Archives: Letters to the Editor

I refer to John Menadue’s article of 4 May advocating for a national Human Rights Act that properly protects basic rights and which is long overdue. We’re often told our Australian system and Parliament are enough, but when we see young Indigenous kids being locked up, or refugees left in limbo for years, I can’t help wondering what human rights they really have in practice.
Right now, it feels like rights depend too much on the government of the day. A national Human Rights Act wouldn’t take power away from Parliament, but it would mean governments have to explain and justify decisions that limit basic rights. At present, rights protections are fragmented and inconsistent, depending on which laws apply and where a person lives. That leaves too much room for serious rights issues to fall through the cracks without effective remedy. As Australians, we should be asking why, after so many inquiries and recommendations, Australia continues to delay establishing a clear national framework for protecting human rights.
In a democracy that prides itself on diversity, equity and inclusion, it’s a reasonable expectation that these values are supported by a formal rights framework that gives them real voice.

I just want to compliment P & A on the contributions of Fred Zhang. His printed background provided is sparse, and a little vague. His contributions are always of a high standard, and his public profile and circulation should be far greater.

Crispin Hull makes good points about any military response. The US is apparently now belatedly seeking UN approval for a method to clean up the mess it has created.
On the financial side US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has been busy, imposing sanctions on some Chinese oil refiners, and on international payment structures relating to those countries such as China dealing with Iran, while US Minister for Defence Pete Hegseth has been busy interdicting oil shipments headed to eastern countries’ refineries which supply Australia with fuel. But here is the illogic. Bessent is now calling on China to help clean up the mess the US has created in the Persian Gulf.
And for good measure he is holding up payments for oil to Iraq, because the US doesn’t like their choice for their president, which only adds to instability in West Asia.

Explicit and/or implicit privatisation of services continues to threaten the sustainability of the NDIS since its establishment i.e. private ownership and control of services. The ideology of privatisation is assumed superiority i.e. more efficient and effective. The reality of privatisation, however, is the drive to maximise profitability and minimise services and increase rewards for owners,shareholders and managers. Privatisation of aged care, employment services and child care has also compromised service provision.

An excellent article in which many issues are analysed accurately and succinctly but there is one sentence of particular concern which necessitates further analysis.
That sentence is….“But the allies, in promising a Jewish homeland, insisted the new colonisers would have to make peace with the inhabitants and respect their rights.”
This is a reference to the short but concise “Balfour Declaration” which included the words “….it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine…”
Every Israeli Prime Minister and Israeli government has consciously ignored these obligations, and done nothing to work towards honouring the requirements of the Declaration, but, in fact implemented laws and carried out actions to prevent this requirement from ever being implemented.
From Ben-Gurion though to Netanyahu, all Israeli governments have worked actively to kill and drive Palestinians out of Palestine.
One is left to wonder what would the situation be today if the Zionists, seeking to remove all Palestinians from Palestine, who are frequently described as eliminationist, maximalist, or supporting transferist ideologies, channelled their energies into working together with the Palestinians so as to achieve the objectives of the Balfour Declaration.

Other than unethical practices such as forced contraception and forced abortion, I can think of only two ways of addressing growing populations in developing countries. First using foreign aid to help educate girls and women, and second women leaving high population countries, and following the birth rate of their adopted country. Are there other solutions?

I get tired of people complaining of overpopulation without having the faintest idea of how a reduction can (ethically) be achieved.

Thank you, George, for that typically compassionate and thoughtful article. I hope our leaders read it.

I agree with almost everything that Jocelyn Chey says, except for one aspect of one sentence; the phrase, “Our urban schools are full of yellow and brown as well as white students…” It glosses over the main reason that multiculturalism is not working as it was intended.

When the High Court ruled in favour of the Catholic church in 1981, it opened the door for taxpayers to subsidise religious education, which meant that any religion (even Scientology) could set up schools to proselytise children. As a result, we are currently subsiding Christian, Jewish, and Muslim schools (among others) to teach children that they are ‘superior’, and that it is better for them to grow up amongst ‘their own kind’ than to mix with ‘others’.

Not only is this the antithesis of the multicultural spirit, it is contrary to the spirit of our constitution, which calls for social cohesion. Indeed, I would say that it is creating a kind of silo-culturalism that leads to division and distrust.

Yes Jocelyn, multiculturalism is a good thing, and yes, a strong public education system can promote it, but our current education system is doing just the opposite.

