Credit: Alan Moir
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VOTING
I have received a postal vote application form from the office of the sitting member for Cooper. The single document presents in such a way as to make the distinction between the sitting Labor member’s office and the Australian Electoral Commission considerably ambiguous.
Furthermore, the provided return envelope is addressed to the member’s office, not to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).
This does not confuse most grey heads like me who are thoroughly familiar with election processes in Australia. But it certainly would be confusing for many younger voters and citizens who have arrived more recently in Australia.
And who knows, a few years down the track it may also be confusing to me. It shouldn’t be happening.
William Hennessy, Clifton Hill
Tighten the rules around postal votes
Surely, it’s about time that the AEC Commissioner got the legislation changed so that political parties are not exempt from privacy legislation, and when trying to encourage postal vote applications, have to return them to the AEC direct, not to their own reply-paid box (″Postal vote push by Kooyong Liberal raises eyebrows″, 2/4).
Peta Colebatch, Hawthorn
Is this data mining by stealth?
Having received a postal vote application from my local member through the mail, I was curious as to where the completed application would be posted, as the return envelope was addressed to a “Reply Paid” service.
Unable to determine the identity of the intended recipient, I telephoned the member’s office and was told that the application would be received by an office of the member’s political party. When I mentioned that I was concerned about the application not going directly to the AEC, the person to whom I was speaking, said that it was standard practice, and that my personal information would not be subsequently made available to, or shared with, anyone other than the AEC.
Whilst the Privacy Act may proscribe the information being disclosed to anyone outside the party’s office, it does not prevent this, or any other party which does this, from making use of the information for their own purposes.
To my mind, this was a cut-and-dried case of data mining by stealth, and if not improper, then unethical. It has stiffened my resolve not to vote for the sender, and is a practice that needs to be outlawed by the AEC.
Barry Greer, Balnarring
We cannot afford to end up like the US
How is it possible that the official AEC postal voting form contains the name and postal address of an Australian political party? I received one of these in this week’s mail.
Our compulsory voting requirement and independent electoral commission are the envy of the world. Ask Barack Obama. We cannot afford to risk this. Otherwise, we could end up like America.
Helen St John, Mitcham
THE FORUM
Stop the sleepwalk
Australian national treasure, Ross Gittins, is on the money when he observes that simplistic, jingoistic and impossible solutions are ″so seductive to people who don’t follow politics and the economy″ (″Better off? Dutton’s trick question″, 2/4).
Disengagement with politics and disappointment with politicians are at all-time highs.
Combine this thought with Waleed Aly’s incisive musings on Brexit and Trump’s tariff bombshell (″Tariffs are Trump’s Brexit moment″, 4/4), that an electorate can vote ″knowingly, or otherwise, to make themselves less wealthy″.
We can only hope that a population distracted by social media, swamped by misinformation, staring dumbly at their screens, being played by the algorithms, can engage with the real issues at hand and remain unseduced by the self-interested charlatans and goanna-oil salesmen clamouring for our votes.
Otherwise, Australians might just be another population sleep-walking into our own Brexit own-goal. Waking up in such a nightmare will hurt all the more knowing we were warned.
Clive Shepherd, Glen Huntly
It’s more than politics
Waleed Aly (4/4) provides a persuasive argument that Trump’s Liberation Day should be understood primarily as a political declaration, rather than an economic policy and that it follows along the lines of Brexit in this regard.
His analysis might have gone deeper and been more illuminating, however, if he had linked the need of a declining power for control and sovereignty to the current crisis in masculinity as recently highlighted by the widely commended Netflix series Adolescence.
It is noteworthy that a much higher proportion of men than women voted for Donald Trump and polls in Australia suggest that higher numbers of men than women are responsive to Peter Dutton’s gendered and obsessive attacks on Prime Minister Albanese as ″weak″.
The election of so many strong, independent, women, teal candidates in Liberal seats at the last election is significant in this regard. May this recent assertion of a new kind of democratic sovereignty continue to prove effective at the next election.
Marilyn Lake, Armadale
America always first
I find it amazing that so many people are surprised by the actions of the US president around trade and defence security. Despite the bluster of friendship and long-term alliances, the US has always put its interests first, second and third. Any other nation that benefits from US actions is coincidental and not intentional.
Nixon’s Guam doctrine made that very clear; all that Trump has done is strip away the veneer to see the reality. Australia desperately needs to pivot to Asia as proposed by Paul Keating 30 years ago to ensure our long-term security. A logical first step would be abandoning the AUKUS submarine deal and getting a refund of the $800million deposit.
Steve Griffin, West Coburg
Right response
The Albanese government’s response to the 10 per cent tariff is reassuring. A comprehensive action plan. Clearly it has put a lot of analysis into our circumstances. And, it is now obvious that we are ready to deal with Trump’s America first policies. It is also obvious that Anthony Albanese is taking a very strong stand against Trump. This is another example of a government that knows how to govern and is not just interested in photo ops and ideology.
Frank Jones, Melbourne
Swim against the tide
On a gloomy beach walk early this morning, I reflected on reports of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s presentation to his cabinet last Sunday of his “final stage” campaign plan for Gaza. Endorsed by his colleagues, the assault plans to empty the Gaza Strip of Palestinians “voluntarily”, and open the way for the realisation of Trump’s ″resort vision″ to be realised there.
