No one objects to governments legitimately recovering debt but sooling Centrelink onto society's most vulnerable in the callous, automated manner ("Centrelink tells debt letter recipients to call Lifeline", January 6) smacks of the totalitarian state – this from a government which laughably flaunts its liberalism. What next, the midnight knock on the door?
Some Aborigines have been terrified , a few reportedly verging on suicide. Starting with the 2013 Abbott budget debacle, the conservatives' vicious targeting of society's weakest and neediest has been unrelenting – the threat to health care, reluctance to boost funding for state education, failure to reform negative gearing, and much more. "Christian" Porter should change his name in shame.
![Illustration: Alan Moir](/web/20170108200730im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/n/7/2/6/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtmrjp.png/1483864111933.jpg)
Ron Sinclair Bathurst
In reply to Paul Norton (Letters, January 6), Centrelink already has the software and IT ability to assess your income on a fortnightly basis. It is called income reporting and is used for the aged pension.
![Illustration: John Shakespeare](/web/20170108200730im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/5/e/j/w/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gtmrjp.png/1483711454221.jpg)
I know this because I have to income report every fortnight and my aged pension varies according to my fortnight's income.
My income for some reporting periods may result in me not getting any aged pension payment.
It would not be difficult to do the same thing for other payments.
Terry Cook Ermington
Your story and letters in the Herald indicate rightly the concern widely held about the recovery of possible overpayments to beneficiaries of Centrelink.
However, the recovery of $300 million to date reveals there have been overpayments. In addition one would be extremely naive not to accept that among the many rightly entitled to community support there are a few unscrupulously exploiting the system and ripping off Centrelink and the taxpayer.
David Scarlett Killara
I am relatively computer savvy. I despair for anyone who is not, when they try to contact Centrelink online. It is frankly a nightmare. I recently had the occasion to contact them and found it quite impossible. When the system was changed some time ago, I wrote to the then minister, Scott Morrison, outlining the problem. I received the usual Morrison response – no reply. I urge the current minister or Centrelink executive to spend time trying to connect online or asking some elderly relative to try. They might realise just how difficult it can be for the general public. I found it better to set aside a couple of hours and wait on the phone.
Keith Hardie Caringbah
In the 1980's my elderly mother was petrified of Centrelink, and made sure I updated all new information regarding her few investments. Now it appears that it all has to be done online. At least I have a computer – but also need a mobile phone number. I have been trying to get online since March 2016. I wonder how many pensioners older than me (70) can manage all this new technology?
I also notice that the queue at our local Centrelink is now a lot smaller. In 2014 you could wait for an hour to talk to someone – not joking. I went this week to try to sort out why I couldn't get the computer access I needed. Three phone calls later and I am still waiting. It obviously gets to the stage where you say "Why bother?" I don't think I am the only one so if the government wants to cut back on Centrelink payments, my suggestion is to first fund Centrelink – but I think the horse has already bolted.
Glenys Quirk Forster
Instead of targeting the hapless group of people who supposedly owe Centrelink a debt why doesn't the government crack down on the countless trade people who demand cash for their services and the people who comply with their demands.
The pecuniary return would reap millions.
Elizabeth Maher Bangor
What I find puzzling about the Centrelink debacle is the refusal of the minister responsible to even consider that possibly there is a major problem. The refusal once again suggests that the government is contemptuous of the more vulnerable sections of the population.
Alan Morris Eastlakes
Centrelink's action appears to be in breach of principle 6.1 of the Australian Privacy Principles. If we had a tort of privacy in Australian law, Centrelink would be liable for damages, even if it did not misinterpret any information.
Martin Bibby Beecroft
Mum and the mighty Murray were the best swimming teachers
![Learning to swim in the Murray River.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170108200730im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/l/y/w/k/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1483711163767.png)
Learning to swim in the Murray River. Photo: Justin McManus
Raised in Albury on the Murray River, still alive and in my 60s, I'm a graduate of the Learn to Swim schools of the 1960s and '70s. (Letters, January 5 and 6).
Held in the summer holidays at the town pool, the classes were very affordable and seemed to be run by teachers from the Education Department.
Also a graduate of exposure to the Murray River, my mother was relentless in her directives. "Never fight the current, never panic. Aim for the bank further downstream but don't panic. If you tire, just float, and float, eventually the river will deposit you on a sand bar. We will pick you up downstream."
The water was cold, the currents fast, littered with "snags", the river's floor uneven. The mighty Murray was unpredictable but, treated with respect, was there to be enjoyed on the "stinking hot" days after school uniforms and classrooms without airconditioning.
As an adult, jumping off rocks and into the waters of the Mossman Gorge in Queensland, I was held underwater by an eddy. Unsuccessful attempts to rise for air triggered those lessons from the past. Do not panic, do not fight the river's current, and float out. I emerged safely downstream to the relief of those who had dived in to find me.
Learn to swim, learn the basics of survival, then enjoy the water.
