I don't understand how some people can claim that Scott Morrison and the Coalition have handled the pandemic well. On balance, it seems to me, that the federal government has handled the whole thing rather badly and we would have been in a real mess if the states had not taken control.
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From the beginning, the Morrison government closed our borders just to people from China and not to people coming from the USA from whence most of the COVID-19 cases were coming. While they eventually closed the borders completely, they allowed people to swarm off a cruise ship that had many infected people on board. COVID-19 broke out in a series of aged care homes and many people died. The federal government did nothing about it for weeks.
Fortunately, they listened to the ACTU and brought in an income support scheme but it did not adequately cover people who worked in hospitality and excluded people who worked in the tertiary education sector, entertainment and tourism. Thousands of jobs were lost.
The Morrison government knew nothing about adequately spreading risk in a pandemic and contracted too late for the purchase of too few vaccines from too few suppliers. When it came to circulating the vaccines to the community they relied on the GP network rather than allocating distribution to the state health authorities that had the logistical experience.
When it came to lifting restrictions on movement, Scott Morrison pushed for a low figure of 70 per cent of eligible people being fully vaccinated as the trigger, which the Grattan Institute said was "stupid".
Now, after once having among the lowest COVID-19 infection and death rates in the world, we have among the highest, if not the highest. And now we hear from Scott Morrison that the Coalition government "saved the country". Ha!
Geoff Mander, Hawker
Wages out of the pollies' hands
As Keith Hill points out, the job of determining and setting of the basic wage is that of the Fair Work Commission (Letters, May 16). The FWC reviews wages each year, and determines and sets the basic wage accordingly. So the input and influence of prime ministers on the annual decision is zero, ziltch, none at all.
Morrison may deplore a 5 per cent increase, Albanese may welcome it, but neither has any input into the FWC decision. Though Keith Hill implies that commissioners appointed to the FWC by the Liberal government will tend to minimise any increase in the basic wage, this seems unlikely, as the yearly review is determined by economic facts rather than by political leanings.
The history of the annual rises, and the top place of Australia in the list of nations with basic wage legislation, in respect of purchasing power of the minimum wage (hourly base rate of earnings), is reassuring.
Harry Davis, Campbell
Wrong advice on voting
Two high profile independent candidates for the coming Senate elections threaten to undermine the cosy power sharing arrangement between the virtually identical Labor and Liberal camps.
Could this be why the Australian Electoral Commission is trying to con ACT voters into allocating more preferences than they are legally required to?
On its website and "Official Guide" to the 2022 federal election, the AEC asserts that ACT voters for the Senate must fill in a minimum of six squares if voting above the line or 12 squares if voting below the line. As election expert Malcolm Mackerras has pointed out (Letters, May 14), this is false. Under sections 268A and 269 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act, you only need to fill in one or two squares above the line for your Senate vote to be valid or up to six squares below the line. So why the anomaly?
Is the AEC corrupt or just incompetent? Perhaps a federal ICAC would be best placed to decide. Meanwhile, voters looking for a change in this election do not need to allocate preferences to candidates they do not support.
Peter Ellett, Scullin
Proud of ignorance
Winston Churchill once said, the best argument against democracy is a 10-minute conversation with the average voter. To wit, the article "The end of the bellwether seat" (May 15). Someone is so complacent or ignorant about the election and the candidates and the issues, he will vote for a candidate he's never heard of.
There's more to voting than just the sausage sizzle, and it always baffles me to see how many people almost seem to be proud of how uninterested or ignorant they are about these matters. What politicians do and decide affects all of us and determines how we live our lives. Isn't it time that civics be included in the school curriculum.
Anne Willenborg, Royalla
Hellbent on domination
Excuse me Bob Salmond, but does Taiwan get any say in your "peaceful reunification"? We've seen examples of the CCP's benevolent and "peaceful nature " - the slaughter of innocents in Tiananmen square, and their ongoing brutalisation of the Ughyurs.
Give us all a break Bob, and call the CCP out for what it is - a brutal and devious dictatorship, hell bent on bribing leaders of developing countries only too willing to accept the millions thrown at them, in their quest to be a dominating force in the region.
Alex Wallensky, Broulee
Consider their record
Before voting, take time to review the government's record of action, including:
Response to Uluru Statement from the Heart; Solomon Islands and Pacific nations; asylum seekers; housing affordability; response to Royal Commissions on child sexual abuse, financial services, aged care, natural disasters; child care; Bernard Collaery's court case; religious discrimination; partisan appointments; ministerial accountability; funding for schools; national cabinet processes; grant schemes funding allocations; relationship with China; response to COVID-19, quarantine, vaccine purchase, vaccination roll-out, RATs availability, ongoing reporting; Great Barrier Reef; Murray-Darling Basin; ABC funding cuts; robodebt; Australian War Memorial funding; reforms for women; response to Respect@Work report; NDIS; Biloela family; response to natural disasters; action on climate change; tax reform ... to name a few.
