Taking higher road on law

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This was published 7 years ago

Taking higher road on law

Updated

An entreaty to Bill Shorten to "find a spine" because of his response to ACTU chief Sally McManus' "unfair laws" comments is, in itself, unfair (letters, March 20).

Historically it was a series of hard fought, yet broken strikes, most notably the Shearers Strike in the 1890s where the leaders were jailed for sedition, that led to the founding of the Labor Party.

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Many union leaders learnt from those bitter experiences and decided the "easier" way forward law-making rather than law breaking.

The nascent Labor Party set to work winning government and improving wages and conditions by legislation, which they did. More than anything else, the two-pronged approach by the labour movement — through both union campaigns across industries, and the ballot box nationally — has led to the economic prosperity we enjoy today.

During the 20th century the mass of workers became active economic citizens in the centre rather than ripped-off strugglers on the fringe.

That said, our industrial relations system is always a hard fought space between big business and their political wing, the Liberal Party, and unions and Labor, so there's never any let-up. Marginal workers get ripped off, unions illegally enter reportedly unsafe worksites. Laws are bent and broken all over the place by both sides.

Bill Shorten, who actually wouldn't be Opposition Leader if he didn't have a spine, is clearly key to Labor's parliamentary law-making solution.

It stands to reason no aspiring prime minister seeking to actually make the laws of Australia would condone "law breaking," however justified in some cases.

Instead, those unjust laws may be repealed when government is won — always a much neater solution.

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C. Campbell, Lyneham

On March 22, letters from Christina Faulk of Swinger Hill, and Don Adey of Chisholm, condemned Jane Timbrell, (letters, March 20), for her support of Sally McManus.

The unjust laws Sally McManus referred to in her interview with Leigh Sales were civil laws.

Jane Timbrell's letter details other civil protests from suffragettes and Indigenous peoples that have changed laws. I would add conscientious objectors to the war in Vietnam who were thrown in jail.

And what about whistleblowers?

There are many more examples of people power leading to changes of unjust laws.

In no way were Sally McManus or Jane Timbrell advocating breaking criminal laws.

The response from the above letter-writers and Leigh Sales was puerile, Prime Minister Turnbull was his usual over-the-top union-bashing, "we don't share the same values, so he can't deal with her", and Bill Shorten was spineless.

Lucille Rogers, Kingston

If I wished to be tendentious I might first take Christina Faulk's suggestion (letters, March 21) that Jane Timbrell should commit a serious crime out of context, and then imply this was both Christina's intention and typical of her views.

Of course in doing so I'd be guilty of inaccurately and vexatiously misrepresenting her — precisely what Ms Faulk appears to have done to ACTU leader Sally McManus.

The past is littered with examples of people engaging in civil disobedience and breaking laws for the greater good of society.

Whistleblowers are just one modern example. Similarly, union movements across the free world have long history of contravening unjust laws — laws often created by conservative governments to benefit a particular constituency.

The need to challenge unjust laws to protect workers and citizens from exploitation may have abated but it's far from redundant because of inept, lazy and inertia-filled government, both federal and state.

Jon Stirzaker, Latham

Love the Stepford drones who think every law our parliaments make are so rational and fair not one person should ever break them.

If that was true we would still have forced child migration, slavery, aborigines in chains, and 50 hour weeks without holiday pay or rights.

Marilyn Shepherd, Angaston, SA

PM's 'turnaround'

I am surprised that Turnbull supporters have failed to write, praising PM Turnbull's budget miracle. Coalition governments have repeatedly warned that deep cuts to welfare were essential to get the budget back into surplus.

Suddenly all is well. Our "Nation-building Prime Minister" [his words] has found $2billion to fund "Snowy Mark II". I am sure all Australians will join me in cheering our government for the remarkable turn-around in the budget. So do we still need welfare cuts for job-seekers, the homeless, legal aid, victims of domestic violence, government schools and those being made redundant as Old King Coal power stations close?

Surely the Turnbull economic miracle can find a few shekels for those "Aussie Battlers" doing it tough.

Isn't it wonderful how well the Turnbull government is doing for all of us. Ouch, I just got swooped by a flying pig.

Rod Olsen, Flynn

Imaginary punishment

Robert Willson (letters, March 16) reports his sect's book promises: "Terrible punishment awaits those who would hurt a child". Perhaps this is why his sect has protected and supported so many among its employees who so badly misunderstood the same book's injunction to "suffer little children"; avoiding their proper punishment in the belief it will arrive in an imaginary future life.

Mike Hutchinson, Reid

RAAF's global legacy

Sue Wareham (Letters, March 22) asked, "What's the agenda in presenting [RAAF] killing machines as entertainment?"

The agenda is one of which Australians can partly be proud, and should largely be ashamed.

Ms Wareham's letter was published on the 75th anniversary of the RAAF's failure to protect Katherine from attack by Japanese bomber aircraft.

Nevertheless, the RAAF has successfully supported admirable Australian interventions in East Timor, the Solomon Islands and elsewhere.

Richard Hughes (letters, March 23) reminded us that to Danes in Word War 2 the sound of Spitfires meant that they were not alone and there was hope that help would come.

To Syrians, the sound of the RAAF signifies foreign meddling that is prolonging and intensifying the death, destruction and misery of their civil war.

To Vietnamese in the 1960s it meant the same. To the people of Bougainville, the sound of Australian-supplied military aircraft signified opposition to their fight for independence.

To Afghanis and Iraqis, the sound of the RAAF signified foreign invasion followed by death, destruction and misery of prolonged civil war.

Leon Arundell, Downer

Misplaced priorities

My thanks to the Canberra Times (editorial, March 23, page 12) for its article on Shout.

