Dutton shows woeful lack of empathy for our veterans

Scott Morrison’s abject failure in addressing the parlous state of our veterans’ claims is indeed another stain on his legacy,but Peter Dutton’s wanton exploitation of the situation is simply shameful (“Budget detail a blight on Morrison”,May 21). Fulminating over the Albanese government’s increase in the number of public service employees,many of whom were employed to address the backlog of veterans’ claims left in limbo by the Morrison government,Dutton shows a woeful lack of empathy for those who have served and sacrificed much for this country and deserve the respect of each and every one of us.Donna Wiemann,Balmain

Shane Wright’s revelation of mismanagement and corrosive neglect in the Department of Veterans Affairs under the previous government is breathtaking in its betrayal. The Coalition’s confected concern whilst assistance claims were outsourced to workers on short-term contracts displayed a contemptuous disregard toward those who have selflessly served our country. I applaud the discretion of ministers Keogh,Chalmers and Gallagher in not politicising their efforts to redress the wrongs.Janet Argall,Dulwich Hill

Thank you Shane Wright for your insight. We had and have an obligation to those who do the fighting on our behalf. It’s unforgivable when the Coalition government sent our defence forces to these wars and then cruelly delayed our obligations to veterans,knowing delays would inflict more pain and suffering,resulting in suicides of veterans.Brian McDonald,Willoughby

The treatment of veterans by five-portfolio Morrison and the Coalition including Peter Dutton was scandalous. Contrast Dutton’s loud complaints about the public servants now trying to help the veterans the Coalition neglected with the approach of Jim Chalmers and Katy Gallagher who “without fanfare” have tried not to politicise a situation that is such a mess. Too often the Coalition has marched us into wars like Vietnam and Iraq and too often it has failed to care for the injured,the mentally afflicted and the bereaved families when those who defend this nation return.Ron Sinclair,Windradyne

This callous treatment of ADF veterans,added to the robo-debt disaster,really demonstrates how much the Coalition cares about the Australian people. And yet former members of the ADF,including some of those with whom I served,still vote for them. A term from my time in uniform describes the LNP attitude perfectly. It is “Jackmanship”,the attitude that “I’m all right Jack,and I don’t care about anyone else”. It was unacceptable in the Army 55 years ago,and it is unacceptable in politics now.George Rosier,Carlingford

Shane Wright shows the heartbreaking outcomes on veterans’ lives from government neglect. It also shows how poor policy results when slogans pass for debate on complex issues. Bloated public service. Big spending Labor governments. The better economic managers will always have lower taxes and spend money better. All governments do some good things. All governments waste money. The problem is that these slogans do nothing to allow genuine assessment of the role of government in making lives better for the majority of citizens. I thank Shane for his article and in highlighting this shameful episode.Brenda Kilgore,Red Hill (ACT)

Shane Wright rightly points out the shameful state of Veterans Affairs and the lack of money put into support given to veterans for physical and mental health issues arising from their service. Having recently visited the Australian War Memorial in Canberra I was horrified to witness the obscene amount of building works being undertaken there,costing taxpayers many billions of dollars. Previously it was a wonderful memorial that was always worth a visit. But to add to it in this way when thousands of veterans are suffering is a great blight on the previous Coalition government,along with the lack of money for practical support of veterans. It is surely equivalent to erecting a monument to homeless people instead of funding places for them to live.Judy Christian,The Ponds

Shane Wright highlights yet another disaster arising from over 10 years of “small government”,neoliberal ideology that consistently cut costs and staffing to vital and necessary government agencies,all under the guise of being better money managers. Veterans and others in need,such as the homeless and those with a disability,cannot be supported unless our governments invest in quality services to deliver those supports. Budget trickery,and sheer bloody minded penny-pinching,will always to lead to worse outcomes for the most vulnerable in our society. Shame on the LNP.Tony Heathwood,Kiama Down

