Julian Leeser’s criticism of AHRC is justified

Julian Leeser’s criticism of AHRC well-founded, justified

In defending the Australian Human Rights Commission against Julian Leeser’s criticisms, former AHRC boss Graeme Innes failed to call out the behaviour of some groups in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack. Instead he saw fit to comment on the situation following Israel’s response (“AHRC hits back against anti-Semitism gibe”, 14/3). He has demonstrated Leeser’s concerns with the AHRC’s conduct were right.

Joanna Wriedt, Eaglemont, Vic

Following Julian Leeser’s commentary piece, in which he highlighted the AHRC’s blatant absence regarding the glaring rise of anti-Semitism post the Hamas October 7 attacks, he was interviewed on ABC Radio (“The Human Rights Commission has gone AWOL”, 12/3). During the interview Leeser was given cause to challenge and counter any mention of anti-Semitism constantly being “in the same breath”, and “balanced in the ledger” by including mention of Islamophobia.

The AHRC, although invited to the program, did not participate, but did contribute a bland, generalised statement, which, naturally, in the one breath coupled anti-Semitism with Islamophobia.

When a body such as the AHCR cannot unequivocally speak up and act against blatant racially, religiously and politically motivated hate against a particular group by another particular group, we must conclude that it is afraid, as apparently are many in our society, of calling out anti-Semitism for fear of being branded Islamophobic if they do.

Deborah Morrison, Malvern East, Vic

Judge’s plea for Alice

I am a lawyer. I went to Alice Springs in 1966 to start a law practice. It took me five years to recruit another lawyer. Alice is not number one in most people’s priorities (“Chief Justice’s plea to lawyers: Come to Alice Springs”, 14/3). Then it was a gentle town where you could leave your house unlocked. Now it’s a town of terror and it’s not just lawyers who are getting out. It’s hard enough to recruit lawyers here in Brisbane. While young Indigenous people turn the town upside down, I’d say there was Buckley’s. The remedy is really in their own hands.

Paul Everingham, Hamilton, Qld

AUKUS hope

I note that the US Navy has cut its Virginia-class sub order from two per year to one. News headlines this week are suggesting this is a setback for our sub program. Surely the opposite is true; the US industrial capacity for two per year exists now, and an enterprising government, with the interests of Australia first and foremost in mind, would immediately start negotiations to bring forward Australia’s sub orders. Australia has this golden opportunity to avail itself of this capacity. Or is this too much to expect from a government that is lukewarm, at best, about defence, lest we upset China and the CCP, and a defence establishment that has made an art form of underachievement?

Bill Hamilton, Gordon, NSW

Don’t forget the bush

As an immigrant to Australia, my family and I have valued and added to the fabric of this country. I have lived and worked in rural, remote and regional Australia over many years and see myself and others in the picture painted by Peta Credlin in her Thursday column (“Country built on grit and hard work goes into meltdown”, 14/3). The economic and social value the rural population brings to the rest of Australia is taken for granted. Although we appreciate the universal health system (which many other countries do not enjoy), the chronic underservicing and underfunding of healthcare in rural areas is shocking.

Rural Australia isn’t a Third World country, and yet the 30 per cent of Australia’s population who live there are expected to be happy with receiving $6.55bn per annum less healthcare funding than those who live in urban centres. That is an equivalent of an $844 underspend per person per annum for 7.2 million people. As a result, they have worse health outcomes. Urban Australians use words such as “help them” and “assist them to become more resilient”, or tell country people “to collaborate and work together”. They show pictures of people who look like “hicks” and are desperate. And almost one-third of the country’s population who live in rural areas are often considered as an “add-on” in policymaking discussions alongside other minority groups.

While we do have very real issues about healthcare access, cost of living, rental housing access and buying one’s own home with what we earn, we have forgotten that we are still lucky. We must not forget what generations before us dealt with and built for us. Rather than focusing on things that are far too much about our own interests, we should focus on those that bring social and economic wellbeing for the greater Australian population.

Susi Tegen, chief executive, National Rural Health Alliance