You will always like what you see in the mirror but the view from the window is more illuminating. While we like to think we are predominantly decent and fair, such an assessment flies in the face of evidence presented by numerous groups about our detention centres, including repeated UN reports and the notorious Guardian leaks. If our politicians reflect us – and in our poll-driven democracy they probably do – then it is entirely possible that a majority of Australians are actually self-centred, insular, xenophobic bigots or worse. Ever since John Howard uncorked the dark side of the national psyche to exploit One Nation and the Tampa for political gain both major parties have understood the power of a nod and a wink to bigotry and believe it is political death to be a flag-bearer for human rights. In fact, when did you last hear a politician argue for a bill of rights? Any conversation around the barbecue will tell you most people simply don't give a stuff. There will be little relief for our imprisoned refugees without genuine leadership and bipartisan support to break the stalemate. Little chance of that until as a nation we see ourselves as the rest of the world sees us and we are ashamed.
Charles Shepherd, Brighton
Our generous spirit has been perverted
We used to be the nation of the fair go, supporter of the underdog, generous donor to the needy. Not any more. In the face of some of the greatest humanitarian disasters, due to conflicts and climate change, Australia has reduced its foreign aid to the lowest ever level (as a percentage of national income). And now the UN's Committee on the Rights of Children declares to the world that our refugee processing centres are "inhuman". What a riposte to the Prime Minister's lecturing to other nations about how to run a successful refugee scheme.
Have we truly become the racist, selfish nation these actions indicate or is the innate Australian trait of generosity of spirit still present but perverted and manipulated by government for ideological reasons. The fact that one of the worst proponents of these obscene policies, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton, has spent $8million of our money on spin and communications might point to the latter. I have great faith, however, that the other ingrained Australian trait, the bullshit detector, will ultimately win out.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick
In a black hole with no way out
Time is running out for "criminals" who have committed no crime. I speak regularly with a young man who is in offshore detention. He is such a victim. He has work – at the local rate of $2.50-$4.50 per hour. He tells me he and fellow refugees and asylum seekers are "in a black hole with no way out". Many of us who have lived and worked in the offshore detention sector know the truth. But we cannot speak. It is the risk to our future employment that keeps us dumb, not government sanctions. To speak out means we will never again be employed doing the work we love. These people are the victims of our governments. I will weep when Australia apologises to these people, who have suffered enough. Support them to heal. Work with regional colleagues to set up pathways to settlement in countries where they can begin to plan a future.
Name and address withheld
THE FORUM
The moral low ground
Yes, they do things differently in Queensland ("Gay marriage? Not in (regional) Queensland", 9/10). I know because I lived there and it's a great place with people of all views and persuasions. But the people of Maranoa represent a paltry 0.6 per cent of registered voters of Australia. I'm sure if rural Queenslanders were asked to list their concerns they would focus on infrastructure, education, health services, population and employment retention and that same sex marriage wouldn't rate a mention.
Christiansen, Bernardi, Abbott and all the other defenders of the moral low ground are focused on trying to stamp their brand of "Christian" values on the nation. It makes me wonder, though, if there are no gays in their villages why is it top of their agenda? Surely there are more important issues. But what a great way of keeping voters distracted from scrutinising what you've actually achieved for them.
Lisa Marquette, Kew East
Take test to leave
Individuals applying for Australian citizenship have to complete a test. In the light of the actions of the "Budgie Nine" (News, 9/10), perhaps Australian citizens travelling overseas should have to complete a test before they are allowed to leave the country.
Chrissie Schubert, Windsor
Spread sympathy
While Mathias Cormann felt sorry for Budgie Niner Jack Walker, who resigned his job with Christopher Pyne, I wonder if the Finance Minister could also feel any sorrow for the young people and others trying to survive on Newstart and other pensions, let alone those traumatised people, including children, we have sent to Nauru and Manus and who have not done anything wrong.
Joan Lynn, Williamstown
Back up the fine words
Mental Health Week ended yesterday. The Victorian government would have a lot more credibility if its deeds matched its fine-sounding policies. In 2014, an international commission rated Australia the sixth worst country for workplace bullying, compared with 31 European countries. Victoria's public sector has particularly high bullying rates. Yet, the government has not had one public education campaign on bullying and its association with cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and gastro–intestinal illnesses, diabetes, brain damage, PTSD and other serious conditions; as well as family breakdown and suicide.
Rather, the state government is a notoriously fierce litigant. It funds top-tier law firms, including with million-dollar bonuses, to prevent injured workers' access to restorative health support.
