source : the age
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TRANSPORT
I have concerns for some of the proposed changes to the Suburban Rail Loop as outlined by Premier Ben Carroll (″Suburban Rail Loop to find $2 billion in savings through station changes″, 25/8).
Connectivity matters. Scrapping underground station interchanges at Box Hill and Glen Waverley, a second station entrance at Clayton and pedestrian bridges in Burwood and Cheltenham, makes it more difficult for people, particularly those with accessibility issues, to use SRL and threatens patronage numbers.
This in turn may impact the cost-benefit ratio which determines whether the benefits to the community outweigh the costs.
Yvonne Bowyer, Surrey Hills
Past point of no return
Despite an apparently imminent “crunch time” (“These suburbs may never be the same as Melbourne’s population soars to 10 million”, 25/8), Melbourne reached a point of no return some time ago.
Starting from Craigieburn station, I’ve trudged through kilometres of tract housing to teach at one or other of my institute’s far-flung outposts.
Its residents are forever committed to car transport that many of them, including refugees, can ill afford.
There is no way to turn back the clock in such areas, the locals long ago having been sold the Australian dream of an unused front garden and underutilised backyard.
The latest vogue of electric cars is no solution either; we remain locked into legacy private transport clogging our roads, necessitating an endless and fraught game of Big Build whack-a-mole to rectify issues that should have been prevented through better planning in the first place.
Marish Mackowiak, Ormond
Let’s hear it for the 508 bus
The 508 bus goes right past our place. It has an east-west route, Moonee Ponds to Alphington, and connects with no less than seven tram lines and three trains.
It’s regular, reliable, and drivers are unfailingly cheerful and polite. They wait for you to sit down before they take off. Some electric buses have been introduced. Lucky? You bet!
And then there’s the 59 tram direct to town and the scenic 58 that meanders through Royal Park. The 1 and 6 trams are handy for Lygon St and the amazing 96 takes you and lots of tourists all the way to St Kilda.
Trams, trains, buses taking people to work, school and a thousand other journeys.
There are occasional disruptions, and yes, and it’s true that many suburbs are not so well served by public transport.
But, can I just record my gratitude for our public transport system and the people who work in it?
Bruce Henry, Moonee Ponds
Imagine a life of free Uber rides
Here’s a thought, Ben.
Let’s assume the Cheltenham to Box Hill SRL will cost the 2021 estimate of $34 billion (certainly an underestimate) and that 20,000 passengers would use that line on a daily basis (probably an overestimate), then that’s a cost of $3.4 million per projected passenger.
That’s enough to give each one of them a lifetime of free Uber rides as compensation for no SRL.
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne
Just finish the job
Premier Ben Carroll has decided to cut $2 billion off SRL stations. This will give future generations substandard station access. Build it once, build it properly.
George Djoneff, Mitcham
THE FORUM
City too crowded
The prospect of Melbourne becoming a megacity (“The suburbs that will suffer most in city of 10 million”, 25/8) is disturbing.
There is much talk about whether the city expands upwards or outwards – both unwelcomed by many current Melburnians and those who care for nature – but why isn’t there debate about the major driver, a growing population?
The answer is because the discussion is being driven by business, notably the property industry. How about we hear from residents who see their quality of life being degraded by more congestion and crowding?
I would like the forthcoming Age “Melbourne Assembly” talkfest to consider the scenario of Melbourne not growing.
Ian Penrose, Kew
Plan our future
All the political parties are throwing around immigration numbers in an attempt to woo the voters. But the sad truth is that none has a population policy detailing what is an optimal, sustainable population for Australia and how we achieve that. The result? Read “The suburbs that will suffer most in city of10 million” (25/8).
The reality is that a finite planet or country with fixed resources cannot sustain an ever-
increasing population without a declining quality of life and eventual collapse.
And affluent countries, such as Australia, have the highest environmental impact.
The climate emergency, reliance on desalination plants, impact on the natural environment, etc are signs that we have already exceeded the carrying capacity of the land.
