‘Gift’ to counter power price hike
A COUPLE of weeks ago, pensioners woke up to a $62 windfall in their pension accounts.
They got excited too soon. No it wasn’t a hike in pensions but a “gift” from the government to keep everyone a bit less vocal about the coming in July of the proposed 15 to 20% hike in power price for every one.
Now Treasurer Curtis Pitt is maybe promising a slight cut in that rise some time soon. We’ll see. This is the price we pay for going green and saving the planet.
Maybe they will save the planet. But the cost if it all is leaving more and more living below the poverty line.
But don’t forget Australia is, or maybe was, the lucky country. — RAY HARCH, Toowoomba
Low-standard imports
WHY, oh, why, do we allow imports from countries with very low compliance standards, products and materials very sub-standard, to our communities?
There are registered, defective imported construction materials, as in pipes (tubing) from China, shipping and aircraft built offshore. So many defective foreign-built motor vehicles, even many defective hardware items. That is to mention just a few.
Compounding this travesty, our government departments supposedly controlling these imports, allow “self-regulation”.
Come on Aussies, demand that these offshore companies be held to account.
Bring back the production of all these items to our Australian shores. We can and have in the past, built quality items on our shores. Products to be proud of.
Why accept defective, dangerous foreign products, when we can do it better.
Too, why do we have to borrow to loan excessively to Indian mining companies (Adani), when we could be investing these funds towards reopening our closed factories?
Why, oh, why, do we not call our State and Federal Governments to account?
So much carelessly operated shipping through our iconic Great Barrier Reef, leaving waste oil and sediment toward reef
destruction.
Please fellow Australians, stand up and be counted. Enough is Enough. — BOB FOWKE, Regency Downs
Abstaining
I WISH to thank Ms McMillan for her clarification on the Cancer Council fundraising conditions, even though she has stipulated the safe alcohol limit is two standard drinks per day and I always thought it was four. But I will defer to her judgment, albeit with some adjustment of portion sizes.
Now, although Ms McMillan has advised that abstentions are optional, I would nonetheless like to keep in the spirit of things and abstain from something.
Regrettably, a stern reminder letter from my dentist has me lined up for an appointment next week, whereupon L&R Dental will endeavour first to locate some teeth and, if successful, carry out running repairs. So that’s the dentist option gone.
As to tripe and onions, it belatedly occurred to me that my wife and her Vietnamese circle sometimes, for reasons I cannot fathom, forgo the usual VN delicacies such as spring rolls, roast pork belly, warm beef salad etc and instead cook themselves up a huge pot of Da Day Luoc, viz. steamed pig stomach.
This is as near to tripe as you’ll get and more than likely just as disagreeable.
Although much practised in performing a disappearing act when Da Day Luoc is in the offing, I know some of her friends are keen for me to at least try it and there is always the chance I might get cornered.
That leaves enemas as the only secure option, provided my ever-so-slightly-sadistic GP doesn’t get ideas.
I will undertake therefore to abstain from enemas until August and, ahem, move a motion that anyone else fond of a tipple should join me in Enema-Free July and we shall all dig deep into our pockets for the Cancer Council. Bottoms not up. — A. R. KENNY, Toowoomba
❝ Come on Aussies, demand that these offshore companies be held to account.