Judith Nicholson Vincentia
Paul Hunt, while Stayin' Alive does have the right tempo for pumping a person's chest to resuscitate him/her (Letters, January 5), my first-aid instructor taught us that Queen's Another One Bites the Dust also works just as well. Now that's irony!
Denis Wolff Carlingford
Hewson's pen helps make argument add up
Maybe John Hewson couldn't count his GST candles on his cake, but he sure can compose a beautifully articulated and compelling argument for a far more complex and important issue: a fair go for all in a world that is heating up emotionally and physically ("Beware the egos of the new conservatives", January 6). The abacus can be retired forever in favour of the pen.
Peter Rainey Wollstonecraft
Daughter gives thanks for 'priceless' tribute to father
As Jon's daughter, I wish to express a mother-load of gratitude to Ross Barlow for his letter expressing his dismay at the lack of recognition of the Australian talent we lost over the year in the 2016 New Year's Eve celebrations (Letters, January 2.)
I also want to thank from my heart Trevor Somerville, my Dad's former Cabramatta High School teacher and basketball coach, for his letter (Letters, January 3) which beautifully captured the loony energy, playful essence and humility of Jon English – the man, who I miss terribly every day, particularly over this holiday period.
Music and fireworks would have been nice, but Trevor, your letter is priceless.
Min English North Manly
'Special relationship' is house of cards
![Activists campaigning for independence in Indonesia's restive West Papua province.](http://web.archive.org./web/20170108200730im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/o/k/h/f/g/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1483711206388.png)
Activists campaigning for independence in Indonesia's restive West Papua province. Photo: AP
The West Papuan solidarity movement has been calling on the Australian government for years to stop all ties with the Indonesian military. Indonesia has just done so ("Cutting ties a matter of principle", January 6). It's a pity it did not come from the Australian side because of ethical reasons i.e. because of the behaviour of the Indonesian military in West Papua.
Throughout the past year the Indonesian security forces cracked down on numerous peaceful rallies with thousands of Papuans arrested. Although the majority of activists were eventually released, during the arrests activists are regularly beaten and in some cases face torture. The Australian government should note that's it's now 53 years since Indonesia took over administration of West Papua in 1963 and West Papuans are still marching in the streets calling for a real referendum unlike the sham so-called act of free choice that was held in 1969.
We are continually told that Indonesia and Australia have a special relationship. What sort of relationship is it if an incident can occur because an Indonesian soldier does not like to see educational material about West Papua? The relationship appears to be a house of cards. The Australian government should realise the issue of West Papua is not going away and should be doing all it can to raise concern about the human rights situation in West Papua with the Indonesian government.
Joe Collins Australia West Papua Association Mosman
Indonesia's temporary suspension in military ties with Australia seems to have more to do with the internal politics of Indonesia given the training materials were not new and Kopassus forces had been rotated through this training regime regularly (Ambition, mistrust behind move to halt military ties, January 6). Even if repaired it will be temporary as it is a sign of long-term incompatibility between the two nations especially in light of the increasing religious fundamentalism on the streets of Indonesia ("Failure to communicate complicates insult claim", January 5).
Gordana Martinovich Dulwich Hill
A man of the country
Bert Candy's letter criticising Barnaby Joyce is unfair (Letters, January 6). He forgets that the people of New England elected him over Tony Windsor and I suspect they will again at the next federal election if Joyce decides to run. Barnaby Joyce has never pretended to be someone he is not. Ill-timed with some of his comments in the past, mistake-prone, yes, but there is no deviousness in him – and a lot of country people are like that. Warts and all but he gets things done for his electorate. He might be ignored by the big end of town but they don't vote for him. His attack on Tony Abbott was not "spineless" but an attempt not to portray the Coalition as not being a total write-off. Fiona Nash tried to do the same. Nothing is ever completely "rosy" in any party at any time. Bert Candy's knowledge of Australian politics should have taught him that by now.
By attacking "those thieving supermarket dairy honchos" Joyce is trying to get a fairer deal for milk suppliers? That's all. Simple. Does Bert Candy's livelihood depend on being a milko?
Yes, our nation is a proud one and will continue to remain so no matter who leads the Nationals? Remember when it was the Country Party? Remember Doug Anthony, Ian Sinclair? Were things more "rosy" then? I have worked among country people in New England and the far North Coast of NSW and travelled over the state for 18 years. I have nothing but admiration for country people. It is not easy running a farm and making a living from it. To those who think otherwise, all I can say is, try it.
Peter Skrzynecki Eastwood
Another astute letter from the recipient of the Herald's 2016 Letter writer of the year award, the brilliant Bert Candy. I'm sure that I'm not the only avid reader of the letters page who,on reading one of Bert's offerings, has the urge to reread it out loud to anyone in earshot. This habit does not always go down well with anyone at my breakfast table attempting to read their own copy of the Herald but I am always forgiven when I read out the sign-off name. I can't wait to read what Bert has in store for us in what is bound to be an extraordinary year.
Max Fischer Scarborough.
