Our coach and players have been humiliated
Credit:Illustration: Cathy Wilcox
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ESSENDON FOOTBALL CLUB
Our coach and players have been humiliated
I have been an Essendon supporter all my life. I remember being held on my father’s shoulders so that I could see the great John Coleman. And I have always been proud of my club. Even through the drugs saga I believed we had made mistakes but that we were badly treated by the AFL and the outside world in general.
That pride was knocked out this week. The treatment of coach Ben Rutten and the team was appalling. It lacked any respect. I use the word “team” advisedly. We are a sporting club with young men and women working together to play as well as they can for their supporters. The team around them – coaches and administrators – are there to help them achieve that. That is their job. It is clear that the dealings of the board and others employed by them have achieved the opposite. It has humiliated the coach and players.
We need a committed team who are prepared to work together. Factions and divisions on the board create the chaos we have witnessed this week. But more than that it has created the turmoil that has so regularly emerged in the club over the last 20 years. Decisions are made haphazardly and as knee-jerk reactions. I refer to the exits of Matthew Knights, James Hird, Mark Thompson, John Worsfold and now, inevitably, Ben Rutten.
Finally, I suggest that when a board has a clear plan and agreed pathways to achieving that, the noise from coterie groups and disaffected supporters becomes quieter. I am writing this to plead with you to look to your own game.
Noeleen Curry, Northcote
At last, Rutten is “free of the pain and posturing”
The newly anointed president of the Essendon Football Club, David Barham, led the sacking of coach Ben Rutten in a shambolic, demeaning and brutal hatchet job. One could argue the only failing of Rutten was to not realise earlier that he had inherited a list of footballers incapable of sustained success.
One suspects Rutten is smiling now, knowing that he is free of the pain and posturing, not to mention the extra pocket money in 2023. Go well, you good thing, Ben Rutten.
Clinton Murray, Kew
Egos, divisions and ruthless treatment of our coach
The board of Essendon, with the exception of three or four members, has conducted itself disgracefully in the past weeks. Members like myself and supporters generally are mystified and hurting at seeing our club in this shameful situation. Divisions within, inflated egos and the ruthless treatment of a young coach who displayed such dignity and integrity in the most difficult circumstances. An external review cannot come soon enough.
A code of ethics, a review of workplace standards and practices, and an improvement in communication skills through to all departments are needed and much more. A new, experienced coach will not be swayed by the enticement of loads of money or the big events unless the club gets its act together and provides a cohesive and supportive work environment.
In his farewell words, Michael Hurley, a loyal and respected player, made truthful and compelling comments. David Barham, I suggest you listen. And sincere best wishes to Ben Rutten and family. Thanks for your time at Essendon.
Angela Woolard, Mordialloc
Look to the board to find the source of the problems
David Barham has been Essendon president only for about 10 days but already he has made a goose of himself. The key problem at Essendon is not the coach, not the players, not the staff. For 20years it has been the board. Corporate heavies who have no understanding of relationship building and unity of purpose.
Alan Cooper, Ashburton
Why not appoint the Minister for Everything?
Maybe Scott Morrison could take on the roles of president, CEO, coach and captain of the Essendon Football Club. A unique opportunity to utilise his elite skills at this troubled club.
David Kerr, Geelong
THE FORUM
The people come first
How easily John Howard trashes his reputation. He thinks Scott Morrison does not need to resign. Fair enough. But his reason is that it is not in the interests of the Liberal Party to have a byelection. Could he take a moment to put Australians and our democracy ahead of what suits his party?
As for former deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce, getting a deal for another ministry for the Nationals (The Age, 22/8) trumps the public interest apparently. Australia deserves better.
Graeme Booth, Hawthorn
End favours for mates
The Grattan Institute’s report on pork-barrelling (The Age, 22/8) could release us from the appalling vote-buying/retaining and “favours for mates” system that we currently have to endure.
Public service departments could be staffed by experts in their fields and allocate spending on a properly assessed, needs-based criteria. They could also oversee safeguards to eliminate rorting, waste and inefficiency.
The politicians’ job would just be to allocate a dollar figure for each department, with no say in which project or area in which it is spent. A Utopian dream, perhaps?
