Julia Assangeattributed to him:Getty Images
Your Correspondence (Letters, October 7) prioritizes the return of “stranded Afghans” and Julian Assange over “ISIS Women and Children”. These poor children were never from ISIS. Our national anthem believes that “we have boundless plains to share,” not “bonds to share.” So, bring them all home, I say. Kent May, Urala
broken house
Willow Grove as before.
attributed to him:Janie Barrett
Sorry to say that like Humpty Dumpty who sat on the wall, Willow Grove will never be collected again (Letters, Oct 7). Gary Horvay, Pennant Hills
Waiting to rebuild Willow Grove will likely take as long as waiting for the National Parks and Wildlife Service to remove temporary COVID camp fees in the vast majority of parks. Michael McFadden, Karella
people person
“People before plants”? Did young Scotty Morrison, marketing genius and famous slave mogul, find himself a new job? Bill Young, Killcare Heights
rainbow top
Discussing the rainbow (Letters, Oct 7) made me think of Rainbow Street, which connects Kingsford and Randwick. When I was a kid, cycling from Rainbow Street School to the top was uphill, as one walked the bike down the steep incline to Kingsford. Bob Phillips, Cabarita
my kitchen rules
Your picture of a bleak rented kitchen looks a lot like my forever morning kitchen (‴ really, really horrible’: bleak tenant selection processes as job vacancies deplete”, smh.com.au, Oct. 7). Maybe people in the ’70s see the world differently? Keith Russell, Mayfield West
Flood solution: Why not separate the Sackville Gorge?
I applaud Susan Templeman’s call for some lateral thinking about raising the Warragamba Dam wall (“For a Safe Warragamba, Lower the Dam,” October 7). It may have opened the doors to a more subtle solution to the Hawkesbury/Neppian floods. Raising the wall by 14 meters is clearly a political and environmental risk, and lowering the maximum water height by 12 meters is a risk for the security of the supply. So why not look into the effects of (for example) raising the wall by three metres, lowering the maximum level by three metres, and most importantly, reconsidering the option of separating the Sackville Gorge the root cause of the flood? Peter Russell, Koji
Warragamba Damattributed to him:Walter Peters
I am amazed that the Perrotite government did not involve anyone to drench the dam to make it 14 meters deeper. Perhaps the prime minister could assign this task to Matt Keane, an innovative thinker who never puts politics on the environment. Philip Bell, Bronte
What is the action plan for the Warragamba Dam – as we know that Perotite will lead the opposition in the upcoming elections? Zuzu Burford, Heathcote
Before the last state election, Gladys Berejiklian made sure to start destroying the stadium. Presumably, this was such that if she lost the election, the work would have to move forward. Perotite’s “fast track” of Warragamba failure appears to be in the same mold of thinking. Start before the election so you must continue. Peter Thompson, Greenville
Raising the fence by 14 meters will add enormous pressure to the dam. Has anyone competent calculated whether the current structure is capable of such an increase? If not, the dam’s future collapse will overflow more than any previous disaster. Richard Kirby, Campbelltown
I remember, in the mid-19th century, Sydney experienced drought years and the Warragamba sank to unprecedented lows. This sparked a quick reaction to search for an alternative supply of water, and thus the desalination plant was built as a support. It was rarely used. We now have the opposite with abundant water, so the reaction this time is to raise the dam wall. I bet that in the next few years Sydney will again experience droughts and we will all consider the water level 20 meters or less than the new expensive wall. David Hellstrom, Hrunja
trolling for transit fees
Natalie Ward, Secretary of Urban Roadsattributed to him:Nick Muir
This week, I read with interest an opinion piece by Margot Savile on transit fees (“Who to take toll on NSW,” October 6). Savile Parrots has written a number of misrepresentations being spread by the NSW Labor opposition and the NSW Green Party. She said families pay “passage fees of up to $6,000 annually.” The source of this figure is research conducted by the Labor Party in New South Wales to support its campaign of intimidation over the fees. Who did the search? The alphabet letters. analyst? Andrew Charlton, who later became the Federal Labor Representative for Parramatta. That’s what Savile missed. The New South Wales Liberal Government has a fee deduction scheme. Starting in January, eligible motorists will get up to 40 percent back on their bills since July 1, saving them up to $750 a year and benefiting nearly half a million people. Earlier this year, the government announced a fee review to examine the entire network and how we can make the pricing system fairer. Savile has also complained about the lack of public transport and infrastructure across our city, while contrasting with the amount of work going on in the Inner West near where she lives, including the new Sydney metro line connecting Parramatta to the city. Since she’s admitted that she rarely leaves her house during the week, Savile can be excused for this narrow (and contradictory) opinion. Both the new metro line and Rozelle Junction will cut travel times for families far beyond the Inland West, including those living in Sydney’s west, south and northwest. Last week, I was at the Leadership Dialogue in Western Sydney. Western and Southwest Sydney have undergone an amazing transformation over the past 15 years, and it is vital that we continue to make it attractive for people to live, work and play in our outer suburbs. These are the people we think about every day. Natalie Ward, Secretary of Urban Roads
