Credit: Matt Golding
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POLITICAL LEADERSHIP
Is the state parliamentary Liberal Party scared of governing the state? (“Wells courted to lead Liberals as Pesutto braces for spill threat”, 7/10). After being led poorly at the past two elections they now have a leader in John Pesutto who is making steady progress to leading the Liberals to government at the next election in two years and polling confirms that trend.
The parliamentary members should, as Peter Walsh says, “Take a cold shower” and focus on holding this inept government to task, and show the public they should be regarded as a competent alternative government.
Peter Norman, Glen Iris
Poetic justice
John Pesutto is a lame-duck leader. His parliamentary colleagues know this. He is a political liability. Voters will not vote for a party which is not unified with a leader embroiled in a nasty and public legal action. A leader who, in the view of the writer, threw his former parliamentary colleague, Moira Deeming, under a bus for personal and perceived party-political gain, thereby alienating a large number of female voters. Now, he is about to be thrown under the bus himself. Poetic justice, methinks.
Michael Gamble, Belmont
Desperate switch
Sam Groth as possible state LNP leader? Strewth, the ink on his LNP paybook is still wet. What about the value of experience? Desperate times for the Victorian LNP.
John Cain, McCrae
Game, set and match
“Have I missed something here” your correspondent asks re Sam Groth being touted as future Liberal leader (Letters, 8/10). Liberals believe Groth, a former tennis pro, will ace the opposition and if anyone happens to return his record-breaking speedy serve, he’ll rush to the net and smash them off the court. Politics doesn’t come into play. It’s sport. Or is it comedy?
Belinda Burke, Hawthorn
Show his mettle
Perhaps Sam Groth could demonstrate his mettle by putting pressure on VicRoads and the council to do something about the multitudinous number of potholes pockmarking his electorate. He’s had two years to show us something and we are still waiting.
Tim Douglas, Blairgowrie
The value of loyalty
Jeff Kennett criticises Liberal Party members for disunity and disloyalty to the party and John Pesutto, and has called for them to leave. When Kennett challenged to be Liberal leader several times, was that disloyalty, or was it him trying to save the party? And his infamous phone call to Andrew Peacock where he called John Howard a word I won’t repeat here, was that loyalty to him and the party? Pot, kettle, black!
James Glanvill, Taylors Lakes
The limit of aggression
On the issue of aggressive political leaders, and the suggestion by your correspondent that voters reward aggression (“Tolerant values”, Letters, 8/10), I give you Mark Latham, who in 2004 was accused of an over-aggressive handshake with John Howard. And lost the election (and has been losing ever since). And I also give you Scott Morrison, who rugby tackled a seven-year-old in 2022. And lost the election.
Ken Richards, Elwood
Role model
Former British prime minister Liz Truss has the unenviable record for the shortest ever reign in the role – 44 days. At the last British election she followed the example of past Liberal prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard and was booted out of parliament by the voters. It makes perfect sense that wannabe prime minister Peter Dutton will welcome her to Parliament House (“Liz Truss goes to Canberra, courtesy of Peter Dutton”, 8/10).
Grant Nichol, North Ringwood
THE FORUM
Solar wins
Rebecca Huntley says that subsidising batteries for households would be a winning idea (“Solar plan could give the PM real power”, 8/10). When the government spends money on solar, to save consumers’ money, it will be congratulated for it. While this idea would help many households, those who cannot install panels are left out. How to help them? There are a couple of smaller electricity companies who have introduced rates at around 10 cents per kWh, for electricity used in the five sunniest hours of the day, seven days a week. The usual rates people pay in Victoria start from 25 cents per kWh.
If this mid-day pricing system could be extended across the whole network, for those without panels, it would provide a more equitable outcome. And it would alleviate some pressure on the grid as people tune their appliances to the rhythm of the sun.
Elaine Hopper, Blackburn
Gaining control
I loved Rebecca Huntley’s no-brainer of government support for solar and batteries. The long-term solution to household energy is not once-off subsidies, but some independence and control of their own energy costs.
