′Credit:Illustration: Megan Herbert
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FEDERAL ELECTION
Vote to address intergenerational inequality
The anxiety of young people regarding the climate crisis (The Age, 18/4) should fill older people with guilt and motivate a push for concerted change. In 1970, with very average marks, I was able to enrol in an elite university. Sure, I had to pay fees for a year but then, with even poorer marks, I was able to access a Commonwealth scholarship. There were no HECS fees. I bumbled through uni without much endeavour and still did a postgraduate degree that took me into well-paid work as a clinical psychologist.
In the early years of my first job, my partner and I bought a house (now valued in the millions) for about three times my (then) annual salary. There was no great anxiety about having children and their future. In the ensuing years, there were lots of opportunities and overseas travel, good superannuation, negative gearing, etc.
Today most young people do not have have those opportunities and most of the older population vote according to self-interest. What will be our legacy? A massive national debt and devastating climate change. A key question for parents and grandparents is what we will do to force our would-be leaders to address intergenerational inequality and ensure future generations have options even a little like those that we have enjoyed.
Peter Cook, Essendon
Look at what’s best for all, not just our hip pockets
All the hullabaloo we are bombarded with each day about two blokes is irrelevant. They are their parties’ leaders – but it is their entire parties and their philosophies which will give us a decent or not decent government.
Governments need compassion for, and to care for, the total population, not just the lucky ones. When we vote, we need to look at the total picture and what we want to happen regarding climate change, the distribution of wealth, aged care, Medicare and housing. We need to look at what is best for all, not just what is best for our hip pockets as happened at the last election.
Nola Cormick, Albert Park
Media needs to focus on critical issues, not trivia
Can the media heed Adam Bandt’s advice: stop poring over inconsequential nonsense and start focusing on the substantive issues such as climate change, emergency response, aged care, housing affordability, integrity, treatment of asylum seekers, funding of the National Disability Insurance Scheme, JobSeeker support and just about any other aspect of government responsibility that requires more competence and leadership than we have witnessed over recent years.
Kevin Moloney, Williamstown
Chalmers, better than Morrison and Albanese
Despite having been well to the left as a university student, at the present time I am a swinging voter. Swinging not because my opinion on different issues changes, but because the extent to which it overlaps with the policies and personalities of the two major parties varies from time to time.
Although I strenuously dislike Scott Morrison and am equally unimpressed by a number of his ministers, I will struggle to vote for Labor whose prime ministerial candidate is Anthony Albanese. Across the country there are probably many swinging voters like me. These include educated people who are socially liberal and pro-environment, but who also support the Coalition’s stance on defence. Labor’s Jim Chalmers would offer an acceptable option for people like me. Carpe diem, Jim. May you seize the day. And may we even see prime minister Chalmers and opposition leader Josh Frydenberg meeting regularly and sharing a constructive vision for Australia.
Geoffrey McCallum, Seville
The electorate wants depth and probing questions
Why is the majority of the media concentrating only on the travelling sideshow that constitutes an election campaign? Where are the probing questions on the government’s record or future policies? Or do they think the electorate will be happy with just more of the same?
Lesley Hardcastle, Ashburton
THE FORUM
Levelling the playing field
The errors in Michael Yabsley’s piece (Opinion, 15/4) are too significant to ignore. He is right that the independent community candidates who have emerged in close to 30 electorates are transforming politics.
They and the tens of thousands of members of their communities who are planning to vote for them would say transforming for the better. But it is an insult to them and their supporters to suggest they have been “deployed” by Climate 200 or are “Climate 200 candidates”.
They have emerged because voters in their communities, appalled that the issues that mattered to them – climate change, integrity in politics and genuine equality for women – are getting short shrift from their local members and the two main parties. Climate 200 had no role in the establishment of these campaigns, or in their candidate selection. Supported by more than 10,000 donors, Climate 200 exists to level the playing field so independents have a fighting chance in a system that strongly favours parties and incumbency.
“The obscene amounts of money” of which Yabsley speaks more correctly applies to major parties and Clive Palmer’s United Australia Party, each of which will spend more than 10 times as much as Climate 200 on this election.
As the Australian Electoral Commission has reaffirmed as recently as last week, Climate 200 is not a political party.
Simon Holmes à Court, convenor, Climate 200
A few ‘gaffes’. So what?
For eight days we have been bombarded about Anthony Albanese’s “gaffes”. I have not been troubled by them. What troubles me is the relentless demand for detail, forcing Albanese to get off message, which is: the Coalition has a mountain of serious misdeeds that disqualify it from continuing in government.
Some commentators say Labor needs a charismatic leader like Gough Whitlam, Bob Hawke or Kevin Rudd. Look across the aisle. Do you see integrity? Vision? Hard work? Compassion? A commitment to the planet? What has this government achieved in 10 years of non-charismatic leaders?
Rose Marie Crowe, McKinnon
No match for Morrison
Anthony Albanese has been coasting since he became opposition leader. He has not landed a punch on Scott Morrison. It is time for Albanese to stop bludging, get to work and do some homework.
Peter D’Castro, Cremorne
Seeking the PM’s details
Roshena Campbell (Opinion, 18/4) – along with many other commentators – questions Anthony Albanese’s vision. When Scott Morrison is asked what his policies are, he says that we know him, and the journalists let him get away with this. It would be nice to see policies from each side. What does Morrison stand for?
Chris Larson, Oakleigh East
A very tiny sample
Interesting as the latest Resolve Political Monitor results will be to the political parties, David Crowe is right to point out the margin of error of 2.6 percentage points – “Number crucial to election campaign” (The Age 18/4). The acknowledged sample of 1404 eligible voters represents about one in 11,000 of the electorate who are qualified to cast a ballot.
Brian Kidd, Mount Waverley
But who’s really ‘working’?
I would like to know the true employment rate. For example, the percentage of those who only work one hour per week, who are part-time or who work in the gig economy without benefits such as holiday or sick pay. Also, those who work under a so-called contract without these benefits, who do not earn enough to sustain basic living expenses or who have to work two jobs in order to earn a living wage?
Cushla McNamara, Hawthorn
Doing the right thing
The Liberal MPs who claim voters are not interested in an integrity commission show a lack of principle. It is a pity they cannot take a leaf out of former prime minister Malcolm Fraser’s book who, when proposing his land rights legislation, was told by colleagues there were no votes in Aboriginal issues. He replied: “But it’s the right thing to do.“
It says a lot about the values of the Morrison government that it is prepared to drop a promise to introduce such an essential reform to address political corruption because it does not attract votes.
David Crawford, Balwyn
Diplomacy before fighting
Wars are terrible for everyone involved, and both soldiers and the civilians face appalling death and destruction. The horrors war inflicts are reflected in veterans’ suicide rates. The weapons lobby is very influential in Canberra, and a “khaki election” draws attention away from climate change, integrity and growing poverty among other issues.
It is an absolute disgrace that diplomacy was yet again cut in the recent budget, whilst more and more billions are allocated to preparing for war. Skilled diplomacy helps prevent wars and must be properly funded. It can save many, many lives, including those of Australian soldiers.
Dr Margaret Beavis, Medical Association for Prevention of War, Carlton
An excellent first step
I am grateful to the Australian Electoral Commission for not only publishing a disinformation register (The Age, 18/4), but offering correct information in response. My concern is that it is currently updated to February 22. Has there been no disinformation disseminated in the past two months?
Stephen Lindner, Kew
Inadequate facilities
If the state government truly wants to promote the 2026 Commonwealth Games as a regional event and upgrade regional facilities, it would help fund a 50-metre indoor pool in the Bass Coast area.
The pool at Wonthaggi has not been upgraded since I swam in it in the ’80s. My kids train in the same pool, in the same conditions but with a much greater number of kids. We cannot hold proper competitions and the kids have to travel quite a distance to pools that meet the requirements.
This week their team mates are competing at a national level in South Australia but do not have starting blocks to practise their starts or enough lanes to train those coming through. The government needs to ensure that all regional people have reasonable access to basic sporting facilities.
Donna Lancaster, Inverloch
Such an illogical change
Re “Elderly wary of privatisation plan” (The Age, 18/4). As a recipient of Boroondara City Council’s home care service, I was told some years ago that the service was to be privatised.
Then recently we had a letter telling us that the service was being taken over by not-for-profit aged care provider mecwacare. This was followed by a phone call asking if we understood this, but we were not asked if we were happy with the change.
There is a lot of difference between home care, where house cleaning and shopping are done, and specific care such as physiotherapy which those who need it already access elsewhere. Why put 60 people out of work and replace them with strangers? It is worthy of an episode of Yes Minister.
Megan Peniston-Bird, Kew
Local, accessible, caring
A “Clayton’s consultation” was my response to both the letters I received from Boroondara City Council. I want local workers who build a caring relationship with me. Consultation should involve a model including local service providers. Local carers who are easily accessible and accountable is what I deserve.
Joy Vogt, Ashburton
Give me boring any day
I share the concerns of Melbourne lord mayor Sally Capp on the increasing incidence of graffiti and the rising cost of removing it (The Age, 16/04).
Over the past year or so, I have armed myself with nail polish remover, methylated spirit, soapy water and glass cleaner, and headed to the bus shelter to remove tags and other graffiti from the perspex panels. The tags reappeared, so I cleaned them off. When they appeared again, I erased those too. Finally, the graffiti “artist” gave up.
Part of the problem is that people like Wendy Steele, associate professor in the school of global, urban and social studies at RMIT, excuse graffiti as the result of “frustrated” individuals expressing their creative instincts. That makes it harder for others, the quiet citizens, to call graffiti what it almost always is: vandalism. If clean is boring, I’ll take boring. It saves money.
Des Lowry, Golden Square
Take a leaf from London
Prior to London’s Olympic Games in 2012, the graffiti was removed and strong punitive measures were implemented. Four years after the event, I saw no evidence of a tagging return, at least not in the central London area where I spent most of my time.
London county councils are also committed to removing graffiti much more rapidly than happens in the City of Melbourne. Richmond County Council, for example, commits to removing it within five days or, if the tagging is offensive, within one day.
We come nowhere near that here and some councils do not provide a removal service. Given the extent of the problem I would have thought the state government should also be involved, particularly given we will host the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Rod Evans, Parkville
Taming ‘beast’ in our head
Nell Geraets’ article – “Impostor syndrome: a gift or a curse?” (Opinion, 18/4) – was so thought provoking. As a nurse of 30 years, I have always felt like I an impostor, always striving to learn more each day and prove my skill and worth to myself, my fellow workers and the patients. What a timely story, and a confidence boost to know others are striving, motivated by trying to address this beast in their head. I look forward to reading more from this journalist.
Susan O’Callaghan, Coburg
AND ANOTHER THING
Federal election
Roshena Campbell (17/4), would you classify Morrison playing the ukulele as “flapping around” too?
Jennifer Quigley, Balwyn
If Albanese keeps repeating he’s the underdog or predicted loser, it may just come true.
Paul Custance, Highett
A choice between the devil and the deep blue sea. Some choice.
Tris Raouf, Hadfield
One week – the time it took for aged care to fade as an election issue.
Carol Williams, Forest Hill
On the contrary, Tony Devereux (18/4). Craig Kelly’s full-page ad gave this reader a good laugh.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
Re Sean Kelly (18/4). It’s time Albo and the ALP stopped being bland and show a bit of mongrel.
Michael Brinkman, Ventnor
Some voters do care about integrity. Remember how the Kennett government was voted out after it undermined the independence of the auditor-general.
Geoffrey Hilliard, Ashburton
And, Linda Skinner (18/4), if we accept a dinghy from the government, we won’t be allowed to land. Funny about that.
Bruce Dudon, Woodend
ScoMo, your good book says, “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit”.
Pat Rivett, Ferntree Gully
Surely only those who don’t value integrity would not support an integrity commission.
Vikki O’Neill, Ashburton
Quarantine hub
An accommodation facility for bushfire and flood victims. Possibly even a public conference centre. We have to be clever enough to realise its potential.
Julian Guy, Mount Eliza
There’s an easy solution. House homeless people in it.
Katriona Fahey, Alphington
A purpose-built facility as insurance against another pandemic in the future.
Paul Chivers, Box Hill North
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