Future will be built by migrants

Rosemary O’Brien is right that we should talk about migration (Letters,May 21). However,what we shouldn’t do is use the debate to drive a wedge between us or blame migrants for the housing crisis,unemployment,traffic chaos,and cost of living. Immigration doesn’t cause this. It is part of the equation,but successive governments have failed us all with no long-term plan for what is needed for Australia’s future,which,despite Mr Dutton’s scaremongering,will certainly continue to be built on migration. According to the 2021 census,approximately 10 per cent of Australian houses are not used as primary places of residence. That’s about one million houses which,for a variety of reasons,some unavoidable,are vacant. Maybe some of those could be rented out full-time with the government subsidising the owners so everyone wins. So instead of the same rhetoric since the White Australia Policy,politicians need to act on the available information and get down to planning an Australian future that includes us all.Anne Skates,Bomaderry

By all means have a discussion on immigration intakes,Rosemary. But do not include in that discussion Dutton’s question,“Do you feel safer?”Mark Paskal,Austinmer

I’m sure that many of the 72 per cent wanting a discussion on immigration want just that,a discussion based on reasoning,facts and real figures rather than histrionics and dog whistling.Brian Collins,Cronulla

It is not migrants who are to blame for crowding the waiting rooms of hospitals,taking all the seats on buses and trains or adding to the traffic chaos on our roads. It’s the privatisation of public transport,sale of public assets,cuts to government services and construction of tollways by former governments that’s more the cause.John Bailey,Canterbury

What are we going to do when our next housing crisis hits,somewhere between 2030 and 2050 (“China’s bold fix for property crisis is just not enough”,May 21)? Currently,we are in a spin trying to build as much as we can wherever we can. As our future population level declines,just like China’s today and as all the demographers predict,will we be left with a “massive stock of uncompleted and unsold property”? Will we then rue the decision to sprawl vertically around the Transport Oriented Developments in Sydney and across valuable agricultural land in regional areas? Will we regret our growth mindset of the early 21st Century and the loss of many heritage buildings?
Chris O’Rourke,Bathurst

More profit,less service

How hilarious for Telstra to cite that the axing of 2800 jobs by the end of year is to “help the telco stay competitive and make investments needed to support growth in data volumes across its business” (“Telstra to cut up to 2800 jobs”,May 21). With that word salad,you can just phone it in.
Suzanne Saunders,Wadeville

Telstra is to sack thousands of workers to improve productivity. This announcement may impress its shareholders,but will it improve services to customers?Judith Campbell,Drummoyne

As sure as eggs,Telstra’s job cuts will not improve customer service,result in lower prices or increase the retained employee wages in line with productivity gains. Equally sure:Telstra’s job cuts will increase profitability,management bonuses and (perhaps) shareholder dividends.Peter Hull,Katoomba

Telstra has announced that 2800 jobs will be cut to cut costs and improve productivity. One thing will not be improved – customer service.Stephanie Edwards,Leichhardt

Hidden history

Recently,I attended a U3A class that drew on the work of Professor Lyndall Ryan (“Historian who put colonial frontier violence on the map”,May 21). As David Marr has also shown inKilling for Country,the staggering number and extent of colonial massacres of Aboriginal people must explain the great Australian silence on it. Forgetting allowed unscrupulous politicians to sink the referendum in 2023. How long before we allow Aboriginal people to be sacrificed again?Sue Young,Bensville

Free art for all

The announcement by the Museum of Contemporary Art of a $3 million commissioning prize through the Balnaves Foundation is terrific for artists and the art ecosystem (“The $3 million MCA commission ripe for the selfie generation”,May 20). No philanthropic dollar will be directed to administration and keeping museums and galleries fee-free. The last Australian Bureau of Statistic figures stated that more than 80 per cent of Australians went to at least one cultural venue or event each year,compared with 43 per cent attending at least one sporting event. Those are a lot of voters,governments – keep the MCA operating costs funded so that its doors can remain open seven days a week,without having to charge for entry.Natalia Bradshaw,Potts Point

Uni fails test

Is there any wonder that Sydney University is the only university to achieve a surplus in 2023? (“Nearly half of the students at Sydney University come from overseas”,May 21). One could be excused for thinking that this university is no longer an institution of learning but a corporate business focused on the need to have a bottom line that is in the black. Overseas students reportedly pay almost three times the fees of Australian students and their enrolment is essential to maintain this profit. There was once a time that Sydney University was the flagship for academic standards in NSW. Sadly,the community no longer views the university as the standard-bearer despite the genuine intentions of the majority of the staff.David Findlay,North Kellyville