The opposition is already promoting government expenditure on energy supply with its proposed “government-owned nuclear” approach. This would commit billions of taxpayers’ dollars to what is at best an uncertain outcome, and there may well still be high energy bills, but its approach sets the precedent for support of government action on energy supply. The problem with support for rooftop solar and batteries is that it will undermine the need for the nuclear option, so no doubt some argument will be found by the Coalition to oppose it.
Carolyn Ingvarson, Canterbury
Teething troubles
The ABC Four Corners program on Monday examined the nuclear industry in America. A sobering fact, given the Coalition’s intention to follow suit, was the giant Vogtle plant, hugely over-budget and late, seeking to recoup costs from consumers via increased power bills. Shadow energy minister Ted O’Brien is at pains to point out that Vogtle, having smoothed out all its “teething problems”, would supply Australia with a model that works. But an inconvenient truth is that, in Australia, it would be an experiment: we have no nuclear industry: no experience, no licence, no agreed sites, and certainly no plans for waste storage. And by the 2040s, given renewables/storage is already providing 40 per cent of our energy, no need.
And what of the small modular reactors (SMRs) the Coalition would buy? The Utah NuScale SMR program, for which the Department of Energy approved $US1.35 billion over 10 years, “was abandoned after the project failed to attract enough subscriptions” (Reuters, 11/1). SMRs under development in other countries also face financial and technological obstacles.
Fiona Colin, Malvern East
Water and heat waste
Not once, in the whole ABC Four Corners report on nuclear power, on any of their visits to nuclear sites, or proposed sites, did they question or mention the generation capacity of the plants – i.e. megawatts of power the plant can produce, or more importantly, the cost per kilowatt hour – which is what we as consumers pay for.
At one of the new Westinghouse nuclear plant sites, the cornerstone of the national’s hopes, some of the locals welcomed the number of jobs it would provide, for the next 60-80 years – meaning that it would necessarily be expensive to run, just in terms of the on-going labour requirements, irrespective of the costs of writing off the capital costs.
Nuclear plants are, after all, just another form of inefficient steam engines, with nuclear reactions replacing the burning of coal to create the steam. In this respect, they still must obey the immutable laws of thermodynamics – never yet proved to be defeatable – that will always restrict their efficiencies to dismal levels. They also require massive quantities of cooling water, a scarce resource in Australia. Unless the excess heat could be conducted through neighbouring communities to heat their homes and hot water, as is done in various parts of Europe that are considerably colder than us, this fugitive heat is just another cost.
Rod Cripps, Parkdale
Connected cities
Reducing traffic congestion and the road toll are key election issues (“Traffic jams and potholes”, 6/10), but they should be part of a broader conversation about Melbourne’s future. We need to look beyond quick fixes and focus on equitable, thoughtful urban planning that ensures Melbourne remains liveable in the long term.
The concept of “15-minute cities” offers a solution where essential services such as healthcare, education, and groceries are within a 15-minute walk or cycle from home. This approach not only reduces traffic and emissions but also creates healthier, more connected communities.
A recent study showed that cities such as Zurich are close to achieving this model, whereas sprawling urban areas struggle with unequal access to services. Rather than solely focusing on transport infrastructure, we should consider redistributing essential services across the city to provide equal access for all residents, regardless of income or location.
This kind of urban planning is vital to creating a sustainable, equitable future.
Julia Paxino, Beaumaris
School deficits
The private girls’ school deficits are of concern for some (“Third of all-girls schools struggling with deficits”, 8/10).
The condition of our public school buildings are of concern for many.
Light timber construction buildings classrooms were initially used in the 1950s as low-cost public school buildings. They remain in use requiring ongoing repairs and maintenance. The LTCs have been supplemented by “dongas”, better known as “relocatable”. The Victorian School Building Authority relocatable building fact sheet includes “... the department and the state government make every effort to increase school capacity where required to accommodate students from within the school’s zone”. However relocatable classrooms that include a double-storey version have become a permanent feature of Victorian public schools. Therein lies a deficit.
Geoff Gowers, Merricks North
Party transparency
There is no necessity for Victorian local government candidates to reveal their party political persuasion or membership, unlike NSW. It is unfortunate. It’s devilishly hard to get to know the background and experience of council candidates and mandating that they reveal political allegiances gives some idea how they may vote on issues. Reading candidates’ social media sites can give some clues.
