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ANTHONY ALBANESE
Richard Flanagan doesn’t mince words (“Albanese’ inaction drives his own party to extinction”, 18/1). He absolutely nails the depressing state of public and political life today. At the last election I (along with many likeminded others) chose not to vote Labor on the basis of their inability to challenge the status quo and enact change to a doomed system.
The state is failing us all with its consistently myopic world view and skewed priorities, so where to from here? The real dilemma, as always, is a political class in the thrall of venal vested interests, a travesty of democracy.
Bruce Sandow, Carnegie
Change is not with the two major parties
Richard Flanagan’s piece is one of the best I have read in dissecting the decline of the Albanese government. Of course, this is not a unique development. It was foreshadowed in the Hawke/Keating years when government embraced the corporatism that right-wing economists had been pushing for a few decades prior. It was strongly reinforced during the Howard years, and now it has reached full fruition where government has almost become a corporation in its own right.
Machine politics now populate both major parties and those in the machine are far too close to the lobbyists and the consultancy firms with whom they have a clear symbiotic relation in the hope for employment in the future.
One might have thought the deepening crisis of climate change, environmental degradation and increasing economic inequity would have prompted a move back to communitarian values and away from corporate individuality. The Albanese government has not allowed this to happen in its own mode of governance.
The teals, Greens and some independents alone offer hope for positive change.
Greg Bailey, St Andrews
Appalling, wrong and anti-democratic policy
I have been following the efforts of Richard Flanagan, among others, in trying to stop the decline and purification of Macquarie Harbour. It seems that Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is adding to the problem there by floating plans to exempt this harbour from all federal environmental laws under a national interest provision, typically reserved for emergencies.
I believe this is quite appalling, morally wrong and also anti-democratic. I am enraged and will be among those of Labor’s diminishing voters in future should this exemption come to pass.
Elaine Gorman, Warrnambool
How did we get here?
Thank you, Richard Flanagan for your beautifully written piece. It captures brilliantly and tragically why I am feeling so frustrated by this Albanese government. How have we ended up here?
Joy Kitch, Carlton
Why the constant critical commentary?
Of Shaun Carney’s many articles in the past two years published by The Age I have found at least 10 critical of the federal Labor Party in general and Anthony Albanese in particular. We can now add Richard Flanagan to the list of correspondents prepared to drown the Labor Party’s election prospects in negativity.
I cannot fathom why this happening. What is it that they expect of the ALP that it is not delivering? From my perspective, since taking office a short two years ago, nearly all the previous 10 years of conservative/LNP neglect has been reversed. Inflation is way down, employment is up.
Every day, I read of initiatives introduced that are beneficial to the greater good of the Australian public and interests. What Dutton and the conservative right offer is illusory in nature. What is going on here?
Jane Wilson, Caulfield North
Hopes evaporated
Is Richard Flanagan’s view that Anthony Albanese is driving the Labor Party to electoral oblivion likely to be a prescient assessment for the next election? (The Age, 18/1). It’s now a political fact of life that as a prime minister Albanese is a disappointment to many voters. The voter expectations he generated of a government with standards far removed than those of former prime minister Scott Morrison have largely evaporated. Albanese’s promises at the last election have, for the most part, not happened as Flanagan detailed. If Albanese doesn’t convince, now disgruntled, voters in the coming campaign he is truly the person they thought he was, the Labor Party will remember him as a “dodo”.
Des Files, Brunswick
Consumers’ choices
Richard Flanagan’s passionate, withering and scornful analysis of salmon farming is accurate and welcome. However, one complicit party escaped scrutiny: The principal actors, with the real power to stop this tragedy, us, the consumers. The corporations won’t farm what we won’t buy. Ka-ching!
Peter Rushen, Carnegie
Over to the teals
I read Richard Flanagan’s piece with foreboding. He writes very precisely about a number of areas where the Albanese government has fallen painfully short, and leaves the reader wondering why Labor seems to be pandering to a significant number of business interests. Unfortunately, Flanagan does not contrast these shortcomings with the alternative government and its proposals. Would we expect the Dutton government to change any of the decisions he describes? The answer I expect, would be a resounding no. Currently, Dutton and the Liberal Party seem intent on describing how bad things seem to be, without ever giving possible solutions or alternatives. Its energy policy, if you can call it that, is an example of an ill-thought proposal which is unlikely to be successful. If we agree with Flanagan (and I do) that the Labor Party needs to take principled stands on important issues, would we expect the Liberals to do anything more, since they seem even more connected to lobbyists and the big end of town? So, where do we go from here? Perhaps more teals and independents?
