BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU VOTE FOR

GRAEME Vincent (GA 6/5), “The Election Circus Rolls On” points to the very real concern of independents having a disproportionate influence on how the country will be governed after May 21.

The former Geelong Advertiser editor quite rightly mentioned the teal independents who are being substantially backed by Simon Holmes a Court’s Climate 200 machine.

One wonders what expectations would be placed on successful teals down the track?

Perhaps, as noted by Mr Vincent, the most public teal candidacy is being played out in the electorate of Kooyong where Dr Monique Ryan is challenging federal Treasurer and possible future PM Josh Frydenberg.

Dr Ryan, now acknowledging a previous brief ALP membership, has said that a hung parliament could be “a good thing’’ if it meant independents like herself would be able to influence governments more.

On that score hopefully sufficient Kooyong voters remember how the crossbenchers have repeatedly supported the Andrews government’s draconian lockdown pandemic legislation.

Furthermore, Dr Ryan has labelled Josh Frydenberg as “the Treasurer from New South Wales’’, saying “you weren’t here’’ during the pandemic.

Dr Ryan also declared the government had “done nothing good for us in the last nine years.’’

Warts and all the federal Coalition has brought unemployment down below 4 per cent, insulated the nation against the pandemic better than most and via JobKeeper, has provided a fiscal safety net (yes, rorted by some corporates as Dr Ryan has correctly noted) for 770,000 Australians.

Richard Worland, Manifold Heights