Australia should embrace multiculturalism
I am most alarmed by the proposal for a “monocultural” country (We need a monoculture, Letters 23/6/26).
My doctor is Polish, my dentists are Egyptian and Indian, a Pakistani taxi driver is there if I need him, and my good friends include an Iranian couple and a Burmese woman. Then there is the wonderful cuisine we have here, Italian, Vietnamese, Afghani, and Greek to name a few.
All contributing to a rich tapestry of Australian life and in many cases, providing essential services.
Multiculturalism is here to stay, thankfully.
Maureen Donelly, Mornington
Multiculturalism support
I am not convinced that the proposed concept of monoculture is what we need in Australia (We need a monoculture, Letters 23/6/26).
I believe we should embrace the multicultural nature of Australia. The many cultures that make up our nation have helped create a vibrant, inclusive and diverse society.
Migrants from all backgrounds have played a major role in building this great country.
Growing up in Australia, while maintaining my Italian roots and heritage, I have contributed fully to Australian society and am proud and happy to call Australia home. My friends from various cultures have also integrated fully into Australian society, and have made their contribution as well.
Multiculturalism has enriched Australian life in countless ways. It has broadened our understanding of one another, strengthened communities, and added richness to our national identity.
We should continue to celebrate and value Australia’s multicultural society with pride.
John Grasso, Mount Eliza
Don’t fall for the con
Recently, I received a letterboxed leaflet from Clive Palmer. I suspect a good proportion of Victorians received the same. A number of friends in different suburbs had received it as well. Mr Palmer has obviously spent a lot of money, again!
I was astounded to read that he claimed actual migration was approaching a million a year.
This is totally misleading. The ABS puts migration at 306,000 in 2024/25. Read about it for yourself.
Conservative forces like Palmer, Hanson, Murdoch and Gina Rinehart are trying to gain more power by conning workers and others that migrants (and First Nations people) are to blame for all their problems.
Surely, people realise that media barons and the greedy mega-rich are more responsible for the state of our unstable world, our polluted and exploited planet and the cost of living.
The age-old trick is that these conservative forces want to benefit from social division, so they can continue to exploit people and nature.
If they cared about society at all, they would pay their workers fairly, pay their fair share of tax and tell people the truth.
Finally, I want to take issue with the suggestion that we need a monoculture (We need a monoculture, Letters 23/6/26).
We have never had one. Our successful multicultural society is the envy of the world. I would, however, sign up for an Australian culture that banned “whingeing and disrespect”.
I would never again have to listen to the poison that Hanson has been spouting for the past 30 years. Give us a break, Hanson, you are well past retirement age.
Joan Doyle, Dromana
Council work
I recently had a long chat with a local restaurant manager. He told me a funny/sad story. A few days before, the restaurant had been visited by a council officer. That person counted the chairs in the restaurant and told the manager that he had too many chairs! OMG!! That person also noted that there was only one hand basin near the seating area!
I now realize that a reason that our council is unable to provide shelter for the homeless, and unable to provide services to our aged people, and unable to contribute to any meaningful climate resilience is because the council officers are busy counting the chairs in our restaurants!
Lee Seldon, Somers
What’s the plan?
As your correspondent noted, the Mornington Peninsula Shire is a member of the South East Councils Climate Change Alliance (SECCCA) which aims to “achieve net-zero council emissions and lead action toward net-zero community emissions” (SECCCA still?, Letters 23/6/26).
So, it was surprising to read that two aquatic centres are still gas-heated (Shire votes to join gas program, The News 23/6/26).
Electric heat pumps are significantly more energy-efficient than gas boilers, often delivering three to six times the heat energy for every unit of electricity they consume.
And given the shire purchases 100 per cent renewable electricity through SECCCA, using electricity instead of gas would drastically reduce community emissions as well as saving money.
The switch from gas to electricity last year at the Maribyrnong Aquatic Centre, for example, is forecast to save a staggering $400,000 per year on operational energy costs.
What is the shire’s plan to get off gas?
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
AI v People
Thank you for your editorial on AI and the risk it poses to spreading misinformation as well as losing the nuances of human language.
I do use AI sometimes to check on something, but I have been quite appalled at how easy it is to generate rubbish and post it on social media as if it was your own, regardless of whether there is truth to it or not.
It is increasingly disturbing that we cannot always trust what we see and hear.
Photos that are manipulated, or content that contains inaccuracies.
Your AI generated photo against the actual reality was a perfect example.
