Trump's acceptance of a $400m jet was a gaffe

The Age

17-05-2025

Progressive regression
The brains trust at the ALP appear not to have road-tested the PM's new slogan: ″⁣progressive patriotism″⁣.
It sounds like a medical diagnosis; up there with progressive cancer, and progressive dementia.
It sounds to be the sort of condition that leads medical practitioners to tell patients who have had the diagnosis: ″⁣Go home and get your affairs in order.″⁣
Alun Breward, Malvern East
The voters didn't see it
Bridget McKenzie's comment ″⁣Obviously, our country is best served by a strong Nationals and Liberals coalition government″⁣ was clearly not obvious to the great majority of Australian voters on May 3.
Merv Keehn, Melbourne
The values of loyalty
Political parties substantially depend on loyalty for many votes. So how hypocritical is Labor with the new frontbench? Seems that the treatment of Mark Dreyfus demonstrates just how much Labor thinks of loyalty and his value.
I'm questioning mine.
Carol Fountain, Mentone
Wrong priorities
Victorian farmers are wracked by drought, risk financial losses and face a hefty fire levy. Funds earmarked for public schools had been quietly sequestered and delayed by the state government (″ ⁣Victoria secretly slices $2.4b from public schools ″⁣, 12/5). Completion dates of smaller projects like country rails and roads have been deferred (″⁣ Timelines for swath of Victorian construction projects blow out ″⁣, 11/5).
Where have the taxpayers' funds gone? The article ″ ⁣In Allan's Victoria, pouring concrete is more important ″⁣ (15/5) shows that public funds are being shovelled into cash intensive Big Build megaprojects.
One of which being the North East Link Project: $26 billion for 10 kilometres of roads and tunnels. Local community groups have worked relentlessly with various authorities to minimise the social and environmental impacts. It has been an exhausting uphill battle since 2016.
At 3am on a week night, residential areas along the construction route are lit up like the Tullamarine Airport, plumes of dust rise and pile drivers thump incessantly through the night. We despair that our taxes are stirring up Big Build dust storms while shortchanging our students, teachers, police, farmers, healthcare, and emergency workers.
Kahhui Zikou, North Balwyn
There's still the big event
You've got to hand it to Jacinta Allan's government. Through drought, floods, school funding cutbacks, and state debt, the major events keep on coming.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
Blockade a necessity
Simon Tedeschi's claim that Israel has a policy of starvation that is collective punishment, not military necessity (Letters, 16/5) is wrong on every count.
Israel's policy is to deny Hamas the means to stay in power to continue the war against it. Israel let enough aid into Gaza to last until at least June, but then Hamas stole huge quantities of it, as Hamas has been doing for years, and then used it to keep control in Gaza, and also sold it to fund the wages it pays to its fighters.
Israel is under no obligation under international law to allow in aid that helps its enemy, so the blockade is absolutely military necessity. However, Israel will be restoring aid flows in the next couple of weeks, in co-operation with US, but in a way that prevents it going to Hamas.
George Greenberg, Malvern
Informed on Gaza
Well said David Leser (″⁣ Call me a self-hating Jew, but what Israel is doing in Gaza is indefensible ″⁣, 17/5). Leser's scholarly, informed and perceptive article shines a rare light on Jewish opposition to Israeli policies and actions in Palestine. This not to say that Jewish voices are not raised, but that media coverage of these voices is generally less than extensive. Leser's analysis of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and his comparison with the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism is cogent and backed by many Jewish scholars. Zionism is not Judaism, we all need to reflect carefully on what is racist and what is pure polemic, meant to whitewash apartheid and genocide.
Lorel Thomas, Blackburn South
Reap the wind
Why the fear and loathing of wind farms (″⁣ Labor's victory puts transition to cheap power on agenda ″⁣, 17/5)? A recent article in the German magazine Der Spiegel on the village of Feldheim showed that it got all its electricity from renewables, exported the considerable surplus to surrounding regions and paid just 12 cents a kW.hr, a third of the average for Germany. It has dozens of wind turbines, which in my opinion add not detract from the landscape.
Crops are being grown almost up to the base of the wind turbines, which are tall and elegant. Wind is free, unlike coal and natural gas. Or enriched uranium for nuclear power plants.
All houses in Australia should have solar panels, and as many as possible should have home batteries. I'm looking forward to having home batteries installed in my home and my two rental properties. Electricity should be produced where it's used as much as possible obviating the need for long-distance transmission lines.
Wayne Robinson, Kingsley
What's the chances?
Anti-gambling advocate Tim Costello recommends that gambling reform be transferred from the minster for sport and communications portfolio to that of the health minister's (″ ⁣Gambling reform less likely ″⁣, 17/5). I wonder what the odds are for that to happen?
Robin Jensen, Castlemaine
Terrorist no more
Definition of a former al-Qaeda terrorist: 'Young attractive guy. Tough guy.' From US Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump, describing Ahmad al-Sharaa, interim Syrian president. I have no cornflakes left to choke on.
David West, Essendon