Credit: Illustration: Cathy Wilcox
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LEADERSHIP
Ross Gittins is right on the money when he describes Albanese’s recent performance as “gutless”, (″We’ve entered the era of gutless government″, 11/12).
Our prime minister has become a plaything to various lobby groups that pander to the rich and powerful – those whose interests are not served by addressing climate change, sports gambling or election funding to the two major parties. Albanese appears to hide his true colours beneath a veneer of promises to act on these issues. Meanwhile, the Coalition has no pretence that it will address these major issues. Australians are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the two major parties.
Leigh Ackland, Deepdene
Albanese’s list of achievements
Ross Gittins is normally succinct and to the point, but not so on Wednesday (“Era of gutless government is here”, 11/12). Really Ross, after two-and-a-half years this so-called “gutless” Albanese government has, during extreme international and local economic conditions, achieved a multitude of sound and worthwhile policies, nearly all passed into law.
I am not sure where the timidity fits into this scenario.
The Albanese government has been unified, efficient, determined and successful across all areas. A 4 per cent reduction in inflation, tax relief for all, a clear and purposeful climate change agenda, help and assistance for TAF, HECS students. Welcome and very much-needed wage increases across a swath of areas: Pre-school, aged care, NDIS and nurses, bulk billing, PBS benefits, and more. And, housing plans finally passed.
Perhaps just a little respect and consideration for this “so-called timid” prime minister. Albanese, with his ministers, also managed to reopen meaningful relations with China, our largest trading nation. Without this achievement, Australia otherwise would otherwise have entered a dire economic spiral. And, let’s not forget Australia’s completely re-established relationships within the ASEAN Nations.
Keith Brown, Southbank
ALP need heed the US Democrat experience
Your correspondent (Letters, “Time to reflect, PM”, 12/12) writes that the prime minister should announce his retirement soon, and allow Labor to pursue its constructive policies with a new leader.
Whilst that might seem attractive to some, we might well reflect on the replacement of US president Joe Biden with what appeared to be a charismatic and competent candidate.
Alas, Donald Trump, a person with few redeeming personal attributes, a bunch of nonsense MAGA policies, and a disdain for the so-called urban elites, had a clear and convincing victory.
There might be a lesson here for Australia. The ALP, like the Democrats, seems obsessed with issues that many voters would see as peripheral, such as CO2 emissions, minority rights, and Indigenous affairs. They might prefer more serious attention being given to bread and butter issues like housing, the cost of living and healthcare.
If indeed Dutton wins next year, regardless of what he promises, the Aussie battlers will almost certainly turn out to be disappointed (as will the Trumpists in the US).
Al Morris, Doncaster
Offending nobody means losing voters
Ross Gittins nailed it when he called out timid federal government. Albanese sits on the fence, trying not to offend anybody, but he has pushed away many voters with his wishy-washy approach.
He was morally obliged to support Peta Murphy’s gambling advertising reforms, but couldn’t find the courage to support it. He did an even bigger backflip on Tanya Plibersek’s EPA bill.
I know one voter he has lost.
Tony Jackson, Fitzroy
Political morass
Re ″Dutton goes low, Albanese is nowhere″, 12/12. Shaun Carney’s article encapsulates the stagnant political morass Australia is treading. In a time of worldwide crisis, we too, are stalled in a smallness of intelligence, vision and leadership.
The political imperative to either stay in power or seek power is the nemesis to the solutions we urgently need to enable a just, equitable and sustainable future.
Judith Morrison, Nunawading
THE FORUM
United voices needed
What a huge statement would be made if all federal and state leaders of upper and lower houses appeared together, put aside their differences, and as one announced to Australia and the world that Australians will not tolerate antisemitism.
Deborah Gyles, Camberwell
Flags and allegiances
Australia’s national flag is again in the spotlight. Peter Dutton seems to want only one flag to represent national togetherness, a nebulous idea that can be symbolised by flying multiple flags. One way of doing that is to represent unity by waving a separate flag for each geopolitical unit. The UN flag does that, as do state flags at national competitions. Another way is to transpose those separate flags to represent the coming together of different cultural entities.
