The Prime Minister Julia Gillard during an address to the National Press Club, in Canberra on Tuesday. Picture: Gary Ramage Source: The Courier-Mail
OUR readers discuss the motivations of political leaders, the cost of future-proofing, a chainsaw-wielding Kevin Rudd, election overload and much more.
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On long trail to credibility
WEARING a disguise didn't help: When the red-haired woman in spectacles said she wasn't announcing the longest election campaign in history immediately after announcing the longest campaign in history, I recognised her as the same person who said she wouldn't introduce a carbon tax.
The Prime Minister will need more than visual aids to find her lost credibility.
Peter Raftery
Indooroopilly
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WITH boxing the flavour of the day, maybe we can get Tony Abbott to do a few rounds with Julia Gillard and save ourselves 71/2 months of campaigning.
Or would Tony face up against Kevin Rudd? I'm confused. Maybe they have a rotation policy.
M. Teale
Riverhills
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COULD someone please tell Julia Gillard how to pronounce Australia correctly?
We do not live in Orstralia.
Carmel Seipel
Mt Gravatt
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SO THE Prime Minister calls the election early so that the Opposition has plenty of time to reveal and discuss its fully funded promises.
When has an Opposition revealed its hand well before the election date?
Labor is lost for ideas and wants to see what the Opposition has up its sleeves. Wake up, PM.
Darby Ashton
Kallangur
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AT HER National Press Club address, Julia Gillard avoided setting out a strategy to grow the economy, refused to commit to getting the Budget into surplus, foreshadowed further tax increases on Australian families and retirees, and announced an election date.
We still have a minority, unstable Government that has broken promise after promise. The Labor-Greens alliance has no plan, no hope and little opportunity to offer Australians.
Kerry Latter
Mackay
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TONY Abbott will be a dead-set loser on trust and should stick to what he's so renowned for - smearing and negativity.
Keith Remington
Travancore
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THE Government is being a tad precious, expecting the Opposition to come up with costings this far out from the election on September 14, given it would have no idea what the deficit is going to be, and what action the Government is going to take in the May Budget.
A.J.B. Wylie
Eagleby
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I"THERE will be no carbon tax under my Government"; "The Budget will return to surplus 2012-13"; "I will call on the Governor-General on August 12 to dissolve Parliament" - the reaction to this latest statement should be tempered because an excuse can always be found.
Patrick McNevin
Macgregor
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Mind the Gap in future-proofing
ONCE again the Cunningham Highway at Cunninghams Gap in southeast Queensland has suffered considerable damage during the recent wet weather and high winds.
Perhaps to avoid this problem, the Government should look at European modelling.
Autostrada in similar topographical regions in Italy are built on elevated roads with large concrete pylons with appropriate infrastructure.
Surely modern computer projections showing all relevant aspects could be used to facilitate the construction of a gradient-friendly four-lane highway that would circumvent the problems now being experienced with Cunninghams Gap.
The cost outlay would be considerable, but if the benefits outweigh this in the long term, then I suggest it warrants consideration.
A. Lakin
Roadvale
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ARE we all sick of global-warming-related "natural disasters" yet?
Well, in keeping with the best economic rationalist thinking of the user-pays principle, I strongly suggest that we all vote for the political party that will immediately impose an annually renewable and adjustable trillion-dollar natural disasters compensation levy on the magnates of the coal mining industry.
After all, why should the rest of us - the 99 per cent - continue to pay for the coalmining-derived riches of the 1 per cent?
B. Allen
Warner
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Kev cuts a mean lookalike of hard labour
"CHAINSAW Kev" or "Kevvie the Lumberjack" can't be for real (C-M, Jan 31): What about health and safety regulations? Where was Kevin Rudd's hard hat and steel-capped boots? And the little chainsaw looks best suited to trimming hedges.
Roseanne Schneider
Yeronga
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WHAT a phony, Kevin Rudd, immaculate in his designer clothes, not a hair out of place!
Watch out Julia - an angry man with a chainsaw!
N. Mackintosh
Chapel Hill
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I HAVEN'T seen any other bloke dressed as well as Rudd while working out with a chainsaw.
He needs better protective gear than that!
Anne Lindsay
Stanthorpe
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SEEING Kevin Rudd busy at work with his chainsaw, but lacking a safety jacket, made me want to call Workplace Health and Safety.
It is an election year, and Julia Gillard would not want to have him backed over by a truck.
Milton Battaglini
Carindale
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HOW lovely to see Kevin Rudd out and about for his photo shoot with his toy chainsaw, after all the hard work has been done.
