Credit: Matt Golding
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TRUMP
Nick O’Malley (“With Trump declaring war on climate action, is this the last straw?” 18/2) highlights the despair that the sane world is feeling about the future of life as we know it. The return to plastic straws is the epitome of Trump’s approach to lifting that black pen. If it causes discomfort – momentarily – it goes! No asking why the plastic straw is a problem, and debating the consequence – discomfort versus disaster? That’s true, too, for the massive slashing of support for international climate action and for the electrification of the nation. Who’s asking what’s the downside of this? How has it come to this? Stop everything because we don’t like it?
O’Malley highlighted the increased role of China in the space vacated. We are looking with new eyes at the possible leadership for salvation of the planet. Who would have thought there could be such a shift in expectations of where the future for us lies. Perhaps, rather than this being the last straw for the planet, that huge black signature could turn out to be the straw that broke the US camel’s back.
Carolyn Ingvarson, Canterbury
The world shies away
No, it’s not the last straw for the planet; the planet will survive without humans. But it could be the last straw for US hegemony. As Trump draws America up its own not inconsiderable backside, the rest of the world shies away in alarm. A true sign of greatness is munificence and humility; two ennobling traits beyond the present occupant of the White House. It’s going to be a long way back for the land of the free from where its 47th president is taking it.
John Mosig, Kew
Backlash against plastic will continue
Nick O’Malley refers to Trump’s paper straws decree as “the pettiest of his assaults on climate and environmental action”. But in many ways it reflects more than the US now dragging the world back on climate change. The Trump administration represents the last big bastion against the flood of research over the last 10 years about the dangers of fossil fuel micro and nanoplastics in the environment and in living creatures. Already this year major research has been published demonstrating a 50 per cent increase of nanoplastics within the last eight years in human livers, kidneys and, more alarmingly, especially in brains. That research also showed markedly higher levels of nanoplastics in the brains of patients who had died of dementia than in non-dementia subjects.
Plastic in all of its life-stages is ubiquitous both in products and in the environment, but is it essential? Many businesses are responding to a swelling, well-informed grass-roots movement against plastic, from packaging to perfumes.
Christine Grayden, Phillip Island
Erosion of core principles
M. Gessen (Comment, 17/2) writes that Trump’s awful ideas are working as he intended. Whether President Trump has intended it or not, his actions since resuming the presidency of the US have been to damage America as a champion of democracy, justice and liberty. Whereas America used to stand against oppression, Trump’s approach to resolving conflict is to back the stronger party and threaten to withdraw all support for the other side, leaving little option but total submission. Thankfully the EU is maintaining its support for Ukraine and for a just peace between Palestine and Israel despite Trump’s threats and criticism. It is time Australia spoke against Trump’s erosion of democratic principles and international law.
Daniel Cole, California Gully
Defend our Commonwealth
A great Commonwealth nation, Canada, is being threatened by its neighbour (“Brawls, boos and boycotts: Trump resentment boils over in Canada”, 18/2), but where is the resolve of the other Commonwealth nations (including Australia) and its Commonwealth head, King Charles in standing up to this US bully? The British Empire declined into the British Commonwealth, which has now declined into a waste of time.
John B. Quinn, Avoca
THE FORUM
Give us choice
The recent abuse reported by The Age in the taxi industry is sickening. My mother – a 90-year-old pensioner – relies on transport now that she no longer drives. We mostly use the magnificent drivers of Shebah – an all-women drivers ride share service for women and children passengers. The drivers are extraordinary and go the extra mile to take care of our mum and we feel 100 per cent confident in their service.
However, as my mother has a home care package, we are told that funding for this transport can only be accessed using Cabcharge, and Cabcharge can only be used in taxis.
One taxi driver left my mother on the street saying she “didn’t show up” when he had parked a block away because he “couldn’t get a park out the front”. In this instance, I had even requested a driver for a “senior passenger” so that the driver could provide a decent level of support.
Aged care funding policy makers – how about opening up choice so that passengers can choose how they want to use their aged care funding?
