Australians have become used to hearing the well-rehearsed lines of incumbent politicians and the energy industry: that bio-fuels are expensive, are not well suited for transport, and that we as a country should take a slow approach to the development of any product that competes with our energy export industry.

While I was on a business trip to Sao Paulo, Brazil, last week, my taxi driver pulled up to a regular-looking petrol station to fill up his car. What was interesting was the choice of fuels he had: petrol, a mix of ethanol and petrol or 100 per cent ethanol.

What was the real eye opener, and something that would come as a surprise to most people in Australia, was the prices. Regular petrol was advertised at 2.20 reals ($1.35) a litre and ethanol was just 0.90 reals (55 cents) a litre.

The taxi driver explained that his decision to fill with ethanol was economically driven. While he did not get quite the mileage from ethanol as was possible from petrol, the car performed better, with more power, and the cost of fuel per kilometre travelled was about half that of petrol.

What he did not mention was that ethanol pollutes less, is fully renewable and is close to a net zero contributor to carbon in the atmosphere.

The new generation of ethanol plants being developed today hold the promise of even lower costs by using the non-food portion of plants for ethanol production. It is staggering to think that many (if not most) of the petrol-consuming Australian public still see ethanol as expensive and not a truly green alternative.

If Brazil can produce ethanol from sugar cane at such a competitive cost to that of petrol, one wonders why we are not pushing hard for that here, and at the same time helping our struggling sugar cane industry.

The usual excuses of lower energy for each litre, water solubility and cost appear to be excuses to do nothing while oil prices continue to rise, the balance of payments deteriorates, temperatures continue to rise and energy security declines.

The forecast that oil prices are expected to fall "any time soon" is becoming a joke. Unless Australia makes the effort to start to replace imported oil with locally produced bio-fuels we run the risk of becoming hostage to unstable foreign countries and dream of the time when oil was just $US90 a barrel.

Geoff Bell Lane Cove

Pity about our existing, half-starved training system

Billions of dollars for new technical colleges ("Howard sets a new goal - 100 tech schools", October 30). Mr Howard, just in case you don't know, there is an Australia-wide, rundown TAFE system just waiting for governments with vision to support it. The infrastructure is already (mostly) in place.

Adrianne Hannan Parramatta

In NSW, schools have worked with TAFE for more than 10 years to provide school-based TAFE-accredited courses using the already established TAFE facilities. As well as training, this has been a great link to the world of work for participating students.

Three years ago the Federal Government promised to set up 28 technical colleges, really schools, as an alternative to state TAFE colleges. The Australian National Audit Office has fairly criticised the Howard Government for failing to consult state and territory governments when delivering its 2004 election pledge to establish Commonwealth-funded trade schools. So far, at a cost of $175,000 a student, only 21 of the 28 colleges are operating.

Now both the Coalition and the Opposition are proposing an unrealistic, underfunded provision of technical facilities attached to schools. All this, while for the past 15 years TAFE has had funding cuts, which corresponds with reduced student opportunities.

Surely good economic managers would not repeat the same mistakes, would be able to assess realistic costs, would take advantage of existing specialist facilities and teachers and would consider where the "new" teachers will come from and how long it will take to train them.

Come on Mr Robb and Mr Smith, talk to the people who know something about TAFE and school education.

And all you thousands of former TAFE students, think hard about the realities of these proposals.

Judith Steanes Wollstonecraft

Given that an arts degree represents an entry point for part-time work in service industries, why would John Howard want to downgrade a plumber's trade qualification to this level?

Plumbers already out-earn most university graduates, including law graduates, so long as they are prepared to work 60 hours a week.

Keith Russell Mayfield West

Does John Howard realise his proposed 100 new trade colleges could be the breeding ground for an epidemic of new trade unionists?

Liesel Scholem Roseville

Nonsense peddled about Betfair

It's hard to believe the unbalanced nonsense that is being trotted out about the alleged dangers of Betfair's arrival into NSW ("Iemma push for online betting", October 29).

First, it is here already. Just dial it up on the internet and see for yourself.

