An honour to lead – but can Sussan Ley match Julie Bishop?
Reading the tragic news of nine deaths in three days on Victorian roads (The Age, 12/5) should be a wake-up call to everyone from drivers to government agencies at all levels and vehicle manufacturers and I share the frustration of Assistant Commissioner Glenn Weir. What can be done? Firstly, there needs to be a complete rethink of driver education and accreditation with consideration that a person who holds a licence must be retested every five years. Furthermore, there needs to be a new licence category for those that choose to drive the large and quite frankly dangerous SUVs imported from overseas. This would require additional training and testing to determine a person's competence in handling these vehicles – no different to a truck or bus driver.
Secondly, we need to have a look at the standards in relation to road design and construction, safety infrastructure and signage. The disparity in size between vehicles such as small sedans to B-triple trucks has not, I believe, been factored in in regards to road construction. Next, we need to look at the manufacturers and their advertising of vehicles in the media, as well as other issues such as the design of head and tail lights and use of LED bulbs that can dazzle oncoming drivers at night.
Finally, there is the issue of road rules and penalties, which need to be harsher and more punitive in terms of dangerous driving or driving under the influence.
Slow down. Take care. Be attentive.
Steven Haby, Hughesdale
Parking penalty
The Age 's report (' Love free parking? Don't get too comfortable ', 12/5) gives a fair overview of the pros and cons of paid parking. I live on the northern edge of the CBD in a purely residential area. Council recently introduced two-hour limits on parking, seven days per week, from 7am to 10pm. This is clearly a money grab and has nothing to do with rationing scarce parking as might be the case in other areas. The area is empty on Sunday afternoons.
The cost to residents (who are not eligible for parking permits at all) – a nice weekend lunch with family or friends is a thing of the past.
Chris Lloyd, Melbourne
Art not appropriate
Re the Fitzroy mural (' Fitzroy bondage mural outrages activist group, but its defacing upsets admirers ', 13/5) it depicts a bound and gagged woman in a highly sexualised pose. It is fetish pornography. It is illegal to display such images to children and it should never have been put in a public place. These laws exist to safeguard children. At the same time the work celebrates violence against women and is highly offensive on that account.
It is not 'narrow-minded' to maintain public standards of appropriateness of art works. Pornography that celebrates the subjugation of women may be suitable for the bedroom, but it should not be in our streets.
Caroline Miley, Heidelberg
Forest builders
During its recent bat-nudging program several groups, including our own, co-operated with the Royal Botanic Gardens to ensure the welfare of its grey-headed flying foxes, aka 'the bats' (' Bats are back at the Botanic Gardens, and a gentler eviction is afoot to stop them ruling the roost ', 12/5). Unlike 2003, the now well-established Yarra Bend Park camp, is only 10 minutes' flying time and after 22 years of hard volunteer work is well-suited to receive them. Nonetheless, a careful watch was made for late season, pre-flight and dependent-on-mum pups. Happily no young needed to be taken into care. The grey-headed flying fox, a species of mega-bat, has declined by over 95 per cent since 1900. They pollinate over 100 species of native trees and plants including ones made 'rare and endangered' by land clearing. The entire grey-headed flying fox population, with the exception of some old bats and late young, trends north in winter and south in summer, a peripatetic migratory pattern they've maintained, climate depending, for around 4million years. The bats are forest builders with important ecological roles – what's ours? What does our species 'do' for the planet? Across time we believe all Australian botanic gardens will configure themselves to make a space for our deep-indigenous forest-builders. Until then, working consultatively and positively, is the best pathway forward.
Lawrence Pope, spokesperson, Friends of Bats & Bushcare Inc.
Let them roost
The grey-headed flying fox is not an introduced species and has every right to inhabit the Botanic Gardens. Nobody jumps up and down about the possums or magpie swooping season. The argument against the animals that they break the foliage of the introduced trees because they're a bit weighty is flimsy.
Greg Bardin, Altona North
Deep cinema
I have just watched the latest David Attenborough movie Ocean (' Why Andrew Forrest bankrolled David Attenborough's last great project ', 7/12). It should be compulsory viewing. During the movie I felt devastated at times but left the theatre feeling hopeful. This is the power of the 99-year-old Attenborough. To make such an important film and get his positive hope for the future to an audience is an amazing feat.
John Williams, Golden Square
Fair comparisons
It is regrettable that once again schools are being compared on the strength of their median VCE study scores (' Schools boosting their VCE figures ', 13/5). As others have pointed out in the past, ATARs or scaled study scores would provide much more accurate data for this purpose. I'd also question the report's claim that 'Maths and science subjects are usually scaled up, arts subjects are scaled down, and English and business subjects normally remain the same'. In fact, general maths is usually scaled down, English literature usually goes up, and economics went up last year from 30 to 32. As for arts subjects, classical studies and philosophy remained the same last year, as did Australian history and history revolutions, while Australian politics and global politics both went up, and Latin was scaled up more than any other subject, as usual (from 30 to 46).
Lindsay Zoch, Mildura
Education is critical
A disgraceful turn of events that the Victorian government has reduced the funding allocation to our public schools and will not meet the previously agreed Schooling Resource Standard amounts (' Teachers on collision course ', 13/5). As we grapple with our place in a dynamic world situation, education and training become critical investments in our future. That Victoria is now lagging behind the other states in school funding and teachers' salaries is of great concern, particularly as our population continues to grow.