Helga Svendsen, Thornbury
Make it safe
Your correspondent eloquently describes the situation faced by an increasing number of frail older people who can no longer get around independently (“I’ve little choice but to wear this taxi rip-off”, Letters, 18/2). Suddenly we’re vulnerable and exposed: perfect targets for exploitation. It’s no fun to be part of this “hidden” generation. If we’re lucky, we can afford to pay for the help we may need, without imposing on friends or family. If not, the options are bleak: vital community resources are overstretched and often completely lacking or inaccessible to those who need them most. Any government that claims to value community health and safety must be able to ensure a safer ride for all users of the taxi and ride-share industry.
Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor
Auto autos
There is a solution to some of these cases of systemic fraud by taxi drivers. Replace taxis driven by humans with cars that drive themselves. In San Francisco, Los Angeles and Phoenix, hundreds of autonomous cars use sensors and artificial intelligence to negotiate busy city streets. Once ordered via the app, the car arrives and takes the passenger to their destination for an agreed charge, similar to Uber. Crucially, there is no driver involved at all. While the first ride may seem a bit weird, the advantages are obvious.
The future of the taxi industry has arrived. Self-driving taxis will soon spread to other cities around the world. Melbourne should join them as quickly as possible.
Rod Wise, Surrey Hills
Signalling support
It’s fair enough for your correspondent to demand that independents and minor parties say who they would support in a hung parliament (Letters, 18/2). Probably their answers will follow the pattern set the last time there was a minority government, in 2010 under Julia Gillard. Labor negotiated a deal with the crossbench, which was accepted by the Greens and two of three independents. These crossbenchers agreed to support Labor on specific motions like confidence or budget supply. In return, they gained policy commitments in line with their own priorities. These included concessions like more funding for Hobart Hospitals, and putting a price on carbon emissions. The implication was that these crossbenchers preferred the overall Gillard program over Tony Abbott’s, but there was no agreement to support every Labor bill.
At the moment it is impossible for minor parties and independents to promise to support Labor or the LNP when their policies have not been released. Peter Dutton has released few details of policy. How would he fix the economy? What would do about carbon emissions from gas and coal, before nuclear arrives?
John Hughes, Mentone
Too quick
Leaders often must decide on and enact policies that may be unpopular with their staff, needing to take on board multiple perspectives. Staff often have a singular perspective, and complain that leadership did not consider factors A, B and C, when leaders considered all factors A to Z. Shane Patton (“‘Doesn’t feel right’: Nixon questions ousting of police chief”, 18/2) not only had to contend with what police members wanted, but also limitations imposed by government and community expectations, so there were probably multiple times when police members didn’t agree with his decisions. One single no-confidence motion should never have been the basis for forcing Patton to resign as police commissioner. This whole sorry episode raises huge questions – who runs the police force – the commissioner or the members? Can the members get rid of any future commissioner at any time by a simple no-confidence motion? The police force could be unmanageable after the government’s decision. A further factor is the extent to which the leadership group is involved in decision-making. Was Shane Patton solely responsible for managing the force, ignoring discussions and consensus decisions at leadership team meetings? If not, dismissal was even more shortsighted and unfair.
Louise Kloot, Doncaster
Dodging a bullet
It seems our state government leaders have found the ultimate way to dodge a bullet. You blame the guy who tried to tell you what needed to happen to address failures over our youth crime problems. Furthermore, you accept that the views of the police force about their boss notwithstanding that it was the government who ultimately made the decisions. Perhaps the rank and file were too focused on the hip pocket to consider who was to blame? What a debacle.
Charles Griss, Balwyn
Fearing the fear
Here we go again with the law and order debate. A byelection fought on the fear of crime, the resignation of a chief commissioner and confidence of officers at a low level. Weaponising crime for political purposes has become a popular political tool even when the general rate of crime is at 2020 levels.
Facts seem to be conveniently set aside and people focus on the “fear of crime” i.e. the perception or fear of feeling unsafe. This is a rich area for the political managers to to utilise around election time.
The other thing that is evident is the rush to attribute blame. It is not just the government and the police force that has a crime problem. The whole of society has a problem. We simply cannot arrest our way out of this situation. It is time we shared responsibility and adopted some crime prevention strategies to address the causes of crime. We need a multi-faceted approach, with the government co-ordinating efforts to identify and manage prevention approaches across agencies, such as prisons, education, health, social welfare etc.
