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Barnaby Joyce makes some outrageous claims (“Watchdog will manacle political vision”, June 7). His warped Morrison-era perspective is almost laughable in its flawed anti-integrity commission reasoning. He argues that “decision-making would shift from the parliament of the people to the bureaucracy” and would mean worse outcomes for Australians. Rubbish. Morrison’s gutting of the bureaucracy and transfer of decision-making to politicians did not end well. Think colour-coded pork-barrel spreadsheets, denial of climate science and an under-resourced aged care system, just to name a few. Pam Timms, Suffolk Park
Surely, the truest form of democracy is to shine a light on all areas of government behaviour — the good, the bad and the ugly — and let people make their own judgments.
I have no doubt that all sides of politics have skeletons in closets that they wish to remain firmly shut, but the recent election has resoundingly demonstrated that the people are heartily sick of the shady back-room deals and are ready to rip those closet doors open.
When will politicians learn that representative government is all about serving the needs and wants of the people and not serving the cronyism of political expediency? Rebecca Semple, Abbotsford
Joyce seems to have misconstrued the point of a federal anti-corruption commission. It is not to stifle vision, it is to make public officials accountable for their decisions. If you want to run a grants scheme that targets marginal electorates, then say so at the outset. If, however, you purport to run a merits-based scheme based on objective criteria, please do so by making transparent decisions justified by said criteria. In either case, be prepared to be 100 per cent accountable to a public watchdog for your decisions. Russ Couch, Woonona
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Joyce still doesn’t get it. To suggest that a minister would somehow face a corruption inquiry simply because they went against departmental advice is risible. We want our politicians to have vision, but a vision for a better future for Australians was sadly lacking in the last government in which Joyce served as deputy prime minister despite it being unencumbered by an anti-corruption body. Gordon Lambert, Kiama Downs
Joyce is wrong to claim that a federal ICAC would see ministers held hostage by public servants and unable to make decisions. Under a federal ICAC, ministers would not lose any discretionary power to override a public servant’s recommendations. However, they would be held accountable and asked to disclose their reasoning. We would all know what caused them to act against advice. I suspect that’s what many elected officials are really afraid of — public scrutiny. Tony Judge, Woolgoolga
If the last nine years of Coalition government is unmanacled political vision, particularly the last three years of a do-nothing Morrison “vision”, then we don’t have much to lose with a federal ICAC. Neil Ormerod, Kingsgrove
Joyce’s unique way with words never ceases to delight. However, I’d suggest sticking to well-understood terms. Who would ever have thought that pork barrelling can also be known as “political vision”. Shona Kirchen, Kiama
It’s time Joyce accepted that most Australian people want a federal ICAC, and woe betide the Albanese government if they fail to deliver. Donna Wiemann, Balmain
Coalition’s neglect on energy plan now apparent
Having now been briefed by the energy security board chief, the government should be in no doubt our aspirations to become a clean energy metropolis is not a plaything, and it will take decades and billions of dollars to achieve (“Energy reform’s staggering scale”, June 7). For too long, we have been bombarded by promises of successive governments, avoiding technical realities, telling us that it is a simple matter of installing a few solar panels and wind farms and plugging them into a non-existent grid system. The technical truth is that achievement of this aspirational goal is a very long-term and costly project, and it is time a government produced a viable long-term plan and explained how we will get there. The public are intelligent enough to accept the truth and will be patient provided they have confidence that we have a legitimate plan. We all understand the need, and will accept the inconveniences along the way, provided we know where it is we are going. Darcy Hardy, North Turramurra
We are bombarded with dire warnings of massive increases in the cost of gas. This is not a supply problem. It is a policy issue. Current policy allows gas producers to export as much as possible, which of course they will because of high overseas prices. We then have the absurd situation, except in WA where producers must withhold 15 per cent of production for domestic consumption, where we import gas at outrageous prices to meet local demand.
The solution is straightforward. Estimate our nationwide domestic requirements and require producers to set that aside as a priority; they can export the rest. Domestic prices should be set on a cost-plus basis and gas producers can still make a reasonable profit on domestic sales and spectacular profits on exports.
The current situation puts our sovereignty and domestic and commercial security at risk – and this is to the benefit of companies which pay no or little tax and employ bugger-all people. This is so stupid it defies belief. Erik Kulakauskas, Port Macquarie
Alas, it has come to this alarming stage: a direct result of the Coalition’s neglect and failure to be proactive on necessary and effective energy policies. This will confirm their oft-trumpeted superior economic management skills as mere furphy. Steve Ngeow, Chatswood
With the unfolding crisis in electricity and gas supply, surely now is not the time to be talking about renewable energy. Greg Cantori, Kingsgrove
Stuck in passport nightmare
I applied for my passport renewal on February 25, nearly 15 weeks ago, knowing I was booked to fly out of Australia on July 4, and so allowing plenty of time for its renewal (“Passport delays throw plans into disarray”, June 7).
