There is a huge problem with aggression on the roads of Victoria ("Road Fury", The Age. 17/7), and I believe it stems from the habit of undertaking other vehicles. Drivers duck and dive and fill in any gaps in the flow of traffic. If the law was enforced that undertaking was illegal and passing on the right and moving back to the left was the norm, then traffic would flow more smoothly and motorcyclists wouldn't be put at risk. The driving experience calms down.
I have experienced "rage" in Victoria with a 4x4 on my tailgate with his hand on the horn for two intersections. I have ridden motorcycles and driven cars in Britain and Europe, so I do have the experience of much denser populations in smaller countries that manage their traffic well. A joy was riding motorcycles; I doubt I will ride one in Victoria.
Julie Lane, Buninyong
Seeing red for the wrong reasons
Years ago I was at the corner of Atherton Road and the Princes Highway turning right onto the highway. There was a car in front of me and when he didn't move at all when the green arrow came on I honked him. He got out and walked back and screamed at my window, then he screamed at the guy behind me in the lane for asking him to move. After about five minutes he got back in his car and turned right through the red light and was gone.
George King, Wheelers Hill
Anger management on the highway
The article "Fury Road" (The Age, 17/7), recent road rage incidents, and my own experiences, have convinced me that I must now begin breaking the law. When safe to do so, I do not drive below the speed limit. I will even add the two or three under-calibrated Ks on the cruise control so that I do not hold up drivers who wish to travel at the speed limit. Invariably, tailgating speedsters arrive at my rear bumper. My driving training taught me the dangers of cutting in on an overtaken vehicle too soon. So instead, I shall now consider driving above the speed limit when overtaking on the highway rather than risk becoming angry at someone else's aggressive driving.
Dave Barter, Hawthorn
Inept drivers may be a factor in temper loss
I certainly don't condone violence or aggression on our roads. But maybe there needs to be more focus on the inept idiots that cause people to lose their temper.
Michael Carver, Glen Iris
Is it rage, stupidity or a big SUV?
Road rage is an issue, but flagrant disregard for red lights is a bigger one. Only 286 traffic cameras nabbed close to 100,000 red light runners in a year. In separate peak-hour incidents this month I have watched two drivers, queued to make a turn onto Ferrars St, South Melbourne, drive from third car back (after the lights changed to red) on the wrong side of the road around the cars in front then into the intersection.
One turned left. The other right. Road rage or stupidity or "Because I drive a large SUV I can do this"?
Chris Wallis, Albert Park
The car is the mode of expression
There is no such condition as road rage. Only angry people for whom the car is a mode of expression. The more important question is, why so many angry people?
Tony Adami, Caulfield South
FORUM
Brandis failings
In the furore triggered by the new appointments made by Attorney-General George Brandis to the federal AAT and the ill-judged criticisms of the AAT by Peter Dutton, important aspects have been overlooked. Members of the AAT are not free to make any decision they please but are obliged to weigh evidence presented by the appellant and the relevant government department and then decide the matter according to the law.
If a government department or minister is unhappy with a decision, it can be appealed to the Federal Court and if need be the High Court. If decisions consistent with the law are truly unsatisfactory or unfair, the minister can seek to change the law via Parliament.
Attempts to stack the AAT are regrettable, especially when competent, hard-working members are not reappointed. Such attempts are also ineffective because the new members are obliged to base their decisions on the evidence and the law. The nation's top lawyer seems to wish to not understand how the AAT functions.
Kerry Breen, Kew
Amanda's surprise . . .
Good heavens, an article by Amanda Vanstone (The Age, 17/7) where she did not blame the Labor Party for anything: although I was quite expecting the Tony Abbott issue to somehow morph into being Labor's fault.
Marie Nash, Balwyn
. . . or is that satire?
Amanda Vanstone is in rare form. A week after Malcolm Turnbull had travelled to London to pay homage to an ancient monarchical system and to speak rapturously about an Australian prime minister who left office more than 50 years ago, she heaps praise on him for "looking to the future, not dwelling on the past".
Unlike others of your readership, I do not call for Ms Vanstone's columns to be discontinued on the grounds of lack of relevance and common sense. Rather, I recommend that they be labelled under the heading "satire" and positioned adjacent to the "Wizard of Id" comic strip.
Frank Smith, Kew
. . . or the right stuff?
Thank you Amanda Vanstone for giving me the words to succinctly express my frustration with the destructive antics of Tony Abbott and my thoughts regarding the position of the Liberal Party today.
Jocelyn Williams, South Melbourne
Enduring royalty
While Australians like Nigel Jackson (Letters, 17/7) consider a cluster of mostly unskilled English people are Royals with one denoted as a Queen or Her Majesty, then the tooth fairy is believable. Lese majeste doesn't apply in Australia as it does in Thailand where long jail sentences are being given to people who make the most innocuous criticisms of the Thai "Royals".
Here we only have to endure unedifying displays of forelock tugging by people who may correctly see Betty Windsor as a great person but ignore that in past centuries the English monarchy prospered via onerous laws, intimidation and indoctrination of their "subjects" .
Des Files, Brunswick
How well are we?
The Australian healthcare system has been rated second globally, according to think-tank the Commonwealth Fund ("Healthcare ranks lower", The Age, 17/7). But as others pointed out, there are serious questions about how good our system is in ensuring everyone benefits.
There is a five-year difference in life expectancy between the poor and the rich and between the poorly and the highly educated. So at the bottom, one's life expectancy is about the same as it was 15 years ago for those at the top. For those in between, life expectancy is in between. In that 15 years the distribution in income in Australia has increased significantly.
