DEMENTIA AWARENESS 
Dear editor,

In 2026, there are an estimated 446,500 Australians living with dementia, a figure projected to more than double to over one million people by 2065.

In Queensland, there are an estimated 88,200 people living with dementia in 2026 and without a significant intervention, this is expected to increase to an estimated 168,300 by 2054.

That’s why Dementia Australia is calling for further investment from the Federal Government in implementing the National Dementia Action Plan, a ten-year government framework aiming to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers.

Dementia Australia is here 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. If you or someone you know has a diagnosis of dementia, or mild cognitive impairment, or you’re concerned about changes to your cognition or that of a loved one, contact the National Dementia Helpline on 1800 100 500 or visit dementia.org.au.

Professor Tanya Buchanan,
CEO Dementia Australia
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TRAFFIC WOES 
Dear editor,

Brisbane’s traffic jams might feel like a modern misery, but we’ve been wrestling with congestion for generations. Sixty years ago, the Gabba’s Five Ways intersection was already so chaotic it needed a man perched in a tram‑control box to stop trams, horses, cars, trucks, trolley buses, cyclists and pedestrians from colliding.

To add to the congestion, a railway employee waving a red flag and ringing a warning bell walked ahead of a steam locomotive as it crawled through the intersection with a string of wagons full of logs.

During cricket broadcasts from the Gabba, the whole country heard this racket. Perhaps that soundtrack rattled Don Bradman in 1931 when Queensland’s Eddie Gilbert bowled him for a duck. Something had to distract him, after all, in his previous innings against Queensland at the SCG, he scored 452 not out!

Fast‑forward to today, and Brisbane is once again rehearsing for a major event, the 2032 Olympics, with roads already groaning. The Bruce Highway barely crawls at times, and on some routes, an e‑bike or scooter will beat a car.

With 600 new arrivals each week and a population heading toward 4.5 million, the pressure is already there. Despite the glossy brochures and computer‑generated dreams, the reality is blunt: our transport network is puffing like that old steam engine at Five Ways.

If Brisbane wants to host the world, it needs more than renderings. It needs road and rail construction now, or we’ll be waving red flags all over again.

Garry Reynolds,
Peregian Springs.
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SOCIAL MEDIA BAN 
Dear editor,

Despite the  Australian social media ban for under-16-year-olds, they continue to circumvent the restrictions, displaying their determination and problem-solving skills to reinforce their reliance on this form of communication, vital to their social life, at any cost. Strange that the obvious solution, but not popular, could be, that they no longer use a mobile phone.

From observation, many young parents often use the media as a babysitting technique, making it a daily device to keep children “happy” and quiet, avoiding stress and confrontation from toddlers schooled in the lesson of manipulation to have their own way. However, it is the adults who role-model behaviours, being reliant on their phones. “Children learn what they live”, is an old adage, but true, in this sense.

At any major terminal, bus, train, airport, food court or home, one can witness heads down peering into their phones, engrossed in social media or online communication.

The road rules emphasise this by fining any driver on their mobile phone while actually in the driver’s seat, in control of a moving vehicle. The Queensland fine for driving while on the phone is $1251 and four demerit points. Many get caught and, for all accounts, some deny that they are on the phone. However, it is a hard lesson to learn that the rules apply to every driver in that situation, regardless of their excuses. Hitting the hip pocket seems to have a behaviour-moderating influence on those who are physically attached to their phones.

The ethics of compliance with the law, despite the circumstances, seems to have been lost on occasions of personal emergency by some offenders who believe they are exempt. Monitoring under-16-year-olds, who have been raised on social media, but lack the maturity to comprehend the damage and risks associated with constant bombardment from the internet and AI is problematic. They will need to be educated as to the risks from this constant exposure and the mental consequences of this tech addiction.

E. Rowe,
Marcoola.
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E-DEVICES
Dear editor,

How many readers have observed the dangerous use of personal mobility devices? We have had a couple of close, heart-stopping moments and sometimes wonder why there aren’t more collisions.

Mostly young, risk-takers speed around on our footpaths and roads, either ignorant of road rules or with brazen disregard for the safety of themselves or others.

Congratulations to Cr. Maria Suarez for tabling a petition to the Queensland Parliament calling for urgent action to address seven issues “…to reduce community harm, support police, protect young people, and ensure safe e-mobility use across Queensland…”.

A government committee’s report on this issue will be tabled next month, and then how long will it take for the government to act?

Many other states are already implementing changes to address e-vehicle safety. Surely, the Crisafulli Government can consult with them and save time and possibly lives by adapting some of their legislation?

Having signed the councillor’s petition, I encourage other readers to seek and sign the petition on the Queensland government’s website, calling for urgent action to strengthen Queensland’s e-mobility safety framework.

Robyn Deane,
Nambour.
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WORLD’S GREATEST SHAVE
Dear editor,

As Australian children return to school, hundreds will not. Their desks sit empty as they fight blood cancer – the single biggest disease threatening the lives of school-aged children in Australia today.

This year alone, around 350 children will be diagnosed with blood cancer. It now accounts for more than one in three childhood cancers yet remains a largely hidden national tragedy.

A blood cancer diagnosis is sudden and brutal. Children are forced out of classrooms and into hospital wards, enduring aggressive treatment that can last years. Many miss 40 to 60 per cent of school in their first year alone, with some absent for up to 18 months. The impacts on learning, wellbeing and social development are profound and long-lasting.

Over the past two decades, blood cancer incidence among children aged five to 14 has risen by almost 30 per cent. If this trend continues, more than 400 children a year could face this devastating diagnosis within the next decade.

At the Leukaemia Foundation, we see the toll this takes on children and families every day – emotionally, financially and socially. While we provide vital accommodation, transport, education and support services, and invest in life-saving research, we cannot do it alone.

As the World’s Greatest Shave launches nationally, I urge Australians to stand with these children and all Australians impacted by blood cancer. Participating by shaving, cutting or colouring your hair helps ensure no person faces blood cancer without support.

Register to participate in the World’s Greatest Shave at worldsgreatestshave.com or call 1800 500 088.

Chris Tanti,
CEO, Leukaemia Foundation.
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POLITICS  
Dear editor,

What’s not to like? Some voters have had a “gutful” of fumbling, stumbling, bumbling  leaders like Bjelkie-Peterson and former PMs Sir Pository of Wisdom and the Marketeer Minister of Many Ministries. Is it true there’s one notion to make the Red Queen a leader in the image of the USA’s Mad King? Just asking.
Margaret Wilkie. Peregian Beach.
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E-BIKES 
Dear editor,

In response to the letter writer Des. E-bikes were first allowed into the country during the reign of Barnaby Joyce, who was Deputy Prime Minister in 2020 with the LNP.

Van  Ginkel,
Coolum Beach.
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