It is now less than four weeks until the flight and still no passport. I have spent many hours on the phone to the passport office, many hours waiting and many times being cut off. Four occasions talking to an operator. The responses? First time: “Wait two weeks and ring again if not received.” Second: “It will be fast-tracked and processed next week.” Third: “I can see it is being processed.” Fourth: “This is terrible. Do you live in a rural area? I will discuss with passport office and arrange for you to pick up.” Nothing has happened yet. Two complaints have also been made. Betty Searle, Oyster Bay
The Sydney passport office has been in chaos for many years, long before COVID. Having just one passport office for a city the size of Sydney is absurd. Like so many other government services, there is an inadequate workforce to provide a level of service to satisfy the needs of an ever-increasing population. This paucity of staff levels applies to Centrelink, the teaching and medical professions and many other services. Queueing, either physically or on the phone, seems to be the norm. All politicians should be forced to listen to the mind-numbing muzak played by various departments when trying to engage with a real person. It is time that infrastructure caught up with reality. Greg Thomas, Annandale
Keep eye on endorsements
Allowing patient testimonials to be included in medical advertising is not in the public interest (“Patients endorsing surgeons harmful”, June 7).
Third-party endorsement is a well-established technique to build trust among consumers, but that trust is unlikely to be built on a balanced range of comments including positive and negative experiences.
As we have seen from the high-profile and costly defamation cases, the opportunity to view negative patient testimonials is severely limited in Australia.
Advertising complex medical products with life-changing impact risks promoting a one-eyed view of medical interventions and should continue to be curtailed in the public interest.
Professional health communication should be ethical and a cut above the often ill-informed conversations on the internet which lay a veil over clear, accurate and health-promoting information. Catriona Bonfiglioli, Croydon
Rise fails to add up
This is why we need maths teachers (“Small rise in public sector wage unlikely to end strife”, June 7). A 3 per cent cap on wages plus 5 per cent inflation equals disaster for the public service sector. Give us a government who has done their history homework and has the foresight to financially value our essential services — nurses, emergency workers, teachers and police. The alternative doesn’t bear thinking about. Diane Dennis, Epping
Where is the money? COVID heroes underpaid, nurses underpaid, teachers underpaid, public servants underpaid, but, dear reader, gaze upon the expensive, unnecessary rebuilt stadium. Makes one proud, doesn’t it? Allan White Kingsford
Palmer played voters
Can we please stop celebrating Clive Palmer’s supposed election failure? Many of us may not like the man but he is not a total fool (“Palmer’s election ad spend tops $31m”, June 7). While some of his stated election goals were pure fantasy, his real goals were more subtle. First was to suppress the votes of the major parties. Those preferences have to flow somewhere, as they did in 2019 when at that time Palmer achieved his second goal: a re-elected, mining-friendly Coalition government. This time greater forces were at work but one out of two isn’t bad. David Mansford, Concord
Land tax a cunning ruse
Abolishing stamp duty in favour of a land tax is a cunning move for any state or territory government (“An offer Chalmers can’t refuse — if he wants us richer”, June 7). Such a change will result in substantially more money for government coffers over the long term. It will favour well-off investors who purchase multiple rental properties and affluent homeowners who progressively upsize to larger properties in more desirable locations. The real losers are first-home buyers as all bidders at auctions have more money available to compete for properties. It will also adversely affecct people who buy their dream home intended to last until their twilight years. Economists may find the substitution attractive. However, ordinary Australians living in suburbia and the regions who eventually receive the age pension will be saddled with an additional housing cost “for the term of their natural lives”. Riley Brown, Bondi Beach
Humanities still rule
The growing number of university students electing to study humanities despite fee increases confirms the value of doing courses that teach young people about their own and other origins; how to reflect and negotiate rather than merely react to or stay ignorant of society’s in-built biases and issues (“Students still flock to humanities degrees despite huge fee increase”, June 7).
These produce values more worthy of encouragement for a truly egalitarian society, rather than the purely utilitarian, commercially oriented courses that implicitly encourage unending and unsustainable economic growth and materialism. Fred Jansohn, Rose Bay
Childish behaviour
Perhaps young Louis was practising for when our new minister for the republic comes calling (“I stand with Kate, some kids won’t be tamed”, June 7)? David Sayers, Gwandalan
I enjoyed watching the four-year-old son of Kate and William behaving like a normal four-year-old. On display and ogled at by millions – I’m sure he would have preferred to be playing with his friends in a park, kicking a ball or just running around having fun. Rita Zammit, Concord
Like Kerri Sackville, I despaired at my then four-year-old who regularly disappeared during shopping centre outings and had to be driven around the block on some evenings just to get him to sleep. He graduated from that tearaway to a car fanatic and expressway racer, and built and raced Minis at the old Oran Park Raceway in outer Sydney, only to survive all the dangerous adventures unscathed. Now he’s a 47-year-old successful engineer with a loving family and my early years of worry have been replaced with pride. I have run my marathon. Ken Osborne, Bowraville
Party’s not over
The wobbly Boris Johnson still runs the parliament after an all-out brawl in his party lacked the numbers to pull the coup. Is another series of parties on the cards to celebrate his win (“British PM Boris Johnson survives bid to oust him from office”, smh.com.au, June 7)? Doug McLaughlin, Bonnet Bay
The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au
Expect submarine delays, Marles says, as he plans for defence capability gap
From ChrisW: ″Submarines are dinosaurs. The US, UK, China and Russia are all developing underwater unmanned drones for future maritime (including anti-submarine) warfare. We would be better off spending money on drone technology rather than submarines. We could still become the clever country.″
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