source : the age
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BIG BUILD
Due to the recent revelations of corruption in the Big Build industry, it is now time for the Labor Party to salvage some pride by calling for a royal commission.
Sadly, there is no point in trying to continue defending the indefensible, because I believe the public are sick and tired of the government’s attempt to give reasons why the present status quo should continue.
The state debt is ballooning and essential services are overlooked because of lack of funding. It’s time for the government to spend some time in the paddock.
Unfortunately, there does not appear that there is anyone in the Labor Party who is capable of succeeding Premier Allan to lead the government out of this mess, and one has to wonder if the Coalition can, but can it be any worse?
Bruce MacKenzie, South Kingsville
Victoria now a tragic and expensive joke
We need a new government in this state, one that will legislate that such corruption, blindly supported by public servants or ministers, becomes a criminal offence requiring jail time.
Let’s hope we see a change of government in November and one that will bring genuine accountability and serious penalties.
Victoria under the leadership of Jacinta Allan and Dan Andrews has made the state a tragic and expensive joke. If those wasted billions had been spent on hospitals, the police force, essential services and education, Victoria would be a far better place to live.
Jim Hayman, Portsea
Ashamed of this government
How can state government officials sleep at night? No money for the 24-hour Parent Helpline. Money cut from the 24-hour Kids’ Helpline. No enough money for schools. Not enough for health. But there is always money for the Big Build and its dodgy participants, and always money for the grand prix circus and ″big events″. I am ashamed.
Stephanie Howell, Brunswick
Royal commission into Big Build imperative
Journalist Nick McKenzie’s most recent Big Build article reveals (‴Don’t pay Gatto, don’t get access’: Leaks expose companies with gangland figure on payroll″, 29/6) indicate that a royal commission into the Big Build has become imperative. Victoria’s IBAC and our police are hobbled; there is no other way to get to the bottom of this flagrant rip-off of taxpayer funds.
A good start would be to freeze the accounts of all implicated parties, in the hopes some of the money might be retrieved.
And, remove their passports, so they can’t all slip away to Dubai!
Caroline Leslie, Hawthorn
A Labor re-election beggars belief
One of the most fascinating things about the lead-up to this year’s Victorian election is the prospect that the incumbent, totally inept government could well be re-elected.
It beggars belief, too, that this same government is now ″spruiking its wares″, so to speak, by promising millions of dollars to fix the very things that it allowed to severely deteriorate over the past 10 or so years. At the same time, it endeavours to sell its magnanimity.
Surely, it has to go. I live in hope.
Noel Mavric, Moonlight Flat
At least we’re still a democracy
Premier Allan should be grateful we live in a democracy where such massive entrenched corruption is tolerated. Consequences would be vastly different in China, for example. Of course, she wouldn’t want a royal commission.
Tony Jackson, Fitzroy
THE FORUM
Data centre recycling
I started work at a data centre in London in 1975. The purpose-built room was filled with two enormous supercomputers and many disk cabinets each the size of today’s front-loading washing machines and each with a capacity of 200MB.
My current iPhone has a reasonable storage capacity of 256GB. That’s equivalent to 51,200 washing machines.
Today’s data centres are approaching the size of a footy pitch.
Given the ever-increasing pace of miniaturisation, we might assume that tomorrow’s data centres will be a fraction of the size of those being planned today.
What will we do with all those footy pitches filled with obsolete equipment?
Jan Kusiak, Ashburton
Empirical strikes back
Clancy Yeates’ appraisal of the pros and cons of the data centre boom (“The $155b question hanging over boom in data centres,” 29/6) is eminently fair. What’s striking is the contrast between the empirical reality of the cons and the imagined realisation of the pros.
The cons are concrete. Insatiable demand for land, energy and water. Degradation of neighbourhood amenity. Short-term employment boost. Diversion of huge funds away from social needs. Profits siphoned off overseas.
By comparison the pros are wishful. Productivity gains, the birth of new businesses, and a boost for green energy. In the end we are left with two conclusions.
One, “the AI boom is happening whether we like it or not,” and two, “governments should put strict rules” on data centre operations.
