DEAR News Of The Area, THE Australian people and our national economy are expected to shoulder an unquantified financial burden in the pursuit of net zero, a policy that, even if achieved, will have a negligible global impact on climate change. Australia accounts for around one percent of global emissions, meaning our efforts as a […]
OPINION: Policy u-turn re-ignites climate and energy wars
THE Coalition parties have announced a new climate and energy policy that, in the view of Climate Change Australia – Hastings, risks slowing Australia’s transition to clean energy and undermining efforts to secure a safer climate. The new policy would significantly reduce the roll-out of wind and solar, currently the cheapest and cleanest forms of […]
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
DEAR Jasminda, FOR five years, I have been minding a friend’s dog (Minty) while they go on holidays. This is usually no problem; the dog and I get on very well. This time, though, I was left with instructions that Minty (who is 15) now eats breakfast at 4.30am and dinner at 3.00pm every day, […]
Legal Hypothetical: Painted into a corner
MARY is interested in purchasing a unit in a local housing development. The unit is yet to be constructed, so she proposes to purchase the unit “off the plan”. Mary negotiates a price with the real estate agent and a draft contract is soon sent to her conveyancer of choice. The contract states that Mary […]
Letter to the Editor: Clean energy spending has not reduced power bills
DEAR News Of The Area, I, like many others, am concerned for the future of our country, and for the upcoming generations. I have children, grand and great grandchildren who will inherit the country I will leave for them. We seem to live in a period of time where our financial future is becoming more […]
Letter to the Editor: Accept the science
DEAR News Of The Area, I WISH to comment on two items in your 21 November issue about net zero emissions for Cowper. The feature article by Andrew Vivian gave a comprehensive and balanced summary of the issues surrounding any policy towards net zero emissions by 2050. The article rightly refuted the Federal Coalition’s claim […]
Legal Hypothetical: Selling the house… any day now
ANNETTE died in late 2021. In her will, she appointed her two eldest children, Fiona and Sean, as co-executors. Her estate consisted largely of a coastal cottage where Sean had been living intermittently for several years. Under the will, the cottage and the remainder of the estate were to be divided equally between Fiona, Sean […]
‘On the couch’ with Jasminda
DEAR Jasminda, I’m thinking of getting an ice bath for stress relief. Do you have any views on this? Gavin H. Oh, Gavin, Sometimes I read a conundrum and my first thought is, yes, I have views on this, but do you really want to know them? I have no qualifications in ice-bath therapy, so […]
Stargazing: The secret star maps of moths
ON a moonless night, when the world goes quiet and even the gum trees seem to hold their breath, something small is commuting through the darkness. Not a drone. Not a late-night bird. Just a moth, humble, silent, and roughly the size of your thumb flying with the confidence of a seasoned pilot. Inside that […]