Denise Stevens, St Kilda
What choice?
Several correspondents have expressed shock or dismay at the Victorian government's stripping of billions from school funding. However, it should be no surprise. Victoria has long had the lowest-funded schools in the country. Given Labor's dominance in Victoria for decades, this is a disgrace. The Liberal Party's education spokesperson rails at the situation, but after the Kennett government's treatment of state schools and in light of the party's famed devotion to cutting public expenditure, can anyone seriously believe it would significantly boost education funding?
Who should we vote for next year to rescue state schools and justify our claim to be the 'Education State'? A motley bunch of independents and Greens hardly presents as a viable solution. It seems we have Hobson's choice.
Mike Smith, Croydon
Second chances
Your correspondent ('My preferences', Letters, 13/5 ) questions the fairness/logic of someone (Ryan in Kooyong) being elected who did not have a first preference majority.
The answer lies in the 23 per cent of voters who voted initially for neither of the front-running two candidates. When asked, 'given that you can't have your first choice, who would you prefer' only 4 per cent preferred Hamer while 18 per cent preferred Ryan. The winner is the most preferred. The alternative (first past the post voting), would see the wishes of the majority of the electorate ignored.
Bruce Hawken, Glen Iris
Vote for the good guys
Those advocating for first past the post voting might consider this scenario. Buddha, Jesus and Satan are the candidates (no offence to those who would have preferred others in the example). Buddha gets 31 per cent of the vote, Jesus 29 per cent and Satan 40 per cent. So 60 per cent of the electors wanted one of the good guys to win but Satan gets in with 40 per cent of the vote. First past the post is a dud system. With a preferential system Jesus and Buddha swap preferences and Buddha gets in. Hoorah for the good guys!
Russell MacDonald, Elwood
Accept the decision
Since the federal election the Nationals and their supporters have restated their opposition to renewable energy infrastructure being developed in regional and rural Australia.
This is despite the fact that landholders are paid above-market rates for hosting such infrastructure on their land, often referred to as drought-proofing farming. This also ignores the fact that the pro-renewables pro-climate Albanese government was overwhelmingly re-elected by the greater Australian population.
It's untenable that the Nationals can stand in the way of the essential move to a low-carbon economy by stymying renewable energy development. The Nationals and their supporters need to heed the election results, pocket the compensation, get out of the way of renewable energy investment and stop holding the Australian population to ransom.
Grant Hull, Ballarat Central
AND ANOTHER THING
American leaders
Yes, 'Pope Leo, not Trump, is now the world's top American' (13/5) but why couldn't the new pope keep his name? I like the sound of Pope Bob.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
Donald Trump will not allow the new, US-born, Pope Leo XIV, to upstage him, internationally, for long. A fallout is inevitable. Apart from the former's Himalayan ego, the 267th Pope's moral values simply do not coalesce with his.
Michael Gamble, Belmont
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Labor
They had a massive win and yet the captain makes 11 changes to this winning team? Go figure.
Gerry Lonergan, Reservoir
Perhaps Mark Dreyfus and Ed Husic should defect to the Liberals. Surely their talents would be recognised there.
Brian Marshall, Ashburton
Anthony Albanese: ruthless over retaining power. Over climate change, renewable energy, gambling advertising: not so much.
Margaret Callinan, Hawthorn
The largest ALP caucus since Federation! The Liberals have a men and women problem.
Greg Curtin, Nunawading
Kooyong
Once it was the Colt of Kooyong – Andrew Peacock. Now it's the Cult of Kooyong – Monique Ryan wins.
Diana Yallop, Surrey Hills
Given that Kooyong came down to such a tight margin, I wonder if Amelia Hamer regrets her decision to not turn up to the two community meetings held in the seat.
Christine Hammett, Richmond
Liberals
I wonder how Julie Bishop is feeling today when she's seen what could have been her opportunity to lead the party?
Pam Papadopoulos, South Yarra
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But there was a small reduction in fatalities in the few years after the safety standards came into force, academics from the University of Sydney's School of Rural Health found. Lead author Tony Lower said it was early days for the standards and fewer fatalities could be expected as new quad bikes replaced the older fleet. "They are a really effective vehicle, but we just need to see them designed safely and used safely," said Dr Lower, an honorary associate professor at AgHealth Australia. Victoria led the decline in fatalities, possibly due to greater enforcement of the standards than other states. Authorities issued 1200 prohibition or improvement notices to Victorian users in recent years, compared to 60 in NSW. While people don't always like enforcement, it has proven effective in areas such as road trauma, Dr Lower said. "Everyone should get home at the end of the day," he told AAP. With estimates of more than 20,000 anti-crush devices in use across Australia, there were no deaths involving vehicles fitted with roll bars, the paper said. But there were fatalities related to quad bikes where the devices had been installed and then removed. The Farmsafe Australia report, released in mid-July, showed fatalities from side-by-side vehicles had overtaken quad bike and tractor accident deaths for the first time in 2024. Side-by-side vehicles were thought to be a safer alternative to quad bikes, but riders died or were injured when they carried heavy loads, did not use seatbelts or went without a helmet. Engineering and design standards could only go so far, Dr Lower said. "There is certainly a role for farmers, producers and parents and everybody else that works and lives on farms to ensure they do the right thing."