We need leaders with a long-term plan. Increase labour participation rates by providing affordable daycare, and incentives for pensioners to keep working. Solve the labour shortage at the bottom by paying market – not award – rates.
Make use of AI and robotics to accept and manage the inevitable rise of an ageing population.
A stable population will solve the housing crisis. We can maintain the green wedges and rewild our diminished land.
Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove
All over the place
Reading that David Farley joined the Nationals, toyed with the idea of running for Labor or as an independent, and then chose One Nation should be a major red flag to anyone thinking of voting for him. No sign of deeply held beliefs here.
It does make you wonder, given how few actual policies One Nation has, whether political issues have anything to do with Farley’s decision to join the party, or indeed, vote for them.
Claire Cooper, Maldon
Big business, as usual
Interesting, but not surprising, that big business is going to mount a campaign against the federal Labor government regarding recent policy changes.
Voters would be wise to wrack their brains to remember when was the last time big business supported any change to government policy that helped ordinary Australian workers.
Big business is interested only in profit margins and share prices and always need to be dragged into making any improvements for their workers.
Bill Walker, St Andrews Beach
Whistleblower reform
There aren’t too many things about contemporary USA that I see worthy of emulation. However, it does have many schemes whereby whistleblowers are financially compensated pro rata, and this is certainly worth introducing here.
As it is, whistleblowers will never again work in their chosen industry, many suffer long-term post-traumatic stress disorder as a consequence, and are financially impoverished due to their actions.
They shine a light on dirty deeds that cost our economy and society dearly. Surely, this is worth financial acknowledgment?
Carmel Boyle, Alfredton
Local input missing
First, it was gambling reform with the views of a significant number of caucus members being ignored.
Now, comes GST distribution, with a prime ministerial pronouncement made without there being time to have
consulted caucus.
There seems to be little point in voting for a Labor candidate if the elected local member has no say on critical decisions.
Jan Lacey, North Melbourne
Remember Tampa
August 26 marks the 25th anniversary of the notorious Tampa incident when the Howard government refused to allow the Norwegian ship, the MV Tampa, to offload a boatload of rescued asylum seekers onto Australia’s mainland.
The attitude of John Howard’s government was to demonise refugees and asylum seekers, and that has negatively affected the conversation to the present day.
In reality, genuine refugees are innocent, at-risk victims of war trying to find refuge to build a better life for their families.
It’s upsetting that we chose to act without compassion and kindness to those in need. Had we accepted the asylum seekers and processed them in a timely manner, we would now have former refugees who would be forever grateful for being accepted into our community, and contributing so much to make Australia a better place.
Robert Preston, McKinnon
A suspect ally
It is not surprising that, as reported by The Age, the United States’ global image is declining as China’s improves. Unhappily, with or without Donald Trump in the White House, the US remains an increasingly dysfunctional society, and a suspect ally.
A reassessment of the values we supposedly share with the US, and fears and criticism of China’s global ambitions, is overdue.
China has well-publicised human rights issues, but it is hard to argue that some recent outcomes for US citizens have been better than the 800 million Chinese lifted out of poverty.
It is also hard to demonstrate that US involvement in international affairs has provided better outcomes than Chinese initiatives such as its Belt and Road project.
It was disgraceful that fear of being ″wedged″ on national security induced the Albanese government to endorse the AUKUS project without any searching analysis.
Norman Huon, Port Melbourne
Global hunger
Early 2025: the Trump administration shuts down the respected USAID organisation and cuts almost all of the US international humanitarian assistance. It exhorts NATO allies to boost defence spending, and several European powers to reduce their overseas aid to make room for increased military expenditure.
UN agencies and respected charities operating in developing nations warn of the disastrous effects of the reduced aid on nutritional and health outcomes.
Mid-2026: central African nations struggle heroically, but with inadequate resources to contain an Ebola outbreak. Many Sudanese, fleeing warfare, go hungry and there is not enough international aid to assist them.
