The next task? Accepting Palestine’s right to exist

Raise fuel excise
The article, “Government EV road map”, outlines falling income from fuel excise as the number of EVs increase. However, it is counterproductive to tax EVs to replace this income. A better solution is to increase the fuel excise. This could be adjusted each year to ensure the amount raised stays constant. This will provide an additional incentive to buy EVs.
Bob Hale, Malvern

The EV obstacles
The article blockysing the results of a car-buyer intention survey (15/10) is disturbing in that it highlights a continuing reluctance of Australian motorists to embrace EV motoring.
Apart from cost, which was mentioned in the article, range anxiety and the ″⁣bushwhacking″⁣ spirit of Australians are major factors in hampering the uptake of EV ownership.
The distances travelled by motorists in Australia set us apart from Europe and some Asian countries where EV ownership numbers have exploded.
EVs are not yet capable of dragging large caravans over thousands of kilometres in the outback, and there is a nervousness about long trips in EVs where charging stations may be sparse.
Most families are two-car families so let’s hope that at least one vehicle can be an EV for short to medium trips while a petrol/diesel or maybe a hybrid can be used for caravanning and outback exploration.
Graeme Lechte, Pascoe Vale

Cut with the past
Last weekend, I attended the third annual Electrify your Life! expo. The message couldn’t have been clearer — as energy commentator Javier Blas also warns, gas is a gamble (″⁣Gas could be a bridge to nowhere on energy transition road map″⁣, 13/10).
The financial benefits of solar and batteries, coupled with electric homes and vehicles, are undeniable (″⁣Energy bills tipped to fall as emission cuts accelerate″⁣, 13/10). In contrast, gas heaters, gas stove tops, and gas hot-water systems are burdening households with rising energy costs and serious health risks. The same goes for petrol and diesel cars — these 20th century technologies are blockociated with growing health and fuel cost concerns.
As more climate change-induced extreme weather is predicted (″⁣The blob, rain and La Nina: What the summer forecast holds for Australia″⁣, 13/10), the question is simple: how much longer can we justify the pollution and climate damage caused by relic fuels of the past?
Amy Hiller, Kew

Pay up, America
So the Lucky Country has yet another ace up the sleeve – this time our rare earth deposits (“Australia may win rare earth row”, 14/10). Let us hope our political leaders make a better fist of overseeing the development of these resources than they did with the North West Shelf gas deposits. The main beneficiaries of that golden egg were the customers (incredibly cheap long-term contracts), shareholders and (relatively few) employees with only minimal royalty and tax collections. A repeat outcome would be scandalous.
The United States wants and needs our rare earths, and must expect to pay up for them and maybe a bit extra to help support a new local industry of value-added products. As we are contributing billions of dollars supporting the American submarine industry, a similar contribution from the US to blockist our nascent rare earths industry should be part of any deal.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick

More JPs, please
As Justices of the Peace, I and 11 others staff a do***ent-signing centre that to date has witnessed 13,000 do***ents for nearly 4000 people since the start of this calendar year. There are many other JPs around the state who provide a similar service.
I know of other signing centres in provincial centres that witness more than 40,000 do***ents.
A local police inspector told me a few years ago that our services to the public enabled them to keep an extra police vehicle out on the road.
As the police chief commissioner is looking for ways to get sworn officers back on the beat, he might suggest to the premier and the attorney-general that the appointment of additional JPs across the state would be a relatively cheap and effective way of helping him achieve his objective.
Ian Symons, Drouin

Giving back to ‘Willy’
Save Our Beach? More like Save Our View (“Tensions flare in seaside suburb over plan for pool”, 13/10). It’s dismaying to read how far a few will go to oppose the desperately needed upgrade of the 105-year-old Williamstown Swimming and Life Saving Club.
I’m a local resident and member, and all I see is a not-for-profit community organisation, run on the fumes of volunteers, and doing everything it can to give back to Williamstown. A club that protects the tens of thousands of beachgoers that descend on Willy beach every year. A community space that brings together both Nippers and “Silver Salties” with swimming and social-strengthening programs. And a provider of essential water-safety skills for local school kids of all cultural backgrounds – who, because of the club, have the know-how to stay safe on our beaches.
That’s something truly worth saving.
Sarah Isaacs, Williamstown

