The government says all citizens are equal and no one should be disadvantaged by petrol prices or lack of communications.

Travelling the ring road around that country the mobile phone always had reception. Americans we met said that the internet speed was the best they had experienced anywhere.

The petrol price is regulated by the government; no area can charge more than another area.

Although that country has to import almost everything the government says Iceland should provide its own food and it does.

I recently downloaded an upgrade for my computer protection – 130 megabytes took two hours via wireless. It was a Friday at 9.20am within sight of the Telstra tower. I was too far from Horsham to get the national broadband network.

How many complaints has this paper received about Horsham petrol being dearer than other places?

Now Australians are told that we will pay more for Australian gas than other countries will. China has another 15 years of importing Australian gas at a price not disclosed but contracted five years ago.

What a shame our government doesn't consider all Australians equal.

Angela Turner, Laharum

THIS week is NAIDOC week – an opportunity for all Australians to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

To mark this significant week the Federal Government has provided $1.4 million in grants to support community events happening across Australia and in the Wimmera, Mallee and Mildura regions.

It’s great to see the electorate of Mallee receive $6500 in grants to support NAIDOC celebrations.

Four Mallee organisations have been successful in their grant applications with Budja Budja Aboriginal Cooperation receiving $1000 for the celebration and revival of Djab Warrung Language in Halls Gap. Robinvale District Health Services will see $1000 go toward their 2017 NAIDOC Gathering. Goolum Goolum Aboriginal Co-operative in Horsham have been granted $3000 to go toward their Wotjobaluk Nations celebration, and Murray Valley Aboriginal Co-operative will see $1500 for their NAIDOC week events.

I encourage all local residents to get involved in these events and celebrate our local Indigenous communities.

NAIDOC events are a great opportunity for the people of the Wimmera, Mallee and Mildura regions to gain a better understanding and appreciation for Indigenous art, language, and culture.

The national theme this year is Our Languages Matter, aimed at giving recognition to the vital role Indigenous Languages play in our communities.

This investment builds on the $20 million allocated each year under the Indigenous Languages and Arts programme that aims to address the erosion of an estimated 250 original Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages and more than 600 dialects.

Andrew Broad, Member for Mallee 

I am writing on behalf of headspace to issue a warning for parents, teachers and young people ahead of the Australian release of the new Netflix movie To the Bone.

As the National Youth Mental Health Foundation, we have joined other Australian mental health organisations in voicing our concerns around the films portrayal of anorexia nervosa.

The film focuses on the story of a young woman experience with the eating disorder. 

While the complete film is yet to be shown in Australia, the trailer depicts some confronting images of her experience with the illness. 

Many images have appeared on so called “thinspiration” websites, which glamorise eating disorders.

Research has shown that graphic imagery of people with eating disorders can be a potential trigger for at-risk, young people. 

The concern is about the portrayal of behaviours associated with an eating disorder – and whether this may be providing a ‘how to’ guide for adolescents who may be at risk. 

The creators of the movie – and those prompted by the film to discuss the issues – must be careful about framing the conversation in a way that is safe for young people.

We do not support any representation or discussion in the media, on TV, or anywhere else, that has the potential to place young people at risk. 

Any broadcast or written material dealing with eating disorders should refrain from showing strategies or tactics around living with an eating disorder.

headspace clinicians state that adolescence is a time of increased risk for the development of an eating disorder. 

Eating disorders are a serious mental illness with long-term physical and psychological impacts. 

They can have a significant impact on the family and friends of a person experiencing an eating disorder, as well as on the person themselves.

We need to be having the right conversation about the problem, and we need to be able to show parents, schools and young people where they can look to make this happen.

Jason Trethowan, chief executive, headspace