Police integrity: An outrageous farce that undermines the force

Hiding behind social media

Beyond his blatant ethical hypocrisy, ex-assistant police commissioner Brett Guerin's internet "persona" puts the lie to the notion that social media posts act as a legitimate public forum. By definition, "old-fashioned" forms of communication such as The Age's Letters to the Editor section or The Conversation media outlet require respondents to provide a name and contact number: a degree of accountability for their viewpoints. Mr Guerin's use of a nom de plume was, according to John Silvester, rationalised by some as that of a provocative troll stirring debate ("Bizarre demise of a smart operator", 28/2). It was, in fact, behaviour equivalent to that of anonymous teenage boys who target feminist internet commentary with vile, misogynistic responses. Clearly, the internet is becoming antithetical to democratic, authentic and lawful social discourse.

Jon McMillan, Mount Eliza

Take responsibility to the top

In the 1980s, two crooks were jailed in Queensland. One was the commissioner of police and the other, the minister for police. It cast a pall over the entire Queensland force and led to a mistrust bordering on paranoia in the north. What arouses my curiosity is how a person such as Brett Guerin attained such a position in the first place. The person or people who promoted this man must surely be held accountable also.

Tony Nemaric, Somerville

Such attitudes rightly belong to history

So Victoria Police's assistant commissioner has been justifiably stripped of his respectable public face. He has been undone by his online disgusting references to "cheating dagoes", "Third World dullards", "Indian and Pakistani peasants" and "jigaboos". He will unlikely be the last "straight white man" ("The power behind three little words", Comment, 27/2) in places of power and influence to be unmasked. This is 2018, not 1918, and society now recognises that all racial groups and minorities deserve respect.

Phyllis Vespucci, Reservoir

FORUM

Privacy matters

Like most 60-something women, I'm a veteran survivor of sexual harassment at work. In most cases, I didn't report the problem. In one of the worst cases, I was being assaulted by the head of human resources so there was no one to complain to.

What I did want, every time, was for the behaviour to stop, and the offender to be given a rap over the knuckles, in private. I did not want to end up on the front page of the newspaper, as happened to the woman who complained about Barnaby Joyce. I didn't want the offender sacked without further ado, as has just happened to the performer Linden Rush, who made a crude joke to a co-actor ("'Idiot' star dismissed the day before show's opener", 28/2).

There was no mechanism to ensure that I could limit the fall-out if I reported the behaviour. So I didn't report it. It seems that not much has changed. People need to be able to report harassment and keep the matter private and low-key if they choose. The person whose behaviour caused the complaint also deserves a little bit of natural justice: to be told of the allegation, given time to think about what to do, and given a right of reply. There should be an offer of conciliation. And if the matter is resolved to both parties' satisfaction, that should be it: finished.

Caroline Williamson, Brunswick

Protect gamblers at risk

The revelations that staff in Woolies pokies venues are targeting people to try and manipulate them to lose as much possible to boost Woolies profits should cause the Victorian government to legislate for a "duty of care" by pokie venues ("Big Woolies is watching", 28/2). Instead of allowing pokies venue owners to get rich from harming people gambling on the pokies, the Victorian government should be requiring venue staff to identify people at risk of harm and intervening appropriately to prevent the harm. This is already required in New Zealand and Switzerland.

The Swiss Federal Law on Games of Chance and Gaming Houses 1998 requires that the casino operators prevent socially damaging consequences of their gambling facilities or provide a remedy for the subsequent loss. There is a requirement under the Swiss law for casinos to monitor, detect and exclude people likely to be harmed by gambling. There is a checklist, which identifies key characteristics of harmful gambling, and the staff use this list in approaching and assessing their patrons.

People gambling can seek compensation in the Swiss courts when a casino has failed to take reasonable action to stop them from being harmed.

Mark Zirnsak , senior social justice advocate, Synod of Victoria and Tasmania

Don't jump the gun laws

The report on Republican governor Brian Sandoval's rational views on US gun controls and multiple shootings highlights the lack of knowledge ("The governor breaking the Republican mould", 27/2), especially in Australia, of how hugely complicated US gun laws are in real life, across 50 states and countless, differing county laws.

Those Australians advocating the 1996 autocratic bans and buyback approach of the Howard government fail to understand why they are not practically or legally feasible for the US situation. Even in the remotest, small-town US gun shop, one may find a photo(s) of a huge pile of ordinary, low-magazine-capacity, hunting and sporting self-loading guns ready to be crushed in Australia during the 1996 buyback, with a the caption, "Do not let this happen here".

Every time former US president Barack Obama spoke about tightening gun laws, gun shops all over the US were rushed, depleting their stocks and ammunition manufacturers went into 24/7 production. Meanwhile, the media ignores the success of Kennesaw County in Georgia, where decades ago, all law-abiding residents were mandated to own a firearm. Already, school teachers in Ohio have swamped a pro-active police department offering a comprehensive instructional course in firearm competence, concealment and control for teachers to protect school lives.

Ken Pearce, Altona North

Destruction assured

In 1968, at the height of the war in Vietnam, an American commander said, "We had to destroy the village in order to save it." Fifty years later, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has upped the ante, instead of a just a village, now it's an entire country. I despair that, yet again, the Syrian government, along with its Russian cronies, will ignore the latest UN resolution, and every day, in the newspapers and on our TV screens, we will see more innocent civilians, including children, lose their lives because one man's puffed up ego.

