We mustn’t sweep our ‘authoritarian’ Covid response under the mat

For many years Steve Waterson, along with other notable journalists at The Australian, including Chris Kenny, Nick Cater and Adam Creighton, provided a voice of sanity throughout the Covid madness, and he continues to do so now (“Covid was a painful story, so let the rewriting begin”, 15-16/3).

Waterson’s latest contribution rightfully laments the “political, medical and bureaucratic elites”, as well as some in the “fawning media”, who would prefer we didn’t look back on those tyrannical times, but instead move on. Yet if they’ve nothing to hide, why would the elites avoid the scrutiny of a royal commission? For me, a critical question remains outstanding for former prime minister, Scott Morrison. Why did he abandon, without explanation or justification, our national pandemic plan?

Indeed, when pressing for an investigation into Covid-19’s origins, Morrison stood up at the United Nations and said we need to learn the lessons and prevent it from happening again. And that’s precisely why we need a royal commission into Australia’s authoritarian Covid-19 response: to learn lessons and prevent it from happening again.

Mandy Macmillan, Singleton, NSW

Painful lessons

As a Victorian schoolteacher, Steve Waterson’s article dragged up those suppressed memories for me of one of the greatest failures in public administration in Australia’s history. Thinking back five years, Australia seemed to be functioning in some sort of parallel universe concerning our pandemic management. The states’ non-elected, mid-level health bureaucrats became infatuated with their new-found status. Although a central job of appointed governments is to manage risk, instead of competent logistical leadership, the modus operandi was welfare-destroying lockdowns.

At the time, after the initial Covid hysteria subsided, it soon became blindingly obvious that the virus primarily affected both the elderly and those with comorbidities. Schools were never the engine room of the virus, and those children who did contract it mostly had normal flu-like symptoms. With a little nous and planning, in conjunction with teachers, the appointed political adults in the room could have organised for staggered days of learning, which would have been possible given that most schools have separate spaces for the cohorts within primary and secondary school. Alas, managing Covid was primarily about the politics of power, catastrophising infections and taking the path of least resistance: it was thus easier (and lazier) to simply shut down education centres for months on end, talk up the merits of remote learning, and deny adolescents all those vital social interactions that are required for healthy mental development, as if they could be made up later on.

Peter Waterhouse, Craigieburn, Vic

Defending Ukraine

Michael Lawriwsky has splashed the cold reality of truth upon the fanciful notions presently mulled over by the would-be Ukraine War peacemakers (“Putin will not be interested in peace until Ukraine is his”, 15-16/3). He is absolutely correct in his assertion that Russia is not interested in peace until its objective is achieved. As he points out, that objective is the total capitulation of the whole of Ukraine. In truth, as Lawriwsky writes, Putin sees Ukraine as integral to Russia. That is why Russia invaded Ukraine. Ukraine’s capitulation to Russia would end Ukraine’s statehood. It would permanently eclipse the Ukrainian nation. In 1994, pursuant to the Budapest Memorandum, Ukraine gave up its nuclear stockpile, destroyed its own strategic bomber fleet and gave its long-range cruise missiles to Russia in exchange for non-existent security guarantees from the US and the UK, which proved utterly worthless when Russia invaded Ukraine. Whether those guarantees will now be redeemed so that Ukraine and its people can live in peace depends almost entirely upon the Trump administration.

Ian Dunlop, Hawks Nest, NSW

Don’t snub history

Jamie Walker’s article highlights the total disregard by the NSW department, and Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek, for the UN World Heritage Convention and the voice of Indigenous people, such as Alice Kelly, who was involved in the Willandra Lakes World Heritage Area from the beginning (“UN’s please explain”, 15-16/3).

It may be too late for Mungo Man and Mungo Woman to be saved, but hopefully our governments will respond positively to the demands from World Heritage and the scientific community to save the remaining fossils to allow us and future generations to further understand the history and evolution of humans in our world.

As the site of the oldest recorded ritual burial, this confirms the place of Indigenous Australians in the development of civilisation, and should be a focus for pride and celebration.

Russell Reid, Newstead, Tas