Credit: Cathy Wilcox
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PROTEST
Over many years, I have attended rallies, marches, protest meetings and taken stop-work action, and I am firmly of the view that the right to protest is one that must be protected at all times.
However, the state government’s proposals to ban masks at protests should also be supported. Recently, we have seen cowardly groups, under the cloak of anonymity, engaging in hate speech and threatening behaviour towards others. Anyone who engages in such conduct must be prepared to do so openly so that their friends, family and work colleagues know their views.
Exceptions could be made to protect the innocent, such as the victim of sexual assault, who wants to speak publicly but not be identified.
While we should all be free to take action in support of our views, no matter how repugnant they may be to others, this needs to be done in an open manner. Those who wish to behave and express extreme views should have the courage of their convictions.
James Young, Mt Eliza
Sick of disruption
Jacinta Allan needs to ignore the complaints of the civil libertarians and pro-Palestinian groups over her government’s plan to criminalise some behaviour at peaceful protests. We live in a democracy where the wishes of the majority supposedly should prevail, and the vast majority of Melburnians do not want their lives interrupted by protests.
On the other hand, the proposed crackdowns will do little to
satisfy most of us as protests will still go ahead, leading to disruptions of life and business in the CBD. The only solution short of jailing all protesters, is to require all protests to have a permit, as is the case in NSW.
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne
Comfortable among diverse crowds
I have been on almost every Palestine rally in Melbourne for more than a year, and have never seen any signs of aggressive or threatening behaviour by the participants. As a 73-year-old, I feel very comfortable being there, amongst a range of health workers, teachers, Quakers, Jews and the odd socialist.
Ray Wilson, Northcote
Protest permit system urgently required
We have had pro-Palestinian rallies every Sunday now for over a year. You would not want to bring your kids into the CBD on Sunday afternoon.
There are no credible demands being made by the protesters. Australia is not involved in the war, apart from being a US ally. Penny Wong has made the right noises about ceasefire. We have voted for UN resolutions that the US and Israel have denounced. We do not provide any weapons to Israel.
People have a right to protest, but not along Elizabeth Street and not in peoples’ faces. Banning masks and some flags is not the answer.
A permit system is urgently required (as they have in other states) so that protests can be focused where they should be – outside parliament house.
Chris Lloyd, Melbourne
Proposed laws will stifle effective protest
In 2007, my family and I began attending regular protests in front of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne. The aim was to shine a light on what was then a completely ignored problem of clerical sexual abuse being perpetrated within the Catholic Church. These protests led to previously non-existent media scrutiny and culminated in a royal commission, the findings of which were beyond anyone’s comprehension.
The state government is about to enact legislation that would make such effective protests illegal because a criminal act, not a protest, was perpetrated against a synagogue. Such acts are dealt with completely by existing criminal law. This legislation should not proceed.
Julian Guy, Mt Eliza
THE FORUM
Community division
Thank you for Rodger Shanahan’s balanced rebuttal of Mike Kelly’s assertions re Israel and Australia (“Our right to tell Israel: Stop the killing”, 19/12). I was appalled by Mike Kelly’s views on Israel’s right to continue decimating the population of Gaza with the excuse as a security threat, following October 7, 2023.
The division in the Australian Jewish community (of which I am a member) following recent attacks, whether antisemitism or anti-Israel, cannot ignore the facts of the massive deaths of innocents, especially women and children in both Gaza and Lebanon. There is no doubt that antisemitism has grown exponentially around the world and in Australia since the war on Gaza following October 7. Benjamin Netanyahu’s linking of an abhorrent attack on a Melbourne synagogue to the Albanese government’s support for a UN resolution to end the occupation of Palestinian territories is an opportunistic politicisation of this crime. It is disappointing to find friends both here and in Israel who I find not willing to debate the issues that Shanahan has outlined.
Jeffrey Kelson, Prahran
Aged care indignity
It is a brave journalist who will touch on Australia’s aged care problem, but nonetheless for Australia to do any better on the care which most Australians come to need, a response is of use wherever that courage is manifested (Shane Wright, ″Jobs come and go, economy goes on″, 19/12).
