ECONOMICS AND EMPATHY: Market forces do not lead to benefits for all
Andrew DysonCredit:Andrew Dyson
To submit a letter to The Age, email [email protected]. Please include your home address and telephone number.
Ross Gittins (Comment, 2/2) once again speaks sense when he says our first economic priority should be to benefit the many not the few. A civil society that will not tear itself apart requires government for all and not only the powerful lobby groups who continue to place self-interest first at the expense of others. As Gittins states, “neo-liberalism has weakened our public, health, education, aged care, transport and housing sectors by allowing private companies to control the market in a distorted manner for their own benefit″. The failure of the market, as he described, has been highlighted during the pandemic, drawing attention to the lack of our preparedness as a nation for such an event and the stress placed on our medical, nursing and aged care workers.
Ray Cleary, Camberwell
Work must be adequately rewarded, and applauded
What an insult (″Cash bonus deal for aged care workers″, 1/2). These wonderful people need proper pay for the work they do, not pitiful one-off handouts. The value of the work of aged care workers especially, but healthcare workers in general, has to be adequately rewarded (and applauded) with ongoing pay rises and increases in working conditions. Every nursing home must have trained nurses on duty throughout the 24 hours. Perhaps the Prime Minister would have to have a family member in an aged care facility for him to appreciate the situation.
Marie Rogers, Kew
There is a moral choice we can make
Malnutrition is a problem in aged care, and it is not just an issue for residents. Most of my co-workers eat some form of instant noodles for lunch. It is a financial necessity.
The decision to pay aged care workers more comes down to politicians. But the decision to not force them to comes from us. The decision to not respect the lives and stories of people who must be cared for by others is still our choice.
If 230,000 workers were to receive a proposed pay rise of $5 an hour, that would have an impact on the budget by under $2 billion. According to the federal government, this is not feasible.
AUKUS can be done, though, without asking us and without speaking to other countries. At a cost of billions of dollars. And for what? The ephemeral promise of security, which can never be promised.
But a pay rise of $8000 a year for an individual in a sector that we know requires change will get us something tangible. It will help people buy better lunches. It is money that will come back through the economy, spent in local businesses on basic services. More money also sends signals that our work is worthy and we must step up to it. Many have been doing this without the respect due.
The alternative is to turn our heads again from the hard and complex problems that we must collectively address. Pay rises alone will not fix the difficult issues facing our sector, but for everyone’s sake, it’s a good, moral start.
Chris Turner, Chaplain, Preston
No understanding of what care means
More than 20 per cent of the population in Victoria is aged 60 years or over. Given these statistics, it goes without saying that the need for quality aged care will only rise. Quality aged care can only happen if our workers are given the time to provide care rather than to complete tasks. How often do you hear aged care workers bemoan the fact that they simply don’t have the time to share a cuppa with a resident or even to have a brief conversation. Often, these interactions are the only human interactions residents have in a day. Our aged care workers are the difference between residents who feel they have quality of life and those who are simply waiting for the pearly gates. The Prime Minister’s recent election sweetener for aged care workers is not only offensive but at its core, it shows a lack of understanding about what care is and how it should be valued.
Sandy Morris, Surrey Hills
FORUM
Poll position
It seems it takes a looming election for Scott Morrison to admit the limpest of mea culpas (″we have made mistakes″) – something the country knows only too well – and to offer an insulting handout to aged care workers. The aged care sector has been ignored for the whole term of this government and presided over by incompetent and uninterested ministers. Maybe we should schedule a federal election every few months if that is what it takes to get anything – even token gestures such as these – done. No, we could not survive that. Better to get this mob out of the way come election time.
Bob Malseed, Hawthorn
Sorry state of affairs
Why is it that all of our political leaders refuse to apologise and take personal responsibility for their mistakes? Is it because they think that publicly admitting things that they could have done better would lose them credibility and votes?
Do they fear the word ″sorry″ would be political suicide? Imagine if our politicians acknowledged their imperfect decisions and explained how they and their party had learnt and will improve. Sounds constructive doesn’t it?
Unfortunately, we are stuck listening to excuses and deflections, which prevents us from moving on.
