Credit: Matt Golding
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AIR UPGRADES
The opposition is surpassing itself in negativity in criticising the prime minister for his Qantas upgrades (“‘Strange arrangements’: Coalition demands answers on PM’s Qantas upgrades”, 29/10). Of course all politicians use these.
But what is the greater concern? This matter or the fact that the federal opposition leader is unable to provide any details on his nuclear energy policy? This policy will cost us billions, scientists have said it’s not an option, it’s finishing time is too far in the future and the opposition plans to trash our participation in the Paris Agreement.
Jan Marshall, Brighton
Ban the gifts
In defending the prime minister’s free upgrades from Qantas your correspondent (Letters, 29/10) mentions that yes, indeed he did declare them as per the rules, but what he didn’t mention was Anthony Albanese’s request to the chief executive of Qantas for the upgrades. All in all, the giving to and receiving of gifts by politicians should be banned at all levels because the strongest inference to draw from the giving of these gifts is that a favour is sought.
Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South
Moneys claimed
Senator Bridget McKenzie is asking questions about Anthony Albanese’s Qantas upgrades. Perhaps she should cast her mind back to February 2017, when she apparently had no qualms in charging the Australian taxpayers $1611 for a return business class flight to Sydney, $400 for overnight accommodation and $268 for official car transport. All of this was put down as “electorate business”, when we later discovered she was presenting an award for shooting, that was not claimable under the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority guidelines given her then role as a backbencher. She should think more carefully before criticising Anthony Albanese’s receipt of Qantas upgrades.
Alan Whittaker, East Kew
Serious questions
While suggesting the Senate could form a new inquiry into Qantas’ flight upgrades for the PM, the Coalition’s transport spokeswoman Bridget McKenzie said: “There are clearly serious questions which only Mr Joyce and the prime minister can answer.” The same could be said of her regarding her involvement in the so-called “sports rorts affair” of 2018 that led to her resignation from cabinet and as deputy leader of the National Party. While she continues to deny any wrongdoing, the coloured spreadsheets released earlier this year via freedom of information raised more questions about the involvement of her office in a program that saw tens of millions of dollars more directed to marginal seats and funds to her own gun club against the independent recommendations from Sport Australia. Another case of a Coalition pot calling a Labor kettle black.
Kevin Bailey, Croydon
Some of us more equal
George Orwell has proven an insightful pundit of Australian politics with: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” Although I think George was referencing two legs against four rather than first class versus cattle class. Best we all keep a sharp eye out for: “This work was strictly voluntary, but any animal who absented himself from it would have his rations reduced by half.”
Andy Worland, Ballarat
Wrong focus
In the middle of a cost of living crisis and huge debates about climate change, including the potential building of nuclear-powered electricity generators, we home in on our prime minister. The prime minister has not broken any laws. In the scheme of things it is a speck in the great debates we should be having. Perhaps the Coalition best serves the nation by concentrating on important issues rather than the petty politics of mud slinging. The costings of the transition to nuclear-powered electricity should be one of their agenda items.
John Rome, Mt Lawley, WA
THE FORUM
Rubber meets the road
The article — “Brunswick sky rail plans put station metres from apartment windows”, (29/10) — highlights the unintended consequences of the government’s ambitious plans for crossing removals and new housing targets. It is true that the removal of level crossings (mainly by elevating the tracks) has resulted in overall community benefits but also significant detriment for those residents now overshadowed and overlooked by these concrete and steel barriers in the sky. Similarly, the future high-density housing strategy around train stations will result in winners and losers. It is a wicked problem, but the evidence to date is that the implementation of the government’s policies, focused on a greater good, will leave many potholes in its wake.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick
Rail opportunities
Residents of Brunswick’s Nightingale Village expressing astonishment and dismay at apparent plans to build an elevated train station just metres from some of their bedroom windows might be able to sell to YIMBYs who would surely leap at the opportunity to not only have such development in their backyards but in their bedrooms too.
