LETTERS

IT'S disappointing that Woolworths' Dan Murphy's and Coles' First Choice are advertising premixed spirit cans at below the wholesale price in the lead-up to Easter. This demonstrates a failure to do their part to curb alcohol-related antisocial behaviour, violence and accidents at a time when these things are most likely to occur.

New VicHealth-funded research shows that our bloodiest, most alcohol-soaked days are associated with cultural celebrations, either public holidays or major sporting events.

In April, Easter Sunday is the worst day for alcohol-related hospitalisations and Easter Monday is the busiest for alcohol-related traffic accidents.

The Tuesday after Easter Monday is also a big day for hospital staff, who are mopping up the effects of the night before. This year, Tuesday happens to be ANZAC Day when admissions for alcohol-fuelled assaults usually increase by 50 per cent.

Shame on the retailers for fuelling the risks by tempting drinkers with cut-price booze.

This isn't about shaving a few cents off the price of bread to get people through the supermarket door. Self-regulation of the price of alcohol is not working. We believe the Productivity Commission should look into these latest examples of cost-cutting.

Associate Professor John Fitzgerald, acting chief executive, VicHealth, Carlton

Get involved or lose

I'VE just read that a recent New York Times article estimated the global carbon trading market was worth an estimated $US30 billion and could grow to $US1 trillion within a decade.

It appears to me that this is something in which Australia really should get involved. The only way to do that would be to have a carbon tax or a carbon trading scheme. To delay may mean that Australia will miss out on potential golden opportunities that this could present.

Laurens Meyer, Richmond

Jobs and progress

UNION leaders and politicians who are demanding that not a single job should be lost due to a carbon tax would, no doubt, have demanded that coal be taxed in such a way that not a single job should be lost to the industrial revolution and, in the mists of antiquity, that not a single job be lost to the invention of the wheel.

Ken Duxbury, East Kew

Building a black hole

AFTER announcing a budget deficit of $5 billion, due largely to Labor's desalination and myki black holes, you would expect the Baillieu government to avoid being a copy cat.

Well, no. It seems it wants to create its own black hole by keeping its election promise of more police and train guards.

The cost of a new workforce, including wages and superannuation, equipment, facilities, training, stand-downs to investigations of inappropriate behaviour, and pay-outs due to psychological trauma suffered while on duty, will be expensive for Victorian taxpayers. For what? So walking in the streets is a bit safer? So there are a few fewer assaults?

This money could buy numerous new trains, fix rail and build or upgrade stations. Fixing road black spots would save many lives, lower medical costs and lessen suffering for families.

Some of the money could be used to offset the loss of medical research in Victoria, in case of the ridiculous possibility of the federal government cutting such funds to save its political rear in Queensland.

If people feel unsafe, why not use the streets less often? Use trains when popular and not late at night. Don't go into the city during the weekend. These are simple, cheaper solutions to limit assaults, and increase safety.

Gerard Matte, Balaclava

Greed is big and only getting bigger

THE housing market in Melbourne is driven by two factors: greed and selfishness ("Room to move, but is a bigger home better?", The Age, 20/4). Builders are happy to construct large houses, which result in big profits, and buyers want a home cinema room, rumpus room, multiple bedrooms with ensuites, and full air-conditioning. All this will generate a carbon footprint almost four times that of my 1960s 12-square house. Add to that the huge mortgages and personal debt involved and we have a situation that is untenable.

In some ways it is already too late as the outer suburbs of Melbourne are crammed to the brim with these large houses. Often they have no backyards and children are confined to indoors and passive activities.

When I look around Wantirna South, I see a forest of trees when I look around new outer suburbs I see a forest of roofs.

We are debating the price of carbon and the need to reduce emissions. We are still building large houses that will stress our already overloaded infrastructure. Builders will continue to pander to market forces unless they are constrained by law.

Future generations will pay a high price for this greed and selfishness.

Peter Cossins, Wantirna South

Look further ahead

MALCOLM Maiden's article ("Biotech companies test the market", BusinessDay, 20/4) highlights the value and potential for significant returns of government investment into medical research. Companies such as CSL and Cochlear owe their existence to government patronage, as does Cellestis, which is about to be sold to a European company.

Australians need to understand that cutting budgets may appease the fiscal dries in the short term but, in the long term, is bad for business and bad for the country. Australia needs to devote significant investment to medical research and development to generate opportunities and it needs to build the business skills to keep those companies in Australian hands.

Roger Farquhar, Luskintyre, NSW

Heritage lost

IT IS National Heritage Week and we ask what protection has Westerfield's heritage, state-significant, endangered bushland been given by Heritage Victoria? Even vegetation and a heritage water gauge approved to remain in situ have been removed. Trees for a shared path (still listed as heritage bushland) are to be cleared to replicate a parallel bicycle path 200 metres away.

Can Heritage Victoria be proud of its actions?

Joyce and Simon Welsh, Frankston

Tax me out of here

STANDARD and Poor's has downgraded its view of America's debt ("Ailing America may lose its AAA rating", The Age, 20/4). The solution to problems in the US is relatively simple raise taxes and repay the debt.

However, in the US, as in Australia, raising taxes has become politically impossible. The people with the money, who owe their success to the civil society in which they prospered, will spend millions to prevent even one cent of extra tax being levied. In this era of weak government, they will prevail. Back to the jungle or, in our case, the desert.

Paul Johnson, Clifton Hill

Flunking the system

YOUR report ("State flunks its own literacy and numeracy tests", The Age, 19/4) is a shocking reflection of our nation's superficial and limited thinking about the purpose of education.

How many generations of children will disengage from learning before politicians and bureaucrats understand that education is more than getting high scores on a test? How many will pass through our education system believing that they are unintelligent before politicians and bureaucrats see a value in schools that help children flourish and become good citizens rather than beating other states or nations to the top of the test tables?

What can we do to deepen the debate about education and broaden the focus to include capacities that children will need to solve some of the big challenges that face our world capacities to be creative, make connections, solve problems, work collaboratively and to be curious about the big questions?

The more we know about the complex nature of learning and teaching the more our policy makers want to reduce it to a score out of 10.

Margo Hobba, Bells Beach

Dark magic

LAST year Adam Goodes wrote an article highlighting the stereotyped use of words such as magic, or freakish, or instinctive when it comes to indigenous AFL players. It seems that this stereotyping also applies to North's Majak Daw, as demonstrated by theage.com.au (Magic Majak kicks VFL goal of the year?", 20/4).

Just because players have darker skin doesn't mean they didn't get to AFL level in the same manner as every other player, through a combination of talent and hard work. There is nothing magical about it.

Wendy Nimmo, East Melbourne