The Interim Royal Commission report on antisemitism in Australia ignores the “elephant in the room”: Israel’s actions in Gaza and Iran. Israel is committing a live-streamed genocide in Gaza, instigating war against Iran (with US support), and damaging the global economy – including Australia’s – through rising inflation, interest rates, and unemployment. Many Australians including some Jewish Australians are expressing their outrage by peaceful demonstrations and rallies in support of Palestinians. There has also been some non-violent, but unlawful direct action. The Bondi massacre is something which is completely outside and unconnected with these protests.
Peak Jewish Australian bodies support the Israeli government and claim to represent most Jewish Australians, creating a false perception that all Jewish Australians back Israeli policies. Complaints of antisemitism are used to suppress protest against Israel. Australian governments appease the U.S. unreservedly pro-Israel stance, by appointing a pro-Israel antisemitism envoy, and passing anti-democratic laws to curb and even criminalise pro-Palestinian protest.
If the royal commission is to achieve its goal of restoring social cohesion, it should call on the Australian government to condemn Israeli war crimes, impose boycott/divestment/sanctions, rescind the envoy’s appointment, repeal restrictive laws, and join international legal and political action opposing Israel’s crimes.

Greg Barns has missed the main failure of the Interim Report of the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion – to not engage with the meaning of antisemitism and free speech. The Report is proceeding with its sabotage of free speech. The report refers to a ‘sharp rise in antisemitism incidents’ without defining antisemitism. Yet, the Commission’s definition of antisemitism is critical to the purpose of the Commission. The Interim Report should have revealed what it currently defines as antisemitism. Will the Final Report define antisemitism as criticism of the Government of Israel? Will the Final Report explicitly or implicitly conclude that criticism of Israel’s apartheid system, its ethnic cleansing and genocide of Palestinians, is antisemitism?

Tony has done an excellent job in reflecting the frustration of ordinary Australians with their political class. These are the words of decent, hardworking Australians who feel they have never been listened to and it comes out in both what they say and how they say it. I wish Michelle the best in her campaign as it is becoming clear not just in Australia, but around the so-called democratic world that the established parties have become so removed from the concerns of their citizens that Independents offer to most of them the only option for participation and change!

The pub trivia test for Australian citizenship currently involves a mandatory requirement to answer all five Australian values questions correctly. It should be revised and include the following:

Q: What is the difference between an Australian wedding and an Australian funeral?

A: There is one less drunk at an Australian funeral.

Even Barnaby Rubble from Pauline Hanson’s One Nation (PHON) party might get that one right.

I’ve got four contenders for “Worst Australian PM”.
– Howard – turned us into a small, narrow-minded nation, promoting xenophobia, racism, and survival of the especially well-off fittest.
– Abbot – the liar, naysayer, carbon price eliminating misogynist.
– Morrison – liar extraordinaire, sovereignty abandoning moron, saddled us with wealth degradation and forever dependency by shackling us to the US via AUKUS.

And now I have a 4th …
– Albanese – squandering a massive majority by ignoring the wishes of the people – not reviewing AUKUS; tinkering at the edges of tax reform; sucking up to the deranged US president at every turn; ignoring climate change; pandering to fossil fuel and gambling lobbies; and the icing on the cake – making innocent NDIS clients pay for his financial mismanagement … which can “be a thing” even if Jim Chalmers tells us he’s balancing the books.

As the majority has shown, we see an ethical dimension to how and where Australia raises funds and disperses them. We care about the planet and the miseries of increasing wealth inequality.

I, for one, cannot wait to see the back of Albanese. That day can’t come soon enough.

Geoff Raby notes: “Both the great powers exercise economic coercion for a variety of political ends: to influence and shape the international behaviour of other states”.

However US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent has gone further, openly stating that he fomented mass unrest in Iran. Not content with that, he is now threatening Chinese oil refiners who buy Iranian crude oil and associated Chinese banks. In addition the US Navy is illegally boarding tankers in the Indian Ocean. These actions only worsen the Hormuz issue and back the Iranian position that the US negotiates in bad faith. The US blockade is a hostile act not consistent with a ceasefire. The same applies to the economic threat to China, our major trading partner, and so it is not in China or Australia’s interest. It is a blundering action which could widen the war.

Paul Keating is right about the moral decline of Angus Taylor and the Liberal Party but he is “shy” about the moral decline of the Federal Labor government e.g. expressing “concern” but not naming and shaming the Israel Government’s ethnic cleansing and genocide of the Palestine occupied territories and now Southern Lebanon, establishing a Royal Commission on Antisemitism to support the Zionist agenda of Israel and not exposing Israel’s ongoing violations of Gaza and Lebanon “ceasefires.”

I agree with the arguments put forth in this article by Stewart Sweeney. The agreement to purchase any piece of equipment, military or otherwise, that might not be delivered for at least another 20 years, and even then, might not be delivered at all, and even then, we’ll probably only get the second-hand version, does seem to be rather odd basic business practice.

