Liberal spokesperson Anne Ruston claims that “the Coalition always has, and always will, invest in Medicare” (“Health a key focus for federal election”, January 2). Well, except when under Malcolm Fraser they demolished Medibank and opposed any changes to the ramshackle health scheme we had. Their actions were part of the reason for the 1974 double dissolution of Parliament. The Liberals have long complained about “socialised medicine” and preferred to rely on the generosity of doctors to care for the deserving poor. Some of us have memories and even went on strike over the issue. Naturally, such action was damned and opposed by the Coalition. Airbrushing the past and not even knowing her own party’s history does not serve Ruston well. Tony Sullivan, Adamstown Heights
Health Minister Mark Butler at an urgent-care clinic in September.Credit: Eddie Jim
The Liberals have never liked Medicare. As Billy Snedden said in 1974, “we will fight this scheme continuously and in the end we will defeat it”. In 1984, Howard said he would “stab it (Medicare) in the guts”. The aim has always been to erode Medicare incrementally, slowly, via a type of mission creep by freezing bulk-billing rates, outsourcing payments, using the private insurance carrot, presiding over huge gaps and out-of-pocket expenses for specialists visits, x-rays, pathology and medications. This is how the Liberals intended to dismantle Medicare. This is why many observers have viewed “Medi-scare” as fair comment by Labor. Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South
An expensive urgent care clinic will not increase access to GP appointments. All it will do is take doctors from general practice clinics to acute care clinics, where the pay is better. An urgent care clinic does nothing to enhance bulk-billing, fragments care and results in worse outcomes. The worldwide evidence is that good quality general practice care, in the long run, costs less and provides better care and outcomes. The money spent on urgent care clinics would be better spent on general practice; young medical graduates could choose to do it because it would be a financially viable option and bulk-billing would increase. Chris Boyle, Waratah
It will take more than a bit of tinkering to fix the health care system. There needs to be an increase in funding generally. As one example, Medicare rebates have fallen way behind costs incurred, meaning that either patients are more out of pocket or GP businesses must struggle to survive. At least it’s better than nothing.
Meanwhile, what does the Coalition propose doing about the problem? The government is criticised for claiming that the Coalition will “wreck” it. Well, how is doing nothing while the problem gets worse, and reversing even these modest improvements, not “wrecking” it? David Rush, Lawson
Bulk-billing is rare where I live, despite the current government’s improvements, so perhaps it depends on whether you live in a marginal electorate. Surgery can be very costly, and the payment of gap fees is made at the individual doctor’s choice. So I suspect the emphasis will again be on whether as a nation we are prepared to pay for a better system or whether we will continue with a few improvements, depending on where you live. Vivienne Parsons, Thornleigh
Health always plays its part in a federal election and Labor’s plan to increase bulk-billing and reduce the cost to see a doctor is to be applauded. We will have to see what the opposition has planned for health, but one issue that does need addressing is the shortage of GPs, particularly in rural areas. It’s great that seeing a doctor will be cheaper, but the trick is finding one. I eagerly wait to see how both sides of politics address this. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury
Although it probably occupies a relatively small part of a GP’s time, something else in the health system that could be improved is the need to obtain continual referrals for ongoing specialist services. I undergo regular six-weekly specialist eye treatments for an ongoing problem. But every one to two years I have to obtain a new referral from my GP – a totally unnecessary, costly and time-wasting exercise. Surely specialists should be given the discretion to waive this for the benefit of both patient and referring GP. Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills
All God’s creatures
Your correspondent suggests there may be “a school of thought” that would have Catholics, cats and cicadas “all managed or banned”. An expanded spirit of alliterative ecumenism and ecological concern might have added Baptists, bats and bush flies; Methodists, mynas and mosquitoes; and Presbyterians, pigeons and planthoppers (Letters, January 2). Paul Casey, Callala Bay
