Porters secretive behaviour should disqualify him from Parliament

September 21, 2021 â€" 12.10am

Illustration: Cathy WilcoxCredit:Sydney Morning Herald

I don’t understand why Christian Porter can resign his ministry, but it’s still appropriate for him to retain his seat in Parliament (“Porter out of cabinet over trust scandal”, September 20). Porter has said that a third party has advised none of the donors were lobbyists or foreign entities banned from making political donations. However, the public has the right to know who has bankrolled one of its parliamentary representatives. Such a representative can never be seen to be impartial while this veil of secrecy remains. Surely, the honourable thing to do would be to resign from Parliament. - Alan Popely, Annandale

Already the influence of the anonymous donors to Porter is on display. He feels so protective of their anonymity that he has stood down from the ministry. He has put their interest in confidentiality ahead of the public interest in knowing why they gave an MP up to $1 million, and when they decided to do this. - Judith Fleming, Sawtell

The Prime Minister said Porter “erred on the side of upholding the highest standards”. Seems hard to see the error here unless of course you don’t have any respect for the highest standards. So, the PM is saying any politician has the right to ignore parliamentary standards if they can get away with it. What a sorry state for our democracy. - John Golden, Newport

Have I got this right? Porter is given up to $1 million anonymously and consequently resigns his ministry but keeps the money and the identity of those who gave it to him remains a secret? What’s the opposite of integrity? - John Bailey, Canterbury

In Scott Morrison’s opinion, Porter’s decision to resign from the ministry “errs on the side of upholding the highest standards”. When the PM considers upholding the highest standards to be an error, we know our country’s in the wrong hands. That’s probably what the French are thinking, too. - Frances Dixon, Garran (ACT)

Porter has resigned from cabinet rather than reveal the benefactors who have contributed money to pay his legal fees and are possibly expecting something in return for their largesse. Yet, he has been allowed to remain in parliament, where he can continue to influence government policy and vote on legislation. The problems of lack of transparency and accountability remain unchanged. Morrison is just as culpable as Porter of trashing parliamentary standards if he sees no problem with this. - Lynne Wallis, Talofa

Illustration by John Shakespeare.Credit:Sydney Morning Herald

Would Porter still have the protection of the PM if the government’s majority wasn’t so slim?- Graeme Finn, Summer Hill

Porter claims the anonymous donation came from a blind trust. This is not true. If it was then the money would be his own, held in “blind trust”. Compounding the seriousness of these secret funds is Porter’s further assertion that these funds are not from lobbyists. This increases the potential that they were donated from improper sources but does not discount they could have come from a church or from philanthropy. Big money is involved and the public needs to know if Porter exchanged political favours in return for this secret donation. - Patricia Warren, Brunswick Heads

I’m confused, how can Porter know that none of the anonymous donors were lobbyists or foreign entities? - Patricia O’Brien, Rozelle

Oh come on, Christian. What’s so bad about a stint on the backbench? It worked for Barnaby Joyce and Bridget McKenzie. - Rob Phillips, North Epping

Until such time as Porter’s anonymous donors are identified it is open to presume he is at risk of being compromised, if indeed he hasn’t been already. - Tony Doyle, Fairy Meadow

How unfortunate that Porter was not working for the ABC. His legal bill would have been paid and no one would have batted an eyelid. - Pastor de Lasala, Seaforth

Is anyone else concerned about the efficiency of the PM’s office? Two reviews (rape allegations, Porter’s blind trust) and no outcomes. - Jan Lyon, Dungog

Why higher standards for ministers? Surely, the highest of standards should be required of all the politicians we elect. Or does the careful choice of words allow Porter to remain in Parliament?- Sue Martin, Avalon Beach

Serious defence case for costly subs yet to surface

One fundamental question is yet to be raised in the tsunami of analysis surrounding the government’s decision on new submarines: do we really need them (“Subs set to sail past $100 billion as defence call on budget grows”, September 20)? There’s been plenty of rhetoric from our politicians about security and sovereignty but no specific evidence of any military threat to which eight submarines (delivered 20 years from now) might be a credible response. Surely, the nation could find more worthwhile and immediate uses for all those billions of dollars. New Zealand dispensed with its fighter jets 20 years ago and seems to be surviving quite well. - David Salter, Hunters Hill

