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ELECTIONS
Following the success of One Nation in the WA Secret Harbour byelection, Pauline Hanson is pictured at a Victorian meeting, brandishing a mallet, to drive a large nail into her net zero coffin (“WA trouncing signals shift in voter loyalty”, 31/8). She has proudly pledged to ditch renewables and invest more in coal and gas resources.
As a recent Demos poll has shown that One Nation voters are more likely to be over 55, is it time to revisit the question of voting rights for 16-year-olds? This reform is likely at the next UK general election and is already the case in Wales and eight other countries, including Austria, Brazil and Argentina.
Many young people in this age group are already working and paying taxes. And, research shows they have very high levels of anxiety about their future, including that of a rapidly warming planet. They will inherit the consequences of squandered opportunities, and should have a say on polling day.
Jennie Stuart, Balwyn
Voters’ yearning for good old days
Sean Kelly describes the Albanese government’s commitment to maintain Western Australia’s share of GST revenue as ridiculously generous (Opinion, ″Is Hanson’s rise Albanese’s fall? Not so fast″, 31/8).
Western Australians will benefit from that generosity. Yet, just a few days after that commitment, the WA Labor government lost the seat of Secret Harbour in a major swing to One Nation.
This result is further evidence that politics is changing in Australia. Governments can no longer rely on policies that deliver material benefits to voters as enough to win re-election. All the new roads, rail stations and removed level crossings will not save the Carroll government.
Rather than simple offers to improve voters’ material welfare, governments now need to appeal to an array of much more nuanced cultural factors, including reassuring voters that Australia will not change beyond the recognition of those who grew up here.
Rod Wise, Surrey Hills
Protest vote provides little satisfaction
The WA byelection result based essentially on a One Nation campaign of “if you’re fed up, vote for me”, is a grave concern.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the government or the LNP opposition via a One Nation ″protest vote″ might give frustrated voters some satisfaction, but where is the evidence that One Nation has the capability, policies and quality candidates to provide better outcomes?
Its history is littered with political missteps that provide little comfort that it can govern or contribute positively to our nation.
Charles Griss, Balwyn
Take nothing for granted
One Nation winning Secret Harbour from the Labor Party in Western Australia should be sounding warning bells to both the Liberal and Labor parties. You can’t take voters for granted any more.
Christine Hammett, Richmond
Secret Harbour provides few clues
Would you ask someone off the street to drive a bus full of passengers? Would you not want to check their competency and experience in driving a heavy commercial vehicle, their history to ensure they are of good character and aware of the responsibility of safeguarding passenger lives?
So, why would anyone vote for a political candidate whose only qualification is that they oppose whoever is in power and whatever policies are designed for the majority of the public?
Yet, it seems that the good people of Secret Harbour have done exactly that. Go figure.
Mike Reece, Doncaster
THE FORUM
What might One Nation do?
With migration central to One Nation’s appeal, there is a practical question I would like its supporters to consider.
Successive Australian governments have faced persistent pressure from business groups and individual industries arguing that they need more skilled migrants and overseas workers to address labour shortages and support economic growth.
If One Nation were in a position to substantially reduce migration, how would it respond when those same pressures were directed at it?
Would it expect businesses to train more Australians, pay more where workers are genuinely scarce and invest in productivity rather than continually looking overseas? And would it maintain its migration policy when employers, universities and industry groups warned economic growth was being put at risk?
Reducing migration is one thing. Resisting the pressures that have pushed successive governments to increase it is another.
Susan Martin, Rosanna
Abbott’s trail to defeat
Whither the Liberals. They have created the political and moral vacuum that One Nation has stepped in to fill. Tony Abbott must take most of the credit. In opposition, he was the master at fostering discontent. In government that discontent turned back on him, and now it has metastasised into full-on discontent with his party.
Federal Labor as the party of government is also wearing its share of discontent. This is inevitable. This would still have occurred with a fully functioning coalition.
Tony Abbott, the Oxford boxing blue, in wanting to wound Labor is only inflicting further pain and suffering on his own party.
