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When in power, the Coalition government avoided its national and global responsibilities to act on a transition to renewables. It poured billions of dollars into subsidising fossil-fuel companies, it promoted the fiction that emissions could be offset by the failed carbon capture and storage, and it assured us (in 2020) that gas would lead the country to “recovery”. Strangely, since the electorate has shown a deal of understanding about these matters by voting, in many instances, in favour of ″greener″ policies, many in the Coalition continue to try to promote (non-renewable, unsafe and expensive) nuclear.
Tim Smith, outgoing state Liberal MP, says, “Any serious opposition or government must at the very least put nuclear energy on the table” (The Age, 12/6). Why must they? His federal counterparts, having failed to attend to national energy security for a decade, continue to push yet another unpopular idea.
Why so allergic to renewables?
Fiona Colin, Malvern East
Ditch the other plastic pests
We have made progress with banning plastic bags and straws (terrific) but there are other insidious plastic pests. Those tiny plastic sachets of tomato sauce! I see them discarded everywhere. There must be billions floating in the ocean by now. If you are ″of a certain age″, you will remember when a squeezy bottle of sauce on the shop counter got the job done.
Chris Lemm, Emerald
The link between nuclear power and weapons
Peter Dutton’s push for Australia to develop a nuclear power industry raises the hugest red flag for peace activists. The nuclear fuel cycle for nuclear power is necessary to produce plutonium-239 and uranium-235, essential for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. That connection between nuclear power and nuclear weapons has always been kept well hidden by governments. In fact, the UK’s first nuclear power stations were built primarily to provide fissionable material for nuclear weapons during the Cold War.
The argument that nuclear weapons sustain peace is disproved by Russia’s blackmailing threats of a nuclear war for its invasion of Ukraine. It is now urgent for world peace and life as we know it that all nations, including Australia, join the 61 state parties that have already signed and ratified the Nuclear Weapons Ban Treaty. That issue should be on the table well before any discussion of our beautifully sustainable energy-rich Australia considering an opaque, hierarchical nuclear power industry.
Jennifer Gerrand, Carlton North
Stop demonising forestry industry
It’s time to stop demonising the forestry industry, and keep forestry workers safe. In Scandinavia and North America, forestry and timber production is rightly seen as an important part of the climate solution. Sustainable forestry produces the only renewable resource used in building and construction – timber.
Concrete and bricks are produced through energy-intensive processes and result in materials that, unlike timber, do not store carbon and are not bio-degradable. Forestry is the only industry with net negative carbon emissions. That is, the replanting of harvested forests captures and stores more carbon as new trees grow, while the harvested timber continues to hold the carbon it has captured.
The Australian National Greenhouse Accounts April 2021 show that in 2019 forest land (including harvested and replanted forests) had net negative carbon emissions of 54,651 million tonnes. Harvested wood products had net negative emissions of 4815 million tonnes. VicForests reportedly harvests (and replants) around 3000 hectares a year – just 0.4 per cent of Victoria’s total forest area. It seems that when it comes to “accepting the science” in relation to climate change, it is a very selective exercise for some.
Graeme Russell, Clifton Hill
FORUM
A sneaky tax
Stamp duty on property sales is a tax on transacting a business. Investment properties already attract land and capital gains taxes as these are taxes on transacting a business.
Taxing the family home (land) is not a tax on transacting a business, it is a short, cynical step away from death duties. For those who reach retirement owning their own home and trying to eke out a living on what for many will be minimal superannuation (or a pension), land tax would amount to pre-death duties, forcing them to use vehicles such as reverse mortgages to cover the debt.
Imagine reaching old age and needing to sell the family home for you and/or your partner to go into care, but you can’t as you no longer own enough of it to do so, you’ve taxed out of it. Direct death duties may be a “no go” for politicians, but it appears the idea of a sneaky backdoor tax is not.
