Letters to the Editor: Thursday, October 29, 2026

Rail Gauge Debate
(The Editor, “The Times”)
Dear Editor.– It is with interest I read of a new proposal for re-instatement of a Mildura to Melbourne passenger rail service.
I will try and remain impartial politically, but present some comments on the proposal, and the practical points that accompany it.

My days as a Buloke Councilor are getting to be in the distant past, as I retired from Council prior to the 2012 election. Prior to that my interest in transport had been one of the highlights, and, as one of the debatable points, the introduction of such passenger service along with the change from broad gauge to standard gauge in this area of Victoria.

The concept of a standard gauge passenger train from Mildura through this Donald area to Ballarat was thwarted by the demand that the current broad gauge connection from Maryborough to Ballarat for passengers (two services in each direction per day) be retained.

My stand at the time was to standardize Mildura through Maryborough and Ballarat and on to the ports of Geelong and Melbourne for freight, leaving a passenger service from Ballarat into the suburban (broad gauge) Melbourne network.

That would have entailed passengers exiting a standard gauge service in Ballarat, and changing into a broad gauge passenger train for the remaining trip into Melbourne.

I was told that the idea of people having to change trains in Ballarat was ludicrous – you could not expect passengers to cope with that inconvenience!
Guess what this current proposal asks of passengers?
To travel from any pick up point on the now standard gauge line south from Mildura, as far as Maryborough, where they would be asked to disembark, and then join a broad gauge passenger carriage for the remainder of their journey through Ballarat and on to Melbourne.

A change of gauge in Ballarat was “ludicrous” 16 or 18 years ago, but a change of gauge in Maryborough today is seen as the answer to the problem.

Go figure!
Yours faithfully,
Harold Flett
Donald.

Thank You from the 2026 Birchip Flower Show
(The Editor, “The Times”)
Dear Editor.– The Friends of the East Wimmera Health Service Birchip Ladies Auxiliary wish to thank the following people for helping to contribute to the success of the 2026 Birchip Flower Show held on October 17, at the Birchip Community Leisure Centre Inc,.

Trophy Donors: Robyn Ferrier; John and Cathy Bales; Russell Family; Anne McClelland; Barb Bolden; Doran Family; Simone Christie; Peter and Jenny Jolly; Jacki Cartwright;
Darren and Rosalie Gould; Elaine McCallum; Brooke Morris; Cathy Lowry; Sauce Hogan and Family; Pearsons Nursery; Birchip Cafe.
Stall Holders: Bev’s Baubles – Donald and Horsham; Mallee Shearing Shed; Relish a Mallee Moment; Kaktus Kazza Nursery – Sea Lake; Di Lehmann – Produce and Cake Stall; Wirrim Birchip CWA; Jess Bidstrup Digital Artwork; TMJ Designs Sea Lake.
Stewards: Ronda Cooper; Sue Brennan; ElaineMcCallum; Robyn Ferrier; Maureen Donnellon; Bev Ryan; Lorna Litt.
Judges: Jarrod Tyler; Jaimie Buteux; Val Lee; Brooke Bolden; Maureen Donnellon; Owen Reid.
Take Away Orders and Deliveries: Jenny Noonan; Emily Noonan.
Catering and Food Preparation: Mrs Prue McCredden.
Ladies who volunteered their time to help out in the kitchen throughout the day; Birchip P-12 School hospitality students; members of our community who contributed to the Cakes and Produce Stall.
Barbecue lunch: Roger Lehmann, Paul Barclay and Peter Doran. Doran, Lehmann and Barclay families for donating the meat for the barbecue and the juice boxes for the P-12 students.
Printing and Stationery: Birchip Business and Learning Centre – Simone Christie.
Thanks also to the EWHS Birchip Campus – Helen Barclay, Russell Hallam, Maddie Pasquani and the kitchen staff for the yummy slices and cooking of the meat. Caroline Carr, Casey Harrison and EWHS Birchip Campus Staff for selling ice-creams, popcorn and frogs in the pond, as well as the ever-popular lucky dips.

