AAA<\/p>\n
The claim by Pauline Hanson and One Nation supporters that immigration is altering Australia\u2019s culture \u201ctoo much\u201d relies on a static, outdated view of identity (\u201cImmigration motivates One Nation devotees<\/a>\u201d, August 25). Culture is not an artifact preserved in stone but something that naturally evolves as society grows. To conflate monoculture with social harmony is to misunderstand modern Australia. What binds us together is not a uniform ethnicity, religion or heritage but our commitment to shared democratic values like parliamentary democracy, the rule of law, gender equality and a fair go for all. Embracing our evolving cultural landscape does not weaken Australian identity, it reflects a mature, confident nation grounded in principles that unite us. John Bailey, Canterbury<\/p>\n With the conflicting migration numbers we\u2019re being fed by One Nation and the Coalition, it\u2019s time for the real stakeholders to stand up. Each of the alternative governing parties are trying to outbid each other to get to the lowest number and are confusing themselves and voters in the process. It\u2019s time for business bodies to stand up and tell us how many new Australians they need to sustain or grow their businesses. They need to provide some real numbers to the argument so that this ridiculous bidding war ends and reality is forced on these politicians. Ian Ferrier, Long Jetty<\/p>\n Wow, tell us something we don\u2019t know. Hanson\u2019s message has always been one of exclusion and grievance: \u201cWe\u2019re being swamped by Asians \u2026 Indigenous Australians get privileged treatment \u2026 there\u2019s no such thing as a good Muslim\u201d. So it\u2019s no surprise her most devoted followers are focused not on the solution to problems like the cost of living but on finding someone to blame. Like the populist US president, Hanson makes a fine living off the system by fuelling discontent among those who feel they\u2019ve been left behind. She has no answers, but that\u2019s never been her goal. Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn<\/p>\n It\u2019s not surprising that One Nation voters are anti-immigration, given the survey\u2019s findings that Pauline Hanson\u2019s voters represent a higher proportion of tradies and lower-income workers, sectors where many immigrants are deployed. However, we do need immigration as the country develops. The problem is how to find appropriate jobs and work locations for immigrants on arrival. We are notoriously slack in efficiently placing skilled people and others who come to Australia. By contrast, Canada and Germany have set up comprehensive systems to assess skills and find industries and locations for arriving workers. Certainly there may be a case for more or less immigration but the real issue is how do we ensure immigrants reach their full occupational and social potential in their new country? David Catchlove, Newport<\/p>\n The survey results are no surprise, given Pauline Hanson\u2019s well-known antipathy to a range of migrants \u2013 Asians generally and Muslims particularly. However, it\u2019s still far from clear which immigration policy One Nation fans favour. Is it the member for Farrer David Farley\u2019s figure, which seems about the same as Labor\u2019s target, or the much lower total nominated by the party\u2019s director, James Ashby? There is an important difference between these two men: the former was recently elected by the people; the latter was simply appointed but is a dab hand at putting on stunts with a mop. Nick Franklin, Katoomba<\/p>\n Unwanted twist<\/p>\n The poll of One Nation voters showing support for Ben Roberts-Smith tells us how shifts in opinion in Australia can fly under the radar (\u201cHanson isn\u2019t only hero for those who want her to lead\u201d<\/a>, August 25). These voters are at the conventional end of a spectrum that extends all the way to the wacko sovereign citizen brigade. They sound a clear warning as that case wends its tortuous way through the courts \u2013 the danger that he could be claimed as some kind of martyr and galvanise attacks on Andrew Hastie in particular. BRS serving as a lightning rod for disaffection is a twist in the political landscape that Australia really doesn\u2019t need. Margaret Johnston, Paddington<\/p>\n Shane Wright explores the $23 billion the GST deal favouring WA currently costs Australia, the $60 billion it is expected to blow out to, and the $6 billion it will cost to support other states if WA improves its iron ore royalty income (\u201cPM backs GST deal, leaves future taxpayers on the hook for billions\u201d<\/a>, August 25). What he fails to mention is that Labor holds more than 70 per cent of WA\u2019s federal seats and our PM intends to keep them all. It\u2019s a pity he doesn\u2019t realise how many eastern Australian seats he\u2019s about to lose as a result. Brian Barrett, Padstow<\/p>\n Anthony Albanese has predictably assured West Australians there will be no change to the GST deal while he remains PM. He is no doubt demonstrating political nous in doing so; however, a stronger leader might have pointed out to them that their good fortune is at the expense of every other tax-paying Australian, and that we\u2019re better off being united rather than divided. We\u2019re also better