It beggars belief that Albury Council is even listening to such illogical comments to reduce the speed limit in Thurgoona based solely on one cyclist’s collision with a kangaroo (‘A Roo-d Shock’, The Border Mail, October 16).
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This wasn’t even a motorist, it was a cyclist, so what’s that got to do with reducing the speed limit for motor vehicles when cyclists will continue at their usual speed?
It’s just a fact that Australia has a large native and introduced number of animals including kangaroos, sheep, cattle, goats, birdlife etc and this cannot be changed with the occasional real or near-collision with them whilst using our roads. It’s the same around the motorised world.
Reducing the speed limit for thousands of motorists who need their mode of transport – and pay dearly for it with taxes for registration, fuel etc rather than cyclists who don’t pay any such taxes – because of one rare, sad collision of a cyclist with a kangaroo makes about as much sense as a pedestrian being struck by lightning at Thurgoona, and the council then forcing everybody in Thurgoona to wear insulated rubber suits.
Leave the speed limits alone.
George Krooglik, Albury
The majority rules, that’s democracy at work
In response to Paul Swinton’s letter (‘Please explain, Bill’, The Border Mail letters, October 16).
Mr Swinton asks why the same assisted death option is not accorded to humans as it is to animals.
A few years ago I had the most beautiful dog, and she caught Parvovirus. The vet suggested I have her euthanised as she wasn’t going to make it. I insisted he try to save her and after antibiotics, she lived.
Mr Swinton is absolutely entitled to his opinion but so is Bill Tilley. I must remind Mr Swinton that Mr Tilley represents other people besides him, and their opinions may not coincide with his.
That is our democracy at work in Australia.
Patricia Ryan, Balldale
Subsidies and secrecy
So the Abbott/Turnbull government has decided to eliminate any taxpayer funded subsidy for the renewable energy industry.
Have you noticed that both of the government mouthpieces Josh Frydenberg and Craig Kelly when reading from the prepared script simply say that Australia should not be subsidising any non-fossil fuel industry but do not give a figure for that current subsidy.
Well the government's own research authority the Bureau of Agricultural Economics provided a figure of $3 billion for 2015-2016.
That figure is a best estimate by the BAE experts because a lot of information is hidden by bureaucratic obfuscation.
Now have a guess at the size of the taxpayer-funded subsidy to the oil, coal and gas energy industry including exploration, mining, transport and production.
In 2014 the Treasury estimated the fossil fuel industry received taxpayer-funded subsidies of $10 billion per year. The OECD estimated in 2013 a similar figure. Silence from Frydenberg and Kelly. Funny that.
Let's not go down the path of federal government subsidies of state government mining royalties (think Western Australia iron ore mining).
Can't wait to hear the government's announcement of reduction of all energy industry subsidies.
