Credit: Cathy Wilcox
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The article “Watching history repeat as bombs fall″ (2/10) in Lebanon prompts the issue of a glaring disconnect in the US’s Middle East policy. The US supplies massive bombs, armaments and endless financial support to support Israel’s hostilities while pleading with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire as a step to a peace deal. Maybe it’s time for the US to temporarily cease its military and financial aid as a means to pressure Israel to genuinely seek diplomatic solutions? A circuit breaker is desperately needed to reverse the cycle of violence and hate provoking ever more violence and hate.
Kevin Burke, Sandringham
The only democracy in the region
The letter ″No licence to slaughter″ (1/10) raises an important question. How can Israel, a democratic nation, defend itself and its existence against recognised terrorist groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah when these groups use people as human shields? If Israel did not try to defend itself then the only democratic nation in the Middle East would no longer exist.
Betty Alexander, Caulfield
No longer within boundaries of self-defence
The one issue your correspondent (Letters, 1/10) has failed to address is that since the appalling Hamas attack on Israel citizens, more than 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks. This surely begs the question as to just who is acting as the terrorist organisation here? Hamas definitely, but to claim that the IDF is purely acting in self-defence is surely straining the limits of credibility.
Russell Patterson, Heathmont
The reasons for Israel’s position
On living in peace within secure borders, ask these two questions: Does Israel want to take over, control or destroy any other Middle East country? Does any other Middle East country or group want to take over, control or destroy Israel? Safety, security and a peaceful co-existence are the only reasons why Israel is at war with its neighbours. And look what Israel can bring to the world when peaceful co-existence flourishes.
David Court, Glen Iris
Will it be a pyrrhic victory?
As a supporter of Israel’s right to exist, of a two-state solution in the Middle East, I question Israel’s tactics in a difficult situation (″Israel strikes at Beirut’s heart, sites in Yemen″, Age, 1/10). When Hamas militants brutally attacked civilians in October 2023, what was their aim? With the backing of Iran, Hamas and other proxies like Hezbollah have escalated an existing conflict to a far worse level. Certainly the civilian deaths in Gaza and Lebanon have been high, compared with Israel’s equivalent. Israel has suffered less deaths, plus the dislocation of hundreds of thousands of its citizens. Many applauded, but some countries’ delegates walked out when Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the UN. Israel has the right to defend itself, but its policies and actions may be handing to Iran and Hamas many of their war aims.
John Hughes, Mentone
The losers are the women and children
George Orwell once stated: “All the war-propaganda, all the screaming, lies and hatred, comes invariably from those who are not fighting.” This certainly applies to those in power, on all sides of the current conflict in the Middle East, aided and abetted by the massive armaments industry. The losers as in any conflict, are the women and children and the young men, soldiers, generally working class, victims of years of political and/or religious or cultural indoctrination.
Craig Jory, Albury
THE FORUM
Reveal the donors
The integrity issue of real time declarations of donations to candidates for elected office rears its head once again (″Donors masked″, 2/10). The solution to the problem is so simple but is never adopted. The only reason for the lack of action is the desire of candidates to hide from scrutiny the source of donations for fear of embarrassing the candidate or the donor. That’s not an answer; that’s the problem and it should be remedied immediately.
Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South
No smile on the dial
My introduction to the audio cultural-media chasm between Melbourne and Sydney, as per the article “In true Sydney fashion, ‘Vile’ and Jackie O don’t get Melbourne” (2/10), came circa 1970 when, staying in Randwick, the early morning radio tones of John Laws could be heard hectoring an elderly caller who was struggling to collect their thoughts, culminating in them being abruptly disconnected.
This lack of civility from a presenter who began his show with the absurdly grandiose catchphrase, “Hello world!“, shocked me as someone used to an urbane Melbourne radio culture which, either in the commercial or ABC formats, respected its audiences.
Fast-forward to 2024 and, in the case of those Sydney radio interlopers, nothing has changed, it seems.
Jon McMillan, Mount Eliza
Aged care failures
The fact that Australia’s health system ranks No.1 in the world (″This healthy nation is fit for a fall″, 2/10) – while Australia’s deregulated privatised aged care system, separated from the health system by the 1997 Aged Care Act and exposed by the aged care royal commission as ″pervaded with substandard care″ and ″not worthy of our nation″ – makes a compelling case for bringing aged care back under the health system.
Aged care should not be a minimal knowledge, minimal effort elder sitting and storage service, but a health service, requiring a tertiary trained workforce, equipped with knowledge of the range of potential physical and cognitive disabling effects of the ageing process, and delivering mitigating gerontic care, to enable quality of life to continue as far as possible for every day of the lifespan of every Australian.
Ruth Farr, Blackburn South
System needs reform
We ranked No.1 out of 10 for our healthcare system according to the US based Commonwealth Fund. The ranking was based on combining five different measures. On access to health care we ranked ninth, just above the US. Somehow, despite that appalling ranking, we ranked No.1 on equity. How could that be? The measure
of equity this think tank uses is obviously grossly inadequate.
We are clearly not No.1 as the many patients struggling to access care, most of whom are on low incomes, will attest.
In addition, we rated No.1 on health outcomes, another of the five measures. Health outcomes are hugely determined by the social determinants of health, the conditions in which we work, live, and play. These are not part of the health system.
Let’s not kid ourselves. Our health system needs reform.
Dr Tim Woodruff, vice president,
Doctors Reform Society, Richmond
Just stop the ads
I heard Prime Minister Anthony Albanese say on ABC radio that poker machines were the biggest gambling problem. That might be so (or not) but you have to actively seek out poker machines – gambling ads on TV, radio and at the football come to us all uninvited. Just stop them.