off removing rather than adding pressure to the nation\u2019s debt, to consider our future generations. Bruce McKinnon, Mosman<\/p>\n Mindless devotion<\/p>\n Peter Hartcher paints a grim picture of the trashing of American prestige under Donald Trump\u2019s presidency (\u201cHow Trump is weakening America<\/a>\u201d, August 25). But as baffling as the ineptitude in his economic, military and diplomatic behaviours is the mindless devotion he continues to attract from devoted acolytes, media cheer squad and wider support base. No other political identity in American history has achieved the mass hypnosis Trump has managed, and it\u2019s hard to see how the nightmare of such mindless adulation will end, if it ever does. I suspect that his influence on US politics and policy will far outlive him, perpetuated by the zealots already in his thrall. Adrian Connelly, Springwood<\/p>\n From the catastrophic failure of his war in Iran to his non-stop abuse of US allies while federal debt passes 120 per cent of GDP, Trump has damaged America\u2019s reputation in ways no one could have imagined. But the greatest damage he has inflicted upon America is his deep lack of moral integrity. This is why Democratic presidential hopeful Jon Ossoff has directed his criticism of Trump as being self-seeking and corruptible. Ossoff appeals to the needs of black voters and poor working families while lambasting Trump\u2019s military overreach in Iran as one of America\u2019s greatest foreign policy failures. Perhaps Ossoff\u2019s own presidential campaign could instead read MAMA: Make America Moral Again. Rev Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT)<\/p>\n Correspondent Rob Phillips applauds Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney for standing up to Donald Trump\u2019s bullying, but is silent about Anthony Albanese\u2019s comparative meekness (Letters<\/a>, August 25). Carney is fast gaining a reputation as the leader of the West for calling out Trump\u2019s betrayal of loyal allies and forging new trade relationships. Has Australia publicly supported Carney\u2019s coalition of middle powers or is it still hanging onto the tattered coat-tails of the USA as that nation blithely trashes its friends and cosies up to dictators and war criminals? Salvatore Sorbello, Campsie<\/p>\n Scott Poynting is right about the threat of a nuclear attack on Canada by the US (Letters<\/a>, August 25). In the \u201970s, singer Randy Newman wrote Political Science, a satirical song about American foreign policy during the Cold War in which he suggests America should drop \u201cthe big one\u201d on its detractors. Among complaints about other countries, he says that \u201cCanada\u2019s too cold\u201d. Thankfully, we need not worry about nuclear threats to Australia, as he sang: \u201cWe\u2019ll save Australia. Don\u2019t wanna hurt no kangaroos. We\u2019ll build an all-American amusement park there. They got surfin too.\u201d Phew! Jim Croke, Stanmore<\/p>\n Thanks to Scott Poynting for making me laugh out loud with his comment about US bombers being too far away to reach us. Does the RAAF base near Katherine NT not count? US fighter-bombers rotating through Katherine and Darwin could easily reach our major population centres if America decided we needed bringing to heel. Alan Stanley, Upper Corindi<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure whether Scott Poynting is being ironic, but of course we do have US bomber bases quite near us. On our soil, in fact. Given the capriciousness of the US government, indeed their anti-democratic, anti-trade actions, perhaps it\u2019s time we asked them to take these military targets back to the USA. Colin Hesse, Nowra<\/p>\n I have bad news for Mr Poynting. At our invitation, the US regularly operates (nuclear armed?) B52s out of RAAF Base Darwin. Be afraid, be very afraid! Clive Dye, Broulee<\/p>\n All the US bombers would have to do is fill up in Darwin before bombing us. On the way back, they could refuel again. Oh dear, how very Milo Minderbinder. Stephen Turner, Seaforth<\/p>\n By George<\/p>\n I was elected to Georges River Council in 2021 by residents who wanted better consultation on planning matters (\u201cThe state wants 800 new homes in this Sydney suburb. The council is arguing for more\u201d<\/a>, August 25). Along with my fellow councillors I have worked constructively with staff, my colleagues and the community to achieve better outcomes. Since 2024, however, the state government has usurped council powers through non-consultative processes such as its Low and Mid-Rise Housing Policy and State Significant Development. That\u2019s not local democracy, and it has pushed me to the brink of resignation. I doubt my supporters elected me simply to get footpaths and potholes fixed \u2013 they wanted me to represent their views on the decisions that shape their neighbourhoods. Peter Mahoney, Oatley<\/p>\n On the one hand is a scheme for multiple towers up to 22 storeys high to be dumped onto one side of a busy arterial road, serviced only by a narrow, one-way lane with difficult exit points. The proposal is half-baked to the extent that it leaves the other half of King Georges Road and the rest of the precinct to its own devices. On the other hand, there is a master plan from Georges River Council encompassing the entire Beverly Hills town centre and considering community interests. It should hardly be a contest if the government allows reason and good planning processes to prevail. Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills<\/p>\n Nature lucks out<\/p>\n Bravo to Cathy Wilcox for spotlighting the sickening spread of H5 bird flu in the broader context of escalating climate change (Letters<\/a>, August 25). Are we letting nature die? The Albanese government allocated just $496 million to on-ground, nature-focused programs in this year\u2019s budget. Last year BHP alone received more in diesel discounts than this entire national spend. Taxpayers actually pay $13 billion every year in diesel rebates that fuel the climate crisis and accelerate threats facing our wildlife. From a budgetary perspective, nature definitely lucks out. Our priceless, precious native species deserve better. Amy Hiller, Kew (Vic)<\/p>\n Thank you, Michael Thomas, for your reminiscences of the quiet life in leafy Cheltenham (\u201cLeafy locale tailor-made for families<\/a>\u201d, August 25). Similarly, when young, I compared our little town, where there were few shops but many cows, with living in a retirement village. Now, sadly, as the last of the picturesque dairy farms have been sold off, the peace and quiet of much of our area has been replaced with traffic noise, and real estate agents outnumber the cows. Gardens with beautiful, tall old trees are seen as a hindrance to further development, and the sound of mooing at night has been replaced with the perpetual murmur of the motorway. I wish the powers that be realised the importance of maintaining the greenery and beauty of our localities \u2013 for everyone\u2019s sakes. Therese Hume, Picton<\/p>\n Power struggles<\/p>\n While gas will play an essential role in providing reliable power and in a number of industrial processes for some time yet, in support of Ken Enderby\u2019s plea to reduce the use of gas in people\u2019s homes (Letters<\/a>, August 25) I would add that reticulation of gas incurs the high risk, indeed the probability, of leakage. Natural gas, methane, has a very high global warming potential, and numerous studies in other countries confirm its reticulation is a major source of fugitive emissions. Peter Lane, Margaret River (WA)<\/p>\n Following the dollar<\/p>\n Sue Williams may call it \u201can unprecedented act of faith\u201d for the Anglican Church to go into partnership with a developer to deliver housing on church property in Lane Cove (\u201cThe church adding an eight-storey unit block\u201d<\/a>, August 25). But given that, by the admission of Sydney Anglican Property CEO Ross Jones, \u201cthe numbers didn\u2019t add up for social or affordable housing\u201d, I\u2019d say it\u2019s more a \u201cprecedented act of avarice\u201d and one the Anglican Church is more familiar with than any truly Christian organisation should be. And for the Anglican Bishop of North Sydney to dress it up as a community service is the hypocritical icing on the cake. Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point<\/p>\n Biased coverage<\/p>\n It\u2019s an age-old problem that doesn\u2019t need to be solved with a $4000 smart bed (\u201cThe bed looking to solve your relationship\u2019s biggest sleep gripe\u201d<\/a>, August 22). Men and women seem to have different thermostats \u2013 men are often hotter and women are colder under the doona. My husband and I solved this dilemma 20 years ago by having separate doonas. Just go and buy single doonas of varying weights and a couple can sleep soundly. The added bonus is that the doona snatcher in the relationship just rolls off in their own doona, and any nocturnal malodours are contained. Maybe I should sell this idea to Elon. Maggie Brennan Gibson, Malua Bay<\/p>\n To submit a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here<\/a> for tips on how to submit letters.The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform. Sign up here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":867806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-867805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=867805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/867805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/867806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=867805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=867805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=867805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Polling](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/df886aa568d17257df1455cb131603cde2f35191.jpeg\")
Polling shows more than half of those who say they will vote for Pauline Hanson\u2019s One Nation will not change their mind.Alex Ellinghausen<\/p>\n![\"Ben](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/d03678f26c306f87f0f30dc56cdeb59aba58e8bd.jpeg\")
Ben Roberts-Smith is a hero among One Nation voters.Getty ImagesWin for the West<\/p>\n![\"Canadian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/e835b3149ed86c65042745a747d5a823fc535743.jpeg\")
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.Patrick Doyle\/The Canadian Press via APCloser than you think<\/p>\n![\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7710083440b889412d33a10fc0cd0f1722f4cd69.jpeg\")
Photo: Cathy WilcoxBucolic musings<\/p>\n