Re: "What turned voters away from saying 'yes' to Voice" (November 27).
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First, we had the Voice referendum, decisively rejected by me and most Australians, then the "week of mourning" and now this ridiculous ANU survey or post-mortem.
Why I ask? It appears it is just to reiterate that those of us who voted "no" were ill-informed uneducated and of low income.
The ANU says "'No' voters were more likely to be male, older, speaking a language other than English at home, with low levels of education, living outside of capital cities, and living in low-income households".
I'm not sure who the ANU spoke to but, for the record, I am an older male. I do speak English at home. I don't have a Degree in Astrophysics from Oxford University, but I do have a brain which I use rationally and logically.
I live in Canberra which is not just a capital, but the capital city of Australia and I don't live in low-income household.
I also fail to understand why the survey states that "the results show growing dissatisfaction with Australian democracy". This is nothing more than sour grapes from the "yes" camp.
After all aren't referenda exactly what democracy is about?
Australians had a clear choice. 60.06 per cent voted "no" and 39.94 per cent voted "yes".
Declan McGrath, Gordon
![The Voice referendum was proof that democracy is alive and well in Australia.
Picture by Keegan Carroll The Voice referendum was proof that democracy is alive and well in Australia.
Picture by Keegan Carroll](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/kDqE8LvSwvU8fyZkrZC97F/fcfa7875-b593-4859-a71d-e7e106998e31.jpg/r0_0_5000_3333_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Political football
I am afraid we are going to have bad news on our border issues from time to time. The Opposition is going in full swing to criticise the Albanese Government for this mess. It is not true, We have to respect the High Court order.
We have been playing politics with this issue for a long time. We have not listened to Kim Beazley who as Leader of the Opposition suggested to the Howard government to go to the source countries and draw a proper plan to stop the flow of boat people.
This good suggestion was not taken for political purposes. I am urging the Albanese government to think of Kim Beazley's suggestion and do some meaningful work to stop boat people coming to Australia.
Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt
Home among the gum trees
Why does the ACT government insist on planting gum trees? They are an awful choice: ugly and sprawling, needlessly high, and poisoning everything beneath them.
Not even remotely endangered, they themselves endanger life and limb with their treacherous habit of dropping limbs. You dare not sit under a gum if it's windy, and you dare not sit under one if it's calm. And if you do, it's hardly worthwhile, for their shade is pathetic, good only for ruining solar panel output.
Near my home are numerous fallen limbs whose only saving grace is that their malevolence was not matched by their aim. Mind you, I've seen plenty of fences and roofs who were less fortunate, not to mention the appalling tragedy of when they do take human life, something the ACT government's misguided policy will be sure to increase.
Then there's their flammability during bushfires, an increasingly common feature of our warming world.
Tree-planting ought to be part of the climate solution, but in the case of these widow-makers, the solution is worse than the problem.
The tragedy is there are so many other fine tree choices the government could make.
James Coats, Fadden
Veto rate rises
I agree with Peter Martin ("Is Govt's RBA veto finito?", November 29) that the government shouldn't get rid of the Treasurer's power to veto RBA interest rate decisions.
The RBA is on the wrong track with interest rates. It should rather be looking at the top 20 percent's wealth and recommending the government pare back their spending with taxation.
Much better than making more people homeless with interest rate rises.
Kathryn Kelly, Chifley
Who owned Palestine?
It is fortunate that Roderick Holesgrove said the statement "in 1948 Palestinians owned 94 per cent of the land" was not his words.
It is only the first of several false statements he repeated in his letter 1948 on repeat (Letters, November 29).
Most of the land now forming Israel was not privately owned by anyone in 1948, Jewish or Arab.
It was under the control of Britain and sparsely populated. Much of it is still sparsely populated today.
In the immediate aftermath of Israel's declaration of independence, Egypt and Jordan respectively seized Gaza and the West Bank as part of an offensive war aimed at destroying the new state.
Egypt and Jordan lost control of the seized territory when they had another go at Israel in 1967.
It was only after Egypt and Jordan were removed from Gaza and the West Bank that any form of self-rule was afforded to the residents of Gaza and the West Bank.
Unfortunately for ordinary Palestinians that opportunity has been squandered through the corruption of Mahmoud Abbas and the terrorism of Hamas.
Stephen Jones, Bonython
Their real crime
A number of prominent legal minds have questioned why recently released non-citizens are being treated differently from Australians after serving their penal sentence.
The answer is right there, isn't it. These miscreants have made the egregious mistake of being foreign - the worst crime of all, apparently.
Chris Ryan, Kirrawee, NSW
Israel has a right to exist
Roderick Holesgrove's claim (Letters, November 29) that in 1948 Palestinians owned 94 per cent of the remnant of the land of British Palestine (following the carving out of what is now Jordan in 1922) is wildly inaccurate.
Land records show that while Palestinian Jews owned only six per cent of the land, Palestinian Arabs owned only slightly more than that; the vast majority was the equivalent of Crown land.
