July 20, 2026 — 8:00pmCathy WilcoxTo submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.ONE NATIONI am by no means a Pauline Hanson supporter, but I do not understand why, according to George Brandis, some Australians are worried by the notion of a national ID card (″⁣When Hanson’s supporters examine all her policies, what they find could ‘horrify’ them″⁣, 20/7).In Australia, most institutions require a driver’s licence as proof of identity. Not all Australians have a driver’s licence: some never learnt to drive, some live in remote communities, some are too old or physically impaired.An ID card would be useful to them.In Italy, all citizens or residents have an ID card and can easily prove their identity in institutions such as banks, hospitals, police stations and polling booths. It takes about one week and less than 20 euros to get one: all you need is three photos and another document with your photo, such as a health card, issued in Italy.A national ID card also avoids the danger, all too present in the United States, of people being prevented from voting because they do not have a passport or a birth certificate, or because they changed their name for reasons such as marriage, and therefore their passport or birth certificate has a different name on it.Mirna Cicioni, Brunswick EastNever serious but often usefulDavid Crowe is correct when, referring to One Nation leader Pauline Hanson, he notes that “tough politicians take questions. Weak ones run away” (“Hanson is sweating five-star European summer more than she’s willing to let on”, 20/7). Hanson has always considered herself a victim, which explains her self-righteous, diva-like evasions.Who could forget her flag-draped “if-you’re-seeing-me-now-it-means-I-have-been-murdered video” from decades ago? She has never been, nor will ever be, a “serious politician”, but rather a useful tool for the globalised interests of powerful backers like Gina Rinehart.Michelle Goldsmith, EaglehawkHow is this so?A prominent Australian politician goes overseas and slags off Australia and Australians. Please explain.Patrick Alilovic, Pascoe Vale SouthClinging to outsider statusDavid Crowe poses some good questions that Pauline Hanson has yet to answer about her policies and beliefs (″⁣Hanson is sweating five-star European summer more than she is willing to let on″⁣, 20/7).These include how she will cut annual migration to 130,00 and enforce a ban on wearing the burqa.Perhaps, in reality, Hanson knows that these policies will never be implemented and that is the point of having unworkable policies such as these. They set her up against the “establishment” and allow her to portray herself as an outsider “standing up for Australians”.If these policies were to be achieved, then the grievance of her party disappears and her political persona loses its impact. It is much like the dog that chases the car but doesn’t know what to do if it were to catch it.Hanson gains more politically by ensuring her policies can never be implemented and thus she can remain “the political outsider” and keep the gravy train rolling.Rod Moran, BrightonOne Nation’s known unknownsAustralian politicians should get off their backsides and say what they really think about Pauline Hanson. What is known of her policies is bad enough, what is unknown could attack the very fabric of our society.Stop thinking about what you can do for yourselves, and start thinking about what you can do for your country.Barry Revill, MoorabbinTHE FORUMLove thy adopted landImmigration has undoubtedly made Australia a better place; however, a small minority have caused the majority of our problems. The same applies to Britain and many other European nations.It’s not racist to indiscriminately slash immigration numbers, nor is it racist to properly screen migrants to ensure they align with our values.It’s difficult to comprehend why migrants from war-torn, poverty stricken or authoritarian countries arrive here, and instead of being grateful for the freedom, safety and generosity of our government, they still seek to import the animosities they should have left behind.Our society is based on the Judeo-Christian principles of fairness, human rights and the rule of law.This has made us the envy of the world, however lately, there seem to be cracks appearing, partly due to sections of migrant incompatibility with our culture, leading to criminal activity and antisemitism.Being an immigrant myself, I can understand the attachment to the old country; however, you have to love your adopted land. That is the test.Christo Krousoratis, TemplestoweSand shifts beneathDefined by George Brandis as a metaphor for “the acceptable boundaries of public discussion”, (“Hanson