Credit: Alan Moir
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VICTORIAN LIBERAL PARTY
A functioning democracy requires a competent and electable opposition. The lack of a realistic opposition for the last decade has been a significant contributor to many of Victoria’s current problems. Just when it appeared that democracy was returning and with it the prospect of a real election based on issues, Brad Battin decided to return to the lion’s den for his hat. The need has never been greater for, yet again, a new centre-right political party. Where is Bob Menzies now we desperately need him?
David Bainbridge, Ocean Grove
There go Liberal voters to the teals
Does the Victorian Liberal Party think it has any chance of government by moving further to the right and getting rid of a decent moderate in Victoria? There is no chance that the moderates in the inner-east of Melbourne will support hard right candidates when there are wet Liberals who have now deserted the Liberal Party and become teals.
Andrew Dorkins, Mitcham
Spectacular own goal
The state Liberals deposing of leader John Pesutto is a spectacular own goal, especially given his increasing popularity in recent polls. More than any other leader, Pesutto has tried to bring the fractured party back to the sensible centre. No other recent Liberal leader has threatened the debt-ridden and increasing unpopular Labor Party like Pesutto. Seems like some of the state Liberals are happy to blow the party up for their own political ambition.
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris
Boys still scrabbling in the schoolyard
The outcome of this process tell us all we need to know about the Liberals’ ability to move forward into the future and put an end to the boys scrabbling in the schoolyard. The state needs a mature and informed leadership team to deal with its debt, its infrastructure issues and funding of hospitals and public schools.
Jan Marshall, Brighton
Taxpayers pay for Liberals’ deck shuffling
Victorian Liberals think returning a former Liberal member to the party and ousting the current leader are far more important things to do than help putting out raging bushfires, helping people who have lost homes, property to fire, attending to constituents’ needs such as those who have trouble paying rent/food/mortgage. We voters see their priorities as taking care of the Liberal Party and themselves as they jostle for leadership and new shadow cabinet positions, whereas it should be taking care of us – the people who pay their salaries and vote.
Ludi Servadei, Malvern East
Fiddling while Rome burns
Like Nero in ancient Rome, the Liberal Party continues to fiddle while Victoria burns. They’ve been fiddling around playing games about who’s in and who’s out and who can vote and who can’t. They are playing petty politics, while ignoring the real world. It is clear that what matters most to them is who controls the Liberal Party, rather than what is good for Victorians.
Denny Meadows, Hawthorn
Liberals’ revolving door
The revolving door of Liberal Party leadership has advanced a relatively unknown Brad Battin, to the Victorian Liberal leadership, just as former leader John Pesutto was ahead of Labor in the polls as preferred Victorian premier. Yet, given the history of leadership challenges and dissatisfaction, the leadership change ought not be considered the only measure to deal with long-term unresolved differences in ideology and underlying tensions over policy direction. Without comprehensive strategic analysis of what the party represents and securing support of its MPs as a united group, it is just a matter of time before the next leadership challenge.
It is perhaps not an accidental symbiosis that both the federal and Victorian state Liberal leaders are former police officers, subliminally elected to bring their parliamentary colleagues into line.
Liz Burton, Camberwell
An Allan win
Congratulations to the state Liberal Party which has just handed another four years to the Labor Party. The Labor Party must be popping the champagne already.
Christine Hammett, Richmond
Insular Liberals
The Victorian Liberal Party has another new leader. What a fiasco. It reinforces the view that those in the Liberal party room care a lot more about achieving their own personal ambitions than they do about the people in their electorate, their party or the people of Victoria.
Mick Hussey, Beaconsfield
Conga line of leaders
Will it be just the one, or maybe two more leaders for the state Liberals before the next election?
Steve Melzer, Hughesdale
How’s the stability?
Yet another leadership spill in the ranks of the state LNP. How can pollsters insist that most Victorians think the LNP is the more popular party when it continually can’t decide to choose and support a stable leader?
John Cain, McCrae
Liberal women
Lack of women in leadership positions in the Victorian Liberal Party? How long before Brad Battin gives Moira Deeming a shadow ministerial portfolio?