Yes AI can be useful, but we must take care not to lose our humanity, not to sink into relying on a bot to provide us with a bit of prose.
Hail the thoughts and fears of your readers who sit at the computer, or maybe even put pen to paper, to share their opinions and let us know what they are thinking, so we can engage in a discussion, so we can have arguments and actually connect in the most human of ways.
The world would be a sadder place if we all just rely on AI.
So congratulations to The News for taking a stand and rejecting AI generated letters and articles.
Marg D’Arcy, Rye
Wary of AI
Thank you for an insightful editorial about the impact of AI on the media, especially local news outlets (AI – the biggest risk in our 20‑year history, The News 23/6/26).
I agree that we should be wary: news and politics should be powered by people, not technology.
But the risks don’t stop at news content. The physical footprint of AI is growing fast, and data centres are already placing real pressure on energy, land and water. According to the Climate Council and Oxford Economics Australia, data centres use two per cent of Victoria’s electricity today, and this could rise to eight per cent in just four years.
That’s why we need the Allan government to introduce legislation that requires every new data centre to generate enough renewable energy and battery storage to cover its own demand. Anything less risks big tech driving up power prices and draining our resources.
Communities are right to be concerned about the rapid rise of AI. It shouldn’t come at the cost of our power bills, our water or our local news. I want humans writing stories about what’s happening on the Mornington Peninsula and I’ve shown my support at mpnews.presspatron.com.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Twenty years old?
It came as a shock to me to read you are twenty years old in August! Congratulations to you all and to the past editors and contributors over the years.
It is such a relief to actually read a paper and not have to go to electronic sources (though I know we can).
You can’t be replaced by AI – you deal with local issues, raise awareness of good and bad things, and events that we on the peninsula need to know about, and happily publish news and letters from groups and individuals to help all.
I well remember working with Mike Hast and others to raise awareness of environmental issues and have always been grateful for the patience your reporters show with us, your readers and public.
So please keep going!
And while you are at it, please publish the hotline number for the reporting of Bird Flu in wildlife, as many of your readers have beach access and it increasingly looks bad.
The hotline is 1800 675888 and if your readers find dead sea birds or wildlife on beaches, then they can report these, plus locations, and don’t touch!
So congratulations again, and may you continue for years more.
Jan Oliver OAM, President, Mornington Environment Association Inc.
No power problem
Brian Mitchelson has a very gloomy view of the electric future (Power problem, Letters 23/6/26).
Saul Griffith, author of Electrify and Plug In!: The Electrification Handbook, writes, “The nay-sayers use a small number of exceptions to try to undermine an overriding truth: electrification is the most efficient, cost-effective, and money-saving solution to not only our carbon dioxide problem but our economic woes.”
And in its guide, How to charge an electric car at home and how long it can take, the RACV notes that recharging an electric car at home can be convenient and cost effective, but how long it takes depends on the EV, the charger and other factors.
Even the slowest home charging from a regular household power point will add around 10-12km driving range per hour, around 100km per night. Given that drivers of battery-electric cars travel about 30km a day on average, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, fast chargers and full charging are only required for longer journeys.
For any other concerns about the more than 400,000 EVs now registered in Australia, refer to AEVA’s “Little Book of Myths – Australian Edition.” Where there’s a will, there’s a way, Brian.
John Godfrey, Cape Paterson
Pessimistic view
I would not dispute Brian A. Mitchelson’s figures (Power problem, Letters 23/6/26), but feel that he is perhaps taking an unduly pessimistic view of our motoring future.
I’m sure that sooner or later the motor vehicle manufacturers will agree on standard batteries, and make them quickly and easily replaceable. I’m sure then that sooner or later one of the service station chains will think of providing a battery exchange service whereby you quickly exchange your flat battery for a fully charged one and leave your previous battery to be charged for a subsequent customer.
However, as the saying goes, every solution is another problem. We have yet to find a way to recycle batteries that have reached the end of their useful life.
Albert Riley, Mornington
New transport options
It was interesting to read that the shire’s Integrated Transport Strategy is open for consultation (Council seeks input on transport, The News 23/6/26).
The Mornington Peninsula occupies a unique position: geographically metropolitan, yet transport-wise functioning more like a regional peninsula, with limited rail access and heavy reliance on cars and buses.
While Sorrento briefly had a steam tramway in the late 19th century, no railway ever reached it.
