Legal process trumps all when discussing Roberts-Smith

Your correspondent Alynn Pratt joins the long line of people complaining about the prime minister’s “timidity” (Letters, April 10). When Scott Morrison beat Bill Shorten in the 2019 election, I said on the night that this was not only three more years of incompetence, it was nine or more years of political parties being afraid to put progressive policies to the Australian electorate. Our democracy works. If you think the government is too scared and too cautious, take a look at the scared and cautious Australian people who deprived Labor of victory in 2019. Dave Goldberg, Wrights Beach

Former prime minister Tony Abbott warns that Australia may be perceived as weak for not joining the United States and Israel in their war against Iran. For some that may be true. However, Australia may also have been perceived as weak if it allowed Donald Trump to bully us into joining the war against Iran. It all comes to down how one defines strength and weakness. The point is that standing up to bullies is strength, not weakness. Irene Buckler, Glenwood

It would be unwise for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to say anything about the Roberts-Smith case.Dominic Lorrimer

Anthony Albanese describes Donald Trump’s threats to wipe out the Iranian civilisation as “inappropriate” (“Nation’s fuel stock secure for weeks: PM”, April 10). Jumping a queue is inappropriate. Threatening Iran with genocide is a war crime. Graham Lum, North Rocks

Melania’s misery

In a classic case of what goes around comes around, it is deliciously ironic that Melania Trump should now be claiming those circulating stories about her are “devoid of ethical standards, humility and respect” and that she “reject[s] their mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation” (“Melania Trump denies any connection with Jeffrey Epstein in rare public address”, April 10). She could be speaking about her husband or any other MAGA goon. Wayne Duncombe, Lilyfield

It was amusing to read of Melania Trump complaining of lying individuals devoid of moral standards, humility and respect. I wonder why she married Donald. Richard Tainsh, Potts Point

An ethical quagmire

The sickening and callous Trump-Netanyahu war has reached another nadir, with growing suspicion of high-level insider trading on war and oil price predictions (“Iran bets draw fresh dispute, insider scrutiny”, April 10). The Trump administration has long been suspected of making millions from betting, as patterns have emerged around Trump’s frequent, volatile and contradictory announcements – allegations it denies. To continue aligning ourselves with an untrustworthy regime of such poor character is utter madness. We have mired ourselves in an ethical quagmire and must urgently ditch AUKUS. Alison Stewart, Riverview

Photo: Megan Herbert

Put this to bed

Oh no, not another health warning about sleep (“The sleeping position that might be to blame if you feel pain in your back”, April 10). I notice that every sleep position mentioned has its problem. We are constantly warned about the dangers of sleep deprivation, which certainly doesn’t put one’s mind at rest when in bed. Most of us poor sleepers have tried all the recommended techniques, including counting sheep. Sleep is important, we get it, but could the sleep researchers give it and us a rest, please? Paul Doyle, Glenbrook

It appears sleeping on your side, back or stomach can all be problematic. The article does not mention one other potential obstacle – sharing the bed with someone else. Mustafa Erem, Terrigal

Health hazards

Some years ago I went to Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital to catch up with a colleague. It was confronting to see signs stipulating that no mobile phones, no machetes and no AK-47s were permitted, and then having to walk through a weapons detector at the doorway. Do we now need these introduced to NSW Health hospitals (“Woman allegedly smashes relative’s skull with hammer in hospital bed”, April 10)? Hopefully not. Jo Rainbow, Orange

It’s just not cricket

The gender pay gap is alive and well in sports as in all other fields of employment (“Australian sport’s top earners”, April 9). Of the top 25 earners in Australian sports, only one is a woman. Four Australian male cricketers made it in the top 25 with earnings ranging from $5 million to $10 million. I’d love for the Herald to publish the earnings estimates for the top-four Australian female cricketers, especially as they have the same employer. Elfriede Sangkuhl, Summer Hill

