Major parties take voters for granted

November 2, 2026 — 8:00pm

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TRUST

Re Australians have lost trust in politicians and decry not having a voice (″⁣Trust in politicians plunges″⁣, 2/11).
The ready-made ideological blueprints of major parties diminish the importance of citizens in the political process. Having gained our vote, we can disappear.
As a volunteer for a community independent, I feel empowered. It can be hard work but purposeful. It’s not for everyone.
Regular electorate consultations, opinions sought in pursuit of true representation in policy formulation and constant direct community engagement allow voices to be heard.
There’s no caucus, federal council or ″⁣supreme″⁣ leader or factional appeasement, just a contract between the local member and constituents.
Being heard doesn’t guarantee a win, but community independents chisel away with political integrity and transparency, demonstrating common sense and intelligent concern for the future of Australia, its people and environment. They offer a freshness of ideas based on our ideas. A replication of the work of Helen Haines, Monique Ryan, Allegra Spender and other independents is my hope for better politics in Victoria and the restoration of trust.
Jennifer Quigley, Balwyn

Integrity reveals itself
Even a poorly educated individual can see when two essential ingredients in a politician are missing. Trust and integrity are not hard to see when they are present, but stand out like a flashing light when they are not.
Bill Howard, Essendon

Election promises mean little
The article ″⁣Trust in politicians plunges″⁣ should be no surprise to anyone, including politicians. Yet, the politicians on the campaign trail keep promising more and more without any financial detail of the promises.
The electorate is well aware of the struggles entailed in the cost of living, mortgage rates and the level of state debt. However, political candidates continue with promises of new services that either can’t. or won’t, be delivered.
Peter Roche, Carlton

Ask a public servant
During 36 years in parliament and in senior cabinet roles including a brief period as prime minister, Sir John McEwen had a personal secretary. When he needed information to form an opinion, he asked the public service.
Alan McLean, Queenscliff

What does our future hold for those in control?
I’m getting on a bit, so I guess I should be voting on the basis of what I can get out of the government in the next 10 years or so.
But that’s not what is happening. Instead, I am thinking of what the future holds for those who come after me – my children and their children – and what legacy current politicians will deliver for the future.
I would like to hear Jess Wilson tell me what sort of state or country she would like to be living in when she is my age, 40 years from now. She will probably be there to experience it, so it is well worth her thinking about it. Will it be a place where gas is still burned, coal is still mined, and renewable energy is minimised? Will it be a place where railways have not been built, people still live on the streets, free education is a distant memory and politics is full of hate, fear and division?
Where Indigenous people have still not been recognised as the true custodians of the land they have lived on for the last 60,000 years?
Tim Shirley, Benalla

THE FORUM

Wilson’s culture wars
In recent policy announcements, Jess Wilson has confirmed that she will abolish our treaty with Indigenous people, remove the payroll tax from exclusive private schools, and make it difficult for citizens in this state to express their political and social concerns through rallies.
This indicates, should she become premier, that she will not be governing for all Victorians and that, contrary to her protestations, she is deeply engaged in the culture wars.
In another area, she will abolish the emergency services and volunteer fund which replaced the fire services property levy. If elected, does this mean that the old tax will be re-introduced, or will the money required for those services be magically created out of thin air, or come from cuts to other services such as health and education?
Graeme Gardner, Reservoir

Boomer myth
Contrary to your Letters correspondent’s (2/11) claim of mortgage-belt families struggling while their parents are mortgage-free, ABS data show the Boomer generation has been far from universally cocooned in property ownership.
As of 2021, the generational proportion of renters for the Boomers, Gen X (born 1965-1980) and Millennials (born 1981–1996) was 30.2, 34.6 and 43.1 per cent respectively.
Home ownership data indicate that, when aged 25 to 39 years, 65.4per cent of Boomers owned a home outright or had a mortgage. For Gen X, the comparable figure is 61 per cent and for Millennials, 54.6 per cent.
In terms of disadvantage, older women are today’s fasting growing homeless demographic, with 80per cent of unpartnered women retiring in poverty. They overwhelmingly worked in lower-paid, frequently downsized, service-delivery echelons, with time out to raise families, and contributed up to half of Australia’s annual GDP through unpaid domestic and voluntary work.
In all, universal Boomer wealth is a myth. The factual profile is far more nuanced, irregular and lopsided, particularly in terms of gender.
Barbara Chapman, South Yarra