Belinda Burke, Hawthorn
How to improve housing
I am a retired Baby Boomer. I admit, I have enjoyed the benefits of negative gearing. However, I thought then than it was “a bit of a wheeze” and I still think it is. It certainly helped me build a modest level of wealth but I have always felt it unfair that, for a variety of reasons, not everyone is in a position to participate.
Therefore, from a broad population perspective, I believe that the real question is: Is it fair to all?
Those who govern may be unconvinced that the removal of negative gearing will help the housing crisis but these questions remain: 1. Is the current negative gearing fair to all Australians?
2. Will removing it exacerbate the housing crisis? and 3. Could it at least be scaled back to one property only?
Michael Eland, North Melbourne
Trump v the weather
It is sad to see parts of the US devastated by hurricanes. But do people realise these storms are worse because of global warming, and are they going to vote for change, or are they just going to vote for Donald Trump because he’s going to fix everything?
Tim Durbridge, Brunswick
Enough with spreadsheets
What is it with the Liberals and colour-coded spreadsheets (“Staff drew up spreadsheet on Deeming vote”, 1/10)? Next they’ll be using alphabet flashcards for candidate pre-selection.
This is politics, not Play School.
Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor
Roads going to potholes
I recently enjoyed a lovely trip to Warrnambool, visiting friends and taking a wonderful tour at the Lake Condah Indigenous historical site.
However, the trip was let down by the state of our roads.
New South Wales was once the laughing stock as far as road maintenance was concerned but they have passed that baton to Victoria.
Be it VicRoads or a Commonwealth department responsibility, the Princes Highway beyond Geelong had potholes and rough edges everywhere. Twice on the way home I saw people with punctured tyres.
As for the state of roads in the Corangamite and Warrnambool areas, the less said the better. Disgraceful is too good a word. Plenty of warnings about potholes, but little maintenance.
Kevin Drinan, Bentleigh
Control by stealth
In making the decision whether Australia should follow America’s lead in banning the import of Chinese EVs, (“Hackers could be in driving seat with Chinese EV tech”, 30/9), the question needs to be asked whether it may one day be theoretically possible to control these vehicles remotely? If the answer is yes, then they have to be banned for security reasons.
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne
Hope from new drug
Thank you and congratulations to Professor Brian Dean from the Florey Institute and all the other dedicated researchers who have developed “the first novel treatment in 70 years” for those suffering with schizophrenia. (“How Victorian research (and brains) produced a new schizophrenia drug″ (2/10).
My dearest brother Andrew died on October 14, 1984 aged 24 after suffering for six years from the tragic symptoms of schizophrenia and the debilitating treatment regimes of those days. I am so glad that there is now light and hope for sufferers of this shocking illness.
Carolyn King,
Malvern East
Salute to Carter
As Jimmy Carter turns 100, with all the current US presidential carry on, it is worth acknowledging his willingness to speak the truth, his inherent human decency and his outstanding lifelong commitment to working for world peace and the betterment of humanity.
John Hannon, Essendon
Don’t worry, be happy
Welcome to October, Melbourne’s wettest month. Try not to complain when it rains in October. It keeps the place green and if it doesn’t rain now we get a drought and more severe bushfires.
So when it rains please stop whingeing and wait patiently for autumn, Melbourne’s sunny happy time. Everyone gets grumpy in spring because we’re expecting eternal sunshine and it’s so often cold, wet and miserable. But try to celebrate the bleakness.
And keep your eyes out for wet track specialists in the Caulfield Cup.
Terry Kelly, Coburg
One for grannies
Recently my local cafe proprietor became a grandmother for the first time. Her happiness is infectious.
Wouldn’t it be a great government gesture to create a Granny Card – a cashless debit card – to allow grannies to really enjoy the benefit of their new role. What about $2000 available for two years? Grandfathers could be eligible, too, of course.
Times are tough and this would make life just a little easier.
Lindsay Holland, Seaford
Credit: Matt Golding
AND ANOTHER THING
Local politics
Is Jim Chalmers selling ″back-to-back in black″ coffee mugs to celebrate the government’s consecutive surpluses?
Chris McCallum, Nathalia
Peter Dutton seems to be saying ″No″ to most things. Could he be negatively geared?
Jos Vandersman, Lilydale
How can there possibly be free and frank discussions in the state parliamentary Liberal Party now that it has been established that anything anyone says is taped and sometime down the track it might be used against them?
Phil Alexander, Eltham
US politics
Donald Trump attacks Joe Biden over his response to Hurricane Helene. How about future hurricanes be named after Trump and his climate denialist acolytes.
Jenny Smithers, Ashburton
Old man in suit wanders around disaster zone, and lies, again.
Matthew Hamilton, Kew
I would suggest that if Trump wins the American election, with J.D. Vance as his vice president, the length of their respective ties will be the very least of our worries (Letters, 2/10).
Jo Bond, South Melbourne
Furthermore
The radio survey results for the Kyle and Jackie O program is a testimony on the continuing good taste of Melbourne radio listeners.
Marie Nash, Balwyn
Do the low ratings in Melbourne of the Kyle and Jackie O show indicate that Melburnians are a more sophisticated audience than their northern cousins?
Paul Miller, Albury
How telling: more potential local government candidates think Gaza was a more important issue than housing density or maternal child healthcare (″See what your local candidates really think″, 2/10).
Greg Hardy, Upper Ferntree Gully
Extinct Australian airlines I’ve flown on domestic routes include Ansett, Compass, Impulse, TAA, Tigerair, EastWest and Hazelton.
Ian Macdonald, Traralgon