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WAR

Critical eye needed on Canberra’s war powers

The revulsion engendered by the Ben Roberts-Smith case is tough on the vast majority of principled, courageous members of our armed forces. It could be a catalyst for review of the role of political leaders, who for 60 years have taken us into a series of disastrous wars, often at the urging of the United States.

Some observers assert that Coalition governments believe they have a political, competitive advantage over Labor on national security. Some even suggest that part of the motivation for the Albanese government’s rubber stamping of initiatives such as the AUKUS nuclear submarine deal, and the demonisation of China, is fear of being “wedged” on national security.

World War I cost 20 million lives and Rudyard Kipling wrote, “If any question why we died, tell them because our fathers lied.” Missteps today threaten our survival. The war powers of the Australian government are awesome responsibilities, and our alliance with the US involves increasing national security risks. It is surely time for critical review of both.
Norman Huon, Port Melbourne

Danger in politicisation of our armed services

Over the past decade, successive conservative governments have actively played the “patriotic ticket” to place our armed forces, and more particularly the Special Air Service Regiment, on a pedestal above reproach. They have been aided and abetted by a phalanx of public relations staff (many of them former journalists) in the Defence Department and the commercial media. Any questioning of this approach has drawn severe criticism for investigative journalists.

No one wishes to denigrate the former and current men and women of the Defence Force, and the recent reports do not in any way do this. However, we should, out of hand, reject the blatant politicisation of the armed services.
Richard Caven, Melbourne

Journalists need to fill out the big picture

The court’s decision having been made, it is untenable to accuse The Age of “gloating” (Letters, 5/6) when its journalists are merely filling in the background of things they could not previously report on, including Ben Roberts-Smith’s egregious attempts to muzzle those soldiers who were to testify to the truth (Sunday Age, 4/6).
Bill Pell, Emerald

Our individual role in the invasion of Afghanistan

While many people indulge in moral superiority over Ben Roberts-Smith, it is worth remembering a few salient points. First, all wars produce war crimes by all sides. Some sides more than others, but all nevertheless. Second, can each of us genuinely know we would not commit war crimes should we be in his situation?

Third and perhaps most important, what were our forces doing there in the first place? The invasion may have gained the legal imprimatur of the UN Security Council, but that counts for little. The invasion was predicated on the US’ blind rage after the 2001 attacks. It was both an unjustified response and a fool’s errand given Afghanistan’s reputation as the graveyard of empires.

Before we condemn Roberts-Smith, we should look to ourselves and question why we chose, or were manipulated into accepting, participation in an invasion of a desperately poor country on the other side of the world that posed no threat whatsoever to us.
Mark Freeman, Macleod

Courage and determination to reveal the truth

Journalists Nick McKenzie and Chris Masters should get the VCs (“Valiant Correspondents”) for valour in the presence of the enemy. For withstanding attacks and threats in defending speaking truth to power. Thank you.
Keith Gove, Hawthorn

THE FORUM

Freedom at long last

Kathleen Folbigg, who was convicted over the deaths of her four young children, has been pardoned and freed from prison after a landmark inquiry concluded there is reasonable doubt about her guilt (The Age, 5/6). It was comforting to read that she has some long-time friends and supporters who have stuck by her and will now welcome her home. One wonders how she will manage after 20years shut away from society’s progress. It must be very bewildering to be suddenly pushed out into the world. I hope that people everywhere will be kind and helpful to her.
Elaine O’Shannessy, Buxton

Doors open to privileged

It is hardly surprising that PwC is bringing in the public relations big guns to try to resurrect its reputation (The Age, 5/6). What is also significant is that these include a former ALP politician Stephen Conroy, a former ALP staffer and a former Liberal staffer.

