Letters and short takes May 24 2023

Are we meant to forget about a big part of Australia's real history to appease the sensibilities of some monarchists? History shows there's more discomfort to come.

GLEN Wilson ("Bias in the eye of the beholder", Letters, 17/5), I'm often amused by the accusations of left-wing bias thrown at the ABC. David Speers, the host of ABC's political show Insiders, is a former political editor of Sky News, as well as a former host of three shows on the network. Many regular Insiders guests have ties to Rupert Murdoch, Peter Costello, and/or the Liberal Party. In my opinion Leigh Sales, former host of 7:30, always had what I found to be a tendency to talk down to any Labor MPs she interviewed, as well as raking them over the coals for the most petty reasons. In stark contrast, any time Miss Sales interviewed a Liberal MP, the interviews appeared to me to more closely resemble puff pieces scripted by the Liberal Party themselves.

As for anyone still put off, I'm reminded of a quote from the late great comedian George Carlin. When giving a rebuttal to a man complaining about something he heard on the radio, Carlin asked "did anyone ever tell you that there are two knobs on the radio? One of them turns the radio off, and the other one changes the station".

PETER Dolan (Short Takes, 17/5), says the wheel has turned on AstraZeneca and ivermectin. That's because it's rolled on.

The Vaxzevria (AstraZeneca) vaccine is no longer available in Australia because, as expected, first generation vaccines have been superceded by an increased supply of newer ones targeting the virus strains now circulating.

As for ivermectin, in September 2021 its prescription for 'off-label' uses was limited to certain specialists because of concerns about the safety of consumers using it without health advice to treat COVID-19, its widespread use instead of approved vaccines and treatments for COVID-19, and potential shortages of the medicine for its usual and approved uses. From June 1 2023, GPs will also be able to prescribe its 'off-label' use because those risks have abated, most notably because the adult population is now almost fully vaccinated.

However, the TGA makes very clear that it still does not endorse the use of ivermectin for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 because "a large number of clinical studies around the world have demonstrated ivermectin does not improve outcomes in patients with COVID-19."

Nothing much to see here.

LIKE many other people, I have grave concerns about the government's plans to bring hundreds of thousands of new immigrants into Australia in the short term when we are in the midst of such a drastic housing shortage. We do not have anywhere near enough social housing, affordable homes for sale or private rentals for our own people, let alone new immigrants. Where are these people going to live?

One would have to question the wisdom of this plan when there are thousands of families and singles living in tents, in cars, in garages and couch surfing because they have nowhere decent to live which is a disgrace for a country such as ours. Has the government really thought this through? I don't think so.

DAN Repacholi is a five-time Olympian and Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist. He is also the MP for the seat of Hunter, the heartland of Australia's coal industry. If anyone is up to a challenge, Repacholi is. So, it's not surprising that he is championing the Recharging the Hunter report which highlights the benefits of a tougher fuel efficiency standard ("Toughen fuel rules to drive EV growth", Herald 19/5).

Many Australians are doing it tough at the moment and it's worth noting that a stronger fuel efficiency standard saves money.

Last year, The Australia Institute calculated that nearly $6 billion in fuel costs would have been saved, and emissions equivalent to a year's worth of domestic flights would have been avoided, if fuel efficiency standards were adopted in 2015. Full credit to Mr Repacholi, who has the courage to push his party to do more on emissions. I fear the federal Labor Party's decision to call yet another inquiry into fuel efficiency is merely kicking the can down the road.

I FEEL I have to reply to John Ure ("Don't let history remain our future", Letters, 18/5), as I think his rather selective recount of history was misleading and inaccurate. The poverty of some of the poorer population of Britain in the late 18^th /early 19th century was certainly horrific, as he stated, but people should know that Britain at the time was leading the world into the Industrial Revolution and was one of the most prosperous and democratic countries of the times. It allowed the rise of the middle class for the first time, and they became a political force, envied and copied by many other nations.

The British middle class were better fed, housed and educated than ever before. Trade, technical and business skills allowed the middle class to rise above the restrictions imposed previously by the landed and aristocratic classes. They had values of thrift, responsibility and self-reliance sadly lacking with many people today. They brought those values to colonies including Australia.

John Ure's romantic description of Aboriginal life in Australia was not accurate from my understanding. Their "abundant fresh food sources" never allowed the population to rise above a few hundred thousand for a whole continent that regularly dried out with cyclical droughts.

The "plentiful game" had to be chased out of the scrub by regularly burning the bushland, as noticed by Captain Cook with the many fires they saw burning along the east coast of Australia.

Australia, before the British, was hardly a paradise as some may assume. Aboriginal people in Australia today have as much "voice in their own affairs" as non-Aboriginal Australians do. They do not need another Voice to parliament.

IT seems the State of Origin selectors agree with many Knights fans in not choosing our million-dollar man. Pity about Gagai.

AM I the only one or are there others who are tired of listening to the commentators waffle on about State of Origin football? They start before a ball is kicked and then drone on with drivel about who should be ready. The other 26 rounds are more important to club footy. Play them after the grand final and be thankful for the jobs they do. Club footy should rule over a state stouch.

AT every election, the winning leader says his/her government will govern "for all Australians". So why do we need to change our constitution to give any group a special "voice"? All legislation affects all Australians. If I am wrong, please tell me what legislation does not. Come on Albo, give us some explanation and information, not motherhood statements, because at this stage, based on what you have told us, I can only conclude we are being asked to give 3 per cent an extra voice on everything.

MORE comfortable playing the man rather than the ball, Michael Hinchey ("The consequences of conspiracies", Letters, 19/5), dismisses my questions about the Bureau of Meteorology as just another one of my right wing conspiracy theories, in the same vein as my theories about Cardinal Pell, Trump, COVID vaccines, renewable energy and the Voice, all irrelevant to the matter at hand. I might just as easily dismiss his various viewpoints as left wing conspiracy theories. Does being an "official" agency exempt the Bureau from "institutional dishonesty"? Ever ready to search past letters for incriminating comments, perhaps Mr Hinchey recalls previously suggesting that mainstream media censor every question of doubt about climate change. On that basis, not only does he not have answers, but no one has the right to raise questions.

I'M happy to vote for The Voice, however I think The Voice to Parliament will just be another committee that makes recommendations to the government. The government will say 'Thanks very much, we truly value your input' and file it under 'No action required'. Hope I'm wrong.

THE poor old white blokes desperate to white ant the Indigenous Voice to Parliament can't seem to cope with virtually every sporting body in the country advocating for a "yes" vote. I'm sure they'd be singing the praises of the NRL and AFL if they advocated a "no" vote.

I CANNOT fathom a single circumstance that there ought to be a need to draw a taser, let alone deploy it twice, on a 95-year-old using a walking frame even though she had a steak knife in her hand ('Deeper questions after Taser incident', Editorial 23/5). The whole thing is beyond belief. I also wonder why the nursing home staff felt they were unable to manage the situation. This is so unbelievable and so upsetting to the family.