Neither generates confidence that Australia will manage the boom wisely and to the nation’s benefit.
Let’s be smart, not lucky.
Tom Knowles, Parkville
What would Weary say?
In Benalla, there is a beautiful statue of Edward “Weary” Dunlop lifting a stricken comrade, as he did so often on the notorious Thai-Burma Railway.
The base of the statue is inscribed with the words that defined Dunlop: Compassion, Friendship, Leadership, Humility, Integrity, Courage and Forgiveness.
Sadly, those political figures espousing “Australian values” do not demonstrate any of Dunlop’s traits.
Andrew and Marie Trembath, Blackburn
Racist reputation
I was struck by Anthony Dennis’ (″Our reputation overseas is fragile, Hanson isn’t helping″, 29/6) experience that, via extensive international travel, ″many people begin interactions with the presumption that many Australians are essentially racist″.
Against the background of One Nation’s current popularity here at home, I, too, am beginning to apply that same presumption locally.
Michelle Goldsmith, Eaglehawk
Past a foreign country
Growing up in Tasmania, we were unashamedly monocultural and more British than Britain resembling a distant outpost of the now crumbling Empire. We steadfastly hung onto traditions that were unquestionably the bedrock of society. After movies, we stood to God Save the Queen, had roast dinners on Sundays, and were taught British history. Food was devoid of imagination.
Social expectations were unchallenged and defined by gender. Religion was Christian, although there were the traditional clan rivalries between Catholics and Anglicans. Creative arts, music and theatre rarely broke acceptable norms. I had a wonderful childhood but wanted to open my mind to beliefs, ideas and cultures beyond the world I knew. Our monoculture was excruciatingly boring, mind-numbing and oppressive.
This changed, as immigrants arrived bringing with them delicious food, bright and wonderful cultures and most of all ideas and beliefs which made life interesting and a delight to enjoy. Multiculturalism has created a rich, vibrant stimulating society to embrace and relish. As the saying goes, “be careful what you wish for”.
Ian Broinowski, Battery Point
Tortured logic
It is Angus Taylor logic at its finest; the Coalition is languishing in the polls because COVID ushered in “big government”. People are angry because of this and inherently distrust big government.
How to explain the fact that Labor, allegedly the party of big government, is currently ahead of it? Could it be that voters are angry with the Coalition and distrust it? It fits with the evidence, if that still counts for anything.
Jane Edwards, Peterhead, SA
Trump adjacent
The polls showing that Trump, and his administration, are more unpopular in Australia than any other Western nation raises an interesting question: why is support for One Nation, a party with unquestionably Trump-adjacent policies, apparently on the rise?
Does a large proportion of the Australian population think that what is bad for Americans might be good for us?
Mick Cahill, Fitzroy North
Playing politics
A few short months ago, Angus Taylor, aided and abetted by the tabloids, was spreading fear about Australia’s capacity to supply fuel during the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. There was the demand that Anthony Albanese give iron-clad guarantees despite the Coalition previously closing four oil refineries.
Here we are, a little way down the track, despite a few initial hurdles for suppliers in more remote parts, having again weathered the storm. The fearmongering, an entirely political strategy, has proved to be unjustified.
Now here’s a thought for those who benefited from the continued flow of fuel, which is all of us: given that Albanese negotiated with South Korea, Malaysia, Japan and Singapore to assure supply, imagine the negotiations with our Asian neighbours if Pauline Hanson were prime minister.
Craig Jory, Albury
Moral compass spins
Re “Australian man accused of stuffing teenager’s body in suitcase arrested at Bangkok airport” (28/6). If found guilty, this man may face the death penalty.
The Thais, at least, have retained a moral compass. We seem to have misplaced ours.
Lawrence Pope, Carlton North
Cream rises to top
There is an excellent expose on spreads by Susie Burrell (“Butter, marg or in between? A dietitian’s guide to choosing the best supermarket spread”, 29/6). My take-home message is what I have offered my patients for a long time. Avoid unnecessarily over-processed foods and put on your toast what you prefer because it won’t make much difference. Medicine by numbers and percentages can be illusory. Quantities and context are important (what else do you eat?).