I’m a Catholic, albeit a lapsed one, and I take umbrage at being lumped in with those odious cats and cicadas. I’m yet to meet a Catholic that silently leaves their abode at night and preys on native wildlife although I’ve met some that like to be petted and groomed and some that make irritating noises. Hardly a case for banning. Maybe there’s a case for having us all microchipped so we can be returned to our owners if we stray. Or better still it can clearly distinguish us from those annoying Protestants! Peter Singer, Hamilton South
And all these years I’ve been bristling at Rosemary’s letters, only to realise when reading her latest effort today that I just didn’t get the jokes! Wendy Crew, Lane Cove North
Theft cure complex
While I welcome the new laws that could imprison employers who engage in wage theft, I share Paul O’Halloran’s concern that it may not stop bad bosses (“Threat of jail won’t stop bad bosses”, January 2). Wage theft, along with tax evasion by the biggest companies and cricket, has become a national sport. A targeted education program would improve the situation. People need to understand their rights at work, including being informed of the role of unions; this should start in schools. Employers should avail themselves of the overwhelming research which indicates that successful businesses are invariably the ones that invest in their workforce, have a collaborative and inclusive approach in their operations and fairly remunerate their workers. Craig Jory, Albury
Bad bosses need to feel the hand of the law. Credit: Joe Benke
Croc of history
Controversially, many films have been re-edited for broadcast purposes (“That’s not a cut! Why is Crocodile Dundee being re-edited?”, January 2). These included Die Hard, Pulp Fiction, The Breakfast Club and The Big Lebowski, to name a few in the current era. Previously, it was common practice by the big studios that managed all facets of production and distribution. Sometimes it was simply to allow for advertisement time. Crocodile Dundee was a film of its time, like many others and should be viewed as such. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer
EV help overdue
At last, the government is putting in place a policy designed to lower the price and increase supply of electric vehicles (“New rules to bring more, cheaper EVs to Australia”, January 2). Carefully designed vehicle emission standards are aimed at bringing us into line with other developed countries. Hopefully the opposition supports this move. Australia doesn’t need another Scott Morrison-style fear campaign about utes and the weekend. Glenn Johnson, Leura
All gums blazing
Sounds do indeed remind us of home, but the perfume of the gum tree? Essentially Australian (Letters, January 2). Coming home by ship in 1959, first port Fremantle and the smell of eucalyptus in the salt-laden air. Heavenly. We knew we were home. John Crowe, Cherrybrook
The sound of the green catbird in the late afternoon is the sound of home to me. Bill Gillis, Hallidays Point
Nothing new in cabinet papers
Your correspondent correctly states that the Coalition consistently prioritises winning elections as opposed to doing the right thing for Australians (Letters, January 2). Howard and Costello knew their tax decisions would lead to less affordable housing yet chose the politically popular option. Abbott delayed our transition from fossil-fuelled energy to renewables for a decade, putting us at risk of energy shortages when ageing coal-fired power stations close over the next decade. Morrison promised to reduce our national debt, but instead increased our gross debt by more than half a trillion dollars. A reported $30 million was spent keeping Christmas Island open just to detain the Biloela family, to appear tough on immigration. The illegal robodebt program, to appear tough on welfare rorters, resulted in $1.872 billion in repayments and compensation settlements. We’re now faced with AUKUS submarines (somewhere around $500 billion) likely to be obsolete before they arrive in 20 years, to appear tough on defence. After 20 different energy policies in eight years when in power, now the opposition offers an ill-conceived, inappropriate nuclear policy that will leave taxpayers in debt for decades and still only provide about 4 per cent of our total energy needs. Its track record shows that the Coalition only does what is good for the Coalition. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl
Former Treasurer Peter Costello and former Prime Minister John Howard during a function to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his 1996 election victory, at Parliament House in Canberra in 2016. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