At a federal level, we will get to decide once again if populism and discontent are justification enough to form government. One Nation may well seriously challenge Labor. Its Trumpian policies and the legacy of Abbott still makes for an extremely wary electorate.
Tony Newport, Hillwood, Tas
No 51st state please
Richard Marles’ deep enthusiasm – no doubt supported by the prime minister – to attract American AI companies (Anthropic) to Australia is disturbing. It is yet another indication of how elements within the Labor government wish to see us move closer to America than we already are.
We have already seen this with the undying commitment to AUKUS, despite the many valid criticisms made against it. It’s a commitment Marles will further strengthen with his announced meeting of Pete Hegseth.
Cannot these people appreciate that we are geographically much closer to Asia than America, and that we should be building our diplomatic and trade relations with Asian countries while maintaining those with our existing allies?
Rather than supporting America’s aggravation of China, would it not be better to strengthen our relations with it, given its likely good future?
I do not want Australia to be America’s 51st state.
Greg Bailey, St Andrews
Scientific denialism
In 2010 the IPCC apologised for errors in its earlier prediction that Himalayan glaciers were melting so fast that they could disappear by 2035. At the time, the people of Nepal and Tibet must have been greatly relieved to hear the correction.
But while the melting estimate was wrong, the measured rise in atmospheric temperatures was right, and has only accelerated since then – the collapse at Langtang (and resulting catastrophe) is a logical outcome of a dying glacier.
The scientific denialism of political movements like One Nation might be expected, but the disavowal of fossil fuel companies, like Woodside (31/8 Comment), with their privileged access to the findings of deep science, raises questions about moral compass.
Peter McCarthy, Mentone
Mounting disappointment
Yes, it was “disappointing” that Woodside scrapped its $5 billion commitment to “cleaner energy projects” by 2030 (″Woodside retreat exposes limits of investor pressure″, 31/8). Governments have also been disappointing. In the face of Trump-era climate change denial, many governments have caved to their fossil fuel donors.
Federal and state governments, despite achieving remarkable results with renewables in some sectors, have green-lit coal, gas and possibly oil projects which make any meaningful emissions reductions a distant dream.
Voters might also be disappointed when, having stuck ourselves in the quagmire of the fossil fuel age, we discover energy prices continue to rise, and our environments are deteriorating. Because governments around the globe have also done the disappointing thing.
Fiona Colin, Malvern East
Modern slavery
The Victorian government has announced plans to put minimum security prisoners to presumably unpaid or low-paid penal labour, mowing grass and other tasks. (″Putting prisoners to work: The radical plan to fix Victoria’s pothole crisis″, 31/8). There is one word for this: slavery. Do not use our tax dollars to treat inmates as sub-human and force them into involuntary servitude.
Amy Bachrach, McKinnon
Cool Hand Luke
Good idea to use low-risk prison inmates to assist with road repair. I’m sure their tasks wouldn’t be nearly as tough as those encountered by the chain gang prisoners of America’s deep south many decades ago.
Images of scenes from the great 1967 movie, Cool Hand Luke, spring to mind, with Paul Newman and George Kennedy trying to survive life in the chain gang.
A line from the movie also helps me to define my confusion when trying to unravel the spin and mixed messages of the various political parties at all levels.
As actor Strother Martin so eloquently said in the movie, ″What we’ve got here, is a failure to communicate″.
Ray Bannister, Somers
Depression measure
I’m not sure we should use prison inmates to fill the potholes on Victorian roads unless they are paid. Not to pay them just because they are prisoners amounts to slave labour. I understand concrete roads were laid in some bayside suburbs during the Depression years last century by the unemployed as part of the Public Works ″sustenance″ program. And they were paid.
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris
Desperate measures etc
Ben Carroll must be really desperate to propose using chain gangs of Victorian prisoners to fix the state’s roads.
Reg Murray, Glen Iris
Hangers on
A certified cynic like me had to do a fair bit of headshaking at the article on fare dodging (″Fare evasion is everywhere. I want to join in but can’t deal with the stress″, 30/8).
