Tom Dearden in Australia’s match against Fiji on Sunday. Picture by Dave Hunt
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What a lopsided, one-sided farce some of the rugby league world cup games were. Whales playing minnows and flogging them. Big deal.
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Full disclosure here. Bel Rolley is my niece. I could not be more proud of her for using her voice. I hope she inspires more girls/women and parents to do the same. Hold the Jets accountable.
Accountability ‘turns down temp’
Following the horrendous attack on Helen Haines, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has called on us to “turn down the temp.” That’s a fair call. Many of us, myself included, get hotheaded when talking politics. Yet when asked about his party’s alleged “dirt file”, he ducks and weaves and waffles. How can he be so far out of touch that he doesn’t get that this type of behaviour turns up the temp and makes our blood boil?
Face problems closer to home first
The Greens have nominated Abrar Ahmad to run for the seat of Bankstown at the next state election. As stated in a weekend paper, his top platform will be to demand justice for Palestine. Not sure what that has to do with Bankstown constituents. Surely there are some more local, state based issues to work at.
Immigration debate ignores past
There is certainly a lot of discussion lately in politics and in general conversations regarding immigration. So, for what it’s worth, may I remind everyone that we are all descendants of immigrants and really you can go back as far as you want for that. I think that it’s a good time now to make the Seekers song I Am Australia, our theme song to be sung along with our national anthem. Take in every word: “We share our dreams and sing with one voice. I am, you are, we are Australian.”
Flood knowledge may drain away
A recent survey was apparently conducted regarding flooding in our suburb. I feel it a great shame that the researchers did not extend their search to include or at least acknowledge the residents of longstanding and their memories of such floods. It unfortunately would have taken little effort to access the great depth of knowledge being now lost to statistics and textural info. I find we older citizens feel more and more redundant. Don’t let important info die with us.
A protester in Paris during recent demonstrations. Picture by Davood Maeili
Protests have problems, but so does our future
As a ’68er, I appreciate the wise perspective of the editorial about widespread protests (“Don’t fall for simplistic causes of riots”, Opinion, 23/10). However no mention is made of the widespread depth and longevity of climate anxiety.
Young people not only want career and housing prospects to be improved, but they also want confidence that government action will protect the air, water and land we need from global heating.
Protecting the industries and industrialists that profit from greenhouse gas production does not serve young people for any future prospects. Neither “climate denial” or the policy hypocrisy we currently have from state and federal governments will restore confidence.
Bigger cars mean heightened risk
Every Australian is appalled by the attack on Helen Haines and wishes her strength in her recovery. It reminds us that a motor vehicle is the most accessible weapon in the country. A truck killed 86 people in Nice.
Governments spend millions buying back guns. Yet a prestige sedan attracts the luxury car tax while a near three-tonne American pick-up, one helpfully named Ram, escapes it as a commercial vehicle. Ram what, exactly?
The tradie who once arrived in a Holden ute now turns up in something taller, wider, longer and a tonne heavier, carrying the same hammer and chisel.
European pedestrian protection standards favour low, sloping fronts that carry a struck pedestrian onto the bonnet. Tall, blunt fronts hit them in the chest and push them under. US research found vehicles with bonnets higher than about a metre were 45 per cent more likely to kill a pedestrian than cars with low, sloping fronts.
End the exemption, tax these vehicles on mass and frontal height, and adopt European pedestrian protection rules in full.
Those who genuinely need one will pay. The rest will discover it was never about the load in the tray. It was about “mine’s bigger than yours”.
Cost blowout doesn’t add up
Like most Australians I was horrified to hear that the estimated cost of Snowy Hydro 2.0 is now estimated to be $25 billion rather than the initial estimate of $3 billion.
Is it any wonder that we are losing faith in the political class? How can they continue to get it so wrong? If this happened in private enterprise heads would roll, but this government blames the previous government and pushes on regardless. After all, it is just taxpayers’ money. Surely it is time to do a proper cost-benefit analysis. If it doesn’t stack up, then write the sunk costs off and walk away. Don’t pour good money after bad.
This is the sort of profligate expenditure driving up inflation and hitting us all. If the political classes from both sides of the aisle had any strategic vision, we could have had a number of small modular nuclear power plants operating by now and a local uranium-refining industry providing fuel for them and earning export revenue selling refined uranium to countries to which we already supply uranium ore for them to value-add.
Leaders inspire, they don’t sneer
One Nation has said that, in light of the huge cost blowouts for Snowy Hydro 2.0, they would stop work on it. That would mean the loss of the money and effort already spent on the scheme and strike a blow at renewable energy.
Is this what One Nation stands for? No planning for the future, fear and distrust of the unfamiliar, feeding division with outrage about – well, anything really – and mistaking disrespect and discourtesy for political debate. A party that can denigrate a political rival for sharing intimate medical information and chooses sneering instead of empathy when a respected politician is so profoundly injured.
Where are their policies aimed at uplifting all Australians, the caring policies for every disadvantaged person whether by age, homelessness or health issues, the diplomatic work that must be done to form alliances with other countries for our future safety? Let’s think about that.
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