Fitzgibbon faces a thankless task to convince on gas

It’s fantastic to see Joel Fitzgibbon taking the Andrews government to task over the issue of gas exploration and development (“Labor at war over state gas ban”, 4/11). But he should also deal with the mess in his own backyard on the same issue.

The Australian recently reported NSW Labor’s Walt Secord and Paul Scully are battling to gain support for the Narrabri coal-seam project. Fitzgibbon, Secord and Scully should apply maximum pressure on their colleagues to support this project.

The Narrabri gas project will be a litmus test that allows the electorate to establish if Labor has learnt lessons from two decades of allowing the green tail to wag the Labor dog.

Mitch McDonald, Abbotsford, NSW

Joel Fitzgibbon is deluding himself if he thinks he can convince the Victorian Labor government to drop its plans to put a ban on coal-seam gas mining in the state’s constitution and to immediately lift its moratorium on conventional gas exploration.

The threat of higher energy prices and the loss of manufacturing jobs as a result of these bans is of no interest to the Andrews government, whose only goal is zero carbon emissions and everything else be damned.

Fitzgibbon is trying to push water uphill by appealing to his federal counterparts to adopt more moderate climate change policies. It must be a lonely life for Fitzgibbon, being the sole voice of reason in a party clinging to its socialist dreams.

Dale Ellis, Innisfail, Qld

Lost in mediocrity

There is not much to argue with in Steve Harris’s article (“A failure to create our own luck results in new tyranny”, 2/11).

I see a generation of “Lostralians”, unmotivated and unfulfilled due to complacency. This is our responsibility. We have a black belt in mediocrity, brought about by too much social protections coupled with little guidance on the things that matter.

This is not peculiar to our country, it is observable in most developed cities in the world where the populace is simply living in what has been provided for by generations before them and with seemingly a resignation that there is either too much inertia against change (due to the ineptitude of those with the levers that might initiate change as Harris alluded to), or this is as good as it gets.

Terry Walmsley, Benowa, Qld

ABC’s unsubtle leaning

It is time for a public inquiry into the ABC (“ABC ignores the facts about climate change”, 4/11). Not a week goes by without the ABC being accused of lack of balance in news reporting. What was once a subtle lean to the left is now left-wing political activism. There appears no attempt to present an alternative view.

Climate change is one of many issues the ABC chooses to support with an activist perspective. An inquiry would be an opportunity for interested parties to ask those responsible for spending $1 billion of public funds annually, how the ABC charter is implemented, how is it measured, and what action is taken when there are complaints of non-compliance. The terms of reference must include editorial and recruitment policy.

Dennis Murphy, Hope Island, Qld

Age-health integration

When the then Labor government established the Productivity Commission inquiry into aged care in 2010, the terms of reference said aged care is an important component of the health system. The resulting report delivered nothing of substance for the quality of care, seemingly giving the lie to the health system claim.

As the royal commission proceeds, the question is: do we regard the clinical component of our diverse aged care services as an integral part of Australia’s health system? I think not, but surely it is time we did.

Carol Williams, Blackburn, Vic