Credit: Illustration: Badiucao
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CANBERRA
Political expediency was in evidence in federal parliament last week when the latest immigration bill was presented and passed while th environmental protection bill was shelved.
The former decision carries the probability of ongoing trauma to already traumatised people, without actually making us any safer, while the latter puts at risk further damage to our increasingly fragile environment.
The immigration bill succeeded as it prevents the opposition
from mounting another fear campaign, while the latter
decision shows that the powerful mining industry remains a significant barrier to be able to decrease the rate of loss of biodiversity and to improve controls that protect environmental standards.
These decisions will cause increased cruelty to those seeking our help, while lack of progress on improving environmental standards will cause further problems in relation to the effects of climate change.
These are becoming more evident with the warnings of increase risk of fire and floods this summer with the devastation and suffering that these will cause.
Helen Thomas, Nunawading
Negative messaging
Reading about the plight of Victorian police officers in dealing with increasingly vile behaviour, I’m drawn to the constant negative messaging from the federal opposition that is feeding broader feelings of discontent.
These Trumpian-style tactics constantly feed this narrative that things are bad.
If you relentlessly bombard the national psyche with messaging that plays into it this discontent, then after a while it takes hold.
Sadly, the aim of Peter Dutton is clearly one to win votes by sowing discontent.
Whilst it’s a potent strategy that may well work, this approach is reprehensible for the broader damage it is doing at a time when we need optimism.
It’s about time they were called to account for these putrid political tactics.
It’s vitally important that in challenging times our leaders are genuinely empathetic and take greater responsibility when they know this messaging has an impact.
Unfortunately for some, it’s the only tactic they have ever known. Ironically, Dutton is a former policeman, and you would think he would want to improve this situation.
Michael Cormick, Carnegie
Leadership lacking
There is a lack of quality leadership and decisive action on the issues that are facing our community today.
Youth crime escalates, with consequences for the safety of our neighbourhoods and the future of our young people. All we seem to see is repetitive and ineffective action with no strategies that address root causes.
The growing influence of organised crime in the tobacco trade is alarming and is leaving a trail of economic and social harm.
Additionally, demands from various sectors for increased remuneration or funding seem to persist in a vacuum of fiscal responsibility.
At a time when our debt levels are arguably already unsustainable, the solution cannot simply be more government borrowing.
We need a commitment to equity, efficient resource allocation, transparency, and accountability to ensure taxpayer dollars are spent where they are most needed and that such decisions are made in the known economic context.
Political leaders appear more concerned with clinging to power or winning elections.
Leadership is not about self-interest.
Charles Griss, Balwyn
Change the rules
Lidia Thorpe has unknowingly exposed a weakness in Australia’s democracy. She was elected as a member of the Greens party. She left the party but continues to be a parliamentarian, although she was not elected as an independent.
Of course, it would be, at the very least, a nuisance to hold an election to replace a parliamentarian who no longer represents the people who voted for them. But for the sake of our democracy, we should change our rules and ensure that our parliamentarians represent the people who did vote for them.
Marguerite Marshall, Eltham
Those who make history
James Massola’s recent article on senator Lidia Thorpe prompted me to reflect on our tolerance of “difficult” women who don’t follow socially prescribed norms of behaviour. So, do we need to talk about Thorpe in particular because she is a female parliamentarian perceived to be behaving “badly”? (“Appetite for disruption: We’ve got to talk about Lidia Thorpe”, 30/11).
Whether you love her (rebel with a cause), or loathe her (too brash and unwieldy), Thorpe unapologetically demonstrates she will not be “forever meek, polite and forbearing” in furtherance of Indigenous sovereignty.
Perhaps, we should be asking why we expect Thorpe not to rock the institutions that continue to oppress Indigenous Australians?. And we should note that “well-behaved women seldom make history”.
Jelena Rosic, Mornington
Age of little reason
Oh, Jacqueline Maley (“Reasoned argument will always beat a Thorpe-style rabble rant” 1/12). If only. Sadly, looking at the world through my 85-year-old eyes, the view is not rosy for reasoned argument. That often seems a thing of the past while the rabble rant, a la Thorpe, seems to carry the day too often.
