Illustration: Vintage Cathy Wilcox, August 2020Credit:
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RACISM
I read the report regarding the racism that employees at the Australian Broadcasting Commission experienced over some considerable time (″The ABC launched a racism review. The responses were damning″, 2/10).
The essence of the finding was that the review authors found ″racism exists within the ABC workplace″ and ″ABC staff are subjected to racism from external individuals and organisations in connection with their work″.
Having been in this country for just on 50 years, and having spent a considerable amount of that time dealing with the systemic racism that exists in this country I will say that the position of the ABC is no different to just about every employment workplace in Australia. This is a nation that sees “unconscious bias and racism” as being inherently “normal”. Various anti-discrimination commissioners have called this out over many years. However, it is an inordinately vexed issue that is not easily resolved.
I do not condone, in any fashion, the racism behaviour that the ABC employees have been subjected to. But I caution that the ABC culture is not dissimilar to that that exists in many other workplaces. We have considerable work to do at a societal level to eliminate this behaviour.
Suresh Rajan, Stirling, WA
The Voice result shows the gap is still wide
This time a year ago, with millions of others, I still held hope that the polls were wrong and that Australians would vote to recognise Aboriginal people in the constitution and give them a Voice to partnership. The lies and the distractions rained down but still there was a chance for justice and nation building. Since then… crickets.
The gap remains a widening chasm – 10-year-olds are to be locked up, Jacinta Price airs occasional vintage 1950s assimilationist statements, Noel Pearson, our greatest orator has fallen silent and First Nation people, the vast majority of whom voted Yes, live with the rejection.
Gillian Upton, Balaclava
There will always be a group that misses out
The hullabaloo surrounding systemic racism is a concern. What is systemic racism? The recommendations are fine, but examples of racism need be qualified.
Meritocracy, “a society governed by people selected by merit” must be the way positions of employment are determined. The ABC must follow this process. It’s the fairest way.
Diversity, “the practice of involving people from a range of different social and ethnic backgrounds” is fraught with danger. There will always be a group that misses out. The ABC board has been compromised by wishing to make appointments based on diversity rather than meritocracy.
Graham Haupt, Glen Waverley
Diversity is strength
Sadly, with the recent report of racism at the ABC and the nasty graffiti towards candidates running for local council it’s a great opportunity for self reflection and renewal.
The only way to combat these issues is to have more representation in our media and in leadership positions at grassroot levels where the seed is planted for change. I’m optimistic the next generation will show us that diversity is strength and their success truly reflects who we are as a country.
Jen Smith, East Melbourne
Journalist’s job is to ask pertinent questions
Peter Dutton’s bullying of a young ABC reporter is an example of a modus operandi that seeks to create political divisions at every turn. The journalist’s job is to ask pertinent questions. How Israel can continue its wholesale slaughter of innocents without encountering any criticism from the opposition leader seems to be fair line of enquiry.
Matt Dunn, Leongatha
THE FORUM
History repeats
I empathise with Dr Sue Hosn who fears for her family in Lebanon, dreading repetition of history (The Age, 2/10). Dr Hosn might have been too young to understand the origin of the 1978 war.
The seeds of the recurring battles have been planted when PLO (Palestinian Liberation Army responsible for the massacre of Israeli Munich Olympic Team in 1972) invaded Lebanon during Lebanese Civil War. PLO, later replaced by Hezbollah, have repeatedly fired rockets into Israel and sent suicide bombers.
The final trigger for Israeli retaliation in 1978 was when Palestinian militants entered Israel, hijacked a bus, and murdered women and children near Tel Aviv. Yes, history had repeated itself on October 7, 2023 with terrible consequences for both Israelis and Palestinians, as well as neighbouring Lebanon.
Until Palestinian leadership accepts the legitimacy of the state of Israel, and consents that Jews, Palestinians, and their Arab brethren deserve to live in peace, regional wars will continue.
