<\/p>\n
<\/span>Credit:<\/span>Illustration: Andrew Dyson<\/cite><\/p>\n To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number.<\/p>\n Why, as taxpayers, are we employing MPs who allow harassment, bullying or worse (The Age, 1\/12) to occur in their offices? Why are they not dismissed for sexual, harassing or bullying misbehaviour, misbehaviour that no company or business would get away with? Perhaps the answer is numbers. Each party when in power ignores appalling behaviour because it needs the offending member\u2019s vote.<\/p>\n Decent behaviour in organisations is top down. If the top does not care or only gives it lip service, others are free to misbehave. Should we require a statuary declaration from political candidates stating that if they are elected, they will not practise or tolerate these inappropriate behaviours? If it were not so serious and so life destroying it would be pathetic: the Canberra naughty club. The review, by the Sex Discrimination Commissioner (pictured), into Parliament\u2019s workplace culture has been released. Our Prime Minister said the findings of bullying, sexual harassment and assault were \u201cappalling\u201d and \u201cdisturbing\u201d. He then went on to say, \u201cI wish I found them more surprising\u201d. So, Scott Morrison, you knew all along how bad the culture was, but did nothing about it? What a morally bereft government you lead. The reports about Parliament House and Ambulance Victoria (The Age, 1\/12) were very similar, with over half of respondents saying they had been subjected to bullying, sexual harassment or even sexual assault in the workplace. It is high time these practices are highlighted, acknowledged, and called out with appropriate punishment and shaming. This behaviour has been tolerated and accepted for far too long and is probably endemic in countless other companies and organisations, unfortunately. Those few brave victims who have spoken out deserve to be listened to and we, as a society, need to be responsible for our own actions as well as being respectful examples to our children. In an interview with Radio National\u2019s Fran Kelly (ABC, 1\/12) about the poor parliamentary workplace culture, Tanya Plibersek said it was \u201ca widespread problem in every workplace\u201d. I can only stand up for my many male colleagues in intensive care units who have excellent work ethics. They also treat us females as respected equals \u2013 as we do them. If we were to posture and shout at others in the workplace \u2013 as do our parliamentarians \u2013 we would be terminated. The Speaker should expel any MPs who behave in such an appalling manner. This might change parliament\u2019s toxic culture. A male Coalition senator makes growling noises while a female senator is speaking during Question Time (The Age, 1\/12) on the same day the Sex Discrimination Commissioner hands down a report into the workplace culture within Parliament. Unbelievable and crass. Will he be corralled into the Prime Minister\u2019s office for a dressing down, sorry, some pastoral care, a la Bridget Archer? I will not be holding my breath. I am appalled at the working conditions and culture of the \u201cmen\u2019s club\u201d. As a teacher in the Victorian Education Department for 36years, I have only ever worked under conditions of equality and respect for all my colleagues and bosses.<\/p>\n I worked under women and men in positions of leadership and I never experienced sexual harassment, bullying or the delinquency of power anywhere near the legion of examples that spring from the house on the hill. We, the owners of that workplace, are alarmed and dumfounded, and we demand change. Perhaps a full flush out at the next election might help. Why has the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency taken so long to crack down on cosmetic cowboys (The Age, 1\/12)? After my own experience with AHPRA back in 2011 after reporting a cosmetic surgeon, l will take a guess. It would not have acted if the brave patients, and talented journalists, had not blown the whistle.<\/p>\n Even after this, l have little faith in AHPRA and feel there should be an independent inquiry into the agency. I suggest transparency when a doctor has had a complaint filed against them, so the public can make informed decisions about who they want to perform the treatment they seek. Who is AHPRA protecting? The patient or the doctor? Although the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency\u2019s probe will need to define the issues of accreditation and the safety of health practices among those calling themselves cosmetic surgeons, the issue for specialist surgeons in general is wider and deeper. Surgery, like evolution, can be survival of the fittest in a system in our country which is designed to support business development as much if not more than patient care. David Dalaithngu AM who has died \u2013 \u201cCelebrating a leader, lark, legend\u201d (The Age, 1\/12) \u2013 was a much admired and pioneering actor. Is there an appropriate award that can be named in his honour to recognise new and aspiring actors? Spanning five decades, David Dalaithngu has brought his First Nations culture to us through acting, dancing, painting and singing. His artistry and on-screen presence has shone a bright light on Aboriginal representation in Australian film.