Letters
APRIL 1
Turnbull tax idea dismantles Federation
11:24 PM Either we have federal leadership for the good of the whole country or we ditch the whole idea and break apart.
MARCH 31
Peter the Great better than Packer the Great
How much longer must Sydney suffer further outrage at Barangaroo? ("Packer presses his luck for Barangaroo casino", March 30)
Letter of the day: Peter the Great had more vision than Packer
One of Sydney's leading architects, Philip Drew says James Packer and the Department of Planning could learn a lot about urban planning from Russia's Peter the Great.
MARCH 30
PM must act quickly on campaign funding
Your editorial's call for reform of campaign funding should cause Malcolm Turnbull to emulate Premier Baird.
MARCH 29
Pollies must wise up to the effects of tax breaks on housing
At last some really sensible factual comment on the impact of negative gearing and reduced capital gains tax.
MARCH 28
Education in Australia: a race to the Finnish
It's about time that our politicians stopped blaming young teachers who are "not up to scratch" for our falling standards.
MARCH 27
The rise of the telegenic politician
Following the rise and rise of the telegenic Malcolm Turnbull the Goldstein branch of the Liberal Party has acknowledged the appeal to the electorate of the handsome face and the winning smile ("Wilson wins federal seat fight", March 20).
MARCH 25
Old doesn't mean unable to decide
As someone who is approaching my 80th birthday, and suffering from an incurable debilitating disease, I commend the article by Avril Moore ("Kids, don't hide us away when our end is nigh," March 25).
PM has wrong message on terror in Europe
Ah, how easy it is to criticise the shortcomings of European terrorism security from his leafy Point Piper enclave.
MARCH 24
Australia vulnerable to IS terrorisr attacks
Yet again we have seen a bombing of innocent people by Islamic State. And yes, it could happen here. The common factors in every country that has suffered terrorist attacks from within are high youth unemployment and a rise of the right-wing political ideologies.
MARCH 23
Reaction to 'ambush' divorced from reality
According to Mark Kenny, "The stunning tactical ambush ... caught the entire political establishment off-guard on Monday" ("Turnbull's ambush", March 22).
MARCH 22
Turnbull must let the Senate serve its term
The constitution is being called upon to grant the wishes of a Coalition government, which has been floundering. The polls have spoken, so it is time.
Forcing students to take maths is the wrong answer
Kate Aubusson indicates that general mathematics has given maths students in the 2013 HSC "a scaling advantage" over, I presume, students taking the more challenging mathematics course.
20 March
Bad airport plan
The Baird government is going against the will of many Australians in proposing a Chinese company runs the Badgery Creek rail line.
MARCH 17
Own agendas put before national interest
It is impressive how quickly these despised senators have grown into the job, not only in the tricky manoeuvres but in performing their roles more generally.
MARCH 16
I'm a mother and Levine's got it wrong
As both an ordinary member of the community and a mother, I am appalled that David Levine has such a low opinion of me ("'Doing what any mother would do': Levine tells inquiry",March 15). I did my best to raise my sons to be honest. Were they in trouble with the law, I would not be advising them on ways to avoid being charged..
MARCH 15
Opponents of plebiscite intent on derailing vote
Like traffic volume predictions that were used to justify the Cross City Tunnel, we seem always to be able to drum up "reputable" analyses that happen to support our views ("'A massive waste of time and money"', March 14). A national plebiscite on same sex marriage will cost half a billion dollars! It looks like opponents of a plebiscite have a very serious interest in seeing that the nation does not get to vote on the matter.
MARCH 14
Perhaps Tony Windsor was right after all
In his considered report on Tony Windsor's intention to nominate against the Deputy Prime Minister in his New England seat in the forthcoming federal election, Mark Kenny reminded readers that Windsor, the former independent member for that seat, has been famously "vilified in conservative circles for his parliamentary support of the Gillard minority government" ("Joyce may be tied in Windsor knot", Herald, March 12-13).
March 13
Celibacy not the issue in abuse cases
Priests' celibacy in not a principal cause of attacks on children or everyone who had not had sex for years would be suspect.
MARCH 12
Population growth a roadblock
Recent articles on traffic congestion and increased road travel times in Sydney have one thing in common: they fail to mention high population growth as the fundamental cause.
MARCH 11
How to manage the next Sydney gridlock
Traffic delays after an accident anywhere in the state should have nothing to do with how long it takes crash investigators to arrive ("The real reason Sydney ground to a halt", March 10). The first police officers to arrive should be trained to take the necessary photographs and details of the crash that the investigators require. If need be, the investigators can visit the scene later. Minimally interrupted traffic flow, not pernickety legal concerns should be the priority. And the cost saving would be enormous.
MARCH 10
Climate change debate call beggars belief
It beggars belief that NSW Liberals want an inquiry into whether climate science is settled or not ("NSW Liberals call for national debates on climate change science," March 9). Even the CEO of CSIRO Larry Marshall said the science was settled as he announced cuts to climate research.
MARCH 9
We need a royal commission into banks
Australian parliaments have a good record in setting up Royal Commissions. What will it take to call one into the behaviour of our banks? They generate more than $35 billion of profits a year, seemingly on the back of worsening behaviour. We have structural issues around mortgages, life insurance, financial planners and even allegedly rigging interest rates. It's time for some bi-partisanship to address the cultural cancer of essential Australian institutions. Enough is enough.
MARCH 8
Government is lacking Labor's discipline
To the surprise of most people, it is Labor under the leadership of Bill Shorten that is displaying the internal discipline and focus on policy that the electorate expects of a government ("We need a double dissolution and so does the PM", March 7).
MARCH 7
Tough love needed to help Abbott get over grief
Mark Kenny uses a word I haven't heard to date in describing where Tony Abbott's thinking is right now ("Dark storm brewing: Turnbull knows where his future lies", March 6). That word is grief.
MARCH 5
Pope outshines apathetic Pell
Pell is damned in the eyes of many, by the taint of the heartless sophistry, calculation and contrivance.