Lance Wilson, Brighton East
Show some compassion
Where is the compassion? Jeff Kennett calls for a two-year ban without pay for Bailey Smith. The founding chairman of Beyond Blue, “an organisation working to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety in the community” has shown an astounding lack of understanding and empathy. Kennett suggests the ban would offer ″a significant deterrence″. How about possibly ruining a young life? As Mitch Wallis said, ″No young person is immune from making a bad decision or two.″
Robyn Sheahan (Hawks member), Hawthorn
What’s the law?
Footballer admits to possession of illicit substance. He is not charged by the police with possession. Does this mean that small amounts of said substance for personal use have been decriminalised?
Peter Roche, Carlton
It’s all about status
Loren Bridge’s assertion that attending a girls’ school will lead to a higher likelihood of a leadership position should be challenged (“Why girls’ schools succeed at producing women who lead”, 13/6). Bridge, executive officer of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia, seems to be mistaking correlation with causality. There may well be a correlation between leadership and school, but the sheer fact of attending a girls’ school (or a boys’ school for that matter) should not be interpreted as being the major determinant factor in gaining a leadership position.
Many studies have shown that the major factor in determining success in education and further advancement through life and work is a students’ socioeconomic status. Students who attend private schools are more likely to have parents with higher socioeconomic positions. This is more likely to be a factor in determining success.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
Gas still has a role
In March 2021, retiring chief scientist Alan Finkel confirmed why renewable energy adoption would need a natural gas buffer to help phase out coal-fired generators. Despite objections from many fellow scientists, this appears to be a most pragmatic option. Many people, sitting in their gas-warmed homes right now, will agree.
Andrew Smith, Leongatha
Assange’s rights
The editorial (13/6) writes about the need to change the law to protect journalists from being gagged or sued for exposing corrupt or illegal practices. I concur and would hope that they equally pursue the rights of Julian Assange for his publishing of the abuses perpetrated by the US in pursuit of its foreign policies.
Alan Inchley, Frankston
True caring
You are so right, Jamila (Life Matters, 5/6). Female carers are the backbone of the country. I’m disabled, and one of my carers cared so much for my wellbeing during my isolation period with COVID that she continued to care for me in my home, wearing all her PPE for days. Now that’s what I call caring.
Donna Fotiou, Blackburn South
Keep referendum simple
Who is seriously objecting to the prime minister appointing the governor-general? Where are the public rallies against this process? Where is the dissent? Where is the anger? There being none, why are we so blind to the extraordinary success and stability this process has given us for the past 91 years?
A referendum must ask: “Do you support Australia becoming a republic by replacing the monarch with the governor-general?” Only a very simple proposal will have any chance of success, the more so if that proposal, by its very nature, also reaffirms our uncontroversial, long-term successful, governor-general selection process. We could modify the title, the role and the process later if so inclined. Trying to do so before the establishment of a republic, as is currently the case, is simply to guarantee that yet another complex referendum question will fail, as they
always do.
Needless complexity was the method chosen by John Howard to make certain the 1999 referendum would fail.
William Hennessy, Clifton Hill
Appreciate birds’ beauty
Why is there so little government encouragement to “walk, camp, kayak and watch birds on Victorian wetlands” for health and tourism benefits (Letters, 13/6)? We have beautiful waterbirds and peaceful Ramsar treaty wetlands of international significance. Where are the stunning documentaries and virtual wildlife experiences to attract tourists?
Instead our taxes promote the maiming and shooting of waterbirds by a decreasing handful of blokes. Victoria belongs to us all, and so does its amazing wildlife, which is being decimated year by year. It’s time Premier Daniel Andrews listened to his party members – and most Victorians – who abhor duck shooting.
Joan Reilly, Surrey Hills
Unhealthy approach
My granddaughter works at one of the large private hospitals in Melbourne. Each day she is run off her feet, overwhelmed by the amount of work in these times of health crisis, but does her best to help her patients while sometimes having to work a 12-hour shift. The next day, she does it all again. What a slap in the face for her and her fellow health workers in the private sector to be told they are not eligible for the $3000 thank-you and morale booster given to the public sector.