Megan Woolfe, Warragul
Should have seen the path
The Prime Minister says that in hindsight he would have done things differently.
This is the whole point. It was his job to foresee the path of the pandemic by listening to the scientists and health professionals and to observe the unfolding of events in other countries and to plan accordingly. He didn’t.
Antonia Hamilton, Sandringham
Punch-drunk Morrison
I watched Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the National Press Club on Tuesday avoiding responsibility for various failures and declaring yet again that he had a plan.
His delivery was lacklustre, he looked tired. His defensive and feeble handling of the Q&A session showed how punch-drunk he is. I concluded that he is either worn out, or that he cannot find the strength in his own convictions.
If he doesn’t believe in what he is saying, how can we?
Greg Wharton, Doncaster
PM, let the Franklin flow
In a radio address in 1940, Franklin D. Roosevelt observed: “Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fibre of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough.“
Does Australia, or the Prime Minister, need to be so cruel to refugees? Come on Mr Morrison, find your inner Roosevelt.
Alan Whittaker, Kew East
A village under threat
As a resident of Keilor I have been living under the Melbourne Airport flight path for close to 20 years. Keilor is a charming suburb to call home, so the ″sometimes annoying″ noise from plane activity was something I learnt to live with. But, that is while there is only one north-south runway, and the east-west runway can be equally used.
The reduction in flights during COVID has been bliss. There has been a history of disregard of local market gardens and our food supply, community welfare, the environment and wildlife. I fear this will only worsen with plans to build the third runway; and with no curfew in place. I also fear community consultation will be a farce, with suggestions of compensation being paid to have windows double-glazed. This is not about windows. This is about Melbourne Airport hell-bent on increasing revenue and flights over a ″village″ with schools, parklands and outdoor sporting and recreational areas.
Apparently, expanding for future travel needs means that communities are expendable. I fully appreciate we need airports, but we also need sensible planning and proper impact analysis.
Diane Jager, Keilor
Melway knew
Why was this not sorted out years ago? My 2006 Melway has a warning message over the airport map on page 5 about ″noise from future aircraft″.
John Hughes, Mentone
Some will miss out
While debate over the adequacy of the recently announced $800 bonus for the aged care workforce takes place, spare a thought for those aged care workers who will not receive it at all.
People who work as lifestyle co-ordinators or lifestyle assistants are responsible for the social, occupational, religious and cultural needs of aged care residents and yet they were excluded from previous COVID one-off payments as they will be for this one.
Lifestyle workers are no less entitled to this payment than personal care assistants, kitchen employees or cleaners.
Bruce Goode, Donvale
Bonus not enough
How cynical and cruel of the government to offer a bonus to the underpaid workers in aged care, when lifting hourly rates is so needed, along with many more positions being made permanent rather than casual. These are serious issues not restricted to aged care. This government consistently opposes wage rises and defends the undermining of working conditions.
Marg Belford, Yarra Glen
There must be a way
I am in total agreement with the plea to ″Relax the rules″ (Letters, 2/2). My mother lived until 98, the last several years in an excellent nursing home. The wonderful staff and excellent environment there helped her survive in relative comfort. However, and as she herself stated, it was contact with family that made life worth living and still wonderful. Even a brief visit would make such a huge improvement to her morale.
Surely we are sufficiently adept to find a way during this pandemic to allow ageing residents of nursing homes to have safe visits by their loved ones?
Jennifer Gerrand, Carlton North
Raise the base salary
I’m a casual aged care worker on a base salary of just over $20 an hour. My employment is insecure and I have no leave entitlements. I heard Scott Morrison say two things on Tuesday.
First, that I may be entitled (up to) $800 as a ″one-off bonus″ for all my work (prior to the next election); and second, that ″we″ (Australia) could see an unemployment rate with a ″3″ in front of it this year.
Can I suggest that if it’s the working poor that he is trying to tick off before the election (after the koala and reef-loving environmentalists), he consider an aged care base salary with a ″3″ in front of the hourly rate.
