Government neglect in reining in energy companies

When I listen to Michael McCormack, I wonder what part of La La Land he is living in. If we go down the sensible renewal way for our energy needs, he says there will be no night cricket or night footy, and pensioners will freeze in the winter and roast in the summer because they will not be able to afford their energy bills. I am sorry to have to bring you back to the real world, Mr McCormack, but pensioners are unable to afford their energy bills right now – and with no thanks to you and your mates in the government who have not reined in those rip-off energy companies in the years that you have being in power.

Dermot Mcintosh, Bacchus Marsh

Barnaby Joyce will not save sitting members' seats

Rumours abound in Canberra of a challenge to Michael McCormack's leadership. Barnaby Joyce is viewed by Queensland and NSW sitting members, who are terrified of losing their seats, as the only one who can save them from obliteration on election day. This view is not necessarily shared by the women in these electorates. I believe a paraphrased "Pythonesque" word of caution for the Nationals may assist them. Barnaby is not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy.

Rob Martin, Oakleigh South

No, the people didn't elect him deputy prime minister

At the last election, Barnaby Joyce received a majority of votes in the seat of New England and became the elected representative of that seat. He was chosen by the parliamentary members of the National Party to be its leader. At that election, the Coalition obtained a majority of seats in the House of Representatives and formed government. Under the agreement between the Liberal and National parties, when in the government, the leader of the National Party becomes the deputy prime minister.

This is how Barnaby Joyce, for a time, was deputy prime minister, the same process whereby Michael McCormack is the current deputy prime minister. Australia does not have a presidential system of government – prime ministers and deputy prime ministers are not directly elected. Mr Joyce's claim that he was "elected deputy prime minister of Australia" is therefore fanciful, possibly even delusional.

Cheryl Earnshaw, Euroa

My only choice was to vote for my local member

Barnaby Joyce was elected by voters in New England – and nobody else – to represent them in Parliament. What is this about his claim to being "elected deputy prime minister"? I did not vote for him or anybody else to take on that role. My only choice was to vote for my local member. It was the members of Mr Joyce's parliamentary party who elected him to be their leader and, thus, deputy prime minister. Mr Joyce, please do not mark us as idiots.

Peter Burton, South Melbourne

Learning from the worst of reality television

Married at First Sight – a program about a group of people who may not have been chosen for their intelligence, with zero empathy and limited interpersonal skills, and who ostensibly have the same objective but all with hidden agendas. This could be the ideal training video for the Coalition.

Ken Wall, Mount Martha

THE FORUM

Know your real enemies

The National Party should heed Winston Churchill, who noted: a) "In politics one should not commit suicide as one might live to regret it", and b) "In the house, I am just as wary of those sitting behind me as I am of those in front of me".

David Price, Camberwell

No, not with my taxes

Is it supposed to make sense? Coal-fired power stations in the Sunshine State, of all places, when power bills are dropping for those with solar panels and no generation company is jumping at the opportunity. Please do not use my money to underwrite a coal-fired power station. But I am more than happy for the Coalition parties to make a killing investing its own (donated) funds. It does not even need to be the government to do that.

Trevor Martin, St Leonards

Exclusively male domains

The Nationals' Peter Walsh says men-only clubs are "a place where you can meet other people privately" (The Age, 12/3). No. They are a place where he can meet other men privately. A bit like the Liberal and National parties.

Julia Thornton, Surrey Hills

Such political expediency

No one could criticise Julian Burnside for nominating for the seat of Kooyong once he saw it could come into play. This is the fundamental right of every citizen.

But to suddenly resign from the Savage Club, of which he had been a member for 40years, and state this was because of its (long-standing) policy of not admitting women, reeks of hypocrisy. Mr Burnside saw his membership of an elite club that does not admit women as a possible embarrassment, and decided to ditch it as soon as it was mentioned on Sky News.

