On Pauline Hanson

Robert Smith writes: “Whether she broke the law or not, Hanson’s done for” (Thursday)

Trump supporters don’t seem to care about his faults — his difficulty with the truth, inconsistent statements, attitude to women and his fake university to name just a few examples. Why should dishonesty matter to Hanson supporters?

On the CEDA ‘talkfest’

Susan Kidd writes: Re. “Talkfest overpowered by stench from the rotting corpse of neoliberalism” (Thursday)

From a punter in Bendigo: I definitely wasn’t invited, pretty sure no young job seekers were there to tell them what it is like to be young, unemployed and trying to survive in the rust belt. My experienced view is of the dismantling of the welfare state, sending young job seekers off to private employment agencies who shuffle them around private training colleges, subsidised private job placements (subsidies to the companies who employ them at non award wages, not the young person) and back to Centrelink when the subsidy ends and the job seeker is let go. Drug testing job seekers, then sending them to privately owned health services. Privatising traineeships, apprenticeships and job placements. Who is looking at the results of the corporate takeover of welfare services? Who is reporting on the efficacy here?

Not sure there is any evidence that privatising the welfare sector is a sensible approach, it sounds costly, and not sure that the job seeker, or the rust belt benefits — most privatised welfare services are big corporate concerns. So it might be a rotting corpse, but neoliberalism still alive in the world of young job seekers, people reliant on a functional welfare system and the general tax paying public. Not evidence based, not effective, not humane and definitely an inferior service.