We shouldn’t be surprised by provoking vitriol from their supporters (Keith Duncan’s letter, 31 January) when we challenge a politician to live up to their claims.
Kate Smorty and I wrote letters to the The Echo expressing shock and disbelief at the full page advertisement by Justine Elliot and the Labor Party (17 January) announcing she was ‘our voice in Canberra’ and had been primarily responsible for saving Feros Village for the community.
To my knowledge and many others, she had been both absent and silent in the widespread community protest to save Feros, and had commented to Kate that she couldn’t do anything to help. Vigorously active in the campaign to save Feros from the beginning were some residents and their families, members of the community, some councillors, and the Greens represented by Mandy Nolan and Tamara Smith. Yet, when the decision is announced this year that Feros Village has a future, Justine claims the credit.
The Member for Richmond’s opportunistic behaviour highlights the growing bankruptcy of our political system, long dominated by the Labor Party and the coalition. That’s why the support for the major parties has steadily declined over the past 50 years and voters are increasingly drawn to independents and The Greens.
Labor’s national primary vote was just over 32 per cent in the last elections and Mandy Nolan almost defeated Justine Elliot. This explains the hostility Labor directs at the Greens, a party and movement which has forced it to address and live up to its nominal commitment to social justice, affordable housing, serious tax reform, protection of whistleblowers, serious action to curtail climate change, promotion of national sovereignty and so on.
As a final comment, I’d like to highlight the quote from Michael West, printed in Backlash in The Echo, which captures the substance and credibility of this government, ‘The feds can find billions for AUKUS, but not for aerial firefighting despite recommendations of the Bushfire Royal Commission’.
This government appears to be afraid to lead, rather following the dictates of corporate lobbyists and great and powerful friends overseas. Unfortunately governments are becoming increasingly remote from the communities they are serving. I’m old enough to know the ALP has not always been like this as I’ve supported it in the past. I do not know Kate Smorty, and am not a member of the Greens party.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