It’s about time our universities used their rivers of gold from the hundreds of thousands of overseas students to increase the amount of university-owned student housing. It’s wrong that universities can bring in huge numbers of students and dump them on an overheated housing market. The government should require universities to have housing capacity for,say,at least half their total student population. Linking visa approval to confirmed accommodation should also be considered.
Steven Lee,Faulconbridge

Sydney Uni,which has underpaid casual staff about $70 million,should now show a social conscience. Casual staff paid amounts in arrears will be taxed when received,not in the year it relates. Although the ATO has a mechanism to provide an offset,this is not always available. To make matters worse,these staff are currently hit with a higher Medicare levy and could lose their low-income tax offset. The CEO of our oldest university should take full responsibility and cover such costs.Michael Blissenden,Dural

Power struggle

Buy your electricity at off-peak rates,store it in your domestic battery then feed it back into the grid at peak rates (Letters,May 21). Seems brilliantly simple on the face of it and certainly a means to reduce the need to pour buckets of money into upgrading the transmission infrastructure. But if you look at your power bill you will see you are paying a fixed tariff for your incoming power while,if you have solar panels,you are lucky if you receive only around 20 per cent back as a feed-in tariff. This is a great idea but will first require the energy retailers to put in place a fairer and more realistic tariff regime to encourage households to get on board.Craig Forbes,Lewisham

Shared asset

The news that three levels of government are prepared to invest funds to rehabilitate Leichhardt Oval is welcome and should be viewed as an investment in a community asset rather than simply as a football arena (“Minns warms to oval works”,May 21). And it is about time the promised development of the Balmain Leagues club site on Victoria Road proceeds. Perhaps then the West Tigers will become a team worthy of new venues.Max Redmayne,Drummoyne

How much taxpayers’ money are we going to throw at the Wests Tigers and the NRL? Sixty million taxpayer dollars have recently been spent building a “centre of excellence” for the Tigers at Concord. Considering the Tigers make over $80 million annually from its gambling clubs,why should another cent of taxpayer money be spent on a club that can’t even work out what area it represents?Todd Hillsley,Homebush

Game on

Great to see croquet get a mention in theHerald (“Buddhism and croquet hammer home an unexpected connection”,May 21). Yes,croquet can be played into old age. At 92,l still enjoy playing and teaching association croquet,the original form which is now giving way to golf croquet,which is simpler. It’s a great game for both physical and mental exercise,and for sociability (off the court!).Nola Scott,Wagga Wagga

Price of intolerance

Kudos to Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong in calling out the decreasing tolerance for media and religious freedom in India under Prime Minister Modi (“Wong talks of ‘less tolerance’ in Modi’s India”,May 21). India remains an important economic and geopolitical strategic partner for us,but the curtailment of the democratic processes there will impact us here over time. It’s about time principles of democracy and ethics triumph over short-term diplomatic and economic pragmatism. We will have to answer history in future when it asks us why we settled for any less.Manbir Singh Kohli,Pemulwuy

Recipe reminders

Have a well-earned relax,Kylie Kwong. At least I have the recipe books,but it’s not the same (“Top chef to step away from the kitchen”,May 21).Genevieve Milton,Dulwich Hill

Brings to mind the quote:“The cook was a good cook,as cooks go;and as good cooks go,she went.” Woe are we.Edward Loong,Milsons Point

Grumpy Gina

The Gina art saga continues (CBD,May 21). Proves Monet doesn’t buy you happiness.Jeremy Brender,West Richmond (SA)

If Gina Rinehart doesn’t like her portrait in the National Gallery of Australia then surely she could establish her own gallery and hang art work to her liking. It could include before-and-after artworks of her,her admirers and her beautiful iron ore mountains.Merilyn McClung,Forestville

Was that Gina Rinehart in CBD? I didn’t recognise her.Josephine Piper,Miranda

War life

What an honour thatHerald journalist Roderick Macdonald was chosen to be remembered at the 80th commemoration of the Battle of Monte Cassino,Italy (“Herald correspondent brought readers to the front line by any means necessary”,May 20). Rob Harris’s article gave an excellent insight into the life of a war correspondent in World War II.Jennifer Maley,Lennox Head