‘Paper tigers’ reached a point of no return after Hamas attacks

The Greens still don’t get it: it’s called accountability.

They may be legends in their own urban caves, but 88 per cent of Australians rejected their combative and extremist views, along with their denigration of the West. The delusions of grandeur. Their sanctimonious arrogance. The company they keep. Their tirades and stunts. Their class warfare, climate alarmism and reckless solutions. Their forays into foreign policy are both naive and dangerous.

However, the point of no return for many voters was the reaction of the Greens to the October 7 attacks on innocent Israelis. Their failure to condemn Hamas and support Israel’s right to defend itself now defines these so-called guardians of human rights as being morally bankrupt.

Rather than embrace the Greens, voters in the seats that mattered sent them packing. These wannabe revolutionaries are now looking more like paper tigers.

Glenn Marchant, Pascoe Vale, Vic

Election’s hidden story

The untold story of the federal election is the failure of 15 per cent to 20 per cent of registered electors to front up on election day and the high informal vote. A fine of $20 for not voting seems to be a very low penalty for breaking an electoral law.

Valuable votes not exercised should be a major concern for all political parties and especially the Australian Electoral Commission. Perhaps a higher penalty is required for failure to vote and an investigation into the reasons for informal votes.

Graham Nash, Eleebana, NSW

It is intriguing to read the various explanations for the rout of the Liberal Party. From blaming Peter Dutton to policies not centrist enough or not conservative or traditional enough (the so-called Labor-lite policies), we have heard all the theories.

But realistically, what chance does the conservative side of politics have of gaining power with nearly half of the voters being the youthful product of an education curriculum that efficiently breeds left-wing adherents?

Add to the mix the ever-increasing number of recent immigrants, hardly any of whom are going to vote for a conservative party that questions the levels of immigration. More specifically, the voters of western Sydney and beyond will automatically gravitate to the likes of Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong, who at best walk both sides of the street when it comes to commenting on the Palestinian conflict.

Finally, the huge state and federal public servants bloc will always vote against any party that questions the merits of working from home, let alone anyone who proposes cutting public service numbers. As much as it pains me to say it as a Liberal voter, I fear that traditional or true conservatism in Australia is between a rock and a hard place for the foreseeable future.

Geoff Forbes, Kensington Gardens, SA

Pay demand ‘unfair’

It is unfair and un-Australian for unions that represent a mere 13 per cent of workforce to make ridiculous demands for pay (“Snowy workers demand pay for travel time”, 9/5). The cost for the Snowy project has blown out from $2bn to $12bn. The unions now seem to be holding the other 87 per cent employed by the private sector to ransom.

Peter A. Peirano, Frenchville, Qld

Obesity is missing link

A salient point on the rising incidence of Aboriginal diabetes is its causation by increasing obesity (“Diabetes: ‘too much sorry business’ ”, 9/5). The 2024 statistics show more than 70 per cent of those over 15 years are now overweight or obese. These figures are double the non-Aboriginal rates. This is the explanation for the 40 per cent increase in the condition and associated problems such as raised cholesterol and health issues that are compounded by high adult smoking rates of more than 40 per cent. Heart and kidney disease inevitably ensue. Similar, but less pronounced, problems are occurring increasingly in the non-Aboriginal community. The bureaucratic solution is to blame the government for not providing support and to demand more funding. What communities require is weight reduction and cessation of smoking, neither of which can be imposed by government. Individuals must take responsibility for their own health.

Graham Pinn, Maroochydore, Qld

Focus on today’s issues

Nuclear-powered submarines and power networks may be 25 years away. Imagine the number of homes and jobs for tradespeople that could be created if politicians focused on reality rather than proposals to impress the voter. The $360bn budgeted for submarines would go a long way in solving our housing problems. There are much cheaper and readily available solutions for submarines and power networks if politicians have the courage to think.

John Langrehr, Leabrook, SA