Dutton’s nuclear nonsense will scare any voter

Governments need targets,as occurred in 2015 when 196 countries,including Australia,signed off on a climate agreement in Paris;net zero emissions by 2030 (Letters,June 18). It was a road map that involved targets and goals and allowed industries,businesses and developers to have the confidence to invest in and expand renewable energy projects considered crucial to achieve those targets. By refusing to adhere to such targets should he win next year’s election,Peter Dutton appears willing to put at risk Australia’s international reputation. He also risks our economic future as a reputable and reliable country in which to invest and do business. Mr Dutton’s answer to how a Coalition government aims to achieve the reduction in emissions that are crucial in maintaining climate stability is resurrecting the nuclear energy idea. Nuclear energy remains divisive for very good reasons. It’s socially divisive,incredibly costly and the facilities would take decades to build. That’s time we simply don’t have. There is also the matter of their significant water usage and the still unresolved disposal of nuclear waste. With no targets,a decision that seriously risks Australia’s economic and environmental future,and an extremely risky alternate “plan”,why would any Australian voter concerned for the future of their children,grandchildren or the planet vote for him or the Liberal Party?Anne Layton-Bennett,Swan Bay (Tas)

Increasing support for Dutton as indicated by opinion polls seems to be evidence of the idea of hope beating reality. One problem all parties and politicians have is that they have conditioned voters to think that just swapping one for the other will bring some sort of “magic pudding” relief. I guess though that any leader telling voters that they really have no control of many things and that nothing can be usefully done may not be a winner;reality can be so depressing.Tony Sullivan,Adamstown Heights

The recent poll outcomes indeed show a tight race in the upcoming federal election. Dutton has proved to be an effective negative campaigner,and Albanese and his team appear to be trying to beat him at his own game. But where’s the hope,the vision for the future? For our kids,our grandkids? I would rather be inspired by a positive vision for the future of our country,where we can use our advantages (multicultural diversity,health,education,resources,etc) to overcome our challenges - than to hear about how the other side is (or will be) failing us. And some courage and boldness would be nice. You won’t please all the people all the time. Remember,everyone leaves politics at some stage,how do you want to be remembered? Maybe a bit more Bob Hawke and a bit less Tony Abbott?Bruce McKinnon,Mosman

With the re-ignition of climate wars much attention is directed to topics such as cost of living related to energy prices. All of this misses the point;this is not really about saving the planet,it is about preventing the extinction of the human race. The planet will still be here. It has no level of awareness of its state. It does not know it is not the same as it was millions of years ago and does not care about its future condition;it just exists. If the planet was a sentient,living organism capable of directed action,the first thing it would do would be to get rid of us. Time to change the focus of the debate to the creation of a plan to save humankind.David MacKintosh,Berkeley Vale

Religion should not be a refuge for discrimination

Reading Elise Christian’s excellent opinion piece made me very sad and angry yet again (“I tried to protect my LGBTQ students. It cost me my job”,June 18). Once more,we hear of a Christian school not only ignoring homophobic bullying but tacitly allowing it – even encouraging it. As someone who regularly counsels those who have emerged from evangelical Christian schools and churches,I am stunned at the level of trauma many have experienced through such covert and overt abuses of power. I’m so sorry Elise lost her job,but I’m also awed by her courage in standing up for her students. Religious schools should not be exempt from religious discrimination laws,as we can reliably predict the result for many vulnerable young people.Josie McSkimming,Coogee

Oh the difference! Elise Christian recalling the “escalation in inflammatory rhetoric” from the school leadership team during the 2017 marriage equality campaign. In my public primary school,my year 4 class danced and cheered,knowing that one of their own had two mums and their teacher (me) had a son who was so invested in the campaign,not for himself but his for mums and for what was right and fair. Similarly,at his public primary school,the result was announced over the PA system,to more cheers and support for the LGBTQ community. Elise is right - it’s time,Albo,to remove the exceptions for religious schools under our federal laws.Lisa Williams,Dulwich Hill

As a former state school teacher,I have some problems with a teacher assistant on a contract who sees it as her responsibility to protect LGBTQ students,in particular,from bullying. Bullying is a problem in all schools,not just Christian schools and is appropriately dealt with by trained counsellors,not classroom teachers or assistants and might include some comfort from a chaplain in a religious setting. Bullying of Christian students is not unheard of in state schools;in fact,it is quite common,as is bullying of anyone who is a bit different to the mainstream. State school teachers on contract can also be sacked for not adhering to the terms of their contract;they have a welfare head teacher to refer problems to,as I am sure is also the case in Christian schools,as well as the school counsellor. I am tired of seeing one school system being called out as operating any differently to another in its professional standards.Vivienne Parsons,Thornleigh