RBA puzzle
I can’t understand why, when the Reserve Bank of Australia uses it seemingly only tool against inflation, the extra money mortgage holders have to pay goes straight into the banks’ coffers.
What exactly have they and their shareholders done to deserve such a massive increase in their profits? How can they possibly justify it? Perhaps they could come to an agreement with the government to funnel some of this enormous windfall into something fairly non-inflationary that benefits the community such as preventative healthcare, early intervention family and youth support or making childcare more affordable to free up carers to enter the workforce.
Paul Sands, Sunbury

What stops the nation?
In the 2026 Melbourne Net Zero Cup, the One Nation entry has bolted to the front, but with no long-term strategy. Previous champion Labor is struggling, with extra weight added from Queensland coal and North West Shelf gas.
The once competitive Liberals have neglected net zero followers, with many other fans switching to One Nation. The Green competitor has a strong net zero diet, but still cannot use it to join the pack.
With no consistent stayer, the net zero race is fading dangerously.
John Hughes, Mentone

Feeling lucky
First, it was nuclear weapons that were going to end humanity, then Y2K, then climate change, then Donald Trump, and now AI. Since the first four have failed to bump us off, why should we think AI will be any more successful? Fifth time lucky perhaps?
Greg Hardy, Upper Ferntree Gully

Risk calculation
Surely, the outstanding abilities (so-called) of AI can sort out the problem of emergencies being allowed in the Melbourne Cup.
Alex Risk, Geelong West

Progressive group think
Your correspondent’s letter (″⁣The Forgotten Lesson″⁣ 1/11) in response to antisemitism envoy Jillian Segal’s latest proposals in her updated report, states quite rightly that none should have to demonstrate political conformity to retain public support.
It would have been so gratifying, if that civil right and its underlying philosophy could have been extended to Jewish academics, students, writers, entertainers, health practitioners, educators and employees who, since October7, 2023, have been held personally responsible for the actions of the Israeli government and often exhorted to make public their allegiances.
Jewish singers and artists who have had their gigs and exhibitions cancelled, writers told that there are no safe spaces for Zionists, a Jewish academic barricaded into his office by anti-Zionist students, and Israeli and Jewish speakers who have been de-platformed – all under suspicion of supporting the existence of the Jewish state, and punished by an ″⁣institution″⁣ on that presumption, or for simply being Jewish.
The Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt would have seen current progressive social justice advocates and far left academia as the circles of group think that they have become, as they themselves seek to suppress any independent judgement and dissenting opinion in relation to Israel and Gaza.
I do not know if Segal’s proposals are right, but the behaviours and language of so-called progressive social justice advocates, who fail to afford Jewish Australians the rights they claim for themselves, have indeed contributed to the breakdown of Australia’s social cohesion.
Ruth Freedman, Murrumbeena

Segal overreach
Everything Jillian Segal recommends in her Report to Combat Antisemitism (30/10) proposes shrieks of challenging Australia’s democratic norms and principles – be it what can or should be available in the arts and theatre, what is not OK in protests, freedoms of movement, how universities deal with protests relating to Israel, the terms upon which people get visas to enter Australia, cancelling visas of those in Australia and the vetting of what the ABC and SBS show or publish.
Jeffrey Loewenstein, Brighton East

