Source : the age
Credit: Cathy Wilcox
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What the Coalition does best has been exemplified in the election aftermath. Its penchant for divisiveness and a lack of self-awareness has resulted in the Coalition being split asunder, a ″stupid move″ both parties can’t even totally agree upon, a split they are already showing signs of wanting to reverse (″Howard lashes Coalition split″, 20/5).
A failure to define, develop and sell credible policies now has the Liberals huddling in a scrum to come up with something aligned to their so-called inalienable ″values″ and reflect modern Australia. This sounds as ill-defined as ″getting back on track″. A track to where? We punters never really knew, but it certainly didn’t sound it was heading in the direction of modern Australia. The Coalition had three years to work hard to develop something credible after the debacle of the Morrison years. What were they doing? No doubt too busy being divisive and naysaying instead of putting in the hard yards doing their homework, or at least trying some good old bipartisanship to solve some of our country’s major issues.
Now we have to listen to their internal squabbling, oops debate, to come up with something to present to and win over a weary electorate. Members of parliament are elected to represent their constituents so the Liberals had better quickly find their ″mojo″, to quote Tim Wilson, so that they can get back on track and do their day job.
Jennifer Quigley, Balwyn
Dwindling support of the opposition
For all those complaining that the ALP won 93 seats on 35 per cent of the first preference vote, I wonder what they think about the National Party winning 15 seats on the back of 3 per cent of the first preference vote, or the Greens winning a single seat on the back of 12 per cent of the first preference vote.
Gary Heard, Bullsbrook
Where will the LNP member sit?
The summary of the House of Representatives numbers (“Crossbench, including Nationals, could become de facto opposition”, 22/5) shows the Liberals with 28 seats and the Nationals 15 seats. The AEC website shows 18 Liberals, nine Nationals and 16 Queensland LNP members. Given the split between Liberals and Nationals, surely the moot question is where the 16 LNP members will reside? They are a critical part of the “divorce” numbers.
Brian Kidd, Mount Waverley
THE FORUM
This tax is unfair
As National Volunteers Week draws to a close, we celebrate our CFA volunteers by slapping them in the face. The Allan government is using the good name of volunteers to make a desperate grab for cash through the Emergency Services Tax.
CFA volunteers are not paid for the work they do. They sacrifice family time, work time (and income), and often their sleep, to protect life and property. Some make the ultimate sacrifice.
If you travel in regional Victoria and have a car accident, get lost in the bush, or hit by a falling tree, CFA volunteers will come to your aid. They don’t just put out fires. In the middle of the night, or mid-week, volunteers drop everything, pull on their “yellows” and jump on a truck.
Jacinta Allan will say that she needs the cash to buy equipment and uniforms. Isn’t that the least the government could do? Volunteers regularly raise funds for their own equipment, for their community. You have probably seen them in their yellows, beside the road, rattling tins.
The Emergency Services Tax means that these same volunteers are now being asked to pay for the services that they already provide.
This is clearly not fair.
Peter Anderson, Dollar
Trump’s childish outburst
Donald Trump’s complete lack of awareness was shown to the world during his childish outburst during a meeting with the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, who, to his credit, did not respond in kind. For Trump to criticise another country for its treatment of a minority group stands in stark contrast to the United States’ long mistreatment of African-Americans.
It was interesting to note that Ramaphosa brought his Agriculture Minister, a white South African, to the meeting. Trump, the man hurling the insults, has an all-white cabinet despite many qualified African-Americans, who he chose to ignore, waiting in the wings.
You have to hand it to Trump, he never fails to disappoint.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
Mainstream no more
A few days after saying in Saudi Arabia that governments shouldn’t lecture other governments about human rights, Donald Trump is lecturing the South African prime minister about their treatment of white South Africans. This is after saying the US is full and can’t take in refugees, and though it has taken in a group of white South Africans.
The US governing party now needs to be referred to as “the far-right white nationalist” Republican Party, as is done with the European parties of Farage and Le Pen. The Republican Party was once a mainstream party, but it has been taken over by political extremists, and needs to stop being given the legitimacy of pretending it’s a mainstream party.
Brett Byrne, Melbourne
Heritage needs saving
Do Melburnians need to organise a crowd funding campaign to save the “crumbling” Royal Exhibition Building? The article “Massive job ahead to restore Royal Exhibition Building” (22/5) reveals that our only UNESCO World Heritage site is being neglected. Surely this is also a federal government responsibility given the historic opening of parliament there in 1901?
Sally Davis, Malvern East
Liveability threat
Your correspondent (Letters, 22/5) is spot on arguing that Melbourne’s liveability is being threatened by undemocratic planning laws. Not only is the character of our city being decimated, but also trees, gardens and open spaces and all the other species that live here. We will not be able to live successfully in the face of global warming unless we increase our tree canopy and biodiversity, and reduce the hard surfaces that absorb all that heat.
The major cause of unaffordable housing is not even being acknowledged, let alone addressed – rapid population growth is the elephant in the room. Indigenous people thrived here for millennia with a stable population – they knew that they had no future if their life source was depleted, but apparently we are way too clever to understand this basic principle.
Jennie Epstein, Little River
The housing divide
You have to laugh, or cry, over what’s happened to the Melbourne housing market when a Toorak house and garden go on the market for $16 million.
