Welcome to our new prison-like universe

Credit:Illustration: Cathy Wilcox

To submit a letter to The Age, email [email protected]. Please include your home address and telephone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email.

MODERN HOMES

Welcome to our new prison-like universe

Architect Tone Wheeler’s article (Comment, 24/2) is a sorry account of new suburbs “far from the city centre and water, without public transport, schools or shops”. He decries the building of “tiny blocks with huge, sealed-up two-storey houses; no backyards or gardens, no trees”. Who is responsible for this appalling interpretation of planning regulations?

It is not only physical harm to the environment that is happening, but there are also philosophical and psychological issues at stake. The housing that Wheeler describes is a prison-like universe worthy of George Orwell, with electronic devices taking the place of Soma, the universal sedative in Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984.

I not only recoil when I drive by these new estates, but also in my own, older suburb when I see the canopy trees reduced to grotesque skeletons to allow for cables to reach houses, so they too can have all that electronica has to offer. We are diminished by all this.
Gwenda Davey, Burwood East

Architects must take a lead on societal needs

Some interesting and factual observations by architect Tone Wheeler. What he fails to comment on is the role that his fellow professionals have played in fostering some of those changes. To my mind, good architects are more than just “order takers” and should be proponents of forward-thinking changes reflective of societal needs which they can influence and respond to.

An obvious example, and one my wife and I experienced, is the lack of appropriate private residential accommodation for a growing and ageing population. Twenty years ago one was hard-pressed to find apartments and townhouses with downstairs bedrooms and bathrooms, an essential requirement in one’s later years. (Belatedly, this is changing.) The demographic data was out there but neither developers nor the architects they employed seemed interested. There are many other examples where the profession should be taking a lead and not just an order.
Charles Griss, Balwyn

Seeking designs suited to our environment

We could not agree more with Angela Munro (Letters, 26/2). In our suburb, huge new French provincials and similar are mushrooming at an alarming rate, taking up most of the block and leaving little room for a garden and trees. They are not designed to fit in with our Australian streetscapes and stand out like the proverbial sore thumb. As well, they have very few environmental design features such as shading to protect against the summer sun and hence require constant air-conditioning.

Most of these houses are offered by developers, but maybe if they were provided with good Australian housing designs to offer to potential buyers, we could improve the liveability of our suburbs. In addition, the Victorian government, together with local councils, must enforce enough permeable space surrounding the house and encourage the growing of plenty of trees.
Monica Petterson and Jock Orkin, Mount Waverley

We know the problems, now seeking the solutions

We are all aware of the pitfalls of suburban overdevelopment, from stretched infrastructure to shrunken open space. Tone Wheeler tells the sad tale of the past 60 years of “progress”. He stops disappointingly short of offering the sustainable solutions that are not only within our reach, but also within his expertise. We will not be able to reverse the suburban trend unless people are better informed about the practical options and tools at their disposal, and the environmental consequences of doing nothing. We need further articles offering such advice.
Jenifer Nicholls, Armadale

Expensive, lavish homes – ruined by the rubbish bins

Tone Wheeler’s pithy article about how contemporary housing is ruining suburbia misses an important point. Architects of “huge, sealed-up two-storey houses” do not provide designated places for rubbish bins and they end up in the front of the house. So “un-Australian”.
Margaret O’Connor, Balwyn

THE FORUM

Our withering game

A timely article by Martin Flanagan – “Protect the game, but in Tasmania sadly it is dying” (Sport, 27/02) – with the season of football about to get under way. For some time, it would appear the AFL has been unable to see the forest for the trees. It speaks of grassroots yet has become such a bloated corporate entity, it cannot see its own toes. The AFL resorts to statistics to explain how it cares, or how the game is growing.

Not before time, it is a sport for women. However, in much of the country outside the metropolitan areas it has withered significantly in recent years, and for a wide variety of reasons. The imminent winter season will again show further attrition.
James Davidson, Wangaratta

Top marks for Mardi Gras

Congratulations to the organisers and teams of Sydney’s Mardi Gras Parade. Watching from home, I was blown away by the diversity, creativity and electrifying atmosphere. It was also hilariously entertaining, and so unifying for all – participants and audience.

It was educational too, with the commentators, especially Jeremy Fernandez, contributing understanding of the LGBTIQ historical trajectory, struggles and progress, and the importance of the Mardi Gras to LGBTIQ people.

