A letter to the Prime Minister

I encourage all Australians to write to our Prime Minister.

The Government, in their wisdom, as set up a "Contact your Prime Minister" website for all questions.

For those who have questions, please, I impore you, go to http://www.pm.gov.au and ask him what you want to know.

Here is my submission - though I will not be holding my breath for an answer.

Also be aware that this was sent in with my actual name, address and phone number on the form. I write under a pseudonym and do not publish my contact details here, however, I'm not ashamed or afraid to put my real name to these matters. I never have been and never will be.

From Pandora Behr
Richmond, Victoria, 3121

To: Mr A Abbott
Canberra, ACT, 2600



Dear Sir,

A couple of things.

Firstly, I am ashamed to be an Australian at the moment. I have been since the 7th of September when you and your cronies took office. There are plenty of things that you could do help stop me feeling like I live in a backward, bigoted, selfish, uncaring, money-driven, science-denying, illiterate breeding, white Australia of the 1950's - but somehow, I don't think you will.

But here are some questions that you can get back to me on - and I would thank you to do so:

1. Why is there no Minister for Science? Why is sport seen to be more important than science in your cabinet?

2. When are you going to appoint a Minister for Women who actually gives a toss about women think and believe?  We do have thoughts and beliefs of our own, you know? The current situation is not acceptable - especially as Michaelia Cash is the helper for the Minister for Woman - as it says on her door. Which woman? Gina Rinehart? Julie Bishop? Mrs Mirrabella? Please let us know which woman you're talking about.

3. When are your representatives going to get in an editor so that the grammar and spelling used by your party doesn't make a disgrace of you? You have some "cereal offenders" out there - you're a Rhodes Scholar - spelling and grammar errors make you and your party look like cretins.

4. When you going to stop calling asylum seekers "illegal". International Law states clearly that it is not illegal to seek asylum.

5. While we're on the last point, when are you going to look at some sensible options in regards to asylum seekers - including publishing numbers of home many boat arrivals are coming via Christmas Island. The guy on Twitter is doing and admirable job, but surely Mr Morrison should be open and honest about these numbers. The buy back the boats policy was a crock - I'm sure Pickles Auctions are not set up to sell leaky Indonesian fishing boats.

6. When are you and your team going to pay back all of the rorted travel expenses that are now coming out in the mainstream press? Why has it taken this long for these indiscretions to come out?

7.  When is the Freedom of Information request from Margo Kingston in regards to who dobbed Mr Slipper in the Australian Federal Police going to be answered? this is a legitimate call. We'd really like to know who started the witch hunt, thank you.

8. When are you and your team going to firm up foreign ownership of the Australia Media so that they can no long have a monopoly. The current situation is not only ridiculous but frankly untenable.

9.  As you claim you are the "Infrastructure PM" when are the following going to be classed as infrastructure? The NBN? Suburban Train Lines? House Prices? Set ups for the ageing population?

10. When are you going to stop seeing the weather as an "Act of God" (okay, it may be) and look at the scientific evidence? The Climate Change evidence is agreed on by 97% of thousands of really smart people, who have been through the universities that you claim are not going to study things you don't want them to. When are you going to start DEMANDING that our companies start reducing carbon emissions and taking extreme care of our environment? The science is there. It's time to do more.

11. Are you going to stop Campbell Newman and Ms Rinehart in their desire to bugger up the Great Barrier Reef? It's in enough trouble - it doesn't need any more.

12. What else are you going to sell off to get the country back in the black? According to most economists, we were in great shape compared to the rest of the world. Why have you suddenly gone quiet on the economy?

13. When are you and your team going to apologise to Ms Gillard for the frankly appalling behaviour to which you, Mr Pyne and a number of others subjected her to over the years? Seriously, if one of your daughters who was getting that sort of treatment you would be after the perpetrators with a baseball bat before calling the police and demanding that they be put up on harassment charges.

14. When are you and your team going to start complying with the fact that the Church and the State are separate? This tenet goes back to Henry VIII. We like it like this - long may it remain.

15. Lastly, for the moment, when are we seriously going to look at overhauling our tax and voting laws? The tax system is stupidly over-complicated and really, compulsory voting - why can't we have a system that makes those that don't give a toss not have to vote? Because, seriously, if you don't care, or don't want to care, why vote? Wouldn't that be more democratic than being forced to turn up to a polling booth? It works in the US and the UK. If you want to say something, you vote. End of story.

Thank you for considering my questions.

Yours truly,

Pandora Behr

Go on, get to it. Be polite, rational and reasonable. Don't swear. Don't ask things like when is Andrew Bolt going to be lynched or when he's going to remove his lips from the genitals of Rupert Murdoch. Just start asking questions. Relevant, sensible, considered questions.

And post on your answers.

And encourage more to do the same.