Climate’s chaotic cycle
Regarding the lethal climate chaos in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, we have a report “They were expecting their usual floods. What hit them was a one-in-300-year monster”, (1/12). It is becoming tiresome to point out that the X-in-Y year terminology is no longer valid. It may have had a limited validity in the past when climatic regimes were relatively stable, but with accelerating climate change this is no longer the case. It would be no surprise if the same climate chaos occurred again in the next few years.
Ian Bayly, Upwey
Federal hypocrisy
Many recent letters are rightly focused on criticising the Coalition’s energy policies. Both the Nats and the Libs display wilful ignorance of scientific evidence of the need to address climate change through reduced carbon emissions. They are also determined to promote the myth of fossil fuel-derived energy being cheaper than renewables.
What then, of the Federal Labor government, I wonder, as it continues to approve new coal mines. How does it reconcile its own policy of energy decarbonisation; commitment to the Paris Agreement; setting of emissions targets, with new coal mines?
Would it be that into the (not-too-distant) future, coal from new mines will be exported/exploited to shore up federal and some state budgets? Does it think it’s OK to exhort the population to reduce carbon emissions while exporting them elsewhere? Do exported emissions not count in efforts to keep global temperature rises below 2 degrees? No, apparently they become some other nation’s problem. Such an approach pays off financially, but morally? How hypocritical, disappointing and depressing.
Maddy Harford, Wonthaggi
Bins for disposal
In defence of Woolworths regarding the overuse of soft plastic packaging, they are the only supermarket in my area to provide a bin for the disposal of soft plastic waste. A bin for disposal of old batteries is also provided. Take note Coles, Aldi, FoodWorks and the rest,
Craig Calvert, Montmorency
Black Friday meaning
It is time this American initiated nonsense of ″Black Friday″ sales ceased Australia-wide, and particularly in Victoria. The term here, spoken in the past with some reverence, always referred to the appalling bushfires in Victoria on January, 1939, during which 1355 acres of forest were destroyed, 71 people died, and thousands of sheep, cattle and horses were killed. Uncounted native birds and animals lost their lives.
Certainly, it happened a long time ago and much has been lost in so many bushfires since. However, I wonder how many people shudder as I do, as the term ″Black Friday Sale″ is spread throughout the Australian media.
I don’t want to be a killjoy over the sales – many people actually need them, especially before Christmas. Perhaps we could adopt another colour to describe them. I have seen advertisements from ″Emily’s List″ plugging ″Purple Friday″ sales. We could perhaps adopt that.
Let’s keep the term ″Black Friday″ to remember the bushfire disasters and all that has been lost, and choose something ‘happy’ for the sales.
Carolyn Hirsh, Ferntree Gully
Nuance needed
I am disappointed by the lack of nuance and balance in ‴He needs to be a boy’: Unnecessary surgeries being performed on intersex children” (1/12). I write this as both a medical doctor and parent of a child considered “intersex” who has recently undergone surgery at the Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH).
The article refers to The Missing Voice report released by Equality Australia, and conflates “patchy and inconsistent” or “heavily redacted” medical records received through FOI requests for the report with “inadequate oversight” and decisions being made “behind closed doors”. Yet, the article makes no mention of the rigorous and comprehensive multidisciplinary team meetings, attended by a range of health care professionals and bioethicists, which are mandated before surgery can be offered to children such as my daughter.
Indeed, the first page of the report states “the establishment of multidisciplinary teams represents an important step toward more considered decision-making and oversight”. The intersex person referenced in the article, Tony Briffa, co-authored the report’s foreword, highlighting “families and clinicians often face complex and emotional decisions”. I can certainly relate to this, and am forever grateful for the guidance and support of the clinicians at RCH.
Again, the executive summary of the report acknowledges that “clinicians aim to provide thoughtful and compassionate care within challenging systems”. Surely this acknowledgement warrants mention?