The curse of coming to the world’s attention with biased accolades such as world’s most liveable city – combined with Labor and Liberal governments determined to cram people into high density and cut down the trees – is that what most people could afford to raise their children in, in the 1980s or before, is now only available to the mega rich.
Call that progress? Is there any wonder why so many have been moving to the regions.
Bernadette George, Mildura
Less than fair value
Your correspondent (Letters, 22/5) aptly describes Liberal Party values as “small government and respect for personal freedom”. Unfortunately, these are insufficient as they too easily lead to a lack of essential services and esteem for those in need. Fortunately, the voters have emphatically preferred a contemporary version of Australia Fair.
Jim Spithill, Glen Waverley
Managing debt the key
Victoria’s electorate understands that the state’s debt is nothing like personal debt (″We have a huge debt. Who cares?″, 22/5). Most nations in the world hold debt. It’s the way public works and social services are delivered. The only important thing is the ability to manage debt and, in the aftermath of the pandemic, Victoria is doing this exceptionally well. Acknowledging this would be welcome.
Bill Larkin, Wattle Glen
Never forget the jobless
Reading Ross Gittins’ informative piece about full employment (Comment, 21/5), I recalled something from a public lecture given by economist Richard Denniss.
If you know someone who is unemployed, you should be nicer to them – for several reasons – as they help keep inflation down.
Having been unemployed for years, despite talk of full employment and record levels of wage growth, I feel forgotten, a burden really.
When the era of full employment ended in the 1970s, Australians started to blame the unemployed, not the economy and who manages it, for our woes. Many seem to forget that.
I’m glad Labor won and most of my fellow Australians have jobs, but we owe it to the marginalised to do something that will help them before they become statistics in an economics textbook.
Anders Ross, Heidelberg
Outrageous behaviour
The behaviour of Liberals MPs Bev McArthur and Nicole Werner in delivering a bag of cow manure to the door of the premier is outrageous and juvenile. Is this the best the Victorian Liberal Party can do?
Former Liberal campaign director Tony Barry will be shaking his head in disbelief.
Warren Thomas, Ivanhoe
Unintended result
The delivery of manure to the premier’s office was not only a puerile action, but has more than taken the gloss off what was otherwise a strong message from the regions.
Unless the opposition focuses on developing policies that clearly demonstrate how they will better govern the state rather than participating in such offensive and ineffective stunts, it makes it less likely that the electorate will entrust them with the reins of government in 18 months.
Kevin Bailey, Croydon
Beach equals seaweed
Seaweed stinks; yes, we’re aware of that, but not when it dries out (“Seaweed stink ends cleaning of peninsula beaches by hand”, 21/5).
It’s not exactly a new phenomenon.
What I think stinks worse is the complaints from the Mornington Peninsula locals of “unsightly and smelly seaweed”. That’s what makes it a beach.
I would much prefer seaweed than plastic bottles, bags, cans, used nappies and the like.
Greg Bardin, Altona North
Northern exposure
I get it that the Coalition has split, but what of Liberal National Party federal MPs in Queensland who, as George Brandis points out, are members of an entity “merged in 2008” (“Proud Nationals should heed a warning from history”, 21/5)?
I’m wondering if any of them might be thinking it’s time for a conscious uncoupling up north.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills
Nuked by own hand
The Coalition’s nuclear energy policy was developed as a sop to its right wing, particularly the Nationals.
The policy itself was never a starter in terms of costs, timelines and an effective path to zero emissions.
Underlying this was its failure to address the key issues of water cooling consumption, disposal of radioactive waste, and the defence of nuclear power plants in the event of war or terrorism.
By insisting that the nuclear policy remain in place, the Nationals are cutting off their noses to spite their faces.
Tim Winter, Vermont South
Credit: Matt Golding
AND ANOTHER THING
Politics
Why is there a National Party? Isn’t it simply another right-wing extension of the Liberal Party?
Michael McKenna, Warragul
If the Liberal Party is only using Sussan Ley to get back voters and puts a male in for the next election, it will show that they haven’t changed and undervalue women still. Only time will tell.
Rita Reid, Port Melbourne
Jacinta Price didn’t jump ship. She swapped a rudderless lifeboat for a rapidly deflating liferaft.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton
Premier Jacinta Allan has stated, ″Parliament is a place where members of parliament should behave to the highest standard.″ Well, I am appalled at the behaviour of parliamentarians during question time.
Christine Hammett, Richmond
Is state Labor aware the first step in overcoming an addiction (i.e. to gambling revenue) is to talk about that addiction, openly?
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
Top marks to the state government spinners. No projects delayed, only revised. Thank goodness.
Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South
Furthermore
Donald Trump lives in a parallel universe where Saudi Arabian despots, Putin and Netanyahu are the good guys while the South African government and Zelensky are the bad guys. Beyond weird, beyond parody, beyond frightening … tragic.
Michael Langford, Flinders
Vladimir Putin wants to “eliminate the root causes of [the Russia-Ukraine] crisis” (21/5). Begs the question: what does he intend to do with himself?
Jenny Bone, Surrey Hills
Re ″Speed limit cut to foil truck-eating bridge″ (22/5), has the speed limit been lowered so the bridge can ″eat the trucks″ slowly?
Robin Jensen, Castlemaine
Finally
Greek tragedy averted, Ange Postecoglou breaks Tottenham Hotspur’s 17-year trophy drought.
Paul Custance, Highett