<\/p>\n As a proud Yolngu man, it cannot have been easy managing his desire to live a traditional life with a very public profile. Yet despite his talents, David Dalaithngu still experienced racism and discrimination, and as an Indigenous male. Closing the Gap has a long way to go, and sadly we are all the poorer for it. Ross Gittins is right to point out that one third of Australians facing rental poverty have been let down by successive Labor and Liberal governments disinvesting in public housing (Opinion, 1\/12). Because this lack of funding has occurred since the 1980s, we are now seeing a massive wave of retiree renters paying up to 70 to 80per cent of their income in rent.<\/p>\n This older people\u2019s housing crisis also exposes further government policy failures as the age pension is inadequate to afford high rents and aged care support is impossible if you are at risk of homelessness.<\/p>\n A safe, secure and affordable home is the foundation for a good life in older age. It is time governments realised they can solve many policy problems by investing in public housing. The death of emergency nurse Gillian Dempsey, from COVID-19 (The Age, 1\/12), reminds us how vulnerable are the frontline health workers. She, along with all other health care professionals, risk contracting the disease every time they go to work. Thank you, Gillian, and all your co-workers, for your tireless efforts to keep the public safe. Travelling on a plane is a high-risk situation for the transmission of COVID-19. There is no ability to socially distance on a full flight and air ventilation is limited (Best not to open the window!). We should be taking immediate advantage of the current Omicron scare to ensure that poorer countries are properly vaccinated against COVID-19. That should at least be an equal, if not a higher, priority than delivering booster shots in wealthy countries.<\/p>\n Western leaders have had plenty to say about directly protecting their own people but very little about improving vaccine coverage in poorer countries. This is a self-defeating exercise in short-term selfishness.<\/p>\n If we are lucky, Omicron may turn out to be mild. If that is right, then wealthy countries must treat this as a fortuitous wake-up call on the importance of vaccinating the whole world. The next vaccine of concern may well be even more destructive than Delta. We can do without Novak Djokovic at the Australian Open. We do not want another Adria Tour, when several players tested positive to COVID-19. Besides, it will give other deserving players are chance. Maybe even an Australian. Go Alex \u201cDemon\u201d de Minaur. I hope the Andrews government\u2019s appointee to monitor Yarra City Council governance (The Age, 1\/12) makes a difference. But I suspect the problem lies deep within the planning department and has little to do with councillors.<\/p>\n I have found our elected councillors are prepared to listen and genuinely consider local issues. However, the planning officers appear to be a law unto themselves and it is all about throughput. They do not seem to be interested in the unique qualities of individual neighbourhoods which make Yarra special. I suspect they do not get it. Once again we see the farcical situation of a large bank, this time Westpac, being fined \u2013 \u201cKing vows overhaul in wakes of fines\u201d (Business, 1\/12). But who pays the fines? Ultimately the shareholders foot the bill, and that includes just about everyone in Australia who has a superannuation account.<\/p>\n The bank\u2019s board members and senior executives, who are the real culprits, make a heartfelt apology but continue to receive eye-watering salaries, despite their demonstrated inadequacies. It happens again and again. It is called \u201ccan-do capitalism\u201d and the current government loves it. \u201cCorporate speak\u201d at its finest: Regarding the bank\u2019s fees, Westpac chief executive Peter King admits \u201cwe didn\u2019t meet our promise to customers in that case\u201d. How true. The said customers were dead. Bella d\u2019Abrera, representing the conservative Institute of Public Affairs (Opinion, 30\/11), attempts to defend the racist origins of the name of Moreland City Council, which commemorates both local dispossession and global slavery. Renaming this community\u2019s principal civic body will not erase its history, but provide a landmark declaration that acknowledges past injustice, raises awareness of catastrophic impacts, and provides a platform for respectfully moving forward together. Moreland City Council has not gone far enough. The Sumerians and Babylonians were noted for sending their vanquished opponents into slavery. And as we have inherited their sexagesimal system of units for time, geography, and angles, I would expect that a new standard of units and nomenclature based on purity of thought and history be pronounced at their next council meeting. Ten seconds to a minute, and 10 minutes to the hour, and perhaps 10 hours in the day would ensure that no offence is implied when I am asked