Name and address supplied
Intersex surgery
Re ″Intersex kids subjected to unnecessary surgery″, 1/12. When working as a maternal and child health nurse in the 1990s, I examined a baby who had been brought to Melbourne from New Zealand to have genital surgery ″to become a girl″. The mother told me that the medical advice was that it would be easier for the child to ″become a girl″. I wonder how that child is faring now.
Wilma Hills, Echuca
Netanyahu’s audacity
The sheer audacity of Benjamin Netanyahu to believe he’s unaccountable and above the law when he, single-handedly, turned the world against Israel, and Israel against itself, he asks President Isaac Herzog (no relative), for a pardon from charges of corruption he claims to have never committed. Apart from the absurdity of Netanyahu’s request for pardon, he’s effectively confessing to those charges. So, if Netanyahu fails in his bid, does that mean he goes directly to jail?
Henry Herzog, St.Kilda East
Mind the creases
Re “Will England’s batsmen swallow their pride?” (1/12). I doubt it, The English leadership’s penchant for wearing highly starched Eton-issue collars suggests a rigidity of thinking. Starched collars, while helpful for telling the lower orders where they stand, do not assist in playing cricket. The Australians won because they embraced the beauty of adaptability while the English embraced the beauty of ironing. The English team needs to consider that humility, like runs, is something that can be accumulated slowly.
Kevin Brown, Moonlight Flat
Tasmanian history
I agree with the Tasmanian premier that the proposed new football stadium in Hobart will be ″a defining moment in Tasmanian history″. The stadium will burden the state with unnecessary debt for many years, to the significant detriment of other government services. Shame.
Phil Labrum, Trentham
Grand entrances
I agree with your correspondent (Letters, 2/12) that the elaborate monoliths built above our new underground stations seem to defeat the purpose of having them buried and out of the way. It may be the cynic in me, but I can’t help think they are there to remind voters of the government’s achievement which would otherwise be out of sight come election time.
Bruce King, Malvern East
And we do have trams
″How Melbourne train network stacks up″ (2/12) paints a fairly rosy picture of Melbourne vis-a-vis other cities, but by including trams in the comparison, a totally different view emerges.
With the largest tram system of any city, Melbourne’s access to public transport overall is second to none. While there are gaps, particularly in the west and to the airport, Melbourne stands out.
John Pinniger, Fairfield
AND ANOTHER THING
Trump world
Even if US ″Secretary of War″ Pete Hegseth is found to have ordered the killing of civilians on a suspected drug trafficking boat off South America, Trump will just pardon him anyway.
Mark Kennedy, Sebastopol
Great ″Blood oil″ articles from Kate Geraghty and Stephen Bartholomeusz highlighting the lack of spine by the government to stop this oil flowing from Russia, via India. Complicity by back door?
Robert Wilson, Jan Juc
If Beijing demanded we pay 25 per cent more for their goods or face a trade restriction, would our prime ministers cave in to this? Why would we do it for the US?
Craig Stevens, Thornbury
Transport
Sunday saw happy Victorians squeezing into trains at the opening of the Metro Tunnel. Who said it was a waste of money?
Glenda Johnston, Queenscliff
Jacinta Allan is sending Victoria broke with the SRL. The AFL is going to send Tasmania broke with the roofed stadium.
Ken Finley, Mt Martha
Furthermore
Cathy Wilcox (2/12) has done it again with another brilliant cartoon on the art of the peace deal with Israel. The deal maker has moved on.
Roger Christiansz, Wheelers Hill
The photo (2/12) of Trump and Netanyahu clasping hands affectionately, should be captioned ‘Thick as thieves’.
Georgina Simmons, Mornington
Why does the ABC insist on screening repeats of just about everything? Maybe, because it thinks viewers are so old we can’t remember having seen episodes before?
James Cassidy, Croydon
Finally
Made the mistake of removing the doona during the last week of spring. That was foolish.
Bryan Fraser, St Kilda West
Is it spring yet?
Helen Moss, Croydon
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