Over-the-top criticism of horse racing is not justified

I note he took his statistics and arguments, unquestioningly, from a far-left animal-rights website and also from the left-leaning Mamamia website. Probably not the best sources for a balanced view.

Any injury is too many, but an ambit claim of just 139 injured out of 31,000 thoroughbreds and standardbreds registered and racing annually is still an extraordinarily low number and can only get better with better tracks, more vets and regulations.

Better than running wild or as prey for carnivores, or being worked to death as in some countries.

The great majority of race horses live out their lives blissfully, loved and pampered, or as jumpers, eventers and police horses, to help control demonstrators.

There are few better regulated industries than horse racing with vets and stewards en masse to enforce rules and regulations, if needed. This current Melbourne Cup as a case in point. Perfectly sound horses were quarantined, just in case.

My advice to Chris is to look for a more substantial First World problem. There's plenty out there. Start with Russia invading Ukraine, shelling and bombing humans, and China forever threatening to do the same to the Taiwanese.

Becoming a grandparent made me sit up and take more notice of climate change. The worldwide protests by young people made the point loud and clear, with articulate passionate voices, that we need to do more.

Sadly, a few political leaders told the kids to go back to school. Eight young Australians responded by taking the environment minister to court over duty of care. They won but then lost on appeal.

Climate anxiety became a real thing. A 2021 survey of 16-25-year-olds found that more than three-quarters of young Australians were "frightened" for the future due to climate change.

Since then Australia has had record rainfall and flooding. After coping with COVID over a million of the young protestors became voters and participated in a change to a more "climate-friendly" government.

Sadly in some electorates notable sceptics like Barnaby Joyce and Matt Canavan were returned. The Young and Regional: Our Climate Future series in your newspaper giving voice to young Australians is timely and commendable.

Their first stories are positive and hopeful, truly uplifting. The series should be sent to every politician's inbox.

Congratulations on your perceptive editorial "Climate change is the burning issue" (canberratimes.com.au, November 4). Climate change is a serious threat to Australia and the world and must be combated accordingly.

In recent times, Australians have suffered repeated record-breaking rain and floods, along with bizarre weather patterns. Snow in November during global warming, and record-breaking floods three times in the year to date, are hardly normal.

Climate change is affecting the whole world. Many countries have been, or are being, affected by record-breaking floods, heatwaves, wildfires, larger and more intense storms, droughts, and critical food shortages or famine. These effects will persist and worsen for decades unless there is concerted, decisive and global action to rein in and minimise greenhouse gas emissions, beginning now.

Bill Gates earned many billions of dollars after developing Microsoft. He directed large amounts of his earnings towards helping humanity, in particular eradicating polio from many countries.

Elon Musk has earned billions of dollars with the development of his electric vehicle Tesla and has used his earnings to buy Twitter and to turn it into a free-for-all to post unpleasant and hurtful comments.

Two men, two entirely different approaches to humanity.

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee (Letters, November 1) asks why couldn't banks and post offices collect donations and send them to charity organisations for free. Well, as if they would do it for free.

In any case, the receipt needs to come from the actual charity for any tax deduction. That would also prove they received the donation.

I would prefer they concentrate on their core business. If Australia Post felt particularly benevolent (again "as if"), they could revise their rates for the processing of the reply-paid envelope.

I agree wholeheartedly with Graham Reynolds (Letters, November 1).

Canberra is littered with tall, soulless and frankly, blindingly ugly buildings.

It is as if creativity and vision left town together on a Murrays coach (on a one-way ticket) and our city planners have not even noticed.

It seems a popular trend too that new suburban residences must elbow their established neighbours to the very last centimetre on their boundary lines.

And I recall watching the apartment blocks come up on both sides of Northbourne Avenue and thinking that this gateway to the nation's capital could have been perfect for showcasing the works of Australia's best architects and designers.

What a lost opportunity.

Monday night's Four Corners program War Games about stationing nuclear-capable US B-52 bombers in the Northern Territory and the possibility of a war between America and China over Taiwan was an appalling example of lazy journalism and pro-war propaganda.

Making the Northern Territory into a US base with nuclear capabilities is abrogating Australia's sovereignty.

There are many Australian senior ex-military and former diplomats who don't think that China poses a significant threat to Australia.

Why were none of them, such as Major General Michael Smith, interviewed?

The bipartisanship on defence and foreign affairs matters is very dangerous. It has robbed Australians of public debate and a voice on these crucial issues.

Time and again we have tagged along with US wars with disastrous results.

The Australian government needs to let the Australian people into this debate, including by establishing structures which ensure a wider and more informed group of people is providing transparent advice to the government.

Hopefully the strategic defence review will take note of the voices which are advocating a more peaceful focus for our relations with China.

Kym MacMillan is not quite correct (Letters, November 1).

If the Voice referendum fails it may mean that a majority of voters (not Australians) in a majority of states didn't support the proposal.

It could equally mean that a majority of voters, but not a majority of states, supported the proposal.

Depends on how you define democracy doesn't it?

I don't think the potholes have anything to do with La Nina.

The problem is more likely the result of poor design and construction and a desire to reduce costs.

To use the phrase from The Life of Brian: " What did the Romans ever do for us"?

You can't get past the fact they built roads all over Europe and much of the Middle East whose foundations still underpin roads being used more than 2000 years later.

They knew what they were doing. Our modern road builders apparently don't.

Peter Dutton has suggested that nuclear power can help to solve our energy problems. But nuclear has a very long lead time, is very expensive and produces very dangerous waste: it is vastly inferior to renewables in every respect.

Mr Dutton seems to have grudgingly acknowledged that we must reduce carbon emissions but he and his party continue to come up with spurious solutions.

I am reminded of the laughably ineffective carbon capture and storage proposed by Angus Taylor and the Morrison government.

These pretend solutions are an insult to all Australians as we face the threat of a continuing environmental crisis.