Surgery is required
What is the only solution to crowded emergency departments, unaffordable primary care, prescribing, inadequate regional health and even failing hospice care (“Minister of Health Responds to Doctors Inquiry Claims,” Oct. 7)? An experienced, well-funded, well-serviced, and value-for-money general practice. It is the only medical arm that has been in decline for over a decade and this is largely due to government policy or mismanagement. Rowan Goodwin, Roselle
Let’s get some balance in the NSW health debate. I am not saying that there are no unacceptable delays in state hospitals. But when I came to Hornsby’s emergency department with a shattered knee cap last Thursday night, I had an X-ray within half an hour, and the surgery less than 36 hours later. Whether I was accepted as a public or private patient made no difference in timing. The staff on all levels were exceptional. I hardly call that “third world”. Tony Gapes, Pimple
Who would want a second class?
Additional pay for high-performing teachers (Letters, October 7) will cause parents to panic. They will demand that their children be taught by an “excellent teacher”. Who would be willing to take second best? The most appropriate wages for all qualified teachers is the only practical solution. Ian Roberts, Warywood
horse pulled out
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.attributed to him:Victoria Jones
The Archbishop of Canterbury is concerned about a split in the local Anglican Church “says we do not hold to the teachings of Christ… and that his followers will be one” (“Anglican Divide” as Politics ‴ , Oct 7). A moment of thought would remind him that this horse had galloped centuries ago. Jan McKindo, Forest Lodge
The Archbishop of Canterbury is right: A split in the Anglican Church would be bad for the Church but it could also be excellent. Nowadays in Anglican history, the precious message of love, peace and hope is often hidden behind debate over irreconcilable differences. Certainly our goal is not to preserve the institution but to preach Jesus clearly. Reverend Nigel Fortescue, Senior Pastor, Christ Church, St Ives
Interesting solution
All these politicians are trying to convince young people to buy a house. The Labor government can really help with that by changing negative leverage arrangements, which benefit investors. The best thing to do is prevent investors from claiming mortgage interest as a tax deduction. Homeowners can’t. Set a date when any new purchases become unclaimable as tax credits. Anything else is tinkering John Roma, Mount Lawley (Washington)
Postscript
This week, Republic, the star of letter pages for the past month or so, has fallen back on as the book has immersed itself in other topics. The largest, the proposed lifting of the Warragamba dam wall, began in the middle of the week and has been steadily mounting ever since. There was no gauntlet: It started as a complete flood that quickly turned into a flood in my inbox. There were too many messages to be published; Suffice it to say that there was not a single pro writer.
Taxes continue to fall and writers are less happy with the idea of keeping the third stage of the tax cuts. They can’t see the point of giving more money to the rich and Labor’s talk of not breaking promises doesn’t break the ice.
Teachers, as usual, as they should, got a lot of support this week against government ideas about paying the top 10 percent of them more, apparently to encourage others. The idea was immediately picked to shreds. Who will be the judge for who is the best teacher? Why does this prevent people from leaving the profession? There were many questions and few answers.
There has also been vigorous debate about the repatriation of Australian women and children trapped in Islamic State camps in Syria. Mostly, the book advocates, on both human and practical grounds, that returnees can be seen more easily here from the outside. A few writers assert that this is just a huge danger to Australia.
News that a new airport in western Sydney may open without proper public transport due to budget problems has been treated with the usual sarcasm from die-hard Sydney commuters.
Harriet Fitch, Acting Message Editor
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Originally published at Melbourne News Vine
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