It may also help unpack which candidates are running to gain a seat on council or which are merely helping to strengthen a friend or ally’s chances. In Kingsley Ward in the City of Whitehorse we will have a ballot paper of seven, five of whom have Liberal Party allegiances. Four of those five have directed their second preference to one very high-profile active candidate. The candidate in question stood for the Liberal Party unsuccessfully in the upper house north-east region election in 2022 although this has not been stated in any candidate information. Does this meet the pub test of fairness and transparency?
Diana Yallop, Surrey Hills
Alliances work
The term “quasi-party” is questionable (“Quasi-parties to influence elections”, 8/10). As a resident of Yarra I like the idea of a loose alliance of independent local councillors who are accountable to their own communities. It is a huge job to do alone if we expect our councillors to be informed, truly representative, and do more than rubber-stamp decisions.
We have seen an alliance work well with the teals who are definitely not a “quasi party”, beholden first and foremost to each other. It is about effective open communication with constituents as well as fellow councillors.
Susan Mahar, Fitzroy North
True equality
The letter from “Name withheld” (“Isolated by polarisation”, Letters, 7/10) resonated with our experience in the Jewish community. It is a sad state of affairs (on top of all the other sadness) when an Australian Jew feels it necessary to write anonymously because of the criticism their questioning of Israel’s actions and compassion for both Palestinian and Israeli lives will attract from their own community.
Somehow many fellow Jews assume that showing a deep sadness for the suffering of people in Gaza is somehow denying the awful injustice of the Hamas attacks on October 7, 2023, or is just a weakness, or a naivety. We shouldn’t accept that the misery of thousands is the price to be paid for the safety of Jews in Israel or anywhere else. When we start treating some lives as less important than others, we can justify almost anything.
There is never a time to depart from showing compassion and humanity to all humans – no matter their religion, ethnicity, colour or sexual orientation. To paraphrase a Talmudic saying, to save a single life is to save an entire whole world. No life is more important than another.
Kim and Guy Abrahams, Richmond
Drinking on the level
I’m dumbfounded that the excise on alcohol (“Is a seltzer a beer? The Tax Office is trying to figure it out”, 7/10) can be anywhere between $2.22 and $66.67 per litre depending on the beverage. This smacks of massive vested interest and successive Commonwealth governments’ inability to create a level playing field. Tax alcohol at a standard rate and let the people decide what to drink. It may even lead to a reduction in the amount of alcohol in beverages.
Steve Cousland, Gowanbrae
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Matt Golding
Politics
It appears that many people blame the federal government for our cost of living crisis. May I also blame them for the unseasonably cold spring we are having.
Alan Inchley, Frankston
It’s interesting to note that there is not one female named as a possible candidate for the state Liberal leadership in case of a spill.
Marie Nash, Balwyn
Whenever politicians say they have a “laser-like focus” on something, I (and I’m sure others) immediately think “charlatan”.
Robert Henning, Clifton Hill
It will be interesting to see if Senator Fatima Payman’s political party has rules or will be a “free for all”.
Joan Segrave, Healesville
Middle East
Could our prime minister and foreign minister please explain how you can de-escalate with terrorists?
Bill Holmes, Kew
David Leser, revealed himself as “torn and terrified”. A sobering and heartfelt piece.
Betty Rudin, Wandin North
Anyone who claims to be concerned about human rights, but refuses to condemn the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7 has no credibility. Sadly, this includes some politicians.
Geoff Dalton, East Malvern
Magpie communication
I talk to any magpies I see, in our garden and in the local park. I have never been swooped.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
Does one truly converse with magpies or, perhaps, talk to the trees?
Ralph Tabor, Pakenham
Furthermore
“I’m so proud of us” – and all Australians should be too (Two of us, 3/10). A wonderful example of a successful refugee resettlement.
Kyle Kendall, Frankston
I have a theory ... daylight saving is the cause of global warming. All that daylight stored away since 1971 has been gradually increasing the warmth of the Earth. We just need to stop adding to the huge reserves we have accumulated.
Greg Tuck, Warragul
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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.