Levels of bingeing
Yesterday I shared a long lunch with friends. The drivers were abstinent or very careful. Their partners and the hosts less so. We shared a few bottles of wine over four hours, accompanied by excellent food and stimulating conversation.
This morning I learnt that we were binge drinking, having drunk four or more standard units of alcohol during the afternoon. ("Why kids are less likely to binge if parents give them alcohol", January 6). If this is binge drinking, what is the rapid consumption of multiple drinks on Friday or Saturday night?
Sally James Russell Lea
'Ockerism' glamorised
Each Australian summer "ockerism" is paraded as a male virtue courtesy of the likes of Shane Warne who as a cricket commentator is licensed to say anything that comes to his head ("Pup's patter is here to stay", January 6).
Warne recalled this week that on the occasion he went to Cricket Australia's headquarters to collect his first "baggy green" national cap he remembers being very hungover. He walked into the building feeling "so crook" that before he could find a toilet, he vomited.
Thanks for sharing, Warney
Is drinking to excess so entrenched in this man's life that he thinks it's OK to recount alcohol-induced vomiting stories on live, national television?
Would the Australian alcohol industry be OK with this yarn? And Channel Nine? Quite possibly yes, given the millions each spend on creating and dispensing images of yobs, mates and "the guys" knocking back beers, just like Warney.
Kevin Meagher Newtown
La la lacking a lot
Really wanted to enjoy La La Land but feel great failure in that, apart from the piano performances and the one band rendition, we found the film tedious ("La La Land is a terrible film, but it will win Best Picture at the Oscars anyway", smh.com.au, January 6). Choreography was ordinary (jumping on cars was original, but not breath-taking, as in Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers or Gene Kelly), the singing was poor, the focusing for lengthy spells on Emma Stone's face was painful and the story (?) contrived. The whole idea of presenting something which was "pure entertainment" did deserve merit, but director Damien Chazelle didn't pull it off. Who needs Scrooge when I'm around?
Wendy Crew Lane Cove
Misguided priorities
Tony Rogers, General Manager Kogarah Golf Club assures us that the heritage-listed Arncliffe Market Gardens will not be affected by relocating the golf club from Cooks Cove to public land (Letters Jan 6). The relocation is to allow developers to construct 5000 dwellings at Cooks Cove, near the the massive high-rise development at Wolli Creek – an area already lacking public open space. A Google search shows that there are several golf courses in suburbs adjacent to Kogarah – are they well utilised? Should planners give priority to a private golf club over the general public in the allocation of scarce open space?
Judy Finlason Undercliffe
Village idiocy is surely a matter of degrees
One Nation Senator Malcolm Roberts holds a mining engineering degree from the University of Queensland and a master's degree in business from the University of Chicago.
New Zealand MP Kelvin Davis holds a teaching diploma from the Auckland College of Education.
So who is the "village idiot"? ("NZ MP labels 'village idiot' One Nation senator Malcolm Roberts' comments 'absolutely nuts'", January 6)
George Fishman Vaucluse
Fat cats so predictable
Why should we be surprised that CEOs continue to earn many multiples of the average income ("Five days in, and fat cats have won year's pay race", smh.com.au January 5)? For some people, excess is never enough.
Norm Neill Darlinghurst
No rackets in this court
Looks like the up-and-coming tennis player Oliver Anderson is due for a court appearance not scheduled on tennis' competition circuit, ("Young tennis star charged with match fixing", smh.com.au, January 6).
Stewart Smith North Kellyville
Define 'rule by tweeters'
Oughtn't the word be, Twittocracy?
David Andrew Paddington
Unrepentant Aussie joker
A rethink on Aussie humour? (Letters, January 6). I couldn't give a rat's.
Robert Hickey North Avoca
Postscript
Welcome to the first Post Script for 2017. In the inevitable looking back at the tail end of 2016, The New York Times' Letters editor, Tom Feyer, selected his favourites of the year. In the spirit of brevity being the soul of wit, he chose the shortest letter he'd ever published which read: !. It was a response from a Californian reader to the question: "When I'm mistakenly put on an email chain should I hit 'reply all' asking to be removed?" So let's throw down the gauntlet and see if Herald letter writers can improve on that.
Short pithy one-liners are what we are always in need of; let's get the year off to a good start with a reminder to always include your residential address so we can verify you are real – not a Centrelink-like automaton clawing back debt. Yes we got a lot of letters on that. We were also swimming in missives on the importance of swim lessons given the recent spate of drownings. Paul Hunt, helpfully pointed out the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive has the right tempo for pumping a person's chest to resuscitate him/her but Denis Wolff wasn't the only one to pint out Queen's Another One Bites the Dust (ironically) works just as well. Darwin's Dr Alison Main pointed out while this is helpful for keeping the right CPR tempo, she reminds us: "Compression-only CPR has been recommended for a number of years for older patients but it is NOT recommended for children and it is NOT recommended for drowning victims. For children and infants who have drowned, respiration (breathing) is still recommended. You can find the guidelines at resus.org.au.
Helen Pitt Letters Co-editor
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