No hard hat, goggles or steelcaps to be seen - not so much as an industrial-strength glove in sight.
I doubt if he would pass muster as a State Emergency Service worker. He doesn't look fit enough.
Dawn Rogers
Hervey Bay
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Election overload is bad news
THE thought of electioneering for the next 71/2 months is almost too much to bear. Radio, TV and newspapers will be keeping us up to date with all the (mainly) false statements by both Labor and LNP, promising a quick fix of all major problems.
Even the evening news will be in election mode. If just one TV station promised to broadcast election material for only a half-hour daily, what a tremendous viewing public they would gain.
Frances Bensted
Rochedale South
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IT'S hard to believe that P. Dyer (C-M, Jan 31) has been watching the Channel 7 news "for years" as the new format will simply be an extension of what Nine and Seven have been offering in their news bulletins for those same years - lots of non-news items that should belong only in a current affairs format. The ABC and SBS offer real news!
Ken Johnston
Rochedale South
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WHILE minding a granddaughter for the past two days because her school was closed due to a power outage, I couldn't help wondering what happened to a blackboard and a simple piece of chalk!
Jean Aldred
The Gap
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ALL those Aussie flag-wavers must be in seventh heaven now that the two major supermarkets have Australian flags in the bargain bins.
J. Fraser
Taigum
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I THOUGHT for a minute Shane Warne was going to say that we should replace Michael Clarke as captain of the Australian cricket team with himself. Nothing would surprise me with Warnie.
J. Mansfield
Redbank
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WHILE watching the latest effort at playing cricket by Shane Warne, I was reminded of the remarks of some fictitious cameraman - "Can't bat, can't bowl, can't field".
Trevor Sheppard
Sandstone Point
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I DON'T normally follow boxing, but was pleased to see Daniel Geale beat Anthony Mundine after the disrespect he showed Geale by blowing bubblegum in his face. As usual, Mundine was ungracious in defeat. There's more to being a sportsman than winning.
C. Barron
Bannockburn
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IT'S a great pity Anthony Mundine isn't more like his father, Tony Mundine.
Tony was a great boxer who was a humble winner and a gracious loser.
He would have to be embarrassed by some of the antics of his son, who in the end may not be remembered as a great boxer, but simply as a mouth who cannot take responsibility for losing.
Des Deighton
Sippy Downs
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Back-up plan could save vital resources
I SPENT last weekend with friends on a rainforest acreage in the Gold Coast hinterland in the rain.
I tried to escape on Monday morning, but was confronted with several large fallen trees blocking the driveway.
They said this had happened many times - they had no chainsaw.
A neighbour came to the rescue and it took three of us several hours to cut a track through the debris.
They had been without power since Sunday afternoon and, because they were on tank water and a septic system, neither was able to service the house.
Their cordless home phone relies on electricity, and by mid-morning Monday, both their mobile phones were flat.
Their barbecue bottle was empty after Sunday dinner and they had no power generator.
Before I left I asked them what their back-up plan was for such a situation. They had none.
I just wonder how many other acreage dwellers ended up in the same predicament?
I think too many people rely on the Government and SES for help, when having a simple plan and equipment could save resources for people who really need it.
Ben Kelly
Ipswich
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I FEEL for everyone in the Brisbane area and on the coast with the floods.
But, while attention is being focused on these areas, there are the forgotten ones out in the country areas.
Places such as Biloela, Moura, Chinchilla, Tara and Dalby are also suffering with a lack of food, stock losses and property damage.
D. Hood
Banora Point
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IPSWICH Mayor Paul Pisasale must join the Premier in accepting that councils are to blame for a great deal of the flood crisis.
Councils have not learnt from past mistakes and continue to allow development of flood-prone land and allow developers to create inappropriate estates.
Of course we will not be able to prevent all flooding, and episodes that devastate entire regions such as Bundaberg, and Toowoomba in 2011, will continue to happen as a result of extreme weather events, but the continual flooding of regions of Gympie and Ipswich, and coastal storm-surge damage must be acted upon, or the loss of life and property will become everyday headlines as sea levels rise and weather extremes become the norm.
Joe Jurisevic
Tewantin
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Responsibility for election comment is taken by Michael Crutcher, corner of Mayne Rd & Campbell St, Bowen Hills, Qld, 4006. Printed and published by NEWSQUEENSLAND. (ACN 009 661 778). A full list of our editors and journalists, with contact details, is available at couriermail.com.au/news/opinion/ourstaff .
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