Let us have a more educated debate about crime and the causes of crime and the fear of crime. Simply throwing a chief commissioner of police under a bus will have limited effect.
Robert McDonald, ex director Department of Justice, and chief of staff to police minister 1990-2004, Sailors Falls
Why Howard?
Peter Dutton’s reported statement that he would “govern in the style of John Howard” (The Age, 17/2) bodes ill for Australia. Howard was one of the worst prime ministers Australia has had to endure. He turned an egalitarian society into one of dog-eat-dog. There was his politicisation of the public service – goodbye frank and fearless advice. Howard had to sack seven of his ministers in his first term for impropriety. His Aged Care Act of 1997 where aged care is a commodity to be exploited and he successfully argued for an increase in private investment and removed the legal obligation to promote the health and wellbeing of nursing home residents as well as reducing the ratio of qualified nursing staff.
In 2000 he extended Keating’s franking credits scheme to enable those who paid no income tax to receive refunds. In 2001 we can add in the lies about children overboard. This is also the man who committed Australia to the pointless Iraq war based on lies and a desire to please America. The list goes on: additional capital gains tax concessions distorting the housing market, extra funding for private schools at the expense of public schools, the erosion of Medicare and the misuse of taxation for pork-barrelling that has repercussions today. Is this the man Dutton wants to emulate?
Reg Bateson, Caulfield North
New system
The usual reaction to a growth in the number of parents sending their children to non-government schools (“Private school enrolment booms despite fee hike”, 18/2) is to complain and demand more money for government schools because of the proportion of disadvantaged students enrolled in the latter. This is to continue the public education lobby’s failed strategy of the last 60 years.
A more farsighted strategy would be to ensure that the non-government sector does more of the “heavy lifting”; to get it to take more disadvantaged students. That means abandoning the failed Gonski model, and replacing it with one that allocates funds according to the private income of each school and requiring the non-government sector to enrol a set percentage of disadvantaged students.
Chris Curtis, Hurstbridge
Non verbal world
Your correspondent (Letters, 18/2) is not alone in being ignored by organisations with phone calls.
I tried to contact a local grassroots radio station thinking there would be a stronger community feeling with no voicemail at all and little success by phone. The automated response via their website also directed me to an online form. Seems we can say goodbye to verbal communication everywhere now.
Mel Smith, Brighton
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Matt Golding
Trump
Donald Trump is being misunderstood. Most people think Trump is saying “peace” when in fact he means “piece”. He wants a piece of Panama, a piece of Greenland, a piece of Palestine, and a piece, in the form of rare minerals, of Ukraine.
Jennifer Gerrand, Carlton North
Trump quotes Napoleon, “He who saves his country does not violate any law”. I prefer, from a source that Trump purports to respect, “By justice a king gives a country stability”, Proverbs 29:4.
Graham Bridges, Wodonga
Is Trump a straw man or a Musk lolly?
Bob Stensholt, Glen Iris
What is it with Trump using a Sharpie to write his name – then holding it up like a prep child for show-and-tell? Every other major office holder in the world uses a basic pen, and doesn’t display it smugly to show how his writing has improved.
Sue Parrington, Port Melbourne
Politics
Boy do I feel for Volodymyr Zelensky at the moment. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.
David West, Essendon
Shane Patton got the message from the no-confidence motion and resigned. After the Werribee byelection result, surely Jacinta Allan knows it’s time for her to follow suit. Moreover, if she doesn’t resign, members of her government should tell her she has to go.
Ivan Glynn, Vermont
David Littleproud says Peter Dutton is sharing thoughts on breaking up insurers, and not necessarily announcing policies. Sounds like we truly have our own Temu Trump.
Steve Melzer, Hughesdale
Finally
Your correspondent (Letters, 18/2) asks how to solve the problem of online queries going unanswered. My solution was to find the email address for a person in the executive level of the company and outline the run around and lack of outcome. My problem was fixed within a day.
Janet Fernandes, Nunawading
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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.