Models of behaviour start from the bottom up

October 24, 2026 — 8:00pm

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It starts with us
Your correspondent (Letters, 23/10), rightly calls on politicians to lift the standard of parliamentary debate. “Common decency” should be the norm, he states; “personal attacks” should be avoided. I couldn’t agree more. My reaction to their closing thought is, however, more complicated. They argue that we “can’t be asking the public to ‘lower the temperature’ of debate when our elected representatives aren’t being seen to do the same. It starts from the top.”
Respectfully, I beg to differ. I’m all for criticising politicians who build careers by stoking division, or who are too cowardly to call out the cynical tactics of their colleagues. But let’s remember that every one of them – including those who nakedly and unapologetically fan racial and ethnic hatred for their own tawdry benefit – are in parliament in the first place because we put them there. That’s what democracy literally means: “rule by the people”. We are responsible. All of us. It starts at the bottom.
Nick Eckstein, Kangaroo Ground

The enemy already here
If Australia can spend $368 billion on nuclear submarines, surely we can find the money for 12 aerial tankers to defend us from an enemy already at our door (“Parachute plan for growing fire threat”, 23/10). Bushfires are getting more ferocious, and with longer, overlapping fire seasons here and overseas, we can no longer rely on leasing firefighting aircraft from abroad. A sovereign firefighting fleet and better early detection are essential. The Albanese government could make coal and gas corporations foot the bill (“Levy the polluters”, 23/10). Those who fuel the fires should help put them out.
Sarah Brennan, Hawthorn

Russian to obey
Russian oil is back on the market, new sanctions are sitting in a drawer, and Ukraine is under pressure. In the past, Moscow would have had to pay for such concessions with years of negotiations. This time, a few weeks in October and a single phone call were enough. Donald Trump is the best American president the Russians have ever had in the White House.
Helena Kilingerova, Vermont

The right path
Columnist Waleed Aly draws attention to the worrying fact that violence begets violence, with the undeniable risk of political escalation (“After Haines attack, what happens is important”, 23/10). That’s exactly why I was particularly struck by the single hopeful aspect in reports of this appalling incident: the positive and peaceful intervention of bystanders. We should be forever grateful for the bravery and swift actions of those who prevented further damage.
The prime minister is right to call for us all to turn down the political heat; the shocking events in Wangaratta show that there can be non-violent ways of doing so.
Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor

Democracy, imperfect
People have long complained about parliamentary Question Time behaviour – when I was a child in the 1960s. Perhaps we need to look at this quaint procedure differently. Parliament is mostly tedious, procedural and long-winded albeit often about important matters. Question Time allows members to blow off a bit of steam asking and answering mostly predictable questions specially composed for political manoeuvring. Hubris is brought down to size, agendas exposed as folly and egos punctured. The great performers live on in our memory.
It’s the imperfectly human side of democracy.
Mark Freeman, Macleod

What a tawdry display
As has been pointed out by many letters contributors in recent days, I observed the appalling behaviour of many of our elected representatives. It wasn’t the members of minor parties or the independents, it was Labor and Coalition members. The Speaker of the House, was, I thought, extremely tolerant of the behaviour that would not have been accepted in any community forum or a classroom. Few were ejected.
The most disappointing aspect of this behaviour was that it was in front of the observation galleries filled with schoolchildren, but also notable Australians and overseas visitors who had been publicly acknowledged by the Speaker as being present and warmly welcomed.
So, knowing these people were there the two major parties obviously felt comfortable displaying their socially unacceptable behaviour. I was embarrassed. What a spectacle to be taken away and shared with the wider community and world.
Anthony Albanese is right to have been asking people to ″⁣dial it down″⁣ for quite a while now but obviously only when it applies to others.
Jenny Callaghan, Hawthorn

Ease up on the horn
As we seem to be undergoing a lack of respect throughout society, I suggest that we start by showing more tolerance on the roads. The prolonged horn blast for some inconvenience that would make the journey 10 seconds longer is not necessary. If this occurred between pedestrians on the footpath, a common response would be an apology and a smile.
The car horn should be only used to let people know that you are near or to let someone in from a side street. In Indonesia, there is a cacophony of beeps from motorcycles, but rarely in anger. Who knows, more tolerance on the roads might lead to more civility in society.
Geoff Goonan, Glen Iris

Focus on positives
While it’s been a brutal week, we need to look for the positives. It’s not enough to “turn the temperature down”, we need to have a discussion, at every level, about where Australians go from here. As outlined by “The Tipping Point” (24/10) it feels like we have reached a fork in the road and our actions will determine the future of our democracy. As mentioned in your article, “the warning signs have been accumulating” , online conspiracy theories, divisions created by war, anger in the community at rising costs of living, all these factors are leading us to a precipice.
I’m reminded of the quote, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing”. Now is the time for grassroots action in every sector of our community. It starts with parents, teachers, neighbours, work colleagues, shopkeepers all having a conversation about what it means to be together on this planet.
Let’s focus on the positives.
Marisa Di Giacomo, Beaumaris

Losing proposition
Before Victoria sells yet another government facility, in this case the vegetable market, it should be carefully explained what benefits have resulted for Victorians from previous sales of public assets. That should kill off this plan. We all can see the great damage done by privatising public transport and the energy providers. Furthermore, the damage to the state’s budgets is overlooked. Most of the government facilities used to provide revenue to the government. That lost revenue diminishes the state’s financial position while reaping profits for companies that bought them. The government then has less revenue to fund the services it must provide. Overall privatisation has been a lose-lose proposition for Victorians.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha

Defence? Read CACTUS
Your correspondent is correct (Letters, 23/10). The reliance on anything US-based, let alone the defence of the country, is insanity. AUKUS should be amended to read CACTUS, as Australian security will be put at risk further, not enhanced, by relying on US-based defence technology, as was made clear by the decision to turn off the ability of Ukraine to access Starlink.
Ian Usman Lewis, Armidale, NSW

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