CLEAN ENERGY 
Dear editor,

As of late 2024, approximately four million Australian homes had rooftop solar, which is about one-third.

As of early 2025, approximately 320,000 homes, representing eight per cent of the total, were also equipped with batteries.

With the roll-out of the Albanese government’s rebate for home batteries going gangbusters since July and the rate of battery connection about 1,000 per day, Australians will be making significant savings powering their homes and helping combat climate change.

Australians recognise the scientific evidence of climate change and are doing their bit. Businesses are adopting renewables, and the agricultural sector is preparing for environmental changes.

And yet the Liberal National Coalition are still fighting amongst themselves about whether we need to transition to a clean energy future.

The world is experiencing existential challenges that are widely recognised; however, some individuals prioritise political interests over broader national and global concerns.

Why don’t they care about the legacy they will leave for future generations?

Robyn Deane,
Nambour.
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SHARK NETS 
Dear editor,

As an all-year-round swimmer, I am in favour of the removal of all shark nets – all year round. Most shark attacks are on surfers outside the shark net area anyway. If you swim in their ocean, that’s the (extremely slight) risk you take. If the state government is worried about litigation, put up signs saying swim at your own risk with clear data on the risk so people can make their own informed decisions. Rarely would swimmers go out deep enough into shark territory, and those who do know the risks and are willing to take them. Our precious marine life has enough environmental hurdles to jump over without these unnecessary death traps.

Lisa Ward,
Mudjimba.
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DEMENTIA SPOTLIGHT 
Dear editor,

It is sad when I meet widows, and they say that the last years with their husband with dementia were lost, as he wasn’t the same man.

A friend took her husband to where they had enjoyed their honeymoon, hoping he would at least have a flicker of memory of the epitome of their romance. Sadly, he was unmoved. Dementia is stealing memories, eroding personalities, and indiscriminately diminishing precious relationships where love struggles to endure in a new form.

People living with dementia often experience friends and family dropping away, not knowing how to interact with them once there is a diagnosis. We fear it and make nervous jokes when we misplace our keys or forget a name. We hope dementia never finds us.

For half a million Australians, dementia is not a vague threat. It is a confronting daily reality for them and their loved ones. For the first time, dementia is now our nation’s biggest killer.

We have reached the crossroads with rising cases in an ageing population threatening to trigger a slow-moving personal, economic and social crisis. If we act now, there is hope, but science alone will not be enough.

The good news is that a new Tasmanian study has found a link between engaging in exercise and a reduction in a protein in the blood, which can lead to dementia.
It has been shown that 45 per cent of cases may be preventable through lifestyle changes if we make brain health a national priority from an earlier age.
Worryingly, a barrier to early diagnosis is that more than a quarter of Australians incorrectly believe the condition only affects the elderly, and that there is nothing they can do to reduce the risk of dementia. This is tragic, as early post-diagnostic support can help people maintain independence and dignity.

Pressure is already being felt on our national and family budgets, with stretched support services struggling to meet the increasing demands. While effective pharmaceutical treatments are on the horizon, focused mainstream public action across generations is required now.

We can take our own preventative action too, as we know that there is a winning double we can back. What is good for our heart is good for our brain with exercise, sleep, nutrition, and regularly renewing relationships.

Garry Reynolds,
Peregian Springs.
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WORK FOR THE DOLE  
Dear editor,

Regional and remote areas of Australia are sparsely populated, with many of our First Nations people. While coastal towns and cities have reasonable access to multiple government services, regional and remote areas face the tyranny of distance from services, taken for granted in more populated towns and cities.

The Kimberley Region in remote north-western W.A. was once a thriving food bowl, owing to its naturally abundant water flow. However, this region was declared a sacred Aboriginal site, consequently limiting agriculture and pastoral activity, due to First Nation descendants’ traditional claims. It has unlimited potential for employment for the isolated, like the mining industry in regional Australia, employing First Nations’ people, handsomely remunerated, legally consenting to native title land usage. It is a compromise benefiting both Australian industry and its citizens.

The dilemma is that our Federal Government’s “Work for the Dole” scheme sets out the rules for collecting payments for all unemployed Australians seeking unemployment benefits. However, the employment opportunities in remote regions may be limited by economic opportunities, lack of transport and native title claims. In short, “A class action has been launched against the Commonwealth Government over its former ‘Work for the Dole’ program”[ABC news], brought by senior Aboriginal and Torres Strait elders applicants. Their filed class action determined that these people were racially discriminated against, hoping to see compensation for participation in the remote Community Development Program between 2015 and 2021, imposing tougher requirements than on city jobseekers. Their hours were longer and  jobs more difficult, mandatory for payment.

But more recent changes to the “Remote Jobs and Economic Development Program” have addressed the anomalies in unfair pay, job and time and conditions. Self-determination and economic opportunity give remote communities greater dignity, better work conditions, equivalent payments, respect and satisfaction, on a par with town and city applicants. Where you live, or your ethnicity, should not determine your unemployment conditions and payments. “We are one, but we are many”.

E. Rowe,
Marcoola.
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WAR RHETORIC 
Dear editor,

‘Reds under beds’, ‘the yellow peril’, ‘the domino effect’, ‘weapons of mass destruction’, Whyalla wipeout, carbon tax, Warren Borders, Scientists, Greenies, wind farms, migrants. Just asking if OZ is on a continuous war alert?

Margaret Wilkie,
Peregian Beach.
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DEMENTIA WEEK
Dear editor,

An immense thank you to everyone who was involved and spread the word during the 2025 Dementia Action Week from September 15-21.

Across Australia, individuals and organisations supported our campaign ‘Nobody can do it alone’, encouraging everyone in the community to reach out and reconnect with someone in their life affected by dementia.

Social isolation and loneliness are, unfortunately, all too commonly experienced by many living with dementia. And, with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reporting this month that dementia is now the leading cause of death for all Australians, chances are that you know someone impacted and can help be part of their support system – so that none of us have to face dementia alone.

On behalf of the estimated 433,300 Australians living with dementia and the 1.7 million people involved in their care, thank you for showing your support this Dementia Action Week.

While Dementia Action Week is only one week each year, the conversation and action to eliminate the lack of understanding that leads to stigma and discrimination continues year-round. For information and tips on how you can continue working towards a dementia-friendly future, please visit dementia.org.au/DementiaActionWeek.

For support any time, please contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Merran Kelsall AO,
Chair Dementia Australia.
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