the time by one of Moreland\u2019s residents. Following Labor Mayor Jim Magee incorrectly alleging at a council meeting that the City of Glen Eira did not apply to the federal government for funding to upgrade commuter car parking at Bentleigh and Elsternwick railway stations (The Age, 12\/8), it is understandable that your correspondent \u2013 \u201cLevers of power\u201d (Letters 1\/12) \u2013 believes this to be the case (about Bentleigh station). It is devastating to seek out hidden treasures only to find that VicForests has logged extensively to within metres of Seven Acre Rock (a large rocky outcrop) in the Bunyip State Park. The commitment to meet Indigenous and tourist interests has been abused. In response to your contributor (Letters, 1\/12) regarding no noise, no pollution Grand Prix motor racing. This already exists in Formula E. A single-seater motorsport championship for electric cars similar to the existing Formula 1 cars. There is also an all-electric, off-road motorsport called Extreme E. Motor racing in general has certainly embraced all electric vehicles. <\/span>Credit:<\/span>Illustration: Matt Golding<\/cite><\/p>\n I\u2019d have thought MPs who sexually harass should be sacked. It happens in the real world. The PM isn\u2019t surprised by the review into sexual harassment, indicating he was aware of it. Why didn\u2019t he do something about it? Morrison is disappointed a Liberal made growling noises while Lambie was talking. No action or consequences for the offender equals tacit approval. Dog whistling, dog noises, what\u2019s next? Ankle nips? Ask Archer. How many MPs who are guilty of sexual harassment or bullying are standing in the election? Labor dumps a fuel standard plan (1\/12). One again the environment and our health are sacrificed on the altar of politics. Mirabella advises her husband, a new Senator, \u2033\u2063not to trust journalists\u2033\u2063 (1\/12). I hope she\u2019s advised him on ethics and integrity too. Liberal MPs should be very wary if Frydenberg claims to be concerned about their welfare.PARLIAMENT\u2019S CULTURE<\/h3>\n
Why are MPs exempt from rules we follow?<\/h3>\n
Judith Paphazy, Cape Schanck<\/strong><\/p>\nIf Morrison knew, why didn\u2019t he act earlier?<\/h3>\n
Ashley Ryan, Heathmont<\/strong><\/p>\nWe need to be respectful examples for our children<\/h3>\n
Wendy Poulier, Ferntree Gully<\/strong><\/p>\nWorkplaces where all are treated with respect<\/h3>\n
Joan Logan, South Melbourne<\/strong><\/p>\nTime for another MP to be corralled into PM\u2019s office<\/h3>\n
Doug Shaw, Sunbury<\/strong><\/p>\nCalling for a \u2018full flush out\u2019 at the federal election<\/h3>\n
Frank Flynn, Cape Paterson<\/strong><\/p>\nTHE FORUM<\/h3>\n
Patients before doctors<\/h3>\n
Sharon Hendon, Glen Iris<\/strong><\/p>\nBusiness before patients<\/h3>\n
Andrew Zbar, retired general surgeon, Caulfield North<\/strong><\/p>\nA great actor and man<\/h3>\n
Ange Kenos, Niddrie<\/strong><\/p>\nThe gap is still too wide<\/h3>\n
Linda Grace, Mitcham<\/strong><\/p>\nThe older people\u2019s crisis<\/h3>\n
Jeff Fiedler, Preston<\/strong><\/p>\nOur front line heroes<\/h3>\n
Margaret Collings, Anglesea<\/strong><\/p>\nVaccine pass, please<\/h3>\n
In the past few days I flew to and from NSW and on neither flight was the vaccination status of passengers checked. Yes, there was a declaration when booking the tickets but is that really enough? If restaurants can check our vaccination status, so should airlines.
Allison Christians, Footscray<\/strong><\/p>\nVaccinate the whole world<\/h3>\n
Denny Meadows, Hawthorn<\/strong><\/p>\nGiving other players a go<\/h3>\n
Melanie Bennetts, Lower Templestowe<\/strong><\/p>\nProtect \u2018special\u2019 Fitzroy<\/h3>\n
Susan Mahar, Fitzroy North<\/strong><\/p>\nNegatives of \u2019can-do\u2019<\/h3>\n
Darby Higgs, Williamstown<\/strong><\/p>\nVery little customer care<\/h3>\n
Richard Pentony, Hawthorn<\/strong><\/p>\nMoving forward together<\/h3>\n
Rod Duncan, Brunswick East<\/strong><\/p>\nLet\u2019s be purer than pure<\/h3>\n
Mike Pantzopoulos, Ashburton<\/strong><\/p>\nThe council\u2019s request<\/h3>\n
Council\u2019s 11-page submission to the federal government before the last election shows otherwise, and Glen Eira subsequently welcomed the investment in this \u201cpriority project\u201d. I am proud to be associated with delivering a nearly $20million infrastructure investment in our community \u2013 the largest in Glen Eira\u2019s history \u2013 and look forward to the project being delivered consistent with council\u2019s application.
Tim Wilson, Federal MP for Goldstein, Brighton East<\/strong><\/p>\nLogging encroachment<\/h3>\n
Cherie Forrester, Gembrook<\/strong><\/p>\nMotor racing and EVs<\/h3>\n
Nigel Beresford, Drouin<\/strong><\/p>\nAND ANOTHER THING<\/h3>\n
<\/p>\n
Harassment<\/h3>\n
Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South<\/strong><\/p>\n
Noel Turnbull, Port Melbourne<\/strong><\/p>\n
Damian Meade, Leopold<\/strong><\/p>\n
George Reed, Wheelers Hill<\/strong><\/p>\n
Malcolm McDonald, Burwood<\/strong><\/p>\nPolitics<\/h3>\n
David Robertson, Wheatsheaf<\/strong><\/p>\n
Belinda Burke, Hawthorn<\/strong><\/p>\n
Garry Meller, Bentleigh<\/strong><\/p>\n