IT was interesting to see that Peter Dutton apparently does not believe it was worthwhile to attend the Garma Festival, the largest political gathering of First Nations peoples in Australia. Contrast that to his eagerness to attend Port Stephens last year and sit down privately with a small group of representatives opposed to the Offshore Wind Project.
With the repeated failure of government programs, both Liberal and Labor, over many years to achieve positive results for First Nations people I would have thought the Garma Festival would have been a great opportunity for him to discuss his programs and dreams for First Nations people. I guess it displays his priorities, and with 10 years of failures in policy whilst a government member, I guess it should come as no surprise that he cannot be bothered to discuss with and sees no political benefit to his party in listening to what First Nations people have to say.
Paul Sainsbury, Blackalls Park
Treaty is the only way forward
AT the mere mention of a Makerata, Peter Dutton puffed himself up into fulminating mode and said flatly that there will be no Makerata under any government led by him.
He forgets that when the last attempt at a Makerata was bellowed and screamed into oblivion, it was promptly followed by the Mabo case. And then Wik. In my opinion there are all sorts of loopholes and gaps in the law which Indigenous people can make use of, and nobody knows where they are until someone, somewhere, opens one of them up. Does the word minefield mean anything to Peter Dutton?
A treaty is the only way both to prevent this and to create known and stable conditions for the delivery of practical arrangements for Indigenous people. Peter Dutton wants us to think practical arrangements are close to his heart, but I believe he actually prefers instability and confusion. There's a question which he has to answer: how many more Mabo cases do you want?
Grant Agnew, Coopers Plains
Crucial moment may pass us by
GARRY Linnell was very down to Earth this week with his story of discovery from a visit to the Arctic ("A warming view of our perilous future", Opinion, 3/8). The risk analysis doesn't bear thinking about a catastrophe that is already slowly but clearly happening.
I too have been blown away by the seriousness of climate change, reading ANU scientist Dr.Joelle Gergis's recent book Humanity's Moment. Taking her softly softly science-speak hat off, Dr Gergis bares the facts in a heart-rending story while she battles work pressures and depression sifting through all the damning evidence of our society's neglect and consequences. It's all part of her uncompensated contribution to the IPCC consensus.
One fact stands out for me. The quantity of greenhouse gas in our sky today is already higher than the world has seen for millions of years, long before mankind existed. Atmospheric CO2 and temperature is now changing at least 10 times quicker than it has done in all of human history, moving us back towards a prehistoric climate. Judging by history, this won't just bounce back in a year or two. Earth was quite happy for the 60 million year reign of dinosaurs in a world more than 8 degrees warmer with no ice at the poles.
It seems humanity playing with fire has become a massive uncontrolled experiment with life-threatening consequences. Luckily for our generation, the ice is slow to melt but the growing heatwaves, storms and fires are proving not so kind. It's little wonder that those in the know keep calling for more urgent action and are devastated by each new gas and coal mine that Australia approves. Sadly, money cares not for our future.
Tom Hunt, Oak Flats
'Affordable' just doesn't add up
EVERY house is affordable to someone, but whom? What house is affordable to the single pensioner? Is that even the target; or is there no target - just a buzz phrase for electoral support? What if the single pensioner was the target?
A pensioner receives $530 per week, so where is the house for rent at $530? That's still their entire income. Where is it at $477 - 90 per cent of their income, or even more affordable rates? Where at $106, 20 per cent of the income. The late Bob Menzies said that should be the target of affordable housing.
Having the rent of 15 per cent of a development at 10 per cent less than the rest is not affordable to the vulnerable unless the 15 per cent rent comes below $212 per week. This does not happen and every government assistance program in place today makes housing less affordable to the most vulnerable. Time for honesty for a change.
Milton Caine, Birmingham Gardens
Don't bust the boomers over cash shortfalls
SARAH Taylor ("A killer cycle is taxing the public health system", Letters, 1/8), I am one of the boomers you say should be paying tax on my superannuation. I worked until I was 66 and a half, paid tax all my working life, never been on the dole. People of my age and circumstance have earned the right to some small amount of largesse from the government. I also pay for private health cover. Don't you dare touch my super.
Richard Dempsey, New Lambton
Health decline has hit us hard
AS a public servant who has just retired from our health system after 48 years of service it has been difficult to watch its gradual decline, particularly over the last 20 years. We used to have the best system in the world. Yes, the only way to reverse this problem will be to increase taxes. Unless there is some magical solution like money grows on trees.
Colin Rowlatt, Newcastle
Democratic rights are paramount
JOHN Arnold ("Glimpse into a polarised US vote", Letters 1/8), what is your point? I hope you're not suggesting that Trump supporters are displaying anything other than their democratic right to vote for whomever they choose. A democratic right that apparently doesn't exist in the Democrat Party where their elected candidate was replaced by someone whom nobody voted for.
Greg Hunt, Newcastle West
Little in policies to inspire pride
ALBO frothed over Barnaby Joyce's use of hyperbolic bullets, but I believe it's far more execrable that he seems eager to blow holes in Australia's future. Apologies aside, he and Dutton have little to be proud of with their retrograde policies.
Peter Ronne, Woodberry
Cabinet shuffle's on the nose
A CABINET reshuffle reminds me of stirring the scum on the cesspool at the waste water treatment plants. In reality the waste water treatment plant cleans up its act though.