However, there’s another, more major problem with these submarines. A major berthing port is currently being built near Perth, WA, at the cost of another $8 Billion. Perth is notably the most isolated capital city in the world. The top speed of a nuclear sub is 45kph. Assuming there’s a problem somewhere near Taiwan, for example, it will take, on a good run, and assuming it doesn’t have to dodge around the whale migration seasons, or get stuck in the shallow waters of the Indonesian and Philippine archipelagos, it will take seven and a half days to get there! Really? Is nobody in the ADF capable of working that basic bit of arithmetic out? And then, surprise surprise, most countries, friendly or not, do already happen to have antisubmarine technology. Oops.

When cherished myth meets hard reality, myth loses. Today we are watching two myths collapse on top of each other. The first is the myth of US omnipotence. The second is the myth of Israeli righteousness. And the hard reality? That would be Iran. How foolish were we to send their diplomats home?

The current war in the Persian Gulf has reached an impasse begging for an interlocutor. We were manipulated into taking ourselves out of consideration for such a role, but here’s a question. Even if we hadn’t booted the Iranians out, does anyone think the US or Israel, our two besties, would have turned to us for such a sensitive mission? Or have we tugged the forelock too often? Have we tried too long to be like real people from Europe and North America?

There is another hard reality Australia could look at. It has the three factors of geography, climate change and demographics. We not only need a new Foreign Policy, we need a more representative and courageous government. As Asia emerges, we could find ourselves on the outside looking in.

With the current extremely low taxes on gas exports one could make the case that both the opposition and the prime minister are purposely damaging the Australian economy by refusing to apply a proper and just tax. And for what? I’d like to know where the public interest features in such decisions.

This decision is a blight on our legal system when our citizens can be extradited to the lawless America who invade and kidnap when ever they take the law into their hands.

It is time Australia had a legislated Bill of Rights/Constitutional amendment to protect the position of “I don’t agree with you but I respect your right to express your opinion”.

I have never before commented on a P&I article, but could you tell Peter Varghese that I think his latest article is the best summary of Australia’s international relations challenges and how best to respond that I have read for years.

Further to ‘The unpromised land down under.’

Another case of the settler colonists thinking that the land was theirs to give away, with nary a thought for the traditional owners.
As the author notes: “the land’s original owners were not consulted.”

Terra nullius on two levels? The Kimberley or Palestine.

My understanding is that during the 1930s European Jews wishing to flee Germany could do so if they were able to gain sponsors in Australia.

Wilfred Burchett, in Passport: An Autobiography [1969], describes the efforts he went to, and the personal dangers he faced traveling in and out of Hitler’s Germany, in securing passage for German Jews to Australia; he’d arranged sponsorship via the community in Poowong (Vic).

Amongst the achievements of Mr Wran when he was NSW Premier was upgrading a run down rail system. Before the 1976 election, Mr Wran with shadow transport minister Peter Cox, took well publicised train trips from Gosford and the Blue Mountains and won two marginal seats – and formed government. Then followed completion of the Eastern Suburbs line to Bondi Junction, and ordering a new XPT train (built in NSW and still operating) that in September 1981 set a new Australian speed record of 183 km/h. This record stood until May 1999 when the Queensland electric tilt train on upgraded tracks reached 210km/h. Further achievements were rail electrification to Newcastle (1984) and Wollongong (1986). Three new links were started, Sandy Hollow to Gulgong and East Hills to Glenfield line (completed) and the Maldon Dombarton rail link (yet to be completed).
Road safety was appreciably improved by the Wran Government with random breath testing This was introduced in December 1982 for a three year trial, then after saving “a life a day” it became ongoing.

The problem with much of the coverage of the manifold wars, invasions, coups and interferences of the dying US empire is that they focus on the specifics of actions and intentions of the US and its proxies in undertaking these criminal actions, but can often ignore the broader context in which these occur.

In examining the present successes and failures of the geo-political actors and the tactics they are undertaking they fail to examine the economic context in which they are occurring. The discussion around Israel’s military intentions must on the other hand take account of it’s and it’s sponsors ability to continue to finance and supply those specific military actions.

Even a brief observation here reveals the impossibility of those actions being sustained. The vast bulk of Israeli military expenditures are funded by the US. In the current circumstances that is exaggerated by the catastrophic state of the Israeli economy.

The US dollar is tanking under the weight of nearly $40 trillion of US debt, which the US cannot any longer finance as the world’s central banks move rapidly to gold and away from the dollar. US Treasuries are struggling to find buyers. The end is nigh!!

Australian politicians are avid proponents of the ideas that were created by the US and UK prior to and during the First World War. At the time they needed to convince the UK and US populations of the need for them to send their sons to be slaughtered in the trenches of France in support of a Feudal kingdom warring against other such kingdoms.

Their chosen weapon was fear, as they had learned that it was the best motivator of ignorant hatred. Vivid stories were concocted about the intrinsic evil of the German people. It worked to convince essentially peace-loving people to send their sons to die in defense of Feudal privilege.