A glaring error from the release of the 2004 cabinet papers of the Howard/Costello government was the stupidity of wasting the massive surpluses of tens of billions, by giving it back as middle-class welfare and as tax cuts – leading to higher inflation. Had those surpluses been invested in a sovereign wealth fund, as Norway has done, Australia could be one of the wealthiest nations in the world with free tertiary education, health and other free public services. The Coalition has never been the great economic manager it claims to be. Mark Berg, Caringbah South
The Whitlam government (for all its problems) made Australia a better place. The Howard government did the opposite. The release of the 2004 cabinet papers merely confirm what we have long known. Isabella Jeans, Tuross Head
John Howard’s pandering to nursing home providers in 1997 resulted in compromised care for the elderly. Before that, nurses’ conditions were substantial. The government ensured adequate staffing levels. If providers did not have the necessary nurses on duty they had to return those wages to government. Guess what? At the time, I was proud to be an aged care nurse. In the later years, under the Howard government, I felt guilty and ashamed, unable to give adequate, safe and loving care. What a legacy. Judy Nicholas, Kambah (ACT)
The impact of Howard and Costello’s structural reforms roll on well beyond merely the cost of housing. Ask anyone working in the area of child protection what percentage of the families they work with are in insecure housing. The housing crisis is not news to anyone working in a social welfare agency. These agencies have been crying out for reform for much more than 20 years. Jill Napier, Phegans Bay
How galling of John Howard to brush over the weapons of mass destruction and Timor Leste issues. He admits his government was wrong about the WMD issue but says, “it wasn’t malicious”. What a hide. He defends the bugging of Timor Leste by saying “it was in Australia’s best interests”. So if one commits any illegal operation, do we now just say it was in our interest? Conclusions? Do what you want, then devise hideous defences. Much respect lost, Mr Howard. David Brettell, Mosman
In all the reporting of the released documents and John Howard’s repetition of his excuses an important element has been ignored: Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie. When watching Howard presenting his duplicitous case for war using photos purporting to show facilities and equipment used by Iraq to make WMD, Wilkie knew Howard was not showing us everything. Because he worked at the Defence Signals Directorate, Wilkie knew we possessed higher resolution photos that proved what Howard was claiming was false. He resigned his position and then made public what he knew. Howard then revealed what sort of man he was by trying to destroy him. Wilkie attempted to make clear what later was evident – that to get us into the war, Howard lied to us.
David Ashton, Katoomba
Concede a point
Several letters seek to blame John Howard (and decisions made more than 20 years ago) for the current shortage of housing (Letters, January 2). It was Paul Keating who introduced concessions when the capital gains tax was introduced in 1985. This was done to recognise that taxpayers should only pay tax on real gains (after inflation) and to avoid taxing average income earners at the maximum rate if they realised a one-off capital gain.
The Keating concessions, involving a combination of indexation and averaging, were reasonably complex. To reduce the complexity, the Howard government amended the legislation to apply a simple 50 per cent discount. When inflation is low, the 50 per cent discount is probably generous, particularly for people who buy and sell in a short timeframe. However, in times of high inflation, an investor who holds a property as a long-term investment may well be worse off under the 50 per cent discount rather than under Paul Keating’s indexation/averaging approach. Greg Cahill, Alderley (Qld)
Paul Keating, 1985Credit: Source Unknown
Promote hope, too
It is not my clinical experience that only “a small number” of people with CFS get better, an observation supported by peer-reviewed, published studies (Letters, January 2). Hope, made realistic by scientific evidence, is an important part of care. The small proportion with unremitting illness unfortunately have to await the benefits of rigorous science, which will come eventually, even if too slowly. As with all unsolved diseases, the greater the investment in research, the shorter the time to a breakthrough. For those awaiting relief, if treatments lacking an evidence base provide comfort, that is fine as long as they don’t present either a health or wealth risk. My argument is never with those who take them but with those who promote them, often carefully dressed up with appealing but meaningless claims such as “boosting immunity”. Graeme Stewart, Avalon Beach
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