My despondency was much enhanced by recall of ″Il Duce″ Mussolini’s 1935 military takeover of Abyssinia (Ethiopia) – a world event that signalled the doom of the ineffectual League of Nations as even its members, still preoccupied with the Great Depression, tried half-hearted sanctions, then turned away.
For us, and Palestine, the parallels are ominous. As David Crowe reported from Turnbull’s Monday seminar on Defending Democracy, (3/4), Heather Smith asserted that the ″rules-based-order″ had already collapsed, and the 2020s would be (another) “lost decade”. And that was before we knew the details of Trump’s assault on the global trading order. Our mood is febrile, our concerns defensive.
It is hard to believe this is happening; concern for urgent climate action isn’t even in the frame! Is it possible Australians with justice in their hearts will appeal to our leaders, even in the midst of an election campaign, to swim against the tide I watched this morning – and act now for Palestinian human rights?
Ken Blackman, Inverloch
Political football
Your correspondent opines that “Australian students must not become pawns in Peter Dutton’s culture wars” (Letters, 4/4). And that goes for any other politician’s political agenda. If Dutton’s name is removed and replaced with that of another politician – either state or federal, regardless of party – it provides a snapshot of how education has been a political football for decades to the detriment of those most affected: the students and the teachers who work with them.
Susan Caughey, Glen Iris
Justice not served
I don’t believe that I’m the only reader who shed tears reading Harriet Snaith’s heroic article ″I grieve for the childhood my abuser took from me″, (1/4). The legal system does not serve justice for victims of child sexual abuse. The fact that prosecutors effectively waited for more offences by the same perpetrator on children who might be capable of enduring further trauma in testifying against the perpetrator demonstrates that paedophiles have effective impunity. We have a long way to go.
Julian Guy, Mount Eliza
Not her friend
Everyone knows that women are at very high risk of being assaulted and murdered by domestic partners. Social media has so much to do with this. The one main thing that women can do to protect themselves is to completely stay off social media, put blocks on their phones and return to contacting people who are trusted via text and phone calls. So many of the photos in the general media of women who have been assaulted and murdered are sourced from social media. Social media is not a woman’s friend.
Maree David, Essendon
Financial harm
Re ‴I did it to put you in jail’: Tax system is ‘weaponised’ to harm partners, ombudsman finds″, 3/4).
The most interesting and concerning aspect of this article was no mention of the criminalising financial abuse against a spouse. If it were a criminal offence, this would go along way in deterring those who perpetrate it. It seems they will simply continue to do it if there are no consequences. Helping those who have had this happen to them is all too late.
Ange Clark, Alphington
Urban loneliness
Emma Breheny’s review of Chadstone’s Marketplace fails to acknowledge the sense of community a place like this will have for locals and some people (“Chadstone’s shiny new Market Pavilion is a spectacle, but does it deserve the hype?“, 4/4). Shopping centres are bland and sterile but incorporating a European sense of community with food is what separates it from other precincts.
It’s sad, but loneliness is prevalent in our society, and it’s more than just food and shopping for many people today, as I observed on my recent visit.
Mel Smith, Brighton
Not just bad news
How refreshing, among all the current doom and gloom, to read about the ″human-powered″ vehicle program at a local primary school (″Fast times at Cranbourne West as students race to top″, 4/4). The smiles on the children’s faces say everything: Joy, achievement, self-esteem. Kudos to those at the school who worked so hard to raise funds for this wonderful program. And kudos to The Age for publishing it. It made my day.
Yvonne Davidson, Williamstown
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding
Trump’s tariffs
Peter Dutton stating that he could have negotiated a better deal with Trump is reminiscent of a primary school kid saying that his dad could beat your dad. Juvenile, puerile and meaningless.
Les Aisen, Elsternwick
And the only two people to negotiate a trade deal on tariffs with Donald Trump are ... Putin and Dutton!
Dudleigh Morse, Thornbury
Peter Dutton says a deal with Trump could be done ″very quickly″. Sounds to me like Trump ending the Ukraine/Russian conflict in 24 hours – pie in the sky territory.
Marie Nash, Balwyn
“‘Not a friend’: Trump points steak at heart of long alliance”, (4/4). ‘Points steak’ - is this a new twist on pointing the bone?
Ian Hill, Blackburn South
Albo says ″this is not the act of a friend″. So did Richard Marles recently hand over $800 million to an enemy?
Ian Bayly, Upwey
Your correspondent (Letters, 4/4) says Trump says what he means and means what he says. Hasn’t she noticed that Trump lies?
Claude Miller, Castlemaine
If Norfolk Island declares war on the US, at least a few Americans will find out where it is. It has been said that war was invented to teach Americans geography.
Greg Malcher, Hepburn Springs
Furthermore
Re ″The Melbourne suburbs with hundreds of cheap, brand-new apartments″, 4/4). Poor developers! They’re going to have to lower the prices and reduce their profits on the apartments they built.
Barbara Lynch, South Yarra
Amelia Hamer’s empty chair at the Kooyong Community Forum: A powerful reminder of Peter Dutton’s missing policy detail.
Patrick McCarthy, Camberwell
Finally
Calling on Australian billionaires to do something worthwhile with their cash. Bring the outstanding medical researchers losing jobs in the US to Australia to continue their work. What a worthwhile legacy that wouldbe.
Eileen Ray, Ascot Vale
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