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Simply because the Coalition is suggesting an order of preferences doesn’t imply a voter has to observe that suggestion. A voter can allocate the required numbers on the poll sheet in any manner they select. We’re not all simply sheep who need to observe what others need us to do, following any get together’s or any candidate’s leaflet handed out at a polling sales space. We’re people with particular person decisions, values and opinions. Please put a number of thought into how you’ll vote and allocate your preferences in accordance with your rules, not that of a celebration machine. Many unbiased candidates’ leaflets solely ask voters to allocate the No.1 to them recognising voters’ skill and intelligence to assume for themselves in regard to preferences.
Jenny Callaghan, Hawthorn
Labor, time to enter the wilderness
In contrast to your correspondents (Letters, 12/11), I’m not overly involved by Jess Wilson’s choice to desire One Nation forward of the Greens and Labor. Opinion polls point out that the Coalition will virtually actually be ready to kind authorities with a cushty majority within the Legislative Meeting. On this circumstance, One Nation will solely have a probably vital position to play within the Legislative Council. Nonetheless, even in that home the brand new authorities will have the ability to negotiate with different events in addition to One Nation to be able to cross its laws. As for me, I received’t be intentionally preferencing One Nation forward of Labor after I observe the Liberals’ how-to-vote card. Fairly I will probably be sending a message to the Labor Get together that it must spend a while within the political wilderness to be able to study why it misplaced its manner so badly.
Ivan Glynn, Vermont
The selection is all ours, and benefit from the sausage
The Liberal Get together in Victoria making the choice to desire One Nation has drawn many responses to The Age letters pages. What number of voters take and observe get together how-to-vote playing cards? Right here’s a thought: if you wish to vote for the Liberal Get together first, you may nonetheless place One Nation final in your poll paper. You’re allowed to assume for your self. Even higher, final Saturday in New Zealand’s election, that nation voted freed from campaigners, how-to-vote playing cards and roadside signage at polling locations. It’s the regulation. New Zealanders can vote with out interference or annoyance. Evidently they need to do their homework earlier than arriving to vote. Wouldn’t it’s great if let’s imagine the identical in Australia? Not solely do we now have the best to vote, we extra importantly have the best to assume for ourselves. Don’t let a celebration, any get together, decide the way you place your preferences. Do your homework. Say politely, ″no thanks″, when supplied a how-to-vote pamphlet at a polling sales space. Simply take pleasure in your democracy sausage.
Gryff Jamieson-Ballard, Castlemaine
System imperfect, but it surely’s preferable
First-past-the-post elections are hardly the panacea your correspondent (Letters, 12/11) needs for. Take the seat of Hawthorn with seven candidates standing. In in the present day’s crowded contests, the most well-liked candidate would possibly earn 30 per cent of the vote with the opposite 70 per cent going to the opposite six candidates. A primary-past-the-post system would elect an MP that 70 per cent didn’t choose. Our desire system considers the desires of the bulk, nonetheless imperfectly, in a manner that first previous the put up can not do.
John Gwyther, Coongulla
It comes right down to competency and coverage
The Victorian authorities doesn’t deserve one other time period. Each the Coalition and One Nation have proven themselves incompetent on the easiest job of choosing candidates. So independents or greens no less than stand for one thing – the atmosphere and the planet or a extra civilised and considerate political discourse. Take your decide, however don’t vote for anybody who doesn’t deserve it by means of competence and coverage.
Greg Cooper, Mount Martha
THE FORUM
Tax gasoline dodgers
Each electrical automobile on the highway reduces our reliance on imported gas, and each residence battery helps shave the night peaks that drive up wholesale energy costs. Each assist ease the price of dwelling. So why is the Albanese authorities contemplating chopping help for these clear, environment friendly applied sciences (“Inexperienced power perks face funds axe in bid to curb inflation”, 12/11)? A greater choice sits in plain sight: a levy on gasoline exports. The Australia Institute estimates a 25 per cent levy would increase about $17 billion a yr, and argues it could steer extra gasoline into the native market, easing gasoline and electrical energy costs. Don’t tax the households doing the best factor; tax the gasoline giants who’re dodging their share.
Isabelle Henry, Ascot Vale
Hung parliament want
My want for the Victorian election is a hung parliament with independents holding the stability of energy within the Legislative Council (Letters 12/11).
That may assist rein in Labor’s profligate spending and the Liberal/One Nation propensity to slash funding to well being, training, local weather change mitigation and group companies, plus hold a lid on the tradition wars.
