Harassment has no place at the polling booth

THE FORUM

Who bites the bullet?
Who in this election is talking about boosting revenue? We have massive funding shortfalls in health, education, housing and more. We have a set of taxation settings and regulations that steadily funnel more and more wealth to fewer and fewer wealthy people. Why aren’t we looking at corporations tax, a wealth tax, an inheritance tax, reduced trust concessions, modified dividend imputations and negative gearing concessions?
All would mitigate against the current trends of the growing wealth divide. It is not rocket science. When will some party actually bite the bullet?
Tim Mahar, Fitzroy North

Degrees of debt
Your correspondent (Letters, 1/5) is asking the wrong questions in relation to Labor’s pledge to wipe 20 per cent of HECS debt. While correct that by choosing to invest in a university degree we expect the pay-off to be a higher salary, this has not been the case. Indexation has risen faster than wage growth for the past decade, which has hampered our ability to pay off our debts. Perhaps the question should be: if you had to pay for your university degree (how lucky you are that you did not!), would you still have made the decision to study?
Renzo Tweedie, Brunswick

Congrats, Vietnam
Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, which Vietnamese call the American war, I congratulate them on their hard-won victory and current success. I first visited Vietnam in 1993, shortly after independent tourism started. The country was still heavily sanctioned and many commodities such as metals and medicines were in short supply. Rural areas were miserable, full of ragged thin children and many adults having no teeth.
I revisited two years ago and found a country full of healthy, happy and well-dressed children, my standard method for assessing a country’s general wellbeing.
I remember how a war of national liberation was misrepresented as a war against international communism. I marvel at why we supported an anti-democratic, unpopular South Vietnam. I wonder at how different it could have been had the US supported Ho Chi Minh’s original requests for help before turning to the USSR.
Finally, I give thanks to Malcolm Fraser for having the leadership and foresight to bring many Vietnamese refugees to Australia, enriching us with one of our most successful and admired migrant groups.
Mark Freeman, Macleod

Trump’s intentions
The new Canadian Prime Minister, Mark Carney, has said, ″⁣as I have been warning for months America wants our land, our resources, our water, our country. These are not idle threats. President Trump is trying to break us so that America can own us″⁣.
Trump has created a nightmare situation between Canada and the United States. He appears to be intent on creating a world devoid of trust and old-fashioned tried and proven values that form the foundation of democratic countries.
Brian Measday, Kingswood, SA

Anthem awakening
The only time I have been moved when hearing our national anthem was when it was sung by an Indigenous choir in their own language. I could not understand the words but my understanding of Australia’s settlement history and the task of reconciliation still to come were vividly reawoken.
Peter McCarthy, Mentone

Survival the main game
It is extremely disturbing to read that Europe and Britain are cutting back on the commitment to tackle climate change (″⁣Tide turning on politics of climate″⁣, 30/4). The reason given is that the steps needed are too expensive. And yet we are seeing climate change being the cause of the increasing number and severity of natural disasters. The cost of fire and flood, both in economic and human terms, is astounding, to say nothing of the threat to food supplies when large areas of pastoral land are destroyed. This all at a time when nations are spending huge sums on weapons of destruction, claiming an increased threat to national security. Those responsible for national budgets need to look at the bigger picture: the very survival of the human race.
Pam Kerr, Maribyrnong

Facing our history
As a secondary school teacher, I welcome the resource developed by Teachers and School Staff for Palestine Victoria to help us navigate the ethical complexities of Anzac Day (“Pro-Palestine group sends teachers classroom guide challenging ‘Anzac mythology’“, 25/4).
For years, I have tried to teach with historical integrity – by naming the genocide of First Nations people on this continent, and by helping students critically interrogate the militarised mythology that often surrounds Anzac Day.
But in doing so, it’s easy to feel alone. There’s a palpable fear among educators about questioning dominant narratives – especially those that conflate national identity with uncritical reverence for war. Resources like “Challenging Anzac Day” are not acts of disrespect but acts of truth-telling. They help us do what education is meant to do: inform, question, and deepen our understanding.
Students deserve to know not just the stories that make us proud, but also the uncomfortable truths – like the massacre at Sarafand al-Amar, the role of Australian troops in suppressing nationalist movements and, on our shores, the slaughter of our Indigenous population in the “frontier wars”.
Teaching should not be mythmaking. It should be an honest reckoning with our past. That’s what this resource helps enable.
Paul Evans, Carrum Downs