Have you been well served by this record? Has Australia?
Ann Villiers, Scullin
Student Accountability
Why are students not accountable for their own behaviour? "Inspectors found teachers and administration staff were being abused, sworn at, screamed at and subjected to sexualised behaviour or violence from students on a daily basis" (May 14).
Instead of students being held responsible for their own actions, the same WorkSafe inspectors reported that the situations were, "caused by a lack of staff" (CT, May 14, 2022).
Bad behaviour is completely unacceptable, whether it be in the workplace, school yard, or society in general. To lay the blame on a lack of staff is avoiding the root of the problem.
Jenny Coats, Fadden
Tonka truck leadership
Scott Morrison's claim that his party has "saved the country" is so absurdly false as to be breathtaking. Australians are still suffering through this pandemic. Many are critically ill, many have lost employment, many, sadly, have passed away. Who set up quarantine stations? Not the federal government. Who arranged speedy and adequate vaccine supplies? Not the federal government. Who put in place early enough border closures for overseas travellers? Not the federal government. Whose frontline staff are keeping COVID wards in hospitals and testing stations up and running? State-run hospitals and health care providers.
Far from being the forceful "bulldozer" that he thinks he has been, our lacklustre PM has been more like a toddler's Tonka-toy for all the leadership he has provided in the crises facing Australia during his term of office.
Helen Nourse, Rivett
Zed's wasted opportunities
In November 2020 Senator Seselja made a very early run to snaffle his party's number one Senate position for the 2022 election, yet he still hasn't engaged with or enlightened his ACT constituents on key matters they are concerned about.
He has however promised to dig up CSIRO land and upgrade roads, intersections and community sports facilities. He has also wasted weeks of opportunities for positive communication, instead stoking fears about national security and visions of national drug decriminalisation.
Poor impressions have only intensified with the senator's allies, Advance Australia, continuing their "dirty-tricks". The ACT Liberals' passive acceptance of their party's national tactics contrasts badly with the community-based campaign being run by Senator Seselja's main contender, David Pocock.
Sue Dyer, Downer
TO THE POINT
CALLING ON FEMINISTS
Feminists of the ACT, regardless of gender or age, please don't vote for an under qualified man ahead of a highly qualified woman for the Senate. If you intend to, I urge you to reconsider.
Jo Dixon, Ainslie
THE REAL SCOTT?
The new and improved Scott Morrison 2.0 has long touted himself as "not inauthentic": "what you see is what you get". How will he tart that up now that he has seen the error of his past ways? From what I hear, he's about as authentic as a Kowloon Rolex.
Roger Bacon, Cook
KNOWING HIS LINES
The PM's performance on 7:30 on Monday night reminded me that he was a child actor. He can remember his lines and he can act.
But more disturbingly he demonstrated more interest in keeping his job than in his children's future.
Sarah Cowdery, Barton
ALWAYS THE ECONOMY
ScoMo's latest excuse to avoid any action on climate change is "you can't invest in climate change unless you have a strong economy" but a strong economy is pointless in an unviable environment. Morrison and his government never puts the good of all above the chance of maintaining office and perceived personal prestige.
Rory McElligott, Nicholls
PUTIN STAYING PUT
Talk about Australia boycotting the next G20 meeting because of the presence of Russia is extremely premature. The rate at which the President despot Putin is eliminating those Russian oligarchs who may have been considered threatening, is slightly chilling.
There is no way the paranoid Putin would be game to step outside the country, for fear of what would happen in his absence.
Kim Fitzgerald, Deakin
POWER AT ANY PRICE
While on the road to Damascus, seeking another miracle, the marketing guru grabs any passing floating straw which might, potentially, serve to attenuate the effects of this toxic reign, masking his white-hot lust for power, at any price ('Bit of a bulldozer': PM promises to change, CT, 14 May, p.6).
Albert M. White, Queanbeyan
TRANSPARENT AT LEAST
I refer to the Defence Minster's remarks regarding apparent Chinese intelligence collection activities along Australia's west coast.
One wonders how the Chinese modus operandi of electronic surveillance may differ from that engaged in by Australia and her allies. It may do so in one respect: at least the Chinese have been transparent.
Peter Grabosky, Forrest
BULLDOZER? HARDLY
Morrison is not a bulldozer. That implies determination to get things done. He was absent when it mattered. Bushfires, vaccines, RATS, nursing homes. Rather a hollow vessel. Under pretence of mea culpa he is claiming a quality he does not have.
M Davis, Charnwood
HONEST PROMISES
I'll be voting for the candidate that says "we only have x dollars so sorry, I can only promise to fund the following projects ... if you want more, I'll have to increase your taxes". Looks like I won't be voting on Saturday.