Hastie throws bombs, in absence of policies
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LIBERAL PARTY
Andrew Hastie, using his military experience, threw a few bombs on the ABC program, Insiders, then disappeared back into the fog of politics (“Hastie’s truth bombs will rattle the Liberal Party”, 30/3).
Most of his explosives were frustrated messages of the bleeding obvious – neoliberal policies are on the nose with voters; One Nation is eating their lunch; the tax system needs overhauling; they should not remain a front for the business lobby; US President Donald Trump is dangerous.
What he didn’t do was provide any answers to the issues he raised. Having nominated One Nation as the enemy, he would not even commit to directing preferences elsewhere in his own electorate.
His interview confirmed the Liberal Party is a long, long way from a unified team. It has no considered policies, and can only resort to bomb throwing – a few of which lob back into the Liberals’ own trenches.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick
Succinct summation of voter disillusionment
Andrew Hastie’s appearance on the ABC Insiders program on Sunday was an excellent performance. During the interview, he said that the Liberal Party wouldn’t be ″the first line of defence for corporate Australia″.
With this one sentence, he perhaps articulated why the ordinary voter is disillusioned with politicians. Unelected lobbyists having a bigger say on government direction than the average voter – money rather than need – influencing policy.
Peter Roche, Carlton
Sunday shock and awe
As a rusted-on Labor supporter, I nearly spilled my coffee on Sunday morning as I found myself looking at Andrew Hastie on the ABC looking like a credible voice for rational right-wing ideals.
I would take issue with his net zero stance, but that is a reasonable debate to have, ensuring we get the transformation right.
Taylor’s contribution was to visit a cattle yard and ride a bull bareback.
Michael Flynn, Belgrave
Sound policies and national independence
Though I doubt it has the courage to do so, the Liberal Party could do a good deal worse than build itself around the likes of Andrew Hastie and Keith Wolahan, motivated by both sound policies and national independence.
It, however, seems to prefer the narrow, populist option of shrinking into shrill irrelevance until they completely disappear into the vacuum of One Nation.
Mark Morrison, Maidstone
The Liberal its party needs
It looks like Andrew Hastie is the Liberal the Liberals had to have. Not so much Moira Deeming (″Moira Deeming dumped: MP loses Liberal preselection battle″, 30/3).
John Whelen, Box Hill Sth
Fear mongering
I didn’t think it was possible for so many Liberals to be government-bashing and fearmongering over the fuel issue without any positive plan. It would be wonderful if everyone approached the problem with an attitude that benefits the country.
Perry Becker, Bairnsdale
Climate 200 not funded by wealthy
Your correspondent (Letters, 30/3) claims that community independents (so-called “teals”) are “funded by wealthy left-wing donor Simon Holmes à Court through his Climate 200 company”. This is incorrect.
Climate 200 is a community crowd-funded initiative that supports political candidates who are committed to the principles of climate action, integrity and gender equity.
Although the group was convened by Holmes à Court, the funding comes from small donations from more than 33,000 individual Australians from right across the country, with only about 2 per cent of the funds coming from Holmes à Court.
Simon Bennett, Hawthorn East
THE FORUM
Why so critical?
I was surprised by the lack of any positive comment in The Age letters (30/3) regarding the state government’s announcement of free public transport for the month of April.
Certainly, it won’t assist everyone but it is a gross generalisation to say that those who already use it don’t need the help. Thousands of people get on the train at Melton and subsequent western suburb stations on my line – I very much doubt their general affluence.
Clearly, public transport availability needs vast improvement out to the urban fringes, and rurally, bus routes are often unsatisfactory, and bike riders and tradies have their own sets of challenges, but I prefer to see the temporary free public transport decision as at least something practical and easily achievable within a world of seemingly intractable problems.
Now, for both state and federal governments to develop assistance with the fuel crisis to the broader community.
