Interesting letters in last week’s papers
There were some interesting letters in last weeks paper.
First up Maureen Donelly (Australia should embrace multiculturalism, Letters 30/6/26) who certainly sees things differently to me. She wrote “my doctor is Polish, my dentists are Egyptian and Indian and a Pakistani taxi driver is there if I need him”.
If we can assume that Maureen doesn’t rack up a huge airline bill to visit her doctor and dentist then I would guess they are actually Australians of a diferent background.
It’s sad that we still have people that only see foreigners instead of seeing Australians that come from a divergent background. It’s that view of seeing many different races instead of one united country under one flag that led to more young muslim Australians going overseas to join ISIS than joined the ADF over the same time frame.
Then there was Mr Steiner (History repeats, Letters 30/6/26) who shows a total lack of understanding of the result of the Farrow by-election.
If Mr Steiner could look past his hysterical One Nation/Nazis spiel he would find that Farrow was about one thing and one thing only; water.
Where as Labor and the Greens were calling for more water to be reserved for the environment, the Climate 200 backed candidate wanted a drastic reduction on even the Greens plan.
Get-up poured $600,000 in a mis-information plan aimed at One Nation and failed miserably.
M. G. Free, Mt Martha
Visionary mission
All power to those trying to save the vacant land in Armstrong Rd, McCrae (Residents push to secure open public space in McCrae, The News 30/6/26).
The value of community space is well established, and this block’s tree canopy provides both habitat and shade.
A useful benchmark is the 3–30–300 urban greening guideline, which promotes wellbeing and liveability by ensuring everyone can see at least three trees from home, the neighbourhood has at least 30 per cent canopy cover, and no one lives more than 300 metres from a public green space of at least one hectare.
While McCrae is generally well-treed by suburban standards, the neighbourhood in question falls short of these measures when viewed at street scale.
Even in new subdivisions in Victoria, around 5–10 per cent of land is typically set aside for public open space.
Here, the Armstrong Rd site is the only green space in the subdivision and is about 0.4 hectares—just 1.5 per cent of the surrounding 26.5-hectare precinct bounded by Bayview Road, Talbot Grove and Albert Avenue, well below today’s expectations.
Residents are therefore well within their rights to advocate for the retention of this small but valuable pocket of established green space. If successful, future residents will thank them for their foresight.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn
Flinders pier
All good intentions aside, but what exactly is the point of rebuilding the wooden section of the Flinders pier (Flinders Pier restoration abandoned, The News 30/6/26).
There is a recent concrete pier running beside the remaining and rebuilt sections of the wooden pier and whilst it would be nice to rebuild the old wooden section it would serve no actual practical purpose that the concrete one does not already achieve.
Surely the money could be better spent elsewhere, for example fixing some the potholes that plague roads on the peninsula.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
Reject AI
Having recently won tickets to Lightscape in the Botanical Gardens, for my short sentence on why I would like to attend, I was dismayed to find many of the other 74 winners had submitted sentences written by AI! So I was very pleased to read Cameron McCullough’s article stating our favourite local newspaper does not accept AI articles.
This local paper is the one and only reliable way we have of knowing what is going on on the peninsula; of publicly voicing our opinions and wishes, and celebrating our successes; and of holding those in power to some sort of account. Are we treasuring it as we should? Imagine life here without a local newspaper – we’d be in the dark and at the mercy of the less scrupulous.
I was delighted to find we can support The News to assure its ongoing existence, by becoming a presspatron at mpnews.presspatron.com.
If 500 of us pledge $10 per month, that’s $5000, which surely would help. I hope my fellow peninsulites will rise to the occasion and keep this valuable paper going. $5 per month … $2… $1…..?
Paula Polson, Dromana
Support the local paper
The News editorial on artificial intelligence (AI – the biggest risk in our 20-year history, The News 23/6/26) isn’t the first time newspapers have been told they’re doomed.
In 1845, editors feared the telegraph would destroy the industry. The burning of books during the Hitler years. More recently, South Africa burned newspapers to exert political control, and when China did the same, journalism found a way to return.
Newspapers adapted and became stronger. What saved them then, and what will save them now, is community support.
Our local paper doesn’t need protection from AI. It needs readers, advertisers, and a community that values having a weekly voice.
Indeed, through The News, we have local information, the latest pothole dramas, heated council tales, sports reports, the wonderful 100 Years Ago this Week…and good old BarleyCharlie@90.
These tiny bits are the mainstay of a local newspaper. Local people. Local stories. Local support. These are our community.
Yet here is our local newspaper, still turning up every week, and here we are waiting to read it.
Anne Kruger, Rye
A lovely program
How lovely to see long-time volunteer David Whillas recognised for his sustainability work at St Macartan’s Primary School in Mornington (Primary school wins award for volunteer’s contribution, The News 30/6/26).
And how amazing that the Resource Smart Schools program has planted over five million trees and saved nearly $70m through reduced energy, waste, water costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
It is through practical programs like these that the next generation learns how to make a real difference to the planet we live on and rely on.
Credit must also go to the dedicated teachers and parents, and community volunteers, who make these wonderful programs happen.
Maggie Cowling, Coburg North
State of our shire
What has happened to our once lovely shire?
