There are hundreds of people in Port Stephens who could have told him that. Mr MacDonald has also tried to blame the education department and the Department of Finance for the mistake. Wrong, the responsibility for the mistake lies squarely with the respective Liberal ministers. The suggestion that the land could be used as an environmental offset for a different development should be dismissed entirely as the rules for carbon offsets are legislated and as such can be changed at the whim of future governments. The only way to ensure that the land remains as pristine koala habitat is to ensure that it remains in public ownership. Mike Baird has had plenty of experience recently with the compulsory acquisition process, all he has to do is compulsorily acquire the land for a public purpose. Compensation would be easy to assess, the main head of claim, market value, has already been recently established by the sale of the land. The only other compensation claims that the present owner would have are for legal fees and other out of pocket expenses. There are still lingering doubts about the way the land was sold in the first place with an online auction and short marketing period. The sale of this pristine koala habitat is yet another example of Mike Baird’s Liberal government disregarding the wishes of the people of New South Wales. 

Grant Kennett

 Corlette

I am all for the advancement the NBN will have. But community input as to where the placement of the equipment is put would make our suburbs more attractive. I have recently had one of these towers placed in the front of my home. No one asked for me if I wanted to look outside my front door to see an ugly grey pole everyday. I would be interested to know if any one else has had this done to them.

Pam Roberts

Raymond Terrace

Port Stephens Council has just spent $335,000 on ‘resurfacing Shoal Bay Road’, across from the Wests Diggers club.

Work has just been complete, amid road closures and traffic delays, but the resulting surface is extremely poor. Potholes are already littering the ‘resurfaced’ road, the surface crumbling, which, in a few weeks, will result in a worse road than before the work started. Surely the council won't be leaving this poor workmanship to deteriorate any further? 

Michael Stevenson

Shoal Bay

Pardon my cynicism but this handwringing by the Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter after the event is probably just a ploy to save face [Examiner, September 29]. All Departments and pollies, including Premier Baird, had lots of timely advice from the community that this sale and subsequent development would have serious negative impacts on koala habitat but they went ahead and did it anyway. 

Cherylle Stone

Soldiers Point

Does anyone know the whereabouts, of the plover family from the roundabout on the corner of Bagnall Beach and Sandy Point roads?

there were four chicks and an adult. The defender of the family kept watch nearby and notified anyone who came too close. I hope they have been rescued and relocated rather than destroyed by someone not understanding their defensive behaviour.

Judith Hickey

Soldiers Point