We have a so-called Labor ACT government that can find money to build an unnecessary and ruinously expensive light rail and cannot find money for the necessities of our community.

It is not only Shout that is underfunded. It is also affordable housing and others such as the Women's Crisis Referral organisation, which closed three years ago, and small voluntary church organisations that look after the homeless.

One such organisation that provides food and shelter told me that the most it got from our big-hearted ACT government was a needle exchange service.

The government has its priorities hopelessly out of order.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

Cut the Waratahs

I am curious why the Australian Rugby Union (ARU) is considering cutting a Super Rugby franchise as a move towards building the game in Australia.

Seems a bit counter-intuitive, especially as any cull would not include one of the most under-performing teams, the Waratahs.

As such, is it now time for a nationwide campaign to "Axe the Tahs"?

The Waratahs have consistently failed to reach the high standards attained by Australia's most successful Super Rugby franchise; the ACT Brumbies. But perhaps for the ARU it is more about the money than the rugby?

The Brumbies have supplied the Wallabies with some of their best and most exciting players for many years, and Saturday's victory over NSW was sweet indeed. But as far as the ARU is concerned, NSW remains the "powerhouse" (sic) of Australian rugby.

They clearly have a solid vision for the further demise of the game.

Gary Walker, Taipei, Taiwan

Outrageous bills

My ActewAGL gas bills have been wildly overestimated for about nine months.

It has taken hours to work out how the bills are calculated, and to contact them to ask for corrected bills to be sent. One bill was $1080 more than it should have been. This is outrageous.

Previous bills were too high because of overestimating the "current" meter reading, instead of actually reading the meter.

The strategy has been changed in my latest bill: they have inserted a fictitious number for the "previous" reading. This number is much lower than the actual previous reading, causing the bill to be too high.

When I challenged this bill, they credited my account with an apparently random amount.

I cannot check the amount, because they have refused to send a bill with the correct readings.

Surely this cannot be allowable.

Customers should not have to go to such trouble to get a correct bill.

Eileen Dallwitz, Giralang

Alternative readings

ActewAGL appears to have taken a leaf from Donald Trump's "alternative facts". Its latest electricity invoice to us charges for daily consumption roughly double last year's equivalent period.

Furthermore, the electricity meter has yet to even reach the "present" reading indicated on the invoice.

I am intending to pay for the amount consumed up to when the invoice arrived.

This problem appears to be systemic — perhaps ActewAGL has sacked many or all of the meter readers?

Mick Gentleman's office informed me on Wednesday, March 22 there "is no Minister in charge" of ActewAGL, reflecting the government only has a stake in it.

I did suggest the Minister ring the ActewAGL Board.

I note the ACCC has a role in resolving consumer complaints.

Both the ACT government and the ACCC appear to need some encouragement to pressure ActewAGL to reintroduce fact based invoicing.

Bruce Paine, Red Hill

Doing the right thing

On Monday this week I parked my car on the kerb in my suburb after I had observed a postal worker lying on the nature strip and his motor bike in the gutter.

A close neighbour had arrived minutes before I did.

The postie rang his supervisor, who had organised for the ambulance to attend the accident.

The postie was obviously in a lot of pain.

My neighbour and I stayed in an effort to keep him quiet and unmoving.

While we were waiting a vehicle similar to a delivery or removal van overtook my stationery vehicle at great speed to avoid an oncoming vehicle.

The driver destroyed my driver's external mirror as well as causing some scratch damage to my vehicle.

He didn't stop.

I understand the postie had significant injuries.

In spite of the damage to my car, for which I am liable, I am glad that I had stopped to help the postie.

Paula Calcino, Oxley

TO THE POINT

POWER TO SA GOVT

The South Australian government is now attempting what successive Commonwealth governments and the National Electricity Market have failed to deliver: a reliable and cost-effective supply of electricity that takes into account cuts in emissions required under the Paris agreement.

David Teather, Reid

SNOWY FOR DUMMIES?

The description of the Snowy expansion seems to have evolved to "Snowy 2.0". We all wait for the publication date of "Snowy For Dummies 2.2".

Roy Bray, Flynn

SPEAK UP FOR RIGHTS

Those who argue for the retention of section 18c, let me remind you freedom of speech exists as a bulwark against totalitarian behaviour. It's our most precious right. I'll say anything I please, and neither you nor the government will shut me up.

Gerry Murphy, Braddon

Shame on you Liberal politicians. The Coalition is giving the green light, with help from Andrew Bolt, to bigots to offend, insult, and humiliate on the basis of skin colour and race.

Richard Ryan, Summerland Point, NSW

The only people in a lather about discrimination laws are the Murdoch press and an incompetent government desperate to be seen to be doing something. This is about bigots desperate to vilify others in more extreme ways.

Steve Ellis, Hackett

LEGISLATION LACKING

We have a government that doesn't legislate; it just fiddles with the discrimination act, penalty rates, and more recently, Dutton in the background, with the same-sex marriage plebiscite. The last civilisation that substituted legislation with fiddling crashed and burned.

John Galvin, Weston

PAY UP, BARNABY

Joyce should pay out of his own pocket the $25.6 million to relocate the APVMA to his electorate, in order to enhance his re-election prospects.

Maybe it is time he retired from politics and got a job more suited to his capabilities.

John Milne, Chapman

KEEP FINANCIAL ADVICE

I read with interest Michael Lucas' letter (March 17) in which he suggested the Catholic Archdiocese give the homeless some of the units in the development at Manuka.

We should be grateful we have such a gifted financial adviser who, without a shred of knowledge, is able to provide such well thought-out advice.

John Popplewell, Hackett

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).

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