Garry Meller, Bentleigh
Same old story
The only woman in the three-way Liberal leadership contest finished third. They will never learn, and well and truly belong in opposition.
Tony Delaney, Warrnambool
Simple question
What did John Pesutto do wrong?
Michael McKenna, Warragul
THE FORUM
Cricket’s heights
Sam Konstas’ debutant injection of a T20 innings into the Boxing Day Test surely is a much needed invigoration of the game. Dash, bravado and confidence provided exhilarating cricket and kept the crowd on its feet.
After his innings the game returned to its normal, pedestrian format with maidens and low over rates. Yet, Test cricket has a habit of producing twists and turns that add spice and theatre to the game. Virat Kohli’s intimidation of the young debutant upped the ante on the existing aggro between the two sides, while quick wickets of Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne due to respectively bad judgment and failure of concentration after drinks unnerved the Aussies and put India right back into the game. Perhaps we will see more wizardry from Scott Boland’s bowling later on. The fusion of the new and the old can only be for the benefit of Test cricket. May the game evolve to greater heights. Martin Newington, Aspendale
Konstas finds his Plutarch
Congratulations to Greg Baum on his front-page piece (“Audacious Konstas”, 27/11). He has produced a masterpiece of journalism by tapping his keyboard with a dashing vigour that matches the way Sam Konstas wields his bat.
I can’t recall when I last read a newspaper piece on any subject that flourishes its non-stop vigour in a way so suited to the occasion it’s describing. And its magisterial avoidance of grammatical sloppiness and cliches is (to mint one) close to miraculous in 2024. Baum even dismisses for a duck the problem that what he is reporting will be old news by the time it’s printed. The new conqueror should be rejoicing that he has found his own Plutarch at the start of his first big campaign.
Neil Jillett, Mornington
Pre-empting Plibersek
It is interesting to read that Anthony Albanese has declared his on-going support for the salmon farming industry in Macquarie Harbour at the same time as Tanya Plibersek is conducting a review of the industry – in response to evidence of unsustainable levels of pollution in the harbour and the imminent extinction of the ancient Maugean skate (“Seasonal questions raised over farmed salmon costs” 24/12). In the same breath, Albanese claimed that he “would not pre-empt” her responsibilities as environment minister.
What is going on here? Last month, he pre-empted her responsibilities by vetoing at the last moment her hard-won agreement with the Greens, teals and David Pocock for Nature Positive legislation. This legislation would have included a desperately needed framework for new national environmental standards to protect forests.
Has the prime minister taken over and had himself sworn in as minister of the environment?
Jill Sanguinetti, East Brunswick
Best nuclear supporting role goes to...
There’s zero chance of the next federal election being held before the Oscars are announced on March 2.
That opens up the possibility that Peter Dutton and Ted O’Brien could head into the election brandishing a joint award for best actor. One has to be impressed by their ability to go on spruiking the Coalition’s nuclear fantasy while keeping a straight face.
No serious energy, financial or industrial body has endorsed it, the latest in a long line of critics being the Australian Energy Council (“Coal power owners warn over timing of Dutton N-plan”, 27/12).
How much longer can Dutton and co expect the electorate to believe in an illusion that has no more credibility than the Wizard of Oz?
Tom Knowles, Parkville
Like to see that
I’d like to see the article headlined: “Government lauded for economic management as Australians open wallets for record retail sales”.
“Assisted by the impact of redirected tax cuts to all, falling inflation (by some measures back within the Reserve Bank’s targeted range), jobless remaining low at 4 per cent, steady progress in meeting our obligations for climate change and renewables and repairing the backlog of disasters left by the previous government (Veteran Affairs, aged care, NDIS, housing, budget restraint, etc), consumers reacted with confidence over the Christmas period. The world remains in a state of deep division and volatile change but with lower interest rates ahead and a government focused on targeted help to the less well-off, Australia remains the (relatively) lucky country”.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick
Rebels and precursors
Your correspondent (Letters, 27/12) misses the point in columnist Nick Bryant’s comments about Australia being a nation of rule followers.
