Talent goes to waste
Having read the plight of Anthony Ang and Linda Yan [On the wishlist: A job, Star Weekly, November 19], it amazes me how those in power who seek to grow Australia can let such talented people sit on the sidelines and with no input. Ridiculous!
Unfortunately, these people aren’t Robinson Crusoe. Government needs to utilise the talent that currently sits on the sidelines because there is a lot of it.
Shane, Williamstown
I hope they both find work soon. Surely someone out there can help with an offer of work.
Lynda Ramage, via Facebook
Bridge versus track menace
[Re: Napier Street bridge a ‘time bomb’, Star Weekly, November 19]. Not again. I was nearly killed last week when a truck’s container fell on to the footpath in front of me.
Does someone need to die before something is done? How about banning all trucks?
OB, via web
Men have a key role to play
Yesterday people across the country marked White Ribbon Day, Australia’s leading male-led campaign to end violence against women.
VicHealth’s National Community Attitudes Survey on Violence against Women, released recently, revealed some worrying statistics about men’s attitudes to violence.
One in five Australian men does not think it is serious when a person repeatedly criticises their partner to make them feel bad or useless.
One third of men do not consider someone trying to control their partner by denying them money as a form of domestic violence.
And nearly one in 10 men do not classify as serious a person throwing or smashing an object near a partner to frighten or threaten them.
It is important to recognise that violence against women takes many forms. It is more than slapping, punching and sexual violence – it can be a flippant remark among friends, emotional abuse or controlling a partner’s finances. It affects wives, sisters, mothers, daughters and friends. All women, regardless of their roles, have the right to be safe and treated with respect.
Men have a key role to play in changing attitudes that enable violence against women to continue.
We have seen many high-profile men stand up and take a leading role in this regard.
White Ribbon Day is an opportunity for men to join those who have already taken a stand to challenge everyday sexism, stereotypes and disrespect towards women.
Jerril Rechter, chief executive, VicHealth