Killers live in the family home

Many thanks for your editorial putting our crime figures into perspective (The Herald’s View,June 18). If you read the Daily Terror or listen to a certain kind of law ‘n order politician you’d be afraid to step outside your front door,as serial killers stalk every suburb. As your statistics reveal,Sydney is a far safer city to live in than New York,where the chances of being murdered are many times higher. However,the rise in domestic murder is shocking and an indictment of any politician in the past responsible for closing women’s refuges and turning a blind eye to the true crime story – often the real killer isn’t lurking down some dark alleyway,he’s living inside the family home.
Nick Franklin,Katoomba

The Minns government’s refusal to hold a royal commission into domestic violence is disappointing and short-sighted. There is no reason other than financial to hold such a position. Unfortunately this stance will cost lives,overwhelmingly those of women. Evil triumphs when good men do nothing. To ignore the problem is negligent. With more than one women being killed every week by a partner,I would think that the search for answers would be undertaken regardless of cost.Mike Keene,Mollymook Beach

Cooking without gas

“Cooking with gas” was once thought of as a cause for celebration (“Why the stovetop is the last front in war on household gas”,June 18). Those days are gone. If a talented chef like Neil Perry is happy to use an electric induction cooktop,he’s got my tick. My household switched from gas to electric to reduce our carbon footprint and I find our ordinary electric cooktop does us a treat. After reading about the health problems associated with gas cooking,I feel fortunate that we were able to make the switch. Hopefully,rental properties with electric cooking facilities are also becoming more widely available.Anne O’Hara,Wanniassa (ACT)

Teacher’s correction

Your correspondents make claims about non-government schools that need to be addressed (Letters,June 18). Firstly,there are 785,000 students in NSW public schools and 460,000 in NSW Catholic and independent schools. The public system would be swamped if it had to absorb even half of those students and taxpayers would pay $9500 more per student annually. This figure does not include capital costs,of which 90 per cent are funded by non-government school communities themselves.

Secondly,another writer asks readers to “imagine the outcry if funds were taken from our private schools without consultation”. This happens every year to dozens of non-government schools because government funding is linked to parents’ income and is adjusted annually. The loss can be several hundred thousand dollars each year. Schools are notified of these funding cuts at the end of the school year and have no choice but to manage by raising fees and/or cutting costs.Margery Evans,Association of Independent Schools of NSW

Falling standards

Many university vice-chancellors are paid a million dollars or more per year (“‘Unjustifiable risk to the nation’:Elite universities lash student caps”,June 18). So it is unsurprising that they understand their job to be making profits for the once-great educational institutions they are privileged to manage. The exploitation of international students seeking credentials on picturesque campuses where English is the language of instruction has become a principal tactic in the business models of our universities. As current and former academics will attest,especially in the humanities and social sciences,this has undermined academic standards and led to the creation of post-graduate degrees designed to profit from ever-expanding numbers of international enrolments. The government is to be congratulated for trying to stop the rot.Philip Bell,Bronte

Display of courage

May I express my respect for the courage of Cheng Lei in attending the signing ceremony (“Chinese officials block journalist Cheng Lei from being filmed”,June 18). Despite the efforts of the Chinese officials to intimidate her,Cheng Lei,with the assistance of Australian public servants,demonstrated that she will not be erased from memory. A pertinent lesson for all that Beijing should never be allowed to control the narrative.Philip Cooney,Wentworth Falls

What can Peter Hartcher be hoping to achieve with his incessant tirades against China and the CCP (“Beijing is not on our side. Let’s not fall for a pair of therapy pandas”,June 18)? In his latest salvo he thunders that Beijing is a “malign bully” causing “egregious harms to Australia”. We rely far more on our trade with China than they do on us. That is the price we pay for allowing our manufacturing industries to decline. China’s GDP is $18 trillion;ours is $1.7 trillion. China’s armed forces number around 2.8 million;we have 60,000 at best. Those are the realities.

There is no doubt that many of China’s actions and policies can seem cruel and insensitive. They probably feel the same way about some of Australia’s less appealing aspects. The path to establishing a genuinely harmonious relationship between our two countries is through patient and incremental diplomacy.David Salter,Hunter’s Hill

A couple of new pandas;the possibility of wealthy Chinese dining on our lobsters;visa-free visits to China and the shelving of all the tricky stuff? Yeah nah.Dave Watts,Avalon

The haves and have nots

The article on the postcodes with the highest incomes points to the enormous inequality that characterises contemporary Australia (“The suburb where people’s income went up almost $90,000 in one year”,June 18). While a proportion of the population are able to live extremely comfortably,a substantial proportion are struggling to put food on the table. The latest Foodbank report concluded that in 2023,23 per cent of Australian households experienced “severe food insecurity”. Clearly the federal and state governments need to earnestly start addressing the phenomenal wealth and income gap.Alan Morris,Eastlakes