Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.
Storms ahead
It is fortunate Cyclone Alfred has been downgraded, but it is essential we are not complacent and acknowledge this was not a “natural” storm. Our east coast ocean’s temperatures have been the hottest on record October to February; warmer seas cause increased evaporation, leading to more frequent extreme storms – including cyclones. Are we ready for tropical-like cyclones in Sydney and Melbourne? Why not tackle the root cause: fossil fuel use?
Steve Haylock, Mt Waverley
Here and now
On climate change and Cyclone Alfred, Anthony Albanese reflects that “every January ... is hotter than before”(“Alfred and other electoral storms”, 8/3).
Despite Tony Abbott and the Coalition’s previous protestations that “climate change is crap”, Alfred, the most southerly cyclone to hit land, reminds us we’re in the midst of it. We must congratulate Labor on the assessment that it will meet 43 per cent emission reduction targets by 2030, and reiterate, loudly, no new oil and gas. This is in contrast to the Coalition’s kicking of climate targets across wind turbines to 2050, while it distracts with the much-delayed promise of a nuclear fantasy. Climate change is happening now; our actions to ensure a safe world for our children must be now too.
Karen Campbell, Geelong
Coal, anyone?
Is this the same prime minister who authorised four coal mine extensions last year?
Dave Torr, Werribee
Car park market
Re ″The push to get Melburnians to ditch their cars″, 8/3. Should every dwelling have off-street parking because future residents may own a car? This increases the cost of housing. The inner suburbs have a glut of off-street parking. Many people are paying for car parking spaces they don’t use, yet Yarra’s mayor reckons that many buildings in inner Melbourne have a parking deficit. Why aren’t such residents hiring those spare car parking spaces?
More car parking spaces are not the answer. We need a market so you only pay for car parking if you use it. Ultimately, we need to decouple off-street car parking from the home – and pay for each separately. And stop residential parking permits so that newer residents don’t treat on-street parking as a free resource.
Andrea Bunting, Brunswick
Reduce car size
Cars are a part of the Australian culture and their numbers are growing in line with population growth. But Australians are also purchasing larger cars, with SUVs and utes being the top-selling cars. Apart from pollution and congestion, in inner suburbs large vehicles can block narrow roads if parked opposite each other.
Walking and using a bicycle would be help solve the problem. A reduction in size of vehicles and the planned reduction of speed to 30 km/h would encourage more bicycles. One of the main reasons for not riding a bike in the city is the danger from large vehicles that often fail to see cyclists.
Leigh Ackland, Deepdene
Valet service
I haven’t had a car for almost five years. I sold mine on the first day of the COVID-19 lockdown when I realised I hadn’t used it for five months and its battery had died. I haven’t missed it, and I now have extra space in my garage and extra money. My e-bike gets me to where I want to go more quickly than a car over short distances, and for long distances there’s public transport (and Perth’s public transport isn’t as good as Melbourne’s) or taxis. I can use taxis far more often than I do with the money I’ve saved not owning a car.
Wayne Robinson, Kingsley, WA
Strange hobbies
Just as you think that things could not get any weirder, along comes “Cashed-up Libs ‘Bike Boy’ Scandal” (8/3) about vulnerable people influenced by the rich and powerful who carry a grudge against Dan Andrews due to COVID-19.
Some must have so much wealth they don’t need to work full-time and can dedicate themselves to strange and lost causes. Monetarily wealthy people are very strange.
Michael D’Aloia, Coburg
Pain persists
To the lady who attended the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the NGV last Tuesday: I am sorry you are sick. Even though I distanced myself from you, I now have the same constant hacking cough. Unlike you, I will probably progress to not only asthma but pneumonia, and be sick for a month.
Bronwyn Scaletti, East Bentleigh
Services at home
Donald Trump thinks Australia should spend more on defence – at least 3 per cent of our GDP. This essentially means the US gets our money as it is our main supplier for defence. Peter Dutton thinks we should spend $3 billion on new F-35 fighter jets, supplied by the US.
How about we spend some money on growing our outer communities? Spending has been progressively cut for an essential service that serves all members of our communities.
Libraries save lives and protect our vulnerable. Surely, we can spend more on our own communities rather than boosting the US economy? (“Space squeeze shuts books on families”, 7/3).
Asa Smith, Montmorency
Our neighbour, China
I agree with your correspondent that it is time to re-examine our alliances (Letters, 8/3). Forging closer relationships with countries in our region, regardless of which party is in power in the US, is imperative. This, of course, includes China.
It is strange that Australia would purchase $368 billion worth of submarines to supposedly protect us from our most important trading partner. The two-way trade between Australia and China totals over $325 billion annually. Add to this, that over 750,000 Chinese visitors and more than 140,000 Chinese students make an enormous contribution to our economy, while helping to strengthen cultural ties.
Whilst we have our differences, as we do with America, we need to also focus on shared values. Having recently lifted people to a burgeoning middle class, offering free and secular education for the first nine years of school, and since 2009 rapidly improved a universal health care system, the strengthening of our partnership should be a priority and one that increases our economic opportunities and security.
Craig Jory, Albury, NSW
Star struck
Elon Musk owns Starlink. Apparently, many European defence systems use Starlink for communication. Seeing as we are unsure which team Trump-Musk is batting for, should we be concerned about the security of Starlink user systems?
Yvonne Trevaskis, Hobart, Tas
Move on from US
Trump and his administration are indulging in dangerous, unpredictable decisions that impact on global stability, and have little regard for friends and allies.
Surely, it’s time for Australia to ramp up its strategic and financial connections with our South-East Asian neighbours along with Japan and South Korea.
Our historical alliance with America means very little to Trump as he forms new friendships with dictator Vladimir Putin and others.
Europe is clearly moving to distance itself from Trump’s America and Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has said: “Step by step we can achieve independence from the US.“
Australia’s $800 million down payment on AUKUS submarines didn’t stop Trump from threatening us with tariffs.
Our government and our citizens need to have the conversation about what’s in the best interest of this country.
Grant Nowell, Bowden, SA