I went to a Catholic boarding school in the 1960s. It was a world of rules and judgment. My mistrust of dogma and convention started there. Two priests at the school were later convicted of paedophilia. I came of age with the election of Gough Whitlam, experiencing progress in attitudes around sexual freedom, education, discrimination, universal health and culture. For a time we forged a liberal, progressive Australian identity. Now I feel the winds of restrictions and judgment returning. Moves towards a republic and enlightened policy on climate change, gender, education and health are all trashed on the reef of neo-liberal conservatism. When I hear senators Bernardi, Abetz et al speak I see black soutanes spruiking obedience. And where paedophiles once preached suffer the little children, I hear politicians sprout greed is good.
Tony Newport, Hillwood, Tasmania
Focus on doing good
It is high time our MPs concentrated on the good they can do for the country rather than the damage they can do to their political opponents.
Les Terrill, Williamstown
No caring in the profession
I've been struggling to make sense of John Howard's logic that the Liberal Party is unlikely to ever have equal gender representation in Parliament because women still play the greater caring role. Let's not even go down the path of why men don't take more of a primary caring role. Is it because the demands of Parliament are too hard, with long hours, late nights and lots of stress? Because then we might as well say there could never be 50 per cent representation of women in the field of nursing. Or is there too few women without babies at our hips to fill so many seats? But consider the many thousands of female teachers, principals, lawyers and doctors. Or is it because he thinks being a politician is impossible for those accustomed to caring roles? Yes, that would be the most logical. Because politics no longer seems to have nothing to do with caring.
Teresa Dowding, Seaholme
Creations eclipse their creators
I've long thought the relationship between John Howard and Pauline Hanson is similar to that between Barry Humphries and Dame Edna Everage. In each case: the latter is the creation of the former (Hanson would have disappeared but for Howard making her notorious by having her disendorsed as a Liberal Party candidate); the latter says what the former thinks but can't say; and the latter has tended to outshine, if not outlast, the former.
Robert Keogh, Crawley, WA
Abbott waiting in the wings
All this talk about how we don't respect politicians and our democracy is going down the drain. Well, blame the rote politician Tony Abbott, who simply could not show respect to our first female PM. For three years, we were subjected, parrot-like, to slogans: "bad government" and "worst government in history", as he stood in front of signs proclaiming "Ditch the Witch" and "Bob Brown's Bitch". The disrespectors were trained well. Now to our horror, we see Mr Abbott waiting in the wings, hoping to return to his old job. We've not seen the end of our rote teacher.
Rosalie Watson, Scottsdale, Tas
Bank rip-off is galling
I now understand why the Labor Party wants a royal commission into the banks. After being advised by bank staff that a travel card was "the way to go" for a trip to Britain, I applied for one at an ANZ branch and put $20,000 on it. This equated to £9918. While away, I withdrew £1900 at various ATMs and was told on my return home that my balance was £8104. So far so good. Then the rip-off came fully into play. This week, I notified the ANZ that I wanted to cash in my travel card. I received an SMS from the bank's travel card services informing me I had been credited with $13,538.26. The privilege of putting money on a travel card and withdrawing £1900 cost me $3100.
Even when allowing for minor adjustments in exchange rates, the situation is still one of daylight robbery. And I suggest travellers tread carefully with how they arrange access to cash.
Ric Acott, Greensborough
Peace long time coming
What is happening in society that the Commonwealth Bank is not held accountable for fraud and mismanagement? For an elderly woman to be still fighting for compensation is reprehensible (News, 4/9). Two-thirds of her money has been repaid but the bank is stalling on the remainder. Clients need protection against policies that cause such unimaginable stress. If this client is finally compensated, she may be able to rest in peace. But it would be preferable if she could live in peace long before.
Chris Durie, Hawthorn East
Rethink campaigns
It's said we need donations because campaigns cost so much. What if, at election time, the government of the day just said, on free-to-air media: "This is what we've done and what we will do." The opposition would say: "This is why you should change the government." The Greens and any party with a significant number of representatives would have the same media access. All local candidates, of whatever party, would get a basic level of public funding if they had enough registered supporters.
No big advertising campaigns, no mass mail-outs and no robocalls. The people who care stay abreast of political events; those who don't would be no worse off than when they are swamped by emotive, misleading ads. I'd like to see the costings of such a basic, factual campaign.
Joan Kerr, Geelong,
A false economy
The government's decision to cut the funding of the Bureau of Statistics has proved to be a false economy. The fallout from the census debacle continues, and taxpayers will no doubt foot the bill for the copious advertising required to soothe all the valid privacy concerns. The media reminds us daily to complete the census if we've yet to do so. Not only has the census been an expensive farce, its data is highly likely to be unreliable. It calls into question the Liberals' much-vaunted economic credentials.