So, the Prime Minister and government have formed the view that the French submarines would not provide the firepower necessary to protect our national security (“French should have known on subs: PM”, September 20). This opinion could not have been formed before we spent billions of dollars on apparently less-than-appropriate vessels? We are drowning in ineptitude and sacrificing our global relations, while ever indulging in sycophancy to our big brother, who can’t even remember our name. - Al Clark, Belrose

It seems that Scott Morrison did not read Diplomacy for Dummies before he failed to properly consult the French on his decision to dump the submarine contract. If this is the best our AUKUS leaders can do, then I fear that any diplomatic efforts to defuse the South China Sea feud will be torpedoed before they are even launched. - Peter Allen, Castle Cove

France is disappointed by what its leaders see as shabby treatment by friends and allies, Australia foremost among them. Many Australians share this view of the matter. France is a friend and an ally. It has strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific that are consonant with ours and with our other allies. France also has significant economic and military resources. Australia needs all the friends it can get and cannot afford to lose them. If Emmanuel Macron and his team are still willing to talk, let them into AUKUS. - Arthur Conigrave, Woolwich

Some people may see AUKUS as a path to a golden future (“Treaty may turbocharge tech smarts”, September 20). Others may see it as a great power afraid of losing its pre-eminent position, a long-faded minor power and a little country at the bottom of the world trying to cling to the remnants of an earlier era. - Norm Neill, Darlinghurst

No doubt Scott Morrison is aware of the Biblical warning that a man reaps what he sows. Well, he has just sown a whole lot of trouble with the French government. He will reap the outcomes in the coming climate negotiations at COP26 and in future trade negotiation with the EU. Australia’s pleas for special treatment on carbon emissions will be met with derision by President Macron just as he is seeking to exert his dominance in the EU. Macron will fight all the harder to reject Australia’s mendacity on climate policy and to impose an EU carbon tariff on our exports. No support will come from the US and Britain, both of whom view us as laggards on climate change. Just another own goal from Scotty. - Neil Ormerod, Kingsgrove

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is reported as applying the terms “duplicity, disdain and lies” to Australia’s decision to walk away from the French-supplied submarine project. Here are some other terms that apply to French activities in our region â€" “atomic bomb testing, Mururoa Atoll and Rainbow Warrior”. Touche! - Bill Bolton, St Ives Chase

Deliberate deception and humiliation of a trading partner will have its consequences internationally. We are in danger of becoming the “ugly Australians” whose word can’t be trusted. - Anne Garvan, Chatswood West

In binding us eternally to US military interests, it appears that Morrison is preparing to let slip the lapdogs of war. - Graeme Gee, Telopea

Blue collar, red alert for Labor

Emma Dawson sums up much of what is wrong with left-wing politics at the moment, and why Labor is not attracting traditional blue-collar workers (“Left’s progressive identity crisis”, September 20). She rightly identifies the concept of class as the major issue for so many working people who feel powerless and underprivileged today. Whether it is the rising level of economic inequality, heightened by the pandemic, or the resentment at the division of Sydney across the “latte line”, this is the burning issue the Labor Party must address. Gender and racial issues are of much less importance when you are struggling to pay the rent and put food on the table. This, after all, is why the party was founded over 100 years ago, when it was recognised that unions and protest movements were not enough, and that political action was needed. - Vivienne Parsons, Thornleigh

Housing costs hurt all

Your editorial (“House price boom good for economy exiting lockdown”, September 20) contends that “the problem of rising house prices is not the absolute level of house prices but the fairness for young people looking to buy a house for the first time”. Simultaneously, your economics writer reports that spiralling prices leave an estimated 40 per cent of households struggling to make ends meet and forced to use credit to survive (“Stress soars as RBA says tax system to blame for high prices”, September 20). These people who have borrowed to purchase a home will take some convincing that their problems are not at least as serious as first home buyers. - Harry Polley, Dural

Your leader says that “the housing market’s current strength should help in the months ahead as NSW emerges from the lockdown-induced downturn”, but it fails to explain how this will work. As far as I can see, the more money that remains tied up in housing, the less there will be to go around in the rest of the economy. - John Croker, Woonona