Fiona White, Alfredton
Urgent response needed
It seems very likely that the offer of free transport for a short period was made as an urgent, fast action to help address rapidly dwindling fuel supplies by getting people out of their cars when other options are available to them, precisely to preserve fuel for those individuals, businesses, services (including hospitals) and industries that are dependent on it. There was no time to endlessly debate the different ways such a measure could be put in place, and a quick, easy-to-implement temporary measure was the most efficient approach. There is no question there are other matters in need of urgent attention, but this should not be politicised and misconstrued as a vote-buying exercise that favoured some voters over others.
It was an urgent response to an urgent situation: we are running out of fuel, about a month’s supply only (true, it should never have got this far, but it has), and we are not yet sufficiently equipped to have other energy sources, be they solar, wind, hydro, nuclear or something else, to step in to fill the void. If we run out of fuel in a month or so, economic and social crises will follow.
Emma Borghesi, Rye
Allan’s rushed decision
How many people who don’t routinely use public transport will convert to using public transport, instead of their cars, as a result of Jacinta Allan’s offer of free public transport to cut petrol consumption and the rising costs of petrol? In particular, shift workers, service workers who need to travel from one job to another, and those in outer areas who don’t have access to a robust transport system. The question must be, who will change their travel behaviour as a result of this rushed decision? Not many, I suspect. Unfortunately, it appears to be more waste of Victorian taxpayers’ money with ill-thought-out policy, which the Victorian premier can’t seem to escape.
Jessie Mackenzie, Brunswick
Bike infrastructure needs
Mention has been made of the usefulness of bikes in the current situation (Letters, 30/3). Bike trails are relatively cheap yet can take years to achieve.
For 30 years, a trail between Box Hill and Hawthorn along the rail alignment has sat on the drawing board, advocated for by user groups to no result yet.
Sometimes a mere kilometre of trail can connect one safe path to another, but advocates struggle to make headway with councils and state government. Provision for safe access by bike in and out of new estates, to rail stations and other facilities, should be compulsory.
Adapting service roads with cut-throughs for cycling would make a big contribution, especially in outer suburbs. In most cases now, one has to ride in and out of service lanes onto the main roadway.
Unless you are very brave, you won’t do that. Twenty-five per cent of trips by walking or cycling by 2030 is the state government’s aim, and some good projects are happening. But let’s get those millions of bikes we own out of our sheds and put to use asap.
Elaine Hopper, Blackburn
Life is experience
According to your correspondent (Letters, 30/3) Jacinta Allan is one of the many state and federal politicians who “have lived in a political bubble”, going from “university to political office” without having “experienced life in the real world”. The “real world” apparently consists of either running a business, being a public servant or employer, or been made insolvent.
I have long been puzzled by such strange and limited definitions that, in the minds of many, define so-called “real world, life experience”. Two observations in particular need to be made: First, life experience is not limited to what one does during working hours; secondly, to some extent most occupations have a particular focus that largely disregards what is happening in other, unrelated endeavours – circumstances generally not rationally applicable to those working in political offices.
Working in a political office does not mean you are unaffected by health concerns, family concerns, financial concerns, and all the other mundane aspects of “real” life experience. Is, for example, the experience of a political operative in dealing with the trauma of cancer a less “real” life experience than dealing with the trauma of insolvency?
Is, for example, working as a public servant issuing drivers’ licences every day more enlightening and informative than working through the multiple and varied everyday problems brought to your boss’s attention by their constituents?
In your correspondent’s mind, do those who hold up the “slow” and “stop” signs at road-works – not being public servants, employers, in business, and who daily (but successfully) struggle to keep their families solvent (despite the low wages) – not qualify as “life experienced” MPs simply because they stare at cars all day?
Dennis Dodd, Shepparton
Fork in the road
The fuel crisis that dominates the headlines in all media has elicited two very different responses from the public and politicians.
On one side are the ″drill baby drill″ advocates who would like to see Australia exploiting every last litre of our fossil fuel resources to ensure secure, cheap fuel supplies.
Opposed to this are those who see the fuel crisis as a sign that we must unshackle ourselves from the vagaries of world fuel supply shocks such as the present conflict in the Middle East.
Concerned environmentalists see this as a further opportunity to reduce our carbon emissions and help tackle the climate emergency. To achieve this we must rapidly abandon the use of fossil fuels and ramp up the phasing in of renewable energy sources in all areas of the economy.
