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Former New York mayor Bill de Blasio and city planner Carlos Moreno had positive things to say about Melbourne, but both agreed that Federation Square needs a makeover.
Having attended the opening session of the Melbourne Assembly at the square, I can only agree that it is looking tired and forsaken – there are few open cafes or restaurants and the aluminium cladding is looking weathered and cheap. As a gateway to the city the Taxi pub building remains a nondescript disappointment and access to the river is obstructed.
That’s not to say it isn’t a marvellous asset for the city – where it works, it works well. But it shouldn’t be regarded as set in stone (or aluminium) – it should be thought of as a work in progress adapting to the city’s needs. We should heed the advice of our objective visitors and take the opportunity to make Federation Square the world-beating icon it could be.
Bruce King, Malvern East
The health benefits of tree canopy
Heatwaves kill more Australians than bushfires, floods and storms combined, yet we are sleepwalking into a scorching El Nino summer (“Experts sound health alarm over hot summer”, 22/10). Trees are one of our best defences, cooling streets and homes, and the Victorian government’s 500,000 new trees across Melbourne are welcome. But every development that bulldozes established trees undoes that work, and our overall tree canopy keeps shrinking.
Protect the trees we have. Build homes with light-coloured roofs that reflect heat, and add proper cooling. Open cool refuges for those most at risk. And make sure our hospitals are ready for the surge. Heat is a silent killer, and we need to start talking about it.
Larni Dibben, Glen Iris
Labor’s housing narrative is troubling
The narrative surrounding the demolition of Melbourne’s 44 public housing towers is deeply troubling, particularly given the gusto with which the Labor government has pursued this policy. The article “Hundreds of market rate rentals but no public housing” (17/9) highlights the contradiction at the heart of this issue. Labor has shifted substantially from its historical position on the left towards a political centre increasingly shaped by the imperatives of capitalism, at the expense of public housing, welfare and education. These are fundamental responsibilities of a government that previously claimed to represent working people.
Travelling regularly through the CBD, I see growing numbers of people experiencing homelessness. At a time of escalating housing insecurity, the demolition of public housing raises serious questions about our collective priorities and the kind of society we are prepared to accept. I can no longer vote for a party whose policies appear so far removed from the social values it once represented. While the Greens do not align with all my views, they at least offer a clear commitment to addressing many of these concerns.
Rozalind Drummond, North Carlton
THE FORUM
The right priority
The Snowy Hydro upgrade is now estimated to cost up to $25billion (″Huge setback as Snowy 2.0 cost blows out to $25b″, 23/10). For this investment, the country gets an important power generation facility that has very little ongoing environmental impact, and will operate for 100 years.
The estimated cost of the AUKUS deal is $368 billion, a figure that will probably increase dramatically. For this spend our country becomes a potential nuclear target, and gets an arguably 20th-century military deterrent, which will be obsolete before it is paid for. I know which investment seems good value to me.
Mike Francis, Fitzroy
Words matter
ASIO boss Mike Burgess has repeatedly conveyed concern about the use of violent rhetoric in public discourse.
It starts in parliament with the normalisation of extreme rhetoric in parliamentary debate, or what passes for debate today. Question time especially is characterised more by point scoring, personal insults and mindless character assassination than by any genuine attempt to debate policy. Many (most) politicians today appear to have lost the capacity to debate, reliant on dot points and staying on message. Genuine intellectual engagement rarely happens.
Democracy worldwide is under threat and Australia is no exception. ″Words matter,″ says Burgess. It’s time our parliamentarians acknowledge this and resolve to ″debate with respect and disagree with restraint″.
Difference and diversity are our future.
Neil Hudson, East Melbourne
Error of his ways
After the release of jailed American Stephen Hubbard, according to Donald Trump, “The United States, out of respect for President Trump, was not required to give anything in return – an unprecedented situation for Russia.” (″Russia releases retired US teacher″, 23/10).
Of course, this ignored the removal of sanctions on Russia and the purchase of diesel to bolster Russia’s war machine. This is nothing, according to Trump – but the rest of the world knows otherwise.
Alan Inchley, Frankston
Touch of madness
How amazing that it is only recently that the risk from touch screens in cars is receiving the attention it deserves (“Experts hit alarm button on touchscreens risk”, 23/10). I have been arguing for years that they are a dangerous distraction to driving. There should be no need for studies and data gathering on the topic as anyone who has driven a modern car knows how distracting touch screens are.
We are banned from using mobile phones while driving for good reasons, but in many ways screens are a worse distraction. Any function that is accessed while in motion should be operated via a button or a dial. The reasons car makers prefer screens is that are much cheaper to design and install and they look modern. Virtually every car designed this century comes with a dangerously distracting touch screen.
It’s time to go back to the days of common sense car designs or ahead to driverless cars.
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne
Cuts are coming
The public finance guru ″who did the numbers for Kennett and Andrews″ is canvassing ″belt tightening″ (″State heading for big bill″, 23/10). As a former public servant who barely survived Kennett’s mayhem, I can only read that as meaning one thing for public servants, and that’s voluntary and involuntary retrenchments.