Flight of the angels
As we near the end of an election campaign I find it somewhat incongruous that conservative politicians, journalists and fellow travellers see it necessary to question Welcome to Country ceremonies. In this nation’s not too distant past, our ancestors fought major conflicts against other nations such as Germany and Japan. Thousands of Australian lives were lost. However, and to our credit, we have made a peace with these countries and now see them as friends and allies.
And yet, when it comes to our Indigenous co-habitants of this nation, who have not caused any great suffering to white Australia, a simple ceremony of belated respect seems to draw much ire. One has to wonder why we have such a deep disrespect and where the better angels of our nature retreat to when it comes to the Indigenous peoples of this country.
Graeme Gardner, Reservoir

A hopeless stand
I agree with Kevin Bartlett that the “stand” rule in AFL is a disgrace. The intent of the rule is to prevent the player on the mark from having any influence on the player with the mark or free kick; correctly described by Bartlett as taking a player out of the game.
What sort of rule is designed to take a player out of the game? And the penalties! I have seen players pinged 50 metres for moving backwards off the mark. Now, how can moving backwards influence the player with the ball? Or when the player with the ball inevitably runs off sideways, the player on the mark of course wants to obey the instincts which have been instilled into him since he played in the under-eights, and move with the ball.
But if he so much as raises a foot a fraction of a second before the umpire calls play on, he is again penalised. You cannot blame the umpires, because they have been instructed to enforce this idiotic rule.
Ray Johnston, Queenscliff

All in or not at all
If the Plymouth Brethren Church and the individuals in that church want to be part of the election process they must not be exempt from voting. This must be examined by the relevant authorities.
Sue Acheson, Rokeby

Examine exemptions
Your correspondent (Letters, 30/4) is right in her criticism of the Brethren’s tax-free status but the criticism can be extended to all religions.
Australia subsidises all religions with exemptions under tax laws or exemption from voting. It is necessary that the exemptions be examined with a view to change the laws. If a religion can demonstrate it is of benefit to the country then give it some tax relief. If it is of little or no benefit to the country then tax it. If it increases its assets for the benefits of its members then it should never benefit from any tax relief.
Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale

I am who I say I am!
I feel your pain Sandy McKinnon (Letters, 30/4). The passport office decided to pop a space between Mc and the rest of my name while Medicare and the drivers licence office thought it would flow better as one word.
Try cobbling together 100 points of ID for anything when these big departments think you are two different people. It’s a monumental pain when no one will be convinced that I am who I say! It seems also that this is a glitch that just can’t be fixed by anyone, or should I say any software system. Of course there is never an actual person to talk with to try to resolve the dilemma.
Penny McMullin, Yanakie

AND ANOTHER THING

Radio
Oh no! We’ve offended Kyle Sandilands!
PJ Bear, Mitcham

Message for Kyle Sandilands. Just turn the light out as you close the door.
John Cain, McCrae

Seems like Kyle Sandilands is finally getting ″⁣it″⁣ that Melburnians are too sophisticated for expletive-driven talk shows that emanate from Sydney. His threat to pull the show is probably the only thing Melbourne likes about it. Can’t happen soon enough.
Marie Nash, Balwyn

Apparently someone called Kyle Sandilands is threatening to leave Melbourne and go back to Sydney. I don’t think anyone’s going to notice.
Tim Durbridge, Brunswick

The election
The Liberal candidate for Kooyong just failed the pub test — every Victorian knows you don’t put a pot of beer in a stubby holder (Age online, 1/5).
Jenny Bone, Surrey Hills

Trumpet of Patriots isn’t a very patriotic name. If they were true patriots they would have gone with the Bugle of Bogans.
Niko Melaluka, Brunswick

The Trumpet’s plan to apply a 15 per cent fee to all iron ore exports to repay our national debt. Excellent idea, Clive Palmer. I assume the same will apply to coal exports?
Phil Bodel, Ocean Grove

Peter Dutton visits his 15th service station. He must have enough petrol now to last until the next election.
John Walsh, Watsonia

Could shadow treasurer Angus Taylor please explain how he’s promising a strong economy with low inflation. I always believed they were at the opposite ends of the state of the economy.
John Groom, Bentleigh

If your correspondent (Letters, 30/4) thinks the trumpet of patriots is difficult to play they should try the corflute.
Jim Pilmer, Camberwell