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Karen Middleton reports that Labor backbenchers are seeking clarity on the agenda for the rest of Labor’s second term, reflecting voters’ expectations that the government will “go big” (“As his sun shines, where’s the hay?” November 29). Indeed, the current political environment, in which the opposition is almost non-existent, is a great opportunity for Labor to go big. The housing crisis would ease tomorrow if investors were required to pay capital gains tax and if they were unable to negatively gear their properties. How can first home buyers compete with the big money at auctions? And, as a bonus, the government should start implementing the Gonski recommendation that schools should be funded on the basis of need. How can it be fair that rich private schools receive money from taxpayers when public schools are bursting at the seams and teachers are overloaded with administration? If not now, when? Elizabeth Elenius, Pyrmont
January is not a holiday for the prime minister.Credit: Michael Howard
The prime minister would be well advised to take note of former cabinet minister Ed Husic, who warned him he needed to be more courageous if his government was to be remembered for anything (“Husic challenges Albanese over policy ambition”, November 29). The Whitlam government, in three short years, turned Australia upside-down and made changes that still define the bedrock of today’s society, 50 years on. Whitlam may have crashed, but he crashed through to make irrevocable change we still value today. Ian Falconer, Turramurra
Pollution laws fall short
Millie Muroi’s terrific article highlights the dangerous loopholes created by carbon offsets (“Coalition is no friend of environment – neither are carbon emission offsets,” November 29). Tackling climate change means cutting pollution at its source. You don’t lose weight by eating a salad one day and a Big Mac the next, and you don’t solve the climate crisis by burning coal, oil, and gas while buying offsets to paper over the damage. So why did Labor’s new environment laws sidestep climate impacts altogether? By excluding fossil fuel emissions from environmental assessments, the government has left the door wide open for coal and gas projects to proceed without scrutiny of their climate harm. This is a glaring omission. Isabelle Henry, Ascot Vale (Vic)
History repeats
Michael Koziol notes that since 2021 more than 190,000 Afghans have been resettled in the US, many of whom worked for the US military and the CIA during its operations in Afghanistan (“Many will pay price for shootings”, November 29). Now, one of that cohort has committed a violent act in Washington. Statistically, a single act of terror from that many immigrants is almost negligible. But, ironically, I agree with US President Donald Trump’s deputy chief of staff, Stephen Miller, who wrote on X, “This is the great lie of mass migration. You are not just importing individuals. You are importing societies … At that scale migrants and their descendants recreate the conditions, and terrors, of their broken homelands.” Miller’s opinion is borne out when looking at America itself. Just as the first pilgrims fled to the New World to escape religious persecution in England, their descendants today call for a religious purge against Muslims. “Raid the mosques and mass deport every single Islamic immigrant non-citizen” urges MAGA personality Laura Loomer. Here we have Christian religious zealots recreating the intolerance and terrors of their broken homeland. How history repeats itself. Andrew Moffat, North Sydney
President Donald Trump speaks to troops via video from his Mar-a-Lago estate.Credit: AP
Agent Orange (aka Donald Trump) proposes to “permanently pause migration from all third-world countries” because of one shooting by an Afghan man who had worked with the CIA and who was most likely suffering from PTSD after that long and nasty conflict in his country (“The National Guard shooter fired at America’s heart. The response will be brutal”, November 28). When will he be equally concerned about the 50,000 gun homicides or suicides in his own fractured country? John Burman, Port Macquarie
Help the helpers
The Hong Kong government will provide survivors of the Tai Po fires with money to help them relocate, but it is uncertain if that extends to domestic workers who lost everything in the blaze. That would be a travesty of justice (“Hong Kong ‘helper’ saved toddler and his grandma as towers burned”, November 29). Amid the horror stories was a moving tale of bravery, probably one of many. The Filipino helper who protected her employer’s toddler and led her grandmother down 17 levels to safety is a testament to how the human spirit endures in the face of impossible odds. A mother of four children in the Philippines, Vame Verador could have fled fearing that if she died, her children would be motherless. I sincerely hope that the government recognises the huge sacrifice, commitment and loyalty that domestic workers give to Hong Kong. Elizabeth Maher, Gordon
