Letterof the Week

Have strong opinions? Write in an engaging way? You could win our Letter of the Week, and with it a book from our friends and sponsors, the publishers HarperCollins. This month’s book prize is You Were Made For This, a bold, sharp, gripping debut novel about a couple whose perfect life in the Swedish countryside is not what it seems. It’s a gripping page-turner that provocatively explores the darker side of marriage, motherhood and friendship.

Rules: Best letter competition runs until January 19 next year. Entries close each Thursday at 5pm. The winner is selected by 2pm each Friday. Book of the month valued up to $49. Entrants agree to the competition terms and conditions located at www.goldcoastbulletin.com.au/ entertainment/competitions, and our privacy policy. Entrants consent to their information being shared with HarperCollins for the express purpose of delivering prizes.

WHAT a fantastic Origin game! I am so proud of all 34 players who gave all they had for their teams.

Every single one enhanced his prospects of a return to the contest in 2019.

This is a golden opportunity for Maroons supporters to demonstrate that we can be gracious in victory, something clearly absent in the gloating and other drivel that has inundated sections of media during the last fortnight. Let’s prove that, in that respect at least, we hold the high ground.

Champion players deserve champion supporters. Let us show that we are better than our opponent’s supporters and become sponsors of the world’s best rugby league – State of Origin.

This letter, written and sent before 11pm on Wednesday, may be too late to cause a clean break from the past excesses but someone has to make a start, and it is right for Queenslanders yet again to set a standard for the rest of Australia or, at least, for NSW.

Enjoy the skill and all other admirable qualities of the players, but let the result, and the result alone, do the talking!

We can only cheapen our players’ achievements by gloating about the outcome or by sneering at and denigrating the efforts of the Blues. ROBERT HALL, HELENSVALE

REGARDING ‘Stop the car-nage’ in the Gold Coast Bulletin on Thursday, June 28.

Nerang may become the next suburb to take the front page, with a tragedy waiting to happen.

The stretch of highway on the Beaudesert/Nerang Rd between Parklands and Oak St is very busy with a huge childcare centre, a fire station and another new childcare centre under construction.

The State Government has made a token gesture to reduce the speed limit from 70km/h to 60km/h.

We have campaigned relentlessly for safety upgrades at the fire station. No one is listening. And yet we are told “speed kills”. The State Government rakes in millions of dollars in fines for motorists exceeding the speed limits.

Life is cheap in Nerang. GLORIA JEAN JONES, NERANG

FURTHER to the issue of regular retesting of drivers (texts Wed, July 11), I agree with GT to the extent that drivers dangerously flout the road rules and cause accidents by, for example, the incorrect usage of indicators on round-a-bouts.

Either they do not use their indicators at all, or more frustratingly, exit left off a round-a-bout with their right-hand indicator flashing. I also agree that the presence of police car or bike in traffic changes any erratic behaviour by drivers. A speed camera has no immediate affect on reducing the road toll.

However, I disagree with GT who believes that ignoring the road rules is the only major contributor to the road toll.

In fact, the lack of competency of many drivers to control their vehicle in a variety of road situations is more likely to be the main contributor.

Speed alone doesn’t kill, otherwise we’d have lost all our racing car drivers. It’s the lack of ability to manage the situation at any speed that causes collisions.

Tragically people are killed at very low speeds, even in their own driveways. Many people would not know that you can still be accused of negligent driving, if involved in an accident, even if you are travelling below the speed limit.

The limit is of course an arbitrary number constructed by officialdom.

Retesting drivers practically and regularly (and at highway speeds) would cut the road toll, make people more familiar with the rules and perhaps take the incompetent ones off the road, thus also reducing the volume of vehicles on our choked roadways.

Charging drivers a fee would make the system self-funding, but I wonder if there is sufficient political willingness to do something more practical than continuing to lower the speed limits. BILLO, HOPE ISLAND

MINISTER Ciobo we are sick of your one-upmanship with Senator Watts (‘Your Views’, GCB, 11/7/18).

You and your government are public servants who never listen to the public’s needs. It seems your only concern is to be re-elected.

Please concentrate on what we want and if you do not have the guts to implement these then resign.

The more important needs are: Scrap the Paris Agreement and all renewable subsidies.

Reduce our debt which has now doubled under your government from $300 billion to $600 billion.

Stop giving money, that is borrowed, to other countries.

Droughtproof our agricultural and farming lands.

Build coal and nuclear power stations and scrap the NEG which is only a cover for wind and solar which are wrecking industry.

Substantially reduce immigration.

Disband or privatise the ABC. You have after global warming allowed the second great con around plastic bags giving the supermarkets millions more profit at no gain for the environment. STAN FORGHAM, TALLAI