Simon Cowan from the Centre for Independent Studies suggests that ordinary citizens who upset ministers with embarrassing questions when appearing on the news or TV should not realistically expect privacy ("Hyper-partisan politics overly personal", Forum, March 4, p.11).
He has nothing to say about the very real imbalance of power between these lone voices and the formidable resources of politicians and their allies in the conservative media for conducting heavy payback.
The publication of yet another unflattering photo of Duncan Storrar is an unfortunate reminder of this recent past.
The intensive media campaign of amateur character analysis by journalists and publication of even the most trivial and intimate personal details and hearsay which Cowan alludes to certainly sends a clear message to any person of humble background foolhardy enough to stick their heads over the parapet in a public forum.
While Cowan implies that critics such as the impoverished Storrar were conducting some sort of organised and irrational "left wing" campaign to overturn policy, it seems to me that they were just trying to draw attention to their adverse personal circumstances.
I would have thought that ordinary citizens had a right to voice publicly what Cowan dismisses as "anecdotes", but that is now a right heavily qualified by adverse consequences.
David Roth, Kambah
Two points struck me while reading Paul Malone's response ("It's time to clear up controversy", March 5, p. 17) to the furore unleashed by his column in the previous Sunday's paper.
First, Malone asks rhetorically, "Do you want the media to dig for the truth? Or do you simply want social media that panders to your prejudice ... ?"
This would be more compelling if his column showed more evidence of digging for the truth.
One lengthy email to Centrelink and a few exchanges with Ms Fox are all he has to offer.
Malone adds he has "no doubt that Centrelink makes mistakes". Is that based on hearsay or his digging for the truth?
He says "There is a danger in the populist cries that all government agencies are incompetent".
Ever since the UK's Brexit vote and last year's American election, commentators have taken to using "populist" and "populism" as terms of abuse, often, as in this case, with little descriptive content.
It may be worth observing that the widespread (not populist) distrust of government agencies may reflect the fact that many of us have substantial experience of dealing with government agencies, not just with Centrelink, and with large private sector bureaucracies.
Barry Hindess, Reid
Facts before sarcasm
Bill Deane (letters, March 6) should focus on facts rather than dreaming up sarcastic remarks under the guise of free speech.
Gillian Trigg herself has, several times, called for a tightening of the "vexatious claims" provisions – a point now supported by the recent Parliamentary review.
The $250,000 penalty for successful claims is the maximum, not a mandatory figure as Mr Deane implies.
Mr Deane also rails against Section 18c only a few days after the parliamentary review declined to make a finding on it, timidly leaving it to the Cabinet to make a decision.
Given the exemptions under Section 18d (usually ignored by critics of 18c) and that there have been few successful claims of discrimination among thousands considered by the HRC, it is logical to believe Section 18c and 18d as they stand do not restrict our freedom of speech.
Free speech is precious, but the good folk who placed it in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights made one error. They presumed all those employing free speech would do so in a reasoned and civil manner.
Eric Hunter, Cook
This is particularly directed at Bill Deane of Chapman (letters, March 6) but anybody else is welcome to have a go.
Please give me an example of something that section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act prevents you from saying that would not be covered by the exemptions in Section 18D.
I've been looking for examples for a while. How about giving your example in the form "I would like to be able to say '.....' but am prevented by Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act". I'd also appreciate your telling me why it is important to you to be able to say it.
Michael Webb, Swinger Hill
Misled justification
Pauline Hanson says Islam is not a religion, but a political ideology that is motivated by a hatred of Western society.
Islam, with Judaism, Christianity, Hinduism and Buddhism, is one of the world's major religions.
It has been since its inception in the seventh century CE. It has about 2 billion adherents.
All or most religions are also ideologies because they are underpinned by ideas.
Many of these ideas have political implications.
But it does not follow that Muslims hate Western society.
It would not be surprising if some do, given that we overthrew the democratically elected government of Iran in the 1950s, and later invaded Afghanistan and Iraq and killed hundreds of thousands of their citizens.
But the truth seems to be that Hanson explains and justifies her fear and hatred of Muslims by making the assumption that they hate her.
Michael McCarthy, Deakin
An aggravation
"Roadwork ahead" signs, in conjunction with 40km/h speed limit signs, left in place for days at a time by indolent contractors before they return to finish a job, are not conducive to driver compliance.
Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor
Keep the public service in Canberra or risk ruining the fabric of the city
What an insightful editorial ("Joyce misses the point of Canberra", March 3, p.16).
As stated in the editorial, the ACT was established to centralise the necessary Federal Government departments to smoothly govern Australia more than a century ago.
By moving Federal Public Service departments to regional areas, Barnaby Joyce is very willing to spend an excessive amount of taxpayers' money to buy votes for him and politicians in these regions to win the next election.
He is setting a precedent, where in the future, at the whim of a new government, Federal public servants can be moved again to other regions for opportunistic political gain.
If Joyce has his way, there will be numerous repercussions for the ACT: businesses will be destroyed; families will be uprooted and moved to new areas requiring children to change schools and so on. The capital's whole social fabric will be in total disarray.
Canberrans need to stand up to the Liberal Prime Minister and National Deputy Prime Minister to keep the Public Service Departments in the ACT.
Their politically opportunistic activities will be at great expense to taxpayers, and more importantly, disrupt and destroy many families socially, psychologically, and financially.
Linda Reaby, Belconnen
Conflict of interest
The ACT government's latest Kangaroo Management Plan continues to cite the same set of studies as its previous attempts to justify the extreme cruelty of the slaughter.