Jane Ross, San Remo
Labor’s fallen requirements
An usually quoted cliche is: the usual you stroll previous is the usual you settle for.
When utilized to politics, the requirements the Labor Get together has at finest, accepted, and at worst facilitated, usually are not in a position to be ignored. No matter all different voting permutations, the Labor Get together must be positioned final within the coming state election.
Mike Pantzopoulos, Ashburton
Wilson’s conundrum
Jess Wilson has determined to desire One Nation forward of Labor and the Greens except in particular electorates a One Nation candidate holds or expresses excessive views. What a dilemma for her if a One Nation candidate, though extremely unlikely, was in favour of conserving the Treaty in place.
Mark Hulls, Sandringham
Doomed final result
The one issues that desire offers produce are uncomfortable bedfellows and unworkable governments (“Liberals to place Labor, Greens final”, 11/11). There’s no level in doing offers to facilitate electoral success when you then can not enact and ship insurance policies as promised. Any authorities depending on short-term desire offers is doomed to long-term frustration and failure.
Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor
What follows protest?
Properly mentioned to your correspondent (Letters, 12/11). Lodging a ″protest vote″ only for the sake of protesting, with no consideration for the long-term implications, could be a bit like capturing your self within the foot by means of protest. You’re most likely going to be worse off both manner. There aren’t any magic bullets in both context.
Helen Moss, Croydon
Qantas, it’s over
Dee Madigan (Remark, 12/11) hit the nail properly and actually on the pinnacle.
I’ve at all times tried to fly with Qantas as I believed it to be the very best airline. I, too, was excited when Alan Joyce left the corporate and Qantas appointed Vanessa Hudson to steer it.
Now, after having continued to help them, these days are coming to an finish. I’m at present going by means of a small and, some would say, petty dispute with Qantas over numerous frequent flyer factors following a world flight. A lot for loyalty after selecting them for 50years. Possibly it’s time to stroll away from this relationship.
Wendy Daniels, Hawthorn
Psychological well being failings
I commend Dr Mark Langley (Letters, 11/11) on reminding us of the federal government’s failure to take care of the psychological well being of our group following the closure of the state psychological and psychiatric hospitals and their related outpatient services.
I had an in depth profession in our psychological hospitals together with a short place as appearing Psychiatric Superintendent at Ararat Psychological Hospital together with J Ward, which was termed Victoria’s Ward for the Legal Insane. I additionally helped run the outpatient psychiatric companies at Prince Henry’s Hospital which preceded the Monash Medical Centre. In all of those, the general public had free and rapid entry to public psychiatric companies. We turned no person away. As I commented in my submission to the Royal Fee into Psychological Well being though there have been evils within the psychological hospitals together with institutionalisation and an absence of company amongst inmates, after we closed the system we deserted the mentally ailing. As I put it, we threw out the newborn with the tub water.
Successive governments by no means carried out options for public psychiatric care. Additionally, within the trendy world the stability between particular person and group rights has grow to be distorted in order that it’s so troublesome to compel these with an absence of perception to have efficient remedy and rehabilitation.
The consequence of this has been a contribution to violence and lawlessness. The scarcity of public psychiatric beds together with beds in forensic psychiatry and the unwillingness to lock up violent offenders throughout the lengthy wait earlier than trial is endangering our group.
Dr Norman Rose, Kilmore
Failure of funding
Your correspondent (Letters, 11/11) is unsuitable in suggesting ″deinstitutionalisation has failed”. Analysis within the Nineteen Seventies clearly demonstrated improved therapeutic outcomes for long-term psychiatric sufferers could possibly be achieved locally. Nonetheless, the success of deinstitutionalisation was additionally proven to be depending on the institution of high-quality group psychological well being companies that supplied assertive and ongoing social interventions and help, and focused therapeutic interventions.
These of us who have been proponents of deinstitutionalisation within the Eighties careworn to authorities {that a} failure to adequately fund community-based remedy would lead to a failing system and poor take care of these with persistent sickness. Sadly, we then had the Kennett period.
Successfully, authorities took the cash from the sale of psychiatric hospitals and put it into basic income, whereas establishing a threadbare system of group remedy. It’s not deinstitutionalisation that has failed, reasonably for many years governments have didn’t adequately fund applicable remedy and helps. The irony is that the identical Nineteen Seventies analysis additionally confirmed that community-based remedy was value efficient, as long as it was adequately funded and maintained.