The seamless movement between the four large consultancy firms, PR firms and politicians/political staffers has been known for some time. Arguably it represents an undermining of democratic values in that all sorts of doors are opened for the consulting firms by these political animals, doors closed to the majority of voters.
Greg Bailey, St Andrews

Ultimately spin won’t win

The PwC issue has become a massive grand opera performance of crisis management, corporate affairs and public relations consultants. The values, ethics and attitudes adopted by senior management, and the history of the firm, must have a critical influence on this crisis. Spin cannot win. The question one must ask is: Who is in charge and what are they doing about it?
Ross Campbell, Malvern

Room for more in my plot

Antoinette Lattouf (Comment, 5/6) writes of a “grave crisis” but the problem may not be as bad as one thinks.When I retired some years ago, I engaged in family history research, a fascinating connection with ancestors.

I was somewhat aghast to discover that many of my ancestors did not have gravestones or even markers. The installation of proper headstones brought me into contact with cemetery curators, who are full of information and happy to talk.

I was surprised to find that, as I had paid to install that headstone, in Sydney or Brisbane or Ballarat, I now owned the plot. The curators informed me that, should I wish it, I could add another family member or two to the plot. There was room.

I even found a historic little cemetery at Inverlochy in Scotland where I found I could access a plot for myself or a close relative, as I could prove I was a direct descendant of the 17th century “Covenanters”. Higher density dying perhaps. It’s almost a pity that I have bequeathed my body to science.
Kath McKay, Bayswater North

Recycling our bodies

At any age I don’t think it is morbid to consider what happens to your body when you are dead. It is facing reality. In a rapidly degrading planet, it is important to make a good choice. Cremation consumes energy and produces greenhouse gases. Being recycled to provide nutrients for bacteria, fungi and insects would be good parting gesture to the planet.
Leigh Ackland, Deepdene

Not so fantastic plastic

Unfortunately, reducing plastic waste because it ends up in landfill hasn’t been a catchy message. Banning plastic because it ends up in our bodies with unknown health consequences hits the mark. Victoria’s chief environmental scientist, Professor Mark Patrick Taylor, spells out the scary reality of plastics in our water, food and air, that end up in our lungs and even breastmilk (The Age, 2/6).
As the World Environment Day advertising feature demonstrated (The Age, 5/6), there are so many solutions to plastic pollution. Can we be bothered enough to implement them?

Consciously we can avoid buying plastic-wrapped products, but what if we could visit a supermarket which has already made that easy for us? Amsterdam opened the world’s first plastic-free supermarket in 2018. Surely Australians have an appetite to shift away from plastic.
Isabelle Henry, Ascot Vale

Double-edged tactics

Thank you for the articles marking World Environment Day. The stand-out piece explains clearly that Australia’s “population growth accelerates all environmental impacts”. The natural world is in dire straits, but most of the advocated remedies address just one contributing factor, people’s propensity to consume and pollute, and ignore the other, the number of consumers and polluters. To focus on one and not both factors will always be as frustrating and useless as trying to eat rice with one chopstick rather than two.
Ian Penrose, Kew

Adding to our landfill

In our apartment, a major contribution to our soft plastic is the plastic in which our copy of The Age is delivered. It does provide an alternative to cling wrap, but without soft-plastic recycling eventually it goes to landfill.
Bruce McKellar, Melbourne

Danger in the suburbs

How long does it take for the government to take action on these elongated transport vehicles? Road trains may be necessary in some regional areas but why are they allowed to dominate in the streets of Melbourne, particularly in the western suburbs? Not only do we see semi-trailers but trailers behind many of these units, so if you wish to overtake you put yourself in danger. It is time the transport authorities called time on the size and length of these vehicles. A curb is needed now.
Bruce MacKenzie, South Kingsville

Curbing our spending

As we nervously await the Reserve Bank’s decision in relation to interest rates, we should reflect on the fact that not all of us are experiencing mortgage or rental financial stress. Those of us who are still able to indulge in discretionary expenditure can do our bit to curb inflation. We don’t really need that new car or kitchen that we have waited six months for. If we cease to book overpriced Airbnb accommodation, owners will quickly revert to full-time tenants. This would help to reduce homelessness and inflation.
Richard McLoughlin, Dromana

Sorry, ‘succubus’ what?

