Aussie made, but at a price
I know of few Australians who would not prefer to buy Australian-made products in preference to their imported counterparts.
But in practice, they do not as the price of the locally made product is usually substantially higher.
Most people have to work to a budget.
I have a simple policy.
If the Australian-made product is no more than 10% higher, I will buy it.
Otherwise not.
Michael Gamble,
Belmont
Solar queries
I’ve just received notification of reduction in my solar feed-in tariff to $0.052 per Kwh (from July 2022), as agreed by the Victoria Essential Services Commission (VES).
At a time when energy prices are going up, they actually reduce the feed in tariff to a fraction of what it was when solar feed-in was first set up; encouraging us to install solar panels. So, shouldn’t they be encouraging feed-in at a time of energy crisis?
Electricity suppliers have no massive, generating infrastructure requirements for feed in, as opposed to the costs of conventional generation. I will sell feed-in to them at $0.052 and they will sell it back to me at $0.16. or more. Three hundred % more than the cost of buying it from me. Hardly an equitable deal.
So, it appears the VES’s role is not supporting the consumer, but the corporate shareholders. Or am I missing something?
Andy Jennings,
Leopold
Can’t bear it
I shudder every time I see that TV ad where a bear confronts a group of people and they offer it something edible. That is absolutely the worst thing to do as anyone who has been in bear territory will know.
Barkerville, about 800km north of Vancouver, is like a real-life Sovereign Hill with a lot of open country. We were told not to drop any food, or even food wrappers, if we walked beyond the township, because that would attract bears from far off, as they have a very acute sense of smell.
I thought it was just a good way to keep their forest clean; but when we went to Yosemite National Park, I learnt a thing or two.
It was forbidden to leave food in cars overnight as bears just rip cars open to get a midnight snack. Cars containing food are impounded at night.
Otherwise bear-proof food containers must be used; they are then hoisted up trees to a certain height and out on a limb at least six feet from the trunk of the tree. Any food scraps have to be placed in bear-proof rubbish bins.
Pets are also endangered – a dog, belonging to our friends in Ontario who have a cabin in the mountains, was eaten by a bear during one of their Christmas holidays.
So hopefully, this unbearable ad disappears from our screens very soon.
Melva Stott,
Anglesea
Buckets and bouquets
Massive thanks to six strangers and two ambos that came to my daughter’s rescue when she fell off her bike at the end of Garden Street a while ago. You were all angels to assist her and ring me. We are deeply grateful. She is now well. Good karma to you. Thankful, Geelong.
Mrs Julia G Mauger, Geelong