Home birth right
It’s ironic that Brittany Busch highlights the trauma faced by many birthing women, with a disturbing figure that ″⁣suicide is a leading cause of maternal death in Australia″⁣ (″⁣Bethany thought only veterans and first responders got PTSD. Then she gave birth″⁣ 1/11). A Senate inquiry started Monday (2/11) hearing submissions into women’s health with a focus on postpartum care.
How about the politicians in Canberra recognise that a lot of postpartum trauma is caused by a lack of choice and a lack of continuity of care in how and where women give birth? The federal government could fix one problem straight away.
On January 1, proposed changes to professional indemnity insurance for private midwives will result in many women no longer having the choice to birth at home with a midwife, and many midwives will be leaving the profession as a result.
There will also be more women opting for a ″⁣free birth″⁣ if home birth supported by a midwife is unavailable to them.
Rallies in every state this month will culminate in a ″⁣Grandmother of All Rallies″⁣ on the steps of Parliament House, Canberra, on November 24. Home birth is not for everyone, but these rallies are about the rights of women to have choices about where and how they birth.
Helen Larkin, Ocean Grove

Halloween unhinged
Your correspondent (Letters, 2/11) rightly questions a violent costume associated with Halloween. At a local shopping centre hosting a Halloween event, I saw a young boy bedecked inside a contraption that looked like a bundle of dynamite sticks. Just in case anyone missed the message, it was clearly labelled in large letters: TNT. I also saw a child fully clad in black, wearing a balaclava and a backpack that appeared to contain knives or guns or perhaps both – hopefully fake.
What parents buy such costumes and allow their kids to wear them?
Overseas we have wars, and locally we have terrorism, firebombings, and violent attacks. Horror costumes and horror movies mock the suffering of so many people and have the potential to de-sensitise vulnerable elements of our community to real-world pain, mutilation, and consequences.
Joan Reilly, Surrey Hills

Motorcycle awareness
Now that ″⁣Motorcycle Awareness Month″⁣ for car and truck drivers is over, we could have ″⁣Motor Vehicle Awareness While we Weave in and out of Traffic on the Freeway at Double the Speed Limit Month” for the motorcyclists.
Pamela Whiting, Southbank

Horses for courses
Re “The price of Victoria Barracks is much higher than $200 million” (30/10). I can understand why many have deep emotional and historical reasons for maintaining the status quo Victoria Barracks in Melbourne.
How that works with the needs of a 21st century defence force, however, escapes me. Even more puzzling is why outdated, hugely expensive to run and no longer fit for purpose buildings should be handed over to the arts as museums or performance spaces, irrespective of the lack of suitability, high operational expenditure, and the need for additional safety and audience amenities, renders me despairing of commonsense.
Horses for courses, for the ADF and the arts.
Alison Fraser, Ascot Vale

AND ANOTHER THING

Test cricket
An addition to the MCG Test tea break menu: Cape Town Crumble.
John Rosenbrock, Mount Martha

After Australia’s lamentable third Test (and series result), perhaps it’s time for new selectors who actually reward effort and performance (Scott Boland) and opt to discard non-performing players.
Dorothy Galloway, Mentone

Australian Test effort at Newlands: defeat from the jaws of victory.
Graeme Rose, Wangaratta

Pat Cummins needs a well-earned rest and should be replaced by Scott Boland for the Tests against NZ. Travis Head should be appointed captain with Alex Carey as his deputy in the interim.
Paul Chivers, Box Hill North

Furthermore
Does the letter writer (2/11) complaining about the conditions facing the mushroom lady consider the misery she heaped upon her victims and the effects it still has on those still living?
Michael McKenna, Warragul

How many advisers does it take to provide sound advice on the AUKUS dud deal? Apparently more than the 20 staffers advising Defence Minister Richard Marles. A poor return on taxpayers’ money.
Angela Smith, Clifton Hill

During the COVID lockdowns, a daily highlight was Patrick Stewart reading his way through Shakespeare’s sonnets. A great memory!
Chris Watson, Ivanhoe

Because I love winning, I have either an each-way or a safe place bet on the entire field in the Melbourne Cup race, and that way I can always say ″⁣I backed the Cup winner″⁣! At least I get most of my money back, and if an outsider gets up, maybe a few quid extra. Simple pleasures.
Tris Raouf, Hadfield

Finally
No DA on Saturdays? Oh, David, your supercallifragilistic-expialidociousness will be sorely missed.
Raeleene Gregory, Ballarat East

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