What is the real basis for this discrimination?
Pamela Anne King, Bridgewater
Give player a break
Footballers are footballers, not elected representatives. Why would we make front-page news, for days, of a 20-year-old caught out dabbling, idiotically, in an illicit drug? Yes he is a privileged young bloke, but he’s a kid who doesn’t need to be excoriated in public, no doubt at great cost to his wellbeing, for something that could have been well dealt with in-house.
Julian Guy, Mount Eliza
The simple things
Thank you Maida Pineda (″Caring can start with a simple hello″, 13/6) for reminding us of the importance and value of a simple word like ″hello″. Throughout my teaching and parenting over four decades, my mantra to students and my own children was to remember three little words: ″please″, ″hello″ and ″thank you″ in all they do.
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris
Nuclear madness
I agree it’s a shameful waste to give almost a billion dollars of taxpayer funds to France in compensation for the submarine deal cancelled nine months ago (Letters, 13/6). But has it occurred to your correspondent that it could be an even more shameful waste to be spending $100 billion-plus on eight nuclear submarines that may or may not be delivered in 20 to 30 years’ time.
By then, the countries with advanced technologies will in all likelihood have developed mini-drone submarines able to be deployed in large numbers and capable of lurking indefinitely until they detect and destroy any hostile nuclear submarines such as those we’ve set our sights on – thereby making our subs about as useful as an 18th-century man-o’-war.
And, of course, if ever one of our nuclear subs did fire a shot in anger – something never achieved in 30years by our fleet of Collins class subs – it would in all likelihood set off a holocaust you wouldn’t want to survive.
Ron Burnstien, Heidelberg
One rule for all
If a sportsperson can have their career ended for bringing their profession into disrepute, then surely the same rules should apply to judges, lawyers, doctors, nurses, teachers, actors, etc. They too are role models for the community.
Margaret Jackson, Camberwell
Nodding off
Could politicians dispense with the ″noddies″ standing behind a minister and nodding in a self-satisfied manner as he/she delivers their spiel on the news? If the words don’t convince us, the yes-people won’t.
Mick Webster, Chiltern
Chew on this
Gillon McLachlan, the retiring AFL chief executive, is in denial about the principal reasons for the decline in crowds at matches, one of those reasons being the outrageous prices charged for food and drinks.
Michael Gamble, Belmont
AND ANOTHER THING
The republic
Sir Robert Menzies fawned on the then-new Queen and wanted to call the Australian dollar the “Royal”. We can respect our British heritage but it is time to cut the apron strings.
Greg Curtin, Blackburn South
Is it possible to become a republic without a president?
Corrado Tavella, Rosslyn Park, SA
Furthermore
Missing in the list of honours are the names of the ordinary, “for heroic service as nurse, doctor, cleaner, caterer, etc to Australia during the gravest threat of COVID”. Award them all an AC.
George Reed, Wheelers Hill
Certainly have a mature discussion about nuclear power, but do not commit any of my tax dollars until an economic option is identified.
John Hughes, Mentone
Instead of offering support and education, Jeff Kennett wants to punish. Let’s use this young man’s example of pain to educate and help others.
Jan Saliba, Moonee Ponds
Americans own guns to defend their family and property. Australians defend their family and property without needing guns!
Phil Lipshut, Elsternwick
Why shouldn’t people be free to sniff flour or sugar?
Rod Matthews, Fairfield
You are correct, Anthony Albanese, it is a time for change. Stop referring to the government as your government. It is our government.
Les Butler, Kyneton
Can someone remind Richard Marles it is the South China Sea and not the South Chinese Sea. The Chinese obviously would believe the latter.
Richard Sykes, Bell Park
Peter Dutton claims that the Coalition would have negotiated a better deal with France than did the Labor government, which begs the question, why didn’t it?
Les Aisen, Elsternwick
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