source : the age
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In contrast to the government’s refusal to prioritise public good over private profit when it comes to gambling and gas, Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s insistence that data centres invest in renewable energy and pay the price is a welcome display of political fortitude (″Bowen lays down the law to states on data centres″, 6/8). Just as welcome is the agreement expressed by Belinda Dennett, chief executive of Data Centres Australia.
On the other hand, the refusal of the Queensland and Northern Territory governments to give their consent is as predictable as it is disappointing.
The issue that appears not to have been addressed in the debate is the data centres’ immense thirst for cooling water. The supply of clean renewable energy can be planned for and achieved.
How to provide water at scale in Australia’s arid, drought-prone land is a question that is crying out for an answer.
Tom Knowles, Parkville
Now, to examine the ‘whales’ of pollution
Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen describes data centres as energy consumption ″whales” predicted to use 10 per cent of the national grid’s electricity by 2050. It’s timely for Bowen to use federal powers to ensure these “whales” pull their weight: that they offset their electricity use with investments in wind and solar energy and storage.
This is good policy that works towards “Australian households and Australian energy reliability being put first”. Surely, the next step for fairness for Australian households is to ensure the “whales” of pollution – our oil and gas companies – pay for the climate consequences of their pollution. It’s only fair that they should pay for the fire, flood and wild weather damage that oil and gas
pollution create.
Karen Campbell, Geelong
Labor, do the right thing on gambling
The government’s timid response to gambling reform (“Coalition, Greens force PM to rethink gambling reforms”, 6/8) is presumably explained by lobbying efforts from the gambling and connected industries, highlighting potential job losses. While many people “gamble responsibly”, many do not. The industry needs to be reined in, with advertising restrictions or banning a “no brainer” first step. If jobs are lost because the growth of this industry is curtailed (there is no guarantee that limiting advertising will achieve this), then so be it.
Big business never hesitates to make employees redundant if they can find more cost-effective options such as offshoring or AI. The government should stare down industry pressure and do what they did with the housing tax change legislation – the right thing.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick
Coming to grips with inflation
Australia’s inflation rate has been much higher in the past than it is now. During the 1970s and ’80s, the annual inflation rate was often above 10 per cent. However, governments at that time did not feel the need to offer cost-of-living support in the form of the ″baubles and charms″ dangled in front of the public in the way the federal government and increasingly state governments do now.
As columnist Peter Hartcher suggests (Comment, 1/8), governments now seem fixated on addressing the symptoms of inflation, the so-called cost-of-living crisis, rather than its cause. They don’t want to think about the cause because that would mean government admitting it is, at least partly, responsible for inflation.
No, it’s far easier for government to dangle another sparkly trinket and hope the public falls for it.
Rod Wise, Surrey Hills
Cabal is treating Labor as a fool
I’m on board with your correspondent’s conspiracy theory (Letters, 6/8) that a global cabal of fossil-fuel companies is behind the rise of populist parties like One Nation. However, after reading columnist Caitlin Fitzsimmons’ excellent analysis, “Fuel tax rebates undermining climate action goals” (6/8), I can only conclude that same cabal is also supporting the Labor government.
Peter Cook, Essendon
THE FORUM
Has to be cut-off point
Any ode to the beauty and health benefits of trees always generates correspondence advocating for governments and councils to enforce tree preservation at all costs (″Not too late to provide statewide tree measures″, 4/8).
My perspective urges more consideration for the private home owners’ situation. I have more than 20 trees on my suburban block, most planted by us. However, it has been a pre-existing planting of a Himalayan cedar dominating the front garden close to the house that has proved problematic. Its massive size towers over our heritage home, many limbs have dropped, bringing down power lines on numerous occasions, and risks of further falls prevent any activity under canopy stretching the width of property. Regular reduction via pruning is very costly.
State and local governments need to introduce the criteria enabling removal in exceptional circumstances where the species of trees has outgrown its position in an urban residential garden.
Diana Yallop, Surrey Hills
Channelled message
Your correspondent (Letters, 5/8) offers three good and pragmatic reasons not to ignore One Nation in political reporting.