Second, every time a punter backs one or more horses to win he also "backs" others to lose. And bookmakers do it all the time.

Third, Betfair did not cause problems in England; rather it solved them and got Jockey Club applause for it.

Fourth, not only Tasmania but also Victoria is now happily doing business with Betfair.

Fifth, the refusal to do business in some overseas jurisdictions, such as Hong Kong, reflects powerbrokers' wishes to maintain monopoly controls rather than consumer desires.

The objections from the Australian Racing Board and Racing NSW are full of holes. Conventional Australian betting turnover has been in decline in real terms for the past 20 years and racing has been slaughtered by other forms of gambling in terms of market share.

Never mind how Morris Iemma got the right answer. Just enjoy the choice, as customers do in all other industries these days.

Bruce N. Teague Gosford

Now I understand what federalism is all about. The federal government taxes the people and then gives money back in tax cuts so that it can win votes. The public then spends this on gambling so that the state government can get a bit more revenue. The state can then fund a few more services that the feds can't fund because they have given it away in tax cuts. Simple really.

Andrew Dix Newtown

AHA out of touch

The Australian Hotels Association's John Thorpe still doesn't understand the consumer market that is disenfranchised in this city ("Raising the bar on licences", October 30). His group represents hotels that are "the centre of many people's lives", and "the community's lounge room".

When punters settle in their seats for many hours, you do indeed need toilets and social impact statements. Many Sydneysiders think their own lounge rooms are perfectly fine to spend an evening, but where can we catch up over a merlot with a friend after work?

Deborah Hurst Lindfield

Hope does not spring eternal

Having just had another operation to remove a changing brain tumour

(5½ years after it was first removed) and now eight days into a six-week radiation treatment cycle, I have only just caught up on Adele Horin's article ("Pollyannas who peddle false hopes", October 27-28).

I can completely agree with her sentiments. Almost every friend, relative, acquaintance and even my doctors have given me the "be positive" lecture.

All these well-meaning people need to spend some time on the other side of the fence. The side where some days you will be depressed, you will be negative and you will be looking at the problems ahead. That's our reality.

Perhaps even more annoying is when you mention having a bad day and are told, "Don't be negative all the time. I could be run over by a bus tomorrow." Really? Do you know how many people say that to us survivors?

So give anyone you know with cancer any support needed, but please don't give them a lecture on being positive and all will be well.

John Gorton Port Macquarie

Churches here to stay

Indeed, George Pell, religion - Christianity in particular - is not about to "wither away" in Australia for reasons you unknowingly clarify in your predictable argument ("Christianity vital to democracy's future", October 30).

While the churches keep peddling fear and enough of those who claim the moral high ground keep deferring responsibility for instilling ethics and values into their offspring to another authority, i.e., religious schools and institutions, religion will have its abiding place in democracy.

Rampant materialism, the scramble for success, and your angry "atheist friends" will never erode these traditions.

Robyn Dalziell Castle Hill

Shun Satanism

Australia is rich with its own unique culture, customs and traditions. Why introduce Halloween, which has strong roots in paganism, witchcraft and devil worship? Our Christian heritage teaches us to have no part with the occult.

Parents, do you want your innocent children involved in dangerous evil tricks, deception and Satanism?

Judith Bond Glen Alpine

It's Halloween again and it isn't going away. I think it's time to accept that the Americanisation of our culture is happening and there's little to stop kids wanting to have fun. And it is fun.

Do we really not have room in our lives for another festival?

So I propose some simple rules of engagement. If you are OK with it all, put up some spooky decorations to advertise the fact. Trick-or-treaters are only to go to houses displaying such decorations. All other houses are to be left strictly alone. That way, hopefully, everyone is happy.

I could point out that Halloween is actually an ancient Celtic celebration, so Halloween was observed by rather a large number of our ancestors and not just Americans.

Kate Paterson Lane Cove North

No climate, no jobs

John Howard just doesn't get it ("Garrett backtracks on Kyoto", October 30). Jobs are more important than climate change considerations? If climate change heads for the worse, what will that do to jobs?

