Car dealers may still sell a mix of internal combustion vehicles and electric and hybrid vehicles, as now. What's changed is that dealers must meet a fleet emissions target encouraging them to buy and sell more low emissions vehicles. It's hard to argue against lower CO2 emissions and cleaner air.

When Australians realise that the towing capacity of the Ford F150 Lightning electric ute at 4.5t exceeds that of Australia's Ford Ranger ute at 3.9t, they will want one. Not only are they cheaper to run and maintain, but power tools and fridges can be plugged into them too.

What's needed now is for state and federal governments to provide incentives to increase the availability and reduce the cost of these amazing vehicles in Australia.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn

How can any government consider it's fair to struggling workers and low income people how we work out inflation. Then from that calculation the only method we have to counter inflation is to raise interest rates on mortgages - mostly affecting people already struggling from the 13 increases.

I'm so pleased for lots of people who do have the money for those extra luxuries like attending that recent singer extravaganza at the MCG. But if anyone does not expect inflation to rise in the next few months completely on the excess money spent on that event then I suggest watch this space.

Especially as it's now happening even bigger in Sydney. And somewhere after that as well.

Surely there must be a better way to control the inflation that these events will affect. Maybe control better the price gouging of the supermarkets.

Even consider a way to get all the huge companies that make billions from Australian people then pay only a minimal amount of tax on that revenue by having their company listed as an Irish owned company. When they then pay no tax here. And a minimum over there. Around 5 per cent.

We think we are run by intelligent people. But are we really? This is not directed at one political party. It's directed at our out of date system.

John Patterson, Warrnambool

How heartening that there is a spike in the Corangamite Shire residents' desire to be part of climate solutions (Push to plant more trees and tackle future climate change, The Standard, February 14).

The recognition that private landowners have an opportunity to revegetate and regenerate land and soil as a climate solution is important, especially given that agriculture is the largest contributor to climate change in the region. Land owners, however, should be supported by government incentives to undertake these restoration projects.

We can all play our part in reducing emissions but ultimately it is the decisions and actions of governments and big corporations that will determine our ability to counter global warming.

Amy Hiller, Kew

In his article promoting nuclear energy development, Michael de Percy laments the lack of 'open policy debate' around the energy issue (Where to find power to get us to net zero," The Standard, February 20).

But he himself fails to mention the concerns of Farmers for Climate Action, an 8000 strong organisation which supports clean energy infrastructure in Australia. The day before the anti-renewables rally, farmers representing this group brought their message to Canberra. A survey by Farmers for Climate Action found that more than half of farmers saw climate change as the greatest threat to their livelihood, with less than one percent viewing renewables as a threat.

Of course, proper community engagement on any project is essential, which is why this is now being reviewed. It would be a shame if landholders' legitimate concerns about climate change were overshadowed by a noisy few.

Anne O'Hara, Wanniassa, ACT

The Victorian Nationals have won a five-year long battle to allow counsellors to provide much needed mental health support to students as part of Victoria's Mental Health Practitioners in Schools program.

For too many students, the lingering impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and associated school closures has taken its toll on the mental health of our children.

While demand for mental health support has increased significantly, Labor's failure to build Victoria's mental health workforce means that all too often, when Victorians need mental health support, it simply isn't available.

This critical shortage of mental health practitioners was highlighted in Labor's limited scoping of mental health support provided in government schools, with counsellors inexplicably ruled out as being approved as 'acceptable' mental health support workers. Many schools across Victoria simply couldn't secure an approved mental health worker such as a psychiatrist or psychologist to deliver this program, and it was our students that paid the price, with no mental health support being provided in many schools at all.

From day one of term one, this was changed, with counsellors now eligible to provide mental health support in our schools. Since 2019, The Nationals have persistently raised the matter in Parliament, putting forward critical legislative changes to enable this important change - that Labor stubbornly voted against, twice.

However, there's still much more work to be done to fix Victoria's broken mental health system.

The longer we wait for Labor to enact the Royal Commission's 2019 recommendations around workforce development, the longer the waiting lists will grow, the deeper the mental health harms will become, and the more pressure our existing mental health workforce will face.

Emma Kealy, Deputy Leader of The Nationals