(Image: AP/US Navy/Private Media)

In Your Say readers tell Crikey what they think about our stories. Today you sink into despair over Scott Morrison’s nuclear submarines deal, and it’s a safe bet you’re anti-gambling.

On $170bn worth of none of your business

Marian Arnold writes: Even the title makes my eyeballs roll around counter-clockwise. I have it in the same classification as Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and the Easter Bunny. It does sound very like an idea the playful, entertaining Boris would come up with and meant to be part of a new Winnie the Pooh-type series for some or all of his numerous children. (Now those young people I do feel sorry for.) Magical thinking, anyone?

Jim Feehely writes: The AUKUS pact, whatever it is in detail, is utterly emblematic of the Morrison government’s stupefying incompetence, secrecy to hide the incompetence, policy reduced to political announcements — all followed by a smirking refusal to answers questions. Further to that unforgivable secrecy, it was disgraceful that Scott Morrison refused to brief the opposition on a proposal of obviously massive national interest. Clearly Joe Biden expected wider consultation within Australia and with France.  So Morrison’s secrecy was not a condition of the negotiations for AUKUS. This bloke is a monument to everything federal government ought not be.

I am prepared to concede that from a defence perspective nuclear submarines may be a good idea. I don’t know. But in a world of increasing complexity, locking us into a trilateral wholly Anglo alliance that screams exclusion of Asia cannot be painted by any Coalition zealot as good foreign policy, especially when it is announced like the escape of a jack-in-the-box.  But given the coterie of advisers, including an IPA wonk, along with ADF’s woeful track record on matériel acquisition across multiple platforms, only a lunatic could hail this deal as a good one.

On the cancer of the gambling industry

Richard Dunn writes: For the average gambler on poker machines in NSW to be losing more than $4000 a year, and more than $2000 in other states, demonstrates the outrageous exploitation of people without wealth being perpetrated by pubs and clubs and its resulting harm. To this is added the demonstrated illegality of Star and Crown casinos and the alliance between sport and online gambling. That political parties and state governments have become addicted to this economy demonstrates that they are happy to facilitate exploitation of the people, and effectively condone improper corporate practice, rather than exercise the idea of government for the public good. We would all be better off with a marginal increase in taxes rather than this selective targeting of many vulnerable people. It is hoped that a more sustained public argument can supplement the few public voices, including those of Tim Costello and Andrew Wilkie, to shame governments into removing gambling as a supposedly normal pastime.

David Wright writes: I’ll say up front that I am not a betting man. My money is too hard come by to waste it on the gambling industry where the odds are always skewed in favour of the industry. But I have had friends addicted to various forms of gambling — horses, pokies, football, you name it. None have ever won enough to cover their losses and I can only gaze in wonder. Some have been responsible gamblers, putting aside enough each week to cover their flutters. Others, like the husband of a friend of mine, stole the title deeds to her house, sold the house and gambled away the whole of the proceeds. She did not know it had happened until the bailiffs turned up to turf her out.

I would like to see the whole industry shut down — not some time, but now. Overnight. The whole industry is corrupt and corruption just breeds more of the same.

Wies Schuiringa writes: Could casinos make a profit if all money laundering could be stopped or does their business model require money laundering? Is there sufficient “clean” money in Australia that people are willing to lose at a casino? If casinos were to be closed because of their inability to function without money laundering, would horse racing and poker machine gambling increase? Can these two gambling strategies function without money laundering? How come there is money to be laundered by Australians and by overseas people who visit our gambling venues? Is gambling a way for governments to get the tax revenue they missed out on? All this does not include the money lost by people who are not money laundering but are losing their hard-earned cash or Centrelink payments. Are these gambling losses in the minority or majority? Is there research estimating the gambling losses from money laundering and losses from “clean” money?

Craig Tooker writes: Casinos are just a building and a name. It’s the individuals, managers and board members who drive the criminality in their operations. How are they selected? What criteria do they have to satisfy? It is simply staggering that governments addicted to the proceeds of gaming and the documented misery it causes can also give tacit approval to the egregious consequences of proven criminal involvement. How can Star’s managers escape with impunity?

Paul Harris writes: A service which needs to be supplied is a table showing the retirement sums paid to directors of Crown and Star casinos as they slink off into the undergrowth before emerging in a few months to appear on the board of some other lucky company. I would be surprised if any of them scored less than a million, especially as many are being “rewarded” for years of exemplary service where they appear to have been either snoozing at the wheel or apparently so thick they didn’t actually notice what was going on.

If something in Crikey has pleased, annoyed or inspired you, let us know by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.