Matt GoldingCredit: .
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Climate of despair
Absolutely heartbreaking scenes of devastation on Maui and Lahaina (″We’re heartsick: fires reduce Hawaiian town to wasteland″, 12/8), while Europe has been savaged by record-breaking extreme temperatures this summer, and now Australia awaits its summer. But surely our government, and all western governments, should be accelerating action on climate change or there will be no future for any of us. Why on earth waste all that money for American submarines if we no longer have a country to protect.
Peta Colebatch, Hawthorn
Nationals’ confusion
It’s a pity the Nationals didn’t make a few basic inquiries before jumping on the small modular reactor bandwagon (″Yes in my backyard: Nats keen on nuclear″, 10/8). First, Australia has no nuclear fuel cycle. This is, after mining, the processing, enrichment, transport, security and storage of the fuel. Later to be followed by the disposal of the waste. This is a huge undertaking in its own right.
As for the reactors, Rolls-Royce estimate that they will have a demonstration model available by about 2035. Add a minimum of five to 10 years before we could possibly get one working here. To replace coal-fired generation in the Latrobe Valley, we would need about 20 of them. The Age estimates 80 for the east coast. That would keep us busy.
Nationals leader David Littleproud says he would be happy to have one in his electorate of Maranoa. Perhaps he would like to tell us where he thinks the massive amount of cooling water will come from. Australia will never have nuclear power generation. It is practically obsolete.
Ron Davis, Korumburra
A bank for the people
Those who consider the profits of the big four trading banks to be too high should support the establishment of a trading bank owned by the public sector.
The bank could aim for moderate profits rather than maximum profits. The profits could be transferred to the federal Treasury. In effect, all taxpayers would become shareholders.
Creation of the bank would foster competition in the financial sector and strengthen the arm of the Australian government in the determination of economic policy.
Alan Gunther, Carlton
Ignore the message
The slogan ″vote no if you don’t know″ is professionally and strategically a message to encourage voters to believe it’s legitimate not to make an effort to understand the Yes case.
Malcolm McDonald, Burwood
The only answer
What is it with most of the Liberal-National parties that they repeat diversionary questions ad nauseam in question time on the Voice to parliament.
A simple request is being put by our Indigenous Australians to have a chance to voice their concerns, to be recognised and have an avenue to put their issues before the government A Voice to parliament will enable Indigenous peoples to prioritise their issues and lead to resolutions to their ongoing disadvantage.
Surely a Yes vote is the only answer.
Ron Reynolds,
Templestowe
Adopting Aristotle
Just imagine if Aristotle’s criteria (Letters, 11/8) of credibility, logic and sympathy were applied to contributors to question time or corporate decisions. We might have a more productive debate and a fairer society.
Alice Glover, Thornbury
Faine is a loss
Sadly, a feature now will be missing from The Sunday Age: the clear and sane opinions of Jon Faine who is, as he puts it, ″heading off to join the other fossils and dinosaurs at the museum″. This is the readers’ loss.
Virginia Barnett, Mt Waverley
Voice of sanity
The media voice of Jon Faine will be missed, once again, but in his last column (6/8) he has left us with the most lucid argument in support of the Yes case for the Voice referendum. Those who might be persuaded by the slogan, “If you don’t understand it, vote no” should read his column and discover why they should support it.
Peter McCarthy, Mentone
Now, for alpine horses
The regeneration of a ″trampled horse paddock″ into habitat for endangered species at Aireys Inlet is inspiring (″Dry horse paddock now thriving nature reserve″, 12/8). Now to get horses out of the Alpine National Park, another trampled horse paddock.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Community lifelines
Like Louise Kloot (Letters, 9/8), I too believe the world has changed. But this does not mean we should let the physical presence of the post office and the banks become a distant memory. A bank branch and local post office are lifelines to more than most would be aware of, namely forgotten people in our communities like those on fixed or low incomes. As a younger member of that community, letters to friends or family and the friendships made with staff at both places has been what has sustained me.
Anders Ross, Heidelberg
Stop the bounce
Does anyone attend AFL matches to watch the umpires try to bounce the ball?
Graeme Betts, Shepparton
Refugees aren’t convicts
Asylum seekers being housed on a barge in England is reminiscent of convicts being kept on hulks in the 1700s. Have we learnt nothing? The fact that these barges are normally used to accommodate workers is appalling in itself. You’d have to imagine that if workers had any other option they wouldn’t choose to live that way. What kind of society thinks this is acceptable?
Claire Cooper, Maldon
An idle thought
On a Housing Commission high-rise in Prahran many years ago: ″unemployment isn’t working″.
Chris Waters, Ormond