Up in smoke.Credit: Cathy Wilcox
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FEDERAL ELECTION
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton continues to huff and puff negatively at quick-stop media gatherings without producing facts to back up assertions critical of the government or provide policy details as explanation.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared recently on the ABC’s Q+A program to face a cross-section of the electorate for an hour and answer questions explaining how he has governed and will continue to govern if re-elected. By comparison, Peter Dutton has declined invitations to appear on the show. Teal candidates such as Zoe Daniel and Monique Ryan are prepared to face public debate forums on climate change while their Liberal opponents decline (or cancel) invitations to join them.
In my opinion, labelling the prime minister as weak with quick throwaway criticisms is hypocritical of the Coalition given the emerging evidence that its candidates lack the courage to participate in public debate. Prove me wrong, Peter Dutton, and appear on Q+A.
Denis Young, Sandringham
Forget corflutes, what is LNP’s climate message?
The Liberal ″cheeky message″ about a sign taken by the husband of independent Monique Ryan is newsworthy, but hardly the main issue. Far worse is Kooyong candidate Amelia Hamer’s knee-jerk support for her party’s inadequate climate policy, based on a ″balanced energy mix″.
Could Hamer, or preferably Peter Dutton, explain the actual mix planned by the LNP for the next decade? And detail the expected carbon emissions of their plan?
However progressive Hamer is personally on climate action, and on everything else, she is tied to Liberal policy.
For example, does she agree that every Commonwealth public servant should not be allowed to work from home? Questions like this regarding LNP plans are far more relevant than anything about corflutes.
John Hughes, Mentone
Empty chairs say it all
I well remember the non-appearance of both Michael Sukkar (Deakin) and Gladys Liu (Chisholm) not representing their constituents at a similar public forum event at a full house in Box Hill Town Hall prior to the 2022 election.
Narelle Murray, Glen Waverley
Make your own future without handouts
Labor promises handouts for everything – power, childcare, uni fees, home deposits and NDIS – and picking winners with its “Made in Australia” campaign. But Australians don’t want to live by handouts and don’t believe in “manna from heaven”. Lower taxes, reduce regulation and allow hard-working Australians to make their own future.
Wayne Alexander, Eltham
Lower the voting age
The election has been called. The politicians are in battle once more. But, to me, that begs the question: Why can’t people under the age of 18 vote in elections?
I am aware that this isn’t the case for everyone, but at 17 years of age I want to have my voice heard. But that’s not the only thing, is it? Some say the age requirement should be raised from 18 to 21 instead. Can any happy medium be found? Maybe.
What if the minimum age requirement was lowered to 16 but the age of mandatory voting was raised to 21? That way, we still have compulsory voting within Australia but allow for those between 16 and 21 to bow out if they wish. Why should those who are interested have to wait? Why should we not have our voices heard? After all, I’d hardly say that having our voices heard in elections is all that different to 16-year-olds learning how to drive.
Bernie Ince, Berwick
THE FORUM
No school culture wars
I am a teacher in a government secondary college in regional Victoria. Since the ‘Gonski’ Report was released in 2012 we have been fighting for an increase in federal and state funding to 100 per cent of the Schooling Resource Standard to ensure better and fairer outcomes for the 2.6 million Australian students who attend government schools. After 9 years of inaction by the previous Coalition government, agreements have now been reached between the Albanese government and every state and territory. With a degree of scepticism I also note that the Shadow Minister for Education, Sarah Henderson, has insisted that a Coalition government would honour those agreements.
However, in his appearance on Sky News on Monday night, Peter Dutton made it clear that he intends on slashing education funding to any state who he accuses of pursuing what he has referred to as a “woke” agenda in curriculum and educational programs.
What does this mean for programs such as the Respectful Relationships program which is mandatory in all Victorian government schools in an attempt to address the shocking levels of violence against women and children in our community?
Australian students must not become pawns in Peter Dutton’s culture wars; their education and wellbeing is far too important. Any voter who values the educational outcomes of Australian students over Trump-inspired culture wars must seriously take this into consideration before casting their ballot on May 3.
