Voice uniting rivals highlights need to err on side of caution

Strange bedfellows, Warren Mundine and Lidia Thorpe. It’s fascinating how a bad idea can bring polar opposites together in a common cause (“Rivals plot No case on voice”, 11/10). The former believes the proposed voice to parliament will divide Australians for little gain and the latter’s view is that all but First Nations people are interlopers and a treaty is the only solution.

There may be some common ground in the wake of the Uluru statement but it seems unanimity is a vain hope, further evidenced by the intervention of Percy Neal and veteran activist Michael Mansell. They favour a treaty in the first instance but that is a massive sell at a referendum and rational Yes proponents know it. Amid the ambiguity there is a certainty: unless the Australian people can be convinced that any proposition will improve the lives of those in remote communities it is doomed. And Mundine doesn’t believe it will.

Kim Keogh, East Fremantle, WA

Waste of energy

Chris Bowen’s statement that “getting more renewables in the system will mean lower power prices” will inevitably come back to haunt him, just as will Labor’s election promise to reduce household power bills by $275 by 2025 (“Power bills to soar by 35pc”, 11/10). There simply is no evidence that renewables lower power prices. Leading renewables heavyweights Denmark and Germany have the second and fourth highest power prices in the world.

The predicted 35 per cent increase in power prices for next year is just the tip of the iceberg for a future of high and erratic power prices combined with brownouts and blackouts.

The excuse it’s because the investment in transmission wasn’t made earlier is weak because you need a lot more than wires to prop up renewables, including vast amounts of storage, back-up generators and related system investments (“Sunshine State’s woolly energy plan doesn’t hold water”, 11/10). All of this could have been avoided by keeping the coal generators operating until their graduated replacement by nuclear power and high efficiency, low emissions coal.

Ron Hobba, Camberwell, Vic

Lessons of war

The adage that those who don’t learn from the past are doomed to repeat it seems profoundly relevant to the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.

The Greek historian Thucydides forensically analysed the causes of the war between the city-states of Athens and Sparta in conjunction with their respective allies in the Aegean world of the 5th century BC. He concluded that the economic and political rivalries of the main contenders irreversibly caused the escalation of hostilities.

What a pity that nations appear to believe that their disputes are “special case”. If we had all been watching more closely we could have seen that the incidents east of the Dnieper River in Ukraine have been escalating over the past 10 years. Had these been settled by the United Nations,the ideological rivalry between the great powers might not have become so dangerously involved. We live and learn. Or do we?

Vicki Sanderson, Cremorne, NSW

Tanked up

Once again Greg Sheridan nails it – if the ADF boffins haven’t noticed, we are an island nation (“Tanks, but maritime threat’s more important”, 11/10). If we did get some tanks up to the NT, it is too late as the enemy has landed. We need to stop them before they land. We need a reliable marine force that does not fail mechanically. We also need a stable defence minister, not the musical chairs shown by recent governments of either party.

Jeff Stokes, Largs Bay, SA

Training manual

I refer to the story “Mayor’s degree via council expenses ‘doesn’t pass pub test’ ” (11/10). While the mayor in question may have originally breached the Canterbury-Bankstown rules at the time, subsequently amended, can I strongly add my support and encourage municipalities to encourage such training for their elected officials?

In all walks of life training is provided for employees, senior and junior. The administration of municipalities is becoming more complex, with rate caps, inflation, extraordinary cost escalations for infrastructure, particularly roads, that we need qualified people as councillors and administrators.

At the same time community expectations are growing and councils are being asked to engage communities in their deliberations. The vast majority of councillors simply do not necessarily have the skills to oversee huge budgets. Many are elected on single issues, sometimes with no experience of leadership and management. Therefore, while the current debate continues over mayor of Canterbury-Bankstown, I trust the more important issue of training councillors is enhanced not reduced.

Jeff Kennett, chairman, CT Management Group