On fracking

John Kotsopoulos writes: Re. “Are Victoria and NSW really going to be forced to start fracking?” (Monday)

I am astonished that Commonwealth Grants Commission should even contemplate incentivising damaging policy by ignoring the potential health, environmental,  economic and social costs of fracking for coal seam gas.

The lessons of recent history in the banking sector cannot be ignored.  The unconscionable behaviour that is now widely condemned was encouraged or at least tolerated because it generated revenues, profits and bonuses with no regard to the law or social consequences.

Far from “locking up gas reserves” Victoria, as I understand, is spending $40 million plus investigating possible sources of conventional gas reserves. This is a much more sensible, and dare I say it conservative, approach than one that encourages the open slather use of fracking for gas exploration with its myriad risks.

On Catalonian independance

Desmond Graham writes: Re. “Catalan independence referendum turns violent as police storm voting stations“(Monday)

Spain would do well to adopt our commonwealth structure with the Basques and the Catalonia — then it may become the leading country again in that part of Europe. France is white-anted as a culture and barely holding together. No one listens to France, no matter how much they pout and strut because economically it has been hollowed out by successive governments.

The Spanish Commonwealth would again become the driver of European civilisation as it was in the expansion of Europe from 1599 onwards.