Don't forget Jenny Macklin's achievements

Everyone is speaking of Julie Bishop retiring from politics after her 21 years and what she has done for Australia and even suggesting that she may get the role of ambassador to the United States. But why not think of Jenny Macklin for this role as she is also retiring from politics after 22 years

Ms Macklin has also given much to Australia, if in a less flamboyant way than Julie Bishop. She was also deputy leader of her party and has carried many important portfolios, including Indigenous affairs, families and disability reform, and has been instrumental in so many other areas to bring about social change, playing a key role in setting up the child sexual abuse royal commission, for example.

She has truly shown great integrity in all her dealings and has respect from both sides of politics. Recognition for her great work should be acknowledged and a role that promotes Australia should be offered to her for her consideration.

Glenise Michaelson, Montmorency

An opportunity squandered

The Liberals should have given Julie Bishop the chance to show that a woman can be just as bad a prime minister as any man.

Mark Freeman, Macleod

An object lesson in how to leave

Julie Bishop could teach Malcolm Turnbull a thing or two. She was deeply upset by her failure in the Liberal leadership ballot in August, but she did not resign in a huff, forcing a damaging byelection. Her retirement speech last week, after more than 20 years of sterling service, was positive about her party and its prospects. She will campaign strongly for the next Liberal candidate in Curtin.

She has more than classy outfits and shoes. She has class.

Lindsay Dent, Campbelltown, SA

Anybody home?

Would the last woman to leave the House, dust, vacuum, leave some frozen dinners in the freezer and turn out the lights.

Myra Fisher, Brighton East

Don't forget her silence

While Julie Bishop is applauded by both sides of Parliament I cannot join in. When Julia Gillard was being demeaned and vilified by vicious, misogynistic language from members of Ms Bishop's own party, especially Tony Abbott, who was the leader, Julie Bishop remained silent.

Pauline Ashton, Maribyrnong

THE FORUM

Here we go again

So another celebrity chef has been underpaying his staff ("Wage strife in Ezard eateries", The Sunday Age, 17/2). We hear about this at least partly because of that very celebrity as it makes for a good story since we recognise him from MasterChef or the like.

But how much deeper does the problem go? How many other businesses are doing the same thing? What can we, the general public do to help protect workers from this inequity?

For a start we can avoid rewarding such businesses by going elsewhere. The problem is – where? How can we possibly know which restaurants are ethically run and pay their staff their just entitlements under the relevant awards?

Surely there must be a way to monitor working conditions, including hours of overtime worked, and have a restaurant display some kind of sign that the management adheres to award conditions and is open to inspection of its books by the regulatory authorities. Maybe then we could have some confidence that we are not allowing wealthy, unscrupulous business owners to profit from the systematic underpayment and exploitation of their staff.

Dave Rabl, Ocean Grove

Banish them

Another day another wage scandal in the hospitality industry. Any restaurant that is found to exploit workers should be banned from the Good Food Guide for at least five years. How about it, The Age?

Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove

Rational but not just

The Sunday Age editorial (17/2) concludes it is just to remove retiree franking credits. While it may be economically and socially rational, it is not just.

Retirees who have spent 50 years planning and building up a superannuation portfolio, paying their taxes and following all the rules, will not accept this as just. It can only be just if it is not retrospective.

It is disingenuous for the editorial to suggest it would be fair to give retirees time to restructure their finances. The only reason most retirees have a weighting towards shares in their super is because it is the only asset class giving a high enough return to live on.

Ralph Frank, Malvern East

It's simply a rort

Terry Rankin ("Labor's path to victory", Letters 23/2), if you're not paying income tax, and in addition are getting a tax rebate from the taxpayers, then you're not a self-funded retiree.

This rort was introduced by John Howard back in 2001 as a bribe when he was worried about losing power. End of story.

Wayne Robinson, Kingsley, WA

I won't stand for this

Craig Foster speaks for many of us. The unspeakable violation of human rights represented by the Pacific Solution gulags that successive Australian governments have supported makes me sick to my soul.

Totalitarian regimes worldwide can look to Australia and ask what is the problem with indefinitely detaining innocent people without cause or trial.

Is this what it now means to be Australian? I know it is a largely meaningless gesture, but I have promised I will never stand again for the Australian national anthem while a single soul remains incarcerated in these hellholes.

Please feel free to join me. Perhaps we can start a movement.

