I wonder what the leader of the Opposition and potential Prime Minister does in his spare time?
I'm a 71-year-old retired male and not an aged pensioner. In my spare time I read the Newcastle Herald most days for local news, Australian news, world news and the comics and a bit of sport.
I also wake up to the ABC's News 24, and listen to the ABC news on radio and television throughout the day. For myself I think it is important to know what's going on in my world. But to be someone of power not to know the unemployment rate and the cash rate for Australia is unbelievable.
I hope they don't ask him the price of bread, milk, petrol and even a kilo price for lamb cutlets. They certainly will. And I hope he knows. By the way, has he ever spoken to Dr. Jim Chalmers about important treasury issues?
Peter Selmeci, Murrays Beach
Scomo, it's time to go
SCOTT Morrison makes his re-election pitch in the cloying social media clip "Why I love Australia". Essentially, this is it:
"Over the last three years, no government could have done any better. Fires, flood, pandemic, war. Our alleged shortcomings aren't shortcomings at all, but evidence of a well-intentioned struggle against the odds. Against "imperfect information". We've done our best, and it's been good enough. So we deserve another go."
But do they? Did Covid require the Prime Minister to tell lies, gaslight those who crossed him and hide from scrutiny behind sham inquiries? Did the fires coerce the government to pork barrel and stack non-government organisations with mates? Did the floods swamp the possibility of a federal integrity commission? Did the war leave the government with no choice but to sign away sovereignty, neglect neighbours, alienate allies, and provoke adversaries?
Did all these travails so blind the government to the threat of climate change it couldn't help approve more coal mines, knee-cap renewable energy incentives, retain a meaningless 2030 emissions reduction target, and push a "gas-led" recovery?
And if a prime minister sees a trail of negligence, dishonesty and incompetence as vindication, why would he or she do anything different if given the chance?
Scott Morrison doesn't deserve another go. He deserves to go.
Michael Hinchey, New Lambton
Leaders must look to future
NOW that the federal election has been called, we voters turn to the task of hiring. We are charged with choosing one, and only one, of the candidates presenting, for House of Representatives. Unlike other employers, we cannot claim that there are none suitable and request further nominees. There is no tick box to affirm our choice is worthy.
I cannot vote for the Prime Minister. Even if I wished to. They are not in my electorate. With strikes and street protests being dissuaded, I am with lesser means of voicing my wishes. How would they like me to interact? Give us alternatives. I no longer "blindly trust" politicians. The last batch were too beholden to fossil fuel and weapons manufacture. I want politicians to approach other nations like China, with "smart trust" - context sensitivity. Why are we voting this election on how many people we could kill if war broke out? The answer is, as always, "too many."
Why are war preparations for 20 years, and climate action at 30 years? When we discovered that lead in petrol was damaging our kids, action was taken. When the ozone hole was discovered above the South Pole, our politicians led the world. What is so wrong about weaning off of fossil fuels? We will have to, in future sometime, anyway. Unsustainability is not sustainable. Could we please have leaders who think about the future?
Ever noticed how China is afraid of being overrun by a small group from within their borders? And Australia is scared of Terra Nullius being declared by invaders having come across the seas? Some acknowledgement of, and healing from, history would be useful, and less costly. "Trust dividends" are for the taking. Dis-trust is very costly.
I implore your readers to check out the minor parties - including Greens and Socialist Alliance. Let's talk.
Andrew Spannenberg, Mayfield
Weather and climate are different
ONCE again we have a climate change denier with a good memory who has no clue about the difference between weather and climate ('Severe storms nothing new for our beaches', Letters, 11/4).
Two things; firstly, yes there was a bad storm in 1974, but there have been several more bad storms since 2000, that is climate.
Secondly, why is it that the climate change deniers, who by the way are becoming fewer and fewer, always appear to see climate change through the glasses of Australian weather.
Perhaps Robert, you should examine climate change through the lens of the world.