Some of these studies simply do not support the assertions the government is making. Others support the government's position in a circular manner, citing as their source the ACT government's own documents promoting the slaughter.
Several of them shriek conflict of interest because they are either written by ACT government employees or co-authored by people associated with institutions that are partly funded by the ACT government.
None of them can be seen as providing independent scientific support for the government's killing program.
By contrast, all the scientists who for decades now have argued against kangaroo killing because it threatens not only the survival of kangaroos as a species but also many other aspects of ecological diversity, are entirely independent.
Lydia Steele, Red Hill
Knowledge matters
Re: "Kikkert Questions Safe Schools program", canberratimes.com.au, March 3).
I assume this little effort presages more of the same from the religious right concerning young people and sex.
Underneath Ms Kikkert's claims that the "Safe Schools program is teaching safe sex to underage kids" (which I think highly desirable) seems to be a desire for us to imitate the less intelligent states in the US where advocacy of abstinence rather than imparting of knowledge is the preferred form of sex advice.
Ms Kikkert would seem to want us to emulate Louisiana or Mississippi and have 60 or more teenage births per 1000 rather than our current 13, because this is exactly where ignorance on the part of "underage" kids will lead us.
Let us remember this piece of stupidity next election time.
John Lynch, Narrabundah
Comparison, please
Your report ("Crime hotspots revealed", March 6, p.1) reveals little.
It notes, among other things, that "The most burglaries occur in Kambah (Canberra's largest suburb), Fyshwick, Belconnen, Braddon and Griffith".
No actual numbers of offences are given but, even if they had been, they would by themselves be of little help.
To draw the real picture, we need a rate statistic: the number of burglaries per capita or per household/business. Such detail would allow valid comparisons between suburbs and tell a story closer to the truth.
Ed Highley, Kambah
Avoid the metaphors
By likening himself to Job ("Prowse seeks to heal and rebuild", March 6, p.6) Archbishop Christopher Prowse is implying God unleashed child abuse to test his mettle. How can Prowse describe perpetrators as Judases after accusing God of orchestrating the whole shebang with the Archbishop-Job's sensibilities in mind?
Perhaps Prowse should steer clear of grandiose biblical metaphors and agitate for all Catholic Institutions, from the Vatican down, to hand over all relevant documents to the appropriate civil authorities; a task that not one Catholic institution has yet found the appropriate biblical metaphor to justify.
Peter Robinson, Ainslie
Words that disquiet
I really dislike the trendy terms Xenophobia, Homophobia and Islamaphobia.
Are these convenient words used to attack one section of the Australian population ? Is that racist?
Would anyone call the Aboriginal people Xenophobic for not liking the English landing on their shores in 1788?
Are homosexuals heterosexual phobic or people who are not Christian, Christian phobic?
I don't like junk food. Does this mean I'm a junk food phobic?
A less superficial meaning of racism is the mistrust of different cultures not being compatible.
This exists in Australia and the rest of the world.
Penelope Upward, O'Connor
Disaster ahead
Tom Switzer claims Abbott Mark II is the best electoral hope for the Liberal Party ("Abbott Mk II looms", March 6, p. 12) .
That may be true. But Abbott Mk II would be a disaster for the nation.
It was Abbott with his relentless no-holds barred campaign against Rudd and Gillard that destroyed any hope of politicians from opposite sides working together.
This in turn has probably lead to the general public disenchantment with politicians and the rise of extreme populist views. It was Abbott who destroyed Australia's efforts to curb carbon emissions and it was Abbott who showed no glimmer of understanding of sensible economic and social welfare reform for the good of the nation.
Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor ACT
TO THE POINT
TAXI TROUBLES
As a regular user of coaches from the Jolimont Centre I can vouch for Lynne Bentley's letter ("Taxis squeeze out cars", March 6, p.11).
On a recent return from Wollongong my daughter had to drive the block several times waiting for the coach to arrive and then double park to collect me because every pick up/drop off spot was taken by a taxi.
It seemed only one or two taxis were used. It's time for a fair go from the taxi service.
M. McConnell, Giralang
FAKE NEWS AT HOME
Top fake news items:
1. Clean coal will prevent global warming.
2. Over reliance on renewable energies caused the recent black outs.
3. Moving federal government functions to the bush will solve problems there.
4. Giving companies tax and wages relief will boost employment.
5. Australia spends too much on welfare.
6. Centrelink's systems are working well.
Keith Hill, Kaleen
DOUBLE STANDARDS
No support for his offence but an elderly retired Tumut priest is publicly named, our education minister asks in Estimates a Safe Schools program school not be named ("Kikkert on attack over program", March 4, p.2) while the "cage" school name was similarly suppressed. Strange double standard privacy rules.
Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla
PRICE OF MOVE
Barnaby Joyce's decision to shift the Australian Pesticide and Veterinary Medicines Authority from within his Agriculture portfolio in Canberra to Armidale in his own electorate has already cost jobs, technical expertise, services to the rural community, and major taxpayer money. For whose benefit?
David McCarthy, Wallaroo, NSW
TRULY DELUSIONAL
With the latest wire-tapping allegations, the Trump Travesty has gone from surreal to truly delusional.
Does anyone believe that as Trump would have it, "Obama is a bad (or sick) guy".
The West is in the grip of a Megalomaniac.
Dennis Hale, Beecroft, NSW
MARDI GRAS HYPOCRISY
The organisers of this year's Sydney Mardi Gras made it known that Malcolm Turnbull, the Prime Minster was not welcome and would not receive an invitation this year.
Then, when Mr Turnbull did not turn up, the same organisers have afit.
Leslie Barnard, West Belconnen
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