Mornington, however, was connected to Frankston by rail until the line was closed in 1981 under the Hamer government’s ironically named New Deal for Country Passengers.
With modern battery-powered trains now operating overseas, reinstating the line without costly overhead electrification deserves renewed consideration. Since its closure, the population of the former Mornington Shire has increased ten-fold.
The shire could also look to the Bellarine Peninsula, where a multi-node bus network provides greater flexibility than Mornington’s largely Frankston-centric feeder system.
The new Hastings–Mornington bus via Tyabb shows what can be achieved. Expanding the network and progressively introducing electric buses, as has occurred elsewhere in Victoria, would reduce operating costs, lower transport emissions and improve mobility across the peninsula – a win for residents, the shire and the environment.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Crime drop?
So we have a 10 per cent drop in crime on the Mornington Peninsula (Crime drops on peninsula after years of rises, The News 23/6/26).
I was recently alerted to the fact that reception hours at Mornington Police Station have been cut. From 24/7 access at reception to now only between the hours of 9.30am to 4.30pm.
Oh, apologies, I just read a little further and more thoroughly. So, as it stands, there isn’t anyone at reception at Mornington Police Station.
Forty police stations have been closed due to a lack of staff.
There is the 10 per cent drop! There’s no one at the desk to report the crimes too!
Geez. It all makes sense to me now. It’s Carte Blanche season for crooks. We’re ducked.
Tori Potter, Flinders
Breaking records
Jacinta Allan has just rewarded herself a record salary for an Australian state premier. On Friday 26 June her salary reached $530,000pa; $54,000 higher than the second highest, Queensland.
The 3.8% increase plus benefits has given her a 6% increase over the last 12 months. A good question must be has she earned this increase or indeed her salary when we see the condition of our roads, our crime rate, the condition and age of our emergency equipment, police numbers reducing, teaches striking, the list grows by the week.
The Andrews/Allan incompetent government has created a forecast debt record for any state in the country’s history. In June 2027 Victoria’s debt is predicted to reach $227b or $35,000 per head of population.
Due to Allan’s large salary increase many commentators and residents are betting her retirement plans for later this year will be announced just in time to introduce a new candidate for the seat of East Bendigo. One can only hope.
Bruce White, Safety Beach
Use your brakes
How selfish people can be, on Monday 22 June at about 10.15am in Rosebud, I saw a cockatoo on the road. I heard this large car toot it’s horn, not slowing down, not even hitting the brakes to give the cockatoo a chance to fly off and the car hit the bird.
After hearing the awful noise of the bird being hit they continued to driving on.
I end up crossing the road to pick up now dead cockatoo, stopping from being run over again.
This driver never gave the bird a chance to fly away and there were no other cars behind them. If they had the brains to slow down or even stop, the cockatoo could of have flown away.
No wonder native animals are being killed by cars on the Mornington Peninsula, if you have selfish people like that driver. They just drove along and expected an animal to just move out of the way by honking a horn; running over it because they weren’t quick enough for you.
I like to say thank you to the kind gentleman at Bridgestone Tyres and Service centre in Rosebud for giving me a rag and spray and wipe to wipe the bird’s blood off my hand.
As for the driver who deliberately hit the cockatoo, I hope the birds find you and do a really good job of crapping on your car.
Kerrie McCoy, Dromana
Visionary concept
One positive that came from COVID-19 was the nation’s capacity to meet online and the acceptance of working from home.
Another good outcome is Mt Eliza resident Tomi Winfree’s realisation when exploring locally that the Mornington Peninsula lends itself to regeneration (Mapping a more regenerative peninsula, The News 23/6/26).
As Winfree says, “Our wellbeing and livelihoods are deeply connected to the health of the places we live in.”
Even though the peninsula is part of the UNESCO Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve, there is plenty of scope to build stronger connections and engage in local regeneration.
The Mornington Peninsula is a critical sanctuary for various vulnerable, threatened, and endangered species.
According to the shire’s State of Biodiversity report, there are 700 species of indigenous plants (six per cent of which are threatened); 400 species of native animals (20 per cent of which are threatened); 22,000 ha (or 30 per cent) of remnant native vegetation; 65 vegetation types (including five threatened vegetation communities); significant wetland habitats, including the internationally significant Western Port Ramsar site, and Tootgarook Swamp; and 18 creek catchments with 440km of waterways.
What a treasure trove. Let’s hope the shire, local businesses and community organisations get behind this visionary concept.
Chris Cook, Essendon
History repeats?