That approach is represented on the Union Jack with its three crosses and on the stars and stripes with its 13 stripes. Dutton’s progressive logic would seem to support having a single flag that represents each of the communities that constitute Australia in the 21st century.
Is there not a way of incorporating the Indigenous flag in a new Australian flag?
Ross Mouer, Monash University
Union Jack cringe
Thank you to the politicians who banned the swastika – a flag of genocide of Jewish, LGTBQIA+ and disabled people and political opponents.
The Union Jack is similarly a flag of genocide, land and child theft and the ongoing discrimination for more than 250 Indigenous nations across Australia. And it’s a symbol of historic misery for dispossessed Irish and Scots, political prisoners and convicts. My young adult kids refuse to use the old Australian flag lunchbox or beach towel because the Union Jack ‘is cringe’. When will this colonial genocide symbol be removed from our national flag?
Catherine McNaughton, Glen Huntly
LNP songsheet
Not so many years ago, the LNP trumpeted the children overboard, and a few years later cried out about the Muslim risk to our national security. In retrospect, these were proven to be codswallop. Now, the LNP is screaming about antisemitism in their maintenance of the historic success in gaining votes through the activation of the worst kind of strategy; patriotism.
For goodness sake, the criticism of Israel is a criticism of Israel, not of the Jewish people who, given the opinions expressed in The Age shows that many do not agree with the stance of the Israeli government.
David Raymond, Doncaster East
Nuclear’s tentacles
The current debate around Australia’s potential adoption of nuclear power has centred mainly upon economic issues. There has been little real consideration of the waste disposal issue, except in that we don’t want it anywhere near our backyard.
Meanwhile, the crucial issue of the stability and safety of nuclear power plants has been glossed over with reassurances that disasters like Chernobyl, Three Mile Island and Fukushima can never happen again.
There is another, equally disturbing issue which seems to have gone under the radar. If we elect Peter Dutton as our next prime minister and proceed with his plan for nuclear-powered energy, will we have crossed the rubicon? Will we then consider the next step might be nuclear weapons?
We should educate ourselves now about what nuclear weapons have done and can do.
Nuclear power is one of the forbidden fruits in our Garden of Eden and there are serpents with a variety of motives urging us to have a taste.
Andrew King, Healesville
Medical misogyny
Re ″Doctors don’t hate women, but we can be idiots when it comes to their health″ (12/12), by oncologist Nicholas Wilcken misses the fundamental point of The Age series ″Medical Misogyny″.
Medical misogyny, like misogyny in general, is an experience, and women know this deep in our beings. Dr Wilcken’s example of the differences in presentation between male and female cardiac symptoms is a poor one. As a ″female″ emergency department and intensive care nurse, I can advise that women’s cardiac symptoms are much better understood these days, and they don’t go ″to the back of the queue″ in triage.
The experience of medical misogyny actually goes more like this: in 2014 I had a seizure after a morning run. I had been experiencing episodes of persistent parathesia for several months before I had the seizure.
I promptly attended the ED, and described what I know to be classic symptoms of a significant neurological event in any age group or gender. I was immediately asked whether I was ″prone to″ anxiety and depression by the male registrar. Sadly, I was not surprised by this attitude.
A subsequent MRI which I was able to insist upon revealed transverse myelitis, and further investigation proved a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis.
Michelle Goldsmith, Eaglehawk
Excuse not a remedy
When The Age invited women to respond to its ″Medical Misogyny″ series, I was quick to respond with one example of not being taken seriously by a doctor which almost cost me my life. However, I’m sad to say this was only one example of many. I now have a female GP who listens to me and refers me to specialists when needed.
The problem is most of the specialists are males, and so the problem continues. Reading Nicholas Wilckens’ article, ″Doctors don’t hate women, but we can be idiots″ only strengthened my opinion, as the article carried an excuse, not a remedy.
Sharon Hendon, Glen Iris
Don’t take it personally
Nicholas Wilcken wants to argue against an expanded definition of misogyny that was included in the Macquarie Dictionary back in 2012.
He may well “know where the word misogyny comes from” but that does not necessarily reflect modern usage.
