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Intent meets reality

The Australian Electoral Commission’s official guide to the election states “a federal election is held so Australians can choose members of parliament to represent their views and interests in the House of Representatives and the Senate”. That may be the intent but is not the reality.

In recent correspondence with my local MP, I questioned why all issues are not decided by a conscience vote, as applied in the same-sex marriage legislation. A conscience vote on which major parties were effusive. My MP’s response was that politicians adhered to the party position – “in practice people support each other to achieve action collectively”. Sounds like Newspeak from Nineteen Eighty-Four. In essence he was conceding that, once elected they are obliged to ignore their constituents and their own consciences.

So much for representative government. Bring on the independents.
Terry Black, Black Rock

It will achieve nothing
Opposition transport infrastructure spokesperson Matthew Bach’s plan for an audit on the Suburban Rail Loop is worse than a waste of time and money because the audit will be based on existing transport systems and thinking (“Cloud over Rail Loop’s future”, The Sunday Age, 24/4).

In the, 1930s car companies in America, and here, were able to manipulate transport planning. They either lobbied to close train lines, or even bought and closed them.

We need a change in our culture towards road transport and create new approaches to urban transport and town planning.

If Bach wants to stop the project it will be easy to find a cost benefit result that suits his agenda and Melburnians will be trapped in a way of thinking and acting that benefits no one.
Howard Tankey, Box Hill North

Ignoring the real risk
If only the Andrews government would show the same appetite for protecting Victoria’s threatened species as their agency VicForests does for harvesting the state’s forests. Under the pretence of salvage logging and reducing bushfire risk, large swathes of proposed national park around Daylesford are being bulldozed, all without the sort of community consultation we’ve seen in the past (“Alarm over logging in state forest”, The Sunday Age, 24/4).

The very real fire risk around Daylesford and surrounds are the large areas of regrowth, the result of previous logging, which have not been addressed.
Trevor Speirs, Trentham

Recognise this courage
Thank you for the wonderful story about Ruby Boye-Jones and her role in operating and maintaining radio contact on Solomon Islands during World War II (“Radio Ruby’s role in saving Pacific island”, The Sunday Age, 24/4). What a courageous woman.

The last sentence in the article notes that an accommodation block at the Defence Force Academy in Canberra is named in her honour.

Wouldn’t a statue or some-such honour be more appropriate?
Mary Keating, Flemington

A deficit of bravery …
It is disappointing that both Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese are not offering visionary policies for our country.

Scott Morrison keeps going on about his perceived economic and questionable security record and Anthony Albanese is going for a low-target strategy after Labor lost the last election on bold policies.

Australia needs brave and visionary politicians like Whitlam, Howard, and Keating. There are excellent candidates running as independents. The next parliament could be very exciting and productive if they hold the balance of power.
Ike Naqvi, Tinderbox, Tas.

… and a timely warning
Chip Le Grand’s article in yesterday’s Age is a timely warning that all is not as our current political leaders would have us believe (“Campaign with false outlook and no big ideas ‘will fail us all’”, Insight, 30/4).

Respected figures such as Ken Henry, Roger Beale and Saul Eslake make clear the need for substantive changes to address the serious challenges we as a country face.

Instead we get an election “bereft of ideas and ducking the essential issues”. Where, most importantly, is any discussion about tax reform and how we as a nation achieve the growth that is necessary to sustain our living standards?
David Brophy, Beaumaris

Let’s be clear …
Let’s get things straight. Anything positive that happens is due to good management by the Scott Morrison Coalition government, whereas anything bad that happens is beyond their control.

And should a Labor government be elected then everything bad that happens will be their fault. Is that clear?
Tony O’Brien, South Melbourne

How will they vote?
For those people struggling with unaffordable rents, insecure work and rapidly increasing inflation, remember, that wage stagnation is according to former Coalition finance minister Mathias Cormann “a deliberate design feature of our economic architecture”.

It will be interesting to see how many of the more than 2 million people who are eligible to vote and living below the poverty line will be persuaded to vote against their own interests.
Craig Jory, Glenroy, NSW

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