Letter of the Week
Have strong opinions, write in an engaging way? You could win our Letter of the Week, and with it a book from our friends and sponsors, the publishers HarperCollins. This month’s book prize is The Woman in the Window by AJ Finn. It debuted at No 1 on the
I am amazed that our government has allowed the merger of the CFMEU and the MUA. Without a doubt the result of this will be unbelievable turmoil across our entire nation adequately backed up by Shorten and his cohorts, especially if we were unfortunately saddled with Labor in power as well.
Unions do not follow the laws of our land and if they get fined by the courts they simply pay the fine from their well-funded war chest and continue their destructive practices.
During my working years I was a member of the MUA and actually became the union delegate on one ship simply to curtail work stoppages and strikes over imagined grievances.
Union thuggery will increase and it will shortly have muscle power to frighten anyone daring to criticise their standover tactics.
If we were not saddled with these unions we would have many more jobs and manufacturing would be booming here and we would probably still have a viable car industry.
There is no politician with the intestinal fortitude to clean up the mess these unions are causing. NICK BELLOFF, SOUTHPORT
IS the Commonwealth Games organisation just a money-hungry parasite?
The Games wouldn’t exist without the athletes. Yet when these athletes pass their use-by date, the organisation simply ignores them.
Athletes that have won gold for Australia in past Games should at least be offered a ticket for the current Games, particularly those who competed back before athletes got the financial support and training currently provided. They put in the hard work at their own cost.
Yet the administrators who live off the Games offer nothing. Australians love when our athletes win. But are we happy to then forget those who win on our behalf? We should be ashamed if we are.
Give them a ticket! IAN, MERMAID
WRITING in the past I have drawn attention to the concept that knowledge, intelligence and ability are not necessarily criteria essential for consideration by a Prime Minister when selecting his cabinet ministers nor appointing their portfolios and I used the example of the Federal Member for Moncrieff as an example to justify my point of view. Naturally that member was vehement in his disavowal of my opinion.
Well, Mr Steve Ciobo has once again demonstrated his lack of fitness and knowledge to justify his current employment in the Turnbull cabinet. In an act of stark bonking madness, Trade Minister Ciobo suggests that Australia could join with the EU in mounting a formal World Trade Organisation challenge to the Trump administration’s steel and aluminium tariffs, even after Australia has been exempted from these tariffs.
What has the EU ever done for Australia? Well let me quote renowned Australian foreign affairs correspondent Greg Sheridan. “Few trading blocs in world history have done more to harm the prospects of Australian trade than the EU. Politically, the EU hates everything good that Australia does, from our mixed economy to our border controls. The EU itself has never done us a favour nor offered us any consideration. And in terms of free-trade purity the EU, with its infinity of trade-distorting protectionist measures and endless regulations, the EU is nothing more than a political” and economic Jack the Ripper.
Now to date, apart from a disastrous
post election telephone call between our PM and President Trump, our government has handled the relationship with the USA quite well, a credit to both governments involved. Then along comes economic assassin Mr Ciobo. To quote Sheridan again, Mr Ciobo has “acted in a manner so unrelentingly stupid as to demand a psychiatric intervention.” J.J. GOOLD, MUDGEERABA
THE story of Brisbane burns survivor Doug Herrington is an example of how donating to St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland’s annual fundraising appeals can change lives.
After a house fire nearly claimed his life in 2011 and left him with third degree burns to over 50 per cent of his body, Doug faced a long road to recovery which included more than 200 operations.
When Doug first got out of hospital he was a recluse, concerned about how others would react to his burns, our dedicated volunteers arranged a special hospital bed at a South Brisbane hostel to help in his recovery and brought meals to his room.
St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland has been there for Doug from his extended stay in hospital, until this day.
Doug is now a motivational speaker who conveys a message of hope at corporate events and most importantly when speaking with other burns victims.
The St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland runs a number of appeals throughout the year which help us to raise vital funds to continue changing the lives of people like Doug Herrington. PETER MAHER OAM CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY QUEENSLAND