and misleading. Circumcision is reimbursed by Medicare. Professor Cooper and other senior public health professors are, moreover, urging the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (RACP) to abandon its outmoded policy on circumcision in view of its two- to 22-fold protection against HIV, penile and prostate cancer, syphilis, urinary tract infections, penile skin diseases and sexual dysfunction in men, and fi vefold protection against cervical cancer and chlamydia in their female partners (www.circinfo.net). The NSW Minister for Health in fact stated in Parliament that he was awaiting the RACP’s pending new policy before acting. The old policy, written primarily by two paediatricians in Christchurch, NZ, years ago was recently debunked by international academic experts as fatally fl awed in a detailed critique in the ANZ Journal of

Power of communicationIn last week’s Courier, Kim O’Connor wrote that infrastructure companies can be out of touch when it comes to considering the impact of works on local communities. EnergyAustralia is not one of those companies – our job is to provide power, but also to work with the communities we provide that electricity to.

We have people tasked with making sure our customers know about work taking place in their area.

That’s why I contacted Woollahra Council last July to talk about our proposed upgrade at the Double Bay shopping area. At our fi rst meeting we outlined our plans, listened to feedback from chamber of commerce representatives and councillors and immediately agreed to changes to the project.

In the space of 30 minutes we had agreed to complete a small, but necessary, fi rst stage of the work by December and not proceed with the bulk of the upgrade until February/March next year.

Our talks with the Double Bay business community didn’t stop there. We made personal visits to traders who will be affected by the fi rst stage of the work, provided them with information about the project as well as a dedicated EnergyAustralia contact. We also promised to give them a week's notice of work beginning in front of their business.David TwiggEnergyAustralia

MisleadingYour Bearpit item on circumcision (Courier, September 12) was emotive

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Editor Andrew London

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CAB Audit 47,550Readership 99,000 (Roy Morgan, March 2006)The Wentworth Courier is published on Wednesdays by The Federal Publishing Company, a division of Eastern Suburbs Newspapers Partnership (ABN40 617 053 550) which is owned by General Newspapers Pty Ltd, (ACN 000 117 322), Double Bay Newspapers Pty, Ltd (ACN 000 237 598), and Suburban Publications Pty Ltd, (ACN 008 629 767). Copyright 2006.

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PET OF THE WEEK

The Eastern Suburbs has entered an ice age but the Government’s response remains frosty.

Crystalline methamphetamine, also known as "crystal" or "ice", has swamped the area's drug market with such force that one healthcare worker from Potts Point said he looked back “with nostalgia on the days when heroin ruled”.

The National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre revealed at least 12,000 people across Sydney were currently addicted to the illicit substance, which is made from the chemical pseudoephedrine, commonly found in cold medications. Kings Cross police confi rmed they had witnessed a signifi cant increase in the availability of ice.

Night revellers and young professionals in particular have taken a fancy to the powerful stimulant, which creates feelings of extreme euphoria, confi dence, and

increased sexual appetite. But that’s where the fun stops.Readers might recall the case of fi nancier Brendan

McMahon, of Tamarama, who was jailed in July for mutilating 17 rabbits and a guinea pig. McMahon admitted to smoking ice for a month before the incident. The harsh reality is a high percentage of users turn psychotic.

St Vincent’s Hospital admits psychotic ice patients on a daily basis and health professionals are forced to put their own lives at risk to stop aggressive users from hurting themselves or others. The Federal Government’s response so far has been to restrict consumers’ access to cold and fl u tablets containing pseudoephedrine. But there are still no treatments available for ice addicts, and doctors are at a loss with how to tackle the epidemic.

English exams for migrants are not needed. Help for fellow Australians is.

Comment Crime reporter Nina Lamparski looks at the latest drug epidemic.

Troublesome tip of the iceberg

VOTE ON IT Vote online at: www.wentworthcourier.com.auResults will be published in next week’s Wentworth Courier

RESULTS FROM LAST WEEK’S POLL DO YOU THINK LAWN BOWLS AND BOWLING CLUBS HAVE HAD THEIR DAY? Has the late Abe Saffron been unfairly depicted by the media with the label “Mr Sin”?

n Yes, he was a self-made man who was victimised by his critics.n No, I believe there is some truth to the label.n Don’t care.

OPINION

Send your letters to: Letters, Wentworth Courier Locked Bag 3150, Alexandria NSW 1435OR fax 9353 0983 OR email to:wentworthcourierletters@fpc.com.auPlease keep your letters to a maximum 100 words and include your address and daytime contact number. Letters are subject to editing, and cannot be returned.

Public Health. The foreskin traps and transmits infection, both to the man and his consorts. A report last month found 69 per cent of Australian-born men were circumcised. Common sense and science favour circumcision as a routine procedure at birth.Professor Brian MorrisSchool of Medical SciencesUniversity of Sydney

Editor’s note: Health Minister John Hatzistergos told Parliament on May 2, 2006 that medical benefi ts funding was not available for such procedures. The Courier accepts this is not correct.

Coal-fi red resourcesLast week’s [“open letter”/advertisement] from the NSW Minerals Council clearly indicates that it has plenty of resources available to prop up its position. It’s fantastic that $300 million is being

spent on more of the same. It’s no wonder that our politicians are so in favour of coal-fi red power stations and our renewable energy target is 2 per cent while Sweden has committed to 60 per cent renewables by 2010. Thanks to the coal lobby, and here they are again in our local paper. Pity they don’t spend these resources on fi nancing alternatives to coal-burning.Virginia MilsonBronte

No 76% Don’t care 10%

Yes 14%

Your say…

QUICKIE CROSSWORD NO 307Each fi gure equals the same letterFig 2 is letter IFig 3 is letter G

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CV: Peetie was abandoned – but found by a kind person who took him to their vet. He is a lively and very loving little foxy cross puppy, about six weeks old. Look at him, how can you resist?Yours for $300: Peetie will be desexed, vaccinated, wormed, heartworm-tested, microchipped and lifetime-registered.Viewing is between 9 am and 1 pm daily at 77 Edward Street, Carlton. Phone Sydney Dogs & Cats Home on 9587 9611 or visit www.sydneydogshome.org.