Since 1999, there have been 43 deaths recorded of soldiers killed in action in the Middle East. 

A further 12 were killed in peace keeping and peace making roles in other areas. 

This is a sad fact and does not reflect the countless hundreds returning home with deep physical and psychological wounds.

Are you aware that more than 239 of these returning soldiers have taken their own lives in that same period of time? 

This is a national disgrace.

Are you aware that a lot of these deaths are directly attributable to the long wait-time and bureaucratic red tape surrounding claims being submitted by those so scarred?

While I do not personally have an axe to grind with the Department of Veterans Affairs, are you aware of an online petition being commenced calling for a royal commission into the department?

There have been numerous organisations, such as Soldier On, Mates for Mates and Walking with Wounded springing up in recent years to aid and assist these soldiers. 

Doesn’t that tell you something? 

The one we personally support, Solider On, has new cases every day of the week and does all of its work with donations from the general public.

Are you aware that the disability and support pension for those ex-servicemen and women who have made a successful claim has been eroded under successive governments to the point that it is just above the poverty line?

This is compensation for wounds, both physical and psychological incurred while in the service of our country and compensation for the inability to seek gainful employment and make contributions to superannuation for retirement.

So, sure it’s nice to read a puff piece on how good Mr Broad feels about the great job our servicemen and women are doing, the real driver of his energies should be for those who have been in harms way on our behalf, and what the and government can do for them on Australian soil.

JOHN FRANCIS

Horsham

IT has recently been put to me by a senior public figure here in Victoria that a public employee slipping off from work five minutes before closing time does not matter.

I suggest that the theft of five minutes wages should not be viewed as being an isolated incident but more likely a systemic fraud against the public purse.

If one employee steals five minutes per day for each of a 200-working day year, that is 1000 minutes, 16.67 hours or more than two days per year.

If for example a parliament or council of say 300 employees each perpetrating the same wages theft does it then the loss is more than 600 days per year. 

In a 200-day year, this is the same as three employee’s wages stolen or one per cent of employee cost. 

And that is probably being generous with the five-minute per day theft.

Past experience shows that wages theft often occurs because of poor role modelling from up the management line. 

In other words, lower grade employees see their supervisors or managers stealing wage pay and so think that what is good for the goose is good for the gander - let’s emulate our superiors.

In the meantime, hospitals cannot afford nurses and facilities, schools no longer properly educate children, local councils no longer provide the service once expected of them and regulatory authorities fail to adequately protect the citizens as they have been made impotent by legislation protecting corporations not the citizens.

I would also love to know what privacy has to do with a $3 million turnover.

RICHARD NEWBY

Horsham

WITH its threat to call a double dissolution election over supposed trade union power, the Turnbull government is mimicking the actions of Adolph Hitler and the Nazis pre-World War Two.

Hitler knew he had to control the workers and the obstacle in his way was the trade unions that were powerful in Germany in the 1930s.

As with the latest royal commission into trade union corruption, and the subsequent censoring of the findings, the conservative side of politics has again shown its total disregard for the rights of Australian workers in punishing all for the acts of a few.

The word union means ‘the act of joining two or more things into one’.

This union gives strength to those joined.

The best way to control it is to of course separate it.

That is what conservative governments since Bob Hawke, with his anti-worker accord, through to Turnbull have been trying to do for the captains of industry.

The corrupt few in the union movement are not the union, just as the corrupt few in parliament are not representative of the whole of the parliament.

I have stated on these pages before that the system is corrupt against the best interests of the populace and until the populace opens its eyes and see the corruption for what it is, control of the living standards of all, then I fear we are destined to be slaves to our own apathy.

WILLIAM MCILWAIN

Minyip