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Letters to the Editor

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Gilligans Island "The ship set ground on the shore of this uncharted desert isle 
With Gilligan 
The Skipper too, 
The ...

The national sport of two-up and the national anthem were preoccupations this Anzac week. Contributor Neil Radford must be a fine two up player many observed or else he had a two-headed penny when he threw his letter/column 8 contribution on the subject of two up into the air, and it ended up in both columns. With our usual editors either at dawn services or on holidays we do apologise for disruption to normal transmission. But it provides us the opportunity to remind readers not to double dip by making the same contribution to both the letters page and Column 8. Ditto for writing letters you have sent to other publications. 

Bondi bag hopes rest on legislation

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I am part of a community organisation known as Blue Bondi Green. Our objective was to have the Bondi Beach business district free of lightweight supermarket-type plastic bags by the end of last year. Of the 75 businesses I visited, 22 were plastic-bag free already. Some businesses had a mix of paper and plastic bags. But 50 per cent of businesses gave out single-use plastic bags as the only alternative.

Visa review undermines real struggle to find workers

illustration Andrew Dyson

For the 20 years of my involvement running a fifth-generation manufacturing business, the constant business risk has been a dire shortage of skills and young people prepared to take on careers and training in design and making.

Free market deaf to bark of Pavlovian dog

US Vice-President Mike Pence in Sydney.

The federal government's threat to slap new export restrictions on east coast gas suppliers ("Malcolm Turnbull intervenes in gas market to tackle surging domestic prices", April 27) is an admission that a free market does not always work. Despite Australia having a massive gas resource, the free market in energy has failed to deliver, in the PM's words, "the gas Australians need at prices they can afford". If the market was working properly a host of entrepreneurs should be competing feverishly for our business and driving prices down. Instead, the profits have been retained by the gas companies and have not trickled down to the consumer in the form of lower prices. It is strange, therefore, that Mr Turnbull and his Treasurer are so confident that the market would perform perfectly if the Senate would only grant massive tax cuts to big business. Like saliva from Pavlov's dog on hearing the dinner bell, the business tax cuts would automatically flow down to the rest of us in the form of new jobs and higher wages. Yeah, right.

Pollies' self-interest over property prices

Illustration by Cathy Wilcox.

By now it must be evident to everyone that our democracy has failed, given that our nation's politicians are incapable of addressing the housing affordability crisis by virtue of their monstrous conflict of interest ("Houses of Parliament: MPs on top in property game", April 22-23). That these very same real estate speculators have the effrontery to lecture Australians on what our nation's values should be is not only the height of conceit, but damning evidence of their collective sophistry. If ever the phrase "a pox on all your houses" was appropriate, this is surely the time.

Pignominy risked

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Surely experiments in burying pigs could have taken place in a remote location rather than risk upsetting some with a present or future connection with burials at Rookwood.

My mate represents the best of Aussies values, and he's house trained too

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I think my best mate ticks all the boxes for what represents Australian values ("Australian values testing starts at home", Letters, April 21). He was born in the outer western suburbs of Sydney, with a working class background going back many generations. He is passionate about all water and ball sports, fiercely loyal to friends and family, and loves a barbie.

Australian values testing starts at home

Illustration: Jim Pavlidis

I was born in Australia, as were my parents and their parents before them. When my grandfathers fought in World War II, I suspect they did so at least partially in defence of a clearly understood set of Australian values. These were the same values I was taught at home and at school. 

Well-travelled Millennials failing to save

Illustration: Ron Tandberg

So it seems the real problem with housing affordability is that the Millennials' parents are selfish and vote for the wrong side of politics ("Locked out: Nation in grips of housing affordability crisis" April 17). Codswallop!

Qatar shows way

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The Australian public is not being fairly compensated for the extraction of a finite resource, which is being depleted while corporations are making huge profits.

Young Nats ignite a tremble in the vacuum

SMH Letters

The Turnbull government must be shaking in its shoes on hearing that the Young Nationals, through their support for a carbon trading scheme, are now effectively backing renewables.  ("Young Nationals back emission trading scheme", April 11). The policy vacuum in Canberra is becoming clearer by the day: no recognition that "black coal Morrison" and friends' promotion of coal to India is out of step with India's move to cleaner energy; fearfully tiptoeing away from previously toying with the idea of an emissions intensity scheme for energy generators; sidling away from Labor's policy on negative gearing; floundering around trying to find budget savings – "Is Abbott's work for the dole scheme fit to ditch?" Oh yes, "Policy Vacuum" is the new normal in the conservative realm – just take a look at the US!

A loving last act

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How sad to read of the thousands of unclaimed boxes of remains stored at crematoriums and funeral homes ("Dust to dust: ashes of loved ones remain", April 2).

Attitude to Assad is as chilling as the acts

Illustration: Alan Moir

"Quite frankly there are worse people and you simply don't know what you'd get if he were to be replaced," is as chilling a thought as the actual release of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians.