Credit: Matt Golding
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Right side of history
While the Allan Labor state government has copped a lot of flak over the Suburban Rail Loop project (i.e. financial bottomless pit) and, more recently, over attempting to enshrine into law two work-from-home days (i.e. mostly favoured by employees if not employers), the in-principle treaty agreement reached between First Peoples and the Allan government is something to be immensely proud of (“Treaty negotiations complete, a historic agreement is within reach”, 22/8).
Subject to being passed into law, the first-of-its-kind nationwide treaty agreement will, at long last, facilitate “an elected Aboriginal body” that can with the powers bestowed on it “question ministers, call public hearings and hold to account policies and programs designed to close the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Victorians”, which have hitherto failed to do so.
And I, for one, herald the (fingers crossed) prospective milestone moment that is on the right side of history and that will set a positive example for other state and territory governments to follow suit.
Jelena Rosic, Mornington
Libs self-destruct
I disagree with your correspondent about the current state of play with state politics. Whatever one thinks about the Labor Party, the Liberals continue on the path of self-destruction. With John Pesutto they were in a winnable position, but leadership ambitions by some and extreme positions by others shows how fragmented they are.
What a disaster for democracy.
Barry Buskens, Sandringham
Protect the Sandpipers
Re “Sanctuary disturbed” (Letters, 23/8), along with swans, pelicans and cormorants, Ricketts Point regularly hosts migratory shorebirds like Sharp-tailed Sandpipers that visit us all the way from the Arctic Circle.
If dogs are allowed on the rock shelf, these wonderful birds would be constantly harassed.
As a dog owner, I recognise the need for off-leash dog areas but these should not be at the expense of our precious birdlife.
There are other places for dogs to exercise off-leash; many birds are fast running out of options for their very survival.
Debbie Lustig, Elsternwick
Confused responses
The case of Adelaide footballer Izak Rankine is a symptom of our contemporary moral confusion – ″zero tolerance″ in the age of inclusivity. Has the AFL never heard of conciliation and remediation? Or are they bent on punishment, lest they appear tolerant of homophobic slurs and other forms of identity-based insults? A bit of sticks and stones might help. The words should not be uttered, but if they are, they should be treated with the contempt they deserve and with some dialogue or learning experience that helps both parties, not with a virtue-signalling, self-serving AFL penalty handed down to the disproportionate cost of a player who lost his temper and said something offensive during a gladiatorial contest hyped up by those who promote and profit from it, and then sit in holier-than-thou judgment.
Trevor Hay, Montmorency
For shame, AFL
Just how hard is it? Either the AFL stands against homophobia, racism and sexism, or it doesn’t.
As a parent, teacher, and sport lover, the AFL has enraged me with its deliberation over the penalty for the recent abhorrent homophobic slur as well as for its appointment of Snoop Dogg, of all the entertainment available.
Actions speak volumes. The AFL doesn’t actually stand against homophobia. Shame.
Sue Lee, East Melbourne
State of despair
UN emergency relief co-ordinator Tom Fletcher speaks of famine in Gaza City. He stated it is man-made, predictable, preventable, caused by cruelty, justified by revenge, enabled by indifference and sustained by complicity.
If Hamas released all the hostages the war would end tomorrow. Surely this is predictable. Continuing this man-made war is preventable. It was initiated by cruelty, justified by revenge, enabled by world indifference and continues to be sustained by world complicity.
Pia Brous, Armadale
Putting the world right
Free Palestine from Hamas, free Israel from Netanyahu, free Iran from Khamenei, free Russia from Putin, free America from Trump and free Australia from AUKUS and the world will be a better place.
Luigi Soccio, Daylesford
Repeat, repeat, repeat
About 514,000 people – nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza – are experiencing famine (″Gaza famine numbers hit 500,000″, 23/8). About 514,000 people – nearly a quarter of Palestinians in Gaza – are experiencing famine.
Repeat it so no one can look away.
Repeat it until our government imposes sanctions on Israel.
Fernanda Trecenti, Fitzroy
Monster of own making
Your correspondent’s suggestion (Letters, 23/8) that Stalin might have been more ″moderate″ had he operated in a liberal democratic system such as America’s misses the point that he was not a predestined product of his environment, but perpetrated atrocities, like Mao and Hitler, in the context of a tyrannical system which he himself created.
Bill James, Frankston
Leave hate out of it
Your correspondent refers to freedom of speech as the very basis of intellectual discussion (Letters, 23/8), but there must be boundaries to what is said in a civilised society. As columnist Kate Halfpenny reminds us (Comment, 23/8) homophobic slurs and language are unacceptable and penalised. Those boundaries to free speech are accepted, as are other boundaries around hate speech, now enshrined in law. Unfettered free speech can be dehumanising, so it is limited. I accept your right to have different opinions to me, and to argue and debate robustly but respectfully with me, even to win your argument, but I do not accept you have any right to be inflammatory or disrespectful or hateful.
Louise Kloot, Doncaster
Tackle crime’s causes
The Coalition sees law and order as a key policy platform. We might see Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Pattin with more television crews at crime scenes to accuse the government of being soft on crime.
Today’s crime wave must be tackled properly, but we probably won’t see any discussion on the underlying causes that require long-term solutions, beyond the timeframe of many politicians. The causes include increased inequality and poverty, a segregated, inequitable education system and a punitive prison system.
There is ample information on more effective, fairer systems and Norway is a good example. It has a first-class public education system catering for most children, high taxes and excellent social services, a fairer distribution of wealth and income, and a prison system that treats prisoners like normal human beings and prepares them for a normal life on release.
Norway ranks highly on every happiness survey, has growth rates in line with other OECD countries and a $1.9 trillion sovereign wealth fund. It has the lowest recidivism rate in the world, with Australia and the US high by international standards.
Norman Huon, Port Melbourne
A man of satire
Donald Trump killed off the word ″truth”. Now he’s done the same for “satire″ with the raid on former security adviser John Bolton for mishandling classified documents.
Joan Kerr, Geelong
Taxes for all
I, too, agree that I should pay a road user tax for my EV, provided owners of internal combustion engine cars pay a carbon tax that covers their contribution to world climate change and consequent disasters.
Ross Hosking, Blackwood, SA