It seems the conservative side of politics has learned nothing in almost a 100 years.
We’re again facing the same situation, as the Germans in 1933. And it seems all around the world, the conservative side of politics is sideling up to the populists and extreme right forces in politics.
Why is it so hard for conservatives to say unequivocally, no deals with the Nazis and lunatics on the right. On the contrary, as seen in the last NSW by-election, the conservatives preferenced the loony One Nation party, not even against Labor, but against an independent candidate. This shows the total absence of any sort of principle or civility, other than politics purely for ones own power.
Australia should be very alarmed by such recklessness of the born to rule conservatives.
Just as in 1930’s Germany when Franz von Papen, the conservative leader, gambled away the whole future not only of the German people but six million Jews and millions of lives lost in the Second World War, on a power play he badly lost. It was the conservative side of politics that enabled a lunatic like Hitler ever to gain power.
A civilised nation can never play footsy with the likes of Hitler, One Nation, Farage, or Trump. In Germany and Austria this sort of dealings are already happening again. I implore the conservatives here in Australia, please reconsider.
Rupert Steiner, Balnarring Beach
Misleading questions
Zoe McKenzie is asking people aged 65 and over in Flinders to fill in a questionnaire with a question asking “Could you afford an additional $640 per year in private health insurance?” The rebate adjustment for older people is UP TO $640. The adjustment for the majority of older people is between $226 to $255. Older people will be assessed the same as younger people which is according to income tiers. That question is skewed to a NO answer.
And the question “Would the proposed changes lead you to cancel your health insurance altogether?” The cost per week for the average person is less than the price of one cup of coffee per week. I know that I would prefer to go without one cup of coffee per week than do without health insurance. Again, the questionnaire is unfairly skewed.
David Morris sent out a flyer during Covid lockdowns which asked us to tell Dan Andrews that the Mornington Peninsula is not metropolitan. The peninsula has been metropolitan since the Bolte government made it so in 1966 because they said it did not meet the criteria because there is an unbroken line of suburbs from Frankston to Portsea.
The Westernport side of the peninsula was included for statistical purposes until 1994 when the Kennett government amalgamated the shire councils of the peninsula into one super council when the whole of the peninsula became metropolitan.
All we ask for is accurate information so that we can make informed decisions.
Nerida Miller, Mount Martha
Communist capitalism
The infrastructure and the NDIS and elderly care government programs which include free enterprise providing the services have been a complete disaster which has cost taxpayers billions of dollars in blowouts and poor services.
The Labor, Liberal and National parties have gradually tried to turn the Australian government into companies subcontracting services to free enterprise.
The first example of this was the collapse of the King Street bridge in 1962 when a US company was tendered to build and used poor quality steel which caused the collapse.
It is time that we returned to government doing government things and private enterprise doing private enterprise things and again have the recreation of the Board of Works etc where costs were accurate and came in on budget.
Russell Morse, Karingal
BarleyCharlie@90
Late June 2026. Brrr. The fascination of Letters, to an unknown (mysterious?) Editor. My first page of reference, some consistent (yes/no?) others new, boys/girls, often a particular grinding axe.
Shall I contribute? When unemployed, past 90 (and a quarter) why indeed not? Cowboy song: “Somedays are Diamonds.” Days? Nah, perhaps some moments?
A Collingwood victory, a meals on wheels, allowing half of which can be accessed without (Gone with the Wind) teeth. The midday one hour nap, late afternoon one pot of beer via a straw, a television drama not on repeat (Midsomer Murders?), and thankfully, reliably, the Rye/Woolworths females, sweeties?
Writing for myself, true, equally good for the soul, assuming (better safe than sorry?) we have souls. Positivity forever ad infinitum?
Hey, never forget a laugh, relaxing stress hormones, yes? Better still, desist listening/watching the daily news, the overseas monsters at war with each other, the mystery of life, the first surely power corrupts, followed closely by the rich wanting to get richer?
Finally, stronger pain tablets for that little left toe, add in iron tablets, and Bob’s your uncle. Well, almost, assuming BOB is not a politician.
All politicians have that higher upgrade of the possibility (dream?) of an affair. Strange word, various meanings, affair? Not forgetting their favourite word, democracy, at best a wettish dream?
A new AFL competition using that (also fascinating?) strange word – structure? Whatever, the reality of money money, money. Hill Street Blues “Let’s be careful out there? Going for an additional nap…
Cliff Ellen, Rye