Macquarie recognised that “entrenched prejudices against women” needed to be added to Wilcken’s “hatred of”.
It may be derived from a conflation of the prefixes ‘miso-’ and ‘mis-‘, the latter derived not from Ancient Greek but through English via Proto-Germanic. Mis(o)gyny would then be women being treated wrongly, badly or unfairly in any number of ways (think ‘misinformed’ or ‘misapprehension’). In this understanding the behaviour may not be intended, but it happens all the same.
There will be health professionals, doctors especially, who may feel term ‘medical mis(o)gyny’ implies something about them personally. It doesn’t need to. That’s really up to them.
Allison Stanley, Preston
Remove Arden name
The revelations about the racist views and decadent life of George Arden (″The racist history behind Metro station name″, 12/12) is an opportunity to consider again the wishes of many locals and rename the current North Melbourne station ‘West Melbourne’ – where it is located – and call the new station, in North Melbourne ‘North Melbourne’. It would remove the current confusion and be totally uncontroversial.
Jan Lacey, North Melbourne
Arden’s multiple meanings
As a quite insignificant North Melbourne stakeholder, I find I have conflicted opinions regarding the possible name change for the new Arden train station. Recognising and formalising Indigenous names for heritage sites and geographical features is generally incontestable.
Post 1788 arrivals had no foundations for their name giving. On the other hand, Arden is an example of a ‘European’ name that has become ingrained in local culture and folklore. As a third generation North supporter, I find am unhappy to read that the name is being contested, albeit for a train station.
How do we reconcile the offensiveness to some with the emotional ties of others?
Jim McLeod, Sale
Sportswashing
FIFA has announced that the oil-rich kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host the 2034 soccer World Cup.
In the end it was the only bidder when other competing bidders, including our own bid with New Zealand dropped out.
Every human rights group in the world, and our own Craig Foster, have expressed grave misgivings about FIFA’s decision to grant Saudi Arabia the rights to host the event. Promises of reforms and improvements to Saudi labour laws affecting migrant workers are of little comfort when hundreds of workers are expected to be killed building the required eight stadiums and massive infrastructure, especially a whole new city of Neom. Money talks and big money makes us deaf to human rights concerns. That’s what sportswashing does.
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris
Banks’ dues
When will our federal parliament remind banks that their banking licences bless them with government support, and such support ought oblige them to accept cheques and cash that we older citizens seek to use? Their closures of branches and the desire to have only internet transactions shows banks are failing to deliver services to the general public as is expected of them.
Michael Mathew, Epping
AND ANOTHER THING
Politics
Poor old Albo, outflanked by operationally alert Peter Dutton. Summed up brilliantly by Wilcox (11/12). The opposition leader is aware there are very few Indigenous billionaires, something which seems to have escaped the wobbly prime minister.
Jim Aylmer, Mt Waverley
Our prime minister, a genuine man who humbly wants to unite our nation, not divide it.
Ross Hosking, Blackwood, SA
I am sick of all this focus on Albanese and Dutton. We do not have a presidential system of government. Let us focus on the policies of the two parties, not personalities.
Anna Davey, Ringwood
Flags
I’m surprised Peter Dutton won’t stand in front of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islands flags at press conferences. Normally at press conferences, he doesn’t get behind anything.
Ron Mather, Melbourne
If I were a flag, I would not stand behind Peter Dutton.
John Cameron, Bellbrae
Our flags are confusing and dividing? It’s a shame that Dutton apparently has such low regard for the intelligence of Australians.
Jane Sullivan, Kew East
Energy
Very strange that the Coalition hasn’t given a date for the release of its nuclear policy costs. Creates suspicion, as it should.
Tony Delaney, Warrnambool
There is as much chance of having nuclear submarines, nuclear power stations or less than 2 degrees global warming by 2035, as there is of Tasmanian tigers being brought back from extinction.
Michael Hynes, Ivanhoe
Finally
Please can people stop conflating Israel and being Jewish. Israel is before the International Court of Justice for its actions in Gaza. That has nothing to do with the fine Jewish community in Australia. The continued swapping between antisemitism and condemning Israel’s actions does nobody any good.
David Moore, Kew
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