Good neighbours

In future, when this war is over and we can look back to lessons learnt, let us note that apart from curbing our over-reliance on petroleum, with its highly volatile supply, we also have to acknowledge that it is our Asian neighbours and not some distant Anglo-European alliance that delivered supplies and saw us through this crisis (“The ships that are delivering for Australia under the new fuel scheme”, April 10). Having powerful allies is an advantage but reliable neighbours are integral to our survival as a nation. Cristina Corleto, Stanmore

I wonder about the Western powers’ sudden interest in freedom of navigation when they have been supporting or ignoring illegal blockades of Gaza, Cuba and Venezuela and their actions against the misnamed “Russian shadow fleet”. Norman Broomhall, Port Macquarie

Train potting

Thanks, Matt Sullivan, for the news that Wollongong will finally get its new trains soon (“Sydney Wollongong commuters get starting date for new trains”, April 10). But no thanks for the news that from October these trains will not stop at Wolli Creek. What misinformed bureaucratic committee has decided this? It is the major airport stop for us Illawarriors! We don’t want to lug our luggage off at Hurstville to change trains for the suburban service. We don’t even need to stop at Hurstville; just go straight through and let us get off at Wolli instead. Micheal Traynor, Bellambi

South Coast commuters will welcome luggage storage areas on the new Mariyung fleet. Unfortunately, from October they will only enjoy this improvement as far as Hurstville, where they will have to gather their luggage and transfer to a train without luggage storage to get to Wolli Creek, before transferring again to get to the airport. One can only hope the incoming and outgoing trains at Hurstville will be on the same platform. Jane Lieschke, Woonona

Sydney’s much-delayed Mariyung passenger train.

Having once worked for the railways, I can understand why South Coast trains would be timetabled away from Wolli Creek station in an effort to “detangle” services. But the fact remains that if you’re travelling from south of Kiama, a train trip to the airport will now require catching four trains, which hardly rates as an improvement in service. Then there’s the speed, or should it be the lack of speed of the service? There is much talk of fast Metro trains and very fast trains between Sydney and Newcastle, but those of us living on the South Coast would just be happy if the trains we have were faster than the steam trains from more than 60 years ago. It seems truly hopeless that as the need for good public transport becomes ever clearer, the South Coast rail line languishes in the pre-modern world of slow and steady. Colin Hesse, Nowra

Chaos out west

Deep frustration, I repeat, deep frustration (“Deep beneath Burwood, Metro magic happening”, April 10)! The price tag for each of the new Metro stations on the west Metro line is $600 million and, according to the premier, is “in keeping with the local character and energy of their suburbs … with the remaining contracts to be awarded by year’s end”. How about a thought for those living west of the mountains who have to put up with the chaotic traffic through Lithgow because the NSW government will not fund a tunnel from Blackheath to bypass the Western Highway, which has been closed indefinitely? Well, they call it a highway but it’s really a bush track built by convicts 200 years ago. It’s totally unsuitable for 21st-century traffic, even though it’s the main artery to the west of the state. The message is clear: “Bugger off and put up with the chaos, we have more important magic happening in Sydney to gain media attention”. Bruce Clydsdale, Bathurst

Nobel causes

How refreshing and inspiring to read of Dr Rose McGready’s humanitarian work on the Thai-Myanmar border, helping people to survive malaria and TB, and women to safely have their babies (“She went for six months but stayed for 30 years: The Australian doctor who refused to go home”, April 10). Deeply committed humanitarians such as Dr McGready and the late Sydney-born gynaecologist Dr Catherine Hamlin, who with her husband established the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital and other hospitals in Ethiopia, have done more to ease mass human suffering than many governments. These are the calibre of people who have proved truly worthy of the Nobel Prize. It is to be hoped that Dr McGready and her team will be financially supported through her foundation to continue this invaluable work. Her story, so engagingly written by Erin Handley, leaves us with new vocabulary from the Karen language: hay law tha. It means “to give all of yourself”, encapsulating the generosity of self and spirit that such remarkable humanitarians bring to healing our world. Barbara Chapman, South Yarra (Vic)

