Albanese’s clumsy word game turns up the temperature
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.
GRACE TAME
Anthony Albanese’s clumsy one word ″difficult″ response to describe Grace Tame in no way equates to throwing dissidents to the crocodiles.
Yet, the response from opinion writers, influencers, and yes, Grace Tame herself, would have you believe it was.
Albanese should have had more sense than to walk into a one-word invitation for a Gotcha! moment.
Grace Tame is not difficult. She is being fed too many opportunities to screech into a microphone and air her ill-informed opinions. Remember Hawke’s ″Ya silly bugger″ comment? Yet, oddly enough, the world continued to turn.
Carmel Boyle, Alfredton
No putting women in their place
Grace Tame is ″difficult″, says Prime Minister Albanese. He needs to watch out – she’ll probably be demanding the right to vote, and that won’t go well for blokes like him.
Belinda Burke, Hawthorn
‘Difficult’ achieves great things
I would have thought Grace Tame would have taken it as a compliment to be described by the prime minister as “difficult”. As an advocate for the victims of child sexual violence, she has spoken truth to power in ways that very few young women have had the courage to do. Being difficult is not an adjective she should shy away from. Difficult women have usually achieved great things.
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris
Too far woke
Grace Tame is a fiery advocate for her causes. The media have chosen to show where that fire has been evident. What on earth is wrong with a fairly accurate observation (in my opinion) being made, for heaven’s sake? Woke way too far.
Chris Waters, Ormond
Being called an ‘old man’ now form of abuse?
While I acknowledge Grace Tame as a former Australian of the Year, I think she has sullied her reputation in her response to Anthony Albanese. She did chant “globalise the intifada”. That showed poor judgment. Albanese calling her “difficult” was, in my opinion, fairly restrained.
When she riposted by calling him an “old man”, I was quite insulted. I’m an old man. I’m 74. Is being called an “old man” now a form of abuse?
Is it now OK for a young woman to write off anyone older than, say, 50, as a dementia-affected dotard? That is, to me, totally unacceptable.
Kim White, Mirboo North
No free pass for hurtful behaviour
Grace Tame was horrifically sexually abused as a child but she does not have the excuse or justification for behaviour as an adult that is hurtful to others.
Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights
THE FORUM
Grasping ALP’s chance
Sean Carney is absolutely correct that the time has come for the Albanese government to make some big economic decisions to give younger people a fairer go in the housing market (“Labor must not waste this moment”, 26/2).
As an older Australian who despairs at the tax concessions enjoyed by investors in existing housing, and their effect of crowding out young people seeking their first home, I agree that Labor will never have a better opportunity than this year to moderate these concessions and make other major economic reforms.
As well, the government should adhere to the fundamental principles of ethics and human rights, rather than give any oxygen to the politics of fear and bitterness, which are the totally unproductive and divisive pursuits of One Nation and other far-right players.
A good start in this regard would be to bring home the Australian women and children languishing in a hellish camp in Syria.
Andrew Trembath, Blackburn
Down the Trump path
Australia tends to follow US economic, social and cultural trends about 20 or so years later. Donald Trump’s rise in conservative politics is considered to be 2012, but it was not until his election in 2016 that he really rose. Due to a lack of coherent strategy he spent that presidency in chaos.
After losing, he supercharged the politics of the disenfranchised, spurring people on with mis/disinformation about anything he thought people might be angry about. Come 2026 and One Nation has taken massive leaps forward.
The hard right of the LNP and the ultra-nationalists have used the Voice referendum to provide impetus for those aggrieved members of our community.
So what we have 15 years post Trump, right on time, is massive disruption to the ″situation normal″ of Australian politics and society. The disenfranchised have stirred up a massive pit of grievance, as did Trump, around housing affordability, immigration, job theft, progressive views, LGBTIQ and anyone and anything not rooted in white Australia as it was 70-80 years ago.
Now, the aggrieved are fixing on a saviour despite the obvious flaws, the general inability to develop coherent policy and the divisiveness claimed to be unity. In time, One Nation will do as Trump did after his 2020 loss and engage with smarter people to develop a manifesto. Hanson’s party can certainly call on some wealthy friends.
This government needs to stop the incrementalist approach and hit the reform button and hit it hard on economic matters first to generate increased opportunity, equality and a better future for all. Is Albanese up for it?
Greg Cooper, Mount Martha
One Nation favours
Jeff Kennett really has hit the bottom by advising Victorian Liberals preference One Nation. That action would damn any chance that a currently very ordinary state Liberal Party would have of toppling a very bad Labor government in Victoria.
The Liberals need to get rid of its so-called hard right extremists and build a genuine middle-ground, sensible team. If not, it will be left in the back waters for years, along with unfortunate Victorians who are crying out for good government.
Ian Ferrier, Long Jetty
Desperate times
Referring to Jeff Kennett’s recent advice that the Victorian Liberals preference One Nation in the November election, columnist Chip Le Grand asks whether ″it is merely Kennett who has changed or the state he once led″ (Opinion, 26/2).
In fact, both have changed. Kennett’s first call for One Nation to be put last ″on everybody’s ticket″ was made almost 30 years ago. Victoria has changed dramatically in the intervening decades.