These are diametrically opposing views, and at present it is not clear which side the Albanese government will take, although its willingness to approve new coal and gas mines suggests the former.
Crystal clear is that the conservative parties, including the Nationals and One Nation, will take us down the path of questioning net zero and supporting the expansion of the fossil fuel industry.
Graeme Lechte, Pascoe Vale
Insult to journalists
As a journalist of long standing, I am appalled by the National Press Club’s invitation to the Israeli ambassador to address journalists in Canberra.
It is insulting to journalists as a profession to give a platform to the representative of a government that for the last 2 years has virtually waged a war on journalists and has stifled their legitimate attempt to report on the war in Gaza from the ground.
The estimates on the numbers of journalists and media workers killed by Israel air strikes and bombings in Gaza thus far is 234, according to the International Federation of Journalists. These are nearly all Palestinian journalists.
As well, a number of Palestinians journalists have been arbitrarily detained, held without trial and torture, and there has been an allegation of rape.
These are war crimes under Article 79 of the Geneva Convention on the protection of journalists that Israel is now also breaching in Lebanon with its deliberate targeting over the weekend of a car carrying three journalists.
Additionally, Israel has refused to allow independent international journalists into Gaza to cover the war. It has sought to keep a news blackout of its action and those of its soldiers in Gaza. It might have been successful had not brave journalists in Gaza continued to send out reports through social media.
The invitation to speak, to the ambassador of a government that refuses to recognises the validity of independent reporting, is an affront to the profession.
Andra Jackson, South Melbourne
Grand final lights
Watching the athletics on television on Saturday night, I thought that if the AFL was running the show – it would be during the day, and therefore a much better spectacle. I do not think!
Most major sports and other entertainment throughout the world now are performed under lights. So much better than during the day.
On Sunday, the AFL decided to continue the grand final daytime schedule, denying itself more revenue through a bigger television audience and a much better spectacle, including the half-time entertainment. The majority of the big games during the season and finals are played at night.
All except the biggest one of all. Go figure.
John Rawson, Mernda
Joy of pets
On Sunday in Myrniong, hundreds of smiling golden retrievers and their families gathered in glorious sunshine to celebrate Melbourne Gold Rush 2026. A fun-filled day of peace and happiness in an otherwise dark and gloomy world.
Kristen Hurley, Seaholme
AND ANOTHER THING
2026
One day, the wars overseas will be over; the generals will have collected another row of medals. When the dust has settled, where will the monument be built for the thousands of children killed and maimed?
Barry Revill, Moorabbin
Add the devastation at World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Reef as well as the deaths and suffering of people in the Middle East to the long list of irrefutable reasons for us to immediately minimise our dependence on fossil fuels.
Jenny Smithers, Ashburton
We’ve gone from Scott Morrison “not holding the hose” during the bushfire emergency, to Anthony Albanese not wanting to hold the bowser as fuel costs bite. Different crises, same hands-off approach.
Paul Caine, Glen Huntly
I would respectfully suggest that the fuel crisis in Australia wouldn’t be quite so bad if Peter Dutton hadn’t have filled up so many cars and trucks during the last election campaign.
Philip West, Jan Juc
US citizens might consider changing to MARA merchandise: Make America Relevant Again.
Greg Davies, Glen Waverley
Furthermore
I just watched an episode of a series that had six mercifully short ad breaks. Each break had at least one gambling ad. What a sad society we currently live in.
Neale Woods, Wattle Glen
When are we going to grow up and stop letting off gas at sporting events, even the athletics?It is totally unnecessary and not good for our planet.
Mick Leeming, Pigeon Ponds
Finally, the AFL has an Australian to headline the grand final entertainment: home-grown Melburnian, Kylie Minogue.
Deborah Morrison, Malvern East
In this uncertain world, two things aren’t: Nick Daicos will top the players’ leaderboard at year’s end, and Brad Scott will be looking at the Seek employment website.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
Only one change at Carlton next week – Out: Voss, In: Postacoglou
Mick Hussey, Beaconsfield
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