Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency. Preference will be give to letters of 100 words or less.
- Read the story: Call for moorings off iconic island to protect reef
I started diving in 1984 when I lived on the Coast, and this local habitat was one of my favorite spots.
I have dived in places around the world and Mudjimba needs all the protection you can muster. Several dive spots around Thailand and other European places have been desecrated. Protect this spot for future divers.
John Griffith, Warwick
- Read the story: Community group perturbed by proposed rec trail route and Next steps outlined for long-awaited recreation trail
When will Coolum Residents Association and vice-president John Fuller realise that their opinions are not those of the majority of Coolum residents? This 50km track is nonsense. Given that the majority of the Bli Bli section is over private land, what right is there to invade people’s property/business to waste more ratepayers’ money to create a path that few will ever use?
We have already seen huge sums of money spent on cycle paths, signage etc across the Coast. On an average journey from Coolum to Maroochydore along David Low Way, I see generally no more than three or four cyclists. Where is the value for money? Now we have more of the same waste of ratepayers’ money proposed. This ‘pie in the sky’ nonsense needs to stop when infrastructure and amenity provision that is useful is delayed and/or ignored. A prime example of ‘Nambour Nonsense’ is the tram to nowhere project which we all know is a classic white elephant.
I trust that the new mayor and council will see this proposal for what it is – pure wasted money.
Des George, Coolum Beach
Ted O’Brien, the federal LNP minister from the Sunshine Coast, has advocated for Australia to forget solar energy and adopt nuclear power generation. He claims that over 50 per cent of people polled support his idea, but he neglected to also ask those in favour to nominate where along the Sunshine Coast such a power station should be built.
Alan Ward, Buderim
I’d hoped that Sunshine Coast News was an impartial news source, however it’s become increasingly clear the political alignment of the articles. The Liberal Party member’s comments are repeated and spruiked in articles without any argument, and used to combat any suggestions raised by the Labor government.
This was also made clear in your letters to the editor this week – why are you publishing letters from Victoria and NSW in support of nuclear reactors in a local news source and a single letter against it from a local person?
Could it be that a political party who is proposing nuclear as the way forward might look to “advance Australia” towards this idea through planted support pieces across the country? Sure seems that way.
Ben, Mountain Creek
Ed’s note: We strongly disagree with you on this, Ben. We pride ourselves on being an independent news source. SCN chose to investigate the nuclear debate because it has been topical and Mr O’Brien is the local MP. We have published all the letters we have received on the matter, regardless of where people are from. You can read more opinions here.
Congratulations on continuing to publish these articles on nuclear power. I guess you have noticed that the anti-articles are scaremongering about location, water pollution, waste and comparative costs.
There is no proposal to consider a nuclear power plant on the Sunshine Coast. They should be built closer to electricity demand (big cities, high-energy consumption industries). Similarly, we would not consider building wind turbines near the Maroochy River nor near any of the local beaches.
Water cooling from nuclear reactors does not let the radioactive water enter the natural environment. It’s a closed loop system. The only effect is the water that cools the active cooling water gets slightly (about one degree) warmer, which fish love.
Waste fuel rods are stored on site at reactors because they may be used again and because the quantity is very small. France reactor fuel is 30 per cent recycled. You can’t recycle wind turbines or toxic solar panels. The waste from these industries does not decay. It’s there 15 to 25 years and usually finds its way to landfill.
Nuclear electricity is part of an overall system that can include renewables. It has the distinct advantage of long life, very small footprint, energy security, high reliability and low costs. Renewables can’t deliver this, no matter how much we think Australia is endowed with sun and wind.
Nuclear costs should be compared, like with like, with (say) costs in Canada, where the state of Ontario produces nuclear electricity at around 10c/kwh, far cheaper than our own renewable-centric domestic electricity.
The challenge for us all as voters and residents is to get the facts right. Thanks for helping with this.
