Dear editor,
July 16 is the 80th anniversary of an event of great global significance.
On that day in 1945 Americans initiated an era of nuclear warfare by detonating their newly invented plutonium bomb in a desert in New Mexico.
Three weeks later on August 6 they annihilated Hiroshima in Japan using their uranium bomb for the first time.
Three days later on August 9 they obliterated Nagasaki with their second plutonium bomb.
In the following decades more than 1000 nuclear bomb tests were carried out above and below ground and undersea.
America also built an arsenal of thousands of nuclear weapons to assert their position as the globally dominant superpower.
A total of 800 American military bases have been established around the world, facilitating decades of American warfare that continues today.
In 2025, America is in a mess and its administration continues to cause distress at home and abroad.
Australia cannot afford to continue to have a sycophantic relationship with this administration.
John Scott, Louth Bay
Climate change is a major factor driving up food costs
Dear editor,
Australians are making the connection between climate change and rising food prices – and they’re right to.
A recent Farmers for Climate Action poll of 1000 Australians found that 65 per cent believe climate change is a major factor driving up food costs.
They are seeing it firsthand at the checkout.
The Cost of Climate Change at the Checkout report outlines the impact: floods like those in Queensland, drought in western Victoria, destructive storms, and bushfires during the Black Summer in Gippsland and New South Wales.
These events are damaging crops, disrupting supply chains and leaving supermarket shelves emptier and prices higher.
The good news? We can act. By cutting emissions and investing in farm resilience, we’re not just supporting farmers – we’re protecting generations of agricultural tradition and securing Australia’s food future.
Ben Gebert, Farmers for Climate Action
