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Columnist Niki Savva (Comment, 4/6) has distilled perfectly what Tony Abbott stands for. ″Stop taxes, demonise migrants, wreck the planet and only ever wave one flag″. To think the leader of the modern party is someone who thinks like he does and others willingly lap it up is simply frightening. Also disheartening is the column by Jenna Prices (3/6) on the thinness of One Nation policy and that still people are willing to give her a go.
Frank Flynn, Cape Paterson
On the evidence, Abbott knows how to lead
Niki Savva writes of Tony Abbott, following his appointment to the presidency of the Liberal Party, that he was prime minister for only two years. If readers were to conclude from her article that Abbott is somehow a second-rate politician, they should recall that he led the parliamentary Liberal Party for six years, and at the 2013 election campaign trounced the ALP. He and his team turned the hung parliament that resulted from the 2010 election into a 35-seat Coalition majority. Taking a longer run perspective, he turned Kevin Rudd’s 83 ALP seats into 55 ALP seats in just six years.
Some Australians may dislike him, perhaps a few even detest him, but the evidence is that he knows how to lead effectively and how to run a telling election campaign. There may be pundits who think the Liberals should have appointed someone else, but Abbott is a good fit for the Liberals’ 2026 requirements.
Alun Breward, Malvern East
On One Nation, there is no juggernaut of great ideas
I wish the media would stop talking up the supposed growing support for One Nation and focus instead on their lack of real policies, their Trump-like salivating over the ″woke″ agenda and their damaging nonsense about immigrants and issues such as abortion. Stop trying to make the voters feel like they are missing some juggernaut of great ideas. Let’s have policies that truly support and move forward.
Wendy Hinson, Wantirna
Too many dances around the poll
Your correspondent (Letters, 3/6) believes we are subject to too many political polls. He certainly has a point. Two years out from a federal election and we have Pauline Hanson visualising herself in the Lodge with two current lower house MP’s. And, of course, all these polls and accompanying free publicity to Barnaby Joyce and Hanson are doing wonders for their polling. All the backslapping, cheering and premature celebration feed into even better polls for One Nation.
David Fry, Windsor
Why does no one speak of poverty?
I am bemused at Angus Taylor’s commitment to Australian values when his own policies collide with them. For the past few years neither of the major parties have mentioned poverty, yet one-in-six Australians live there. Taylor is more concerned with providing tax concessions to people who not only own their own homes but investment properties too. Labor is little better than the Coalition. They want to use the modest savings from their initiatives to decrease income tax for low-income earners. But people living in poverty don’t want or need tax cuts. They need their social security payments increased. If either party wants to say caring about Australians living in poverty is not an Australian value, then for goodness’ sake say so. Until then I will seriously question them every time they utter or suggest what an Australian value is when we have the biggest white elephant in the room.
John Rome, Mt Lawley, WA
L of a lesson in reality
Your correspondent (Letters, 3/6) points out how governments are ″harassed to react″ to multiple polls on contentious political-economic and social issues rather than govern according to the mandate gained at the only poll that counts, namely the elections. Perhaps we should consider changing the spelling of politicians to polliticians and policy to pollicy.
Harry Zable, Campbells Creek
THE FORUM
Women’s choices
I have followed the recent Age articles about women choosing to be childless with great interest.
As a Baby Boomer, I have watched feminists successfully fight to change the narrative around gender roles.
In my mother’s era, women were predominantly homemakers; my generation began working outside of the home but in fields that were extensions of women’s traditional caring role such as teaching, social work and family law; the current cohort of women have a kaleidoscope of opportunities in the world of employment and civic society. Is it any surprise that they are eschewing parenting to focus on other possibilities? I wish them well.
Julie Harrison, Carlton
Fight a Trump push
Donald Trump’s latest outrage takes the cake. He says negotiations with Iran have “started to get very boring”. Does he want a deal? He says, “I really don’t care. I couldn’t care less.” (″Trump ‘doesn’t care’ but he is leading the world into a nightmare″, 3/6). He is careless about the effect of his actions on his own people, and the destruction he is wreaking abroad.
