LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
ACLAND
LAST year, the Land Court handed down a decision that stage three - the expansion of the Acland coal Mine should not be allowed to go ahead largely on the basis of probable longterm detrimental effects to underground water aquifers.
Now, the higher court has decided that this application for expansion should be reconsidered by the Land Court which, this time, would not rule on matters relating to groundwater or intergenerational equity.
Have you noticed that the Darling Downs is suffering from drought? Toowoomba yards are dry and brown. Creeks are drying up. The hills are bare of grass as cattle search for fodder. Farmers cannot plant their crops. The dams are near half empty.
How can any thinking person consider allowing expansion of a mine that could affect the underground water supplies for generations to come? This matter has been decided by the Land Court. Surely, once is enough. IRIS I. BRYCE, Felton
DISTRACTION TACTICS
IF MAGICIANS’ skills were relevant to being an effective Prime Minister, then both Bill Shorten and Julia Gillard would have been better qualified for the job.
Shorten continues to be investigated by the Hayden Royal Commission for transferring $100,000 of union members’ funds to the extreme left group “Getup” of which he was founding director.
However, he and his union mates last week adroitly flicked the media spotlight from him to the government’s Senator Michaelia Cash. The press fell into line and suspicion about Senator Cash scored the headline, not Shorten’s self-serving antics at the expense of hard-working union members.
With the same sleight-of-hand, Shorten’s predecessor Julia Gillard performed the same magic trick. While Tony Abbott was skilfully exposing her hypocrisy, she flicked the media spotlight from herself to Tony Abbott with her now famous “misogyny” speech.
No matter that her comments were utterly untrue, it was her screeching tirade that scored the headline, not the damning information about her that Tony Abbott was exposing.
Sadly for Australia, Labor’s magic tricks of deception, sleight of hand and illusion are no benefit to sound government.
NEIL MUNRO, Toowoomba
POWER REBATES
THE State Labor Government tells us that 75% of the electricity rebates on offer are not claimed. We employ literarily tens of thousands of uniondominated public servants yet right from the treasurer down they cannot get even a 50% take-up rate.
We need a royal commission into this. Even it shows us that like the public servants charged with policing the banks we have state Labor public servants asleep at the local pub in Brisbane.
Of course if we got rid of the rebate rort system and just took a lower profit from the state-owned electricity system we would not have the bludging problem in the Tower of Power. JOHN FRIEND, Toowoomba
VISITING CAT
THERE is a lovely young cat that has been hanging around lately that I have befriended. It belongs to the neighbours, a few houses down the street. After about 9pm it enters my yard and likes to look around.
For quite a while it had been avoiding me, but it soon got used to me calling it, and now it is quite happy to come right up and let me pat it. I have always loved cats, and would love to own one, but the real estate I am renting through won’t allow pets. So my new little friend will just have to meet me outside.
DAVE FREDERICKS, Toowoomba