So much of what is on offer in the dairy department is fake – based more on marketing appeal than real facts.
I was brought up on a dairy farm with real raw Jersey cow milk. I survived but didn’t like the curds of cream floating on top. On moving to the city I was introduced to pasteurised, homogenised, packaged, but otherwise unadulterated “cow”, and have been on it ever since.
“Full cream” feels like low fat to me. Enough for my bone health. Not so much as to cause lipid-related health problems.
Good luck and enjoy your cafe latte, imbibed for health and cultural reasons.
Dr Clyde Ronan, Tallangatta
Literally, football
Australian rules football is the only code where a goal can only be achieved by foot.
Soccer allows heads, chests, opposing teams, or ″hand of god″. Rugby puts the ball over the line, American footballers just run across the line for a ″touchdown″. Therefore, in reply to your correspondent (Letters, 29/6), Australian rules is true football. Besides, it was the English who called their game soccer, not us.
Judy Loney, Drumcondra
Soccer perfectly good
To your Letters correspondent (″And another thing″, 29/6), there are many codes of football. Association football, historically abbreviated to soccer is one of them.
There are places in the world such as Melbourne, Denver and others where if someone says they are “going to the football” then it is unlikely to be the round ball code. Use soccer to avoid confusion. It is a perfectly good word and is not a perjorative.
As for claiming soccer is just between the foot and the ball, perhaps it should be called head, chest and foot ball. In Australian rules football a goal can only be scored with the foot.
David Ross, Kilda West
Standing rule
The “stand” rule is causing all this post-siren, goal-kicking drama. The rule should not apply in that situation, and the umpire should communicate this so the player on the mark is free to move to constrain the kicker’s approach on goal.
A kick on goal should be disallowed if the kicker chooses to “play on” rather than take the post-siren kick per historical rules.
Andrew Carroll, Camberwell
Family values
Thanks to CBD (″Somers not happy with Hey Hey snub″, 29/6) for reminding us that Hey Hey It’s Saturday collected 29 Logie awards in the 30 years it graced our screens.
Seeing Brian Nankervis at the ABC Friends 50th celebration reminded me of when Brian, as his ultra ego Raymond J. Bartholomew amused us with his clever poetry on Hey Hey.
It was very much a family show for us, except for my mother who insisted on ringing me during that time slot, exclaiming that Hey Hey was ″rubbish″ if I expressed a desire to watch it.
Wilma Hills, Echuca
AND ANOTHER THING
One Nation
Reading ″Australian activists fear China’s ethnic unity law″ (29/6) leads one to realise where the pursuit of a ″monoculture″ may ultimately lead. Laws designed to enable the Chinese government to harass ethnic subcultures even overseas. Scary stuff!
Isobel Bell, Ocean Grove
Has any reporter asked Pauline Hanson what other explanation there is about Europe’s heatwave, if it’s not global warming?
Jacki Burgess, Port Melbourne
Big Build
Where’s Rob Sitch these days, and if only John Clarke was still around with his mate Bryan Dawe, they’d have a ball with the Victorian Labor government’s Big Build fiascos.
Rick Whitelaw, Anglesea
It seems undeniable that the Big Build is beset by massive maladministration.
Ross McPhee, Seaford
Jacinta, it’s simple: royal commission or quit.
Lindsay Donahoo, Wattle Glen
Victoria is going to need a bigger number plate: the corrupt, lawless, most expensive, over-taxed, debt-ridden state!
Ken Wall, Mount Martha
Furthermore
Thank you, Maureen Dowd (″The America of my parents was fair″, 29/6) for giving me comfort knowing there are still good Americans in the world despite what we hear on the news. Her article brought a lump to my throat.
Sue Acheson, Rokeby
One positive of buses replacing trains on my rail line is I get the opportunity to thank my driver.
Ian Macdonald, Traralgon
Finally
Re Letters (29/6). Years ago, I worked with a man who grew up in Eastern Europe. In his language, he called the round ball game football (or futball). Only when he came to Australia did he put two and two together, pointing to his foot and making the shape of a football with his hands. Face slap; ″Ahh, Foot … ball!″
Trevor Sheridan, Charmhaven, NSW
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