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Triple zero crisis
Premier Daniel Andrews’ apology for delays in the triple zero service (“Andrews apologises for triple-zero delay deaths, cites ‘unprecedented’ pandemic”, 6/9) focuses attention on the COVID-19-related surge in callouts as the cause. What this tells me is that the triple zero service was already operating on a very thin margin, and as soon as a challenge came along, it fell over.
This is only one of a myriad of service failures and other issues exposing poor planning and infrastructure that have come to light during the pandemic. I only hope that there is someone in government, at both state and federal levels, who is capturing all this information and putting it in a plan for future pandemics and crises, so that we do not make the same mistakes twice.
Unfortunately, I am not too confident about the ability of governments to plan properly for the future, and not just for the next election.
Bronwyn Benn, Burwood
People need to pay for services
It’s all well and good to chastise the Victorian government for the lack of funding for emergency call centres, but nobody is prepared to pay taxes to pay for it. The same is true for hospital emergency staffing, ambulances and paramedics. We all try to use every available loophole to minimise our tax liability, but still expect to have pothole-free roads, fresh water, clean streets, hospital beds etc. There is no magic pot of gold. Taxes are the price we pay for civilisation.
Jack Wajntraub, South Melbourne
We are better off than previous generations
Our health system has not gone backwards or fallen into crisis. It has been overwhelmed and overtaken by its own success. There is much to fix but let’s recognise how far our public health and healthcare have brought us and be thankful.
I was an intern in 1981. Babies born before 28 weeks’ gestation died, we madly killed each other with cars, trauma response was archaic, joint replacements and cardiac stents were in their infancy, we diagnosed cancers too late to treat them, people over 70 were too old to “bother” with ICU admission. I could go on.
Stop poaching health professionals trained overseas where they are more needed. Recognise that our health system will continue to expand with medical knowledge and plan to develop systems and person power to cope and lead such changes. Meanwhile, we can take more responsibility, following healthier lifestyles and aim for a more equitable distribution of what we have.
Michael Langford, Ivanhoe
So much for urgent assistance
I tried to ring the Drugs and Poisons Branch of the Department of Health yesterday and received a message saying that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they were not taking phone calls. As a doctor, I was amazed. I never knew that coronaviruses could be transmitted down telephone lines. Bad luck if the matter I wanted to talk about was urgent – which it was.
Paul Nisselle, Albert Park
Restoring the value of GPs
As a retired specialist physician, I have long held the view that our best and most admirable doctors are our competent GPs. Their task is difficult for they see people in the first phases of illness where a diagnosis is often problematic. Being a specialist is much easier.
In the 1960s, when I graduated, GPs were adequately remunerated, but this is no longer the case. While inadequate remuneration is undoubtedly a big factor in the current difficulty in attracting new graduates into general practice (“Rural health in crisis as access to GPs falters”, The Age, 3/9), there are other factors. Much medical student time is spent under the influence of hospital specialists, many of whom have a propensity to denigrate general practice. On top of this, one of our five medical schools seems to have forgotten its social contract to produce doctors to care for our community and instead has its focus on producing medical researchers.
It is 34 years since the last detailed review of our medical education system. A new review could be a valuable contribution.
Kerry Breen, Kew
THE FORUM
Thorns for the thieves
I’m shedding green tears for Jenna Price and her stolen succulents (“Bad seeds: plant thieves are the root of all evil”, Comment, 6/9). I created community nature strip gardens during pandemic lockdowns providing much joy I hope for nature and humans.
Respect for all living things is regularly missed by the dog owners who cheerfully allow their dogs to wee and poo all over the beautiful flowering plants causing the plants to burn.
But it is the plant thieves who pull out whole succulents, tear off flowering cosmos, larkspur and poppies. One Sunday a small lime euphorbia in flower looking gorgeous next to daisies had all its pretty heads chopped off.
The spiky karma cactus thorns will find the culprits!
Sally Apokis, South Melbourne
Boundless cultivation
As a struggling gardener, I would like to share my success with Jenna Price. Despite endless rain I have a magnificent display of oxalis and marshmallow with no signs of theft whatsoever.
Rosalind Byass, Stawell
Celebrate the dress
I was touched by the dress and words of newly elected MP for western Sydney, Dai Le, in her first speech to the federal parliament (“Dress that spoke louder than words”, The Age, 6/9).