Thank you, John Cummings (Letters, 5/6), for putting me out of my misery. Saturday’s Codewords puzzle was doing my head in. I would have never come up with the word “succubus”.
Margaret Randall, Richmond

Exercising grey matter

Ha ha, John Cummings. I haven’t done a Codewords puzzle for a couple of months so a few neural pathways needed clearing. I thought “succubus” and “moussaka” were a bit out of left field. A good challenge indeed, all the more satisfying when you crack it.
Janet Argeres, Brunswick East

Intellectuals’ nightmare

The remarks about Codewords are most inappropriate. Some of us have Mensa and lexicography meetings at the weekends and cannot attend to that puzzle until later in the week. To reveal the key so thoughtlessly on a Monday is quite reprehensible.
Catherine Edmonds, Parkville

An educational betrayal

Viewed from afar, the university sector seems to have succumbed to private enterprise values, with recognition and tenure for a few and exploitation for the rest. There is no question where that came from. Private sector practices in what remains basically a public sector is a betrayal of the purpose of universities as a public good. Where are the cries of outrage?
Tony Haydon, Springvale

Do we really need loop?

I write in response to “Victoria’s debt risks doubling in a decade, budget office warns” (Sunday Age, 4/6). Victoria is the only state or territory with a COVID debt repayment plan because the COVID-19 situation got so out of hand here, with more cases and deaths than any other state.

This has come at a huge cost, both financially and otherwise. I appreciate we needed to spend that money but I question whether the suburban rail loop, with its hefty price tag and which benefits so few, is really in the best interests of all Victorians? Particularly now that government spending needs to be reined in.
Yvonne Bowyer, Surrey Hills

Walking in protective gear

Melbourne’s footpaths are now zones for the seemingly unfettered use of motorised, takeaway food delivery drivers, cyclists and the ubiquitous e-scooter riders. With thoughtlessly discarded e-scooters adding an additional pavement hazard. These days the hapless pedestrian who uses footpaths needs to be fitted out in a padded, gridiron footballer outfit and wear a sturdy helmet.
Dennis Walker, North Melbourne

Why we need the Voice

One of the problems confronting the Yes campaign for the Voice is overcoming the lack of understanding that too many Australians have about basic structures and functions of government.
The Department of Indigenous Affairs is no more a voice for First Nations people than the Australian Taxation Office is a representative body for taxpayers. Putting aside the fact that it is largely staffed by non-Indigenous public servants, its role is to implement government policies and programs not represent Indigenous perspectives and advocate for First Nations people.
Richard Jamonts, Williamstown

Give me a real person

Nowadays when I telephone a business, I hardly ever get to speak to someone. It’s always “send us your query online”. I do and have rarely received a reply.
David Ginsbourg, East Bentleigh

AND ANOTHER THING

Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding

Ben Roberts-Smith

What is a war crime? War is a crime.
Carole Ruta, Cheltenham

The old truism comes to mind. There is no such thing as bad men, only bad officers.
Damon Ross, St Kilda East

It appears the War Memorial’s Kim Beazley has misread the room. Perhaps he should resign before more revelations are revealed about the SASR.
Rob Park, Surrey Hills

No wonder our Victoria Cross ″⁣hero″⁣ scored an own goal. It turns out he has feet of clay.
Greg Curtin, Blackburn South

Politics

Albanese is vastly better than Morrison in representing Australia overseas. Together with Wong and Marles, we have a formidable team.
John Walsh, Watsonia

The Voice is really all about disadvantage.
John Groom, Bentleigh

How can private schools describe themselves as ″⁣independent″⁣ while they receive substantial taxpayer funding?
James Proctor, Maiden Gully

Furthermore

PwC has a new spin doctor (5/6). An undertaker seems more appropriate.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton

We knew them as the big four consultancy firms. Then one was very naughty. Soon we’ll know them as the big three.
Phil Lipshut, Elsternwick

Marvel Stadium’s roof was closed on a beautiful Sunday evening. Since when did footy became an indoor game?
Bosko Marojevic, Williamstown

Do people in Kew write more letters than those in Alphington, as they seem to have more letter boxes?
Katriona Fahey, Alphington

The 18-year-old who is thinking of running in Warrandyte (5/6) may well give the middle-aged blokes a run for their money.
Myra Fisher, Brighton East

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