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Rogue elements
The weeding out of rogue elements, no matter how high their position, shouldn’t be confused with the nation’s gratitude for the selfless acts of courage of others in the defence forces.
It is the rogue elements, the enemies within, that bring the forces down.
Emma Borghesi, Rye
Remove Roberts-Smith
The Australian War Memorial needs to remove any positive mentions of Ben Roberts-Smith. It would be the wrong message for all soldiers who fought with honour.
Lou Ferrari, Richmond
Stress dehumanisation
Only if the Australian War Memorial prominently emphasises how war dehumanises participants and encourages vicious, violent, degrading behaviour, can the retention of the Ben Roberts-Smith display be justified.
Jan Dwyer, Rosebud
Enough reasons
Surely murder and inciting murder while on duty is sufficient reason to be stripped of all accolades?
Merryn Boan, Brighton
Fair go for Yes
If we are the compassionate ″fair go″ country that we think we are, then we should have no trouble voting Yes for the Voice. Or is it just a myth and the reality is we couldn’t give a damn?
Louis Roller, Carlton
It’s a tough life
Private schools were forced to lobby for a whole week before the government started folding. Life’s really tough for some.
John Fraser,
Reservoir
And it’s not fair
Come on Daniel Andrews, public schools pay payroll tax, why don’t all schools?
You made a reasonable decision for wealthy non-government schools to finally pay tax but now you’ve gone to water. Fair? Not.
Dianne Foggo, Kyneton
Time to end duck season
Good article on the harmful effects of duck hunting (″Uncertain days ahead″, The Sunday Age, 28/5). I can testify to the horrific noise and stress it creates every year in our community. We are all sick and tired of volley after needless volley of gunshot, which is amplified and reverberates around waterways.
It’s time to put this archaic practice to bed.
James Kahnbach,
Welshmans Reef
Sensitive creatures
Like humans, animals – including waterbirds – experience similar responses to us when under extreme stress. The following occur in waterbird species during duck shooting season: increased cortisol levels, the flight response, extreme hypervigilance, extreme stress, increased heart rate, anxiety and increased nervousness. If these are not signs of sensitive and sentient beings then what is?
Kate Bossence, Kerang
The plastic crisis
Given that the ocean is likely to contain more plastic than fish by 2050, a global plastic treaty is sorely needed. It is therefore positive that under Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek’s leadership, Australia has joined the High Ambition Coalition seeking to end plastic pollution by 2040 (″Australia intervenes to help save plastic pollution treaty″, The Sunday Age, 28/5). Plibersek, however, has much work to do on the home front. The Minderoo Foundation recently exposed that Australia generates the most single use plastic waste per capita in the world: 60kg per person per year. Dreadful. Tomorrow is World Environment Day and the theme is ″solutions to plastic pollution″. How fitting. With only 16 per cent of our exorbitant plastic waste being recycled, it’s high time Australia starts acting on this critical issue.
Amy Hiller, Kew
Whither the withering?
The claim that ″democracy has withered under Andrews″ (Comment, 2/6) does not hold water. My right to vote as I choose has not been circumscribed in the past 10 years. The dominance of Labor here and around the nation is mainly due to policies that are better aligned with the current values of the citizenry.
Victorian Opposition Leader John Pesutto recognises this and is trying to pull his party back towards the sensible centre. Success there would keep Labor on its toes and fully accountable.
Peter Barry, Marysville
Voice quandary
I am well-informed about the referendum for the Voice, but I’ll be voting No because although I believe in the Voice I want it to be enacted by ordinary legislation. As for recognition, I’m happy to see it enshrined in the Constitution. It cuts me up that the referendum question merges these two matters and thus my hands are tied.
Ann Blake, Invermay, Tas
National policy
The article ″Private e-scooters far from a smooth ride″ (3/6) highlights the need for a national policy on e-scooters. Our history is full of examples where decisions taken by states make our cohesiveness as a nation more difficult. E-scooters are a clean alternative to polluting and congestion-creating cars.
We need a national approach of regulation not a tangle of different ones made by state governments.
Graeme Lechte, Brunswick West
Too clever by half
Several decades ago I concluded that humanity would be the shortest-lived dominant species that Earth would see. This was based on over-population, then confirmed by climate change, now it’s AI. All in half a century. Criminal groups scam us with digital technology, but that will be old hat when they take control with AI.
Humans are just ″too clever by half”.
Michael Hipkins, Richmond
What about me?
With cyclists, those infernal scooters and food delivery riders all using the “footpath”, there is no room for me any more.
Des Shaw, South Melbourne
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