Yes to Voice will not make parliament unworkable
As a voter in the electorate of Flinders I was saddened and very disappointed by [Flinders MP] Zoe McKenzie’s article and her address to the Parliament in support of the No vote, although not surprised (“A risk to executive government” The News 30/5/23).
Both the High Court Judge Kenneth Haynes and Professor Anne Twomey have refuted the claim that giving our First Nations people access to executive government will make our parliament unworkable.
The Voice is only advisory. The power to make laws and policies lies with the government and parliament.
We also have checks and balances built into our parliamentary system that will avoid making parliament unworkable.
First Nations people need a seat at the table and to be part of the decisions that are being made about their lives. Like all people, if you have a stake in your own programs you are more likely to achieve success.
I implore Zoe to put herself in the shoes of a First Nations person and, most of all, open your heart and vote Yes.
Marilyn Hoban, Mornington
Elders ‘misrepresented’
We are writing in response to [Flinders MP] Zoe McKenzie’s speech in federal parliament on 22 May and the article [she wrote] referencing us and the Willum Warrain Aboriginal community (“A risk to executive government” The News 30/5/23).
As local senior elders, we are dismayed by the way we have been used to gain momentum for the No vote on Voice. The three of us strongly support the Yes vote. What has happened is exactly why we need Voice, so our views can be directly heard by government and not misrepresented.
Aunty Helen Bnads, Uncle Peter Aldenhoven, Willum Warrain Aboriginal Association, Hastings
Voice not local issue
I get irritated at the amount of space in The News devoted to the Voice campaign. This is a local newspaper that should concentrate on local issues. Voice is not a local issue.
In recent issues we have been getting swamped with lectures from the uninformed populace who, by their very mouthings, demonstrate that they have absolutely no idea of the consequences of a Yes vote.
The basic error is the constant references to First Nations. At no time in recorded history is there any evidence that there was an Aboriginal nation. The first and only nation ever to be convened in this country was that which was created on 1 January 1901. If you are going to have a treaty with these people, then tell me who they are.
I guarantee that not one of the bleeding hearts who espouse the merits of a Yes vote have given any thought to the prospect of their homes being compulsorily acquired to accommodate those who have not.
I urge all of those Yes advocates to think again and ask themselves why the current level of funding and the multiplicity of organisations has been unable to rectify the obvious wrongs that many Aboriginal children and women in the outback suffer every day.
Anybody who wants to tut tut my comments should start by making a trip into the outback and see for themselves the conditions under which these people live. Take a quick trip to Euston or Wilcannia in NSW and see what their living conditions are like. No need to go to Western Australia or the Northern Territory to get a few facts.
Barry James Rumpf, McCrae
Voice splits families
The saddest thing about the increasingly bitter debate about the proposed Aboriginal Voice to Parliament is that, whether in favour or opposed, it is impossible to contribute without reference to “them” and “us”.
The appearance of almost all current “Aboriginal” activists shows them to have at least as many (unacknowledged) non-Aboriginal as Aboriginal ancestors; ipso facto Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal citizens have long since ceased to be discrete groups.
In short, the proposal is splitting families.
Albert Riley, Mornington
Self-serving MP
Flinders MP Zoe McKenzie is feathering her own nest in opposing a constitutionally enshrined Indigenous Voice (“A risk to executive government” The News 30/5/23).
There is no other logical explanation for her dismissal of the views of not only highly respected First Nations elders and but also those even she herself refers to as “some of the best constitutional minds in the country” in her decision to oppose the Voice.
Her view conflicts with such eminent minds as Brett Walker SC, Professor Cheryl Saunders and Solicitor General Stephen Donaghue. She appears to embody the heights of arrogance as she scrambles to find a reason to avoid giving First Nations people a say.
Of course Ms McKenzie is entitled to her opinion, but she should quit pretending to care about recognising First Nations people and consulting with them.
Joan Doyle, Dromana
Voice scrutiny
On 25 May 1961 [US] President John F Kennedy announced sending an American safely to the Moon before the end of the decade.
On 23 March 2023, the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced a constitutional amendment to enshrine the Voice in the constitution this year.
What do these announcements have in common? They announce a plan and intent, not a how to do it.
