Dear Here to Help, Government talks about what it is doing to help active transport. I have a new job in the centre of Newcastle, but I can’t find anywhere secure to lock my bike. There used to be secure bike lockers around the Newcastle train...
Dear Here to Help, There was a classified ad in the Local recently by a man saying he “is not a voluntary transactor in commerce” and seeking to “sever Usufruct Subjugation ties with the Australia Corporation in its entirety.” and instructing it to “cease and desist...
Dear Here to Help, I spend a lot of time in Islington Park, next to Throsby Creek. It has great facilities – an oval, a playground, covered picnic tables, bbqs, bubblers. But no toilets! Most of the older parks in Newcastle have toilets, but not the newer...
Dear Here to Help, Why is it that every summer, parking becomes such a heated issue? People seem to park wherever they want, fight over parking spots, park along yellow lines, shout at one another,… The beach and lake seem to be the biggest source of...
Dear Here to Help, Recently, it seems to be more and more difficult to use public transport. I thought maybe busses were arriving or leaving early, but when I check the NSW government information online, it says the services were cancelled. How are we meant to use...
Dear Here to Help, I don’t understand why government doesn’t do things about the rental crisis. All they need to do is set a rental cap and penalise landlords who charge more. Interesting question. Community is a complex set of interactions and public policy decisions need to consider...
Dear Here to Help, Someone told me recently that government is meant to consult the community before it makes big decisions. How did I never know this? How does this work? How do I become involved? And why do some of government’s decisions still so… well weird?...
Dear Here to Help, Week in, week out, I have to put up with a colourful assault on my senses when I go through the supermarket checkouts. Not to mention kids screaming at parents for all that colourful, sugary badness. I can’t be the only person...
Dear Here to Help, I am concerned about the number of older people who fall over putting out their rubbish bins. A friend of mine who works in emergency says they have at least one admission per month! Surely, someone should do something to help prevent...
Dear Here to Help, Why doesn’t public transport work? Everyone keeps talking about doing things for the environment, like active transport and public transport. But public transport seems to be eternally late or cancelled. School busses, the train to Sydney that takes longer now than it did...