source : the age
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BIG TECH
At the UN, Australia has advocated for a slowing of AI development. We wanted guardrails to prevent Gadarene tech bros from pushing us over the precipice. All very laudable, but guardrails are needed closer to home.
The Age has documented how Victoria’s planning regulations allow major projects to evade public scrutiny and community consultation. A Precinct Structure Plan (PSP) in Clyde North for a commercial estate approved by Casey in February 2026 was quietly morphed into a $1.2 billion data centre by mid-April.
The approval is documented by the council, but details, except its staggering cost, are closely guarded. Casey Council can do this because the data centre is in an urban growth zone (UGZ), and thereby exempt from requirements for public notification or VCAT appeals.
Far from promoting the benefits of this development, the developer, the council and the Victorian Planning Authority are keeping it from the public’s gaze. The consequences of such large infrastructure projects will last decades.
For the special provisions that apply to UGZ projects to be justifiable, the onus is on planners to do more than a perfunctory ″call in″ six months after a decision has been made.
Victoria’s PSP framework was introduced 15 years ago. Without radical reform, we can expect a Gadarene rush to more major projects without proper community consultation.
Mike Sanderson, Drouin
Punish those who break our laws
Open AI’s recent hack of the Medicare system was, in my opinion, clearly illegal. It was most certainly theft and could also be considered the digital equivalent of breaking and entering.
Australia should focus on the illegality of the actions, punish those responsible according to Australian law, and make it clear illegal activity by any entity will not be tolerated.
After all, if AI companies can ″teach″ their products to break the law, why can’t they teach them to behave lawfully and not break the law? The law is published openly and available for anyone, or anything, to learn from.
David Rapson, Warranwood
Understanding rogue agent activity
Thank you, to the various letters to the editor correspondents for their input on AI (″We can get control back, take AI owners to court″, 28/9). One of the writers’ current world analogies about ″feedback‴ have significantly helped me understand where and what are the ‘rogue agents’ causing problems have come about. Understanding and appropriate legislation will fix the problem.
Julie Broomhall, Timboon
Take Medicare hack seriously
Cydarm CEO, Vaughan Shanks, described OpenAI’s bot accessing Medicare statistical data as akin to a passer-by looking over a fence, commenting “Nothing was stolen” (“Experts claim ‘overreach’ on Medicare hack”, 28/9).
I’d characterise it more as a stranger climbing the fence and wandering around the backyard, taking photos. I wouldn’t get the shotgun out, but I’d sure be asking what the hell they thought they were doing.
Brian Collins, Cardigan
Our politicians’ heads are in the Cloud
The Economist magazine informs us in its September 23 edition that among English-speaking countries, Australia tops the list for use of AI in MPs’ speech writing.
It found that 21 per cent of words spoken in parliamentary debates are written with the help of AI. Now it’s all beginning to make sense.
Bruce Watson, Belgrave
THE FORUM
Health-led response
I read the article, “Ambos in the driver’s seat”(28/9), with pleasure. People in crisis should not be treated as criminals and many experience trauma and humiliation that significantly worsens their condition in the longer term. However, I wish to introduce a note of caution based on long-term experience as a clinical psychologist.
In 1987, a group of us pressured the health minister to review psychiatric transport, and I subsequently worked as executive officer for the relevant ministerial committee, alongside representatives from police, ambulance, unions and health.
Nearly a year of painstaking work and negotiations resulted in a plan that exactly mirrors the “health-led response” Minister for Mental Health Ingrid Stitt has recently announced.
In the ensuing years, Community Assessment and Treatment Teams were established, and management and transport of those in psychiatric crisis became more humane and efficient. However, the gains gradually disappeared as staffing and safety concerns for ambulance workers, and later psychiatric service workers, led to police taking over again.
More than 30 years later, the level of effective intervention provided by CATT, other than assessment and triage, is minimal.
The lessons of history must be learnt if there are to be long-term gains. Without adequate funding, training and support for ambulance and psychiatric services staff, the merry-go-round will simply keep spinning.
Dr Peter Cook, Essendon
Inflation explainer
Inflation. Now I get it!
