Anthony Albanese’s 20 minutes was one of Australia’s finest hours

1 week ago 4

Both Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s relatively brief, inspirational address and US President Donald Trump’s lengthy, egocentric, self-aggrandising, error-laden harangue at the United Nations General Assembly should be, to use that well-worn phrase, “required reading” for all Australian and US citizens (“PM right to push back on Trump’s UN dummy spit”, September 26). Australia may be “Down Under”, but it is “up front” when it comes to stressing the tridimensional framework of courage, wisdom and compassion that the peoples of all nations need to demonstrate for our living peacefully and productively in our now global village, eschewing extreme nationalism. Critics of Albanese’s speech may dismiss it as just fervent words.
However, his words state the underlying values and principles on which to base action, awaken our thinking, stir up our emotions and motivate. Moreover, importantly, we now have a philosophical statement of the Labor government’s ideals and goals by which to hold it accountable. Albanese and his government must now “walk the talk” at home: commitment to the Paris Agreement, clean energy, empowerment for women, and demonstrating that they can put into practice his call for co-operation, trust and “[choosing] to succeed together”. Paul Casey, Callala Bay

Anthony Albanese wows the crowd at the United Nations General Assembly

I was never prouder to be Australian than when I heard the PM’s speech at the UN. Helen Jordan, Lane Cove

I’m wondering if anyone else in Australia is experiencing an unfamiliar feeling of pride in our leadership on the world stage? Tim Parker, Balmain

Trump’s UN speech displayed for all the world to see how unhinged and dangerous he is, contrasted with Albanese bravely standing firm about climate and other matters, despite the likelihood that Trump could seek vengeance on anyone who disagrees with him. We have to stand up for what is right, as leaders of other democracies are doing. EU president Ursula von der Leyen is reported to have supported Albanese, particularly about taking the lead in protecting children from the harms of social media, while Elon Musk is reported as trying to stop it by framing it as a free speech issue. Gary Barnes, Mosman

The Australian prime minister’s address to the United Nations demonstrated exactly how a statesman should address that body. It was in complete contrast to Donald Trump’s rambling address on the previous day. Well done, Albo! Alan Garside, Raglan

Now, THAT’S how you address the UN. Never been so proud. Dianne Brims, Morpeth

Money well spent

Australia is handing over billions of dollars to the US and UK for weapons of war, so even if the cost to Australia of winning its third seat on the UN Security Council is more than $25 million, it will be a bargain (“Push for seat at UN top table ‘will cost millions’” , September 26). The diplomatic effort of convincing member states that Australia will advance peace, development and environmental sustainability more effectively than our rival Finland will make us lift our game on all fronts, as it did in the 2012 campaign. Back then, our slogan was “We do what we say”. Australia didn’t, or not all of it, as a result of contradictory domestic politics, which continue. The Coalition offers support for Senator Wong’s campaign, but it will also back Richard Marles, who allows Australia to continue to sell weapons components to Israel and arms for war with China. Alison Broinowski, Paddington

Meet in the sandwich

Waleed Aly, reasonably, asks who cares whether Albanese meets Trump (“To meet or not to meet. Who cares?” , September 26). Well, we do need to care about it. Trump will be gone within a couple of years, but our longstanding, positive relationship with the USA, based on shared democratic values, will and must persist. The PM’s friendliness and accessibility show he is handling our association well. Although he is quietly and wisely keeping his distance from Trump on crucial issues such as climate change and Gaza, he is maintaining key policies of mutual benefit on trade, defence, relationships with China in South-East Asia, and more. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

Given Donald Trump’s track record for telling porkies on an industrial scale, Waleed Aly is right to question the value of a meeting with the president. Anthony Albanese won’t need ambassador Rudd to warn him of Trump’s neediness, his greediness and his addiction to fantastically unbelievable boasts. It may well be that nothing of great value will come out of the October 20 meeting. Indeed, Albanese may well have already got the most he could out of a meeting with Trump – a selfie. Nick Franklin, Katoomba