Rob Siedle, Hawthorn

Fighting a deadly enemy

There is concern about a shortage of water-bombing aircraft – which Australia usually leases from the United States – to fight our bushfires because of overlapping fire seasons in the hemispheres (The Age, 12/3). The federal government says purchasing a firefighting air fleet would be too expensive and current leasing arrangements are working.

But what if we see ruinous bushfires as attacks by forces we have outdated or insufficient weapons to fight? Surely one less submarine in the current building plan for use against a nebulous enemy could allow us two or three fire bombers to fight a clearly defined and deadly foe. And if the military forces are resting between engagements, they might be trained in emergency fire fighting strategies to increase the numbers of expert, but often exhausted, firies.

Sally Dammery, Malvern East

Aussies hold their own

Your theatre critic has posted an insulting review of 33 Variations at the Comedy Theatre (Arts, 12/3) – insulting because he infers that brilliant Australian actors of the calibre of Helen Morse are only able to rise to greater heights because they are paired with the likes of the American actor, Ellen Burstyn.

This is Australian cultural cringe at its worst and is coming from one of our own. Perhaps he is trying to justify Actors Equity's giving way to allowing foreign "stars" to perform in co-productions here but, if so, he is on the wrong track.

Ellen Burstyn should feel privileged to be working with the best and I am sure she does. Australian actors and productions can hold their own anywhere. By the way, it is common knowledge that Australian premieres of musicals are done here precisely because of those high standards. As a member of Equity, I am happy that overseas actors can get a chance to work here. They will learn a lot.

Sue Ingleton, actor, writer, director, Castlemaine

Putting the students first

The group managing director of education group, Acquire Learning & Careers – which has gone into administration owing its creditors, including the federal government, $147million – urged: "Lads ... let's make some serious money" (The Age, 9/3).

No, lads, let's provide the best vocational educational opportunities for students, including with taxpayers' money.

Virginia Harding, Alphington

Putting the workers first

Thank you, Nicholas Reece, for reminding us of the great advances in the 19th century workplace in Melbourne – "Forgotten public holiday means more than ever" (Comment, 11/3). I just wonder though, where are our unions? We need them now more than ever – to combat under-employment, casualisation, unpaid overtime, non-payment of superannuation and underpayment, to name a few issues currently affecting workers.

Margaret Collings, Anglesea

Putting wage earners first

Nicholas Reece comments on the symbolism of changing Labour Day to Moomba but it is more than that. In the 1960s, when we went to work in London, there was a 15 per cent tax discount for earned income (mainly PAYG wages) as against unearned income from investments. Over the years this has progressively moved to the advantage of rentiers. Negative gearing, discounts for capital gains, imputation credits, the tax-free status and sequestration of pensions from other income, and even GST vastly favour investments over wages.

When you combine this with the trend to level the progressive nature of our tax system and the current squeeze on wages, it is not a pretty picture. And the evidence that this is driving economic growth is just not there. Labor, to its credit, has proposed some measures to correct this but we need a serious review of our entire tax system to move it back to the benefit of wage earners.

Kyle Matheson, Mont Albert

Exploited and fearful

Labour Day is a chance to rekindle the spirit of those who protested for better working conditions. My friend was encouraged to become an aged care worker. She paid $4000 for her six-month course. Upon completion, she was "rewarded" with a permanent job of one hour per week.

She is also offered temporary work, with casual pay and conditions. She is rung and asked to come immediately or later that day. She is afraid that if she does not accept, she will not get any more work. But she has preschool children, and the workplace is a 40-minute drive from her home. It is heavy, difficult work, her longest casual shift is six hours with one half-hour break. The spirit of those who protested for better working conditions is needed in aged care.

Coralie Jenkin, North Shore

Seeking a courageous MP

Which Australian politician has the moral fortitude to introduce reparations legislation – "A radical solution for wealth gap (Comment, 11/3) – to compensate our Indigenous peoples for the restrictions and discrimination they have faced over the years?

