Gas pong
MIKE VOYSEY (Herald letters, September 20 2014) is not the only one underwhelmed by his latest gas bill.
Here’s a great exercise everyone can do with their latest bill to share the excitement! Your latest gas bill should show you all the information to calculate your daily gas cost before and after June 30—with and without the clean energy charge.
In June my daily cost, with the clean energy charge was 99.25c a day. The portion of my June bill without the clean energy charge reduced to 96.15c a day.
But in July, my daily cost (all without the clean energy charge) was up to 98.91c a day.
Abolishing the clean energy charge initially saved me 3.1 cents per day but increases in the supply charge, the account administration fee, the retail market levy and the unit cost of gas all added up to 2.76 cents per day, leaving me with a net saving of 0.34c per day (not a 34c saving, that’s one-third of one cent).
Eighty-nine per cent of the savings from abolishing the clean energy charge completely disappeared with normal yearly price rises.
If I can save 0.34 cents per day, I will have a whole $1.25 saved up by the first of July next year—not quite enough to buy two stamps to send “thank you” letters to both Tony Abbott and Clive Palmer! I guess I’ll have to flip a coin!
Yes, Mike, I too am thrilled beyond belief.
Scott Ryan
Justinian St, Palmyra

Bird brains
I HAVE watched migrating bird life diminish dramatically in the marine park in Attadale over my lifetime.
Now every time the wind is up, large numbers of kite surfers use the marine park for their pleasure with no respect for its value.
Today, September 20, 2014 from 9.30am to 10.30am I saw 20 kite surfers in the marine park running alongside Burke Drive in Attadale.
I spoke to a few on the beach: some knew it was a marine reserve and others simply didn’t care.
They claim there is no signage although this park is on every map of the river and has existed for decades.
Kite surfers know there are limited areas they are allowed on the river and it is their responsibility to look at the maps. There is a very small sign at the start of the reserve which they whizz past on their kites.
I have reported this to the WA environment department before but now the numbers of kite surfers have grown dramatically, as I predicted they would. Previously, most respected the marine reserve but now there are large numbers in the reserve every time the wind is up. The numbers of kite surfers going through this area is incredibly damaging to the reserve and remaining bird life.
Interestingly there were two white swans in the reserve today: there is usually a dozen black swans but they were not there today. What’s a few swans for a moment’s individual pleasure? Kite surfing should simply be banned at this location/
The DEC won’t police it and it’s the only way to protect the bird life. If the kite surfers are not there they can’t go into the reserve.
Shame on you kite surfers! Shame on you DEC!
AM Collins
Holman St, Melville

Taking umbrage
I TAKE umbrage with the mean-spirited comments made by Jamie Simpson directed towards me (Herald letters, September 20, 2014).
It is my opinion that people should be able to sleep at night and not have to fight to the death just because someone has entered their space and pulled, stretched cut or otherwise manipulated their hose without their knowledge or permission.
The last killer koala I saw was in the capital city of Male (Ma’lee). He danced with an organ grinder and belly dancer for treats.
I would have suggested that the woman who was having problems with her hose “pop a couple of caps” in the perpetrator’(s) derriere but Australia has tightened its gun laws since my last visit.
Finally, Mr Simpson how dare you call me a gentleman! Nothing could be further from the truth!
Scott Petrill
Wingate NC, USA

History disappeared
I WOULD like to congratulate the Herald for the front page article on the nefarious proposed amendments to the Aboriginal Heritage Act (AHA) (Herald, September 20, 2014).
The Department of Aboriginal Affairs (DAA) has asked for comments on the proposed amendments and I would urge everyone to visit its website and peruse the submissions, which are 95 per cent in opposition to the amendments.
The review of the AHA is a deeply cynical exercise by the government to expedite mining approvals at the cost of Aboriginal heritage in this state. Despite the rosy “fact sheets” on the DAA website purporting to increase protection of Aboriginal heritage sites and empower Aboriginal people, the proposed amendments in fact do the opposite.
New criteria used by the DAA for assessing heritage sites now allow previously recorded heritage sites to be removed from the Register of Aboriginal Sites. In addition, newly recorded sites can be dismissed as not sites under these criteria,  despite the fact the archaeological evidence is undeniably still present and/or the ethnographic knowledge about places is still held by Aboriginal elders.
Apparently, department bureaucrats know better (sight/site unseen) than traditional Aboriginal custodians, professional archaeologists and anthropologists about what actually constitutes an Aboriginal heritage site.
What is occurring is that Aboriginal sites, including stone artefact scatters and quarries, dated occupied rockshelters, ethnographic sites, grinding patches and engraved rock art, all part of the longest, continuous culture of the world—are by some sleight of hand being declared not sites, not part of Australia’s heritage.
The AHA has never been perfect, but the proposed amendments will render it virtually ineffective, in a blatant continuation of colonialism towards Aboriginal people and their culture. If the amendments are approved, the Barnett government will be remembered as the government of the stolen heritage generation.
Rachel Fry
Wesley St, South Fremantle

