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It was probably only a matter of time before the Voice constitutional debate descended into real acrimony. Unsurprisingly, Pauline Hanson has emerged as a stout defender of the 1901 Constitution authored by white men (“‘I want a say’: Hanson seeks role writing Voice vote’s No booklet”, 18/5). In a sign of what’s to come, she says Indigenous campaigners “want their own black state” .
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Meanwhile, those lower-profile right-wing conservatives in federal parliament exaggerating the potential influence of Indigenous Voice representatives in dealings with “executive government” are effectively dog whistling on behalf of the Queensland senator.
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According to constitutional law professor George Williams, “there’s no requirement for truth or accuracy” in the material arguing against the Voice referendum. Presumably this applies equally to information provided to support it. No wonder we’re living in the era of “fake news” if truth is no longer a prerequisite, even for a subject as significant as a change to our Constitution.
The question your article begs is who is organising, authoring, and vetting the official pamphlet outlining the Yes and No arguments on the Voice? The pamphlet will be the major document from parliament on the Voice. Surely, every parliamentarian would insist that all material it contains must be able to be trusted.
We should bear in mind that many unelected lobbyists appear to have free and easy access to our federal parliamentarians. Exactly who are they, who do they represent, what influence or power do they have on decision-making? These should be easy questions to answer. There is no reason to fear for our democracy or Constitution with an Indigenous Voice to parliament. We will know who the people are, who they represent and what influence they have. It will be a transparent and scrutinised process. Lobbyists on the other hand?
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Your correspondent argues that “Parliament hears ‘voices’ all the time”, and the First Nations Voice guarantees them “the right to speak and be heard”. What then is the significance of it, when everyone already has the right to have a say? One reason the Voice is likely to fail is because it appears to be merely a token gesture, “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”.
If the Voice is to have half a chance of succeeding, the proposal should drop the reference to the executive arm of government and leave it as a Voice to parliament. The concern about government being tied up in litigation if the executive is included is resonating even if it hasn’t much basis in law or legal practice.
It is a disgrace that the referendum on an Indigenous Voice to parliament has become politicised when it is an issue that should unite all Australians. Our country has everything to gain by voting Yes in the referendum and nothing to lose.
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Mick Gooda is wise to advocate for a compromise (“Voice advocate’s compromises plea”, 18/5). We need to go further to address the concerns of the undecided. If removing the reference to “the executive” would do it, it should be done. It is primarily about mandating MPs to listen to First Nations people in matters that concern them. Something small, yet so great.
Tuesday’s tragic school bus incident in Eynesbury highlights the dangerous capabilities of heavy vehicles on our roads. While we’re not sure of the circumstances of the Eynesbury incident, travelling along Geelong Road each week I am appalled to see heavy vehicles leaving insufficient space behind other vehicles and some blatantly tailgating.
At 100km/h some of these large heavy vehicles would need in the vicinity of 100-200 metres to stop safely, yet most do not allow such leeway. Also some car drivers do not respect a truck’s road space, compounding the situation. To all drivers, private and commercial, rushing and aggression have no place on our roads. Driving is a privilege.
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A great article by Chris Richardson (“Negative gearing isn’t the problem – it’s NIMBYs like me”, 18/5) on housing problems. I have to admit being a bit of a NIMBY myself at times but I have also long recognised the need for more and affordable housing. Certainly planning and heritage issues are crimping sensible options for housing and ongoing amenity. Here in Ashburton we have Boroondara Council wanting to put a heritage overlay on the shopping centre even though not one building is of heritage significance and nothing is seen by the experts as of aesthetic significance.
Don’t overplay the NIMBY card. Community involvement is deliberate, it ensures that councils see the full picture. Planners accommodate future population growth and create a long-term pipeline of development opportunities. Planning is not a barrier, it is a “lane marker” for the right types of housing growth in the right places. Planners understand housing supply is vital for successful cities, but does not in the short run make much difference in prices.
For a deeper fix we need to look at not just negative gearing, but the range of incentives that supercharge demand. In the meantime, planning must continue to shape better and more productive places to live in.
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When the economic commentariat sets the example of being YIMBYs and dropping their quality of life by living in or next to the bleak and jam-packed edifices that are currently passed off as the future of affordable housing, then maybe they will earn some street cred.
Peter Dutton has stated, “If you want your house price to go down, Jim Chalmers is working up the solution to it. It’s to kill off negative gearing, which will undermine investment.” Dutton and the Liberals have essentially admitted that their taxation policies have caused housing to become so unaffordable that 70 per cent of young Australians now believe they will never be able to afford a home (
, 26/2). I am a home owner but my two children are not. If there was an election on the issue of negative gearing, I know which way I would vote.
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Borrowing to buy into an investment, whether it be a business, shares or property, is a legitimate activity where interest and expenses are tax-deductible. Without investment, you don’t get productivity. In many instances, losses ensue. Take the case of the 1600 or so apartments earmarked for cladding replacement where landlords bought in good faith, hoping to rent them out. Now many will be ruined. Anti negative gearers need to think outside the square.
(“Negative gearing isn’t the problem”, “To progressives, Labor’s honeymoon is over” and “The rich get richer: Wealth of nation’s top 1 per cent rises sharply”) together summarise why the government is damned if it does and damned if it doesn’t. If it wants to appeal to the wealthy (and aspirational) it needs to hold firm on stage 3 tax cuts and ensure the value of the home continues to rise, while if it wants to help their traditional voter base, they need to adopt policies at odds with the above. No wonder it seems as though nothing is being done, because how can it?
The cancellation of US President Joe Biden’s visit to Australia and his address to our parliament (“Cancelling Quad ‘a blow’ to US power play”, 18/5) is concerning, not so much on how the US views Quad but as a demonstration of how the US will always act in its own self-interest, particularly with ANZUS. Australia went to war in Vietnam and Iraq etc because of its commitment to ANZUS in the hope this would provide insurance against aggression towards our own country. Biden’s no-show demonstrates US internal priorities will always trump the interest of its partners.
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Given the billions in money, troops and hardware deployed by the US in our region, I find it extraordinary that Farrah Tomazin (“Quad? When it comes to the US domestic politics trumps everything”, 17/5) argues that the cancellation of Biden’s trip to Australia “does not reflect well on America’s reliability as a partner”. Tomazin fails to take into account the depth and breadth of the relationship.
Stuart Robert’s resignation means taxpayers will have to foot the bill for a byelection. The Australian Electoral Commission’s published data suggests that will cost us somewhere between $2.5-$4 million. It’s time for a change in laws so the party that holds the seat is made to meet a significant proportion of that cost. It might make MPs think twice about standing for election and then deciding it suits them to scuttle off.
I have now been besieged for months (years) by family, friends, the media, even total strangers, when it becomes evident that I have not, and am not watching
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. Genuine concern is expressed that I must have this yawning gap in my life that can only be filled by watching a family of, apparently, mega-rich, rude, maladjusted power junkies jockey for control of a media empire. I must, of course, watch from series one if I am to gain the full impact. If I remain