Credit: Badiucao
Shelter sharks
I don’t know what valid sources allow your correspondent Riley Brown to announce with such certainty that “the main reason for deadly shark attacks is the total protection of sharks” (Letters, November 29). There is already a massive loss of non-target animals, including harmless shark species, by beach shark meshing. Oceanic shark populations are also threatened by the large-scale shark-finning industry supporting parts of the food industry, and poor protections for the harmless grey nurse sharks mean that many are seen by divers with fishing tackle trailing from their mouths, also potentially fatal. Several species of shark are in severe decline, hence the high conservation status placed on species such as the great white. Some people might feel better after a horrific attack if a culling program were to be introduced, but it is interesting that many attack survivors themselves accept that sharks have a right to be in the water. Additionally, most marine scientists would highlight the threats to natural ecosystems if we seek simplistic solutions such as the culling advocated in this letter. Let’s support marine conservation and reject proposals that place human wishes above the conservation of life on earth and in the oceans. Gary Schoer, Taren Point
Riley Brown never fails to astound with his letters, but he has surpassed himself with his missive about sharks. To say that the sanctity of human life must be observed at all costs and any creatures interfering with human enjoyment should be culled is truly jaw-dropping. The victims of the tragic Crowdy Bay shark attack are rightly mourned, but humans are aware of certain risks in ocean swims and sharks are one of them. Drowning and other watery mishaps cause many more fatalities than sharks. Culling, controlled or not, is not the answer. Kristina Mckeon, Goonellabah
Wedded bliss
I am aware Anthony Albanese is not the most popular politician, but it was most refreshing to read the extensive coverage of his wedding at The Lodge (“Albanese the first Australian prime minister to wed in office”, November 30). It was certainly a nice change from the usual murders, wars, politics, superannuation and overpriced real estate. Robyn Lewis, Raglan
Why does any report about our prime minister’s personal life, marriage and future happiness with Jodie Haydon refer to the fact that their “together” home on the Central Coast cost $4.3 million? This will barely buy a semi-detached terrace in many parts of Sydney, so surely it shouldn’t be regarded by most as too extravagant for a prime minister. Katriona Herborn, Blackheath
Shortchanged by Bazball
Malcolm Knox offers some sensible suggestions to Cricket Australia about solving the problems associated with Test matches that last just two days (“Ashes combatants should forget golf and give fans what they want: more cricket”, November 29). Understandably, many ticket holders for days three, four and five at the Perth Test debacle would have felt cheated. Cricket Australia has suffered a severe financial loss and the broadcasters have been left without a program. The suggestion to hold ODIs in these situations solves all these problems and is worth considering. As long as England continues with its Bazball approach, we are likely to see more of these shortened matches, so it’s over to you, Cricket Australia. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne leave the field after wrapping up victory in the first Test within two days.Credit: AP
Privatise the Wallabies
Why are people so upset the Wallabies have been doing so poorly (“What the Dickens is going on with Australian rugby”, November 29)? Why should they even care? After all, whereas the AFL and the NRL have several free games broadcast a week, rugby union is barely visible on free-to-air TV; a few home tests, one Super Rugby match a week, a few highlights and now no club rugby on a Saturday afternoon. Maybe people care because rugby is the only true international football code after soccer, but as most of it is now behind paywalls, the code seems to be signalling it is available only to the elite, the tweed-jacketed, leather-elbowed, private school cohort who don’t want the hoi-polloi involved. If that’s the case, they might as well privatise, call themselves Wallabies Inc and drop the notion that they represent all of Australia. Martin Ford, Pyrmont