She wore a traditional Vietnamese dress from fabric printed with the Australian flag and said it depicted that she is a proud Australian of Vietnamese background. She said she wanted to celebrate the Australian culture and the Vietnamese culture in multicultural Australia.
I look forward to seeing more Australians of different ethnic background think the same way, making Australia more colourful as our Australian culture evolves.
Ikram Naqvi, Tinderbox, Tas
Reputation damaged
How can Qantas restore the confidence of both its customers and staff when the organisation is ruled by bean counters? The reports on the ABC’s Four Corners on Monday showed just how out of touch management of Qantas is. Surely for Qantas to move forward it must examine its leadership group. Chief executive Alan Joyce does nothing to instil public confidence in flying with his airline. Outsourcing to keep profits up, thereby pleasing shareholders at the expense of the public and its staff, does not seem to be best practice.
John Tingiri, Mornington
Double take
For more than 30 years, before standing down in 2014, Joe de Bruyn was the national secretary of the Shop Distributive and Allied Employees Union, the leading union representing retail workers. Now Jos de Bruin is a board member of the Council of Small Business Organisations Australia (“Business head wants unions left out of future pay deals”, The Age, 6/9), and is against unions representing small business retail employees. I bet some union members did a double take. Samantha Keir, East Brighton
Efficient agreements
As Sean Kelly (Comment, 5/9) posed the conundrum for Labor, it is not a question of boldness or not as to whether multi-employer agreements take place but as Professor Ross Garnaut stated succinctly, we must “stop kidding ourselves”. Multi-employer agreements have the force of the efficient use of time and labour in negotiating conditions and wages in mostly identical sites within an industry. The past use of negotiating individual site agreements have been primarily used to neuter and absorb resources and the bargaining power of trade unions by conservative governments.
Paul Harkins, Middle Park
Worth the cost
When unions are sidelined wages stagnate, profits for companies increase, chief executives get huge bonuses while working conditions for staff deteriorate. As the workforce is streamlined to its limit we the consumers have to put up with the terrible service that results. All year round.
Compare that with strong unions and the possibility of a few short strikes per year.
Sara Ginsbourg, East Bentleigh
Good intentions
While I think Melbourne artist Peter Seaton’s views on war and peace in Ukraine naive, ill-articulated and dare I say a bit middle-class, they are sincerely held beliefs and he should be supported in that respect (“Soldier hug mural removed”, 6/9). I don’t feel that he has deserved the opprobrium of the Ukraine diaspora in Melbourne. He has shown good-natured resilience holding himself to account in the face of some pretty heavy questioning. He is a young man, an artist, with a sincerely held, if somewhat misplaced view on the current Russo-Ukraine war. He is not, for instance, an elected politician on the public purse. I do hope Seaton is encouraged to paint another mural with close involvement and kindness from the Ukraine community he has so clearly, yet unintentionally, upset.
Simon Clegg, Donvale
How to depict Australia?
As Julianne Schultz says, Australia’s culture is complex and multifaceted (“Stage is set for Australia to have a ministry of culture”, Comment, 6/9). That makes it difficult for a ministry of culture to assist in the process of helping people “make sense of the nation”.
In the absence of any shared understanding of what the Australian nation actually is in 2022, it is tempting to focus on what Schultz calls the “cultural resilience” of First Nations cultures because they are unique to our country. However, that risks giving a misleading impression of modern Australia.
We want people, particularly international visitors, to form the view that Australia is more than a large country with a fascinating Indigenous culture, and yes, about 25 million other people who happen to live there.
Rod Wise, Surrey Hills
Culture cash
In reference to Julianne Schultz’ argument that culture (“public value”) cannot be equated with “commercial value”, here are some facts from Europe: Since the 1980s, culture and creative industries have a total economic output (gross value added) in Germany that amounted to €106.4 billion in 2019 (of GDP: 3.1 per cent), which was only surpassed by the vehicle manufacturing industries.
Hans V. Wolf, South Yarra
Turn your target
Your correspondent (“Hypocrisy at large”, Letters, 6/9) rightfully calls out hypocrites who want to deny him the seasonal hunting of happy wild birds for food, but see no problem with the regular consumption of pre-tortured and pre-killed farm animals. However, I wish he would redirect his blazing gun at the various species of happy and yummy feral pest animals that need culling to protect the native fauna and flora. They could also feed him all year round.