But it is his final sentence that is the most cogent – the proposition that One Nation voters are unlikely to access the nominated media sources. The One Nation organisation seems to have hitched its wagon to the Murdoch organisation’s media – and its supporters’ views and outlook are likely to be influenced by the latter’s content.
Admirable as the letters are in The Age (concerning One Nation), they are messages to similar-minded Australians and not likely to reach those people who currently indicate a voter preference for One Nation.
Brian Kidd, Mt. Waverley
The easy option
It is quite right for One Nation to bar certain media outlets from its media conferences for their continuous asking about the party’s policies and candidates’ controversial views.
In her earlier years, such questions would draw from Pauline Hanson the response of “Please Explain”.
Much easier not to be embarrassed or have to explain at all.
Harry Kowalski, Ivanhoe
Premise broken
It’s terrific to see opposition to the premise that all perpetrators of sexual offences need their identity protected for the good of their mental health (″Psychiatrists cast doubt on court orders″, 6/8).
Protecting the identity of perpetrators is often framed as concern for their partners and children, and of course, the victim. Learning that a partner, father or family member has raped someone must be horrifying, complicated and confusing, working through feelings of disbelief, betrayal and grief. But protecting perpetrators is about just that: protecting them, their reputation and their social capital. Their ″concern″ for their family (or the victim) was not front of mind when they committed the crime. They were thinking only about their immediate wants and how they could get away with it.
Protecting perpetrators is about upholding the status quo, and this just leads to more of the same.
Christine Craik, Darraweit Guim
Drop in the ocean
Caitlin Fitzsimmons captures Australia’s climate policy dilemma perfectly: we’re bailing out a boat with a teaspoon while pouring water in by the bucket (“Fuel tax rebates undermining climate action goals”, 6/8). The $8.8 billion in diesel subsidies paid to big polluters not only encourages more use of dirty fuel, but it far exceeds what is spent on cutting climate emissions via the Safeguard Mechanism.
And the sheer volume of coal and gas Australia exports easily outweighs the gains we make from installing solar panels and batteries at home. Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen often highlights Australia’s impressive uptake of solar, batteries and EVs, but until the Albanese government begins winding down coal and gas production, these improvements will remain a drop in the ocean.
Larni Dibben, Glen Iris
Mystery deliveries
My Bolivian partner was surprised to read about her country’s lack of a functioning postal service in her city, La Paz (“Think the census is annoying? Try a 24-hour lockdown”, 6/8). She is now wondering how all the letters she wrote and received to and from family and friends were magically sent and delivered.
James O’Keefe, Prahran
Sign of the times
I applaud the state government’s strategy for saving taxpayers’ dollars in the way it has addressed the “pothole” issue. Instead of wasting money on actually fixing the potholes, it now erects a sign that says, “Rough Surface Ahead.“But the state government has also come up with a new cost-cutting measure. Instead of wasting money on the sign, it simply spray-paints an orange arrow on the road where the pothole is. Marvellous. What will they think of next?
Robert Langworthy, Bayswater North
Take us home . . .
Your correspondent (Letters, 6/8) suggested bringing the Country Roads Board back. Yes, but ensure the board is composed entirely of engineers and ensure that its workload can be organised in the most efficient way, not one that prima facie requires work done by contractors.
Only engineers can ensure we get value for our money.
Laurie Comerford, Chelsea
Catastrophes, then, now
Many think the world is in dire straits.
With the senseless Iran war and the Middle East erupting, the man-made climate catastrophes unfolding in Europe and the United States with record temperatures, droughts and fires, people enduring cost-of-living crises, political instability in many countries and populist demagogues on the rise, toxic social media’s extraordinary reach and the uncertain future the consequences of AI pose, the list is endless.
But do we catastrophise the present? Think of the world of the 1940s with Hitler jack-booting his way across Europe, murdering Jews, homosexuals, Jehovah Witnesses, the mad, disabled children and political prisoners and the whole world at war.
We have always lived with world conflict and uncertainty, but is it different in 2026? It is easy to think of the present as dire, but history teaches us that we have lived through many other catastrophes before and survived.