Chris Green, Venus Bay
Trump means it
How often do we hear people of all ages complain about politicians not saying what they mean, or meaning, what they say? Love him or loathe him, President Trump has changed that profile. No one is in any doubt about his opinions or that he is clearly acting on them. It will be so interesting to observe the impact on the political landscape, generally, over time.
Catherine Healy, Brighton
Canadian insight
Late last century, Canadian author John Ralston Saul, proposed that communism was dead, capitalism had seen its day, and corporatism was the emerging ethos governing society.
He defined corporatism as an overarching system of negotiations and bargains, where corporate entities controlled their citizen employees. Hire and fire was the coercive tool and management policed their state through fear and conformity.
But the danger, argued Ralston Saul, was that calm and control came at the cost of a person’s moral code, an individual’s right to disagree, an employee’s ability to shut their eyes to greed and self-serving interests; the citizens would lose their right to self -determination and democracy.
He called his book ‘The Unconscious Civilisation″ because people would become blind to the dangers of moral turpitude as they focussed more and more on their own financial welfare.
Ironically, it is a Canadian who had the foresight to predict the policies and negotiating ethos of this newly re-elected POTUS.
While the rest of the world calls out Trump’s manifest cronyism and self-interest, the voices of dissent from within the US are scant. Have they already given up the fight for democracy and drifted into unconsciousness, just as Ralston Saul predicted?
Suzanne Miles, Frankston South
Boys to men
With all the attention that the Netflix series ‘Adolescence’ is capturing and its message that young boys need good male role models, it is sad to see your correspondent’s report of being verbally abused by grown men when campaigning for their female independent candidate (Letters, “Fragile, fearful, men’s abuse only fuels us”, 31/3.) There are also reports of campaign material for this candidate being defaced.
Come on men, when violence against women is such an issue in our society, show our young boys that you can cope with competition and/or rejection in a healthy way.
Anne Carroll, Brighton East
Start a movement
Bravo David Halliday! (″You know who loves WFH? Dads″, 3/4).
Stand up and shout for your right to have your place in the home: your right to be an active father, liberated from the grind of the daily work commute.
Start a movement. There will be plenty of women who can advise you on how this is done. It was called the Women’s Movement when I was a young woman. Of course, in those days, we were fighting for the right to be liberated from home duties, and allowed to have a career, but the process of men’s liberation will be much the same, I’m sure.
I advise you to find a peer group of like-minded men. Changing social norms is a slow lonely process, so you will need each other’s support to keep going. But with commitment and strategy, and being prepared to be unpopular with all sorts of people who will feel threatened, you will gradually get somewhere.
I wish you good luck. We women have been waiting for this moment for a long time!
Josephine Ben-Tovim, Carlton
Women’s work
Katy Hall’s article on the lack of gender equality in work is spot on (″Dutton’s ‘me too’ election strategy is great … unless you’re a woman″, 1/4). The only thing she omits is that both major parties give preference to male-dominated industries. I’ve recently been analysing gender (in)equality in apprenticeships over the last 40 years. In the 1980s, serious attention was paid to extending apprenticeships to female-dominated industries, but this emphasis has never returned. In feminised industries, apprenticeships are usually called ‘traineeships’, are looked down upon, and receive less funding for training. Recently, in fact, the federal government removed employer subsidies from some female-dominated apprenticeships, and gave extra handouts to employers in many male-dominated apprenticeships. The apprentices in some of those industries were also awarded substantial cash bonuses. Nothing for the girls though!
Erica Smith, Emeritus Professor, Federation University, Ballarat
Anxiety management
Congratulations to Sam McLure for raising the issue of anxiety (″Dirty secret: AFL players urged to deal with anxiety″, 3/4). After 30 years of clinical practice with young people, I have learnt four things about anxiety. First, anxiety is not a choice – you can’t just snap out of it. Second, most of the things people do to numb anxiety makes it worse in the long term, especially alcohol and drug use. Third, if people notice that their anxiety feels so much better because they have managed to avoid everything that makes them feel anxious - that is not a win for them, or the people who enable this. Finally, choosing to step in to the fear that stands between them and where they want to be - that is progress. Gradual exposure with support from a therapist is essential.