Chris Burgess, Port Melbourne

Getting crowded out

It's painful to admit, but I think Tony Abbott has a point about immigration. Population growth is pushed by the growth lobby because it's "good for the economy". Yet subtract the costs of infrastructure and services for new arrivals and GDP growth is nearly halved. A total population of only 10 million has been estimated as ecologically sustainable for Australia (Tim Flannery).

I remember the optimism when Melbourne passed two million. Now the dread as it approaches five million. Every year it adds the population of Ballarat. How will this end? Good luck, Melbourne, as you cope with the congestion, sprawl, lagging services and declining quality of life of the mega-city. As for me, I've moved to Ballarat – and love it.

Peter Rechner, Wendouree

In whose interests?

When Barnaby Joyce donned his Akubra and purported to be standing up for those "weatherboard 'n' iron" rural voters in his resignation speech, I wonder who he was referring to.

Was it cropping farmers on the Liverpool plains and elsewhere fighting to keep coal seam gas companies from destroying some of our most prized agricultural land? Was it the graziers around the Galilee Basin who could have their livelihoods ruined by the coal mining and its impacts on the groundwater system? Perhaps it was those impacted by the extraction of massive volumes of water for irrigation from northern NSW rivers, which robbed graziers of stock water, rural towns of drinking water and downstream irrigators of their share?

Maybe Mr Joyce was referring to each and every farmer that is being, or will be impacted by climate change due to his illogical and unwavering defense of the coal industry and the Adani mine.

Let's hope that under the new Nationals leader these people and their interests aren't overlooked, because that would be in everyone's interest.

Rod Eldridge, Derrinallum

Make some space

The Albert Park upgrade debacle is another symptom of Melbourne's woefully inadequate and haphazard planning processes which are failing to take into consideration the need for sufficient open space required by the whole community ("Plan for giant sports hub hits rough", 28/2). Open space provides an important social function for our community, especially for those without a backyard. With more apartment developments dotting Melbourne, the need for open space is greater than ever especially considering apartments are the only option for many people who are priced out of buying a house.

As Melbourne's population grows, the strain on public open space will grow. If we cannot cope now, I can't imagine what the situation will be like in a few years. Governments need to act now to enshrine sufficient access to public open space for all Victorians.

Romy Woodford, Ormond

Test will fail students

If the government was serious about dealing with youth crime, they would cease considering policies that will further alienate young people, especially those who come into our schools most at risk ("Teachers slam proposal for VCE literacy, numeracy test", 28/2). The introduction of a literacy test will not only reduce year 12 completion rates for those who are EAL and new arrivals, it will also impact on those with extra learning needs. Demoralising those who need more support does not open pathways for the future, it paves the way for greater disengagement and a sense of hopelessness at school in the senior years, further marginalising the already marginalised.

Brendan Watson, principal, Catholic Regional College, Sydenham

Waiting for Centrelink

After negotiating with Centrelink for many months through numerous, and it would seem, mandatory 45-minute telephone calls, and visits to a number of offices only to be told" we don't handle students here", my son received the much-awaited letter from the government in yesterday's the mail. Sure enough, it contained a pro forma letter informing him that he actually is in debt to the government to the tune of $56 from (it is alleged) a single overpayment dating to 2013. Even bad news doesn't travel fast from Centrelink. Surely, the good news regarding his application for some much-needed assistance can only be just around the corner.

Peter McGill, Lancefield

Put your foot down

Pedestrians are becoming increasingly vulnerable but their lobbying power is nothing compared with that of the bike riders ("'Sickening': Footage shows cyclist hitting elderly pedestrian", 26/2). On many occasions cyclists, riding at speed along the pavement, have narrowly missed me as I exited my front gate. As for the so-called "shared" path alongside Elwood Canal, this is no longer safe for those wanting a quiet stroll. Port Phillip Council mumbles on about "regulations" and appears to be powerless. They beg riders to be "considerate" – fat chance. I would suggest a campaign with the slogan, "Footpaths for feet".

Ros Collins, Elwood

AND ANOTHER THING

The economy

Buy some bread, but lose some dough ("Big Woolies is watching", 28/21).

Myra Fisher, Brighton East

Evidence suggests that wages growth following company tax cuts is more like a dribble than a trickle.

Ian Maddison, Parkdale

Gun violence

US President Donald Trump's response to the violence experienced by hospital Emergency Department staff would be to arm the doctors and nurses. Problem solved.

Walter Valles, Clayton South

Would have ran unarmed into that school? This is the guy who dodged conscription with a heel spur.

Lesley Black, Frankston

So we are to believe draft-dodging Donald would have gone in when he heard the shots? Isn't his first instinct to fire off a tweet?

Mark Brooks, Benalla

Education

What? After 12 years of school, students are going to be tested to see if they can read, write and add up? Perhaps that test would best be conducted six years earlier.

Leon Burgher, Stony Creek

VCE shake-up – fine (27/2). Providing its motivation is to improve the breadth and depth of learning and not cost-cutting.

Tony Lenten, Glen Waverley

It seems to me Leunig (Comment, 28/2) is insulting the profession I gave my working life to, as have thousands of others. Take your head out of the sand please, Leunig.

Megan Peniston-Bird, Hawthorn

Leisure

What's with the Sudoku? There used to be a mix of easy, intermediate and expert. Now we only get expert? Give us a break.

Jenny Rolleston, Mount Martha

I'm an appropriately dressed helmet-less occasional cyclist. Can I have an acronym?

Colin Mockett, Geelong

Oh well, fellas, at least we aren't referred to as FOWILS (Fat Old Women in Lycra).

John Wyatt, Armadale

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