I hope, as do you, for respectful debate to return to our lives.
Miriam Gould, Malvern
How to object
Lidia Thorpe behaves inside the Senate, and out, like a petulant disruptive schoolgirl, (“It looks like the latest form of protest, and Lidia Thorpe is its master”, 1/12).
To protest successfully you need to have clear, achievable objectives that seem reasonable to the average person, and good arguments for those objectives. Rhetoric is fine, but its power is limited. You also need an arsenal of undisputed facts at your disposal. Thorpe’s objectives are obscure, and her strategies amount to angry outbursts, the teenage middle finger and an unevolved sense of history. Even the “you’re not my king” jibe was silly. King Charles is her king, whether she knows it, likes it, or not. Having said that, ship-jumping people seem to abound in this strange house.
Lawrence Pope, North Carlton
Party of one
Irrespective of Lidia Thorpe’s behaviour in parliament, she is not representing her constituents, she is representing herself.
Mary Wise, Ringwood
Thorpe, Joyce, Latham
It’s ridiculous to think that Lidia Thorpe’s behaviour means that it will affect public perception of all women in parliament (Letters, 30/11). That’s like saying all men’s behaviour will be judged upon the behaviour of Barnaby Joyce or Mark Latham. Let Lidia Thorpe own her behaviour. She is proud of it.
Gianna Pastro, Canterbury
Thorpe’s hollow protests
I agree with your correspondent’s (Letters, 30/11) view of Lidia Thorpe’s self-centred behaviour, which was also pivotal in the loss of the referendum. Who can imagine what positive changes might have been adopted to prevent some of the murders of women in the Northern Territory if a majority had voted Yes to expedite programs to close the gap in Indigenous communities in particular?
Thorpe’s noisy protests are hollow in view of the negative stance she took on the Voice; such a disappointment to those who needed Indigenous people to have a progressive influence on their people.
Anne Musgrove, St Helena
Tail wags dog
Jenna Price claims that Tanya Plibersek led the “nature positive” legislation deal with the Greens that was scuppered by “our weak-kneed” leader (“PM deserted Plibersek, and for what?”, 1/12).
It seems the disastrous outcome of the Voice referendum has caused a loss of nerve by Albanese, and resulted in the enshittification of Labor’s promised progressive agenda at the beginning of its term. The tail of Dutton’s “Trumpist” politics is now furiously wagging the PM’s timid dog, and could cost Labor dearly at the election.
Harry Zable, Campbells Creek
Fay Marles’ achievements
I doubt many people realise that the prime minister attended the Fay Marles memorial service on Friday to support Richard Marles in the loss of his mother, and to acknowledge the wonderful work Fay had achieved in workforce equity. As the first Victorian commissioner for equal opportunity, she pioneered and defined the face of state workplaces and their accessibility for women. She also chaired the Koori education committee, and was the first female chancellor of Melbourne University. Anthony Albanese was one of us who admired the life of this great woman.
Jan Saliba, Moonee Ponds
THE FORUM
Snowy’s great spend
The Snowy 2.0 hydro project (“Light at the end of the tunnel”, 1/12), as with our very own Suburban Rail Loop, yet again proves that you can never stand between billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money and politicians seeking a pre-election gimmick with companies happy to spend the money.
Both were announced and executed without appropriate energy, economic and environmental feasibility studies.
Now, we have the electricity transmission companies very happy to receive billions of dollars for thousands of kilometres of new lines – what company wouldn’t?
It is an absolute tragedy that there will be no money left to build climate change resilience or assist the flood and bushfire victims of climate change.
Gary Gavin, Surrey Hills
Project’s health and safety
To put Snowy 2.0 into perspective – if the project does cost $12 billion, that’s compared to the $17 billion for Snowy 1.0 when Australia’s population was a third of today’s. Snowy 1.0 has about double the generating capacity of Snowy 2.0, and has 145 kilometres of tunnels compared to the 27 kilometres for Snowy 2.0. So, 1.0 was a much bigger project.