No one in right mind would think that worsening droughts, etcetera, would improve employment. Has the PM ever considered that a sincere government and strong commercial effort to slow climate change and its consequences might create more scientific research and technology with a flow on to greater employment? What do we fear most, unemployment or more droughts or both together?

Eric Gibson Invergowrie

Developed countries, including Australia, have created 76 per cent of the greenhouse pollution in our atmosphere.

Australians are responsible for six times more emissions than the Chinese, per person. We need to start tackling our own super-sized emissions before we expect countries that are still battling poverty to reduce theirs. That means ratifying the Kyoto Protocol, the only global agreement to tackle this most global of problems.

Tony Mohr Climate change campaigner, Australian Conservation Foundation

It seems that Kevin Rudd can't get anything right on combating global warming. Approval of the forest-felling, carbon-spewing Tassie pulp mill, support for the non-existent substance "clean coal", and now the equally insane desalination scheme ("Desalination's key role in Rudd $10b water strategy", October 29).

Who on earth is he taking advice from? Morris Iemma?

Ted Nixon Greenwich

Greens' candidate for North Sydney

It's time politicians put their self-serving antics in the back seat to focus on the imminent threat of global warming. Peter Garrett's blunder ("Garrett backtracks on Kyoto", October 30) only proves that our leaders are not working towards a realistic and congruent emissions target. Inaction by developed countries such as Australia and the US only gives developing countries an excuse not to set targets.

Chelsea Webster-Knife Wahroonga Member of the Greens

A moment of brilliance or an act of stupidity

David Keegan must realise that the problem with the Sydney Theatre Company is not its problem but his (Letters, October 30). The same thing exists in the musical world. Poor audiences when so called contemporary music is played are due to an uneducated public incapable of understanding the cleverness of the composer. I suspect that the cinema has a similar problem: stupid audiences and brilliant producers.

Richard Lynch Waterloo

How does David Keegan know that the number of empty seats at the start of second acts at the STC is "ever-increasing", if he doesn't bother to go back to his seat after the interval?

David Grunstein Bondi

Daylight saviour

Without daylight saving, Dougal Pottie (Letters October 30), it would be broad daylight at 4.45am. Now that is ridiculous, even for a morning person.

Ben Newhouse Strathfield

Everyone's a winner

The Heckler ("The view from the couch - watch out, unco kids about", October 30) reminded me of the pride I felt 40 years ago when my "unco" daughter, Liz, wore a beaming smile while always coming last in every school race.

Yvonne Jones Pennant Hills

A darker shade of Green

"Greens refuse part in Christian survey", October 30. Why? Is Christianity anti-environmental, or is the Greens' environmentalism anti-Christian?

Andrew Charleston Sydney

Masters in plagiarism

Mick Houlbrook defends the practice of university student plagiarism (Letters, October 30), by which I infer it is acceptable for them to present someone else's work as their own. Hmmm. Apart from the dubious morality of this, can he explain to me how students can go on a "learning journey of developing critical thought" by merely indulging in a copy-and-paste exercise?

Steve Moore Leumeah

Funny that

Annabel Crabb is a hoot. She demonstrates you can be funny without being vicious. Messrs Carlton, Keating and Adams could learn a few things from this woman.

B. Worrall Mosman

So who created inflation?

Peter Costello declared on Monday, in response to a child's question, that "God made cactuses [sic]". ("Today's question: are you cactus, Mr Costello?", October 30). Can we trust such an individual with a trillion-dollar economy?

David Houston North Parramatta Member of the Greens

The final straw

This is the last straw. The former education minister Brendan Nelson vetoes researchers' grants "in the national interest" over an examination of media management during the "children overboard" affair ("Academics say Nelson vetoes were censorship", October 30). And now Aboriginal landowners are being manipulated to give up land for nuclear waste dumps ("Toxic feelings at proposed nuclear dump", October 29). The Government is making it easy to cast a vote when its tactics are that of the bully.

Warren Holland Thornleigh