Stay cruisy
IT was unfortunate for those passengers who had their recent trip cancelled due to engine and health problems abound the Sea Princess.
My wife and I have been cruising with Princess Cruises for more than 20 years. We have been on about 30 trips, the last being August this year on the Sea Princess. Neither of us has ever been sick on any of these trips.
Princess Cruises has a very high standard of cleanliness on all its ships, as do other cruise lines we have travelled with.
We both go to our doctor and get antibiotics for a stomach virus, a different one for flu symptoms; we also carry cough medicine as well as other medication if the need may arise.
We also have our flu needle, although this does not protect from all strains. It is important that on a cruise you clean your hands with the hand cleaner outside all restaurants when going in to eat and after eating.
Do not over eat, as this puts a load on your digestive system, making you more likely to pick up a virus. While on a shore excursion do not eat from street stalls as the hygiene may not be the best.
There are 3000 passengers plus crew on these ships and it only takes one person to get a virus for it to spread through a ship through no fault of the cruise line.
As for the engine failure, any one who has ever had anything to do with engines will know that no matter how well maintained an engine may be, it can break down.
The ship’s motors run 24 hours a day sevne days a week and at times are running at full capacity to keep schedules. I do not think the bad publicity Princess Cruises received from the media was justified. The company did the right thing by giving the passengers a fare refund as well as a free trip. Happy traveller.
Frank Granger
Melville Bch Rd, Applecross
The Ed says: Angling for a free cruise, Frank?

Leave us alone
PREMIER BARNETT’S comment two weeks ago that the Nationals’ opinion on local government amalgamations is irrelevant, as this matter is not being legislated, identifies the real cause of so much concern among voters.
This raises a number of questions for which many of us would like some answers. Why is it not being put forward for legislation? Why is it not being put to a referendum? Why are the thousands of submissions sent from City of Cockburn, and other areas, to the WA local government advisory board (Walgab) being ignored?
Why is the Walgab not asking these questions? Why have the Nationals not been more vocal on this topic before now?
Did its members really think this was not going to be applied statewide? Why have we heard so little about this from the Labor party? Apparently one member did make an appearance at Bibra Lake to discuss this with voters, but it was so low-key and under advertised that most of us did not hear about it until weeks afterwards.
Why have other local government representatives/residents not given more support to the opposition of planned changes south of the river?
Do northern suburbs think they are safe because they are seen as predominantly Liberal supporters? Yes folks, it can happen to you too! Once these larger areas are established the number of councillors to represent a much larger population will be reduced to eight. Compare that with the current numbers.
How many more advisory boards will Mr Barnett be creating to rubber-stamp his every little whim, thus bypassing the voters, and denying elected members of other political parties the opportunity to represent their constituents?
Perhaps the next election will give us the opportunity to rid ourselves of this petty despot and get back to having a democracy. Leave local government areas as they are please, Mr Barnett.
Jan De Groote
Hamilton Hill

Put the wind up the port
I WAS disappointed to read in the Herald (September 13, 2014) that Fremantle Ports still opposes the Fremantle Wind Farm Project, not to mention about its sneaky release of a heavily edited report on it.
When I wrote to the port it replied it does “support environmental sustainability” but I wondered what this support entailed. It clearly doesn’t extend to renewable energy projects nor to polluting diesel trucks on our local roads.
Maybe it just hasn’t seen the right project yet, one with the backing of the community that supports sustainability. Since the port isn’t anti-wind per se, I thought I could combine wind with addressing the freight transport issue. That’s when I had a brainwave: Zeppelins!
Seriously, everyone likes zeppelins right?
Imagine glorious sight of airships floating through the sky on the westerly breeze, carrying shipping containers to and from Fremantle. Unlike a wind farm, which the port seems to think has no community support, all we need is a group of excited locals to start working on this and see if we can get it off the ground, if you pardon the pun.
I believe there is clear potential for the port in this as its recent report made it clear that <text redacted>. This is absolutely the sort of sustainable idea it supports: one that doesn’t yet exist!
I am planning on holding a get-together next month to discuss this further and to make it fun, I thought we would all dress in period style. Something from the early 20th century maybe, since that’s the current era of thinking being employed by the port’s board.
Heath Adams
Wray Ave, Fremantle