Kimmel ye faithful, joyful anti-Trump-rant. Jim Dewar, Davistown

Cut the card cant

It seems that Visa Australia’s head of client engagement, Ivana Tranchini, needs to work on the disingenuous way she engages with the public (“Card fee cut plan will hurt shoppers, Visa warns RBA”, September 26). Far from consumers being the losers in the “Reserve Bank plans to drive down the fees in credit and debit card transactions”, it would be providers such as Visa who would “pay the price”, right? And why shouldn’t they take a cut in income, when they’ve been inflicting us with a thousand cuts each time we use our cards? As for the veiled threats about Visa having to “wind back spending on anti-fraud action” as a result, the Reserve Bank governor is right to describe this “as akin to the businesses ‘shooting themselves in the foot’” . And does Tranchini really expect us to believe that never having to go to the supermarket is good for us and not a huge win for companies like hers? For one thing, has she seen the small groups that gather, socialise and patronise all the small businesses around the supermarkets in local shopping precincts? Pull the other one, Visa. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown

Another day, another warning that our regulators are risking the anger of shoppers. The RBA’s intention to ban surcharges, to save shoppers some $1.2 billion a year, necessarily implies lower caps on the fees that merchants will pay and recover in sales prices (not surcharges). It hardly implies less innovation by the card schemes, globally, in managing fraud. The reaction, anger or not, of local shoppers will largely depend on how reforms of card-scheme fee regimes are presented and assessed. Reactionary “noise” akin to fearmongering from the bankers’ bunker is more likely to be self-serving than helpful in the public interest. Peter Mair, Dee Why

You can just see the spin doctors at Visa trying to come up with reasons why the changes will be bad for us, not. However, it might just affect their $US35 billion in revenue. Tim Schroder, Gordon

AEC: take a bow

the member for Bradfield, Nicolette Boele.

The outcome for the seat of Bradfield is a vindication of the integrity of our electoral system (“After 145 days, Libs concede defeat in battle for Bradfield”, September 26). The AEC should be proud of its processes and the professionalism of the people who run it. Grahame Riethmuller, Redbank

The cheap streets

There is affordable housing in the city for those who can afford it (“Kings Cross street battles to keep affordable homes – for 50 years”, September 26). Those who cannot afford to live in the city should consider other parts of the Sydney Metropolitan Area. It is unrealistic to expect the cheap city living to continue in perpetuity. Mustafa Erem, Terrigal

The social media ban we needed

Australia is leading the world “to limit young people’s access to social media” from December 10 (“European leaders back teen social media ban”, September 26). Praise has come from European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. This praise is small compared with the vast relief felt by Australian parents. Harms caused by social media overuse range from disturbed sleep, reduced self-esteem due to comparisons with others online, bullying and harassment to suicide. Finally parents will have some back up in dealing with their children. However, big companies such as TikTok, Meta and X need much stronger regulation and an end to the loopholes children use now and will find after early December when the ban comes into effect. If the government cares about children, it will bring in stronger regulation. These companies won’t do it themselves. Jan Marshall, Collaroy

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen favours social media controls

Elon Musk needs to be told it’s a human right to be safe, mentally and physically. It’s taken too long to discover social media is harmful. Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill

There is a lot of talk about banning children from accessing social media. We need to go further – we are not allowed to buy our under-18s alcohol, tobacco or drugs because we know they are bad for children. Nor are we allowed to buy them a handheld device that allows them to see the horrors of the world, unblurred visions of killings, terrible porn and be bullied to the point of suicide. Just because adults have data-capable phones does not mean children should have them. So why not go one step further than stopping children’s access to social media and make data-capable phones illegal to be purchased for or by children. Perhaps year 10 could be the starting point for allowing data-capable phone use for them. Until then, children can have a phone call-only device to talk to family or friends. I believe all children in this age group would be glad to be rid of the pressures their phones put on them, and as long as there were a law banning them for all, it would be a simple switch-off. Rae Masman, Church Point

Power and politics

While the cost of electricity from newly established coal-fired generators may, ostensibly, be only marginally more than the total cost of renewable energy, the GenCost figures are only part of the equation (“Burning question on cost of coal”, September 26). Consider the situation should Australia follow the path advocated by Andrew Hastie and Matt Canavan for establishing coal-fired generators on the one hand, while China is switching to renewables on the other. The cost of security allegiance to Australia of Pacific Islanders will eclipse the financial support offered to them, but as yet not fully accepted, by Australia’s prime minister. Roger Epps, Armidale

