 30s. I was relieved for him, but also scared for how he would be seen by society. His complete story is his personal journey, and not for me to share. I ask you to think about what it would be like to live in a body that you couldn't embrace as your own. I look in the mirror and see myself as female. Why? Because I have female genitalia and society tells me, because of this, I am labelled a female at birth. I have never felt anything other than female.
Why are we as a society so hell bent on labelling? Why do we have to identify as any sex? What is the purpose for identifying as male or female? When are we going to move forward and embrace a person for who they are? Why is society so hung up on gender?
Yes, I identify as female. Being a female means different things to different people. I am more than a female, so why do I have to have a label? Why can't I be just me? For those who are struggling with their identity, I say, embrace yourself and love yourself for who you are. Ignore the labels.
Gina Horn, Cardiff South
Port is canary in the coal mine
THE latest move by political leaders in the current election period to take over the Chinese control of Darwin Port is commendable, if not belated. This should be a wake-up call to voters who back political parties with restrictive climate change and emission policies that are voting Australians out of a job. That increases the country's dependence on Chinese manufacturing, which I believe has no genuine intent to participate in the climate change scam. Chinese coercion is no better seen than its use of the old trick of playing into a politician's vulnerability and vanity. For example, calling anyone of them "a pretty boy" in exchange for submission to Chinese policy. Like him or hate him, Trump can see the big picture while the rest of the Western world is destroying their jobs and living standards and succumbing to Chinese manufacturing dominance.
John Cooper, Charlestown
Batteries bolster our defences
I READ the article regarding a home owner who had continuity of electricity when the grid power was down ("Power in people's hands", Herald 14/4). This was possible because the home had solar and a battery that kept the house functioning for five days. With sunshine, it would provide unlimited power.
Russia is attacking the power grid in Ukraine and Israel has attacked the power grid in Gaza. Clearly, this is the tool used by aggressors as they know without power a country is crippled. Before we decide on how our grid is structured to combat climate change, we need to consider national security. Seven nuclear generators are a national security risk during a terrorist attack, war, earthquake or other natural disasters.
Our grid wholesale prices have collapsed in recent years and are almost daily in minus pricing caused by renewables, then sold back to customers at high cost after 3pm. Clearly, our retailers need questioning. Clearly, nuclear is a national security risk, and it can't provide a lower cost than zero.
Darryl Stevenson, Coal Point
Excellent idea to shop around for eggs
Recently, I bought some eggs. When charged $10 for a dozen after paying $4.50 the week before, I was limited in the budget to accompany the eggs only with condiments of various types. I thought, after considering various options, to try another supermarket. I bought larger eggs for $5.29 and thought to myself to get some bacon as well. My faith was nearly restored in capitalism. Well, it was good, different.
Grahame Danaher, Coal Point
Privilege is off the planet
BILLIONAIRES, their friends and celebrities joyriding into space in their private rockets, too self-indulgent to consider the immense environmental damage and oblivious to any notion of their grotesque privilege. What a wonderful world.
John McDonald, Newcastle
High-speed rail doesn't add up
AS an advocate for building things for the future, unfortunately Grahame Danaher ("Play well with others yourselves", Letters, 14/4), with a country with the land mass the size of Europe and a population less than 1 per cent of it, the maths doesn't stack up. What we need is a dedicated freight line, which is what is being planned out west as we speak.
Tony Mansfield, Lambton
Khe Sanh soars above the line
REGARDING Grahame Danaher's letter ("Play well with others yourselves", Letters, 14/4): "Well, the last plane out of Sydney's almost gone/ And only seven flying hours, I'll be landing in Hong Kong". That's Khe Sanh, written by Don Walker, and it's plane, not train. One of Cold Chisel's best tracks though.
Paul Wilson, Jewells
Not all old terms are fond ones
PETER Newey ("Keep civic name tradition alive", Letters, 15/4), I totally agree, while we're at it, can we bring back the term/title for a child born out of wedlock too? Seems fitting these days.