More worthy projects
At the September meeting of the Hobsons Bay Council, a council officer, in response to a public question concerning the redevelopment of the Williamstown Life Saving Club, advised: “The current estimate for the redevelopment sits around the $16.6 million mark although this is subject to ongoing review, as the design is further developed and cost plans are further refined.” He also advised “that council has committed $3 million towards the development”.
The Victorian government gave a grant of $11.4 million for the redevelopment, plus the $3 million from the council leaves a shortfall of $2.2 million.
It would be a travesty if further ratepayer funds were allocated to the redevelopment when there are several worthy community projects that await funding from the council.
One obvious project is the refurbishment of the historic Mechanics Institute building which previously housed much of Williamstown’s heritage, but is now in off-site storage.
The project was started but has lapsed through a lack of council funds.
Robert Ferris, Williamstown

Strong constitution
So the Liberals would scrap Victoria’s First Nations Treaty. That is exactly why the Voice to parliament had to go in the Constitution. The Liberals would have made sure a legislated Voice to parliament wasn’t worth the paper it was written on.
Margaret Callinan, Hawthorn

It’s their voice
Why does the LNP plan to wind back the Treaty? As the people most affected by it have said, Treaty will stop paternalistic whites deciding what Aborigines need, and give them a say in their future. Does the LNP still think they know better, and that paternalistic outcomes will be better for everyone?
I’d much rather First Nations people have a say in how money spent on their behalf will affect them. I see this Victorian Treaty as the first step in the right direction to help amend past wrongs.
Why can’t we show respect to the people who lived here before colonisation?
Eileen Ray, Ascot Vale

Make this idea toast
Have we completely lost our ability to perform even simple tasks without IT blockistance? AI offers to polish my emails, do my research for me (very badly and imaginatively it seems), drive my car, predict (wrongly) my texts and so many other tasks.
Now I read that I need an IT toaster to work out how to toast my bread, raisin bread, crumpets and the rest. What ever happened to our brains that we can no longer perform the simple task of
working out how long to toast various items?
What I really want is a toaster that knows I am hungry, opens the fridge, takes out an item, toasts it, butters it and serves it on a nice plate, then takes the plate to the dishwasher and wipes down the bench and table. That I would pay for. Until then, I still have a functioning brain.
Save the IT developments for really important and valuable activities such as remote robot surgery to give better healthcare to remote rural areas.
Louise Kloot, Doncaster

AND ANOTHER THING

Gaza
The Israeli hostages will be received into Israel by well-stocked and highly functional hospitals with significant allied health supports. The same cannot be said of the Palestinian hostages when they return to Gaza.
Allan Elliott, Northcote

Didn’t Tacitus, the Roman historian, write ″⁣They make a desert and call it peace″⁣?
Aidan Sudbury, Malvern East

Great idea (Letters 14/19), an Orange Guide supplement to corral all the Donald Trump photos and grandstanding. I’d use it as a weed mat.
Jane Ross, San Remo

Possums
The war and debate on possums (15/10) has raged for far too long. It’s time for a ceasefire.
Rivkah Halik, Nunawading

Goodbye possums.
John Rawson, Mernda

Furthermore
When are we going to see number plates with the logo “Victoria the Crime State”?
Barry Kearney, Ringwood North

Tony Wright provides an informative perspective on Treaty (15/10), including the opposition’s bureaucratic plans to return us to square one.
Greg Curtin, Nunawading

Having just flown Virgin Australia to Perth I wholeheartedly endorse the reduction of carry-on baggage. Enforce those limits too. If the combined weight of most of the ″⁣two bags″⁣ we saw was under 7kg I’ll eat my own bag.
Wendy Hinson Wantirna

Why do people comment on people getting thinner and it is considered impolite to comment on someone getting fatter (Comment, 15/10)?
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East

I was on a bus to Queen Vic market and seemed to be the only pblockenger who swiped on. Others just walked on. I suggest announcements be made reminding people to swipe on and off. It might just shame others to do the right thing.
Jan Silverwood, Port Melbourne