Woolworths bests Peter Dutton in Australia Day merch fight

Arvind Hickman writes: Re “Anatomy of a culture war: Dutton, Woolworths and January 26”, I find the culture war hysteria about plastic Aussie Day merch hilarious, especially as a lot of it is Chinese-made landfill. I don’t recall Dutton and others on the right calling for boycotting Woolies for decades of screwing over Aussie farmers and producers. That is an Australia Day campaign we could all get behind.

Trying to link price gouging to a supermarket pulling Australia Day merch because nobody wants to buy it is, sadly, desperate and predictable from the same old culture warriors. It appears the opposition and its attack dogs have learnt nothing from its last election defeat about what really matters to the people of this great country.

Joan McVilly writes: Oh give me a break! Let’s deal with real emergencies (climate, anyone?) or at least treat Woolies’ (and Aldi and others reading the room) corporate decisions as a debate starter rather than a bin fire.

Dutton’s parting gift: Conservative Australia Day outrage, a Christmas tradition

Anne Egan-Plaizier writes: I have never needed any merchandise to celebrate any day.

Ian Winterflood writes: I don’t care what supermarkets or other outlets sell. I will decide what I wish to buy and when, usually not based on some pre-established criterion on “buyers’ habits”.

Rosemary Jacob writes: I am a relatively “new” Australian after arriving here from the UK in 1971 and, after being delayed by Cyclone Tracy, becoming an Australian citizen in mid-1975.

I am not proud of Australia as a country, mainly because of its continuing and shameful failure to recognise the true history of its First Nations peoples, although some Australians are making some efforts. The stubborn refusal by so many conservatives to even try to understand the significance of the Voice to Parliament is a clear indication of their misguided “born to rule” attitude.

I am unimpressed by the Labor government’s policies in many areas, although I am even less impressed by the ridiculous strategies adopted by Leader of the Opposition Peter Dutton. The failure of almost all national leaders to recognise the urgency of the need for action on climate change not only highlights the need for adequate education on scientific research methods, but also underlines the importance of putting financial gain ahead of good government.

It is really sad to be forced to believe that a sizeable proportion of our population can become so concerned about Woolworths ignoring a commercial drive to celebrate Australia Day, while governments fail to take action to save our world.

Ray Edmondson writes: Woolies et al made logical business decisions about the allocation of shelf space and choice of product lines, as they constantly do for everything they sell. It is disturbing that such a triviality can be blown up into such a bizarre and deliberately misleading confection. It tells you everything you need to know about Dutton and his team. It also tells you that, unlike them, most Australians have good taste and good sense about how best to celebrate their national day, whatever its date. Hopefully this episode will be remembered up there with Tony Abbott’s Prince Philip knightmare.  

Donald James Maclean writes: News Corp’s The Courier-Mail in Queensland is continuing to shove Dutton’s Australia Day confected outrage down our necks, reporting No campaigner Nyunggai WarrenMundine only for an Indigenous view, and publishing only letters and opinion pieces that agree with Dutton. So it wouldn’t print this.

I’m concerned at the unnecessary anger (e.g. the flame attack on a Brisbane Woolworths store) stirred up by those condemning Woolworths’ and Aldi’s commercial decisions to cease stocking paraphernalia such as Australia Day thongs due to declining customer demand. Their party sections have sufficient tinsel etc for those who want it.

MPs blamed for stoking culture war over Australia Day

I understand the sentiment of Indigenous peoples who call January 26 Invasion Day, given colonisation dispossessed their ancestors’ traditional lands and forced them to live in squalor on the outskirts of our towns and slums in our cities. Too many of their descendants still do, and Australia Day brings an opportunity to publicise their plight while we of immigrant descent celebrate the joys of living here. Both sides of this story need airing. 

Judith Arrowsmith writes: As a proud West Australian Aussie I won’t be celebrating NSW Foundation Day on January 26. We need a date that is inclusive of all Australians and acknowledges our collective history.

Gary Paul writes: Dutton and Jacinta Nampijinpa Price are full of it. If Woolies doesn’t want to sell Aussie Day stuff that’s its decision, not one for these boneheads. All that merch will end up in landfill anyway, so good on ya, Woolies.

We had a disastrous power outage here in WA recently when high-voltage towers got hit by a storm. Woolies came to the rescue for the people of Kalgoorlie. It got a couple of big portable generators in to keep the doors open for the community and save its perishable stock from landfill. I wonder if Dutton and Price will give Woolies a pat on the back.

Thomas Edwardson* writes: As a Woolworths warehouse worker for nine years, I can say with full authority that the company pushes plenty of other plastic rubbish at Christmas and Easter that very soon ends its life as landfill. There is no need to add to the pile with racist, nationalistic, Union Jack landfill each January.

*This writer’s name has been changed because company policy forbids public criticism.