Simon O’Shea,
Blackburn South
Beyond the pale
How dare anti-vaccination protesters in Canberra purloin The Last Post for their nefarious purposes. My late father, a proud Desert Rat, is spinning in his grave and I am apoplectic.
Jane Ross, San Remo
Just a pinprick
If language is going to be de-sexed for one gender, it should also be for another gender. If we are going to drop the word ″women″ and replace it with ″people with uteruses (or wombs)″, then it is only fair we drop the word ″men″ and replace it with ″people with penises (or scrotums)″.
Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights
Non to all this
Would the current males of the world be happy with ″non-female″? I think not. Why then should the current females have to accept ″non-male″. It is simply condoning the current patriarchy.
Di Margetts, Templestowe
The wealth gap
There’s two sides to everything. Home owners are likely to be spared higher interest rates before the election (″Rates on hold with RBA ‘prepared to be patient’ ″, 2/2). But Australia will reap the consequences of rapidly escalating home prices and speculation sown by the RBA. It will widen the gap between the rich and everybody else, benefiting those who borrow to own assets and punish the people who live on pay cheques trying to save money at near-zero interest rates.
Malcolm Cameron,
Camberwell
Taking China to task
Thank you, The Age. I welcome Badiucao for brilliantly exposing the current Beijing’s Olympics while the Chinese government has committed crimes against humanity targeting ethnic Uighurs, repression in Hong Kong and Tibet, and unprecedented risks to athletes.
Participating athletes will be under surveillance. Their rights to free speech and protest severely curtailed. Human Rights Watch has launched a video series with ″Chinese-Australian artist Badiucao putting the Winter Olympics in context″.
Nancy Hudson-Rodd,
North Hobart, Tas
Ticks all the boxes
There has been a sudden increase, an ″uptick″ if you will, in certain terms becoming overused. I wonder if we should take a ″deep dive″ and ″unpack″ this, or whether, ″going forward″, it will just be ″the new normal″.
Claire Merry, Wantirna
Seatbelt consequences
Tony Delaney (Letters, 2/2) doesn’t recall protest rallies against mandated seatbelts 50 years ago, but there were people who refused to accept the seatbelt mandate. Some of them got away with it, some of them got booked, and some of them stuck their heads through windscreens.
Peter Bear, Mitcham
May 100 years bloom
The greatest novel in our language turned 100 yesterday. Ulysses was first published on February 2, 1922, the 40th birthday of its author, James Joyce. The pair has been thrilling, puzzling, repelling, and even infuriating serious readers for a century. Happy birthday to both. And to those who haven’t joined the party yet, what are you waiting for?
Scott Hurley,
Brighton East
AND ANOTHER THING
The PM
I’m surprised the Prime Minister’s ″mistakes speech″ only went for an hour and a half.
Ron Mather, Melbourne
Like his respect-for-women response, the Prime Minister’s pseudo-COVID contrition was neither believable nor becoming.
Greg Curtin, Blackburn South
Prime Minister, how about aiming for a 2030 target with a 70 in front of the number.
Jenny Smithers, Ashburton
A Prime Minister who says he cares deeply about the Australian people and the pressures they are facing would know the cost of petrol.
Annie Wilson, Inverloch
We know Scott Morrison doesn’t hold a hose, but it appears that he doesn’t hold a shopping basket either.
Mick Hussey, Beaconsfield
Aged care
Only appropriate award rates and conditions leading to full-time employment will provide improved care for our elderly.
Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale
An $800 payment to aged care workers, but not those who care for disabled in the same conditions. Forgotten and ignored again.
Lisa James, Lalor
Whilst there are no real policies regarding aged care, a Commonwealth responsibility, the piecemeal approach will not solve anything. It may just make things worse.
Helena Kilingerova, Vermont
Furthermore
Re the axing of trees at Caulfield Racecourse, another example of despicable greed and total lack of regard for heritage and beauty.
Susie Holt, South Yarra
Religion is a belief. Being LGBTQ is a reality.
Russell Brims, Bentleigh East
Memory loss is afflicting Gladys Berejiklian over messages concerning Scott Morrison. Textnesia a new political pandemic?
Glenda Johnston, Queenscliff
Most Viewed in National
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article