Angus Wilson, Hawthorn

A joy to read

What a joy to read Craig Foster's message to "Scott and Bill" in the Age (theage.com.au, 22/2).

As a nation we have turned our backs on the world's most desperate and vulnerable people. They continue to languish and break apart under our watch.

Why can't our politicians find it within their hearts to work together to come up with a workable solution; one that keeps us safe, that welcomes those deemed genuine refugees, that supports and meets their basic needs and encourages them to become productive citizens. Have we got the guts to do it?

Agi Pallos, Upper Ferntree Gully

An outsourcing failure?

The promotion to the community about reducing waste and recycling has been one of the most successful in changing behaviour. Businesses entering into the recycling industry were taken in good faith to actually be recyclers. Some of these enterprises have turned out to be no more than transporters and stockpilers. All this time they've been lying to their investors and clients and the community in general.

These stockpilers have had since China's announcement in July 2017, effective January 2018, to gear for domestic recycling solutions that we expected were already in place. Most have done nothing but continue taking profits under false pretences.

Their claim that the governments should take the lead doesn't cut it. Waste management and recycling was contracted, for big fees, to these enterprises to make it happen. Or, is this yet another failure of outsourcing?

Jonathan Paton, Carlton

Pots and kettles

Julie Bishop's explanation for her departure is that "during the last two weeks, it's become evident that Labor has learnt nothing from its past failings and is doomed to repeat these failings if elected" ("Bishop to walk away from politics", The Age, 22/2).

Excuse me? That's the Coalition she's describing. Forget the last two weeks: she has clearly learnt nothing in the last two decades.

Jenifer Nicholls, Armadale

A sad day for voters

Although a rusted-on Labor voter, so far, I see Julie Bishop bowing out from government and politics as a sad day for voters of all political persuasion.

Her intelligence, diplomacy and ability to weather the storm, without histrionics will be greatly missed in a Parliament, where bombast, rant and swagger are the norm. I wish her well.

Dawn Evans, Geelong

Bursting the bubble

Take a good look at what is happening in Australia and across the globe: climate heating, polar caps melting, water shortages, millions of fish dead in the Murray-Darling, coral bleaching, drought, floods, bees and insects in decline, mammals large and small on the brink of extinction, our oceans overfished, suffering, starvation, war and poverty, 40 million displaced people seeking asylum and refuge. I'm sure you'll agree it's terrible. Then, what do we get from our government? We get mutterings about a "Canberra bubble", a politically driven scare campaign and the demonising of people under our care.

The message is: don't look too closely, just be afraid, be really afraid.

Terry Malone, Warburton

Millennials not wrong

I usually don't mind Tom Switzer, despite our different political persuasions, but his takedown of Millennials turning to socialism belies a naivety worse than that he is labelling those same Millennials with (theage.com.au, 23/2).

Tom, the turn to socialism is not about anxiety or ignorance – it is a rejection of how rotten capitalism can be. How it ignores those in need or unable to care for themselves for whatever reason. How it is ruthless allowing a small portion of the population to amass huge wealth at the expense of others. How it fosters greed, promotes poverty and encourages us to acts of unkindness and uncaring.

We should congratulate Millennials as they try to bring some notion of collective care and responsibility to a world that sorely needs it.

The same demographic we often label as inward focused, egocentric and focused on the now, are actually trying to promote the notion of a more egalitarian society. They are just younger than you or I, Tom, and will be on the earth a bit longer, and want it to be a more just earth than the one we currently live on.

If that's anxious or ignorant, then I'm with them.

Paul Bugeja, Mentone

Cooney's call to arms

The late, esteemed Barney Cooney's submission to the aged care royal commission must be required reading for us all (The Age, 23/2). He is not critical of the facility in which he lived but attempts to alert us to the culture of apathy and blindness that fails to honour the full personhood of the voiceless frail aged.

His succinct recording of the challenge to his dignity brought about by the power differential between care provider and resident – with regard to the simple act of the delivery of his afternoon coffee – represents in microcosm the reality frail aged residents face every minute of every day in their complete dependence on others.

It is a brilliant, heartbreaking account of powerlessness and depersonalisation, and our taking action on his plea for radical cultural change that will address the "obvious and continuing failure of our system to address seriously the mental and well being of our aged population", would be a fitting and worthy memorial to him.

Glenda Addicott, Ringwood East