Elizabeth Morris, Kennington

Helping our ailing system

I have just spent two weeks in a major public hospital. I had no hesitation in signing in as a private patient. I was not forced to do this and, in the end, my care was probably the same as if I had been a public patient. I did this as I feel I get minimal real benefit from my private hospital cover. This was a small way to assist the public hospital. Next time I am in hospital, I will do exactly the same as our public system needs all the help it can get.

Steve Dawkins, Port Fairy

The real health issues

Last Wednesday my mother became unwell and was stabilised in a public emergency department. She needed an intensive care bed, but the adjacent private hospital could not accommodate her. Therefore she was admitted to the public hospital. She is now recovering and has chosen to use her private health insurance. After all, she has been paying premiums for 50 years and her taxes pay 30 per cent of her insurance. Rather than being "harvested" by the public system, the public hospital stepped in to provide care when the private system did not.

When it comes to the 10million or so privately insured Australians, I suggest that Dr Rachel David, the head of the private health insurance industry's representative body, Private Healthcare Australia, devotes her advocacy towards the reasons that private hospitals are unable to provide care for so many emergency patients, or why patients choose to use public system in favour of private hospitals. Overstretched emergency departments and wards would be delighted to transfer many patients to the private system, as long as it is accessible and of equal quality.

Dr Sandy Hopper, North Carlton

Private insurers' agenda

There is no excuse for hospitals to pressure people to be admitted as private patients. However the real agenda of private insurers is to prevent insured patients electing to be admitted as private patients. Such an outcome saves the companies from paying a benefit for which the patient has paid a premium.

Why should patients not choose to receive a benefit for which they have paid, if they are assured that there will not be any charges beyond the payment they receive from the insurer? Where would the calculated $1billion paid to public hospitals be better spent? There is a greater benefit to the community if this money is spent supporting the underfunded public hospital system rather than going into the pockets of private health insurers' shareholders and executives.

Irwin Faris, Torquay

Is honesty the best policy?

I am a gullible 86-year-old who has been asked, on entering hospital, whether I have private health insurance. I have admitted I have, but now I see that this was wrong. So what am I supposed to do? Lie? I am not only gullible but confused.

Peter Valder, Toorak

Even ex–MPs are winners

If age pensioners earn more than the allowed extra income, their pensions are reduced. If "parliamentary pensioners" earns any amount of extra income on top of their more than adequate pensions, these are not reduced. That does not sound fair to me.

Rosemary Taylor, Castlemaine

AND ANOTHER THING

Joyce

Barnaby sees himself as a "super pollie" and man of vision, rather than a destroyer of waterways and climate change denier.

Rosemary Rainer, Carlton North

Barnaby, New England elected you. The Nats elected you their leader. The country didn't elect you deputy PM.

Heather McKean, Wangaratta

Leave Barnaby where he can do no more harm. Away from water sources.

Sharyn Bhalla, Ferntree Gully

Joyce says he's the "elected" deputy PM, so who is our "elected" PM? Oh, I remember.

Tony Kane, Maldon

Politics

Parliamentary pensions, the gift that keeps on giving.

Michaela Pratt, Somers

If Scomo is the brick wall, who is Humpty Dumpty?

Caroline Stinear, Berwick

Scott, haven't you heard? A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Mayda Seme, Brighton East

Will Morrison reopen Pentridge?

Stephen Baldwin, Frankston

At last, Alan Jones shows his hand. He admires Latham. Now we know where his politics lie.

John Sainsbury, Wodonga

I'll vote for Burnside. He stands for something: refugees, the environment. I'm sick of Josh's party-line style.

Robyn Stonehouse, Camberwell

Furthermore

No public appeal to aid bushfire victims? When did donor fatigue set in?

Loucille McGinley, Brighton East

The institutional Catholic Church urgently needs a 21st century reformation.

Marie Rogers, Kew

Re a twilight grand final. Gillon, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Tim Brown, Ascot Vale

Nothing is sacred or private any more. Everything is competitive. Wendy Squires, thank you for the perceptive, and sad, article (9/3).

Jen Gladstones, Heidelberg

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