Dr Peter Prepare dinner, Essendon
Numbers with Wilson
Whereas it’s true that 40 per cent of Australians voted Sure within the Voice referendum, as your correspondent accurately says (Letters, 11/11), it’s equally true that 60 per cent voted No. In Victoria, the No vote was barely decrease however nonetheless a major 54 per cent in opposition to. From the day she was appointed Liberal chief Jess Wilson has made it clear she would “tear up” the Treaty. If she does win authorities, as appears possible, a majority of Victorians may have given her an simple mandate to repeal laws that, due to the overwhelming No vote in 2023, ought to by no means have been introduced earlier than parliament within the first place.
Greg Hardy, Higher Ferntree Gully
Insurance policies at odds
Definition of hypocrisy: The Liberals expel a candidate for making disparaging remarks about Indigenous folks, but they need to disparage First Nations folks by expelling the Treaty.
Linda Lewis, Watsonia
Learn how to reshape Labor
As Shaun Carney argues (Remark, 12/11) the shine has left the PM. However what to do? Anthony Albanese has been on the sport of politics for many of his life. Is he going to vary his political character now? Is he even able to doing so?
Within the UK, a sinking Labor authorities has had its fortunes reversed by the set up of Andy Burnham as PM. Not a lot primarily has modified when it comes to coverage, however there’s now a way of a authorities with robust management, a transparent path, and an incredible communicator within the high job. Australia’s fundamentals are so a lot better than the UK’s, and but we now have a authorities that’s floundering, led by somebody who appears embarrassed to speak up his personal authorities’s achievements – notably, making housing inexpensive for the primary time in a long time. There’s lots extra to do to repair 20 years of coverage neglect and widening inequality, however there’s the idea of a great story to inform right here. Labor is fearful of management change, for good motive. Whereas polling reveals a major drop in help for Labor, extra alarming is the tangible slide within the authorities’s credibility, which, as soon as misplaced, is just about unimaginable to recapture. Time for a change à la Burnham?
Greg Gardiner, Brunswick
Fallacious priorities
Illustrator Megan Herbert nailed it together with her cartoon (12/11). Nonetheless, it might have had the phrase “perchance” earlier than “prepared by late 2030s”. Wouldn’t it’s good, if as an alternative of giving $368 billion to the US on a imprecise promise of ineffective {hardware}, we invested the cash in training, well being and sustainability?
John Laurie, Riddells Creek
Myer was the apex
Your correspondent is right (Letters, 11/11). Invoking the fantastic previous of David Jones is fake nostalgia in Melbourne. Once I was first in Melbourne in 1979 there was no DJs and Myer represented the head of retail expertise. The meals corridor was dazzling.
Helmut Simon, Thomson
The halcyon days
David Jones is an outsider. In vibrant mosaic and tiled signage, the identify Buckley and Nunn Restricted stays on the DJs’ Bourke Road constructing, a reminder of the halcyon days when a couple of dozen shops operated within the CBD.
Jim McLeod, Sale
AND ANOTHER THING
Politics
Anthony Albanese says, ″Australia is a proud chief on local weather change.″ What utter hypocrisy.
Reg Murray, Glen Iris
An thrilling new cartoon coming quickly ″Donald The Lame Duck and his Daffy mates″. Keep tuned.
Ian Holton, Yarraville
If ″first previous the put up″ will not be an choice, then voters need to do our personal analysis, and vote for the candidates we choose.
Wendy Brennan, Bendigo
I’ll see your pothole promise and lift it a million. How infantile. We’d like politicians with imaginative and prescient to enhance society and the atmosphere.
Ralph Frank, Malvern East
“You shall be judged by the corporate you retain.” So the Liberals have put One Nation forward of Labor.
Rod Cripps, Parkdale
Horrifying to understand folks will vote for this mixture. Time to cease. Mirror. And why scrap Victoria’s Treaty with First Nations folks?
Virginia Krumins, Albert Park
Moreover
Re: “Aged care houses guarded”, (11/11). Outdated age is inconvenient sufficient, with out driveby shootings.
Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills
A rising variety of Qantas staff positively don’t name Australia residence.
Luigi Soccio, Daylesford
Qantas the flying kangaroo that escaped abroad.
Doug Springall, Yarragon
Megan Herbert (11/11) reveals an enormous absurdity – believing that outmoded applied sciences can overcome a cyberattack on our defences.
Kay Moulton, Surrey Hills
It’s unsuitable that small voting centres are being closed. Not less than supply free transport to a different centre.
John Walsh, Watsonia
Lastly
Usman Khawaja ought to have named his ebook True Grit.
Paul Custance, Highett