To the community of Birchip and neighbouring towns for their support leading up to the Flower Show and on the day, your generosity is overwhelming and never forgotten.

The Friends of the EWHS Committee Executive, thanks the committee for their
loyalty and commitment, not only on the day of the flower show, but all the meetings in preparation for the day and for the set up the day before and clean up after.

We look forward to seeing everyone again in 2027,
Brooke, Brenda, Carol and Cathy,
EWHS Birchip Hospital Auxiliary Executive.

Re. The financial Debt of Australia
(The Editor, “The Times”)
Dear Editor.– The fiscal National debt of Australia’s (Federal government only) has hit 1.5 trillion dollars and rising for the first time in our country’s financial history, I cannot help to think this debt record will be the bench mark for much tougher times ahead, financially and economically. Australia’s national debt is counted as the debts of the federal government of the Commonwealth of Australia only. The debts of Australia’s states and territories are not included into the national debt but remain as a separate entity requiring repayment each year. The same applies for personal and household debt.

Federal and state debts of this magnitude are nothing to be proud of, in fact it is an absolute disgrace and much worse, the debt has shackled the next generation of Australians and generations to follow. All will suffer the brunt of repaying something that is not their doing and ultimately turn these generations into slaves to the monetary system. Australian governments need to hang their heads in shame. All of them including previous successive governments in Canberra, for failing to show amongst other things - fiscal restraint on borrowings, responsible governance, due diligence and accountability to those who elected you, but we know they will not. There are always excuses and more excuses but never allowing the true blame back to them. That said, the same applies to state and territory governments who have also racked up staggering debt and like the financial debt of Australia, their debt must be repaid with interest, another double whammy for the taxpayer.

Same excuses, same lies, always blaming the previous government. Here in Victoria or commonly named ‘the ‘Pot hole state’ – net debt is nearly $200 billion with interest rates roughly $24.4 million each day and is expected to see rises to $32.3 million per day by 2029-20.30. Is it any wonder we are a basket case?
Victoria’s net debt is the highest over all states and territories. Other state debts are – New South Wales - $103 B and rising, Queensland – 28 B and falling, South Australia – 26 B and stable, Western Australia – 22 B and falling, Australian Capital Territory – 14 B and rising, Northern Territory – 8.5 B and stable and finally Tasmania 5.5 B and rising. What a legacy our so-called elected representatives have left our children and their children to come. Thanks politicians you have sold us out yet again.

Household debt is the total amount of money owed by all members of a household to financial institutions such as banks, non-banking institutions and others. Debt includes mortgages, loans, credit card balances, obligations that require repayment of principal and interest to creditors at fixed dates in the future. Loans for purchasing property, usually the largest and longest-term debt, often secured by the home itself. Home equity loans, borrowed against the value of a home. Auto loans, financing for vehicles. Student loans, borrowed for education expenses, revolving credit, flexible borrowing with minimum monthly payments.

How much household debt do Australians hold? Household debt reached a record $3.33 trillion in June 2025, a 6% increase on the $3.14 trillion recorded a year earlier, according to Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) data. Mortgages remain by far the largest component of household debt.

Australia's household debt-to-disposable-income ratio was approximately 177% in December 2025, based on Reserve Bank of Australia figures compiled by CEIC. That means the average household owes around 1.8 times its annual disposable income, among the highest ratios in the OECD. Household debt in Australia is around $313.600 per household which is primarily driven by, you guessed it – residential mortgages, personal loans, and credit cards. Australians have the second and highest ratio of household debt to GDP in the world at 114%, it trails Switzerland and is well above the percentage for most advanced economies.

There are about 12.1 million active personal credit cards in Australia that are currently accruing interest, an interest generating about $19.4 billion, the daily interest costs Australians pay every day is estimated at being a staggering $10 million every day. The total credit card limit available is around $107.2 billion which means consumers are using roughly 18% of their total approved limit. The total value of transactions across credit and debit cards hit $89.5 billion in May this year, the second highest on record with the highest level recorded in March this year. Australians who are collectively paying the estimated $10 million each day in interest could see this money paying down a mortgage or assisting in reducing everyday living costs.