Anne Layton-Bennett, Swan Bay, Tasmania
Spending choices
Our Treasurer tells us the budget is in crisis. So we have to cut back on optional expenditure such as health, welfare, climate science and renewable energy infrastructure so we can spend $1.2 billion a year flouting international law on human rights through offshore detention, let alone spend $160 million on a plebiscite that is basically about the legal definition of the word "marriage". Strange priorities.
Bill Godfrey, Mt Stuart, Tas
Repairing our climate
Prime Minister, what would be absolutely immoral is handing our children and grandchildren a global temperature above the crucial tipping point. Budgets can be repaired, but rampant climate change threatens civilisation. Belated repairs to the atmosphere would be beyond our descendants' best efforts.
Geoff Parr, West Hobart, Tas
Ban microbeads now
It is well past time Australia followed the lead of the British and banned the use of microbeads, particles found in face scrubs and body washes and other household products. The micro-plastics get taken up by life forms as small as plankton, then accumulate up the food chain. There is more than adequate proof they endanger sea life. The weak "voluntary phase-out" by 2018 is not good enough. These products should be removed from shelves forthwith.
Michael O'Brien, Carlton
Do job right first time
The Rail Future Institute has a plan to have 200km/h trains and a fast line to the airport by 2030. Great, but I doubt if I will be alive to see it. The plan also calls for quadruplication of the tracks from Caulfield to Dandenong. The line's controversial sky-rail project will get rid of levels crossings, which is imperative, but the sky rail won't make room for more trains or enable them to run any faster. Why aren't four tracks being built now? Having worked in design and development as a professional engineer, I know only too well the cost of not doing a design properly in the first place. It may cost a little more now to do it right, but it is much cheaper in the long run.
Graeme Madigan, Brighton
Bully-boy tactics
I was an employer representative in a number of enterprise bargaining negotiations and experienced the bully boy tactics and histrionics of some union officials who were supposedly representing their members. It says a lot to me that Labor MP Jane Garrett stood up to the United Firefighters Union and refused to buckle, yet Daniel Andrews intervened and gave in almost overnight. I am willing to speculate the Premier gave in on all the major points Garrett so valiantly opposed on behalf of all Victorians.
Royden James, Murchison
Welcome boost
I doubt the "no" campaign against same-sex marriage will be well resourced. There is simply no return on investment for any business, with the added danger of alienating customers. On the "yes" side, everyone from wedding reception venues, photographers, honeymoon holiday resorts and a host of other businesses would support the anticipated boost in business. And no doubt divorce lawyers would be salivating, as the problems that bedevil heterosexual marriage would occur in same-sex unions.
Chris Bennett, Carrum
More players will join in
Peter Waterhouse (Letters, 2/9) describes marriage as "society's most intimate institution", then dismisses it as a "lifestyle demand of a minority". If it is our most intimate social institution, then by definition it must be the most intimate institution for that minority as well, in which case they should be allowed to partake in it. If it is simply a lifestyle choice, there is no justification for laws restricting access to it. There need be no concern about "shifting the goal posts". It will remain the same game on the same ground, only with more players allowed to join in. This is scarcely reason enough to justify a plebiscite.
Kris Hansen, Ringwood
Repressive symbol
To some people the wearing of the burkini swimsuit is a symbol of Islamic suppression of women. The fact it is not permissible for Western men or women to appear on a beach, or any other public place (except a nudist beach), without covering their genitalia can be seen as a repressive symbol of Christianity. Particularly considering the negative concept of nakedness is linked to the biblical story of Adam and Eve and the belief that nakedness is sinful. Thus the condemnation of the dress code of Muslim women is hypocritical.
Leigh Ackland, Deepdene
Please leave me be
I fought long and hard in the 1970s so women can wear whatever they want. I burn easily and I like to feel covered. I wear a burkini (minus the veil). I don't ask you to put clothes on so please don't ask me to wear less.
Karen Lloyd, Emerald
Good for the goose
I understand the sentiment behind Jacinta Tynan's "Boy, Oh Boy" (Sunday Life, 4/9). I am the grandmother of four boys. Yes, not one girl will follow my line. No one to watch, proudly, as she impresses other grandmothers who admire her (obvious superior) ballet skills, no one to play female romantic leads in amateur shows. And, yes, I have my international doll collection in my show cabinet, waiting to be passed on. So far none of the four boys is showing any interest.
Of course I love all my grandsons and have learnt to love whatever they do, forgive them their toilet humour and their various sports that I know nothing about, and to accept their lack of interest in my ornaments and heirloom jewellery. But why are the dolls here in my cupboard? It's because my daughter didn't want them either!
Christine Davies, Mt Eliza