Your views: on bushfires, climate change and MP conduct
Today, readers comment on holidaying during bushfire season, climate change leadership and appropriate penalties for politicians.
Photo: AAP/Dean Lewins
Commenting on the opinion piece: It’s time to rethink holidays during bushfire season
Prof David Bowman’s piece makes eminent sense. It is now crazy for families to flock to forested areas in January.
My only reservation – as retirees, we will have to then share our sensible March and April trips, to southern coasts or alpine retreats, with school holiday makers.
Luckily there would still be some time, after the 6 week break, to enjoy a quieter experience in beautiful autumn. – Brian Acland
This all makes perfect sense, but so does the argument for mitigation of climate change.
Hopefully this catastrophe will give the community enough social/political momentum to outlast the forces which disparage a reasonable response.
These groups believe acknowledging climate change means an end to their positions of power, and hence have white-anted any reasonable effort to address this.
You can even see it in the fact that Morrison’s government will take no responsibility for the present set of fires.
Note that meeting with the fire chiefs, who identified the risk of this present fire season, was avoided by Morrison and his ministers because it might give credence to its relationship to climate change.
If we can’t change this mindset there will be a Claytons response by our government, which in turn will lead to more loss of property and life. – Mark Stevens
Commenting on the story: Australia needs climate change leadership
Australia is unfortunately so far behind the eight ball when it comes to climate change leadership that it seems ludicrous to talk about leadership.
Eight EU countries phase out coal by 2030, some already in the next couple of years, and the list of green climate change initiatives in for example Denmark is long, and decades ahead of Australia.
Green energy, district heating, sustainable transport etc. etc. requires reforms multiplied by 1000.
Nothing that a three-layered non-bipartisan politically-infested swamp of bureaucracy in the grip of the Murdoch press is easily able to handle.
And the leaders in climate change are selling the technologies and know-how to the countries that Australia is (still) selling coal to. – Kenneth Abraham
Commenting on the story: “Completely unacceptable”: Marshall awaits inquiry on backbencher’s conduct
If an MP is deemed fit and competent to perform their duties as a local member, why would they step down as chair of a parliamentary committee following an accusation?
Shouldn’t their fitness be assessed for both positions together? Surely chairing a committee isn’t just a nice little earner that can be handed out as a bonus and relinquished as atonement.
By the way, at $34,000 p.a, an SA MP is paid more than a British politician for chairing a committee – but what’s new? – Alan Strickland
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