There is ample evidence that the negative gearing tax system contributes to high house prices. Recognising that this policy effectively subsidises negatively geared property investors through the tax system, countries including the US, Britain, and Japan have set out to quarantine losses on investment properties. It means losses generated from negative gearing cannot be used to offset against other sources of income, for example, salaries or business income. Instead, losses can be carried forward to future years to offset against income from the investment properties. This is a more equitable approach. - Steve Ngeow, Chatswood

Cargo cult economy

Recently watching the arrival of Moderna vaccines into Australia on an Emirates flight (not even Qantas), I was reminded of what Herve Villechaize (Tattoo) bellowed after ringing the bell in Fantasy Island’s opening scene: “The plane, the plane.” Is this where we have got to, a cargo cult economy that cannot make anything complex, relying on the planes to land? With a world-class university system and world-leading medical technology corporations, we surely can do better than this. Blindly following Coalition ideology is leading us to a situation where the only things made in Australia are coffees and beds. Oh sorry, we also dig things up. Are people truly unaware that some of the Aussie iron ore we happily ship to China ends up as steel within a Chinese naval vessel? Thank God for those US nuclear submarines. - Ian Caddy, Cheltenham

Inequity inevitable

To reference Karl Marx and John Laws in the same letter is impressive. Even more so the startling news, delivered from the leafy streets of South Turramurra (Letters, September 20), that society will always be unequal. No point attempting to redress the balance then, I suppose? Lawsey must be proud. Marx less so. - Tom McGinness, Randwick

Cotton: so absorbent

The cotton industry in the northern basin of the Murray-Darling system tries to justify its huge water entitlements by saying it is becoming more water efficient, but that would be meaningful only if it was returning any savings to the system (“NSW sought to beat Basin Plan water limits”, September 20). It is simply trying to pull the cotton wool over our eyes. - Sandra Pertot, Diamond Beach

A park. For cars

It looks like the green space of Moore Park outside our expensive new stadium will again be decimated and perhaps a few more mature fig trees will disappear under cover of darkness (“More park, no on-grass parking for SFS village precinct”, September 20). Why build a two-storey 300 space carpark above ground on the green parkland, when the government could build the entire 1500 space carpark underground? Don’t think about cost. Gladys can afford the better option. After all, she rebuilt a perfectly good stadium behind the car park. - Evelyn Palmer, Vaucluse

The COVID-19 crisis has shown that Centennial Parklands has insufficient green space to not meet the needs of Sydney’s current inner-city population, let alone plans for future growth. Rob Stokes’ latest scheme to intensify use for more retail, multistorey car parking and sporting facilities for Sydney Football Stadium ignores the fact that people just want quiet and relaxing green space. While other cities around the world such as Seoul and Barcelona are pulling down freeways and buildings to create more green space for their residents, our decision-makers are hardscaping and putting development, noise and events into our precious green parklands to benefit commercial interests. - Maria Bradley, Coogee

Yeah, nah, Minister

Morrisonspeak: What I would call it is the minister being the beneficiary of an arrangement that prevents him from being able to disclose to me in a way that would allow him to satisfy that he does not have a conflict of interest or a perceived conflict of interest.

Translation: Porter slips himself off the hook and stays in Parliament.

Morrisonspeak: It is a blind trust.

Translation: It is blind trust that trusts a blind trust that a blind man on a galloping horse can see can’t be trusted, and I trust everyone remains blind to that. - Suzanne Saunders, Ocean Shores

Keeping bateaux at bay

The Prime Minister can now add a French submarine to his maritime-themed “I stopped these” desk ornament collection. - Stephen Driscoll, Castle Hill

Alliance subtext

Switch the AUKUS letters around, and what do we have? USUKA. - Terry Quinn, Coorparoo (QLD)

Why am I suddenly hearing so much negativity about Orcas (Letters, September 20)? I thought we were all into preserving these submersible creatures. - Alicia Dawson, Balmain

I suspect France is creating this FRAUKUS in the hope we might invite them to join the alliance. - Ewen White, Abbotsford

The digital view

Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au

“Mortgage stress soars as tax system pushes up prices”

From Can’t afford to shop: “A decent government would make sure that either wages rose in line with house prices, or the tax system supported home ownership rather than investment in homes.”

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