Yes, Barnaby Joyce had an inappropriate relationship with Vikki Campion and yes, she may have been given an unfair advantage in her subsequent appointments. But it’s nothing compared to his inappropriate relationship with Gina Rinehart. That’s what we should be focusing on.
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In 2011 Rinehart paid his travel expenses to India for the wedding of a coal mining business partner, in 2013 she donated $50,000 to his campaign and last year she presented him with a $40,000 award. Did she do so out of the goodness of her heart? What are we to make of his climate change scepticism, his Parliamentary play of catch with coal and his support of a clean energy target only if coal is included? This is not a healthy, democratic relationship.
Wealthy vested interests don’t give money because they support democracy. They expect something in return and they get it. We need a system of publicly funded election campaigns with strict caps for individual donations and a national anti-corruption watch dog. Let's focus on the bigger picture and stop this system of large 'donations' corrupting the democratic process.
Lizette Salmon, Wodonga
Not first in the club
The Border Mail states that Club Mulwala “revealed a regional-first” in its plan to install solar (electricity generating) panels in the club's car park (‘Cool customers to create energy’, February 7). This is not the case, as Howlong Golf Resort has had them for approximately three years.
I remember wishing the Wodonga Plaza had added solar panels over its car park when it added shade shelters for vehicles.
In fact, wouldn't it be great if all shopping centres and other car parks followed suit. Shoppers would gain shade, shops would gain cheaper electricity bills and the planet would benefit from having a cleaner environment. That's a triple win to my mind.
Greg Oates, Huon Creek
Give Barnaby a break
The treatment of Barnaby Joyce by his own party exposes the hypocrisy of the national political discourse, the anemic ruin of the Christian legacy and the weakness of the Prime Minister.
The much vaunted “pub test” has been more than satisfied by the conduct of Barnaby Joyce but his treatment by the Australia political establishment owes more to the mob, and inquisition and the cowardice of a prime minister who has reserved the only lifeboat for himself and readily tosses inconveniences overboard.
The Christian tradition of forgiveness where King David, despite his domestic and personal irregularities was still claimed by Christ as family, has been entirely abandoned by the ghastly wreck that is the rotting remains of our Christian origins within Australian political life.
Post the Royal Commission all the church has to offer is cash and forgiveness and yet these seem to have vanished from the menu. Instead we have the mock indignation of the Australian political parties at behaviour generally celebrated in pubs, films and popular culture based on some vestige of faith-based morality.
It’s time for the prime minster to stand with the vulnerable, time to call off the dogs and stop putting the boot in, time for Australia to look in the mirror and see how unattractive the national soul has become and maybe time to give Barnaby a break.