Please don't retort with the old chestnut of Australia only contributes a small percentage of the world's emissions. When I went to school, half a per cent multiplied by 50 (countries) made 25 per cent ... a good start.
Mike Sargent, Cootamundra
Weathering the storm
WELL said Robert Monteath ('Severe storms nothing new for our beaches', Letters, 11/4). It was refreshing to bring some real life facts into climate change hysteria that society loves to blame for current disasters which today's generation think are new?
I remember that 1974 event and many more well. They come in cycles but I know I'm wasting page space trying to convince climate change advocates, so I'll leave them to their computer modelling based on their figures and I'll stick to the real world.
Just for the record, how many weather forecasts based on modelling have been accurate? Not many based on the lack of warnings for the bushfires and floods reported lately?
Tony Mansfield, Lambton
Stockton needs action, not words
SORRY Sharon Claydon, a letter to the NSW government asking them for $21 million to fund offshore sand mining to fix coastal erosion at Stockton Beach isn't good enough ('MP calls on state to prioritise Stockton', Herald, 7/4).
Your fellow MP Pat Conroy has promised $20 million to dredge Swansea Channel even though there is no risk of people's homes falling into the lake.
Yet here at Stockton with water from the ocean literally pooling in our front yard last week, the best the federal Member for Newcastle could manage was a letter to the Deputy Premier.
This tells us she either hasn't raised Stockton Beach with Labor leader Anthony Albanese, or that she has, and he turned her down. Either way, Sharon, please call Pat Conroy and ask him how he managed to get $20 million from Mr Albanese.
If the polls are right then you are very soon going to be part of the federal government. The electorate is going to expect a lot more from you than writing letters to the NSW government. After all, we already have a State member for Newcastle who spends his days doing this.
Scot Neylan, Stockton
SHORT TAKES
GOOD morning Bill Slicer and Brett Scott (Short Takes, 11/4). I would imagine you are both members of the Newcastle Knights club and attend games regularly. Please stop bagging the Knights if not.
Wal Remington, Mount Hutton
GRAEME Kime, Danes are among the most ingenious and satisfied people, despite the weather (Short Takes, 4/11). Despite Australia's 25 million to Denmark's six million, this country is not big enough to learn smart moves. We are simpleton "dog diggers", China's derogatory term. A grand total of endless wasted years.
Graeme Tychsen, Toronto
REGARDING the NRL pitch invader at the Titans-Eels game on the weekend. It shouldn't matter if the streaker is male or female, but it does. These groups want equality, but heaven forbid they share responsibility, let alone accountability. I would think the majority would have been amused and entertained by the tackle. Albeit, had the security guard been a slightly built female and put a streaker twice her size on their backside, well then, only the minority would be befuddled at the public response.
Bryn Roberts, New Lambton
THE man who would be King! Albo floundering through simple questions that most Aussies could answer. And he wants to lead the country.
Don Fraser, Belmont North
I ASSUME someone suggested that it would be a good idea for Scott Morrison to drop into the Edgeworth Tavern last Wednesday, but it has all the trimmings of entrapment as far as I'm concerned. Ray Drury, may be the Hunter's best known resident at this time, after his spray on the Prime Minister, but I would hope that the people of Australia don't think that Mr Drury is typical of Novocastrian senior citizens.
David Stuart, New Lambton
ALBO is the underdog. I believe most radio, TV stations and newspapers are anti-Labor. People that follow politics know what Morrison is all about but most people only focus on the next few weeks and forget all the rubbish that went on in the last three years.
Gary McDonald, Ashtonfield
HAS Ross St Claire (Short Takes, 12/4) conveniently forgotten that Scott Morrison was parachuted in?
Dennis Petrovic, Rutherford
JUST wondered why can't Channel 7 show the Supercar races live? They have plenty of channels to pick from. Surely they can do better than having to watch it when the milkman turns up in the morning. How many people watch the prehistoric garbage they show instead?