Snowy 1.0 was completed within budget, and ahead of schedule. Snowy 1.0 had 121 fatalities. Snowy 2.0 has had one.
Peter Seligman, Brunswick West
Gender pay gap reasons
In her article “Working for free – some of us”, (1/12), Victoria Devine does not mention the real reason for the gender pay gap. Male-dominated occupations, for example construction and mining, have a much higher wage level than female-dominated occupations such as aged care and child care. It’s not gender that causes the gap, it’s the occupation. A female working in the construction industry will earn more than a female working in aged care. A male working in aged care will earn less than a female in construction and mining.
The true challenge is to identify why females aren’t more represented in higher paid occupations such as mining, construction and trades in general.
Ian Bennett, Jan Juc
Gamblers’ lot
The privacy of gamblers is the least of our problems with gambling (“Facial tech puts problem gamblers’ privacy at risk”, 1/12). In 100 years, we will look back on legalised gambling business as we now look back on slavery.
Why, we will ask, was this business ever allowed to prosper? Gambling transfers scarce money from the pockets of our poorest citizens into the deep pockets of multinational businesses. There is only one beneficiary.
Greg Tanner, Elwood
Don’t forget the union
I was shocked at the advice Colin Ellis suggests in his article, “Hate your boss but can’t quit? Try this”, (30/11). He quotes research suggesting that about 50 per cent of all workers worldwide go to work each day hating their work, which is probably a conservative estimate.
He then suggests eight ways that employees as individuals, might use to alleviate their situation. Not one of those suggests employees might collectively tackle the problem.
The hating-work syndrome he raises, is systemic to many management systems, whereby work is organised to extend management control over every employee’s move, and minimise any chance of an employee making a decision about their minute-to-minute actions.
For example, at places like large warehouses, employees are driven by computers, which direct every second and minute of their day, with no variation. Many workplaces have similar systems, which may be made worse by bullying managers.
So why would any employee in those circumstances, look forward to going to work when they are treated like zombies? The famous Australian professor, Michael Marmot, in many research projects, has found that employees working under such conditions, even without bullying managers, suffer very serious mental problems, and shorter life span.
The only way to tackle such systemic problems is via collective action, as one person acting on their own, cannot change such conditions. What employees should do is invite the union in, which has a major role in protecting employees’ health, and seek a meeting with management, to bargain about changing the work system. That is the best way to tackle such systemic problems, not the points suggested by Colin Ellis.
Max Ogden, Fitzroy North
AND ANOTHER THING
Black sales
From a cost of living crisis to record spending on Black Friday. I’m gobsmacked. If we were not in a cost of living crisis, how many billions more would be squandered on Black Friday?
Francis Bainbridge, Fitzroy North
As you decorate your Christmas tree surrounded by materialistic gifts that no one really needs, think about the growing number of people who live on our streets in abject poverty. Surely, that is more in keeping with Christian values than a Black Sunday bargain.
Jae Sconce, Moonee Ponds
Furthermore
Re the removal of the Champion Road level crossing that connects Williamstown and Newport (1/12), “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Greg Bardin, Altona North
From the SRL “Newsletter”, December: “We’re making massive progress building SRL East. Final sentence: “Trains will be taking passengers in 2035.” Oh, that I should live to see it.
Allen Shatten, Glen Waverley
Lidia Thorpe plays the news media just as Pauline Hanson did. Most media now, rightly ignore most of Hanson’s confections. They need to do the same to Thorpe.
Alan Williams, Port Melbourne
Tanya Plibersek: The prime minister we should have had.
David Johnston, Healesville
The French king Louis XIV boasted “I am the state”. Hope no one tells Trump.
Tony Lenten, Glen Waverley
What are we going to call the AFLW equivalent of a WAG? How about a BAP? Boyfriends and Partners?
David Marshall, West Brunswick
I know all about AI having had it since birth.
John Rawson, Mernda
Finally
If I found a smooth Mars bar, I’d tape it to a gallery wall and call it art. It would surely be worth a fortune. (“Vendor distraught after 35-cent banana sells for $9m”, 29/11).
John Bye, Elwood
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