Barbara Chapman, Hawthorn
Cut back work visas
Surely some of the solution to unemployment and, particularly, youth unemployment is as simple as significantly cutting back the working visa system. In the past when one engaged a tradesman or used a small business service they usually had an apprentice or "regular" employee. Now when one goes to the hairdresser, eats at a restaurant, buys clothes, engages a plumber, carpenter, painter or talks to people who use contractors, most are using "visitors" on visas. Many of these people would not hold their current qualifications if someone had not taken them on as an apprentice.
They typically say it is too expensive to use Australian youth/apprentices, which seems to indicate the wages they pay are less for visa holders, yet the government says this is not so.
Jenny Callaghan, Hawthorn
Vital personal contact
There is another reason why supermarkets should reassess the value of self-serve checkouts (apart from theft and reduced employment). It's called human interaction. With increasing automation a person could spend an entire day out without talking to anyone: no need to ask for a ticket when using public transport, or chat to the butcher, or the teller when you do your banking. For many who are largely housebound this contact might be the only time they talk to others. With depression and loneliness becoming more prevalent, face-to-face contact in society is vital. And when the technology inevitably fails, a human is needed to fix it anyway.
Catherine Boal, Waldara
Express now slow lane
How dare the CEO of Australia Post call it a "service". In four months, I've had two Express parcels go astray, with one eventually returned to sender, despite an accurate address and exorbitant payment. One letter, with $1 stamp and 50c priority paid, took 10 days to reach a relative five suburbs away. Another with no postcode but a correct interstate address took three weeks to arrive. And finally, a priority paid letter from Hobart took 12 days to arrive in Sydney. Who is running this circus? The clowns are not funny, just unprofessional.
Janet Upcher, Battery Point, Tasmania
Rush is on for drugs
What on earth is happening when I go to buy more of the medication I've been taking for many years to find it is unavailable and will remain so for some time. The explanation is that China has emptied the warehouse; the reason being the quality of our medication is higher than theirs.
Megan Terry, Deepdene
Just slow down a bit
Infrastructure Victoria's proposals are predictable (Opinion, 9/10). Lots of ideas about adding to our badly overstretched infrastructure, but far too little, far too late and spread out over 30 years because of a shortage of money. Meantime we add about 100,000 people a year. The only solution is ever the old mantra of build in the middle suburbs, especially the east and south. Roads, public transport, schools, hospitals and so on in the middle suburbs are already stretched to breaking points. Why won't any group ever call for a slow down to immigration? It seems we are simply not clever enough to keep the economy going except by building more houses. Meanwhile, small European countries are going in for super high tech.
Mary Drost, convener, Planning Backlash
Many uses of car spot
The Nightingale apartment project in Sydney Road, Brunswick, (News, 2/10), is being presented as having a higher moral outcome than other developments. The failure to provide car parking is common with current developments, green or otherwise, and benefits nobody except the developers who are spared the cost of providing infrastructure and can squeeze more out of the space. The costs are directly transferred to the community, nowhere more so than in Sydney Road, Brunswick, which is already ludicrously overcrowded.
A car space is merely a storage facility provided so a resident may store a car, boat, golf clubs or investment portfolio. There is no obligation to use it for a four-wheeled vehicle. With some security the average car space could contain any number of electric bicycles if one chose.
David Trembath, Brunswick
Back off, truck drivers
It is perhaps due to the increasing congestion on freeways that truck drivers – mostly male – drive on the Monash Freeway in a way to intimidate other road users. In my experience they regularly exceed speed limits but worse is the way they tailgate other traffic, including their own kind. Speed can be somewhat controlled by cameras and fines but the tailgating requires driver goodwill. These large, heavy vehicles, travelling at high speed closely behind other fragile vehicles, simply cannot avoid tragic outcomes if something goes wrong.
Of course, much of what trucks carry on our roads ought to be transported by rail. And companies should pay more for the greater damage trucks do to our roads compared to lighter vehicles. But this is unlikely to happen in the short term. In the meantime speed limits should be drastically cut and a culture of courtesy taught to all road users.
Ralph Blunden, Hawthorn
Open up Southern Cross
I carefully plotted how to get to Melbourne airport early one morning. The all-night weekend trains would still be running at 5am to get me to Southern Cross station to meet the SkyBus. But no! Thwarted. Southern Cross (a major Victorian departure point) is closed early on weekend mornings, so trains bypass it and hurtle on to Flinders Street station. A reliable, economical rail service is sorely needed.
Diana Greentree, Preston
One step in long road
I agree with Amrit Dhillon that it will take more than one movie like Pink to chip away at misogyny (World, 9/10). The script required the person who "saves the women" to be an elderly male lawyer with psychiatric/psychogeriatric issues who's on medication. That role was played to near perfection by the legendary Amitabh Bachchan. Hopefully this film will be a harbinger of other such movies but with a woman standing up for women.
Arunava Das, Sunbury