This week’s letter writers respond to previous letters, discuss schizophrenia, and of course, talk more about The Voice.
Schizophrenia is an illness of degree
Re: ‘Crusading for schizophrenia awareness’ (CW online 11 April 2023), may I offer a bit of awareness.
Schizophrenia, like many illnesses, is an illness of degree, ranging from so serious a person may have no contact with reality as you and I know it, to so much less so that a person may hold a doctoral degree and teach at university – and every step in between.
“People misunderstand what it’s like to live with a stigma.” That is especially true of those who hold that prejudice in their minds. They do not fully appreciate either the harm it does to themselves or the harm it does to others. Were we fully aware, we would none of us be participating in it.
– Harold A Maio, Ft Myers, Florida USA
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Where’s the evidence?
How can any intelligent person justify referring to a Prime Minister as “pandering, watery-eyed lip-quivering to the Indigenous industry” (CW Letters, 13 April 2023)? Indeed, what does John Lawrence mean by the “Indigenous industry” and what makes him think the PM is “probably already silently plotting … damaging payout(s) over umpteen years via the voice door”? Please, let him provide even a modicum of evidence to support this extremely pejorative scenario?
Besides, how does any of this relate to centuries old bloody conflicts on British and European soil? There’s a clue in the statement that we are, “white, blond, blue-eyed and not easily conned”. So, the writer is disparaging, not only of our historically unique Indigenous Australians, but also those of Asian, African, Mediterranean and Middle Eastern background. There’s only one word to describe it and it starts with the 18th letter of the alphabet. Besides, advocating merely a legislated Voice will present more problems than John can apparently envisage. I’m happy to enlarge on them if he wishes.
– Eric Hunter, Cook ACT 2614
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Colonisation through tragedies
As a fellow history buff, may I suggest John Lawrence (CW Letters, 13 April 2023) adds my island’s Black War, the Barthurst War, the Battle of Pinjarra and the Coniston Massacre to his research list? They are examples of a British colonisation that was achieved through many such tragic blunders!
– Craig Brown, Eaglehawk Neck TAS
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Are Voice representatives representative?
As we are inundated with both print and electronic information on the Voice of varying veracity, credibility, partiality and emotion, I pondered – doesn’t making representations imply that those making them are ‘representatives’? Yet, the ‘representatives’ at press conferences and interviews, the working groups, politicians, Indigenous leaders and individuals who routinely feature are educated, articulate and well presented, as are those on the ABC pre-program renditions of ‘We are one’ featuring Indigenous members. Are they truly ‘representative’?
If the Voice is going to be truly representative and transformational for all our Indigenous brothers and sisters, I wonder when we will hear the representations from those seemingly out-of-control Indigenous youth in Alice Springs or the family living on a concrete slab under a tarpaulin in, ironically, a place called ‘Utopia’ in the Northern Territory and others in similar appalling and unacceptable circumstances. I wonder has anyone directly asked them what the Voice is, whether they in fact are aware of it, and how it will make a difference to their lives.
– Angela Kueter-Luks, Bruce ACT
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No signs of ‘friendlier’ parliament
Eric Hunter (CW Letters, 13 April 2023) accuses opposition leader Peter Dutton and his deputy on endless pejorative name-calling without any evidence or examples. You wouldn’t have to go far to hear one of the mean girls, Penny Wong, criticising the late Kimberley Kitching for not having children as did Victorian Labor MP, Sam Rae, who insulted gay Liberal QLD MP Angie Bell saying, “at least I have my own children”. We also had Labor’s Tanya Plibersek calling Dutton ‘Lord Voldemort’, as soon as Anthony Albanese’s Labor party won the election. Then there is the always foul-mouthed Lidia Thorpe, who may not be with the Greens anymore, but often sides with the left side of politics which our current Prime Minister definitely adheres to. Where is the current PM and Mr Hunter calling out all this abuse?
Didn’t Albanese say he was going to install a nicer and friendlier parliament? Looks like it has got worse, if anything. Then again, the Labor Party does have form. Wasn’t it former PM and current miserable ghost Paul Keating that famously said, “Two blokes and a cocker spaniel don’t make a family”. Mr Hunter may want to remind his fellow Federal Labor hypocrites, especially its leader, of these undesirable traits.
– Ian Pilsner, Weston ACT
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Why repeat past failures?
Mr Dutton and the LNP had 9 years in power and spent millions if not billions on failed solutions to the problems faced by indigenous Australians. Rather than repeating what has not worked, why not try something new like The Indigenous Voice to Parliament? Why are the LNP so entrenched with the idea of repeating their past failures? Why do we need Dutton’s Canberra plan?
Peter Dutton said “The Voice will divide our nation”. He then set out to prove this was true by doing his best to divide Australia and Australians for his own narrow political reasons.
– Doug Steley, Heyfield VIC
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Want to share your opinion?
Email [email protected] with ‘To the editor’ in the subject field; include your full name, phone number, street address (NFP) and suburb. Keep letters to 250 words maximum. Note, letters may be shortened if space restrictions dictate.
