Sticking to the plan
Michael Pascoe’s commentary on housing policy is so important (“Betting the houses”, May 18-24). There’s been a deliberate engineering of the “housing crisis” as an issue for middle-class Millennials wanting to purchase a home, when the real problem is a lack of stable, affordable housing for many people, including the homeless, those on public housing waiting lists and renters. In New South Wales, the Property Council proudly announced it was the original architect of the Transport Oriented Development reforms. Premier Chris Minns has abrogated his responsibility to serve the people by allowing a powerful developer and investor lobby group to dictate housing plans that seek to override local and heritage planning controls while offering minimal affordable housing. Minns and his developer mates have chosen to maintain the “disastrous status quo” while simultaneously blaming ordinary residents, councils, and heritage protections for this dire situation.
– Marie Healy, Hurlstone Park, NSW
Bring them home
The failure of the government to repatriate the Australian women and children in Syrian camps is morally wrong and stupid (Jason Koutsoukis, “No way home”, May 18-24). These people have a right, under whatever security measures are considered necessary, to life in Australia. This is the moral side of the argument made by many humanitarian organisations. The other point is that leaving children and adolescents in the dire conditions of the camps is, if they survive, only likely to make them resentful at their rejection by Australia.
– Juliet Flesch, Kew, Vic
Wheels falling off
Rick Morton’s article is a timely reminder that outsourcing and privatisation wreak havoc on society (“The consultant and the millions”, May 18-24). Reading of the debacle that befell Meals on Wheels truly makes one’s head spin, as its governance was handballed from entity to entity in order to eventually provide someone a profit; until the whole fell over in a fragmented mess. Needless to say, Meals on Wheels is no better off. Fragmentation of core business is sadly a common result of outsourcing, leaving clients without services. The fantasy that private enterprise can fairly provide for social ills has passed its use-by date. We should applaud senators’ attempts to expose these poor practices so that expert organisations might be better supported to enable proper, public-centred policy.
– Gil Anaf, Norwood, SA
Time to jump ship
The Labor MPs who spoke publicly against Labor’s Future Gas Strategy – a cut-and-paste job from the Morrison government’s gas-fired policy – might well consider a move to the Greens as Adam Bandt has suggested (“Inside Labor’s gas rebellion”, May 18-24). Along with Labor’s strategy to use and expand gas beyond 2050, its proposed draconian amendments to the Migration Act, its decision to leave JobSeeker at a rate well below the poverty line, and its weasel words on Israel’s relentless bombardment of Gaza despite the International Court of Justice’s binding orders, are just some of the reasons why Labor MPs might consider a move to the Greens before the next election.
– Angela Smith, Clifton Hill, Vic
Fundamental truth
When Justice David Mossop concluded David McBride was a man “obsessed with the correctness of his own opinions” (Editorial, May 18-24), he was stating a fundamental truth. To “out” the truth, whistleblowers must surely be driven by a sense of their correctness. This is more than can be attributed to our attorney-general, whose fundamental responsibility is the protection of the rule of law. This contains two clear principles that seem relevant in McBride’s case. First, that the law is open to free criticism and, second, no one is above the law. The first of these applies to McBride’s actions because the law was abused in Afghanistan. The second applies to defence chiefs and others who seem to consider themselves above the law and have turned a blind eye to the injustices identified by McBride. If they had taken McBride’s allegations seriously it would have demonstrated their commitment to integrity.
– David Wilson, Rothwell, Qld
Artistic inquiry
To premise that “science” is at the root of a loss of poetry is simplistic if not erroneous (Stan Grant, “The end of poetry”, May 18-24). Science is a philosophy of discovery. It asks questions and seeks answers using its own language and methods. By its very nature it expands the mind to greater possibilities. The writer of fiction or poetry also asks questions of the world and seeks those answers within their own construct of the world. Science does not kill creativity or imagination. It revels in the cerebral gymnastics of the mind to push boundaries. It provides an understanding of the world that is not possible with the constraints and intellectual limitations of the dogma of theological constructs.
– Eddy Cannella, North Perth, WA
Stan fan
Reading Stan Grant is a gift but a sad one. Sadness is what he asks we sit with. The humanities allow us to harbour pain. While Grant’s scholarly examples are awe-inspiring, they point to something much more important: that we employ history to inform naysayers, that we not relent in guiding others to the use of both language and science, that we recognise the paradox that is hurt and pain along the high road to beauty. Remaining hopeless in stasis is not acceptable. Actioning hope is, since the most important poem is our humanity. Thank you, Stan, for being both provocateur and teacher.
– Lissa Barnum, Meroo Meadow, NSW
For almost a decade, The Saturday Paper has published Australia’s leading writers and thinkers.We have pursued stories that are ignored elsewhere, covering them with sensitivity and depth.We have done this on refugee policy, on government integrity, on robo-debt, on aged care,on climate change, on the pandemic.
All our journalism is fiercely independent. It relies on the support of readers.By subscribing to The Saturday Paper, you are ensuring that we can continue to produce essential,issue-defining coverage, to dig out stories that take time, to doggedly hold to accountpoliticians and the political class.
There are very few titles that have the freedom and the space to produce journalism like this.In a country with a concentration of media ownership unlike anything else in the world,it is vitally important. Your subscription helps make it possible.
Select your digital subscription
