Essential services need to be run better
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A curious stance
See the article ″PM wants deal in Pacific and criticizes China on missile″ (8/7) How strange that the prime minister can condemn China for launching a ballistic missile, but there is no such condemnation when the US launches a ballistic missile that lands in the Marshall Islands region. The Marshall Islands subsequently announced their intention to join the Treaty of Rarotonga, which prohibits the deployment and use of nuclear weapons in the South Pacific. The US has tested 15 ballistic missiles since 2021. The hypocrisy extends to Australia joining the AUKUS treaty with a plan to purchase three nuclear-powered submarines at a cost of $380 billion.
Judith Morrison, Nunawading
MAD is what MAD does
Once China demonstrates that it can strike the entire United States with nuclear weapons, we have a chance for mutually assured destruction and worldwide peace. But no country should have this capability.
Roy Olliff, Mont Albert North
State policies clearly
I welcomed the article ″Wilson outlines priorities for government″ (11/7). Although I believe there is a strong case for a change of government, I think much more policy detail is needed. I am concerned about any backtracking on moves to embrace renewable energies (most of these projects require government approval) and the previous commitment to tear up the agreement with First Nations people. There also needs to be a clear plan in place to significantly address Victoria’s debt problem. How can this be achieved if some of the existing taxes are to be reduced?
Phil Ritchie, Balaclava
not serving the public
Telstra made $2.3 billion in profits last year but didn’t replace a $22,000 server; In short, this means privatization and profit maximization.
Peter Baddeley, Portland
Patchwork of flaws
I was a Telstra IT contractor for many years, but not for the last 10 years. But I still don’t find it surprising that the latest outage is blamed on old infrastructure that has been patched well beyond its lifespan.
The Telstra IT infrastructure map was a mix of “legacy” systems that required other bespoke systems to connect together. Many systems were in service long after their expiration date. For example, the contact database software used by customer relations personnel had been modified (patched) so many times that the manufacturer was unable to install system version upgrades. Every few months, this unique iteration of Telstra would be rebuilt to meet new requirements and fix bugs.
My job was to manage “performance support” documentation. This included standard procedures, but most were “workarounds” to help front desk staff navigate the maze. There were more than 700 of them.
Greg Williams, West Footscray
life imprisonment
Victoria has made progress on voluntary assisted dying. But there’s still a way to go. A group of patients do not meet criteria for VAD and yet may suffer more than those who do. These are people who are completely incapacitated, mentally healthy, but not terminally ill. As a result, they can survive trapped in their bodies for a decade or more. This is worse than being in prison; effectively a life sentence.
Put yourself in a severely debilitating situation, with zero quality of life and no escape other than waiting for an uncertain and possibly very long time.
Professor Peter Seligman, Brunswick West
housing crisis
Well, who would have thought? Rents are already increasing as a result of the decreasing number of investors in the housing market and are predicted to increase significantly.
Considering that we have approximately 3 million renters, perhaps this result should have been given some consideration. Stabilization of the housing market could be achieved by eliminating the CGT relief and leaving negative gearing in place.
The ridiculous rise in house prices happened after John Howard introduced the CGT cut in 1999 and should have been repealed by Kevin Rudd in 2007.
Barry Buskens, Beaumaris
service scourge
Thank you Alison Pennington for pointing out that privatization is the root cause of inflation (Comment, 10/7). A wide range of basic services, once “a public good offered free or at affordable prices by the government,” are now provided by private organizations where profit is a driving objective.
Privatization is also an important cause of increasing inequality in society. The gap between the super-rich and those living or struggling in poverty is widening. Why does $20 billion of public money go to private schools each year when public schools struggle to provide basic education? Why are essential services, where personal interest and profit are the primary motives, in private hands?
Why are dodgy consulting firms busy replacing public officials in advising the government?
I agree that “the only long-term structural solution is the public service”, but governments of both views have been in thrall to the private sector for too long, so I can’t see that happening anytime soon. Who will take action to “take back the field”?
Anne Sgro, Coburg North
The old days are not so good
Alison Pennington shows that the desire to return to the past is not limited to right-wing populists. His suggestions have a simple, “good old days”-like appeal.
Pennington seems nostalgic for a time before a ″failed neo-liberal project″ impacted our lives through privatization and deregulation. His solution is for the government to “act quickly and take back space” by expanding public provision of essential services. Besides the new taxes, Pennington gives no indication of how this public provision will be paid for by governments already owed billions of dollars.
The idea that the progressive left can take Australia back to a ″golden age″ of affordable public service delivery is as delusional as that of right-wing populists nostalgic for the days when Australia was a monoculture.
Rod Wise, Surrey Hills
It’s not a ‘just war’
Your correspondent is mistaken (Letter, 10/7). Donald Trump is not on the “right side of history.” He started an unnecessary war against Iran that brought death and destruction. It is not credible to say that this is a “just war.”
Russell Kidd, Carnegie
Resolve conflicts forever
On the bright side, the renewed conflict between Iran and the United States will give Donald Trump the opportunity to resolve his war for the 40th time.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
Thank you Derryn
I’ve never been a fan of Derryn Hinch, but he impressed me when he visited Merle Mitchell, an unsung hero for older people, at his care home in Glen Waverley during the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety. It was a Sunday and knowing how hard our elders work to make their lives meaningful, she brought a box of cakes with her for the staff. Vale Derryn and thank you for your concern.
Rob Prowd, Box Hill South
Be aligned with the arts
What are your reporters’ opinions on Pam the Bird (graffiti or art?)? To quote artist Marcel Duchamp (famous for his toilet cistern): “If I say art, it is art!”
John Paine, Kew East