Pauline Hanson, her billionaire backers and mentors such as Gina Rinehart and Clive Palmer, and even some within the Coalition, express wholehearted support for Trump. Rinehart has been labelled by US trump supporters as “the female Donald Trump”.
In November last year, Hanson gave a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. Eager to pour praise on the president, she disparaged her own country, expressing contempt for our immigration system (which she misrepresented) and climate action (which she believes is a “scam” and “fake science”). While much of the media focuses on One Nation’s dramatic rise in popularity, a deeper analysis needs to question just where such a divisive, anti-science, Trumpian push in Australia would lead.
Fiona Colin, Malvern East
Bad precedent
We do need more housing located to well-serviced areas, and building along established rail lines make sense rather than building on the outer fringes (″Secret plan to expand high rises″, 4/6). However, removing the height limitations and the ability of councils and communities to have input regarding the height and quality of the build is a dangerous precedent. Heights of four to six storeys still maintain a human streetscape and allows for trees and gardens. Equally we have seen some poorly constructed apartments, including flammable exteriors, so the building design and materials used should not be compromised in the rush.
Denise Stevens, St Kilda
A dog’s breakfast
We must be the laughing stock of our expansionist, highly militarised geopolitical neighbour as it views our submarine follies. From the cancelled $90 billion French contract to build 12 conventional submarines, dropped because of delays and cost blowouts and to pursue the shiny bauble of an AUKUS security pact provision of nuclear-powered submarine technology, to the latest episode – a replacement deal to buy cheaper, second-hand Virginia-class boats. The Australian submarine saga increasingly resembles a dog’s breakfast.
Deborah Morrison, Malvern East
Different scales
Apparently an increase of $57 a week to Australia’s lowest-paid workers triggers concerns about inflationary pressure. However, the combined remuneration including salary, cash bonuses, vested shares and incentive payments to our top 10 paid CEOs totalling $271.6 million goes straight through to the keeper, no such concerns.
Craig Jory, Albury, NSW
Wrong priorities
Those complaining about the proposed change to the tax treatment of trusts ignore the fact that the current arrangement is unfair to other taxpayers. A structure where you can divert your income to those whose work did not create the income in order to reduce your tax, is simply wrong.
Michael Helman, St Kilda East
Business concerns
That we continue to condemn the small business owner for being agitated in relation to the increase in the minimum wage is mindboggling.
There is this idea that a small business should do whatever it should to maintain a wage structure imposed upon them. A central body has no sense as to what is happening at the individual level of a business. No idea about supply and demand. A successful business in one area never reflects what is happening at another location. So why make this universal decision suggesting there is parity in small businesses?
The more immoral factor of this perverse system of wage laws is that it denies others the opportunity of employment.
Graham Haupt, Glen Waverley
A rise for all
If a modest pay rise for the lowest earners is inflationary, according to some, and not a good time for business, according to businesses, why doesn’t the Fair Work Commission try a different approach? Why not implement a pay reduction for all employees? That could not possibly fuel inflation could it? And, in theory, it could not be bad for business.
Andrew Barnes, Ringwood
False EV fear
Every rise in EV sales seems to trigger warnings that the electricity grid is about to collapse. However, most EVs charge at home — from solar, cheap night rates or ordinary household power. Fast charging is mainly for road trips, not daily use. The grid often has the opposite problem: too much electricity, forcing solar and wind generation to be curtailed. Smart EV charging can soak up this surplus power, help stabilise the grid and save money.
Is talk of imminent grid collapse genuine analysis or just another attempt to keep motorists buying petrol and hybrids?
David Milner, Port Melbourne
Allan and guns
The premier, Jacinta Allan, is adamant duck shooting regulations need not change, and that shooters should be entitled to own up to 10 guns legitimately – though Victoria Police are against this suggestion.