Susan Caughey, Glen Iris
Going out
Your correspondent’s suggestion (“Rural alternatives”, Letters, 29/10) of actively encouraging regional growth provides the only real solution to maintaining Melbourne’s reputation as one of the world’s most liveable cities. While decentralisation is a costly way of restructuring, the long-term prospects of infinite growth offered by the Allan government are simply unsustainable. Back in 1973 the Whitlam government began a program of decentralisation, allocating funds to develop cities like Albury-Wodonga. If these policies had been followed through, Melbourne would be a different and vastly better city. Sadly, the following Liberal government axed the program, and we now live in a divided city with cosmopolitan Melburnians living near transport and cultural facilities and the less well-off struggling with the stress of outer suburban living. Decentralisation would be expensive and difficult to implement, but if we have any regard for the long-term future of Melbourne, it is the only way forward.
Bryan Long, Balwyn
Strata support
The Victorian government’s plan to build high-rise and multi-density units to alleviate the housing crisis ignores the issues highlighted in the ABC Four Corners expose on the dodgy strata management and strata insurance industries. Consumer Affairs Victoria is toothless in dealing with unscrupulous strata management companies who overcharge, underperform or worse. For many Victorians, multi-density housing which is strata managed, is a living hell. An overhaul of the owners’ corporation legislation and a dedicated strata ombudsman is overdue.
Susan Martin, Rosanna
Design-led change
Your correspondent says we need to stop a politicians’ panic about overdevelopment (“Design solutions”, Letters, 29/10). As an architect too, I’m more worried there’ll be a developers’ picnic in an uncontrolled land grab and race to the bottom with planning, design and construction standards. Even assuming we could access sufficient skilled labour to support an accelerated building program to house a projected population boom, we wouldn’t want it to produce substandard accommodation that nobody wants to live in.
We need to use our resources more wisely and allow for higher population density. Much of Melbourne’s renowned “liveability” depends on its comparatively benign climate and gentle topography. We risk squandering these natural advantages unless we take sufficient care with the basic regulatory framework underpinning future development.
Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor
Dry economics
People who live in apartments are complaining about body corporate rules denying them the right to hang their washing on the balconies? Do they want us to look like Bangkok with washing hanging outside everywhere? We can’t have everything. Living in a smaller apartment requires imaginative thinking – no dryers but a clothes horse near the windows to allow the sun to do the drying.
Julie Ottobre, Brunswick East
Art of compromise
Someone like Bob Brown is needed again to head the Greens if the community is to regain faith in them. The Greens need to learn that compromise is how things get done. And political grandstanding, especially when you don’t have the power to get things done, is negative. The Queensland election should tell the current Greens leadership something. They need to return to being positive and work on their once-held values.
Nola Cormick, Albert Park
Carbon history
In reflecting on the history of the Greens your correspondent was wrong to describe Kevin Rudd’s CPRS as “useless” when it was blocked from becoming law by the Coalition and the Greens. Nor is Gillard’s CEFP “effective” since it has been dead for 10 years, having only survived for about two years. I would argue the CPRS had more chance of long-term effectiveness since the carbon price could have been ramped up over time. With the support of the Greens and much of the Liberal party room, which it enjoyed in 2009, the CPRS would have had a better chance of surviving political attempts to kill it off.
David Mansford, Concord NSW
Drain the coffers
I am a freelance musician, and my wife is a teacher. We are both nearing retirement age and I see that our combined assets will be more than $100,000 over the limit to get the full pension when we both turn 67. Should we enjoy that money over the next year or two, drinking Dom Perignon, staying at the finest hotels in Europe, dining in the finest restaurants, and attending opening night at La Scala, until we have reduced the excess without adding to our assets?
Bruce Angus Christie, Hamilton
Campus culture
I take umbrage to Michael Koziol’s description (“First-time voters cheer Trump’s anti-migrant tirade”, 26/10) of economics and political science majors at Australian campuses being conservative, nerdy and wearing beige chinos with RM Williams boots. My major subjects were the same, but my attire when attending left-wing political events was somewhat different. Army disposal greatcoat, nondescript T-shirt (probably with holes), jeans and probably my favourite blue, red and white sneakers, and I sincerely hope I wasn’t nerdy! Times have certainly changed.