After all, would any other country tolerate constant rocket fire at its civilian population, requiring every dwelling to have a bomb shelter and schools to be conducted in underground bunkers?
Raya Klinbail, St Kilda
Seeds of destruction
In expectation of a resounding no, your correspondent (Letters, 3/10) asks, ″Does Israel want to take over, control or destroy any other Middle East country?″ Israel has been doing exactly this for over 75 years. Step by step, it has taken over and controlled the land that the UN mandated to be Palestine. Step by step, it has laid the seeds of destruction of Palestinian nationhood. Its program of settlement in, and military domination over the Occupied Territories has disempowered the Palestinian people, deprived them of their rights, and subjected them to grievous disadvantage. The security Israel longs for cannot be achieved without good faith negotiations for a viable Palestinian state.
Tom Knowles, Parkville
Extend election cycle
I support Australia becoming a republic, but there is a far more pressing issue to be addressed first – the time between federal elections. Noel Whittaker (Money 2/10), states the case succinctly. Britain has a five-year cycle so there is ample time for incoming governments, of whatever persuasion, to implement reform.
In Australia we are burdened with three years between elections, so whoever wins power, the main objective is to stay in Canberra in office. No ambitious plans can be implemented for the benefit of the citizens, and the only thought from the politicians is to stay in power. We need politicians with integrity and vision and we won’t get that if they are just preparing for a next election.
Marie Rogers, Kew
NDIS ‘fringe’ costs
When the NDIS was legislated in 2013, it was to establish an organisation that would provide appropriate assistance, unavailable through alternative agencies, to those with significant disabilities. Over the past eleven years, the cost of providing such services has increased exponentially, currently more
than $44 billion, with projections of $82 billion by 2030. Bill Shorten, the minister responsible for the administration of the NDIS, presented a list of services that would no longer be funded by the scheme, including unproven ‘fringe’ therapies, tarot cards, sex work, etc.
His statement begs the questions – why were these taxpayer activities approved in the first place, and why wasn’t such misuse of the scheme anticipated. It would be interesting to know the cost to taxpayers over 11 years for these activities now deemed inessential the provision of disability assistance.
Dr Leslie Chester, Brighton
Supermarket cops
Do people really have a choice about their supermarket? Most supermarket customers are Shane Wright’s ‘dehydrated donkeys’ and ‘lemmings’ (Shane Wright, ″Face it – we’re addicted to Coles, Woolies″ 3/10).
Despite their whingeing, and being ripped off on artificial ‘specials’ as revealed by an ACCC study, and the ongoing concentration of market power that prevents genuine price competition, customers continue to shop at the same supermarket and be ripped off. It would be nice to think that when informed, consumers would exercise their free market right to compare prices and to shop around. But most consumers, given busy lives, don’t have time for such luxuries.
Enter the consumer cops on the beat: the ACCC and Consumer Affairs Victoria. These government institutions should be adequately funded and staffed, so they can do their remit: police supermarket behaviour on behalf of the public.
Geoff Black, Frankston
Youth crime statistics
“Victoria’s youth crime rises to the highest level since 2010”, 26/9 paints an incomplete picture of the situation in Victoria. Although the number of criminal incidents committed by young people increased slightly from last year, Victoria has seen an overall reduction in the number of young offenders over an eight-year period.
In 2015, there were 12,181 unique alleged offenders between the ages of 10 and 19 in Victoria, compared to 10,558 in the year ending 2023. This is despite a marked increase in Victoria’s population.
Data analysis of youth crime since 2020 is complicated by the impact of COVID-19 restrictions on crime rates. Across the board, crime rates decreased during COVID-19 lockdowns as people’s movement was restricted. While crime rates have increased since the lifting of restrictions post-pandemic, when you account for the statistical anomalies caused by COVID-19 restrictions, you can see how they’ve actually decreased compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Youth crime is a grave problem that requires evidence-based solutions, yet the notion that Victoria’s perceived ‘soft’ approach is driving a high level of offending among young people is unfounded.
