Commenting on the story: Trouble for FIVEaa as ABC’s Ali Clarke dominates

I’m most surprised at the ABC 891 breakfast ratings surge, but wonder how many and whom and how these surveys are conducted. They seem a little like the authenticity of the political polls of late — very wobbly.

I’m not surprised at the FIVEaa evenings and weekends with the woke sacking of Jeremy Cordeaux. I’ve not listened since to either. Nothing said about Leon’s shift — let’s hope that this is performing well as he is the only AM radio political alternative to the Labor-biased ABC.

Its an indictment on local radio that we have such poor presenters outside of a few, with no succession plan. No junior journalists are being trained up – or imported – to take over. A state of 1.8 million with no local current affairs program, a pedestrian nightly new service and poor radio coverage. No wonder our pollies can get away with anything without an emasculated ICAC. – John Lewis

FIVEaa is a man’s radio station. Look at it: it’s got as many old white grizzling men as the Coalition. FIVEaa breakfast is too blokey, too Crow, too crying Rowey. Get a female in there; remember the audience. David Penberthy is a better journalist than a talker; he’s always looking for the right word (but radio is not an essay). – Gayle Williams

Retail workers have taken already responsibility and risk beyond their pay-grade throughout the pandemic period.  They certainly should not be policing public health measures. – Anne Williams

I agree with Josh Peak, Secretary of  The Shop, Distributive and Allied Employees’ Association, that retail staff should not be required to check customers’ ‘vax passports’. However, I was very disappointed that Mr Peak saw fit to demean customers who chose not to take the mRNA jab by referring to them as ‘Covidiots’. No doubt many members of Mr Peak’s union are deeply concerned about mandatory ‘jabs’ for workers in their industry. Does he regard these workers as ‘Covidiots’ as well?

I suggest that demeaning and shaming workers and citizens who wish to retain autonomy over their health and their bodies further divides our community and feeds right into the very situations that Mr Peak wants to avoid in retail workplaces. – Jennifer Grossi

The only time in my life that I’ve actually agreed with a union position. Forcing businesses and, by extension, employees to enforce these arbitrary restrictions and additional checks is a recipe for disaster and force people into unsafe and difficult situations. These concepts were abandoned in the UK for exactly the same reason.

As hard as it is for some people to come to terms with the concept, management of this virus moving forward needs to be the responsibility of us as individuals to choose (masks, vaccines, distancing etc), not for governments and health officials to dictate. The Government simply needs to focus on what it has supposed to have been doing for the last 18 months: prepare the health care system. – Luke Harrington