will hurt supporters most”, 20/7), the Overton window does not only relate to the boundaries of what constitutes acceptable public discussion.Australia has been a society of going with the flow because for decades, the flow has been unusually kind. We don’t protest in the streets like the French. However, it is the foundations at the centre of Australia’s Overton window which the citizenry now questions, that which economist JK Galbraith referred to as “the framework itself” (The Affluent Society, 1958).A shift of societal understanding is occurring, away from a habitual response of “it is what it is”, to the dawning of a new understanding, that “what is” is not what it should be.Ruth Farr, Blackburn SouthBytes or babiesPublic debate about artificial intelligence often fixates on ″⁣energy guzzling″⁣ data centres, but we rarely set these figures in a human context.Recent estimates suggest global data centres consume on the order of 400 terawatt hours of electricity each year and withdraw trillions of litres of water for cooling. These are big numbers, yet they are only one slice of our broader resource use.Consider the roughly 130 million babies born worldwide annually. Even using conservative, back of the envelope assumptions, the extra household electricity and water associated with caring for these newborns is of the same order of magnitude as data centre cooling water and a substantial fraction of data centre electricity demand. Factor in the full energy and water embodied in food, clothing and services for each child, and their collective footprint dwarfs that of our digital infrastructure.This is not an argument against either babies or data centres. Rather, it is a reminder that focusing moral outrage on servers alone risks obscuring the real challenge: a systemic, population scale demand for energy and water.If we want an honest conversation about sustainability, we must look beyond the data centres and confront our wider social and economic choices.Angus McLeod, CremorneTax fairness waitsIt’s positive that the Labor National Conference may be a launching pad for a gas export tax (″⁣Labor clashes on Gaza, gas tax expected at conference″⁣, 20/7). Currently, multinational gas corporations contribute less through company tax and the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax than nurses pay in personal income tax.Their operations also generate the greenhouse pollution driving climate impacts that alreadycost Australia an estimated $4.5 billion a year in extreme weather damage.As Albanese’s Labor has acknowledged, Australians deserve a fairer return from our natural resources, but we also need those resources managed responsibly and humanely.Tax fairness would be a start, but accountability for climate impacts must follow.Larni Dibben, Glen IrisRural numbersI would like to correct the misconception that the majority of rural residents oppose renewable energy developments in their areas.According to polls conducted by 89 Degrees East, for Farmers for Climate Action, 65 per cent of rural people support wind and solar farms on their land.Only 17 per cent objected entirely. However, when asked if they thought that their neighbours also thought this way, only 37 per cent thought that they did.It appears that the vocal angry minority, amplified by the Murdoch media and aggressive Facebook posting have distorted the argument to the extent that right-wing political parties think that they are on a winner in opposing renewables when the truth is the opposite.Dan Caffrey, TraralgonMitchell’s witchesNeil Mitchell calls Mad F---ing Witches ″⁣bullies″⁣ for pressuring advertisers to drop broadcasters he likes (″⁣These ‘witches’ claim to have brought down Kyle, Karl and Alan Jones,″⁣ 19/7). Then he uses this masthead to persuade the rest of us to agree with him.Same tactic, different currency. MFW spends pressure on advertisers. Mitchell spends 50 years of access to media most Australians will never have.Tina Berghella, EdithvaleFinding my tribeThanks, Neil Mitchell for bringing MFW to our attention. They sound like my tribe, so I’ll be joining them. Good on them for contributing to the downfall of Kyle Sandilands. Someone had to do something.Kerry O’Meara, BalaclavaMFW displeasurePleased to see Neil Mitchell’s indignation at MFW. These girlies seem to need it pointed out to them that only elderly, opinionated white men have the right to raise public indignation about things they don’t like.Ian Campbell, Blackburn SouthWitch troll truckRe “Witch Troll Truck back on road”, 20/7. How does this not qualify as ‘hate speech’? If the slogan targeted Jews or Muslims, there would be an outcry, if not a royal commission, but somehow, in 