Current politicians, bouyed by generous funding from the Military-Industrial complex, rather than thinking originally, fall back on the same basic fears to achieve a population willing to obey anyone who assures them of their safety from the confected foe.

It just goes to show that political leadership in democracies doesn’t change over the centuries, as they simply repeat the past disasters they are intellectually unable to think past. Santayana was right.Those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to endlessly repeat it!!!

This very fine article by David Spratt deserves widespread readership, not least by Richard Marles, Penny Wong and all those who have a hand in determining foreign policy. We need to replace “It’s the economy stupid” with “It’s the climate, stupid”. The latest report suggesting the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could collapse before 2100 should be the absolute focus. Iceland is rightly worried to be concerned. It will cease to be habitable. As George Monbiot writes in the Guardian this week: “…the net impact in northern Europe would be periods of extreme cold – including events in which temperatures in London fall to -19C, in Edinburgh to -30C and in Oslo to -48C.” The implications for food production are huge, and in turn, mass migration. It’s not just Europe, but monsoons will be affected, causing havoc to billions in Asia and Africa.
And even without AMOC, we have the super El Nino to worry about that may start to have an impact in Australia as early as next month. It too will affect food production, along with higher diesel and fertiliser prices.
Any energy policies that do not include a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels must be deemed immoral.

I suppose it is just too much for Australians to expect that this spineless government will tell the lunatic Orange Donald to take a walk on this one.

As a Labor government with a supposed commitment to the iconic Australian “fair go” it has squirmed and stretched its morals on so many occasions to suit the infantile psychopath in the White House that it is now becoming habitual. This was an ordinary person who had served his then country for twelve years in uniform and when he moved on to civilian life and moved to Australia he had the responsibility to feed his family using the skills that his then country had required of him. When he did that pilot training in South Africa there was nothing illegal in both South Africa and Australia about it.

But the US infantile paranoia about China, and the servile cowardliness of the Australian government in licking US boots, has now led to this decent human being being used by both governments to expiate their collective guilt.

Its time to end this farce and allow him to go back to his family!!

The NDIS is just another victim in a long line of victims of neoliberalism – another idea exported from the USA where profit is the only thing.

Yes there has been some exploiting the system some rorting but the main beneficiaries have not been the patients and poor as with all these systems the most disadvantaged and less well off are getting peanuts and beer while those at the top are on champagne and caviar those who need a walking frame are waiting approvable for a very profitable top of the range wheel chair.

Its not just the NDIS .

The medical system when did you last go to your GP without coming away with a referal and a prescription and there is no ramping at private hospitals .

Yes our Local Private school has fees and it also has enough tennis courts to hold the Australian open ,test quality cricket pitches and the pick of the teachers while public school teachers are retiring or on TRT

Every start up mining project, railway, large business & power project most owned by multinationals with a hand in the taxpayers pocket along with Defence obsolete before delivery never used in anger.

Everyone today it seems is a psychologist spouting pop diagnosis for a startling number of conditions with no face to face engagement with the patient.

The language of pop diagnosis is also I feel very damaging for those in the general community who are battling similar conditions giving social license for others to run quasi medical commentaries on others.

In the case of Trump it would make an hilarious sit/com if it wasn’t so damn serious. Americans should be perhaps examining a broader more uncomfortable truth of how they came to deliver this unique disaster on themselves and the world and how all the checks and balances built into their much vaunted constitution have failed them at every step. Considering Trump’s every move was outlined in Project 25 he was STILL voted in as President.

I’m no psychologist but after this crisis which will surely pass as all 87 year olds do I prescribe a period of deep introspection for all Americans about how they can rebuild their Constitutional, socio-political life and world engagement after a prolonged and unprecedented disruption.

Thanks for another engaging Pearls and Irritations.

My friend George Browning ignores some of the big picture realpolitik in his piece, including that the extreme Islamist Iranian regime is an existential threat to Israel, the region and beyond through its terrorist proxies and its nuclear ambitions, Trump’s clear military success so far and its potential to reshape the Middle East for the better. Kos Samaras makes some interesting points about pivoting the Libs’ immigration policy attack to the clear negative impacts of mass migration, but perhaps misses a point that when people blame “The Government “ in surveys rather than “immigration”

Per se they are often referring to negligent immigration policies of “The Government’, and he also fails to recognise that there is both a moral imperative, as well as an electoral one, to address the serious breakdown of social cohesion since Labor was elected before and after the Bondi Massacre.

Bruce Chapman is ‘on the money” on the error of the Libs’ Job Ready Graduate Scheme but fails to mention Labor promised to reform it in the 2022 election campaign, but four years later has failed to do so – further adding to a litany of broken promises by Albanese.