The recent increase in the level of vandalism is appalling. You only need to travel through out the shire on a regular basis as I do to notice its increasing level.
Bus shelters seem to be the main target. What behind this? Is it locals that have just grown into their teenage years and missed out on some guidance or discipline along the way or do we have an influx of young disconnected teenagers roaming through our shire?
Bruce Cornelius, Mornington
Council reset
In CEO Mr Mark Stoemer’s congratulatory remarks to our Mornington Peninsula new Mayor, it is obvious he separates his duties from serving the shire and its community to serving the “organisation”.
He further expects council to have advocate outcomes (ie agendas) to deliver to our community.
Firstly, Mr Stoemer is CEO of the community shire district and is therefore beholden to we the community and our representatives of councillors and mayor. The officers who work at the council chambers are also working for we the community. This is fundamental and our new mayor has a good understanding of this principle and transparency required by ratepayers.
Secondly, none of these people including councillors and mayor are our moral guardians and are not appointed to deliver agendas or as Mr Stoemer disguises it, advocate outcomes.
What we want has been admirably articulated by our new mayor, “…[to] provide these services within budget restraints and have a zero tolerance to financial expenditure wastage”. Examples of what our rates should not be spent on are unnecessary multiple flag poles and minority flags when there should be only one flag, and new multiple virtue signalling EV cars for staff.
These are obviously agenda driven and moral issues and have no legitimate claim on our rate money and therefore are wastage.
I also totally agree with Lee Seldon’s letter (Council work, Letters 30/6/26) deploring council officers overzealous behaviour counting ratio of chairs to hand basins in restaurants. This is Socialism hard at work.
Seldon’s sentiments are correct as our precious businesses are under unprecedented pressure to survive.
Mayor Batty please give your full support to our small businesses as you declared and get council to give them a fair go in these current economic tough times.
Monica Martini, Mornington
Electric dreams
Sometimes some people just cannot read letters properly. In response to my letter explaining the absurdity of recharging an electric vehicle battery from home rooftop solar panels, John Godfrey (No power problem, Letters 30/6/26) goes on at great length about the benefits of charging at home. To which I totally agree. Always have (except for flats).
What is he arguing about? I never said otherwise.
Congratulations to Albert Riley (Pessimistic view, Letters 30/6/26), who is optimistic about all EV car manufacturers in the future, designing cars around standard interchangeable battery modules for quick and easy replacement.
I’m glad to hear this because it’s been 15 or 20 years since I’ve been espousing the same, in excruciatingly detail from a practical, economic, engineering and electrical viewpoint.
Drive into a centre and a small forklift-type of device automatically removes your battery and replaces it with a charged one. In 5 minutes. You can still charge at home. Unfortunately, there is a lot more to it than that and I have to be pessimistic: it will never happen.
I’ve no doubt the average EV travels 30km a day, same as petrol cars, and an EV would suit me fine,now. I’m a fan of EVs for domestic use.
Brian A. Mitchelson, Mornington
EVs are the future
Brian Mitchelson raised more unnecessary concerns about electric vehicle charging and electricity supply (Power problem, Letters 23/6/26). He might reassure himself by talking to other EV owners.
While he is correct in most of his measurements such as taking two days to trickle charge an EV from 0% to 100%, in reality this doesn’t need to happen.
Most people can just top up the battery when they park at home (usually during daylight hours) without letting the battery get that low.
The charging time mainly depends on how far the EV has recently travelled. It is generally easier and far cheaper doing this than having an internal combustion engine and visiting a petrol station every few weeks.
The comment that Victoria is barely holding out with electricity supply is incorrect. Over the year Victoria has exported 11.2% (net 7.4%) of its electricity generation to other states, while regularly having to curtail generation from solar and wind farms.
Of course, this excess generation is needed as coal generator failures increase and the Yallourn coal power station retires in 2028. People, including Brian, may find supply concerns lessened by information in the integrated system plan from AEMO, the grid operator.
Tom Maher, Aspendale
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
“Surely we voters in Victoria are not so blind and deaf to re-elect Labor” so said some so and so from Toorak, more likely to have never voted Labor in his short spell on Planet Earth.
So what’s his alternate, Matthew (fisticuffs) Guy? Channel 9, clearly right wing, and I’m a monkey’s Uncle, add in 7, 10, Fox, 3AW, and 3DB.
Love it when they say looking for “meaningful” work. Brightens up my day; suggests privileged?
For the record “the more they get the more they want” (monetising as an ideology?) has no class distinction; exists everywhere; a question of degrees?
At 90 in public, best to reply, a conversation, the common sense to “read” your space, little fish are sweet?
The alternative (blabbing?) and they disappear?
Personally (but not necessarily) a feeling of “goodness” saying/waving to an old man on his scooter.
Nevertheless, a weapon, maybe, give advice (say?) The Edith Cowan University, Graduate Certificate of Counselling?
And a pearler – “We’re helping YOU make the most of your Superannuation,” Not themselves?
In Canberra, Angus Taylor saying nought, thus allowing Princess Pauline to be heard, but thankfully not listened to.
Life, is indeed, a Cabaret? Better still with a Collingwood victory. And so it goes…
Cliff Ellen, Rye