How it works: Corporations up prices, us punters pay up, corporate profits go up, and oh, dear-we have an inflation problem.
The fix? Up interest rates, which ups rents, mortgage repayments, and us punters pay up. Again.
You get it, too? I’m sure you do!
Geoffrey Lennie, St Kilda
Canavan takes low road
That political parties and their members and supporters have opposing views is natural, however, the outrageous and inflammatory remarks by Nationals leader Matt Canavan about this masthead, and also engaging in Trump-style rhetoric calling the Labor Party and Anthony Albanese ″communist″, is a new low level.
Barry Buskens, Beaumaris
Battery power
Thanks, Nick O’Malley for reminding us of the furore in 2016 (“Two billionaires, an online bet and an Australian energy revolution”, 28/9) when a huge storm toppled multiple transmission towers and cut power to South Australia.
What I remember most is an almighty argument between the then-energy minister Josh Frydenberg and then-SA premier Jay Weatherill caught on camera. Frydenberg didn’t credit the real cause but went full ideologue and blamed renewables.
Barnaby Joyce followed suit.
While the three right-leaning parties are still arguing against renewables a full 10 years later, we have a huge amount of battery storage in Australia, the third largest in the world. Billionaires and companies understand how to get things done.
A third billionaire, Gina Rinehart, while supporting a party opposed to renewables, is heavily invested in mining operations powered by renewables. Mt Weld is powered almost entirely by wind, solar and batteries.
Pauline Hanson had a solar rebate for one of her properties. Yet One Nation is suggesting we build a brown-coal power station which is likely to take 10 years to build, besides being very dirty power and very expensive.
The first Australian large-scale battery was installed in under 100 days, and the new home battery scheme has close to half-a-million batteries in households and has run for just one year so far. Those households are not just reducing their own bills, but supporting the grid as well.
Yet, there are people and even politicians still saying, “What about when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow?“
Duh! Storage.
Helen Hook, Black Rock
Scaring the horses
We are living in world that is reducing its dependence on fossil fuels – for survival of the planet as we know it, national security and economic resilience – and it is doing this with new cheaper and better clean tech like solar, PVs, batteries and EVs.
They all use software, so this new technology is as vulnerable as all of our software-driven life. This doesn’t mean we should turn it into a demon and don’t use it. It means that we should add it to the list of our concerns for control, like our social media and AI.
That includes all our devices and our computer-driven vehicles, not just EVs built in China that ABC TV’s Four Corners focused on last week and scared the horses.
We need China’s clean, cheap excellent technologies, and our good trade partnership means we can address security issues as part of this relationship. The need for cyber security is everywhere.
Carolyn Ingvarson, Canterbury
MAGAjoules
Caution your correspondent (Letters, 28/9) in prodding the president of the United States of America to meddle with solar system descriptors.
One celestial step further than ″he thinks everything revolves around him″ could translate into a relentless global social media campaign convincing Earthlings that NASA and the US military created our sun.
I’m sure the astrally challenged (Republicans and many others?) would believe a claim by Donald Trump that the US had detonated a rather large nuclear weapon
93 million miles out in space.
Of course, anyone benefiting from free solar radiation should now pay him a royalty.
Ronald Elliott, Sandringham
Dog decorum
I’m a dog owner who, like columnist Sophie Boyd, fails to see the necessity of allowing pets into more and more public places (“I get it, you love your dog. But don’t bring it to my pub”, 28/9). I struggle to understand why people need to take their dogs shopping for a power tool or a bag of garden mulch, stop off at the pub with their furry friend, or even take them aboard a flight.
Is this really for the benefit of the dog, or is it more about owner separation anxiety? My black labrador has been attacked several times by other dogs during our daily walks, usually after their owners assured me that Cujo was gentle and wouldn’t harm a fly.
On a recent trip to our local hardware mega-store, I watched in disbelief as a dog owner dragged his urinating dog along the polished concrete floor, pretending to be unaware of what was taking place behind him. The cashier told me this was nothing compared with the cases of explosive doggy-diarrhoea she had been required to clean up.
Dogs in bars: confined space, lots of people, lots of alcohol and lots of dogs.