The poor outcomes for Australians in residential aged care are due to a national lack of knowledge of what constitutes gerontic care which could enable the same dignity and respect accorded to people before they grow old to continue despite the ravages of ageing.
Reform requires a new ethical approach, new identification and establishment of the human rights of older persons, and a new workforce informed by gerontic care training courses, which do more than treat a living person as an object to be hoisted between a chair and a bed, with a few spoonfuls of food shovelled in and resultant cleaning up of debris with cold wipes now and then. But otherwise, for however long it takes in hours, days, weeks, months or years to expire, the individual is left utterly alone.
Ruth Farr, Blackburn South
Sensible way forward
The succinct description by your correspondent (Letters, “Technology moving us in new directions”, 19/12) offers a sensible way forward. However, what gets in the way of this ‘progress’ are the business interests of the (mostly offshore) companies that own the electricity infrastructure and politicians who see votes rather than the best interests of our society.
The concept of local energy hubs based on solar and battery technology is not new, but when a progressive group in Healesville tried to establish just this, they were blocked by the electricity suppliers. Until we can move away from viewing this as an economic decision, and instead consider the societal and environmental impacts, not much will change in the near future.
Denise Stevens, Healesville
Student visa farce
How farcical is the go slow on student visas? International students are a huge source of export income and our excellent universities are a unique source of soft power.
Can you imagine the howls of protest if the government said it was going to slow the export of thermal coal after it reached a certain level?
Yet, our universities earn a similar amount of export income to thermal coal. And universities are trying to make the world a better place, while thermal coal is cooking the planet.
David Moore, Kew
Keep wildlife wild
The drowsy koalas snoozing their days away in the blue gums at Kennett River are unaware of what an internet sensation they have become. Literally thousands of people stop in the tiny seaside hamlet each week hoping for a glimpse of the iconic furry marsupial, which isn’t a ″bear″.
Benjamin Preiss (″Wildlife chased away by tourists wanting a better picture″, 14/12) highlights the tensions such visits create, especially if visitors harass wildlife in search of a standout photo for their socials. Seeing wildlife in the wild is an enriching and inspiring experience and hopefully elicits care and support among visitors. I had the privilege this year of getting close to red-backed colobus monkeys in Zanzibar and orangutans in Sarawak. Access to these wild creatures was well managed by the local custodians, and there was minimal impact on the animals. Tourist dollars went into the economies providing much needed employment and infrastructure. Finding the balance between letting people have inspiring wildlife experiences yet not upsetting the very things they come to see is not easy. The adage says, “Take only photos and leave only footprints”. Perhaps we should also add “be respectful of wild things and earn the approval of their custodians″. Leave sleeping koalas in peace.
Geoff McFadden, Kennett River
John Marsden’s wisdom
Many years ago, after a long, hard day and exhausting evening checking the progress and campsites of 200 year 9 girls and boys in the Howqua River valley, John Marsden stretched back on a rickety folding chair by the staff campfire, opened his arms wide, looked up at the stars and exclaimed ″and we’re getting paid for this!″.
That was the measure of the man; a giver, a generous supporter of shared educational goals, whatever it took.
He walked the talk. Above all, he respected young people. He engaged them, he listened to them, and he challenged them to think clearly, to question thoughtfully, to write better and be better.
All that, without expecting accolades or any kind of personal reward. Vale John Marsden.
Jeremy Madin, Merrijig,
Medical exclusions
I have been on ERT replacement therapy for 10 years. It is now virtually impossible to obtain any Estradot, Estradiol, or Estraderm in any strength at all from any chemist in the country. I should know, I’ve tried.
The usual story from the chemists is there is a supply issue due to COVID. But it was in short supply even before COVID.
If this was a male hormone replacement issue, I’m sure there wouldn’t be an issue. It’s another example of the inadequacies of the treatment of female patients.
And I’ve just been told by yet another chemist that if I can wait a few more weeks, there is a generic brand coming on the market. It won’t be on the PBS, but if it’s too expensive, and I can’t afford a whole box of patches then he will let me buy part of the box. Tell that to my hot flushes.