In other states, which have adopted deliberately punitive responses to youth crime, the incidence of youth crime is higher and rising faster than in Victoria. This is because heavy-handed responses that focus on retribution over rehabilitation are proven to fuel recidivism, and fail to provide the necessary supports for young people to turn their lives around.
Victoria’s recent youth justice reforms, which raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 to 12, and emphasise the importance of diversion from criminal legal systems, are a positive step towards reducing youth crime, but continued investment in
youth crime prevention programs is key.
Louisa Gibbs, CEO Federation of Community Legal Centres.
Keep local polls local
The independence of council election candidates (″Colour-blind council elections″, 3/10) is often reflected in their focus – or absence – of key local issues in their pitch to voters. However, as many see this as a stepping stone to State parliament they avoid stepping out of line, even on key local issues.
In St Kilda, the biggest decade-long disaster is the state of Fitzroy and Acland streets. Ongoing drug dealing, street encampments and antisocial behaviour prevail, yet the council has continually failed to pass local laws and give police ‘move on’ powers.
Locals bemoan the decline of our local amenity, yet candidates with party endorsement focus elsewhere. One has said her focus is Gaza. Spare me.
Local councils shouldn’t be venturing into federal and state matters. We should hold candidates to account and ensure their focus is local and on things a council can deliver. A little more ‘thinking inside the square’ is called for.
Geoffrey Conaghan, St Kilda
Dumb prejudice
Jane Caro has beautifully outed a growing scourge in Australia, in ″When it comes to prejudice, ageism is the most stupid″, Age online 3/10. The stench of ageism also permeates the modern workplace. While people in their 60s and 70s are regarded in other cultures as being important and active members of society, intellectually and socially, in Australia, it is often quite the opposite.
The moment that an older person finds a new process challenging, a sprightly young manager is found hovering nearby, ready to ask the older person to sign their transition to retirement papers.
We are living in the world of
The Velveteen Rabbit, where the shiny new model is superficially considered to be the new ideal.
The reverence for experience and careful judgment doesn’t seem to exist in many Australian workplaces.
Peter Farrar, Brighton East
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding
Supermarkets
With Aldi being 25 per cent cheaper than Coles and Woolies, our “addiction” to this price-gouging duopoly is bordering on irrational, especially in the midst of a cost-of-living “crisis”.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton
So skilful in reducing the size of the product, but not the packaging.
Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South
Furthermore
Could Peta Credlin and Tony Abbott please get in touch with Peter Dutton asap and give him
the secret details of the nuclear ‘plan’ so that he can tell us all about it at last?
Ross Hosking, Blackwood, SA
A correspondent (Letters, 3/10) writes, “Safety, security and peaceful co-existence are the only reasons why Israel is at war with its neighbours”. I suspect that Palestinians living in the Israeli occupied West Bank may have other ideas.
Ian Maddison, Parkdale
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East could be quickly resolved if the UN Security Council met alternatively between Tel Aviv and Kyiv instead of New York where leaders are too remote from the world’s suffering.
Max Langshaw, Sunbury
In lieu of the recent radio figures, sponsors should take note that we are a discerning lot over here and our intelligence doesn’t like to be insulted. Stay classy, Melbourne.
Pam Papadopoulos, South Yarra
John Pesutto is getting his ″15 minutes of fame″ – it’s not representing his electors though.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
And they said it couldn’t be done. Britain coal free, eastern Australia hits 74 per cent renewable (3/10).
Greg Curtin, Nunawading
Are we more concerned about our home security? Four pages of ads in The Age to buy home security cameras seems to indicate this.
Christine Baker, Rosanna
Finally
If there were more people like Jimmy Carter, what a wonderful world it would be.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
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Illustration: Vintage Cathy Wilcox, August 2020Credit: