Patricia Wiltshire, Montmorency

Many people are faithful to their partner

Lawrie Bradley asks: "Am I and most other blokes, any better than Barnaby Joyce?" (Letters, 5/6). While not in a position to judge Lawrie's moral compass, I would answer "yes". I believe the average male is capable of rising above the moral morass that brought this one-time political giant down to a shadow of his former self.

Family breakdown is part of living in a broken world where we are all flawed human beings. But the antics of Barnaby Joyce fall well below that generally expected by the electorate. Please do not use the excuse of "everyone's doing it". Mercifully, everyone is not, and if there is a divorce, let us hope it is carried out in a manner that allows both partners and their children to move forward with minimal pain and distress.

Lance Sterling, Burwood

I truly loved, but resisted, both Royce and Michelle

On one hand, we see a couple who fell in love, complicated by the fact that one of them was the deputy prime minister, National Party leader, and married with four daughters. But, as Vikki Campion sagely said, "You can't choose who you fall in love with".

I can relate to this. As an avid Richmond supporter, I fell in love with Royce Hart back in the late 1960s whilst I was engaged to be married. Some years later and still married, but now with two daughters, I fell hopelessly in love with Michelle Pfeiffer, and this love persisted unabated for some years. But once again I fought back and resisted temptation. I guess however, for Barnaby, Vikki provided that extra allure which for me, both Royce and Michelle did not have, and this tipped him over the precipice. But as far as Vikki is concerned – I am at a loss to explain her attraction to Barnaby.

Keith Brown, Southbank

Time for him to leave Parliament and find a new job

With the best will in the world, it is none the less correct to conclude that Barnaby Joyce has, for some time, demonstrated a failure to properly meet the expectations of the people in carrying out his duties as an MP. He has had a fair suck of the sauce bottle (to borrow from a former prime minister), and it is time for him to go off the public purse, seek gainful employment in the wider world and stop charging the taxpayer. There is no value add from Barnaby, he merely lowers the tone of Parliament by his continued association.

Peter Crocker, Strathmore

Barnaby, a man who genuinely wants to help

Barnaby Joyce is a compassionate man. A needy widow, Gina Rinehart, wanted public support for National Agriculture Day and he lobbied the Prime Minister about this (The Age, 5/6). The Department of Agriculture donated $60,000 to the National Farmers' Federation for the day, and Mr Joyce "received a surprise $40,000 cheque from Mrs Rinehart at the day's gala dinner". He gallantly handed it back the next day.

Kishor Dabke, Mount Waverley

THE FORUM

A signal to take action

The headline – "CBA will pay $700m fine in laundering case" (The Age, 5/6) – is misleading. CBA shareholders have been fined $700million, in reduced dividends, for something we did not know about and do not condone. What redress do we have?

AGMs, which directors treat as a necessary waste of time, are a farce. Votes are dominated by institutions with fellow directors. We do not get to appoint directors, only to re-appoint them – the turnover takes place between AGMs to ensure the current directors appoint one of their own. Conditions for bonuses are so farcical that they are not worth discussing. It is time for governments to act. The current drop in support for the major parties may be a signal, and an opportunity.

John Pinniger, Fairfield

An unhealthy relationship

It is heartwarming to hear AUSTRAC chief executive Nicole Rose say, "We will continue to work collaboratively with the CBA as it progresses this work and I am encouraged by the manner in which it has handled these negotiations." Shareholders have been charged $700million, with no discernible punishment for the bank's board or executives. This is another instance of the cosy, unhealthy relationship between the so-called financial watchdogs and the companies they are paid to supervise.

John Kilkenny, Mount Eliza

Make the executives pay

Why are banks etc allowed to pay enormous fines out of their profits (achieved on the back of us) to clear their conscience? Amidst all this are highly paid individuals who should be personally accountable for their actions. Why isn't there an outcry? Are we lazy or lost?

Carol Oliver, Musk

A developing GST problem

It may suit Harvey Norman to have GST imposed on white goods purchased from overseas retailers, but how will this work for small retailers in developing countries? No one has yet explained how the manufacturer living in a remote hillside village in India Himalaya will apply the 10per cent GST on my $50 order of Tibetan incense.

Di Cousens, Mount Waverley

Let us pay GST, on receipt

We have a severely disabled dog that uses a "doggy wheelchair" to get around. It is next to impossible to buy parts and upgrades for it from local stores, but we have found a small, US-based website that can supply everything we need. However, it is unlikely that it will continue to supply us as the government wants online retailers to apply the 10per cent GST to online purchases shipped to Australia from overseas.

We are just trying to make our dog's life as pleasant as possible. It would be much easier if the government implemented a process where we could pay the GST on receipt. The government would still get its GST and these smaller sites could continue to sell into the Australian market.

Laurens Meyer, Richmond

Stock it here, I'll buy it

Garth Mitchell (Letters, 2/6) suggests that consumers should visits shop to get the products they want (Letters, 2/6). As a (retired) academic researching film history, I have need of blu-ray movies released on the British Film Institute, Eureka, Criterion and Warner Archive labels.

I know the nearest shops that stock these items. For the British labels, it is HMV in Oxford Street, London; for the US labels, it is Barnes & Noble, Honolulu. It may be faster to fly there, buy the disc and fly home than the average 10-day delivery time. However, I doubt that the price will be competitive. As soon as these labels are stocked at my local JB Hi-Fi, I will be glad to buy them there. I cannot see that happening any time in the near future.

Michael Fleming, Prahran

Fifield's ABC obsession?

Who do I need to write to to complain about the Coalition not "upholding the high standards that taxpayers expect" of government? Also, what exactly has Mitch Fifield done during his time as Communications and Arts Minister, other than spend his time scrutinising every single word uttered by The ABC?

Mina Hilson, West Footscray

Waiting in the wings...

With all the cuts to and angst for The ABC, everyone neglects to mention the very large elephant in the room. Rupert Murdoch and his News Limited wish to have the public buy the same thing that The ABC gives away for free.

Gary Florence, Hampton Park

A party out of control

It is a weakness of our political system that anyone can have a shot at forming a political party and running for parliament. One Nation continues to implode due to bumbling leadership and only a baseline skill level for the demands of the role. In other professions, minimum levels of training are necessary to demonstrate competency and aptitude for a position. The ramifications of a system that suggests anyone can have a crack at this is spectacularly evident in the machinations of Pauline Hanson's One Nation – a basket case if ever we have seen one.

Lisa Vinnicombe, Brunswick

Gains for both parties

Unpaid superannuation in the hospitality industry is both rife and a rort. But it does not always amount to exploitation. The so-called "cash culture" in small business often results in mutually beneficial arrangements for employers and workers.

For the many hospitality employees who juggle multiple casual jobs with study, being "on the books" can reduce access to Centrelink entitlements such as Youth Allowance, and has undesirable tax implications. It is therefore no surprise that casual employees who are struggling to keep their head above the water financially make an informed decision to forgo contributions into their superannuation for the sake of short-term cash reward.

I am not condoning the behaviour of many employers who fail to pay superannuation, unbeknown to their employees. Nor am I condoning tax evasion or Centrelink fraud. However, there are broader social issues at play which are not addressed by those commentating (and those potentially legislating) on the issue of wage and entitlement theft.

Grace Krütsch, Fitzroy North

Taking charge of super

Jessica Irvine (Comment, 4/5), I wonder why you and other young people have not taken the trouble to understand and manage your superannuation. I am sure that many have. I also have little doubt that many people, had they had the 9per cent contribution in their pocket rather than in super, would have spent it on even more eating out, travel or other activities with no long-term financial benefit.

The irony is that compulsory super is of more benefit to that latter group than the switched-on and forward-looking group. Unfortunately, the cost of the non wealth-producing activities (eg, (travel, wine, clothing, cars) have stayed in step with, or become cheaper relative to, wages whereas the big one – house prices – has run amok. How have our masters allowed this to happen?

Don Moran, Highett

Fair pay? What's that?

The debate about the minimum wage assumes that employees actually receive it. I worked in restaurants and cafes during my university years, and could only dream of receiving the minimum wage and penalty rates. In many cafes, you get paid when your boss hands you cash in an envelope; there are no penalty rates, and the pay is below minimum wage.

The debate is welcome, but who or what institution actually enforces the law? The Fair Work Ombudsman requires evidence of pay slips to investigate a case. Pay slips? When did I ever receive them while working in hospitality? You could say that well, maybe I should have just refused to work in such and such restaurant. Don't make me laugh. You're a broke student. You do what you can to survive. The minimum wage is a great concept, rarely enforced, and often ignored.

Struan Jones, Falls Creek

A very reasonable rise

John Slater thinks that the Fair Work Commission's decision to lift the minimum wage by 3.5per cent will lead to employers cutting jobs (Comment, 4/5). When penalty rates were reduced last year, did it lead to more jobs being offered in the affected industries?

When the big companies make massive profits, does this lead to more jobs? Have industries considered cutting directors' salaries and perks to take on more staff? No, I did not think so.

"Trickle down" economics smacks of extreme arrogance in that the rewards will come to workers after the needs of the upper layers are met. What about "surge up" economics? When employees earn a decent wage, they can afford to spend more on all sort of commodities. A 3.5per cent rise is reasonable, given that this is the amount usually granted to specific industries on application.

Jan Marshall, Brighton

The big spending MPs

It is inexcusable that the five MPs who were before the High Court over their eligibility to sit in Parliament could spend $1million from the public purse in just six months (The Age, 5/6). Truly they had their snouts in the trough. Now byelections prompted by their ineligibility are set to each cost taxpayers about $1.5million, according to Australian Electoral Commission estimates. There appears to be no accounting for all this spending to taxpayers. All Australians should be up in arms.

Glenise Michaelson, Montmorency

Fun, but very dangerous

I worked as a ski resort doctor. Daily I treated major injuries. There is no way I would let my children toboggan. Tony Wright writes "Oh, there were dangers", including "hitting a bump and jarring your spine" (Insight, 2/6). Is quadriplegia resulting from jarring your spine an acceptable risk?

Dr Ralph Frank, Malvern East

A great idea, but...

What will we use as liners for kitchen rubbish bins once plastic bags are banned? Buying that type of rubbish bag would somewhat defeat the purpose of the ban.

Garry Meller, Bentleigh

AND ANOTHER THING

Politics

At last the possibility of words from Trump we never expected to hear: "Pardon me".

Brian Rock, Beechworth

Can ministers who engage in political interference with our public broadcaster be prosecuted?

Stephen Baldwin, Frankston

Go, Sarah. Go, ABC. Mitch Fifield, keep your hands off it. Australia desperately needs it.

Elaine O'Shannessy, Wandin North

The Coalition has a new team song: Red Sales in the Sunset.

Kevin Murphy, Albury

Senators Leyonhjelm, Bernardi, Anning and Hanson make Trump appear (relatively) intelligent.

Eric Kennelly, Ballarat Central

Vanstone says the major parties "knock excessive ego out of new members". The Liberals must be still working on Abbott.

Peter Hepburn, Claremont, Tas

Hanson's goal is nearing. One Nation becomes One Person becomes One Notion.

Roderick Carmichael, St Kilda

Barnaby

Please stop reminding me that someone is sleeping with Barnaby Joyce.

Anita Xhafer, Fitzroy North

Wise words to baby Sebastian from his dear old dad? You can't choose your family.

Pat Lord, Sale

Barnaby, you've got your pot of gold. Now please get lost.

Jeanne James, Seaford

What a great soap opera season: The Barnaby and Vikki Saga, the royal wedding, and now The Pauline and Brian Show.

Jim McLeod, Sale

Furthermore

Could part of ComBank's fine be used for public housing.

Brendan O'Farrell, Brunswick

"Wombassadors" (2/6) versus the cruelty of our world: the greatness of their humanity shines.

Cemal Sunasen, Fairfield

Julian McGauran says God didn't vote in the Irish referendum (4/6). He wasn't on the electoral roll.