Better options
The algal bloom started at the Port Stanvak desalination plant.
This bloom could have been stopped by spraying it with copper oxychlorate as is done in the dams in the Adelaide hills.
The Proper Bay and Whyalla desalination plants have the ability to destroy huge parts of Proper Bay and Spencer Gulf, taking cuttlefish and juvenile prawns from their breeding grounds.
Dr Ib Svane, a real marine biologist, as well as Gerry Kempff, both agree with these findings.
Tungatta or Elliston are closer to Roxby Downs than Whyalla and should be used.
Tungatta could join into the pipeline running to Port Lincoln to Ceduna and kill two birds with one stone.
The turbid oceanic water will disperse the poisonous chemicals with extreme tide and wave action.
Inaction from the fire services banning the building of large fire breaks before the huge EP fire that killed nine people was also caused by negligence.
Where are the people with common sense regarding these matters?
The staff of the Tungatta or Elliston desalination plant could reside in Elliston, a lovely town with plenty to do recreation and school-wise.
A town with real people who would be willing to help.
The Elliston plant could be located in Anxious Bay with wind farms to provide the power.
A lot of wind is present at Elliston – always stated as a good place for a windmill.
James Calderwood, Port Lincoln
Respect our past – do not forget it
Sadaf Zulfiqar, respected education specialist from UNICEF, was quoted as saying: “Decisions and events from the past make us what we are today. Moving on doesn’t mean getting rid of the past – but instead, accepting it.”
‘Cancellation of Burke and Wills statues creates furore’ (The Australian, 29 November) continues the lack of respect and disdain shown by the politically correct for certain parts of our rich history.
With history being a series of events and practices from the past, it is not up to today’s society to make judgments, apportion blame and impose guilt on our current generation for previous legally and socially accepted actions and decisions.
Nothing any of us do today or tomorrow will ever change what occurred in our past, but we can and have rectified many past mistakes and inappropriate practices.
Each of us needs to accept, acknowledge and learn from our history, so that we can all move forward and continue to develop an Australian society that emulates respect, fairness, trust, integrity, resilience and acceptance.
Ian Macgowan, Ceduna
Beyond Blue is here for you this holiday season
The festive season can be a joyous time for many people, as they take a well-earned break from work and school and spend time with family and friends.
It is a time to rest and reset for the new year.
Yet for others, this time of year can be particularly difficult and distressing, and a time they hope will pass quickly.
It can bring additional financial pressures, strain relationships, and heighten feelings of loneliness.
The festive season may also intensify isolation, particularly for those separated from family or grieving the loss of a loved one.
So, as we head into the holiday break, we want Australians to know that regardless of what they’re dealing with, they don’t have to face it alone.
The Beyond Blue Support Service is free, confidential, and available around the clock, including on Public Holidays. You can call 1300 22 46 36 or chat online at beyondblue.org.au/get-support
It’s common to put off seeking help because we can’t quite find the words to express our needs.
But when you contact us, you don’t have to know what to say.
Our skilled counsellors will meet you where you’re at and guide you towards where you need to be.
And finally, a big thank you to everyone who has donated to Beyond Blue this year.
Our support service is run purely on donations, so your kindness and generosity allow us to always be there when people need us the most.
Georgie Harman, Beyond Blue chief executive officer
Climate change must be acknowledged
On 3 July 2019, ex-politician, John Darley MLC, gave a speech in the SA Parliament, explaining why, after a decade of elected service during which he’d dismissed evidence of climate change in favour of information provided by constituents who were climate change sceptics, he changed his mind. He linked his shift in opinion to watching a science special on the ABC’s now defunct Q&A.
Like others who tend to be dismissive he’d lived much of his life in a period when there was no or minimal public knowledge about climate science. Being an independent made his turning easier no doubt. Which brings us to the Coalition and its struggles. The influence of climate change denial on Coalition policy, especially since Donald Trump’s re-election, is palpable.
The underlying intent is delay, not just of emissions reduction and climate adaptation, of course, but also a crunch time when it is decided that voting patterns linked to demographic changes and conspicuous realities of climate change must be confronted to restore electability.
Jim Allen, Panorama