Dodging the algorithm
I was tempted to buy a second-hand car recently just because it had a CD player (“Retro audio boom: why cassettes and CDs have risen from the dead”, November 29). As a fan of the old format, my latest online purchase was a Rolling Stones CD. The thrill of opening the package, flipping open the cover and pressing down on the centre to free the CD before popping it into the player can never be replaced by touching a “button” on a screen. Apart from loving the physical act of playing recorded music, I also love that music streaming services cannot include me in their Big Brother algorithm files. Clare Raffan, Campsie
In the skin game
I wish young (and old) people could spend just a day seeing what I see. I work in the field of skin cancer and see people, mainly women, in their underwear all day (“Why I love the company of naked women – the ones with wobbly arms and dimpled bums”, November 29). All shapes and sizes and all beautiful in their own way, with many stories that make up every wrinkle and bump. Who is the arbiter of what is perfect, anyway? Dr Kathryn Soddy, Wahroonga
Opposite forces
In Rob Harris’ article, filmmaker Anna Broinowski likens Pauline Hanson to US activist and politician Bernie Sanders (“Hanson sits at the crest of a populist wave … will she be able to ride it this time?” November 29). This couldn’t be further from the truth. Sanders is a true orator, blessed with strategic intelligence and strong interpersonal skills. He demands a hearing. Hanson has none of these attributes. Whereas Sanders is a true workers’ warrior, Hanson is nothing more than a demagogue. Trevor Somerville, Illawong
The Barnaby Party
It has to be disappointing for those who thought they voted for the National Party via Barnaby Joyce and who now find they don’t belong to any political party (Letters, November 29). They just belong to Barnaby. Mary Julian, Glebe
Cease this violence
After reading Geraldine Bilston’s article, I felt distressed and dismayed, but not surprised, given the free-for-all that is social media (“My girl is 12. This is the violent text her ex-boyfriend sent her”, November 29). I hope the boy’s parents were spoken to about their son’s dangerous, toxic behaviour. If we as parents don’t call out this abhorrent behaviour, how are we going to stop it? I hope the young boy felt ashamed, and that your daughter received an apology. If not, he is in danger of becoming part of the violent culture against women that we are working so hard to stop. Susan Lynch, Bateau Bay
Excellent article, Geraldine Bilston. I also sincerely hope that you sent a screenshot of that ex- boyfriend’s vile text to his parents. I recall in the 1980s the new female owner of a local car repair shop ordered all the soft porn (pin-ups), which filled the walls of so many workshops, to be removed. One young mechanic refused, so at the end of business she placed all said pictures in a large envelope and posted them to his official next of kin – his mother. Pauline McGinley, Drummoyne
Out of fuel
If we were to boycott petrol brands that sell Russian-sourced fuel, as suggested by your correspondent Gary Stowe (Letters, November 29), I suspect our major means of transport would become shanks’ pony. Ian Falconer, Turramurra
Cultivating a culture
Our Australian values were epitomised by the recently retired Jane Edmondson throughout her 38 years on ABC’s Gardening Australia: lover of nature, practical, down to earth, enthusiastic, open to others and an exemplar of how gardening can be a catalyst for bringing our communities closer. Jane’s interaction with our immigrant gardeners and their sharing of ideas, joy and pride in achievements showed Australia at its best. Thank you, Jane, for inspiring us and reminding us all how we can further develop our wonderful multicultural society. Trish Burns, Cammeray
Gardening Australia veteran Jane Edmondson.Credit: Simon Schluter
Sheesh!
I agree wholeheartedly with Ryszard Linkiewicz regarding the appalling misuse of the King’s English on the airwaves and in everyday life (Letters, November 29). My pet hate is the far too common pronunciation of the letter “s” as “shhh” as opposed to “ssss” – a result of forming the sound using the back molars rather than the front teeth, as is the correct method. It seems to be a parroting of the American pronunciation, which may well have arisen from their obsession with dental interference in the pursuit of perfect teeth. If I hear it one more time I will shcreeem! Shtop, pleash! Christine Hanrahan, Hunters Hill
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