One of my pet joys is reading the Australia Day honours list.
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It acknowledges a broad selection of great Australians who quietly toil for the common good, often in medical research, but also in the arts, sports, education, defence, the environment and community service.
Their successes occur mostly over a long period and involve many small steps at a time.
They bring about incremental improvements in the governance, management, wellbeing and entertainment of this great country.
They do not bear grudges about the past. They work for our future wellbeing. We all enjoy benefits from their toils and perseverance.
Let us salute them. The true blue Aussie achievers on the honours list.
Ian Morison, Forrest
![Those honoured with awards on Australia Day are representative of thousands more quiet achievers who make this country great. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong Those honoured with awards on Australia Day are representative of thousands more quiet achievers who make this country great. Picture by Sitthixay Ditthavong](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/LLBstgPA4H8EG9DTTGcXBL/9bb2173d-2768-4eff-aafa-090bdc98636c.jpg/r0_0_5100_2867_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Name change not needed
I spent many active years in the electorate of Cook in far north Queensland which is very different from its federal namesake in NSW.
Today in the Queensland Parliament that seat is very well-represented by a young Torres Strait Islander, Cynthia Lui.
Isn't this a more powerful statement than a simple name change? We can aim higher.
My husband, Bill Wood, was a former member for Cook in north Queensland and a member of the first five Legislative Assemblies in the ACT.
Beverley Wood, Greenway
Australia at the crossroads
Being non-Indigenous, born in South Africa to an Ulsterman father and an English mother, we arrived in January 1954 at Albany.
After over 20 years of service in the ADF [including at Long Tan] I was accepted as a citizen in April 1974.
I have lived in or visited every state and territory of this nation.
At 83, and after 70 years of walking this land, I am saddened that so many Australians, so much younger than me, are so zealous and bigoted in their personal beliefs that they reject and bastardise this nation's advancements and history.
I dread and fear that socialism will destroy the future that so many have exhausted their efforts to achieve the place we call home.
Robert (Bob) Buick, Military Medal, Mountain Creek, Qld
Out-of-control dogs
Can dog owners please note where dogs are allowed and not allowed?
Yarralumla Beach is a dog-prohibited area. But on a recent Sunday there were several dogs there, including one who was chasing swans in the swimming area. There is a dog beach available close by at Oran bay.
Perhaps more visits by rangers to enforce the dog rules are needed.
Martin Kenseley, Rivett
Bracket creep in overdrive
Your editorial ("Stage three backflip does little for poor", January 25) states that had the $180,000 top tax bracket been indexed it would now be $250,000.
As I recall, the top bracket was set at 3.5 times some measure of average earnings, as a logical way of defining higher income earners.
By this logic the top bracket should now be over $300,000 (all out of my league).
Ian Douglas, Jerrabomberra, NSW
One step forward, two back
This financial year we lost the low income tax offset rebates, which equated to about $2500 for the average person.
Albo will now give us a stage three cut of up to $1500 in six months' time. Who is the bunny now?
Don't vote for this rabbit. His head is in the rabbit hole and will only come out when he thinks he has won the voters over.
Robyn Carol Leigh, Queanbeyan, NSW
No losers, only winners
Once we get past the confected outrage from the Coalition, we can see that in reality no one loses under the tax changes. Millions more people will now get a tax cut.
High income earners will still get the biggest tax cut, just smaller than what they were anticipating. No one has lost anything. Under this new scheme, which is essentially a tweaked version of the old stage three cuts, everyone is a winner.
To suggest that it is a broken promise is just hyperbole. The Coalition are reeling because they know it is a better plan than their proposal.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha, Vic
Lesser of two evils
Better a broken "promise" than a broken economy and broken lives.
Stop fiddling while Australia burns and scrap the scheduled stage three tax cuts [altogether] immediately. Surely the government can do better.
Kerry Foster, Allambie Heights, NSW
A course of action
Peter Lewis (Letters, January 22) urges us to respond positively to the invitation in the Statement from the Heart and to move ahead from the referendum defeat.
One proposal is immediately available. Support the recommendations of the Joint Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs to include the provisions of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in our legal and political processes.
Australia signed the declaration in 2009, but has failed to make its provisions of self-determination and participation effective domestically.
The committee proposes a national action plan for implementation, including education about our history. Details are on the Parliament House website.
We can ensure this is done by making our support known to MPs and senators.
David Purnell, Florey
PM is wasted space
"I have never been here to fill in space but to make a difference." This is a quote directly from our Prime Minister.
He also used to tell us that he was here (in Parliament) "to fight Tories".
He has since discovered that there are no Tories in Australia to fight and he has been wasting much of his political life in the Parliament. So, this old time Bolshie now breaks the L-A-W legislated tax cuts.