Shaun Quinn, Yarrawonga
Parties of profit first
Richard Flanagan’s searing critique of the Australian Labor Party made many salient points but neglected the iceberg below the surface. The ALP, like all political parties, gauges the mood of the electorate, society, you and me. Through ″our″ rejection of the mining tax and changes to negative gearing, ″we″ demonstrated our belief in ″aspiration″ and trickle-down economics. That is, in neoliberalism.
While there was a temporary pause during the acute phases of the pandemic, neoliberalism is a dominant paradigm in society. Neoliberalism leads to the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. Our planet is being trashed and poverty continues to increase. The ALP will continue, like all political parties, to reflect the beliefs of the electorate. Corporations will continue to put profit before people.
Dylan Jansz, Broadmeadows
Bigger fish to fry
Richard Flanagan’s diatribe about Prime Minister Albanese is disappointingly naive. He criticises him for being too close to big business, yet makes no comments about the cosy relationship the leader of the opposition Peter Dutton has with Gina Rinehart and other big miners. Does Flanagan expect Dutton will care about salmon farms in Tasmania? As priorities go, there are bigger fish to fry. Albanese is a centrist and won’t please all those on the left, but he’s the best option at the moment. Flanagan should stick to writing fiction.
Margaret Ludowyk, Brunswick
On the precipice
Richard Flanagan is to be congratulated on his essay. It is compulsive reading and one hopes it reaches the very bowels of the Labor Party. I hope his message resonates within, so the thrust of the looming election focuses on our future as a race and a country that will be a world leader in driving climate change action. We are on the edge of a precipice. The strongest action is needed, not the appeasement of corporate entities, if we are to escape the fall into extinction. Flanagan also aptly compared Peter Dutton’s electoral appeal to that of the venomous axolotl, a Mexican salamander that in natural conditions retains its aquatic larval form throughout life. The image lingers. I sincerely wish ″Albo″ will be remembered as a nickname, not as a byword for a mass extinction event.
Sue Bennett, Sunbury
THE FORUM
Pull the other one
Is Peter Dutton kidding? Reports that his first policy announcement is he is going to give tax offsets to small businesses for work lunches. Really? I thought small business was doing it tough under the Labor government and struggling to make ends meet, with the cost of energy and higher wages. Apparently not. They must be doing rather well to afford taking workers or clients out for a meal at a cafe or a pub (boozy lunches come to mind). I would have thought business owners would be spending time working on how to make their business more productive, competitive and profitable to create more jobs with better wages. Workplace meetings are less time-consuming, cheaper, more productive and effective. Higher wages would lead to more disposable income which could be spent at cafes, clubs and pubs. But that’s not the Liberal way. Friend of small business and workers? I think not. Pull the other one Pete.
Philip West, Jan Juc
No free lunches
Peter Dutton never fails to amaze with his recent absurd election pledge to help businesses ″recover from a horrible period under three years of Labor″. If taxpayer-subsidised meal and entertainment expenses is his idea of economic recovery, we are in for a torrid time if a Dutton-led Coalition is handed the governmental reins at the next federal election. This is reminiscent of Joe Hockey’s ″Magic Pudding″ take on economics. I would much rather taxes pay for free meals for schoolchildren in the state school system given child poverty. I doubt business lunches will benefit the economy. It might help a select number of restaurants and cafes in the short term but this is fanciful and distracting.
David Legat, South Morang
Mundine’s move
It seems like the right-wing conservatives of the Liberal Party want to take it over completely, judging by the comments attributed to a senior right faction member after Warren Mundine’s preselection was rejected, and in favour of a female, what’s more.
Marie Nash, Balwyn
You go, Collins!