Of course, all of the bus, tram and train drivers, the maintenance people and even the authorised officers are more than happy to accept half-pay so that travellers on public transport can keep on evading fares. What a world.
John Quinn, Avoca
Israel defence
Your correspondent is concerned that Israeli veterans competed in the Sydney Marathon (Letters, 30/8).
Unfortunately, due to the constant threats it faces from regimes and terror groups opposed to its existence, Israel is forced to use conscription for its defence forces. The suggestion that they should be banned from Australia for defending their country is simply discriminatory.
He also complains Gaza is still being bombed. That is because Hamas not only refuses to disarm as it is obliged to do under the ceasefire, but continues to try to rebuild its military strength and to plan attacks on Israel and its forces.
Shane Shmuel, Elsternwick
Tighter controls needed
Re your correspondent’s letter “Do try this at home” (31/8): bayside residents are still bulldozing perfectly good family homes to build mega-mansions – complete with commercial-sized gas meters to heat their swimming pools. Tighter government controls are needed to get new builds off gas.
Sandra Fordyce-Voorham, Black Rock
Pay it forward
The inspiring article ″Serving Time″ by Myffy Rigby in Good Weekend (29/8) is a gentle reminder that lack of opportunity leads some marginalised people to crime.
Poor government services like education and mental healthcare mean poor employment and social outcomes and an increased gap between those who succeed and those who are disadvantaged. When we address this disadvantage in our society we will have less crime and more productivity.
Congratulations to Shaun Christie-David and Mitch Orr of Second Chance Kitchen for their incredible generosity and inspiration, and to Alexandre Reis who shared his story. May they prosper and influence us all to pay it forward.
Helen Pereira, Heidelberg Heights
Good people
Going to a concert on Saturday evening, packed train, no seats available. Teenager, straggly long hair, bright pink jacket, playing air guitar and air drums. Sees me (nearly 80 years old) and immediately offers me a seat. Good manners still around. How encouraging!
Rod Smith, Vermont South
Respect in peace
Don’t erect a statue until the subject is dead. Then there is no danger of him besmirching his name.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
AND ANOTHER THING
Chain gang
Volatile times are throwing up some wild ideas. Prisoners would once again be put to work in the chain gangs. What’s next? Will they be housed in prison hulks in Hobson’s Bay off Williamstown.
Pauline Brown, Woodend
Once Ben Carrroll’s chain gangs have fixed the potholes, can they start digging the airport link tunnel? Prisoners are good at tunnelling.
Tony Danino, Wheelers Hill
Furthermore
Why buy Dumpling Squishys and Fidget Toys (Letters, 31/8) when all that is needed is a nearby spaniel’s ears in times of trouble?
Bob Graham, Hawthorn
Is the AFL’s wildcard round the equivalent of the ABC’s Hard Quiz round for duds?
Christine Hinton, Glen Huntly
Melbourne cannot manage this rate of growth. Decentralisation should be back on the agenda.
Dan Drummond, Leongatha
Statuary limitations
I know it is unpalatable for some, but the death toll from COVID-19 was many times less in Victoria than in the UK and United States because of strict border controls and lockdowns.
Tim Douglas, Blairgowrie
The idea of an ″unknown youth″ statue (Letters, 31/8) has merit, although it’s not what Jeff Kennett intended. The unknown youth could also represent those saved by the lockdowns during a once-in-100-years pandemic.
Peter McGill, Lancefield
Wilcox
I have two Wilcox cartoons photocopied and on my fridge. Both are feminist and brilliant. I’ve copied them multiple times and shared with people. Will miss her.
Chris Hooper, Castlemaine
Super, big thanks, CW (clever wit). Nearly every day, your insight made us laugh and cry at the same time.
Ray Higgs, Ferntree Gully
I always thought that Cathy Wilcox should’ve dispensed with her coloured pencils when her cartoons about events in the Middle East only viewed the complexity of that part of the world in black and white.
Geoff Feren, East St Kilda
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