Ralph Böhmer, St Kilda West
The reality of hunting
In the debate over hunting, it’s city folk who have lost touch with reality, believing that nature is peaceful. What do you think happens to a duck that gets sick or ages? It’s eaten alive, by an eagle or ants, and its eggs are consumed by a goanna or snake. Gore and survival is the name of the game.
Rod Matthews, Fairfield
Free range solutions
If you like to eat free range organic duck may I suggest you inquire at your local delicatessen. This will alleviate the people who live near wetlands of the need to secure and medicate pets, relocate stock, console children, clean up litter and deal with injured ducks and carcasses. Since you won’t have to pluck all those pretty feathers you will have more spare time to shoot some clay targets in a safe and responsible manner.
Liz Filmer, Sale
Value in contact
Some councils apparently can’t see the difference between ordering meals online and getting them delivered, or getting frozen meals delivered once a week by Meals on Wheels (“Fear as councils axe Meals on Wheels”, 6/9). The difference is the human contact that often very lonely people get when the deliverer comes to their door with food and a smile.
Margaret Collings, Anglesea
Tax choices
The budget is in such a terrible state that the fuel excise reduction must come to an end, says the government. I think the majority of people, if given the choice, would opt for a continuation of the excise reduction and dumping the upcoming tax cuts for the rich. A much fairer solution to mitigate the high cost of living for a much wider range of the population.
Glenn Murphy, Hampton Park
Off-road explanation
Your correspondent (Letters 6/9) touts the oft-quoted statistic that fossil fuel companies received a subsidy of $11.6 billion last financial year. The bulk of this amount is in fact a rebate for off-road use of diesel taxes. Mining companies, who build their own roads simply get a rebate of some of this tax already paid when fuel is purchased. As do other off-road users, such as farmers.
Richard McLoughlin, Dromana
Finding Voice
Chileans have just voted down a proposed democratic constitution, leaving in place the 1980 constitution imposed during the Pinochet dictatorship. This illustrates the difficulty in changing constitutions by referendum. The difficulty is magnified in Australia where a majority of the voters, plus a majority of the states is required for a referendum to succeed. Opposition to the Indigenous Voice to parliament referendum is now coming from the conservative right. With Indigenous critics also expressing criticism, there is no chance this referendum will succeed.
The Australian Constitution is an Act of the British Parliament passed in 1900. We need a better way to change the Constitution so this anachronistic document can be made relevant to contemporary Australia. It is time the Australian Commonwealth parliament took responsibility for leading a process towards a complete overhaul of the Constitution.
Daniel Cole, Essendon
And another thing
Illustration: Matt GoldingCredit:
Liz Truss
All Trussed up and ready to be basted in the House of Commons (“‘We will deliver’: Truss to become British PM”, 6/9).
Bill Pell, Emerald
Good choice, she will be strong and it is wonderful to see a woman as PM.
Diana Goetz, Mornington
If Liz Truss idolises Margaret Thatcher, that should have made her unelectable. Thatcher, Reagan and the other ’80s neo-liberals laid the groundwork for today’s Trumps, Putins, and Bolsonaros.
Anthony Hitchman, St Andrews
Federal politics
What has happened to the flag’s sanctity? First Morrison makes it a mask, then Dai Le makes it a dress in an effort for publicity. George Reed, Wheelers Hill
Sorry Dai Le, your dress was more Union Jack than Australian flag.
Nick Brennan, Rowville
Mr Albanese, what would your mum advise you to do with the stage 3 tax cuts?
Chris Morley, The Basin
Tennis
Margaret Court should be acknowledged for her brilliant tennis career and not criticised for her Christian beliefs (“‘I admired Serena – but I don’t think she admired me’: Court on being ostracised”, 6/9). Her tennis greatness can’t be taken away by changing the name of an arena.
Susanne O’Neill, Balwyn
Margaret Court laments being ostracised yet has no qualms in her efforts to ostracise the LGBTQ community.
Phil Alexander, Eltham
Furthermore
I don’t know why everyone is being so hard on Alan Joyce. He’s been successful twice as an airline CEO – first, in making Jetstar more like Qantas used to be; now in making Qantas more like Jetstar used to be.
Ron Burnstein, Heidelberg
Not only do we need more women, but Australian chief executives – people who have roots here and cannot disappear after criticism of their business leadership becomes too much for them.
Ludi Servadei, Malvern East
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