Janet Moore, Ivanhoe.
After school care
To any student feeling disappointed with their results, I offer a reminder: Not everyone has access to the same resources. Some students don’t have the benefit of a private tutor, or the freedom to focus entirely on their studies because they may need to work a part-time job. Others do not have parents with expertise to guide them through complex assignments, or someone at home ensuring they’re well-fed with nutritious meals. Others may have health issues.
The playing field isn’t equal for everyone, and many students face challenges that make it harder to achieve their goals.
This isn’t to diminish the achievements of those who have excelled – your hard work deserves to be celebrated. But it’s important to acknowledge that not everyone begins from the same starting point.
To all students: Your persistence and hard work will serve you well.
Alexendra Murphy, Kew
Take a joke
Re ″Raygun hits club for $10k in legal fees″ (19/12). How ridiculous. Imagine if celebrities (and wannabe celebrities like Raygun) could sue in the ’80s and ’90s. There would be no TV shows such as The Gillies Report, no Full Frontal, no parodies by Shaun Micallef or musicals about Shane Warne and Paul Keating. It’s satire. How sad that people cannot take a joke any more.
Josephine Byrt, Brunswick,
Global ambitions
When Gina Rinehart tried to get the NGA to remove her portrait painted by Vincent Namatjira, it had the reverse effect and the story went global. By demanding $10,000 in legal fees from the owner of a small Sydney comedy club that planned to stage a show called Raygun the Musical, the international coverage this has recently received, ensures that a future reformatted comedy musical will go truly global.
Frank Collins, Selby
Australia all over
My three-year-old grandson was very pleased with himself for finding several Australian flags on his flags of the world poster. Yes, all those with a Union Jack, even if the background was pale blue. Surely, it’s time to have a “real” Australian flag.
Heather Barker, Albert Park
Transgressive thoughts
Let me tell you about a family in a not-so-fictional country with the surname Gress. Yes Gress not Gross, although some may get confused, I guess. Don’t mention Di Gress because I will lose my train of thought, as I do when I mention Pro Gress, the increasingly distant cousin now thought of as woke, whatever that may mean. We commonly see other family members A Gress, Re Gress and O Gress, mistakenly thought of as an ogre, but worst of all the overtly aggressive and seemingly more dictatorial Con Gress, after a very brief dalliance with the more democratic Ne Gress. They certainly don’t want the ingress of alien families, although alien they were themselves. Oh, what a mess, I think I must egress to greener grass. Bless.
Phil Labrum, Trentham
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding
Selling nuclear
If Dutton had truly wanted a credible “adult conversation” – his favourite term – about nuclear power, he would surely have used the CSIRO rather than criticised it.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton
Sellafield, Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, Fukushima. Dutton.
Tony Delaney, Warrnambool
No doubt Peter Dutton will try to blame Labor for the ″debt and deficit disaster″ of debt reaching one trillion dollars. And he will dodge questions about the fact that the Morrison government left a debt of over $900 billion.
Margaret Ludowyk, Brunswick
Furthermore
Labor, with its go slow on processing student visas will be using inefficiency to achieve immigration targets. Not sure how this counts towards productivity measures.
Joan Segrave, Healesville
It is so easy to be critical of the Labor Party budget, but can the opposition tell us of their proposed cuts or alternatives to run the country? We need more than criticism, we need proposed actions.
Louis Ferrari, Richmond
The treasurer, Jim Chalmers has once again made clear the main difference between the two parties: Labor is there to provide essential services, whilst the Coalition thinks the main aim of the government is to make a profit.
David Ginsbourg, East Bentleigh
Down from Sydney and staying on Queensberry Street for a few days. What’s with North Melbourne and Carlton drivers whose exhausts are louder than Pavarotti? Are police deaf?
Russ Webber, St Leonards, NSW
The expanding population of Arden should shrug off the ignominy of being named after a drunken racist, and instead promote itself as a place of shelter and refuge like the Forest of Arden in Shakespeare’s As You Like It.
Sandra Torpey, Hawthorn
Finally
I can’t wait for the day when “first female ...” no longer is part of a headline.
Fiona White, Alfredton
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