Battle of good v evil

The tragic dichotomy between America’s Artemis II moon mission and the chaos here on Earth could not be summed up better by your editorial: “It is absurd that the nation that has taken humans to the moon is also responsible for the madness that currently haunts the planet” (“The Earth is in turmoil but from Artemis II no borders are visible”, April 10). But your editorial also notes that America’s mission to land at the moon’s south pole in 2028 will be closely followed by China in 2030. This dual race to the moon is destined to be the next major step in the militarisation of space. The moon’s south pole is an ideal location for conducting military surveillance of the Earth. Likewise, the area between the Earth and the moon, known as cislunar, is where these two great powers could stage a future battle for world supremacy. Hence, while our aspiration to reach out into space is “a thing of beauty”, it is ultimately a reflection of this tragic dichotomy between good and evil that exists within the human heart. Rev Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT)

Alternative diagnosis

James Massola’s article illustrates a challenging case of genuine need linked to his own experience (“My niece needs the NDIS. Yes, it must be cut – but with a scalpel, not a chainsaw”, April 10). I, on the other hand, have personal links to two cases of children on the scheme, each with double diagnoses of autism (on the basis of their limited social capacities) and ADHD (based on their errant behaviours). They are both extremely intelligent, physically healthy children and (in my unqualified view) are no more than poorly parented. Neither has ever been required to observe the simple social graces that ease and promote successful interaction. Neither has ever been required to make a sustained effort at something they didn’t immediately enjoy or didn’t want to do. On the other hand, neither has any trouble with sustained concentration or co-operation when they are doing something they like. Wherever they have experienced social or educational difficulties, they have never been required to suppress their own demands and work toward a resolution. Instead, they have been protected. So, for instance, both have moved through multiple schools because as soon as a classroom or the playground has brought challenges, they’ve gone elsewhere. The result is that they are increasingly self-indulgent, flailing in their education and alienated. They’ve never been required to cope with the world around them, nor the people in it. Now we label that a syndrome(s) and demand the support of the NDIS. Along with the systemic rorts and exploitation, we also need to address that part of the problem. Name withheld

The NDIS will approach $100 billion a year in a decade without spending cuts.

Surely one of the first tasks to wind back the ever-expanding costs of the NDIS would be to set payments to providers along the lines of Medicare payments to doctors and specialists. We are currently paying hundreds of dollars to provide a shower or to clean a house or physiotherapist services etc. We pay doctors a small fraction of that, with the patient either making up the difference or looking for a bulk billing provider. The whole setup is starting to look like a gravy train instead of a medical service. The second objective would be to set a budget that can’t be overspent, just like all other government departments and households. Robert Hawes, Glen Alpine

Smoke signals

The Australian Border Force submission to a parliamentary committee examining the illegal tobacco trade recommends a reduction in government tobacco excise to attack the demand for illegal cigarettes (“Customs warning on illegal tobacco”, April 10). To compete, the government would need to reduce the price of a $52 pack of legal cigarettes to $16 to match the illegal product. Obviously such a policy would appear counter to the aims of high tobacco excise, namely to deter people from smoking. The ABF also said that, through the second half of last year, it and many state-based agencies had sharply increased their policing, with high success rates. This implies a lack of action previously allowed the illegal trade to gain momentum, and suggests that more co-ordinated policing, plus serious penalties, are an effective weapon. There may well be a “sweet spot” for an excise reduction while maintaining revenue but does it send the wrong message? Alan Carruthers, Artarmon

Concealed weapons

Some years ago I went to Cape Town’s Groote Schuur Hospital to catch up with a colleague. It was confronting to see signs stipulating that no mobile phones, no machetes and no AK-47s were permitted, and then having to walk through a weapons detector at the doorway. Do we now need these introduced to NSW Health hospitals (“Woman allegedly smashes relative’s skull with hammer in hospital bed”, April 10)? Hopefully not. Jo Rainbow, Orange

Mail models

Fiona Igoe wrote of her Christmas card to Tehran being returned to sender, “owing to the Middle East conflict” (Letters, April 8). I was stunned yesterday when my husband received a small parcel in the mail from Odessa, Ukraine, which had only been ordered a week or so ago. Until now, despite often worrying about Ukrainian people in war, I’d never wondered if their mail service was still functional. Now I know. Carole Baxter, Woodgate Beach (Qld)

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