I expect the first action of a Liberal/One Nation government will be to establish an ″audit committee″, which will announce that the finances are ″much worse than we thought″.
David Fry, Windsor
Tax the rich
Dear Premier Carroll, please do not sell any more assets owned by Victorians. The proposed sale of the vegetable market will just add a profit margin, add to inflation and continue the reckless and destructive neo-liberal policies that have reduced Australia – and the world – to their current parlous conditions. Tax the rich, not the poor.
Ian Porter, Kensington
Offshore operations
Many of us, myself included, assume that most companies providing services to Australians are Australian. I recently had a billing issue with my energy provider. Imagine my surprise to learn that the person trouble-shooting my issue was based in South Africa and that the company providing my energy was Chinese-owned.
Ewa Haire, Moonee Ponds
Don’t cut taxes
It is disingenuous (Letters, 22/10) to interpret Ross Gittins’ opinion piece (21/10) that a 15 per cent GST will do nothing to balance the budget as a criticism of excessive government spending. It is quite clear that the reason the Grattan plan would not assist budgetary repair is that it recommends (unnecessarily in my view) that the largest share of revenue gain from an increased GST should go to tax cuts, not to government spending on income support for lower-income households as your correspondent implies.
As other correspondents have explained recently, Australia, by international standards, is a low-tax country. Further reducing taxes will not address the budget deficit and will handicap the ability to supply the education, healthcare, aged care and housing services that the electorate wants and needs.
Terry Burke, Cape Paterson
Living with the cuckoos
Reports that Starlink has degraded the service provided to the Ukraine military such that they are less likely to intercept Russian drones should be a wake-up shout to the Australian government and military.
What is being done to reduce any reliance that we have on Starlink for our defence? Anyone who thinks that this could not happen to us because of treaties or that our ″friends″ would never do that to us is living in cloud cuckoo land.
David Robertson, Wheatsheaf
Don’t raise rates
Is the Reserve Bank part of the solution to our current woes or is it part of the problem? If the economy falls into recession, many will think the bank has failed the community. Increasing interest rates to high levels has many adverse effects, including increased unemployment, and an even larger intergenerational gap between young and old in so many areas. Also, increased disenchantment in these uncertain times can result in a downward pressure on innovation and productivity.
A 2 per cent to 3 per cent inflation rate would, of course, be good to have but is it really feasible in times like these?
I would suggest that interest rates should now be regarded as at a peak. Further increases will add to frustration and anger. Overseas, that has led to upheavals in democracies, which we want to avoid here.
John Kent, Mornington
No taste
Pauline Hanson said the video about Jacquie Lambie’s vaginal prolapse ″wasn’t as tastefully done as it could have been″. Would she please explain how you can tastefully mock or trivialise someone’s vaginal prolapse?
Angela O’Connor, Glen Iris
Sage advice
At a wedding in 1968, which I can still clearly see, the minister at the altar meets the gaze of the young couple after declaring them “man and wife”.
Looking at them over the top of his glasses, he kindly says he has three words of advice for them: “Watch. Your. Words”.
This is now a long time ago, but his advice could continue to be heeded and spread to all humanity. Words, said and written, are powerful and they truly matter especially in these troubled times.
Helen Clements, Mount Waverley
Behave, you’re not MPs
When my year 10 students were acting up I would say (rather forcefully) to them, “Behave yourselves! Where do you think you are, parliament?“
Mary Rice, Greensborough
AND ANOTHER THING
Foreign affairs
David Shoebridge says the Greens do not support giving military aid to Ukraine. That puts him in the same bracket as Donald Trump.
Greg Hardy, Upper Ferntree Gully
An ″entente cordiale″ between Russia and the US based on lies, deception and self-interest where the betrayal of allies barely gets a mention. Donald Trump will go down in history, just not in the way he imagines.
Claude Miller, Castlemaine
Vladimir Putin a “humanitarian″. Did I miss something, US special envoy Steve Witkoff?
David West, Essendon
Furthermore
Faced with a choice between a Labor frying pan and Coalition or One Nation fire at the state election next month, voters might be wise to stick with the frying pan (“Voters signal end for Labor”, 22/10).
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills
To your letters correspondent (PM, act on gambling, 22/10) I’d say: Don’t bet on it.
Marlene Krelle, Surrey Hills
With the predicted El Nino drought, we won’t need Pauline Hanson to drain the swamp (″Experts sound health alarm over hot summer″, 22/10).
Alan Boltman, Blackburn South
I was shocked to see a photo of the data centre in West Footscray dwarfing the adjacent residential houses. How was planning permission ever given? Buildings of this size should be in paddocks far away. And do we really need them?
Alec Dean, Soldiers Hill
The person trapped in their flooded car (“ABC reporter saves man as car sinks”, 23/10) was lucky. All vehicles should be designed with a way of opening a window manually from the inside. I carry a brick under the seat.
Graham Patterson, Briar Hill
In what profession can you fail all your major KPIs, yet still receive your maximum salary? The Australian men’s first XI.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
Finally
After the horror of the past week I rejoined The Cloud Appreciation Society. I urge readers to look to the skies and ground themselves.
Margaret Skeen, Ocean Grove