France was not stabbed in the back by scrapping deal
REG Agacy (TB 23/9), states that “to renege on the submarine deal with France is like Australia has stabbed France in the back”.
Well Reg, I for one do not care what the French think of the now defunct submarine deal. The federal government’s first and second commitment is to the Australian people, not some European country who would drop us in a heartbeat, given the same circumstances.
You say, “the public was complacent,”, well we rely on the Defence Minister to know his way around the value of diesel electric or nuclear powered submarines.
Enough anyway to know that our enemies do not have the outdated, old and underpowered submarines, but fast efficient and very deadly nuclear machines that are designed to approach their targets by stealth and to shower them with multiple warheads.
The world is changing so fast, that I am astounded that Malcolm Turnbull who prided himself as the new technology prime minister, even signed us up for the old diesel electric subs.
While he can afford to skip over to America, which is protected by 70 nuclear subs, we are less certain how many China has.
I mean, do you think Reg, China would tell us all the secrets? Even North Korea has two ballistic missile subs, and we think they have no nuclear subs, but how do we know?
With the Liberal Party allowing the Port of Darwin to be owned by China, we would have to have the dumbest government on earth.
I have seen Phil Thompson’s name so much lately, as the man who is getting it done for his electorate. He is not allowed to come out and say what he really thinks of the Darwin deal, big party politics does not work that way.
He fought gallantly for our country so I would like to know what his thoughts are?
Or is he only prepared to follow the party line.
Make no mistake Reg – the biggest stab in the back was from
Andrew Robb, the Liberal minister who brokered the Darwin deal and then went to work for China’s Shandong Landbridge Group for $800,000 a year, plus his parliamentary pension.
If the Liberal Party just ripped up the lease, told China to get home and leave our country alone, they would gain the support of nearly 99 per cent of the Australian people.
The only people that I see on television and the media saying that China does not want to take us over or rule the world are Chinese living here in our safe and half free country.
Reg, I just don’t care if the only courage the Liberals have shown is to kick the French deal out of bounds, then good on them.
DEBRA GIBSON,
Pinnacles.
NO PLAN FOR TREES
RECENT letter writers to the editor have bemoaned the loss of some special trees in Townsville. Even more significant than the loss of beautiful individual trees is the 11 per cent loss of overall tree cover (Global Forest Watch).
As the planet warms, and as Townsville grows in size, increasing the urban heat effect, we are losing overall tree cover.
Other cities in Australia have specific programs to increase the tree canopy and cool their cities.
The City of Logan’s tree canopy has increased from 41 per cent in
2016 to 53 per cent in 2020. Townsville’s coverage is less than 20 per cent.
Melbourne has a goal of planting 3000 trees every year to cool the city by 4C and to create jobs in the process.
Where is the Townsville city-wide campaign to encourage and inspire all residents, businesses and organisations, to plant trees, to care for the trees until they are established, and to replace those trees that do not survive?
In Logan, developers who clear areas of vegetation pay an offset to the council, which uses that money to revegetate areas that are of high environmental value.
The urban forest at Bluewater is a lovely example of what could be achieved at many spots throughout our city.
We need many such projects to revegetate our streetscapes,
waterways, shorelines and vacant areas.
Human beings have never before lived in an Australia as hot as it now is. We urgently need to cool or cities and our planet.
CAROLYN DIXON, Belgian Gardens.
HYDROGEN WAY TO GO
I THINK Townsville is in prime position to start manufacturing and exporting green hydrogen developed using regionally sourced, cheap renewable energy.
We have massive potential for extensive solar, wind and pumped hydro expansion, as well as plentiful materials to build the battery storage systems of the future.
This will result in huge employment possibilities building the technical jobs of tomorrow for our kids thus securing the city’s strong economic position for future generations.
It’s great to see that the Morrison government is investing an additional $150m to develop regional hydrogen hubs.
I makes perfect sense to see some of this funding allocated to Townsville, where there are already a number of hydrogen projects proposed.
Hydrogen, if it’s made with renewable energy rather than fossil fuels like coal and gas, is a versatile, clean fuel we can use for fuelling heavy industries, long distance transport and earn valuable export dollars to replace our reliance on LNG and coal.
Australia as a good global citizen can lead by example exporting green hydrogen to assist poorer, less fortunate countries across the world slash their pollution and develop their clean energy technologies.
Phil Thompson MP, time to move now before we miss out.
ROHAN KILB, Townsville City.
CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER
THERE is glaring evidence of the left wing/labor/greens failure to accept the danger that China poses to this country.
It is hard to clearly understand why they cannot grasp the realities of China’s intentions, or, is it that they are not fully informed of the plain-tosee, in-your-face evidence in the newspapers every day.
Maybe they don’t even read the newspapers, but there ate the facts – they just refuse to believe them.
The US, under its present leadership, is not showing the support that we are accustomed to and consequently our own leaders are in the process of doing what we can, to help ourselves, if and when it becomes necessary.
It has been said before, the more Chinese merchandise that you buy, the richer and more confident you will make them and the poorer you will make our country.
If that is not understood, then God help this land.
Buy Australian goods and support your own country. Show intelligence. COLIN BAKER,
Pentland.