Australians took out about $9.3 billion in new fixed-term personal loans in the June 2025 quarter, with $4.9 billion of that going to car loans. The total value of new personal loans was 16.8% higher than a year earlier.

The national debt directly affects all of us in some way, it directly impedes economic prosperity, inflates household budgets, living standards, reduces genuine government spending across the board, reduces people’s purchasing power in real terms, these are just a few of many. So, when you hear Australia’s state and federal debt is heading north of a two trillion dollars, it’s natural to wonder, who are we borrowing all this money from? The answer is a bit of a mystery and seriously one that raises genuine concerns as transparency, accountability, and whether our politicians are being honest with us. Let’s break it down because this is about our money, our future, and our right to know.

Who and what are we paying back to or put it another way – who’s holding the IOUs and what it means for us? Starting with the federal debt, about 60-70% of it is owned by foreign investors, international banks, sovereign wealth funds, or wealthy individuals overseas. The rest is held domestically by Australian banks (like the big four- Commonwealth, Westpac, ANZ, and NAB of which their major shareholders are offshore companies), superannuation funds, and some everyday Australians who invest in government bonds. State debts follow a similar pattern, with domestic banks holding around 40% in places like Victoria, and foreign investors picking up 10-15% or more. We, the common people, are not really privileged to the true ins and outs on who controls the overseas purse, possibly there maybe a deliberate lack of transparency from those who borrow this money.

When two-thirds of our federal debt and a chunk of state debt is owed to faceless foreign entities, how do we know what their agendas are? Are they just investors looking for a safe bet (Australia’s AAA credit rating makes our bonds attractive), or could there be strings attached? Is there data to answer that? Instead, we blindly trust the very politicians that are sending this country to the wall.

The final question Mr Editor is straight forward enough and is directed to us, why does this matter to you the Australian citizen? You might be thinking, “Okay, so the government borrows money Big deal.” But it is a big deal, because this debt isn’t free every year we, taxpayers, battlers and common people, fork out billions to cover interest payments—around A$22 billion in 2023-24 for federal debt alone. That’s money that could be fixing roads, funding hospitals, or cutting taxes and a whole heap of other essentials, instead, it’s going to investors and parasites we can’t even name. Then there’s the bigger more serious question- are our politicians benefiting from all of this? Maybe some are, we don’t know, and there’s the problem. Politicians, advisors and bureaucrats often have ties to the financial world—think revolving doors between government and big banks or consulting firms. When debt is issued, banks and brokers earn fees for handling the transactions. Could there be conflicts of interest? Could decisions about borrowing be influenced by personal or political gain? Without true transparency distrust is fuelled if the government can’t or won’t tell us who we’re borrowing from, it is just another measure of distrust in a growing line of extreme distrust. How can we be sure the system is working for us and not just for a select few?
Can we be sure our leaders are acting in our best interests?

Next time you hear a politician talk about “managing the debt,” ask yourself managing it for whom? Until we get better answers, we’re left with a system that feels like it’s built to keep us in the dark and make us poorer.

Consider this. $1.6 trillion in $100 notes would circle the Earth 63 times, illustrating the immense scale of this debt. With approximately 14 million taxpayers in Australia, each taxpayer is liable for $150,000 of the debt.

You could wrap $1 bills around the Earth 3,647 times with the total debt amount.
Stacked flat, $1 bills would form a pile 102,317 km (63,577 miles) high. That stack would reach the Moon and back 0.3 times.

National Debt Per Citizen. A$48,028.

Interest Payments Per Second A$1,293 ticking while you read this.
Mr Editor, State debts cannot be ignored. Australia’s fiscal imbalance means that the federal government will have to bail out failed states and states will have bail out local government authorities. Ultimately, all Australian taxpayers will have to foot the bill.

Government borrowing for productive investment or during an economic crisis can be excusable but borrowing to fund handouts, subsidies and a bloated bureaucracy is reckless and ultimately undermines our nation’s prosperity and sovereignty over the long term.

Sincerely yours.
Kenneth King,
Birchip