Bring back mentoring

AS much as many of Ian Hodges’ comments were admirable the only way for this approach to work is a holistic approach from all parties.

It starts with family if not families, elders or role models for the children who are not indigenous.

People who are already in the system should give these kids a reality check about their futures if they don’t start pulling into line.

Giving these kids incentives to start going back to school, getting an education, seeing a future beyond unemployment that currently exists.

Getting them to understand contracts verbal and written and what will happen if they break the contract.

Consequences for not sticking to the contract that is before them.

Bring back mentoring in their formative years so they can see there is a way forward.

As it is now we are going to have a generation of kids eventually end up in adult prisons as they don’t know or understand. Break the cycle now. Colleen Smith, Manoora

The manager said he could do nothing about this common theft as he watched.

The next day we parked our car at a service station door for five minutes to buy bread. Our hats were stolen from the back seat. We are going to a safer place for our next holidays.

Alan Penney, Castle Hill

Claim 1: Those people who want to stop coal still drive cars, use airconditioners and cell phones, live in houses … all this makes them hypocrites.

Everybody recognises the benefits that fossil fuels provided us in the past century (key words – past century). But technology is allowing us to move on and transition to more efficient and cleaner sources of energy.

When we transitioned from horse to car, did people immediately put their horse to pasture and walk to work until the car was perfected? I don’t think so.

Of course people will continue using cars and cell phones as we transition to clean energy. That does not make them hypocrites. The manufacturing industry is already using clean energy to build many components used in our cell phones, cars and houses.

Claim 2: They want to shut down the coal industry now.

Not the case. We all recognise the sooner we stop using fossil fuels, the better for all but this is not going to happen overnight.

However, we need to start by immediately stopping the expansion of the thermal coal industry (the main contributor to greenhouse gas emissions).

The next step would be to transition to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2035. Australia will also need to reduce its thermal coal exports to zero by 2035.

A final step would occur when technology allows us to transition away from coking coal, hopefully by 2050 if not sooner.

With the impacts of climate change increasing each year, we have little time to make the necessary reductions in our carbon emissions.

It is time to apply some commonsense to the discussion and get on with the job. Tony Fontes, Jubilee Pocket 1894: Coca-Cola (above) is sold in

bottles for the first time.

1913: Canberra becomes the capital of Australia when the foundation stone of the federal parliament building is laid. 1969: Beatle Paul McCartney marries

Linda Eastman in London.

2012: Greece implements the biggest debt writedown in history, swapping the bulk of its privately-held bonds with new ones worth less than half their original

2013: The Curiosity rover answers a key question about Mars: the red planet long ago harboured some of the ingredients needed for primitive life to thrive.

2016: Eagles of Death Metal singer Jesse Hughes, whose band was playing at the Bataclan in Paris when terrorists opened fire and hurled grenades, killing 90, apologises for blaming the venue’s security, saying he is suffering from trauma.

PRIVACY POLICY: Our privacy policy www.apnarm.com.au/privacy includes important information about our collection, use and disclosure of your personal information (including to provide you with targeted advertising based on your online activities). It explains that if you do not provide us with information we have requested from you, we may not be able to provide you with the goods and services you require. It also explains how you can access or seek correction of your personal information, how you can complain about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles and how we will deal with a complaint of that nature.