[Liberal leader Peter] Dutton, who I feel confident would have been a member of the GOP Freedom Caucus (considered to be the most conservative and farthest-right bloc within the elected Republicans in USA) would have wanted details on the formula of the fuel to be used. Doubt the great divider does not have to be true or accurate, just [ask] outrageous questions to sow the seeds of doubt is enough to counteract the truth.
What is so hard about understanding that enshrining the Voice in the constitution only makes it impossible for Dutton, if ever elected PM, could not shut it down.
If the referendum passes there will be a process with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, the parliament and the broader public to settle the Voice design.
Legislation to establish the Voice will then go through standard parliamentary processes to ensure adequate scrutiny by elected representatives in both houses of parliament.
Joe Lenzo, Safety Beach
Unfair parking fees
The paid parking trial at three Mornington Peninsula beaches was approved at Mornington Peninsula Shire Council’s Tuesday 30 May meeting.
Naively, I thought ratepayers would not be subject to the $6.20 an hour parking fee but would receive some form of voucher or other means for up to five nominated vehicles to be exempt from these charges. But no, exemptions will only apply to cars of residents that are registered at addresses within the shire.
Non-residents pay the same rates as residents but do not enjoy the same benefits of weekly/fortnightly waste collection and recycling 52 weeks of the year and they will now have to pay $6.20 an hour to park, initially at the three trial locations. Next year or the year after which locations will be subject to parking fees, Sorrento front beach? Fair, I think not.
Unfortunately, our councillors do not understand the difference between non-resident ratepayers and tourists. They have voted for the introduction of paid parking on the notion it will be a way of making tourists pay for infrastructure – non-resident ratepayers are not tourists, and our councillors should remember they vote.
Bill Holmes, Sorrento
Sands disappear in time
I happened across an old issue of The News and an article describes the familiar issue of the Mount Martha North beach (“Beach sands run out as storms blow in” 8/8/16). The article helpfully explains that there was a normal seasonal migration of sand between the North and South beaches, but this cycle was destroyed in 2000 when a reef at the end of the North beach suffered severe erosion. Since then, Mornington Peninsula Shire Council has repeatedly, at great expense, tried to compensate for this cycle by dredging and pumping sand.
It would seem that this is surely an exercise in futility. Nature has spoken and the annual natural replenishment of sands will not occur again.
Additionally, it is reasonable to assume that rising sea levels due to climate change will only exacerbate the problem, so should council reconsider the merits of continuing the expensive artificial replenishment of sand to the Mount Martha North beach? Beach box owners would be unhappy of course, but should ratepayers be expected to continually fund a program that benefits a very small number of people.
Dr Ross Hudson, Mount Martha
Caravan extensions
Rooming house providers are extending their houses by using caravans for an extra room, which brings them under Frankston Council’s authority.
Rooming houses have nine rooms and if there are 10 rooms then the rooming house comes under the planning scheme.
The council states that the caravan is not another room and does not come under the planning scheme.
If somebody resides in the caravan the rooming house provider must contact the City of Frankston and advise them of this.
So, if you notice a caravan on site of a rooming house you should notify the council.
Russell Morse, Karingal
More help needed
I write on behalf of the not-for-profit Mental Illness Fellowship of Australia to highlight that it is critical much more is done to help Australians who have a severe or complex mental illness.
Right now, a massive 154,000 Australians who have a severe and complex mental illness are getting absolutely no support from either the National Disability Insurance Scheme or other Commonwealth and state/territory programs.
That is enough people to fill 388 standard jumbo jets. The issue is on a substantial scale.
Without adequate support, people with severe and complex mental illnesses may die up to 23 years earlier than the general population. Approximately 50 per cent of people with the most severe mental illness attempt suicide (compared to 3.7 per cent of the general population). There is so much work to do.
We know there is a huge gap. It is undoubtedly time to close that gap. There are not enough services available to help people in trouble. Too many people wait for their distress to escalate into a full-blown crisis before they seek support at emergency departments.
We are working with a range of sector partners to outline how things could be changed. Progress has been so slow, and it is quite unacceptable.
Recovery is possible. Finding North Network is a growing online community of people who want to share their experiences and help others. It is safe and secure.
It is a place where people with first-hand experiences of mental illness can connect as a community. It is a forum for people to share experiences and discuss ideas. We urge readers to visit findingnorthnetwork.com.au
Tony Stevenson, CEO Mental Illness, Fellowship of Australia.
