Co-operative housing
I agree with nearly everything written by Douglas Jordan in the article Public housing is an issue for the whole community. Housing needs to be affordable, secure and accessible. Public housing is good and should be extended.
The part I do not entirely agree with is "in essence social housing is the privatisation of public housing".
There are two types of social housing. One is as described by Douglas, the other is co-operatives.
Co-operative housing is the mutualisation of housing, not the privatisation. Mutualisation hands the control to those who live in the housing. It is the equivalent of the workers co-operatives in Venezuela and Brazil.
It is profoundly different to privatisation. It is vital as socialists that we understand the difference between mutualisation and privatisation.
Linda Seaborn
Hobart
LNP misleading voters on carbon price
It appears that in an effort to grab power the Liberal National Party (LNP) will deliberately attempt to confuse you, the voter.
The LNP’s recent efforts to discredit the Queensland Greens by blaming them for the introduction of a carbon tax is like the Queensland Division of the LNP being held responsible for former Prime Minister John Howard’s Work Choices legislation.
This kind of blame game is misleading because it fails to distinguish between federal and state government responsibility. The LNP is taking you, the voter, for a fool. The carbon tax was introduced into the House of Representatives with the support of the independents.
Bob Katter reserved his vote but did not oppose the tax. The Queensland Greens had no control over this decision. The Queensland Greens believe that most voters are intelligent people, interested in the future of Queensland being delivered by the state government.
Unfortunately the LNP are either misleading the community or they cannot distinguish between state and federal issues. Either way, it would be a real worry if they were in power as they have failed to demonstrate the maturity to govern Queensland.
Ursula Monsiegneur,
Qld Greens Candidate for Ipswich West