He was not being critical of rules and regulations themselves, but the idea that a country that often revels in its supposed larrikin spirit, Anzac disrespect of authority and Ned Kelly rebelliousness, in reality is nothing of the sort.
We queue up quietly and obey officialdom’s many rules just like everyone else. By pointing out we are just as much descended from gaolers as convicts, Bryant was gently poking fun at our delusions.
Greg Hardy, Upper Ferntree Gully
Tsunami anniversary
Reading about the Boxing Day tsunami brings back many memories and how fortunate our family was, as we decided to change our flights and destination.
As we remember 20 years on the massive loss of life, it is a timely reminder for me to be grateful every single day, particularly when times are tough. Over 200,000 people were not as fortunate as we were; may they rest in peace.
Yvonne Bowyer, Surrey Hills
Koala care
Your correspondent (Letters, 23/12) is right about the effects of fireworks on wildlife. It is crazy that Phillip Island hosts two fireworks events on NYE, when it boasts about its koalas and penguins. Koala breeding is adversely affected by the noise and the fallout into the sea is a pollutant.
Barry Greer, Balnarring
Plumbing rethink
I read with interest ″The age of defective plumbing and lack of compensation″ (22/12). As a former plumbing inspector with a water and sewerage authority, this problem was predictable as soon as Jeff Kennett abolished the system in the early ’90s. The former plumbing inspectors (plumbers with at least 10 years’ post-apprenticeship experience) not only designed the sewerage systems but inspected the site on at least four visits checking water and sewerage installations drawing up an ″as-laid″ record and ensuring workmanship to regulations.
At completion, a plumbing inspector’s certificate was provided to the owner and from then on the system was the responsibility of the authority. Water and sewerage authorities were once headed by qualified engineers, not overpaid business administrators. Building inspectors were similar and employed by local government councils. While inspectors are costly as they are ″non-productive″, their protection of the public made for a high standard of the building and plumbing industries. It is time to rethink the current methods.
Rod Mackenzie, Marshall
AND ANOTHER THING
Summer sport
Thank you, Greg Baum for that lively account of “The new kid on the block” Sam Konstas. And to liken it to Alexander the Great was sheer genius. I was entertained, and I know almost nothing about cricket.
Myra Fisher, Brighton East
Virat Kohli is officially untouchable.
Ian Macdonald, Traralgon
What has happened to the age-old custom of moving only between overs at the cricket? Perhaps a notice displayed on the scoreboard.
George Reed, Wheelers Hill
Watching great sport: Test cricket, yacht race, Liberal Party imploding.
Rosslyn Jennings, North Melbourne
I’m not the least bit worried about Victoria’s enormous deficit ... the tennis is on next month.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
Brad Battin
″Battin″ down the hatches, a new (former) cop on the beat in the party room, deeming Moira can return (“Brad Battin wins vote to become Liberal leader”, 27/12).
Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW
Here we go again – Vic Liberals tearing themselves apart. Jacinta Allan smiling all the way to the ballot box.
Michelle Leeder, Trentham
The Liberals are deserting John Pesutto over the Moira Deeming fiasco in their rush to get back to hard-right politics.
Tim Durbridge, Brunswick
Will Brad Battin’s motto be, “Victoria, the police state”?
Phil Alexander, Eltham
Furthermore
If Dutton thinks the answer for those struggling with energy costs is a 20-year
wait for nuclear, he might like to rethink it.
Annie Wilson, Inverloch
Thank you, to Cathy Wilcox for her apt cartoon accompanying the piece: “Is the secret to a long life in a pill?” (27/12). Ah, the perplexing, annoying stages of (later) life discovering how to open jars!
Sally Davis, Malvern East
Cathy Wilcox’s depiction of an aged man telling his wife that he had bought ″Fountain of Youth″ tablets but couldn’t remove the lid was brilliant. Now in my 90s, I know the feeling! Ken Barnes, Glen Iris
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