Jim Barnden, Richmond
Friendly forum
I have just finished reading esteemed ABC journalist Laura Tingle’s recent essay in The Monthly on the decline of civility in modern discourse. This is in large part due to the global disease that is self-centred anonymity and aggression that sums up the dim world of social media. Reading the essay only made me love the letters page of The Age even more, irrespective of whether my occasional contributions are published or not.
The 170 years of civil succinct discourse via these pages has, in my view, contributed greatly to what made Melbourne feel more like a wonderful community, not just another city.
The reasonable requirement is to be succinct, provide full name and address and evident commitment to being civil. What is not to love about those three elements that makes readers savour the letters page each day, when the rest of the world seems to have been seduced into the nameless, faceless world of social media?
Bernadette George, Mildura
Australian slavery
In reflecting on Australia’s past and economic success, your correspondent states that we “didn’t have the use of slavery to extract resources”, (“Roots of success”, Letters, 29/10). We might not have used Indigenous people to extract resources, but we definitely used them as slaves by removing children from their homes, bringing them up on missions and then sending them to do manual work either as domestics or labourers with little or no pay. Plus, adult Aboriginal men were used as stock hands on huge stations, and again were regularly not paid. And women were often taken by white men, against their will, and used to satisfy those men’s sexual desires. In my book that is slavery, if not in name, then by nature.
Margaret Collings, Anglesea
Sugar slaves
Your correspondent stated “But we didn’t have the use of slaves to extract resources”. Our slaves were convicts sent from Britain over many decades, and then Kanakas brought here for the sugar plantations.
George Djoneff, Mitcham
Birds-eye views
Three peregrine falcons that hatched on an office tower ledge above Collins Street in early October are already half-grown. Thousands of people are watching on a livestream as the parents feed them pigeons. The avian toddlers flap their elementary wings and stomp around on their outsized yellow legs. In real life, I’ve been watching them through binoculars, catching my breath at their flight above my city. What a privilege to have these birds of prey in the urban environment.
Debbie Lustig, Elsternwick
Missing wildlife
Something odd is happening at the Royal Botanic Gardens. The swans that usually have cygnets at this time of year have disappeared. Also missing are the beautiful fairy wrens. In the lake, the eels have not been seen. I have asked some of the gardeners and they are also concerned about the lack of wildlife in recent times. We know there are foxes, but that cannot be the only explanation.
Taz Baskett, Southbank
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Matt Golding
Middle East
By banning UNRWA there is no way that most Palestinians can receive aid. Massive deaths are now surely inevitable. Israel is now out of control and I can see no path for any cessation of the war in Gaza.
Glenn Murphy, Hampton Park
Albanese
Haven’t the opposition got anything better to do than focus on the PM buying a house that, by Sydney standards, is a quite reasonable price for the location, and old Qantas upgrades that were declared? People in glass houses, and all that.
Marie Nash, Balwyn
Just like Albanese’s $4.3 million new house in a cost of living/housing crisis, the Qantas Chairman’s lounge membership is not a good look when we know extra flights for Qatar Airlines got knocked back by government.
Craig Tucker, Newport
November 5
Melbourne Cup Day, where punters qualify for the adage “fools and their money are soon parted”. Guy Fawkes Night, when “disgruntled” citizens (home-grown terrorists) attempted to blow up the government at Westminster. The US presidential election, where, if Trump were to win or lose, he will attempt to “blow up” American democracy.
Harry Kowalski, Ivanhoe
If indeed, as Trump claims, the US presidential election is rigged, then that is so whether he wins or loses. He can’t have it both ways.
Les Aisen, Elsternwick
Furthermore
Why, when you are young, you fall over but if old, you have had a fall?
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
The daredevil tagging on top of the Tullamarine freeway “cheese stick” sculpture is a foretaste for visitors to a city where graffiti is out of control.
Susie Holt, South Yarra
A walk through the saleyards redevelopment in Kensington would educate any designer about the drab, uninviting, high maintenance and substandard results of using cheap materials and a “same-same” design template in redevelopments.
Chris Wallis, Albert Park
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To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.