What could possibly go wrong?
David Fox, Beaumaris
Owners’ umbrage
Thanks Sophie Boyd for highlighting the issue of dogs and their owners’ entitled views that they can come anywhere. It’s bad enough that they’re at the cafes, with their own doggie menu, that owners ignore instructions regarding beach access, and take them on runs through children’s playgrounds, even though they’re not allowed in – and now they are in pubs!
Please note, that not everyone likes your dog, doesn’t like to be jumped on, doesn’t like them snatching food from your grandchild, and particularly doesn’t like being abused when we have the temerity to complain.
Enough already with your dog.
Denise Stevens, St Kilda
Thanks, Mr Schrlitz
Re ″An Age Ago″ (28/9): Carlton’s win in the 1970 grand final still brings this Hawks supporter much joy. Not because Carlton won, or Collingwood lost.
Mr Schrlitz, our grade 5 teacher, gave us a week off homework! Thank you, Carlton.
Tom Stafford, Wheelers Hill
AFL did good
Well done to the AFL for getting this year’s grand final entertainment so right. G Flip showcased their amazing talent and versatility, Mike Brady was as dependable as ever, and Michael Paynter needed no accompaniment for his stunning rendition of our national anthem.
“Our” Kylie did her home town of Melbourne proud and showed us why she’s had such a long and world-class career entertaining the 100,000 fans at the ‘G (plus the millions watching) with just some of her many hits.
Hopefully, the AFL will continue to showcase Australian talent in future years.
Allana Dale, Croydon North
Kylie’s golden boots
Thank you for explaining the technicality and complex work required to stage a show with Kylie Minogue at the MCG (″Melbourne label steps into spotlight with Kylie’s boots″, 28/9). It was very insightful.
The keyboard warriors and critics’ negativity about her show just show their true ignorance and inferiority complex, and their lack of expertise. It takes a great team to be a successful global artist.
Kylie, we are incredibly indebted for your tireless creativity and artistry, and you praised us with your unique presence on Saturday.
Jenny Smith, East Melbourne
Lift your game, people
One day, someone will feed the sum total of letters to The Age since inception into an AI engine and ask for an analysis of the main themes.
The likely output will read something like this: all politicians are wayward fools, and ordinary folk hopelessly gullible.
To my mind, the real story of Australia has to be more complex than that. When was the last time that you read a letter to the editor which genuinely introduced a new idea?
Pat Hockey, Clunes
AND ANOTHER THING
Footy finals
On Sunday, the Springboks and the Wallabies all stood firm and proud as they sang their anthems. They put the AFL teams to shame for their measly and half-hearted responses.
Marea O’Brien, Deepdene
The Kylie extravaganza goes to show that the pre-game entertainment for the grand final does not have to be someone from overseas. We have a great deal of Australian talent that should be utilised and appreciated.
Marie Nash, Balwyn
As a Dockers supporter who was at the match on Saturday, I am convinced that the grand final outcome would have been different had our captain not have been injured halfway through the third quarter. In several close games this year, he secured victory by courageous acts and self-sacrifice.
David Hayles, Nedlands, WA
AFL predictable. Throw a water bottle in the crowd and be banned for years. Give someone an unprovoked gut punch on the ground, and it’s OK mate.
Ian Holton, Yarraville
Seems like ″Wharfie Time″ is when the players go on strike.
John Rawson, Mernda
Furthermore
How ironic that Donald Trump praises Xi Jinping, the leader of the world’s largest communist country, while trying to scare Americans with ridiculous claims of Democrats bringing socialism and communism to the United States.
Dean Virgin, Strathmore
Well said by your correspondent (Letters, 28/9) about the inequitable distribution of the GST. The West Australian visitor also needs to be reminded that Victoria and NSW financially supported WA and the other smaller states for many years following federation.
Tim Douglas, Blairgowrie
All this AI talk brings to mind a science fiction short story I read some years ago. Man builds a gigantic computer and the first question to it was, “Is there a God?” A bolt of lightning
destroys the off switch and a voice says: “There is now”.
Les Aisen, Elsternwick
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