The status of the land today ironically came about through the actions and omissions of the Palestinian and wider Arab leadership over the last century.
This began with riots and massacres of Jews in the 1920s and 1930s, rejecting the UN Partition Plan and attempting in 1948 to make the land "Judenrein" - a zone from which Jews were excluded.
Jordan achieved this in the West Bank and eastern Jerusalem.
Then the Palestinians rejected Israel's land-for-peace offer in 1967 (the infamous "three nos").
One can only conclude Mr Holesgrove would prefer the Jews to have allowed themselves to be wiped out so as not to offend anybody's sensibilities.
Ronny Schnapp, Randwick, NSW
Speed does kill
I support Murray May's comments about speeding drivers being dangerous (Letters, November 27).
I frequently drive to the city along William Hovel Drive between 6am and 6.30am and often find myself the only person keeping to the speed limit.
There are many near-misses as drivers change lanes and cut in too close to the vehicles being overtaken.
On regular trips between Canberra and Sydney I am passed by many more vehicles, including trucks, than I can safely pass while obeying the speed limits.
This has worsened significantly since COVID-19. Of even more concern is that many of these are electric vehicles, particularly Teslas. Is this a portent of the future?
David Hobson, Spence
Cheque is in the mail
It has been reported there are $234 million in unclaimed Medicare benefits because patients have supplied incorrect bank details.
These have yet to be handed out because Medicare has "nowhere to send the cash to".
Hasn't Medicare heard of the humble cheque which could be mailed to the patient's address which would be on file as part of their Medicare record?
Don Sephton, Greenway
Failures of leadership
In her book The Proud Tower Barbara Tuchman analysed the state of society at the time before the outbreak of the first world war.
Referring to the Dreyfus case she drily observed: "In his time it was still possible to suppose the fault lay in the system, not humanity". She clearly felt we admire leaders who exploit our shady side. Can this be true?
Though discredited now, at one time the British leader Boris "Brexit" Johnson was the darling of the electorate, taking his party to a landslide election victory.
In the US Donald "make America great again" Trump, despite allegations of fraud and incitement to riot, is the leading Republican candidate for next year's election.
In Australia polls show more than a third of all voters would prefer Peter Dutton as the next Prime Minister. Maybe we really are our own worst enemies.
Harry Davis, Campbell
TO THE POINT
CONTEXT IS KING
Keith Hill (Letters, November 25) provides a timely reminder of the perils of citing outdated and irrelevant words of advice no matter how pithy they may have been when uttered by an 18th century English notable wearing breeches, lace cravat and a frock coat.
Eric Hunter, Cook
THERE IS A BETTER WAY
Having just watched Perth's first battery powered trackless tram on the evening news I wonder how the ACT government can possibly justify stubbornly proceeding with the outdated track and wires tram to Woden.
Felicity Chivas, Ainslie
A GOOD QUESTION
I've heard Mick Gentleman tell us new apartment blocks don't need as many car spaces as people can easily catch public transport and don't need cars. Can he explain why members of the Legislative Assembly all have dedicated car spaces so close to a major bus stop?
Maria Greene, Curtin
NOT A FAIR COMPARISON
Rajend Naidu's comparison of Israel with the Nazis (Letters, November 24) is frankly disgusting. The Nazis murdered many millions of people, including six million Jews. Israel is responding in self-defence to an unprovoked attack, and is trying to avoid killing civilians, by warning them to avoid attacks, while seeking to ensure Hamas isn't in a position to repeat its massacres.
Eleanor Miles, Queanbeyan, NSW
AUSPICIOUS MOMENT
Rohan Goyne ("Historic moment", Letters, November 27) notes the recent 100th anniversary of radio in Australia. So began a new tradition of "hearsay".
Peter Baskett, Murrumbateman, NSW
STOP THE DENIAL
It's now clear so-called panic merchants like Dr Amy Hiller and many, many others are right about greenhouse gas emissions' catastrophic effect on the climate. So from where do the many, many climate change deniers, including M Flint (Letters, November 28) summon the gall to keep plugging their disgraced, debunked opinions?
Matt Gately, Rivett
A BIG CALL
Is Cathy Douglas (Letters, November 28) really suggesting that "woke folk" support murder, adultery, rage and lust? These are absolutely not woke values but some people will stop at nothing to twist the real meaning of woke.
Keith Hill, Canberra City
OFF THEIR HEADS?
I question Renée Goossens' claim (Letters, November 28) that people who attend concerts of classical music do not require drugs to assist their listening. Many concert-goers take alcohol and caffeine.
Leon Arundell, Downer
A HIDDEN TALENT
Renee Goosens (Letters, November 28) believes she can read the minds of people attending classical concerts. It is worth noting this is impossible. This would be clearer if logic were taught in schools.
Riggan Thomson, Richardson
NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
China claims there's nothing to see there concerning any new virus, so that's the end of that. Or is it?
M F Horton, Adelaide, SA
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