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, child, adolescent and family psychologist
Trials of parking
The City of Melbourne raised a staggering $36 million dollars in parking fine revenue last year - an increase of $5 million dollars from the previous year (31/3). I don’t think this news comes as a shock to many who live, work or endeavour to access the CBD by car.
The so-called trial introduced a few years back increased the paid two-hour parking limit up to 10pm every day of the week including Sunday which had previously had some reprieve for paid limits. Coupled with a significant reduction of metered street parking, confusing signage and no doubt extra staff to patrol the streets and issue fines nearly 24 hours a day I’m surprised not more revenue is being generated. The downside is that if you are lucky enough to score a park on the street in the evening be careful not to exceed the 2-hour limit by going to an event, having dinner or visiting friends or relatives who live in the city. Does the City of Melbourne know that all the shops aren’t open at night and some of the logic around a two hour limit in the evening just doesn’t work?
Lawrence Walsh, Docklands
Weekend traffic
I read that ″more people are driving into the CBD” (31/3) and wondered why these people are driving to a place well serviced by trains and trams. Then I remembered how infrequent weekend public transport is, and how big the gaps in our bike lane network are. A frequent train is a far better option than driving. People will ride when they feel safe. Our government could make both of these a reality.
Adrian Jackson, Kensington
Less than zero
Re the letter, “The tax rules on housing must change” 3/4. To state that investment in property does not benefit anyone but investors is flawed. First, ask my tenants if my investing in a property helps them, and I bet you’d get a yes.
Also, the property is not negatively geared and that, out of the rent received, land tax is 30 percent, income tax about 30 per cent and maintenance, rates etc about 20 per cent. Over half of the rent is paid in tax to the government which clearly benefits everyone in funding roads, infrastructure etc. The amount I get in my pocket is very small and in some years, zero.
Mike Mack, Kew
Flu season
I find it alarming as an over 65 year-old that on the one hand we are being urged by articles such as “Flu numbers in ominous early surge” (3/4) to get vaccinated, but on the other hand, the over 65 flu vaccine is not available for several weeks.
I was offered the standard flu vaccine for $20 at one pharmacy and $24.95 at another, with advice that I have the choice to wait or take the less effective offer, but I can’t have both.
While the Chief Health Officer is quoted as saying that it’s critically important to stay up to date with your shots, the Shire of Campaspe immunisation team is waiting until the end of April to offer the flu vaccine on the premise that being closer to winter is going to be better for us to have this shot.
Can those people responsible for this conflicting advice, please try to work together a little better?
Wilma Hills, Echuca
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding
Trump world
Donald Trump wants the US to be isolationist. We live in hope.
Pete Sands, Monbulk
We were inspired by the words of John F. Kennedy: ″Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.″ Where have such beautiful sentiments gone? They have certainly been ignored in this ″what’s in it for me nation″.
Louis Roller, Carlton
Peter Dutton’s bravado regarding US tariffs and Trump might be about as effective as Tony Abbott’s hot air regarding ″shirt fronting″ Putin.
Meg McPherson, Brighton
Why should Australia remain in its Free Trade Agreement with the US when the US is unilaterally breaching it by imposing tariffs?
Denny Meadows, Hawthorn
With a 10 per cent increase on Big Macs using Australian beef “trimmings”, now might be the time for Americans to look to a healthier option.
Annie Wilson, Inverloch
Furthermore
Albanese claims that the Greens have lost their way. It is Labor that has lost its way in its continued support for Israel as it bombs and starves the population of Gaza in defiance of international human rights legislation.
Miranda Jones, Drummond
Why should the apparent unpopularity of Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan and the Victorian Labor Party impact on who voters in the state support in the forthcoming federal election?
Garry Meller, Bentleigh
Like your correspondent (Letters, (2/4) I also learnt to wash, iron, prepare meals and make my own bed ... and not because I was a ″Nasho″ but because I was a girl.
Ranee Mischlewski, Box Hill South
Finally
There is another excellent reason for pushing the AFL season into October. Collingwood has won more premierships in October (2) than any other team.
James Young, Mt Eliza
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