They have the highest workplace deaths of any profession and must deal with chronic fatigue and stress.

An analysis by the Victorian coroner’s court shows truck drivers had the highest number of suicides out of any other profession, with 53 drivers taking their own lives between 2008 to 2014.

They are often the ones blamed for crashes when often it is other factors which are the root causes of these incidents.

Many of these problems stem from low-cost contracts by the wealthy supermarkets and manufacturers which force drivers to subsist on meagre rates.

Drivers face pressures to speed, drive long hours, skip breaks and skip maintenance on their trucks just to make ends meet.

Instead of backing measures to support these drivers and their businesses, Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman Kate Carnell opposed a system which was setting minimum rates for drivers, protecting them from clients’ pressure to take risks and ensuring they got paid on time (“Inquiry into affect of RSRT order on truck drivers to be released within weeks”, The Border Mail, July 29).

Her opposition to a solution, and the opposition of industry lobby groups and their allies in the federal government, leave drivers like Terry worse off and our roads less safe.

One of the changes made to the 2016 Census is a deeply worrying one for all conservative Christian Australians.

In the question, “What is Your Religion?”, the option “no religion” will be on top, moved from its usual place at the bottom. Why?

“No religion” equates to atheist or agnostic, no belief in a God.

Like in elections, many people will tick the top selection, similar to a donkey vote, not realising its importance. 

Where is the word “Christian?” It does not appear, even though many of us would consider ourselves as such. 

I do not affiliate with any church, but call myself a Christian. I certainly will not mark “no religion”.

Quote Census: “No Religion will be on top, moved from its usual place on the bottom. That could see Christianity overtaken as the most popular religion, which then triggers changes to government funding.”

I would like to ask the government, and ABS, why the change, why no Christian option? In the light of what is happening in Australia, and the world, I am deeply concerned. For those readers who wish to retain good Australian values and culture, please make sure you tick a Christian religion, or alternatively, write “Christian” in the other box at the bottom. 

I would like to say a very big thank you to the kind person who handed in my lost green handbag to security at Wodonga Plaza on Tuesday, August 2,. It was greatly appreciated and I am sorry you didn’t leave your name and address so that I could have thanked you in person.

What a wonderful gesture it was for magistrate John Murphy to donate fines in Wodonga Court to the Alfred Hospital burns unit, on behalf of the family of Trevor Parker. After losing Trevor, the Parker family must also be commended for their efforts to give back to the hospital that cared for him. Surely a case of tragedy bringing out the best in people.