Saying 'No' to EnergyCo
I wish to express my utmost anger and anguish over the ruthless decision made by EnergyCo to run dual 500KV transmission towers through our beautiful productive lands from Mulla Creek to Garoo.
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The destruction of farm lands, businesses, tourism, flora and fauna and bio security risks have not been seriously considered. It's environmental rape!
The proposal runs over our cattle yards, through two protected stands of stringy bark trees. Disrupting farming and grazing practises.
Interference with technical devices, mobile phones, tv and radio. Consider a medical emergency. A heart attack, snakes bites, machinery accidents, issues associated with my sons' disabilities. One could die before alerting medical assistance.
Insurances, compensation, tax implications, risk of fires, policy and procedures. No transparency! Much confusion!
Bio security risks. Fire ants are on the move, known to destroy agriculture and environment.
What are the health implications? Cancer, leukaemia, infertility?
I'm depending on an income from the farm to financially care for my adult sons with disabilities. Property and income will be significantly devalued and reduced. There goes my long term plan for their financial care. The NDIS doesn't pay the bills, clothe or feed them; the DSP doesn't provide a decent lifestyle. It'll be breadline boys.
Tamworth council have approval to increase the rates 36.3 per cent.
The noose tightens!
Back off Energy Co. Move to public stock routes or go underground. Life is challenging enough without you guys on our back. Some of us are aging and you are making the process faster!
Go away!
Ann Warden, Loomberah/Garoo
Dutton is the problem
Twice the CSIRO experts have found big problems with Peter Dutton's nuclear energy "dream". Twice Dutton has contradicted them. Surely Anthony Albanese should abolish the CSIRO and make Dutton the national authority on all things scientific. Dutton is obviously an astonishing boffin and the country would save a motza. He could still lead the federal opposition. They are renowned multitaskers. His former boss was able to run the country and five important ministries as well.
Laura Hughes, Hillvue
Birds disappearing
Yes, it is an absolute tragedy that we are losing our birds and at an alarming rate (John Wakefield N.D.L 25th May)
There are two major problems, the first being loss of habitat. Where are there any areas of grass left to seed in the district? Everything is either mowed, slashed or grazed to ground level. Where are all the quail that we used to see? and where are the kestrels etc that used to hover above these grasslands?...where are there enough hollow trees for nests, where are there any dense understory habitats for the smaller birds?
The second major issue is the very big and serious break in the food chain with the loss of insects that all birds feed or are fed on at some time of their life. The massive use of herbicides/insecticides and rodenticides have destroyed so much of this food chain. Over 2500 tawny frogmouths have died due to bait during the mouse plague and that was a conservative estimate....where are the insects that used to make keeping lights on at night almost impossible or the ones that plastered the windscreens of cars ?
The loss of insects is world wide and consequently our birds
My bird list of species seen on my small property exceeded 130. It is heartbreaking realizing how few are still around despite 1000s of native shrubs and trees having been planted over 40 years
For those that are interested The Insect Crisis is an excellent book regarding these issues worldwide.
Baids McIntyre, Timbumburi
Is history repeating?
In 2006 the V Guy Kable building (on Marius St next to the Tamworth Services Club) housed the Tamworth Library and Art Gallery. It was condemned as unrepairable and to be demolished. Tamworth Council decided to sell it off for a pittance. That pittance was never declared.
Today, the V Guy Kable building still stands (after refurbishment by a local developer) and hosts some of same tenants that were in the current TRC building in Peel St plus others.
Not sure who condemned the V Guy Kable building (where they external or internal consultants), or who bought it.
Is history repeating itself with the selloff of the Peel St Tamworth Regional Council building in Peel St?
Mark Treneman, Daruka
Energy Co "it's like a death in the Family"
I was absolutely devastated to hear a story from an effected landholder with EnergyCo proposed High Voltage Transmission Lines (HVTL) running over their farm. This family recalled the moment with me, a meeting they had with Energy Co recently.
EnergyCo said to the young family "that there is nothing the family could do to stop it happening and that it was like a death in the family, we just needed to grieve and get over it".
EnergyCo behavior is outrageous and reflects a broader lack of communication skills and empathy for families and communities where their world is being turned upside down with the scaring of the landscape by the HVTL.
Initially I thought EnergyCo comments above may have been a misspoke or a one off, but unfortunately another landholder from the Loomberah Valley quoted the same, and sadly there had been a recent death in their family so these comments were hurtful and raw.
EnergyCo does not appear to sympathise or understand the mental health implications that these comments make on our communities and families that are impacted. After EnergyCo's appalling comments the Valley Alliance organized their own mental health help for affected families from the FarmGate Support Program, LifeLine and Hunter New England Rural Health.
EnergyCo you have to do better to engage the community, bullying tactics and outrageous comments are poor taste and could contribute to a "collective mental state".
Campbell McIntosh, Beautiful Dungowan Valley
Keeping the lights on
It has often been said that we must continue to produce and burn fossil fuels to 'keep the lights on' in case there is not enough baseload power from battery storage. But on a recent trip to Sydney, I noticed that in many multi-story office blocks, the lights were kept burning all night in unoccupied rooms. This is a flagrant waste of resources. Likewise In shopping centres and other public buildings, the temperature control is either set too high in winter, which is downright unhealthy, or unnecessarily low in summer. More sensible use of electricity would go a long way towards avoiding an energy crisis.
Anne O'Hara, Wanniassa
Federal government path is disappointing
The United Nations Secretary General made the strong point in January this year that is was essential and inevitable, to avoid global climate catastrophe, to phase out fossil fuels.
Actions taken by the Australian Federal Government in relation to the important message from the UN Secretary General appear to be that the Australia Government is taking a very different course to that of the UN which is strangely to encourage the further development of the fossil fuel industry in Australia.
I find our Federal Government to be extremely disappointing and extremely hard to understand, as the dangers presenting in relation to encouraging fossil fuels coupled with human induced climate change , are extremely concerning.
Brian Measday, Kingswood, SA
