Pull the AUKUS plug
A military weaponry display, included in the recently highlighted Chinese parade, is said to have included underwater drones. If the enormously expensive AUKUS submarines ever eventuate, which is highly doubtful, they could be destroyed by these relatively inexpensive devices within the first few hours of the subs’ deployment. Time to pull the plug on the AUKUS fiasco, Minister Marles.
Ian Bayly, Upwey
No Fox News here
I sincerely hope the Murdoch-owned Fox News will not attempt to bring the divisive, non-truth aligned ″news″ to Australia. (″Fox News is coming. Are you ready, Australia?″, 5/9).
Fox is an enabler of division, a cabal of catastrophe, a destroyer of democracy. Next, it’ll likely be fomenting a MAGA-style, overly conservative (read as reactionary) cohort of the undereducated who will just be a continuous thorn in the sides of all who stand for veracity, intelligent discourse and factual reporting.
We’ve only to look at the destruction of the United States, the rot that has taken over since the sustained vitriol of Fox News, to know this brand of ″reporting″ has no place here.
Joyce Butcher, Williamstown
Report’s missing link
The Business Council of Australia wants clarity, certainty and bipartisan agreement in energy policy (″Business plea for show of bipartisan climate policy″, 5/9).
Three obstacles stand in the way. The first is the intractable division within and between the Liberal and National parties. The Coalition is a long way off internal consensus on climate and energy policy, let alone agreement on engaging positively with the
government on a bipartisan basis.
The second is the business community itself is reported to be divided over the preferred 2035 emissions reduction target that awaits imminent determination.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the McKinsey report commissioned by the BCA ″does not include longer-term considerations about the downside costs of a heated plant″. So much of the argument about the cost of moving from fossil fuels to renewables appears to ignore the elephant in the room – the cost of inaction.
There’s no doubt consumers and taxpayers are facing higher energy and insurance bills and the general economic burden, but as Minister Bowen rightly responds to the BCA: ″It is in the national and economic interest – they know the cost of inaction is too great″.
Tom Knowles, Parkville
Robo-debt justice
Robo-debt rears its egregious head again (″Robo-debt victims to receive $475 million in compensation″, 5/9). What also rears its head again is the unanswered question – why do politicians who break the law in office get away with it scot-free?
All those who caused robo-debt swan away happily to their next venture while we mere citizens can’t get away with trifling parking fines. If people in high office knew that their own hide was on the line, they might think twice about other people’s hides.
Chris Brennan, Gladysdale
Adelaide: we have a problem
Much is made of AFL players being significant role models in our society, at least for those who may have an interest in the game. For the clubs that employ these players, there is little conjecture that, like many large businesses that operate in our society, they are provided with a ″social licence″ to reflect the standards the majority of the community set as acceptable social norms.
If this is the case, then the action taken by the Adelaide Football Club to challenge the proposed the sanctions on Izak Rankine for the homophobic words he has acknowledged he said towards a Collingwood player appears to have provided a ″licence″ for their supporters to act as they did towards the Collingwood player in Thursday’s game.
In seeking to reduce the proposed sanction for Rankine’s actions, the implicit undertone for the Adelaide supporters was to seek to apportion responsibility for Rankine’s action towards the person who was the target of his words. Rankine has said he was not ″the victim″ in this incident.
However, the club – rather than accepting the initial sanction that was in line with both the previous standards set by the game and aligned with the expectations of the vast majority of those who follow the game – provided their supporters with the truly misguided ″belief″ that they were empowered to express their dissatisfaction with penalty as it played out.
Michael Cowan, Wheelers Hill
No City of Churches
Adelaide, despite its moniker as the City of Churches, has an appalling record of vilifying (and murdering and tossing ″gays″ into the Torrens). So we shouldn’t be surprised by Rankin’s abuse and the Crows trying to minimise and deflect and the crowds booing. It’s how they do it in SA!
Belinda Burke, Hawthorn
Moral compass lost
The collective booing whenever the Collingwood victim of Izak Rankine’s homophobic slur got the ball says a great deal about Adelaide Crows’ supporters. Where is your moral compass?
George Djoneff, Mitcham
Goodes saga repeats
Seems the Adelaide crowd have learnt nothing from the Adam Goodes saga. What’s with the outrageous and pathetic booing on Thursday night, directed most vehemently at one player in particular. A depressing end to a fairly ordinary week.
Graeme Gardner, Reservoir
Not a family Dogg
The chief executive of the AFL says Snoop Dogg’s grand final day act will be ″family friendly″. He clearly won’t be singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Short of omitting the lyrics of his well-known songs and playing them as instrumentals, it is hard to know how they could fit the family-friendly bill. They include extreme misogyny, drug use, violence, homophobia, racism. They’re all out there online. Everything I thought the AFL was claiming to stand against.
His reported $2 million cost is hardly needed to entice more people to watch the match, either at the MCG or remotely. As one of the great Australian sporting festivals, it does OK on its own merits.
Davina Hurst, Ocean Grove
Pointed advice
It’s Poorneet or early spring. The magpies are carrying nest materials, meaning swooping season is almost here.
May I be the first to offer advice about managing this behaviour? All you have to do is hold up your arm. Even better, hold up a branch, umbrella or stick. The magpies may still come for you but that vertical object makes them veer away. The trick is to keep watch, because magpies always swoop from behind.
Debbie Lustig, Elsternwick
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Matt Golding
Beijing parade
With all due respect, Andrews, your weasel-word explanation defending posing alongside well-known dictators does not pass the pub test.
Georgia Wilson, Foster
Perhaps doing the right thing to deal with the Andrews problem would be to restrict him to a five-kilometre travel limit from his Melbourne home and apply an 8pm to 8am curfew.
Mark Lewis, Brunswick
To be consistent, anyone criticising Daniel Andrews’ visit to China, should boycott any item made in China. They have contributed to China’s economic growth and power and decimation of manufacturing in Australia.
Stephen Lindner, Kew
Twenty-six million asked, ‘Why, oh why, Dan?’, 10 billion asked, ‘Who’s the bloke with glasses in the back row?’.
Tony Cosma, Rosanna
The boys-only “Enemies of Democracy” club have decided we should fund their attempts to achieve eternal life. This will require organ transplants, infusions, and, one imagines, the drinking of the blood of (albino) virgins. Please do not donate.
Cherryl Barassi, St Kilda
Australia had enormous representation at China’s show of military might. Compliments to our natural resources.
Patrick Alilovic, Pascoe Vale South
Donald Trump’s birthday parade reminded me of Dad’s Army. Xi’s parade made me realise the world we are living in.
Randall Bradshaw, Fitzroy
Adelaide
Izak Rankine got four weeks, now it’s time the AFL banned Crows supporters from the Adelaide Oval and the MCG for the rest of the season.
Bill Keneley, Grasmere
Maybe games at Adelaide Oval should be subjected to a boos ban.
Bryan Fraser, St Kilda West
Adelaide: the yobbo capital of Australia.
Richard Wilson, Croydon
Collingwood complaining about opposition fans booing a player is a bit rich.
Mike Smith, Sandringham
Finally
Has migration ever been bad for Australia? Just asking.
Hans Paas, Castlemaine
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