As well as removing financial barriers to healthcare such as co-payments, and geographical barriers by better distribution of services, we need societal changes which address the huge differences in income across our nation.
Tim Woodruff, president, Doctors Reform Society
Sending in the army
So the federal government is saying the state police can't handle sieges but the army can ("ADF's new terror powers", The Age, 17/7)? Will we also be bringing in the army for street protest and traffic control?
James Lane, Hampton
Defining terrorism
It is of concern when governments move to increase the involvement of the defence services in civil policing. It either means that they have lost control or more usually want to increase their control of the citizens.
To me it is particularly worrying when they do it in the name of "terrorism", a word which has the same precision of meaning as "baddy" – i.e. what I want it to mean.
Take the example of Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's discussion. Their views of who the terrorists are in Syria are completely at odds. They might as well be talking about oranges and apples. The worry is that Putin probably knew it.
The move our government is proposing is a small one – but it is a worrying start in line with their record of secrecy and electronic intrusion.
Kyle Matheson, Mont Albert
The root causes
Fear of terrorism and the consequent restriction of our freedom are increasing in Australia at an alarming rate. Before we move any further into making Australia a military state so that we feel safe at the expense of our freedom, it is high time to ask why is terrorism on the increase?
Terrorism in Australia started with the former PM John Howard taking this country to war in the Middle East in cahoots with the US, Britain and other Western nations. The war was premised on lies and cooked intelligence. This Middle East war morphed into the "war on terror", yet it is arguable that the US and its allies have been the real terrorists by virtue of the invasion of other countries.
Australia should establish a truth and justice commission to look into the reasons why we joined this illegal and immoral war, and seek to punish the national leaders who led us into this unholy war.
Bill Mathew, Parkville
Nailing it
Despite his generalisations about teachers, and use of the indicative but dodgy NAPLAN and PISA reports, Ross Gittins almost hits the education policy nail on the head ("Declining education numbers a lesson we should all address", The Age, 17/7). Our education system is breaking, but its massive problems are deeply culturally ingrained and next to impossible to shift. But not completely impossible. Funding, in conjunction with the usual unimaginative, recycled, evidence-free, politically focused, knee-jerk policies, won't do it.
The system needs rebuilding from the bottom up. The task, interwoven with many other policy areas, will be long-term, expensive and highly complex. Surely, for the good of our descendants and our nation, some politicians will be able to set aside their power-focus long enough to demonstrate their strength of character, and take this task on. Or will they let us down once again?
Lex Borthwick, Burwood
Not all growth is good
Jessica Irvine completely misses the point ("Why big is really better", The Age, 17/7). She focuses on the benefits provided by increasing economic activity. But it's exactly this economic growth that threatens our natural environment and everything it provides for us – mineral resources, clean water and air, productive agricultural land. Not to mention the living it provides for indigenous animal and plant species. Already our most important river systems are in big trouble and many plants and animals are facing extinction. Growth can't go on forever, and the sooner we slow it down the better.
Graham Patterson, Briar Hill
Magic millions
If Donald Trump wants to be sure of big crowds in Britain before he visits there, maybe he could "fix it himself" by arranging for those "millions" who turned out for his inauguration to travel to Britain to stand and cheer him ("President tells May to 'fix it for me' on UK visit", TheAge, 17/7).
Jacki Burgess, Port Melbourne
More recycling, please
We may feel good about recycling but until as many items as possible are made from recycled material, we will continue to produce more waste from new resources, and the recyclables will continue to pile up.
David Johnston, Healesville
Stop the monopolies
Daniel Andrews, do not repeat the state sabotage of the Kennett era, when the sale of SEC and the G & F Corporation deprived the state and its citizens any say in energy pricing. Natural monopolies like energy generation and distribution and the Titles Office must always remain in public hands lest we risk the exploitation of monopolistic profiteers.
Vincent O'Donnell, Ascot Vale
AND ANOTHER THING
Trump
George Washington: I cannot tell a lie. Richard Nixon: I cannot tell the truth. Donald Trump: I cannot tell the difference.
Michael Higgins, Erica
Turnbull
Malcolm Turnbull, delusional or disillusioned with your government?
Annie Wilson, Inverloch
Exactly right Amanda Vanstone. Turnbull is a true Menzian Liberal, Abbott is a spoilt teacher's pet.
Robert Hamilton, Ascot Vale
Amanda Vanstone argues we need a leader who "looks to the future" [spot on] and that "that's the leader we've got". Alas, far from spot on.
Nick Jans, Marysville
Other matters
Maybe VicRoads could caption Victorian number plates: VIC – THE ROAD RAGE STATE
Robin Jensen, Castlemaine
Don't worry! Kim Jong-un will not attack the Chinese port of Darwin.
Forbes Sprawson, Hampton
In view of Roger Federer's record perhaps tennis players will abandon the double-handed backhand.
Lance Cranage, Mount Waverley
How pathetic and internationally embarrassing that the government is still unable to agree on Alan Finkel's 50th, very open recommendation, clean energy.
Barbara Fraser, Burwood
Re. army role for terrorists, Is this a small goose-step to the right?
Patricia Rivett, Ferntree Gully
Poker machines have destroyed thousands of families and the AFL has done little to wean clubs off them.
David Ward, Ormond
By all means rug up and enjoy the outdoors but to promote winter alfresco dining (Domain, 15/7) with outdoor heating is outrageous.
Susan Mahar, Fitzroy North