It seems to me that all his comments just suggest that he is auditioning for the principal role in the remake of Liar, Liar.
Coke Tomyn, Camberwell, Vic
Assumption is flawed
Contrary to Dr Douglas McKenzie's claim (Letters, January 23), no one is assuming all Gaza residents are terrorists who must be eradicated. That's why Israel evacuates them from combat zones.
Dr McKenzie also claims Netanyahu wants to continue the war as long as possible to keep himself out of prison, but Netanyahu's trial is continuing even as the war proceeds. Netanyahu and his government have at least lost a lot of support they had at the last election.
However, what has overwhelming support among Israelis is the understanding that the war must continue until Hamas can no longer attack them as they did on October 7 and as they have promised to keep doing.
Sharon Wilson, Uriarra Village, Canberra
Pocock is on track
Senator Pocock is doing what his electors expected him to do. He does so with a level of feeling, energy and enthusiasm not evident enough in many other federal politicians.
Our four federal ALP representatives can't speak freely and constructively on policy positions of growing interest and concern but instead need to wait for the delivery of government party-approved "set piece" speaking notes and press releases that can be "topped and tailed" for local consumption.
Sue Dyer, Downer
ScoMo a bad influence
Jenna Price ("Liberals fail gender agenda again", January 26) wrote of former prime minister Scott Morrison's "manoeuvring himself into a lobbying job" with American Global Strategies, led by Trump-era security adviser Robert O'Brien, who described Morrison as "one of the most consequential world leaders of the last decade".
Mr Morrison may have been "consequential", but as I see it, most of those consequences were negative or positively damaging.
Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Blame Zarathustra
Ian Coombes makes the point that "Middle Eastern religions (Jewish, Christian and Muslim) are all the one stream but broken away into various sects". (Letters, January26.
Not many people know that these sects all derive from Zoroastrianism. View Dr Richard Carrier on YouTube and read his books.
Kenneth Griffiths, O'Connor
Senator Ryan not first
I knew, liked and respected Susan Ryan, and am pleased a statue is being erected to honour her, to be placed in the gardens of Old Parliament House. But it is an error to say she was the first ACT senator.
That distinction goes to John Knight. When the first territory senators were elected in 1975 he easily topped the poll, and was the first declared elected. Susan was second.
Don Morris, Sandy Bay, Tas
TO THE POINT
CONFLICT OF INTEREST?
Would those who express an opinion on the revised stage three tax cuts please state their annual income so that we might give the appropriate weight to their opinions.
John May, Lyneham
A REALITY CHECK
Time for a reality check. Labor has made relatively small changes to the stage three tax cuts. They did not abolish them. No promise has been broken.
Ross Hudson, Mount Martha, Vic
LNP'S FAUX OUTRAGE
The LNP is outraged at Anthony Albanese not honouring an election promise. They have forgotten the days of Johnny Howard with his "non-core promises".
Ian Morton, Spence
THANKS FOR NOTHING
When the punters work out how little they will get from Albo's "rob Peter to pay Paul" exercise and that it will be 18 months before they reap the full benefit, the chorus of "thanks for nothing" will be deafening. Talk about smoke and mirrors.
N Ellis, Belconnen
VICTORY ON A PLATE
I wonder if Dutton is already working on his 2025 victory speech? Government just got handed to him on a silver platter, methinks.
P McCracken, Bungendore, NSW
A GOOD BALANCE
The stage three changes are fair and balanced. They would be even better if they could be brought forward to the current tax year.
B Blink, Scullin
ALBO CON GUSTO
Bravo to Albo for having the gusto to adjust the taxo to balance the budgo.
John Sandilands, Garran
ALBO LIED TO US
To paraphrase a certain French President: "Do you think the PM lied?" "Mon dieu, I do not think he lied, I know he lied".
Kym MacMillan, O'Malley
A MATTER OF OPINION
Kym Macmillan (Letters, January 20) thinks that Australia Day on January 26 "remains worthy of celebration". I doubt Aboriginal Australians would agree.
Felicity Chivas, Ainslie
EVERY DAY IS OUR DAY
With all the comments about a suitable day to celebrate this country of ours why not consider the grief and misery around the world? Every day that we can spend in this country should be celebrated as Australia Day.
Paul Harry, Crace
ANOTHER COP-OUT
Woolworths CEO's response to not supporting Australia Day and supporting other international festivities based on their "connection to food" is a cop-out and un-Australian. Has he never heard of "throw another snag on the barbie".
Nigel Delve, Belivah, Qld
CULTURAL CRINGE
Another year, another celebration of the day on which Australia's colonisers invaded. Talk about cultural cringe.
Richard Manderson, Narrabundah
IN THE BEAR PIT
Can't wait for question time when Parliament returns on February 6. There's blood in the water.
M Moore, Bonython
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