Credit: Matt Golding
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Road nightmare
Under the pretence of ″saving the wildlife″, Vicroads has reduced the speed limit on my local road from 100km/h to 80km/h. The real reason is that the condition of the road is absolutely appalling. There is not a 100-metre stretch that has not been repaired, is not potholed or is dangerously bumpy as hell. And this is just the eight-kilometre bit from Cape Paterson to Wonthaggi. We are in desperate need of help in rural Victoria and the state government is doing nothing about it.
I’m all for future proofing and building infrastructure, ie. the new city train loop but not at the blind expense of the rural infrastructure that sustains life outside the city.
Frank Flynn,
Cape Paterson
For a greener future
While mowing the lawn on a 34degree day I was profoundly affected by how significant and important tree shade is. Under the trees it was significantly cooler and the grass much greener and thicker.
Not only do we take it for granted but worse, we are abandoning shade at a great rate as our new developments and our knock-down new builds are sacrificing precious greenery for bigger or myriad houses. Some realise this (“Registers reveal Melburnians love for trees″, 23/11) but we all need to do more for the future – planting, protecting, and appreciating.
Veronica Wright, Mount Martha
See you later, planet
Now there is a much greater awareness than there was a number of years ago when climate change was generally seen as a fringe concern for tree huggers. Renewable energy might save us if we make large investments. If we don’t heed climate warnings, the environment will eventually recover but we just won’t be around.
Don Owen, Hawthorn
Drinking peril
While visiting Bandung in Indonesia a few decades ago, I came across an entrepreneur making easy money in his open shed. He had a plastic-bottling machine and was eagerly filling and sealing the clear bottles, all labelled with a well-known brand. The concern was that the water going into the bottles was coming straight out of his garden tap.
Graeme Daniels, Balwyn North
Here’s the sad news
Tony Wright (″News of the worst kind for chroniclers of regional life″, 23/11) has highlighted many of the damaging consequences that follow the loss of local newspapers from rural communities.
One major consequence, which is also being seen in city communities is revealed when local government elections are considered. Gone is a major source of awareness of the workings of the third tier of decision making. More importantly, voters have little real knowledge of the strengths of incumbents and those hoping to be newly elected. Large numbers of unknowns nominate for some councils and turnover is high often due to voters seeing no evidence of achievements of worthy representatives.
Gone are the days of local newspapers giving weekly reports on the local council quite apart from the range of information Wright lists. The term ″community‴ is becoming meaningless as local newspapers are lost.
Russell Harrison,
Sandringham
If 5 were 9
Re your correspondent’s idea to cease minting 5¢ coins (Letters, 20/11), a 9¢ coin in its place makes sense. A lot of products for sale end in $0.99¢ or $0.09¢. Seeing as we no longer have 1¢ coins , this has to be the solution.
Winston Anderson, Mornington
Keffiyeh ban outrage
I am profoundly upset and disturbed to read that Condell Park High School tried to ban a student with Palestinian heritage from wearing the keffiyeh, while actively encouraging students to wear culturally significant garments at their yearly formals (″Sydney student banned from year 12 formal for wearing Palestinian scarf″, 23/11).
Such a ban is abominable. Palestinians are equally part of our multicultural communities like everyone else. They are not to be made invisible and prejudiced against.
In response I will choose to wear the keffiyeh in solidarity with these people. I will also continue to protest even more against the slaughter that is happening in their own land.
Tim Hoffmann, Brunswick
Hypocrisy at large
It is hypocritical of politicians to lambast overseas students for ″taking up accommodation that should be occupied by Australian citizens″ as Peter Dutton said, while the government offers overseas students the opportunity to extend their visa, if they undertake TAFE training to work in the aged care system. How would Australian families paying for children to study overseas feel about their children also being pressured to prop up that country’s substandard aged care system?
An additional injustice is suffered by migrant aged care workers, who are separated from their young children left behind in their countries of origin, because the Australian government allows no visas for the grandparents, whose care of the children enables the parents to work.
If the aged care workforce were professionalised under the health system to become a rewarding career in providing Australians with knowledgeable and high-quality care for the entirety of their lifespan, the aged care workforce, and their accommodation, would be occupied by Australian citizens.
Ruth Farr, Blackburn South
Trump’s appeal
Your correspondent (Letters, 23/11) makes a good point about the reasoning behind Donald Trump’s win, that the left failed to take into account the way ordinary folks’ concerns seem to be ignored, as governments focus more on the needs of a few rather than ″the great unwashed″.
These voters were willing to look past Trump’s egregious behaviour and pretending to be a man of the people, in the hopes that he might bring them wealth. Also, that they want to live in the past, before any sort of ″woke″ agenda existed, a time when they could publicly swear, make racist remarks and when being gay was in the closet. They don’t like change, unless it is of their choosing.
Trump is only ever concerned with what he will get out of this: greater personal wealth.
His empty promises are future disappointments he will wave away or deny. After all, the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour. Woe unto those who choose to ignore the recent history of all things Trump.
Joyce Butcher, Williamstown
Two really is one
I am sick and tired of people using ″man″ and ″mankind″ as generics. The correct, all-embracing terms are ″humanity″ and ″humankind″. There are two types of us after all.
Judy Trinham, Surrey Hills
Let’s dump the cars
Imagine a world with fewer motor vehicle accidents, with reduced demand on our state trauma services and the TAC budget. It’s a world where we can travel easily, healthily and affordably by active and public transport. A city that reclaims public space currently taken up by cars will have more room for people and parkland. Can the government get on with the Suburban Rail Loop and the many other projects that will send private cars back to the 20th century?
Al Anderson, Glen Iris
Invite Netanyahu
Foreign Minister Penny Wong should invite Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu to Australia for talks. We are a signatory to the International Criminal Court. As such, he would have to be arrested. If he isn’t, then we are paying as much lip service to the ICC as we are to a two-state solution and ceasefire.
Greg Tuck, Warragul
Nuke the warming
Finally, a solution to global warming from Vladimir Putin. Nuclear winter.
Bob Quin, Beechworth