Furthermore, Kennett was in power in 1997. Now, Victoria is governed by a Labor government which seems determined to bankrupt the state.
Jeff Kennett might consider desperate times require desperate measures.
Rod Wise, Surrey Hills
Rich privilege
Regarding James Massola’s column ″Voters’ bulldust detector is blaring″ (27/2). Wealth and influence equate to each other in Australia, so it is useless to object to politicians on the grounds of their personal wealth.
If a wealthy person uses their influence for policies which are good for everyone, I am not going to criticise them for their personal wealth, but thank them for using the influence their wealth gives them to do everyone some good.
It is true that an overall verdict on the ethics of wealthy people wanting to justify their wealth accumulation through late career philanthropy has to take into account how many lives were downtrodden through the methods used over decades for accumulating their wealth.
The main trouble with wealth is that it nearly always results in the practice of wealthy people using their wealth-gained influence to protect and defend other wealthy people.
Ruth Farr, Blackburn South
Cruel tax system
Young Australians need a breather. Bill Kelty, respected elder, has set the stage in saying how awful, I would say cruel, the current system is for younger taxpayers.
I am with Kelty and welcome his words of wisdom in these difficult times. I sincerely wish for the prime minister and treasurer to listen and hear the plea for courageous budget tax reform from a great Labor man and visionary.
Young Australians need a taxation policy change in
order to better thrive in a world subject to so much dissolution.
Nora Sparrow, Canterbury
Born into wealth
Your correspondent (Letters, 27/2) posits “Wealth is usually the product of hard work and without this incentive to get ahead, why would people choose to work hard?“.
The point is that wealth used to be the product of hard work. For most Australians, that is no longer the case. We’ve built a system that was successful at helping many Australians build wealth in the past, but whereas today, the only surefire way to accumulate wealth is to already have it.
For wealth to be an incentive, we need to make it more than just a nostalgic tale.
Rick Clarke, Kensington
System lacks compassion
Two letters wring one’s heart in Letters to the editor yesterday (27/2).
‴Relentless NDIC quest″ and ″Doctors walk in my shoes″ paint a picture of a heartless and hopeless response to serious mental health problems.
Each correspondent has fought, and is fighting, against ″the lack of compassion″ and proper care in this system.
I am horrified at the picture they paint of an uncaring and indeed demeaning response to the most serious of situations concerning their loved ones. Surely, we can, and must, do better.
Miriam Gould, Malvern
Share medical reports
Your medico correspondent “Doctor communications” (26/2), champions the French medical system where GPs, specialists and patients share medical results. This prevents obscure reasons given for non-action and risky delays in patient treatment.
Over time, I too have learned to request that reports and results from medical investigations be sent to me. Trusted specialists, doctors and clinics have no problem doing that, and on many occasions I have furnished the details at related appointments to save time.
GPs especially need shared information for those follow-ups. It is happening in attentive clinics and my GP, who is exceptionally conscientious, backed by the clinic she works in, respects the relationships and is more able to spend time on the problem solving aspect of her job.
The worry for a patient is having to spend energy working out why such information might be withheld or mediated by another. Good medical communication is happening in Australia, but more can be done.
Annette Berryman, Rosanna
Return ISIS families
While completely understanding that my opinion is not electorally popular with any party, I advocate bringing the women and children back to Australia.
They must be very carefully monitored, held in quite separate states, and adhere to bail conditions for some years.
The children would need to be re-educated about “Australian values”.
Leaving them where they are leaves them vulnerable to following ISIS doctrine as they mature.
Robyn Williams, Sale
AND ANOTHER THING
Brouhaha
The Albanese-Tame brouhaha simply indicates how stupid it is for anyone to be asked to describe another using just one word.
David Johnston, Healesville
There’s only one word to describe the idea of asking the PM to describe several people in one word: stupid.
Ian Bayly, Upwey
Some advice for the PM: there are many, many of us ″difficult women″ … and we all vote.
Michelle Goldsmith, Eaglehawk
Call me a difficult old woman, but I find it depressing to see Grace Tame using ″old″ as a slur.
Gina Ward, Fitzroy North
Grace Tame’s response to Albanese serves to prove his point.
Russell Ogden, Inverloch
Long may Grace Tame remain a difficult woman. Helen Reddy had a hit with I Am Woman in 1972. Some people’s attitudes to women haven’t changed.
Peter Roche, Carlton
Furthermore
Loved your work Stephen Brook (″CBD farewell″, 27/2). Cynicism and takedown of the puffed-up made great entertainment. Hope your new gig is as much fun.
Jane Ross, San Remo
Your correspondent (Letters, “Furthermore” 27/2) writes that those with daughters must feel some empathy for the young woman trapped in Syria. I have no children, but still feel empathy. It is possible you know.
Paul Gibson, Kensington
Re the ABC TV Australian Story cancellation: So a bank screwed a client who was an ex-con who had paid his debt to society … and that makes it OK? Record profits anyone?
Bruce Severns, Toorak
I’m beginning to suspect Trump is AI. Or just A.
James Ogilvie, Kew
JD Vance says, “You can’t let the craziest and the worst regime in the world have nuclear weapons” (27/2). Does this mean America’s giving up its nuclear weapons?
Tim Durbridge, Brunswick
The opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform your own. Sign up here.