There has been much commentary about Danielle Collins’ response to the antagonistic, jeering crowd (″Collins versus the crowd: Petulant, obnoxious … and highly entertaining″, 18/1). The ambivalent headline says it all. On the one hand, the offensive behaviour from the crowd is acceptable. Like social media, it is anonymous. It is just fun rather than being seen as poor sportsmanship. A defensive response is perceived as petulant and obnoxious. Collins is criticised for being bold and spirited rather than resilient. What is wrong with Collins giving the insensitive crowds a reality check by reminding them, they paid to see her and that she’s OK with her outcome? I wonder what response commentators expect.
Collins could have been distracted from the game and lose. Maybe have a cry or tantrum. Instead, she accepted the crowd bias. She won in spite of the antagonism, coped with the abuse by defending herself, and sent a reality check to the crowd. What should she have done? Smash a racquet like the boys? Is it a case of boys will be boys and females expected to be passive and accepting. If they aren’t, expect criticism.
Cathie Hutchinson, Mulgrave
Move from the baseline
As an ardent tennis fan, I’m disappointed by the state of professional tennis, epitomised by the repetitive, monotonous baseline battles dominating the sport today. The once-thrilling variety and strategic diversity that made tennis a captivating spectacle have been reduced to endless back-and-forth exchanges, devoid of the excitement that made the game a joy to watch.
Gone are the days when serve-and-volley players graced the courts, electrifying the audience with their audacious rushes to the net and rapid-fire points. What we are left with now is a tedious waiting game, where players stand rooted at the baseline, exchanging groundstrokes until one inevitably makes an unforced error. This defensive, risk-averse style has not only diminished the artistry of tennis but also stripped the sport of its soul.
The current baseline grind is a disservice to spectators who crave the unpredictability that made tennis one of the most dynamic sports. The homogenisation of playing styles, exacerbated by slower court surfaces and technological advances in equipment, has rendered professional matches an exercise in patience rather than prowess.
Tennis needs a revival – a return to its roots where different styles clashed and provided a kaleidoscope of strategies and techniques. The sport must reclaim its vibrancy and rediscover the elegance of variety. Until then, tennis risks alienating fans who yearn for more than just another baseline war of attrition.
Michael Lowing, North Rothbury, NSW
Fashion faults
I’m appalled by the inappropriate clothing being designed for female tennis players. While the men get sun-smart tops and shorts, the women get served up skimpy outfits with scoop necklines, shoulder straps or virtually no back at all. In the name of fashion, exposed skin abounds. These women are elite athletes and the tennis court is their workplace. Shame on the fashion designers.
Chris Burley, North Balwyn
AND ANOTHER THING
Trump’s inauguration
Hell is doing its best to freeze over before the inauguration.
Wendy Knight, Little River
Australia Day
Can we please stop saying January 26 is Australia’s special day. It’s the date Governor Phillip shifted camp from Botany Bay to Port Jackson. Call it ″Sydney Day″ instead and let the rest of us celebrate Australia Day on January 1, the date of Federation of our nation.
Peter Kay, Carlton North
Perhaps Australia Day should be retired to February 29. At least the problem would go away every few years.
Hank Dikkenberg, Glenorchy, Tas
Furthermore
Now, that was an opinion piece by Richard Flanagan (“Albanese’s inaction drives his own party to extinction”, 18/1): full of facts and so truthful.
James Lane, Hampton East
If Dutton were serious about relief for the average voter’s cost of living expenses, he wouldn’t be suggesting tax breaks for company lunches and entertainment.
Annie Wilson, Inverloch
The behaviour of fans at tennis matches, footy, cricket etc, makes me think we are back in Roman times, with audiences baying for blood at the Colosseum. Horrible.
Margaret Collings, Anglesea
It is delightfully ironic that the Chinese-owned TikTok claims its possible banning is a breach of its freedom of speech.
Tom Stafford, Wheelers Hill
Re the massive increase in traveller numbers through Melbourne Airport and the need for spending on terminal upgrades. Will that include a rail link any time soon?
John Manfield, Blairgowrie
I nominate Myra Fisher, of Brighton East, a National Treasure. Her letters never fail to amuse.
Kaye Hartwig, Docklands
Our magpies don’t swoop (Letters, 17/1). They bring their newborn to my doorstep where they loudly chatter until I give them some mince which they shove into the young one’s beak.
Malcolm Cameron, Camberwell
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