Senator Lidia Thorpe’s behaviour was, I think, inappropriate, and reflected poorly on her judgment and her position as a federal MP.
Jennifer Gerrand, Carlton North

The battle for a home

It was very saddening to read that nearly three-quarters of young people think they will never own their own home (Sunday Age, 26/2). But it was infuriating that the issue of our rebooted, turbo-charged migration program did not get a mention in the survey. When is tackling the demand side of housing going to enter the public discussion? How is adding several hundred thousand people a year into the demand queue for housing going to help young people and those on lower incomes?
Kieran Simpson, Blackburn North

Missing out, yet again

Well, that was a different property report (Sunday Age, 26/2) to what has become the norm. It effectively had the same result though. Instead of the usual story of an “investor” outbidding a first home buyer, this time it was a “downsizer” who made the winning bid over the perennially hapless first home buyer.
Ian Millar, Mordialloc

Parents, food role models

It is easy to promote kids’ vegetable consumption (Life, 27/2) – make time to eat an evening meal with your children. Parents are the best role models for sustainability and good health by making plant-based meals that focus on legumes and “all the colours of the rainbow” vegetables, especially leafy greens. As dietitian Jessica Beaton remarks, parents should keep trying to expose children to a wide range of new food.
Sandra Fordyce-Voorham, home economist, Black Rock

The dining revolution

At last, people are realising it is cheaper to eat at home (The Age, 27/2). Let us hope that the whole family rediscovers the joy of menu planning and creating a meal, as well as the benefits of eating freshly prepared food. So much of the dining-out experience is supported by food that has had much of its nutritional value simmered out of it over hours in a bain marie or has been “denatured” for a longer shelf life. Viva la revolution.
John Mosig, Kew

High cost of cost-cutting

What a scandal. The silicosis affair is not dissimilar to the tragedy of flammable cladding on buildings a few years ago. Far too many people in positions of authority and trust have known about the risks and done nothing, or it has been a case of too little, too late. And why is this the case? Because cost-cutting and shifting the blame means more money in the pockets of those who are responsible.
Peter Dodds, Montmorency

Life in a medical vacuum

I have ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) and have been waiting for doctors to notice me for decades. “Long Road” by Fenella Souter – (Good Weekend, 25/2) – resonated for me and thousands of others living with post-viral illness. I also yearn to have a recognised condition with a straightforward treatment pathway.

Tragically people with long COVID are joining us in medical limbo, languishing inside our homes and watching life pass us by. The awful realisation hits them that there is little in the way of effective treatment available and most doctors are at a loss. Welcome to the world where we must become our own doctors and desperately trawl social media for any means to relieve our disabling and baffling symptoms.

In a medical vacuum, patients turn to each other for solutions and comfort. We cannot wait for the authorities to finally turn their attention in our direction and we follow the research closely. The post-viral wrecking ball has already ruined our lives.
Jenny Meagher, East Malvern

Surviving ‘bad’ books

Brad Emery – “What other horrors lurk on our bookshelves?” (Comment 27/2) – please don’t destroy those books. Many of those mentioned were enjoyed by me, my children and grandchildren. Believe it or not, we all turned out well-adjusted, productive citizens of this great country. Children are resilient and discerning, and over-protection can be taken too far.
Graeme May, Ocean Grove

Encroaching changes

And have you noticed that in Enid Blyton’s The Faraway Tree series, Fanny has become Frannie and Dick has become Rick? This subtle change seems to have happened a while ago, and modern readers would not even suspect.
Judy Symons, Drouin

True meaning of woke

Originally the word “woke” was Black American slang related to waking up to injustice. Can we reclaim woke from the current pejorative interpretation? Perhaps it could be a mnemonic such as, “Where Only Kindness Exists”.
Tori Sommer, Highton

The Paris PC Games

To make the 2024 Olympic Games completely safe for the morally righteous, we need to rename them the Freedom Games. We also need to ban Russia, China, all the Middle East countries, several in South America and central Asia, and quite a few in Africa, and make sure Ukraine wins all the medals.
John Laurie, Riddells Creek

Shorten’s bitter lesson

Your correspondent says he is “not sure if Anthony Albanese has the bottle to implement changes to taxation, superannuation and negative gearing” (Letters, 27/2). He needs only to think back to the 2019 federal election. Then Labor leader Bill Shorten had the bottle and look where it got him.
John Kellett, Bundoora

Aim for a balanced debate

The tax concession for superannuation was designed to encourage savings for retirement, not as a wealth creation for the those with larger amounts than 99per cent of the population. It is hoped that Peter Dutton will not lower the argument to scaremongering to those who will not be affected by this change.
Mary Wise, Ringwood

The other possible winner

Former Liberal MP Katie Allen says the Sally Rugg-Monique Ryan workplace disagreement “may be win-win” (Talking Point, 25/2). A win for Rugg as it “may consolidate her rising-star status in the Labor union movement”. A win for Ryan as she may get more staff. And possibly a win for Anthony Albanese if he “increases crossbench staffing and builds political capital among the independents on the way through”.

