But nobody seems to mention the elephant in the room. This issue could have been dealt with at any time in the past 20-odd years by our overpaid, spineless politicians and saved taxpayers’ money.

Donald Horne was right all those years ago when he called Australia the Lucky Country, run by second-rate people. Nothing has changed.

Frank Smith, Oaklands

I would like to praise the NSW government on the wakeboard ban (trial) on the Murray River between Corowa and Bundalong.

For too long these high-powered boats towing the skiers at speed and in ever-growing numbers are creating an erosion problem.

Let’s hope the Victorian goverment does likewise and stops them eroding the banks of the Ovens River, because the damage being done there is actually worse.

It would be really good to see the water police monitoring the behaviour of this section of marine vehicles this summer.

I see the plebiscite came in around $22 million under budget. Well done. That is a lot of money to save. Just a thought – that money could be spent on a full audit of sitting politicians to ensure no-one with dual citizenship is in office. Then the pollies could get back to doing their job of running the country with these two distractions sorted out. Just saying!!

I don’t think anyone was all that surprised by the result of the same-sex marriage survey. What I find to be absolutely staggering is that it came in under budget. Is this a first, ever, for a government to spend less than it said it would? It was of course still a shameful waste of money but I am nonetheless stunned it came in under budget.