Who can lead our fractured country into the future?

Well, it’s finally on. First out of the blocks are the Greens hoping the punters will have forgotten that their party is directly responsible for so many people losing their homes in the recent bushfires because they were not allowed to burn off, and also for those whose homes could not be saved from the floods because no dams were allowed to be built.

Then there are the independents, but they’re confusing everyone because they appear to be wearing the colours of some of the other contestants.

Next are the incumbents, but their leader appears to be unsure of the track because he is being distracted by the surrounding wind turbines and solar panels, and he keeps waving to everyone in the crowd except for his quiet supporters.

And finally, we have the favourites, but their leader, though immaculately attired and wearing designer glasses, also appears to be unsure about where he is going.

In other words, it’s a total shemozzle and yet the race is the most important one we have had in decades.

Even though the punters are more than confused by the countless distractions of late, they are desperately looking for a winner who can lead our fractured country into the future and make us proud Australians again.

Are the contestants up to that?

Ross McDonald, Gordon, NSW

I know it’s supposed to be about policy choices but inevitably we find ourselves drifting back to making judgments on the basis of personal biases and our assessments of the candidates’ characters. It’s hard to vote for a party’s policies when you think its leader is a twerp. One trick I use is to ask myself the question: “What sort of a figure would this candidate cut on the UN General Assembly podium? Would he or she make me feel proud to be an Australian – or would I cringe?”

For all his equivocation on core liberal values, Scott Morrison projects a whole lot more personality than a fencepost with ears and he can hold an unscripted conversation, even with people who disagree with him. And so far he has avoided the deathly rictus smile that always gives the game away on a politician’s sincerity.

Dare we hope that this election produces a PM who will help us feel proud to be Australian in a confused and conflict-ridden world? Or will we drift, rudderless and too scared to assert ourselves, in the face of global threats to our own national interest. Pride or cringe? What’s it to be?

Chris Lloyd-Bostock, Connellys Marsh, Tas

Regardless of the outcome of the election, I wish to thank Scott Morrison for his terrific leadership during the past three years – the years of unprecedented trauma and disruption, which had the possibility of tearing this nation apart and leaving many in abject poverty.

For Australia to have achieved the stability it currently has is of great credit to him.

I hope people don’t forget the fear and chaos of that first year of the pandemic, and how it took strong action to get us through it all. And the government support for us all was brilliant.

I especially wish to thank, too, the Health Minister, Greg Hunt, and his team of health professionals, who have done a wonderful job in getting us to this point in the pandemic. Minister Hunt has been fantastic, and I shall miss him. And Daniel Andrews, whose strong leadership, after the first stumblings in dealing with the virus, gave us confidence that we’d be OK.

And all the Australian people who got their jabs, and by doing so enabled our society to get back to almost normal.

Challenges remain, but I think our society is now strong enough to get through them.

I hope people concentrate on the bigger picture during this election campaign. And don’t forget what we have achieved.

Ellen McGregor, Frankston, Vic

Scott Morrison seems to be in desperate need of good, bold election policies that would embarrass Labor and the Greens. Here are my suggestions:

One, declare a national emergency and force the states to build a lot more dams for flood mitigation and storage. If there’s a will, there’s a way.

Two, come out in favour of nuclear power, the most reliable energy source by a long way.

Three, new projects to provide energy security, because China is on our doorstep.

Allan Gardyne, Coolangatta, Qld