Allen fails to mention the probable win for the Liberal Party. Former Liberals in Kooyong who voted for a teal independent may be “browned off” and revert to their Liberal loyalties. The Liberal Party’s boffins must be rubbing their hands in glee at the prospect of the unedifying washing of dirty linen in public.
Bronwen Bryant, St Kilda West

Another old shoey story

At a recent university reunion, I was reminded that I drank beer from a girl’s shoe in 1987. Everything new is old again.
John Massie, Middle Park

End the pokie disease

The only way to stop people from losing money on the pokies (The Age, 27/2) is to ban these machines. This will not happen as governments love the tax they receive from them. If casinos are desperately desired, maybe one could be built in the Simpson Desert and anyone anxious to lose their money could drive out there and “go for their life”.
Charles Naughton, Sunbury

The right to ban or …

Re Jon Faine’s article – “The value of facing those with whom you disagree” (Sunday Age, 26/2). It is tragic.to turn a significant part of this otherwise fabulous Adelaide Writers’ Week into a one-sided political event. Worse, it should not be a forum to give voice to any person who reportedly spews the most extreme and odious form of hatred for Zionists or who lends support to Vladimir Putin in his crazed war against the brave Ukrainian people. I fail to see how any of this can advance the interests of peace, civil discussion, or ironically the Palestinian people, let alone this festival. Quite the reverse.
John Wolf, Toorak

… or to hear all voices

Stick to your principles, Louise Adler, the director of Adelaide Writers’ Week – “A warrior woman writ large” (The Age, 25/2). We live in a democratic country and we do not need the approval of paranoid, self-interested parties to tell us what and who we should read, hear or listen to.
Michael Vrettakis, Werribee

Wonder and joy of words

What a wonderful word “nefarious” is – it contains all five vowels (Target Time, 27/2). Almost as good as “facetious” – the vowels in ascending order – and “uncomplimentary” – in descending order. Joy of joys.
Josephine Perry, Morwell

AND ANOTHER THING

Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding

Politics

Victoria needs to ban the cruelty of duck shooting. So many birds are wounded and suffer agonising deaths.
Susanne O’Neill, Balwyn

I cringed at the disrespectful way Thorpe reacted to the police officers. She looked like a bully.
Michael Brinkman, Ventnor

As a politician, Thorpe has a three-word slogan: “Look at me.“
Alan Inchley, Frankston

Next time, Adam Bandt, I will closely vet your candidate before I vote for the Greens.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill

Unlimited use of offsets can put export revenue up but emissions up too.
John Gare, Kew East

Books

The Bible would be a great candidate for a rewrite.
Geoff Champion, Mount Dandenong

I’m shaken, but not stirred, to read James Bond has been edited for modern audiences (27/2).
Steve Dixon, North Melbourne

I’ve never read a James Bond novel, but plan to find an old edition that hasn’t been rewritten.
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne

Furthermore

Congratulations to our women’s cricket team on their T20 World Cup title. Surely this is worthy of a poster.
Dorothy Galloway, Mentone

For the third Test, Australian batsmen will need to keep their brooms in the cupboard.
David Seal, Balwyn North

Sikh motorcyclists: no alcohol, drugs or speeding (27/2). The true “1per centers”.
Peter Baddeley, Portland

Matt Golding’s cartoon (Letters, 26/2). Gold.
John Worters, Moe

Re bikes on regional rail. They used to be carried in the guard’s van.
Joan Peverell, Malvern

I always thought Woody Harrelson (27/2) was a good actor. Nobody plays dumb better. Now, with his apparent promotion of a coronavirus conspiracy theory, I understand he isn’t acting.
Steve Bell, Deanside

Patrick Elligett sends an exclusive newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.

Most Viewed in National

From our partners

Source: Read Full Article