While your correspondent (Letters, September 26) may be right in reporting that China is installing solar panels “at 100 per second”, one should also note that China has 58 nuclear power plants in operation, with a further 30 under construction. If only we could get our current government to remove its blinkers regarding nuclear power. Trevor Stephenson, East Ballina

Ambition overdrive

To Andrew Hastie and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price (Letters, September 26), it’s just a jump to the right, and then a step to the left. But the premature thrusts of your leadership ambitions could drive both of you insane. It’s astounding, time is not fleeting, two and a half more years until the next federal election, but jumping the gun too early will only see madness fully take its toll. Eric Palm, Gympie (Qld)

All I can see is the Libs dressed as clowns escaping in a tiny car. Zuzu Burford, Heathcote

After being enthralled by the World Championship track racing events recently, I see parallels with the Liberal Party’s leadership competition. Sussan Ley has been in front with a steady, if plodding pace, but Hastie is closing in fast. What Hastie seemingly hasn’t twigged yet is that Angus Taylor is sneakily preparing to either dramatically out-sprint him or trip him in the final few metres. However, it matters not one jot who ends up in front because they are running in the wrong direction. Kate Coates, Wangi Wangi

I own a 1976 Ford Falcon. Like Hastie, it tends to run hot, uses a lot of energy to achieve little progress, makes loud noises in public and often flashes warning lights. In a classic car, that’s called character; in a politician, it’s called a character flaw. Col Burns, Lugarno

The Liberal Party needs to confiscate the John Howard Memorial Dog Whistle from Andrew Hastie. Graeme Finn, Campsie

Ukes of hazard? No siree

Enough with the ukulele jokes (Letters, September 26). We strummers, young and old, know it’s our secret weapon against depression, loneliness and more. You can’t play along as part of a ukulele club or group and not have a smile on your face as you belt out songs old and new. Try it and see. Gara Baldwin, Randwick

On my regular cycle rides in Sydney’s inner west, I ride through a park where once a week a group of middle- to older-aged people of both sexes happily conduct sing-a-longs accompanied by their ukulele-playing. I love the fact that they are doing it, but they are no old fogies playing ancient stuff like Red, Red Robin. The other week I recognised a David Bowie classic. Good on them. Graham Lawson, Birchgrove

The internationally regarded virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro has Mick Fleetwood of Fleetwood Mac fame as his drummer. Jake’s instrument? The ukulele. Brenton White, Mosman

Be warned, ukulele haters. Uke groups from all around Sydney are charging up their gold Opal cards, tuning up their ukes and preparing to visit. Would you prefer Abba or The Beatles? David Farrell, Erskineville

POSTSCRIPT

The biggest topic on the letters page this week, was ... a letter. This was one by Opposition Leader Sussan Ley that she sent to American Republicans telling them a Coalition government would withdraw recognition of a Palestinian state, just before Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced Australia’s support for the statehood at a conference at the United Nations.
Well, didn’t that set the cat among the pigeons? It is rare to have unanimity on the letters pages, but no one wrote supporting Ley. Instead, she was chastised, berated, upbraided and just plain ticked off, with barely a breath drawn. The general tone was how dare she presume to speak for Australians? She’s the leader of the opposition, not the prime minister, and never likely to be the prime minister if she goes on getting up voters’ noses this way, and so on.
The next big topic was a regular favourite, US President Donald Trump, and, in this case, his speech to the UN. Letter writers objected to his views on climate change, migrants and migration, and medical matters, especially paracetamol and his linking of it to autism. Trump does have supporters in Australia, but they were strangely silent this week, at least on the letters page.
His complaints about comedians and non-working escalators were given short shrift too. Letter writers made much mention of his apparent lack of a sense of humour, how it ties in with most dictators, and how this wouldn’t happen in Australia – Australian prime ministers have a sense of humour, whether they like it or not.
The next politician to get a drubbing this week was Western Australia’s Andrew Hastie, over his happy ideas about pushing Australia back into the past with less migration and more car manufacturing. Letter writers again rose in fury, roundly admonishing him and mocking what they assumed was his bid to stand out in the field of wannabe Liberal leaders.
On the lighter side, writers discussed things they love, which then moved to things they hate. The main ire was against ukuleles, which brought a fresh round of pro-ukulele letters. And the cycle continues.

Harriet Veitch, Acting letters editor

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