Dave Barter, Hawthorn
Allocate grants on need
Revelations about ministerial influence regarding the distribution of millions of dollars of taxpayer funds is concerning. The blatant pork-barrelling is bad enough but then we have Barnaby Joyce concerned about a loss of power and influence if he queried Scott Morrison’s decisions regarding grant allocations.
Returning the distribution of funds to public service officials, and with clear and transparent procedures, may ensure that grants are allocated on need, rather than electoral, whim.
Denise Stevens, Healesville
The nightmare scenario
It is difficult to understand why there is so much consternation about Scott Morrison’s grab for power. The outcome could have been much worse. He could have appointed himself Defence Minister and, under cover of the pandemic, declared martial law, annulled parliament and elected himself president for life. But not to worry. Scott Morrison keeps reminding us that he is a devout Christian and the changes would be for the greater good.
John Maltzahn, Stratford
Surely ALP is impure too
Pork-barrelling is never OK but are critics of the Coalition really suggesting that Labor has not, or will not, try to buy votes before an election? Seriously?
Helen Leach, Bendigo
We must protect our city
Recently my weather app advised rain and flooding in the Upper Yarra River. On Friday I had occasion to walk over Princes Bridge and noticed extensive work taking place along the south bank. It appeared to be reducing the width of the river at the centre of our city, arts and entertainment precinct.
I was reminded of the chaos of the Brisbane floods. Might we look forward to a future disaster on this front? Remember when the Arts Centre was built, the spire had to be redesigned because no sufficiently firm foundation could be found.
Inez Davey, St Kilda East
Need to reduce our waste
Thank you, Maida Pineda, for alerting us to not only the 7.6million tonnes of food which goes to waste in Australia each year, but the other precious resources required for food production that are also wasted.
We individuals can respond by only purchasing food which we are going to eat. Imagine the $2000 to $2500 per annum savings to households and how this would reduce the cost of living.
Composting also reduces the environmental impact of food waste. One way for those without access to backyard compost is to work with community gardens. Also, many local governments provide composting green bins. All levels of government need to educate the public about the environmental and economic benefits of reducing waste.
Isabelle Henry, Ascot Vale
Analysis welcome
The Commonwealth Bank’s first climate report shows that more than $31 billion of its home loans are in areas exposed to increasing extreme weather events (The Age, 22/8). With these events set to occur in previously unaffected areas, and unsuspecting home-owners inadequately insured, the report helps to quantify the cost of unmitigated climate change.
The bank is partnering with the CSIRO to produce emissions transition scenarios for the residential sector. We need this kind of clear-eyed analysis and planning to navigate to a safer climate.
Karen Lamb, North Geelong
Read my lips, Mr Joyce
Re “Qantas says sorry with $50 discounts” (The Age, 22/8). Chief executive Alan Joyce, I do not want a paltry $50 as compensation for all the inconvenience and cost incurred over the past few years.
You simply do not get it. I want planes to run on time, bags to arrive without delay, minimal cancellations, and above all, Qantas’ phones to be answered when I need to talk to someone.
As a domestic and international Frequent Flyer, I feel insulted by your mea culpa. How about treating your customers with respect and your staff with dignity?
Rob Rowe, Melbourne
An issue of employment …
Re “Enrolments for teaching on the slide” (The Age, 20/8). Money is not the reason people do not want to go into teaching. Ongoing employment is the key.
We have wonderful teachers right now but a lot of them do not know how long their job will last. Schools are employing teachers at the start of the year and then sacking them at the end of the term or end of the year so they do not have to pay for holidays.
Contracts do not give security for people to be able to plan their lives, buy a house, start a family etc. Industry is often a much better option and until governments wake up to that, we will have fewer new teachers.
Susan Rodwell, Drouin
… or is it about money?
There is no mystery about the shortage of teachers. It is about income. Their incomes are way below comparable professions (legal and medical). Even a 50per cent increase in salaries would still have them well below other professions. This needs to be addressed. Are teachers less important than doctors and lawyers? I do not think so. (And I am a medico.)
John Brennan, Clifton Hill
Prioritise education
Bringing in masses of overseas workers is not the answer to the shortfall of skilled workers (The Age, 22/8). Our country is taking the lazy approach where it relies on other countries to train skilled workers instead of doing it ourself.
