Honesty, transparency the latest failures on PM’s report card

Johannes Leak’s insightful cartoon is outstanding (“Transparency hole”, 8/12). For a Prime Minister who promised transparency, Anthony Albanese’s government has consistently shown a tenuous grasp of the concept. Truth, it seems, is a by-product destined for the scrap heap to be buried under the cover of darkness, and in one case, 30 years (“Deplorable gag over goldmine”, Editorial, 8/12).

Another word that comes to mind beginning with “tr” is “tricky”. The Coalition has so much ammunition.

Gabrielle Baker, Carina, Qld

It’s the end of the school year and time for young Anthony Albanese’s report card:

Holding “mean girls” to account: C-

Conflating rape fact with cover-up fiction: B+

Transparency of government decisions: Fail

Business class family upgrades: A

National budget maths: C

Appeasement of China: A+

Small-target politics: A

Cost of electricity: C-

Tony is an earnest student. However, most subjects seem beyond his capacity. Tutoring is recommended and a change of classmates is essential.

Craig Owen, Broadbeach, Qld

Spending other people’s money is fraught with danger. The human condition will exploit the situation when they think they are getting something for free.

The recent parliamentary expenses of Anika Wells are an insult to ordinary Australians who are rightly disgusted by this extravagance, but her spending is regrettably a drop in the ocean of Australian parliamentary member expenses. For a long time, Australians have complained about the profligate spending of our political class. The spend is always justified by being within the “rules”. It’s past time for the rules to be changed and replaced with entitlements that reflect Australian taxpayer expectations of reasonable spending. Our politicians are well-paid and should pay for things that are not warranted out of their own pockets.

Lynda Morrison, Bicton, WA

The Prime Minister is backing beleaguered minister Anika Wells over allegations of misuse of taxpayers’ money.

In 1997, John Howard sacked three ministers over precisely the same misdemeanour. In 2015, Speaker Bronwyn Bishop was forced to resign over the misuse of public funds for travel. That’s what real transparency, leadership and accountability looks like, Mr Albanese.

John McLeod, Sunshine Coast, Qld

Paul Kelly has summarised the Higgins saga in his article (“Labor’s Higgins hypocrisy: the nation deserves a moral reckoning”, 8/12). Now we need him and other political analysts to record the behaviour of the Albanese Labor government when it comes to honest dealing with the public.

The nation urgently needs this moral reckoning. We need more than the current cumulative evidence and progress reports, that in simple terms, no federal Australian government has ever mismanaged its core duties and facilitated such a dearth of honest communication, as what we are witnessing. The nation relies on the Liberals to unite to fight to win a reckoning. Currently moderate, “progressive” Liberals are far too relaxed, amiable and Victorian in their Labor-lite media interviews.

Betty Cockman, Dongara, WA

The little green Medicare card scare. Unhindered mass immigration that most Australians decry. The unending saga of the “mean girls”. The asbestos part of Chris Bowen’s windmill fantasy. Now it’s Tanya Plibersek’s bumble bee scandal with the blocked development of the $1bn Blayney goldmine.

All these and more in the tragicomedy of Labor rule make many of us wonder which issue it might be (or another one entirely) that will stir the opposition to action and even end Labor’s increasingly obvious mismanagement of our nation.

Anne Willett, Surrey Hills, Vic

The fact that Anthony Albanese does not hesitate in approving the gross arrogance surrounding the self-entitled “expenses” of Anika Wells exposes a Labor government immune to what is wrong with its own inner workings. Australians are captive to a socialist government that spends taxpayer money recklessly.

Mary-Anne Higgins, Rose Park, SA