Letters
JUNE 12
Turnbull prompts doubts
12:15 AM Congratulations, Baird Government for sending precisely the right message ("NSW public sector plans to recruit 100 Syrian refugees" June 5).The NSW govt's action combines the right mix of ozzie commonsense with a "fair go" attitude most Australians feel inclined towards our refugees.Professor Shergold (NSW Co-ordinator General for Refugee resettlement) makes a valid observation. Assisting refugees by tweaking Govt's own workforce diversity rules (by considering their humanitarian background equally to those of indigenous and disabled job seekers), provides a ticket for a better future via access to education both for their children and themselves.Federal politicians of both major parties take note.
JUNE 11
Hornsby shooting tragedy fails us all
The shooting of Jerry Sourian is another tragic episode in the dark history of our mental health system.
LGBTI schoolchildren should be given understanding, not judgment
I was a head prefect of the Scots College in the 1970s. It was a great experience. For me.
JUNE 10
Greed so often the culprit in disasters
Having grown up on the northern beaches, I remember my dad taking me to Collaroy in the 1974 king tide to see if our favourite fishing spot was still there. It wasn't
JUNE 9
Stop selling seashore to private purchasers
A seawall is not the solution ("Seawall delayed by funding row", June 8). Remove the damaged and threatened buildings, assist residents to relocate, and return what's left of the land to open space.
JUNE 8
Cut losses on doomed Collaroy homes
There is no way this area can be maintained for home development. In the long term, the sea will return with a vengeance and repeat its tragic performance.
JUNE 7
Liberals must act for people not Santos
Santos continues to demonstrate a lack of regard for communities by developing its plans away from the public eye. Liberal governments at both state and federal levels need to act on behalf of their electorates, rather than on behalf of corporations.
Uncertainty about Turnbull rears its head
I believe there is more to the rise of Bill Shorten and the disenchantment with Malcolm Turnbull than personality and policy considerations ("Labor takes the lead as Turnbull slides", June 4-5).
JUNE 5
No political content
There is no evidence any Chinese government curriculum has been taught in NSW schools.
June 4
Democracy now in disrepute
Over the past 30 years many services once seen as core government business have been sold off, corporatised or leased out, including the preparation of advice to government about how these decisions may affect the public interest.
POSTSCRIPT: Guys and gals of the letters page
Hi guys. It doesn't really work as a salutation for letters writers does it? But all the "guys" and "gals" of the Letters page were quick off the mark to ridicule David Morrison's aversion to the use of the collective noun in the "words at work campaign", as a political correctness gone mad.
June 3
Letters: Where's offence in gender-neutral "guys"?
Australian of the Year David Morrison seems to have a bee in his bonnet over the use of the word "guys" in the workplace.
JUNE 2
Port Botany may fit the bill for superliners
Why couldn't Port Botany be considered as an alternative to overflows for superliners to the overseas passenger terminal ("Superliners cast shadow over terminal facelift", June 1)?
JUNE 1
City waiting for improvement, not change
Planning Minister Rob Stokes doesn't get it. The city isn't waiting for change: it's waiting for improvement, and by that I don't mean development.
MAY 31
Turnbull's tax tinkering is false economy
Malcolm Turnbull, in his debate with Bill Shorten on Sunday, made much of his belief that tax cuts to businesses would lead to a boost in the "jobs 'n' growth" economy.
MAY 30
Public have a right to judge NBN material
As a Turnbull-appointed chair of the National Broadband Network it is no wonder Ziggy Switkowski prefers to frame the leaking of documents that reflect poorly on Turnbull as "theft" rather than "whistleblowing".
POSTSCRIPT
Postscript
There was a distinctly Joycean thread running through letters this week, Barnaby, that is, not James. The deputy prime minister's streamside musings that climate change might be real caught readers' attention.
MAY 29
Turnbull knows it
Malcolm Turnbull and the Liberals have a new mantra – they ask how Labor can pay for all its promises, and say we can't afford it ("Shorten's $1b pill to make the medicines go down", May 22). What hypocrisy. Thanks to the genius of Tony Abbott, Australia is burning about $2 million every day (about $730 million every year) on the war in Syria and Iraq -- and it's been going on for two years already.This war does not concern us, and will profit us nothing even if we are on the winning side. If we can afford such colossal waste, we can afford anything at all.
MAY 28
Shorten cameo may become lead
Waleed Aly ("Elections aren't won in the age of dissent", Friday 27th May) has put a very pessimistic view of the state of Western democracy and politics, but is he right?
MAY 27
Joyce must go as must live cattle exports
As usual with Barnaby Joyce's statements, skill is needed to find the elusive grains of truth in his wild pronouncements ("Joyce links boat arrivals to Indonesian live cattle ban", May 26).
MAY 26
Individuals face black days, while the nation faces black holes
Depression is the main cause of disability in the world. In Australia, it's estimated that 45 per cent of people will experience a mental health condition in their lifetime.
May 24
Tax unhealthy habits and fund bicycle paths
Cylcists are taxed with a fine for "high-risk and stupid behaviour". Why haven't we introduced a "fat tax" on soft drinks and sugary food? Surely eating these foods is "high risk and stupid behaviour"?
MAY 24
Dutton's refugee job fears at odds with 457 visa stance
There is a contradiction in the government's attitude towards asylum seekers, as expressed by Peter Dutton, and its propensity to load the job market with 457-visa holders.
MAY 23
Absence of coherent plan Turnbull's death knell
The polls are showing Australians aren't angry ... yet - just bitterly disappointed that Malcolm Turnbull, PM is not the same person as Malcolm Turnbull aspiring PM. But Peter Hartcher was wrong to imply that Malcolm Turnbull would have been a "transforming" PM.
MAY 15
Schools of thought
It is refreshing to read that success at school can be based on other experiences that don't require formalised assessment, writes Peter Miniutti.
MAY 21
Uni colleges should come clean
The culture of drinking and making a big fuss about other peoples' sexual behaviour, and worse, exploiting others sexually for whatever reason, should be long gone as we all mature.
MAY 20
"Outstanding" minister should stand down
PM Turnbull's wording prioritising "financial" rather than "humanitarian" in describing "the investment" our nation allocates towards accepting and integrating refugees ("Dutton dog-whistle demeans all Australians" May 19) was curious, to say the least.
MAY 19
Dutton talking nonsense on refugees
The Immigration Minister needs to explain how it is possible for future migrants to take Australian jobs and become dole bludgers at the same time.
LETTERS EXTRA
Readers react: Peter Dutton - Trump's star pupil
Peter Dutton says "they're illiterate and innumerate even in their own language". Yet he claims they will still be "taking jobs". This does seem quite resourceful.
MAY 18
Can Sydney cope with the Waterloo plan?
Surely, the NSW government must take into account the amount of development presently under way across Sydney and determine whether the infrastructure is adequate