That killing wildlife is regarded as ″recreation″ seems absurd. It has been proven the ducks don’t always die immediately of their wounds, but can experience a slow, agonising death.
The premier professes that gun ownership need not be capped, and some applicants demonstrate a ″compelling need″ to own multiple guns. Is she taking this stance to garner the gun lobby vote?
Sue Parrington, Port Melbourne
Deadly maxims
Thanks Ross Gittins (Comment, 3/6). The possibility of lethal pathogens flooding our living space by either an offensive national program or terrorist misuse is governed by the two maxims which govern everything – that is; if something can be done it will be done, and, the speed at which it is done varies directly with, and only with, the political power or profit to be had in doing it.
Hanrahan will tell you the outcome.
Neil Falconer, Castlemaine
Building for the future
Residents, community groups, councils and housing experts are not trying to “block the construction of new homes”, Planning Minister Sonya Kilkenny (″Secret plan to expand suburban high-rises″, 3/6). They’re trying to make a better future for our children’s children. They want quality, affordable homes in cities and towns that are good places to live. And they’re demanding people continue to have a say in how their neighbourhoods change and develop. Wednesday’s upper house vote to disallow planning rules that give automatic approval for multi-storey apartments across 60 ″activity centres″ was lost.
The loss is another disappointing step towards a city pockmarked with ‘precincts’ of soulless boxes. A city where developers decide what shall be built and where and the quality and form of our living spaces.
The crossbenchers who voted with the government likely fear being tarred as anti-housing and anti-affordability.
But they have voted for worse housing in worse cities and towns, as if the only way to solve the housing crisis is to strip public interests and democracy from the planning rules to make a free-for-all for developers.
Ian Morgans, Mordialloc
Fush and chups, kuds?
I hope the influx of New Zealand educators arriving to help remedy the number of Victorian teachers leaving doesn’t accumulate in junior classes (″Kiwis fill schools as Vic teachers flee″, 3/6). The teaching of phonics could result in a bit of confusion.
Ray Bannister, Somers
A Nazi complains
Neo-Nazi Thomas Sewell (″Rich Mates, Secret Mansions″, 4/6) says that a ″network of traitors″ are engaging in a smear campaign. Such a process is surely not necessary when Sewell is already thoroughly soiled.
Bruce Watson, Belgrave
Brownlow forecast
BYD does not stand for Bring Your Dog (Letters, 4/6). It is a prediction: Brownlow? Young Daicos!
Greg Curtin, Nunawading
AND ANOTHER THING
Subs
AUKUS. We are paying a high price for US scrap metal.
Malcolm McDonald, Burwood
AUKUS – AWKWARD
Dianne Anderson, Bundoora
This new three-sub AUKUS deal is our preferred option. Really?
Pauline Ashton, Maribyrnong
Would three new French subs cost less than three second-hand American subs?
Dan Drummond, Leongatha
One Nation
How do voters think One Nation will make things better, especially given its leadership’s admiration for Donald Trump?
Steve Melzer, Hughesdale
Pauline Hanson will not become PM, but she has already scared the pants off the major parties and that is what they needed.
Bruce Dudon, Woodend
If One Nation with no clear policies is the answer, what is the question?
Rod Watson, East Brighton
As I approach my 90th year I feel ashamed to be Australian. Why? Because of the increasing number of people who agree with the racist thoughts of Pauline Hanson.
Meg Paul, Camberwell
Furthermore
Your correspondent is spot-on (Letters, 1/6). The entire principle upon which capitalism is built is the exploitation of one class by the other.
Ian Usman Lewis, Armidale, NSW
What an honour for Melbourne – top of the nation for car thefts (″Thieves turning state into stolen-car capital″, 4/6). What’s next? Top for arson attacks perhaps?
Marie Nash, Balwyn
A simple solution for political donations: if you are on the voting roll you may donate $1000 to anyone running in your electorate per election.
James Lane, Hampton East
Finally
When will human intelligence (HI) understand that we can’t eat, drink, breathe, wear or live in data?
Barry Hughes, Williamstown
