Credit: Illustration: Badiucao
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HOUSING
The state government’s announcement to reshape Melbourne by proposing apartments up to 20 storeys be built in 50 neighbourhoods with no or minimal consultation should be condemned (″High rise surprise for 50 suburbs″, 20/10).
Past and present residents across Melbourne have spent the past century creating liveable neighbourhoods that are the envy of the world – with Melbourne often voted the most liveable city in the world around 15 years ago. But no more, it seems.
Between 1950 and the late 2000s, population growth in Australia averaged around 250,000 per year. This steady growth allowed appropriately built infrastructure to keep pace. However, since the late 2000s, annual population growth has averaged around 400,000, and exceeded 600,000 in 2023.
Such rapid growth has outpaced our ability to build the necessary infrastructure. The result is we now have a chronic housing problem and roads clogged with traffic. This change has been the result of appalling government decisions over the past 15 years.
Residents did not ask for this rapid growth, but are now being asked to sacrifice the liveability of their suburbs to help fix the mess created by politicians. How dare politicians who have created the present problems dictate that we accept their new, and equally, damaging policies.
Robert Campbell, Brighton East
Where are the parks, schools, hospitals, libraries?
Housing and more housing, as the state government announces 50 new neighbourhoods for high-rise residential development. But what sort of housing and for whom?
Not all the new residents will be active adults working in the Melbourne CBD. The new sites are already in fully built-up areas, so where are the schools, playgrounds and sporting fields for active young children to be located? Where are the sites for hospitals, libraries, and other community needs?
Where are the reasonably large areas for parks, now that gardens are lost? Do we have adequate water, sewerage etc resources? And who is going to provide the infrastructure and ongoing oversight for all this? The present indebted state government would seem to lack the necessary resources to keep Melbourne as one of the world’s more liveable cities.
Elizabeth Meredith, Surrey Hills
ALP can forget ever winning Brighton and Goldstein
Labor has never won the state seat of Brighton nor the federal seat of Goldstein, and with the proposal for activity centres adjacent to North Brighton, Middle Brighton, Hampton and Sandringham stations, it never will.
Though some, like me, would welcome opening up these areas to more residents, the majority will be horrified. One reason they live here is because of the area’s perceived elite status. If thousands more move in, this perception is diluted. Bayside residents may preach egalitarianism as an Australian value, but only as long as it’s not in their backyard.
Samantha Keir, East Brighton
And what about building standards?
Premier Jacinta Allan plans to fast-track 50 new activity centres with taller apartment buildings in a bold plan to ease the housing crisis. We can only hope she will ensure they are of a better quality than what is currently being built.
Kurt Elder, Port Melbourne
Keilor East beckons from across the divide
For the distraught residents of Toorak, Malvern, Sandringham etc. who are worried about multi-storied apartments increasing the populations of their precious suburbs, there is a haven across town. No trains or trams, and only one high-fee-charging private school, so there is no future population surge.
Where you ask? Keilor East, hidden between Essendon in the north and Footscray in the west, and with multi-transportation options.
Margaret Raffle, Keilor East
THE FORUM
Abrogating responsibility
Two consecutive letters on the Comment page (19/10) continue a consistent theme over decades from contributors frustrated by increasing inequality and injustice. This is the result of the misguided policies since the Thatcher and Reagan era which abrogate government responsibility to its vulnerable citizens.
The letter “Public Service” quotes Michaelia Cash’s gaslighting claim that creating one million jobs is “bad for the economy” because they are mostly in the public sector. The second letter, “Hunger and Houses” highlights failure of governments to build sufficient social housing. How can we ever hope to achieve effective solutions to housing and so many other problems by continuing the same thinking which helped create them?
How can we progress when many in a comfortable position resent contributing tax towards a dignified existence for all?
That differs from justified resentment of truly wasting taxpayers’ money (such as omitting a basic claw-back clause in JobKeeper, $1 billion booby-trapping East-West Link contract just before an election, etc.).
How can we not feel outraged by those arrogant politicians and media cheer squad hellbent on sabotaging efforts to correct inequality, by promoting lies, fear, resentment and further injustice (eg. the Voice), while contemptuously labelling those, such as your correspondents as bleeding heart lefties, for simply demanding social justice?
Joe Di Stefano, Geelong
East West disturbance
Reports that the East-West Link, with a tunnel under the Melbourne General Cemetery, is to be revived, alarm me. I am about to celebrate my 95th birthday, but expect before long to join my grandfather and great-grandfather in one of the first graves dug in the cemetery, in 1857. I wish not to be disturbed.
John Poynter, North Melbourne
No detail Dutton
Avoiding questions about his consultation process in Collie (proposed nuclear site in WA), the leader of the opposition has again exhibited his bias against the ABC, this time by accusing a journalist of being “ideological” about nuclear energy.
At a press conference on Friday, Dutton told her ″I understand the position of the ABC, the ABC has an ideological position – that’s an issue for you, I don’t really care, I’m not interested in the politics at the ABC.” Nevertheless, he took great exception. He was unable to field the journalist’s questions in a respectful manner. His defensiveness is emblematic of his nuclear campaign. We are repeatedly promised more detail “in due course”. Dutton, regularly receives huge support from the “ideological” Murdoch press, but attacks the ABC ″messenger″ for asking pertinent questions that Australians want answered.
Fiona Colin, Malvern East
Electrification
I nearly fell off my chair when I read Mike Foley’s report stating that “Peter Dutton’s opposition are working on household electrification policies” (“Battery, solar schemes coming to zap bills”, 20/10). How fantastic!
And the Albanese government is on board too. A race to the top on policies that promise faster and more affordable uptake of the solar panels and batteries that will cut power bills and reduce climate pollution is a win-win for us all.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Pig research
Re ″Legal test to abattoir ‘gas chambers’ for pigs″ (20/10). How can the public trust that pig stunning in slaughterhouses is humane when the so-called research is funded by Australian Pork Ltd?
The recently aired footage of pigs screaming and suffering shows us what really goes on behind closed doors.
Jan Kendall, Mt Martha
More platitudes
Re “CBA sorry after glitch drains some customer accounts”. Another story adding another meaningless apology to the list from corporate Australia, governments and institutions.
“We are sorry to those affected” are the most trite and useless words uttered this century. True contrition demands immediate and fair recompense and just penalties.
George Reed, Wheelers Hill,
Enter North Korea
The combined efforts of China, North Korea, Iran, and Russia create a powerful alliance that undermines international standards and supports oppressive governments (″North Korea fighting for Russia is a global wake-up call″, 20/10).
The consequences are severe: increased military collaboration and a potential arms race that could escalate out of control.
The fear stems from their collective strength and readiness to challenge the established order, which could lead to heightened global conflict and insecurity. Zelensky might be correct – this war could soon involve everyone.
Anne Kruger, Rye
Trump to Murdoch
It is fine by me for Donald Trump to get help in writing jokes for his speeches, from Fox News or anywhere else (“Trump asks Murdoch to help him”, 20/10).
But asking the owner of a major media company to censor both advertisements and ‘horrible people’ who oppose Trump is undemocratic, and beyond the pale. The very fact that Trump is willing to openly request one-sided support from Rupert Murdoch and News Corp shows a contempt for democracy.
Many actions are technically legal, but undemocratic. They may be hard to define, but I know them when I see them.
It is clear that much of what Donald Trump says and does undermines the democratic process. And Trump expects his media supporters to assist.
John Hughes, Mentone
Trump takes cake
Your correspondent writes “It is time for us to stop taking Trump and his idiocy seriously”, (Letters, 20/10). I stopped back in 2016 after he was elected president.
His latest dig at Kamala Harris’ husband’s infidelity in his first marriage is the whipped cream and cherry on top of the cake.
David West, North Essendon
Paper swap
Your correspondent lauding The Age’s longstanding reputation as a quality newspaper (Letters, ″Fearless reporting″, 20/10) caused me to reflect on events that occurred in my adult life that were accurately reported by this publication.
My most vivid Age related memory was the day after the 1972 election of Labor resulting in Gough Whitlam becoming prime minister. My father, like many of his demographic, had the other daily newspaper delivered in the morning. He was so enraged by his usual paper’s coverage of the election result that he dispatched me to cancel that subscription and change it to The Age.
This is probably how I became an Age reader and have remained so.
