Fires could be tempered by planting deciduous trees and thinning gums

Climate change does not cause wildfires — gum trees do. By locking up our forests and national parks full of eucalypts, we have turned them into unexploded firebombs. Dead leaves and branches act as firecrackers on the forest floor. The canopy, full of eucalyptus oil, quickly catches alight and explodes. What is the only thing that survives such fires? Eucalypts, which then reproduce at the expense of other native flora.

What are the solutions? Thin out the eucalypts, and intersperse them with deciduous trees. Build roads and firebreaks and expand the use of the forests for leisure and settlement.

C. Clifford, Chatsworth, NSW

Fed up with point scoring

Politicians should realise that they are not going to regain the respect of the people until they replace bickering and point scoring with development of national policies.

Quiet Australians living far from Canberra are fed up with precious parliamentary time being dominated by questions about an MP’s conduct. We want to see our MPs addressing matters of national importance, the development of bipartisan policies on issues such as climate, energy, resources, agriculture and immigration, to name a few.

In the first half of the years since Federation the national interest was uppermost in the minds of governments and oppositions; in the second half, selfish attitudes by parties and individuals have become evident.

Jim Dickson, Mount Eliza, Vic

Nationals’ failure

The Nationals sit in a comfy Coalition, do little for regions and fail to embrace real and required regional issues such as water, railways and regional investment to attract growth and people out of the cities.

The Nationals do not get the required support from city Liberals to make an impact on the regions. One wonders if the (im)possibility of a Labor relationship with the Nationals would be of more benefit for the future of regional Australia.

Nationals’ voters are loyal to the core and fail to question the party they back regardless. Maybe a name change back to the Country Party could be of some benefit.

Stuart Davie, Corowa, NSW

Bandt’s rain miracle

Gaia be praised. The ascension of Adam Bandt to the leadership of the Greens has had an immediate effect on the weather — an outbreak of hellfire drenching rains on the east coast and moderate summer temperatures everywhere else. Truly miraculous. Who knows? Dams may fill and new ones be built.

Furthermore, I expect the zealous one will be ministering to the faithful 365 days of the year to oversee his good work, unlike the climate apostate Scott Morrison who will forever be in green purgatory for his sinful Hawaiian escapade. But of course Morrison will be to blame if floods reach catastrophic proportions — even though he doesn’t appear to be on holiday.

Ashley Georgeson, Adelaide, SA

Sneering at Trump

To all those people jumping up and down because Donald Trump would not shake Nancy Pelosi’s hand, I would like to quote John McEnroe: “You cannot be serious.”

After three and a bit years, Pelosi and the Democrats seem to have spent every waking moment trying to oust the elected President of the US, sneering, insulting, belittling and trying to impeach him. It would have been surprising if a straight shooter such as Trump would have demeaned himself.

Pelosi would probably have ripped up Trump’s speech anyway. Pelosi’s action says more about her than the non-handshake says about Trump.

Simon Marston, Eltham, Vic