NSW forest decision
The Carr government this week is making a final decision on the future of the forests of NE NSW. This government is at a cusp, it will be remembered for what it does now either as the first truly environmentally visionary government in NSW history or the most breathtakingly cynical betrayers of the trust of the people.
It was elected on the promise that it would protect NSW old growth forests, and so far, though it has gone some way toward this goal, it has significantly fallen short of fulfilling this promise.
The most conservative scientific estimates of how much forest needs to be reserved, to give any hope of survival to crucial endangered species, is over a million hectares. In light of this, the 850,000 hectares being proposed for protection by the conservation representatives is barely adequate and therefore the bare minimum that this government can do to honourably fulfill its promises.
If they now bow to the pressure being applied by short-sighted, self-interested, timber industry lobbyists, it will be an act of blinkered and visionless cowardice that will be remembered by the people of NSW when it comes time to vote.
If, on the other hand, they act in the long-term interests of all the people of NSW by ensuring that a sustainable forest industry can carry on into the future, creating jobs and protecting the biodiversity of our state, by supporting the proposals of the community's conservation representatives, then their place in history will be assured.
Act now, before it's to late.
Toonumbah NSW
[Abridged.]
Libs' dirty tricks
I was appalled by Lynton Crosby's, Liberal Party federal director, admission in "Liberal chief lauds guerilla war poll win" (Australian, October 29) that "below the line" campaigning — including phone calls, push polling, and direct mail similar to the letters presenting a caricature of Rick Farley as a Canberra-basher — was crucial in securing marginal seats for the Coalition.
This was a disguised form of unfair electoral advertisement. Instead of focussing on issues of tax reform, the GST and the government's claims to be regarded as a competent economic manager, this was playing the opposition candidates rather than the issues.
It seems that these tactics, which were used in the ACT in support of Senator Margaret Reid in her efforts to defeat Rick Farley, were part of a nation-wide marginal seat campaign.
I was also dismayed to learn that the Liberals had handed out how to vote cards at pre-polling booths in the week before the election with ALP in brackets under the Australian Democrat identification beside Rick Farley's name, implying that Rick Farley was a de facto ALP candidate, until forced to withdraw them the day before the election.
To prevent such unfair advertisements and misleading how to vote cards, I believe that the electoral laws should be revised.
Farrer ACT
[Abridged.]
Crimes of history
Hello, Dave Riley! You got it wrong (GLW, October 28) — Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the houses of parliament, but failed.
In the glorious musical adaptation of 1066 and All That (will we ever see it again?), two important trials are staged:
1. Christopher Columbus is tried for the crime of discovering America (comment superfluous).
2. Guy Fawkes is tried for failing to blow up the houses of parliament. He lays the blames on "them cheap foreign matches".
St Kilda Vic
Democracy a farce!
John Howard's constant blathering about his so-called election victory and mandates etc. has been infuriating enough but when he starts talking about having had to go "through the fire to get the Australian people to support this [his GST] plan" and asking why he should listen to "people who, after all, lost the election", I must scream enough!
The facts are: 60% of Australians did not vote for Howard's Coalition. Only about 39% did, folks, while 52% of Australians voted for Kim Beazley/Labor.
Howard got a majority of seats, don't we know too well, but that only goes to showcase what a farce of a democracy we have.
Electoral seats are geographic, inanimate things. They don't work, pay taxes or mortgages, raise kids, pay bills, mow lawns, laugh, cry, get scared or angry, form opinions, etc., but the living, breathing Australian attached to the end of each hand into which is periodically placed a ballot paper (I ask why?) does!
In the arrogance and spite with which they continue to rub salt into the wound of the denied majority, it seems John Howard and Co. have absolutely no shame in consideration of the sheer magnitude of their real democratic defeat in the simple statistics printed on paper at the end of their noses.
Kim Beazley has a huge mandate to stop Howard from everything we clearly didn't vote for and I hope every other party and independent with any democratic spine or ticker helps him do just that!
Darwin
[Abridged.]
Gangs
Now that NSW has both a premier and a police commissioner determined to crack down on gangs, perhaps we can look forward to arrests in a scandalous case that has remained unsolved for two decades. I refer to the vicious gang in Sydney that bashed Peter Baldwin (later a Labor MP).
Sydney
Democrats and the Greens
As well as loosening bowels, the fact that the Greens now govern as coalition partners in Europe's largest democracy also offers the explanation for Cheryl Kernot's move to the Labor Party while keeping her much criticised integrity intact.
In 1996, in Cheryl's year of unhappiness, it was brought to her attention and she came to understand that the ex-Liberal founder of her party, Don Chipp, had borrowed the identity of the European Greens for his Australian Democrats.
Chipp, in order to restrict the Democrats to his chosen role of controlling the balance of the Senate, removed from the borrowed Green identity one of the four international Green principles — grass-roots participatory democracy. With one move he emasculated his Senate party and blocked the Greens with a sterile clone. Faced with this realisation, Kernot did the honest thing and resigned.
Kernot had to leave the Australian Democrats to become an effective politician. In contrast, the Greens have achieved power in Germany with the German version of the Labor Party. But for the obscuring power of distance and the cynical manipulations of Chipp, Kernot and others, still Democrats might be in power as Greens in an alliance with the ALP. If these remaining Democrat senators can follow honesty, integrity and leadership they will follow Kernot and resign.
Which party will defecting Democrats eventually join? A pro-GST party might turn Liberal but why would they leave when they already serve Don Chipp's and the Liberal purposes by staying on. Cheryl's battle scars with the Greens led her to Labor.
If Australian Democrats Senators were to defect to the Greens they at least would have the honour to support the four international Green principles: ecologically sustainable development; disarmament and non-violence; economic and social justice; and grass-roots participatory democracy.
When they accept the final Green principle and abandon, as Kernot did, their sterile role as Senate stooges for Don Chipp they will be Greens, they will be honest, they won't be bastards and eventually they will be in government.
Gwynneville NSW
[Abridged.]