The poor pay of teachers in schools, the corporatisation of universities and progressive cuts to their funding, including the competitive grant schemes that fund research and the training of PhD students, are all contributing to the lack of skilled workers. Solving the problem is a matter of prioritising education and would pay off in the long run.
Leigh Ackland, Deepdene
Moving with the times
Removing statues (Comment, 20/8) is quite common. After Saddam Hussein fell in Iraq, there was news coverage of the destruction of one of his statues. Germany has no statues or emblems of its Nazi past. The removal of symbols and statues does not destroy history. Germans are acutely aware of what happened from 1939 to 1945.
Statues commemorate disproportionately figures who exist in a political context. Australia, when it was formed, was part of a large, colonial empire. The sort of people we may want to commemorate now are no longer the sort we may have celebrated in 1901. Pulling down statues is not cancelling. It is moving with the times.
Tom Munro, Brunswick
We’re behind the eight ball
I spent time in Sydney recently. If they choose, commuters can swipe their credit or debit cards on public transport, unlike our old-fashioned system that requires you to purchase a myki, even if you are only a visitor for a day, and then swipe that. When will we catch up and allow the use of credit and debit cards on public transport?
Leoni Mather, Melbourne
Dudding us poor Aussies
Tim Buckley (Comment, 22/8) reminds us of the repeated failure of our governments over decades to ensure that the owners of our resources, Australian citizens, are adequately rewarded for their use. Massive profits are being made by the overseas owners of multinational companies with inadequate returns to Australians.
The argument against changing the existing arrangements is that it would create the perception of sovereign risk for those who are considering future investments in Australia. An alternative perspective is that allowing Australians to be dudded in this way creates a view that our governments are incompetent.
Guy Toner, Brighton
Tax the production
The way miners are taxed is very opaque as it relies on company tax which can be manipulated to reduce profits and therefore the amount of tax paid. A better way would be to tax the production. A tax could be set at a percentage of the world price, rising and falling with value. This would be applied to each tonne of exports, which is accurately known.
David Robertson, Wheatsheaf
Putting Australians first
At the Jobs Summit, our economy should be identified as Australian resources, wages and salaries spent in Australia and profits distributed to shareholders resident in Australia. We have a very open economy, and a very high proportion of economic activity is managed on behalf of overseas shareholders. Let’s focus on jobs benefiting Australians
Gerry O’Reilly, Camberwell
Footy’s ultimate win
One point or 100, a win is a win. But a one-point win against Carlton is the win of all wins for an old Pies’ survivor of the 1970 grand final.
Denis Young, Sandringham
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding
AFL
Essendon’s looking for a new coach. As a lifelong supporter, I’m looking for a new team. All offers considered. What a debacle.
Steve Dixon, North Melbourne
Essendon’s “brains trust” should see if Ted Lasso is available.
Mick Hussey, Beaconsfield
I’m very disappointed by the treatment of Rutten. At the least, he deserved to coach for the third season of his contract.
Rob Mathew, Yarraville
What’s better than beating Carlton by five points? Beating them by one point. Schadenfreude? You bet.
Alan Fancourt, Werribee
Having grown up in the western suburbs as a Bulldogs supporter, I feel really sorry for Carlton. No, I don’t.
Ken Foxcroft, Curlewis
Politics
Morrison, Howard and Joyce illustrate how expediency trumps integrity for political leaders.
Ian Grandy, Nunawading
Can someone set up a chronology of who knew what as “PrimeMinisterGate” unfolds?
Melanie Carter, Largs Bay, SA
Fay Bailey (22/8), you could also ask: what else has Morrison not done that we don’t know about?
Julian Robertson, Mount Eliza
Should the Morrison voters in the electorate of Cook sue him for false representation?
Basil Lennon, North Melbourne
I’m tired of seeing Andrews play dress-up in hard hat and high-vis. I’d like to see what he looks like as a nurse or paramedic.
Anne Ramsay, Essendon
Guy wants to use the quarantine facility for hospital patients. Where will the doctors and nurses come from?
Jane Spier, Seaford
Furthermore
Alan Joyce, the man who drove a beloved, national airline not just into the ground but six feet under.
Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights
I thought the Anglican Church was inclusive, not exclusive.
Olivia Cuming, Hawthorn
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