I raise several points in response to John Vance's letter (‘Census question is a conspiracy against Christianity') in last Friday's Wangaratta Chronicle.

Firstly, the option to select ’no religion’ is not new nor is it devious.

Nobody is being asked ‘all of a sudden’ to deny Christian ethics.

It provides a valid option for people who do not identify with any religion, be it Christianity, Islam, Buddhism or any other.

In the 2021 Australian census, 'No Religion' was in fact the top response at 38.9pc (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021, Cultural diversity: Census, ABS Website).

Christians are not being asked to deny their ethics; they are free to continue to identify as such in the census.

Secondly, the court process for bearing witness is already inclusive of many religions and those with no religion.

There is no suggestion that outcomes from the census would impact this process.

Thirdly, Mr Vance's statement that other religious ethics and policies do not suit Australians is a very narrow and biased view.

Religious affiliation does not necessarily define one’s ethics or policies - there are people from different religions with similar ethics, and equally people of the same religion with differing ethics.

As evidenced by previous census data, Australians identify with a range of religions as well as with no religion.

It's only fair that people who aren’t religious also have a voice in the census.

Each individual is free to complete this section however they see fit without being influenced to conform to the narrow views of others.

It’s arrogant of any individual to assert that their view of the world is the only correct or ethical one which should be shared by the majority of Australians.

Linda Tubnor, Wangaratta

Time almost up to claim car rego discount

Victorian motorists have until this midnight this Friday 30 July to claim 20 per cent off their rego.

The rebate has proven highly popular, with more than 3.5 million applications to date – that’s about half the population of Victoria.

This is real, targeted cost of living help for families doing it tough right now.

Here’s how it works:

• a driver with one car gets up to $186 back;

• a family with two cars gets up to $372 back;

• you get the full rebate whether you pay yearly or in instalments.

To be eligible, Victorians must have paid their registration for a light vehicle for personal use between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.

You can claim up to two vehicles in your name.

For more info and to apply, download the Service Victoria app or visit service.vic.gov.au/rego-rebate.

Ingrid Stitt, Minister for Government Services

Labor's gold medal for our Games' waste

The 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, which got underway last week, reminds us of one of Labor's biggest failures and one of the state's most expensive embarrassments.

Instead of welcoming the world to regional Victoria, taxpayers are watching the Games from the sidelines after Labor's spectacular Commonwealth Games disaster.

Victorians have been left with a bill of almost $600 million for an event that never happened, including hundreds of millions in compensation after Labor tore up its contract and helped fund Glasgow's Games instead.

The cancellation robbed regional Victoria of a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase its communities, attract thousands of visitors and deliver lasting economic benefits to local businesses, tourism operators and sporting organisations.

Regional Victoria was promised a legacy.

Instead, we're left with broken promises, missed opportunities and a bill that taxpayers will be paying for years to come.

The money squandered on the cancellation could have delivered real improvements where they are needed most: safer roads, upgraded hospitals, better schools, more affordable housing and vital infrastructure for regional communities.

Instead, Victorians are paying the price for Labor's incompetence.

What should have been a proud moment for our state became an international embarrassment that damaged Victoria's reputation as the sporting capital of Australia.

Victorians should remember that while Glasgow gets the Games, we're still paying the bill.

Tim McCurdy, Nationals MP for Ovens Valley