A famine is looming in Somalia and Ethiopia after years of unremitting drought. Millions of children are malnourished in these countries, and also in Afghanistan and Gaza.
Meanwhile, many billions of dollars are spent on senseless wars which only exacerbate the world’s woes and, in the case of the Ukraine nightmare, threaten food exports from an important grain-producing region.
Australia could start to reverse these shocking outcomes by leading a coalition of middle powers who increase their international humanitarian aid.
Andrew Trembath, Blackburn
Time slows in Hawthorn
Thank you to writer Peter Craven for his excellent appraisal of Hawthorn (″Hidden charm beyond the riches″, 25/8) but he forgot to mention the Hawthorn Pool and Recreation Centre.
This excellent facility with wonderful staff has been welcoming Kew residents since June 2020 when the still-perfect 1989 Kew pool was closed by our council. The projected opening date for the new Kew centre is July, 2027.
It will take more than seven years for the ratepayers to pay for the mistakes of council in closing the centre; followed by the roof collapse of the new build in 2022 and the legal ramifications.
Seven years!
Maree Williams, Kew
Head-in-sand syndrome
With record-smashing heatwaves and wildfires across the northern hemisphere this year, the decades-long warnings of climate scientists have come to fruition.
Humanity’s response so far? Extract and burn ever more coal, gas and oil.
What, apart from the obvious ″Climate Catastrophe″ or perhaps ″Profit at all Costs″, might we name the bastard love-child of cognitive dissonance and willful ignorance?
Helen Moss, Croydon
Paging Alan Fels
If you are lucky enough to be an MCC member, you can purchase a reserved seat to one of the Wildcard finals for $12. You are then slugged a “service and handling fee” of $9.25 for pushing a button on your computer keyboard.
When you get to the game, you might feel like a beer. A can will cost you $12.50 even though a six-pack of the same beer will cost you circa $20 at the bottle shop down the road.
How is such price gouging allowed, and where is Alan Fels when you need him?
Mark Hulls, Sandringham
Unextraordinary
Three weeks ago, I decided to search for something – anything – that wasn’t iconic.
I’m still searching, so it’s not looking good.
Alan Eason, Miami, Qld
AND ANOTHER THING
Spell check
I think it’s great that the City of Melbourne has a “rapid response” van for the removal of graffiti (25/8), but it’s a pity that the word, “graffiti”, is spelt wrongly on the back of it.
Mary Lyon, Camperdown
Population
If Victoria is the basket case portrayed by Jess Wilson’s Liberal opposition, then how do we explain the state’s burgeoning population growth?
Peter Bennett, Clifton Hill
As Melbourne’s population trends towards 10 million, I imagine it would be difficult to
find 10 people who relish the prospect. Incidentally, the average entire population of
each of the 10 happiest nations on Earth? 7.8 million.
Peter Rushen, Carnegie
Among all the noise of calling out for curbs on immigration, it was heartening to recently attend an Australian citizenship ceremony where the mayor, himself a migrant, extolled the virtues of multiculturalism. Lovely warm vibes only, with my friend moved by her inclusion as an Australian citizen.
Ailsa Hamilton, Northcote
Furthermore
I hope that US President Donald Trump’s ″lovesick″ assistant prints out Peter Hartcher’s opinion piece in The Age (25/8) and draws his attention to this matter.
John Bye, Elwood
Richmond finished 17th on the ladder. They finish lower in the ″reading the room″ stakes.
Ian Macdonald, Traralgon
Re Letters ″and another thing″ (25/8) on making cars more difficult to steal: Can’t Elon Musk create a car that returns itself to its owner after it’s been stolen? He could call it the Homer.
Robin Jensen, Castlemaine
Call it a miracle, but an ambulance arrived to help me with my 99-year-old dad’s medical emergency in under five minutes. They just happened to be going back to the depot. The joy of living in the inner suburbs shows itself again. Thank you, Ambulance Victoria.
Susan Scalise, Ascot Vale
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