David Brunt, Minyama
Professor Lowe is a physics professor, agreed. However, even a cursory investigation into his academic history and writings exposes him as a climate zealot. Further and most importantly Professor Lowe’s academic history is not in the field of nuclear physics. In fact he has held zero positions in the field of nuclear physics in his entire academic career. To then let him present himself as an expert in the field of nuclear reactors, their running, construction and cost is therefore laughable.
As a straightforward refute to his arguments, Sydney has a nuclear reactor, Lucas Heights, which has run safely for over 60 years. Also, far from decreasing the number of nuclear reactors as Lowe claims, the USA, France, Spain, Germany and the UK now intend doubling and even tripling their nuclear power reactor stock with new and safer nuclear reactor technologies. The reactor accidents Lowe points to are reactor technologies of 50 to 60 years ago. Even the Fukushima reactor was over 50 years old when it failed because of an earthquake and tsunami. That accident did not cause a single death in Japan or elsewhere.
His other arguments on cost in Australia of nuclear power compared to renewables is just false. There is a ban on nuclear power generation in Australia so no comparison on cost can be made at present. Take away that ban and nuclear reactors would be up and running within seven or eight years, far quicker than the timeframe for a comparable amount of renewable infrastructure to be built and at a fraction of the cost. The reason for the lower cost would be installing these reactors at the sites of existing or retired coal-fired power generators, which brings down the cost considerably because the transmission lines to the grid already exist.
If you are going to cite an academic and let him purport to be nuclear physics expert when he is not then the very least you can do is publish refuting opinions like this one.
Robert McGuigan, Wodonga, Victoria
- Read the story: Full costs revealed in heavy rail business case
I have read with anguish the many opinions from all sides of politics about the so-called benefits of the proposed rail line into Maroochydore.
Their opinions are all based on the underlying premise that it’s a great idea to build the Sunshine Coast into a city of 600,000 people by 2045 … double what it is today, in just 20 years. Then drive a huge train into the middle of it.
While they expound the supposed benefits of this idea, along with the fear tactics of not doing it, they fail to realise a simpler solution. First, slow down the population growth to a sustainable level. This means it does not have to grow quickly. The nonsense that they will build enough housing for all these people is just that – nonsense. The better solution is to build a park-and-ride, fast, double-track rail line from Nambour to Brisbane, with major stops at Landsborough and Brisbane.
Please, stop thinking that bigger is better. No one on the Coast thinks doubling the population here is a good idea. And that’s to say nothing of the other infrastructure (hospitals, schools and so on) needed to support such an explosion of people.
Phil Layton, Pacific Paradise
- Read the story: Woolies to return items to Coast store after outcry
Pity but the prices at Buderim Woolworths were above Kawana and Maroochydore Woolworths before the rebrand.
Bet they don’t revert back to the other store price. Price gouging the customers again. They did themselves a disservice. We found better prices and fresher products elsewhere, never to come back.
David Montgomery, Buderim
- Read the story: What next for stricken houseboat in main river?
In my opinion, the houseboat has sunk due to the heavy rain we have experienced.
Everyone is so concerned about the environmental impact it may or may not – I have heard the motor or motors are outboards and don’t have a sump that contains oil, and the fuel tank is probably removable and sealed – but maybe people could pitch in with some floatation bags and a water pump to refloat it, instead of threatening to take the owners to court, which would be a better way to use the money than being fined.
Stephen Perrin, Cooroibah
- Read the story: Not-for-profit groups share grants
Why are the successful Community Grants Benefits Fund applicants shown holding an oversize pantomime cheque purporting to be from their local MP, given the disclaimer in the story that he merely pointed them in the right direction to seek funding?
It is cringe-worthy enough that any community group’s best chance of public funding is from the taxes on the profits of gaming rackets.
Peter Baulch, North Arm
- Read the story: Council investigates damage to wildlife corridor
How about installing wildlife cameras at random locations?
Hopefully, they may catch the culprits who performed this disgusting act.
Lorraine Rice, Chermside West
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb for accountability, credibility and transparency.