2026, in a country where, according to the Australian government in 2024, almost 25 per cent of women over 15 experienced violence or abuse of some form and over 1700 women had been killed over a 35 year period by someone they knew intimately, it is OK to drive around with a billboard labelling a woman as a witch.Roger Hyland, RichmondInsulin pumpsRegarding your series on medical devices, it is disappointing to see the emphasis placed on one of the extremely infrequent side effects of insulin pumps. These are life saving and life changing devices used by hundreds of thousands of people, including all children under eighteen, even tiny toddlers. They give freedom to both adults and children from the tedium of blood testing and daily injections. They allow the parents of toddlers to monitor their children remotely and at night.The headline that ″⁣It nearly killed me″⁣ (20/7) gives a false impression regarding these devices, to anyone who is not familiar with them. I am sympathetic to the poor man involved, but it is not a headline, and he has indeed got another pump.Julie Smith, Soldiers HillFootball codesIn both codes of football does the awarding of free kicks and penalties now need players to appeal to the umpire first?Peter Thomas, Pascoe ValeFinal fizzlesWhat an anti-climax of a World Cup final. I watched with much dismay the staging for free kicks from both teams. By far the worst of the entire tournament. For the two teams considered the best in the world, it was truly an embarrassing effort. Congratulations to Spain for winning, and what a champion Lionel Messi is.Nick Jensen, CanterburyLocal heroesThree of the sporting world’s greatest spectacles have unfolded over the past 72 hours. Spain deservedly claimed football’s ultimate prize after a magnificent World Cup final, bringing the curtain down on Lionel Messi’s extraordinary World Cup career. Across the Atlantic, the Open in the UK again reminded us why links golf remains the purest examination of skill and temperament, while our Kiwi cousins rightly celebrated Ryan Fox’s superb triumph.Impressive though these global events were, they faded ever so slightly—at least in this household—beside the inexorable march of the mighty Magpies on Saturday night.While Messi has spent two decades redefining footballing genius, Collingwood supporters are fortunate enough to watch Nick Daicos perform his own weekly masterclass, albeit before a rather smaller audience.To our long-suffering neighbours in navy blue, commiserations. To Collingwood’s gloriously one-eyed black-and-white rusted-ons, the dream lives on. Sometimes the biggest sporting event in the world is simply the one that matters most.Darren Grindrod, GlenroyCoffee adviceAfter reading the article (20/7) on dementia risk, it’s a no-brainer that I’ll keep implementing the one daily preventative measure I enjoy most. My morning coffee.Anna Radywonik, Moonee PondsAND ANOTHER THINGMatt GoldingPoliticsPresident Trump might be able to make millions but it seems he’s not smart enough to add two and two together and realise that by sending US troops to fight an unprovoked war with Iran, some of them will get killed (″⁣Trump launches retaliatory strikes″⁣, 20/7).Beverley Campbell, CastlemaineI have heard a rumour that One Nation is changing its name to better reflect its values - White Nation.Naomi Brown, North Perth, WAIt would be a nice show of commitment to multicultural Australia if former prime ministers, foreign ministers and leaders of the opposition opted for diplomatic postings in Jakarta and Beijing rather than London and Washington. Like, in the national interest.Robert Edis, Lakes EntranceWorld CupCongratulations to Spain on winning the World Cup. Brickbats to Donald Trump who single-handedly turned the ‘beautiful game’ into something quite frumpish (or should that be ‘Trumpish’?)Jon Smith, LeongathaWell, the World Cup did get my partner interested in soccer for five minutes.Ian Macdonald, TraralgonNot since I attended maths lessons in hyperbolæ and hyperbolic paraboloids, have I heard so much hyperbolæ as Monday morning’s television broadcast of the aftermath of the soccer match in America.Greg Eccleston, MalvernFurthermoreIf families are facing budget stress from increased private school fees, there is always a much more affordable and rewarding publicly funded option.Annie Wilson, Inverloch“Delight in small dogs”, Opinion, 20/7. Our King Charles/papillon gave us and others delight beyond measure, just as Ferdie the Prague ratter does. Thank you, Malcolm Knox for a few moments to smell the daisies rather than fear the future.Miriam Gould, MalvernThe opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here. From our partners