Sandy Jeffs, Christmas Hills
Think it through
My dad used to remind me to ″think things through″ whenever I was about to make a momentous decision. The same advice needs to be given to those voters who believe One Nation is the answer to our country’s woes. Nothing could be further from the truth.
At this time of great volatility and uncertainty in the world, the last thing we need is a parliament containing new One Nation members pushing their own far-right barrows of political populism and division with not a positive, constructive idea among them.
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris
A nation of migrants
It was a brave thing for Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, to defer his speech due yesterday on immigration to allow further internal consultation to more deeply consider flow-on effects (“Opponents circle Labor over delay to migration cut”, 6/8).
Labor intends to reduce migration by 75,000 over the next two years. They are sensible in getting the appropriate and workable numbers of migrants, and Chris Bowen says we need to consider demand for workers.
Migrants have traditionally been small business owners as well as providing labour. They have built infrastructure and enhanced our cultural diversity.
Humanitarian considerations also must play a part in our migrant intake.
Labor must avoid being pushed into actions by the attitude of One Nation and the baying of Liberal politicians for speed in this matter. Government must consider the rights of all constituents, not just the vocal ones.
We are a nation of migrants and multiculturalism, and we should remember and celebrate this.
Jan Marshall, Brighton
Need for more rooms
The latest figures from the Coroners Court of Victoria show fatal overdoses in Geelong have increased by 25 per cent compared with the previous year, renewing calls for a medically supervised injecting room.
The evidence from North Richmond is compelling. This service has prevented overdose deaths, reduced public injecting and enabled immediate medical care during overdoses.
Beyond crisis intervention, it provides access to mental health care, housing support and pathways into drug treatment for people who might otherwise never engage with these services.
If we accept the evidence that medically supervised injecting rooms save lives and improve public amenity, why are they confined to so few locations?
Surely, a proven, life-saving health service should be available wherever the need exists, not just in one suburb.
When the evidence is this strong, expanding access to a safe injecting room should be a matter of public health, not politics.
Sue McNamara, Rye
The bankruptcy move
US President Donald Trump has built his commercial empire on never backing down or, when he had to, declaring business bankruptcy to clear the books.
Pity he can’t just pull the whole Iran thing and declare bankruptcy again.
Tom Stafford, Wheelers Hill
AND ANOTHER THING
Politics
If anyone has doubts about One Nation and its policies, the article, ″Victorian pick a self-described conspiracy theorist″ (5/8), about Warren Pickering should relegate the party to political oblivion .
Greg Bardin, Altona North
What a thrill to have a conspiracy theorist as leader of the Victorian One Nation party. Just what we need. Jennifer Gerrand, Carlton North
Shaun Carney (Comment, 6/8) lauds the Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, for his leadership. I confess that I am disappointed the PM is being so timid. I wish he would go further on taxation reform, gambling reform and other issues. I had hoped for so much more.
Juliet Flesch, Kew
Furthermore
I can handle ″learning″ as a noun, as in ″learning is fun″. But ″learnings″, ″understandings″? No thanks. Lindsay Zoch, Mildura
I mustn’t have been betting enough. I was only offered a blow-up doll and a packet of aspirin (″Regulators struggle to curb surge of influencers advocating betting″, 6/8).
Bryan Fraser, St Kilda West
If all airlines enforced a strict and reasonable carry-on baggage rule, it would expedite the boarding process for everyone.
Tony Jackson, Fitzroy
It is great that Jetstar is to charge up to $52 for passengers to put bags in overhead lockers. For too long, sensible passengers have suffered from those who bring suitcase-size bags on board, clutter the aisles and hog all the lockers.
Reg Murray, Glen Iris
If wholesale electricity prices are falling, Chris Bowen, why aren’t retail?
Ian Anderson, Surrey Hills
President Donald Trump has said, again, that Iran and the United States are close to an agreement on the re-opening of the Strait
of Hormuz. Sure. I can’t understand why anyone listens to Trump any more or takes what he says seriously. Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights
Finally
Where do I vote for my favourite pothole?
Luise Mock, Tawonga South
