Graciousness of Pell and accuser

The decisions of our various courts in the matter of Accuser X versus George Pell have polarised the nation like few others in our history. The vandalism of St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne is proof that the jury of public opinion will always be out.

Everyone will hold their different views from here to eternity, but there are three good things I see that have come out of it all.

First, Accuser X graciously accepted the High Court decision as the due process of law and expressed his hope that the decision would encourage all victims to come forward.

Second, Pell graciously said he held no ill-will toward the accuser and those who pursued him on the charges, including the police, who admitted at trial they were effectively out to get him.

Third, the judges of the Victorian Appeals Court and the High Court have resisted the temptation to comment, unlike the politicised judges of the US Supreme Court, who seek public attention shamelessly.

It is to their credit that in the wake of this historic decision, all parties in this traumatic case have acted admirably, in the true spirit of Easter, a spirit of acceptance and forgiveness.

John Bell, Heidelberg Heights, Vic

The desecration of Melbourne’s St Patrick’s Cathedral following George Pell’s acquittal was disappointing. Whatever one thinks of the cardinal and the Catholic Church the vandals concerned have shown no respect for the tens of thousands of Catholics who view the cathedral as a sacred place of worship. They are innocent victims here. As usual the progressive media have by and large remained silent on this desecration.

Peter D. Surkitt, Sandringham, Vic

Vulnerable self-funded

The Government’s stimulus package is welcome but despite assurances from the Prime Minister and Treasurer that the safety net will safeguard the vulnerable, one such group has been left largely to fend for itself: self-funded retirees.

Contrary to widely held belief, most are not wealthy and, on average, retire on modest incomes. While the Government has implemented a temporary reduction in minimum drawdown rates, the fact remains most retirees need to draw down much more than the minimum to live on.

Record low interest rates and the dramatic plunge in the stock market have placed ever more in dire financial straits. Companies reducing dividends will further impact an income source relied on by many. Surely it is timely and equitable to relax the strict income and assets tests to enable more retirees to become eligible for at least a part age pension rather than being left to fend for themselves.

John McLeod, Maroochydore, Qld

Conservative not radical

Janet Albrechtsen accuses me of executing a “canny con job” by campaigning as an economic conservative (“Working class message for Albanese: it's jobs, stupid”, 4/4). Not really.

As Peter Costello has said, John Howard had become a serious big spender by 2007. Our election commitments tallied about 75 per cent of the Liberals’; hence my statement I would not match his reckless spending promises. Indeed, in May 2008, we budgeted for a surplus of 1.8 per cent of GDP. Then came the global recession in September . We took the mainstream conservative approach, learning from the Great Depression, by reaching for the proven lever of fiscal stimulus and leaving a legacy of productive infrastructure.

The economic radicals of the Liberal Party voted against the stimulus. If they’d succeeded, there would have been a 15-month recession with 210,000 more unemployed, according to Treasury and the OECD. Instead, we were the only advanced economy to avoid recession. Conservative does not mean reactionary.

Kevin Rudd, Sunshine Coast, Qld