Bill Pimm, Mentone
Puzzling question
It was wonderful to read about Nancy Sibtain and her puzzling genius in last week’s paper (″Nancy found errors in our cryptic crosswords 35 years ago, so we hired her″, 17/10). I wish we could hear about other crossword compilers. How on earth do they manage to create crosswords time and time again? Genius indeed. I was also reminded by Letters (19/10) about the Junior Age. I still have a copy of the page that published my drawing of a pony when I was 10.
Margaret Collings, Anglesea
Sunday Press
The Age 70th Anniversary lift-out with a timeline giving notable insights into the development of the newspaper through the years had a glaring omission.
There was no post about the Sunday Press (a joint publication by The Age and The Herald.)
The decision by the two print companies was to counter the influx of other states flooding the Victorian market with their Sunday newspapers. At the time, it was considered that a readership demographic could not support The Age and The Herald each having its own independent Sunday paper.
I was a Herald journalist at the time and did a stint on the Sunday Press working out of the Age’s old Spencer Street building.
Barrie Osborne, Port Melbourne
Kindness of neighbours
Thank you, Diana Lawrenson (Letters “A life punctuated by the pages of The Age”, 19/10) for reminding me of joyous times shared with three spinster sister neighbours who invited me to share the junior supplement of their Friday Age. I was five years old at the time with the second world war just ended.
That is the sort of things neighbours did in those days.
Happily, their mindfulness commenced my lifelong relationship with The Age which I continue treasure as an avid reader 80 years later.
Brian Marshall, Ashburton
VCE numbers’ game
As a high school student who is taking VCE subjects shortly, it is more critical than ever how my education is graded. I am concerned about how the school system is treated algorithmically, without any consideration beyond those numbers. I am under stress from having to think about that, while studying for the next test. This constant feeling that I’m just trying to optimise numbers in an algorithm is soul-sapping and unhealthy.
Stefan Pidgorny, North Melbourne
High price tennis
The high price of tennis tickets for the 2025 Australian Open are explained by Victoria Devine (20/10) with the organisation shifting to dynamic pricing.
Every year, we’ve bought tickets to the quarter-finals and this year they are about 60 per cent more than last year and no concession prices: $269 each for remote seats, the same section we always buy.
As friends had purchased airline tickets from NSW we are committed to the event and the dates. Next year, my friends may not build a Melbourne visit around the tennis. If they do, we’ll introduce the principle of ‘dynamic purchasing’ by leaving our tickets to the day and taking pot luck, if we think the price is reasonable.
Geoffrey Conaghan, St Kilda
AND ANOTHER THING
Housing
Finally, a plus for Doncaster in not having a train station or any trams: No activity centre.
Robin Schokman, Doncaster
Colorbond is an oxymoron. Architects always choose black or dark grey. Whole suburbs look like a monstrous black mould infestation.
Paul Perry, Fitzroy North
So relieved to discover our PM wasn’t building a holiday home in far distant Brazil’s Copacabana. Would’ve been a much longer swim than to Hawaii.
Tris Raouf, Hadfield
Much ado about Albo’s great view – while Peter Dutton keeps his family trust well out of the public eye.
Greg Curtin, Nunawading
Furthermore
Jeff Kennett’s Daniel Andrews spat brings back memories of the late great Ron Tandberg’s classic cartoon of the former ex-premier doing what he does best: make a lot of noise.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton
Come on Peter, your $5 billion gift to provide home water, power and sewerage means your nuclear power system is doomed.
Bruce Dudon, Woodend
If Albo’s on Spicks and Specks this week, does that mean we’ll have Peter Dutton next week? Or Sussan Ley, or Michaelia Cash? I just can’t wait.
Tim Durbridge, Brunswick
Travel magazine (20/10) states that construction of the Ghan rail line commenced at Whyalla in 1878 and reached Alice Springs in 1929 – an example of foresight and determination. Could Melbourne’s Suburban Rail Loop be a similar future necessity.
John Groom, Bentleigh
Reading about the abortion laws amendment vote that was narrowly defeated in South Australia last week (“Abortion is decriminalised Australia-wide. Why the hell are we debating it again?“, 20/10) shocked me. What’s next? Burning witches?
Fiona White, Alfredton
Finally
Make science a religion. All problems solved.
Paul Drakeford, Kew
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