DEAR News Of The Area, AUSTRALIA now faces a difficult question: what do we do about the Australian women and children still stranded in the Syrian camps? The debate has become so politicised that the basic facts – and the basic humanity – are being lost. Under our Constitution, Australia cannot refuse passports to its […]

DEAR News Of The Area, IN the NOTA article of 18 February 2026 titled “Forestry organisations promote sustainable management in new report”, Steve Dobbyns, the Chair and Director of Forest and Wood Communities Australia, accused proponents of the Great Koala National Park of “hypocrisy” in telling Australians that plantations would replace native forests. Telling the […]

DEAR News Of The Area, THE recent refusal of the Land and Environment Court to acknowledge agricultural polytunnel structures as ‘structures’ requiring development approval, highlights once again the need for urgent State-based planning reforms encompassing all zoned land, including rural lands. While we all recognise the value of the Industry, the current established laws have […]

DEAR News Of The Area, COULD someone from Transport for NSW please confirm when and if the XPT will ever actually run as it used to. Why? I’ll tell you We live in the Urunga area and for 20 years we’ve caught the XPT from Urunga to Sydney twice a year to catch up with […]

DEAR News Of The Area, I WELCOME the opportunity for the community to have a say on the Council’s draft proposal to require a permit for the removal of trees in non-rural areas. Good civic design that benefits humans is design that benefits all life. Nature is our life support system and biodiversity is essential […]

DEAR News Of The Area, IN the years since the Global Financial Crisis, one contradiction has quietly persisted at the heart of modern economic culture – a contradiction so glaring that it should unsettle anyone who still believes our systems reward contribution and punish harm. We shame the unemployed. We mock them, dismiss them, and […]

DEAR News Of The Area, Regarding the NOTA article “Local talks energy solutions” (13 February edition): I applaud Mr Simshauser’s suggestions to Council regarding energy storage and solar generation. However, Energy-from-waste (EfW) incinerators should not be  promoted as a green solution to our waste problems. EfW incinerators do not make clean energy. They are the […]

DEAR News Of The Area, NEW Liberal leader Angus Taylor promises that by returning to Liberal values he will restore our standard of living, protect our way of life and restore the Australian dream of home ownership. In trying to sell this snake oil, he turns a blind eye to the fact that successive Liberal/Nationals […]

DEAR News Of The Area, THE breakdown in relations between the partners of the former COALition are indicative of a failure of leadership that has been a long time in the making. The Nationals and the Liberals are more focused on internal power plays than the welfare of the citizens of this country. As former […]

DEAR News Of The Area, JUST my opinion, but I miss seeing the hanging boat at each entry to Urunga. I believe the boat represented Urunga well – boating, fishing, relaxing and catching up with old friends. I am sure weary drivers and children were happy to finally see the hanging boat as a sign […]