I well understand why my wife has stopped reading the newspaper. There are many good people in the world, but the ubiquitous selfish stupidity and greed makes depressing reading. Many people cast aspersions on politicians, but fail to recognise they simply reflect us. The bile spewed out by religious fundamentalists and shock jocks has fuelled the fear and anger in society. The vision for humanity illustrated in Beethoven's 9th and Mahler's Resurrection symphonies tends to fade when confronted with such banal ignorance. One has to wonder about mankind's ability to tackle major challenges such as global warming and nuclear weapons proliferation. If Donald Trump wins the US presidential election, we will probably cancel our newspaper subscription and retire to a small patch of paradise in the Victorian countryside – taking our grandchildren with us.
Tony Priestley, Fitzroy
Illustration: Matt Golding.
We need some MPs with backbones
Are we going to have to put up with this toadying to Pauline Hanson's rhetoric for the next three years or longer? To listen to politicians, shock jocks and the media pandering to her slurs on anyone she considers "less than"? She is given every opportunity by commercial media outlets to incite racial hatred because they know she is a crowd-puller. But while 500,000 people in Queensland voted for her, some 14.5 million elsewhere in Australia did not. Their views are entitled to respect. Who speaks for them? It seems there are few representatives in parliament left with a spine. Maybe we could crowdfund to buy one for them to share.
Sandy Healey, St Helens, Tasmania
Travel broadens the mind
How kind of Ms Hanson to offer folks a ride to the airport. I read her maiden speech while holidaying in Lombok, a beautiful (predominantly Muslim) Indonesian island. All is well here; people go about their day in a calm and peaceful way. I'd like to offer Ms Hanson a lift to the airport. They do say that travel broadens the mind.
Maryanne Barclay, Frankston South
Money will trump morals
Al Capone was eventually convicted of tax evasion rather than for his criminal activities. Maybe the only way we will end the inhumane treatment of refugees is when concerns about the amount of money being spent eventually trumps any concern about their welfare. Shame.
Denise Stevens, Healesville
Stand up for law enforcement
While law enforcement bodies are targeting Australians linked to tax evasion and laundering profits from crime, their job will get much harder unless the government abandons plans to sell off the corporate register. The government must also require the register to include the ultimate owners and controllers of the corporations listed. Currently, the register includes shell companies listed at fake addresses with bogus directors. A public register of the real owners and controllers of corporations would help law enforcement agencies in their work and assist businesses such as banks and casinos to ensure they do not get caught up in the laundering of the profits of crime.
Mark Zirnsak, Tax Justice Network Australia
THE FORUM
PM is compromised
Evidence is growing that Malcolm Turnbull's leadership is compromised. Take his use of the term "mandate" to justify his ongoing push for a plebiscite on marriage equality, the terms of which were ill-defined until recently. However, when it comes to that same mandate regarding spelt-out "iron-clad guaranteed" changes to superannuation, he's prepared to compromise (aka cave-in) significantly. He did so not in the face of overwhelming public opinion or parliamentary opposition but to appease the conservative/hard right members of his back bench. Methinks both his personal convictions and his hold on power are similarly compromised.
Kevin Bailey, Croydon
Irony of One Nation
Senator Malcolm Roberts assures us that Pauline Hanson is "a very, very competent and highly intelligent person". Given that he possesses such a renowned scientific mind I am left no grounds with which to dispute him. I am therefore forced to conclude that, when she chose to call her party "One Nation", the irony was intentional.
Peter Lawrence, Bentleigh East
China influence grows
Australia has a shameful history of bullying and stealing from our nearest neighbour, East Timor, one of the poorest countries in the world. Timor-Leste is almost entirely dependent on oil and gas revenue, with 90 per cent of its income coming from this sector. As the one major oil field (Bayu-Undan) in the Timor Sea that sends royalties to Timor-Leste winds down, the nation faces a collapse in income within a decade, while political and military instability looms large.
Australia must negotiate permanent maritime boundaries with Timor-Leste according to international law. If our government doesn't care about Timor-Leste's future, it should at least care about our national security, for the Chinese influence in Timor-Leste has grown alarmingly in the past few years.
Bob McEwan, Elwood
Looking after lobbyists
No wonder Donald Trump is gaining votes. America commits $US38 billion in military aid to Israel while one in seven US families live below the poverty line. It seems the country is run to serve lobbyists' interests, not serve ordinary Americans.
Bill Hisheh, Macleod
Weak animal code
The medical experiments on greyhounds are barbaric but unfortunately not uncommon (News, 11/9). Every year, millions of animals suffer and die in labs, often for no demonstrable benefit to human health. The National Health and Medical Research Council must toughen up the weak standard of justification in its code of practice. Also of concern is the system of self-regulation under which animal research institutions operate. There is an irreconcilable conflict of interest when the party who receives public funding for a research project involving animals also decides whether the use of animals is justified.
The key to reform is transparency. Government should mandate more public access to information about animal experiments and how the benefits outweigh the costs. The animal research industry gets away with committing great wrong because it operates in secrecy.
Rob Buttrose, Moonee Ponds
Back door entry
Before we start congratulating ourselves for attracting such large numbers of international students we should remember that many view this as simply a back door into Australia. They enrol with private institutions of dubious quality and end up with a qualification that does not match the skills that Australia requires. But it sure beats trying to get into this country by boat.
Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove
Staff bear the brunt
The article about insurance companies (News, 11/9) made me wonder whether a company has ever gone broke because it treated its customers too well. Obviously, some people try to defraud insurance companies, but the majority don't. What is really sad is that companies' policies are made not by the staff but by the well-paid executives and boards of directors.
Howard Bellin, Brighton
Carving out a future
I recently visited Bathurst Island and saw how the local Aborigines are carving out a sustainable existence. I watched Mario skilfully paint bird carvings he'd fashioned from irongum. I was so impressed I bought one. The co-op's sales office was full of beautiful local artworks, all reasonably priced.
A few days later, back in Darwin, I happened on a few souvenir shops in the mall. I spied carved birds, boomerangs and artworks hanging on the walls. All seemed more expensive and of poorer quality than the original works I'd seen on Bathurst Island. I picked up one carving. It was lightweight due to the cheap timber and nearly twice the price I had paid. I happened to turn it upside down and to my horror saw a "Made in China" sticker. I ventured to a similar shop to find a repeat experience.
Why are Darwin's souvenir shops peddling stuff imported from China, when they can get the real product for a lower price just a two-hour boat ride away? Sure put a margin on to ensure profitability. But what a win/win/win – for the Bathurst community, Darwin's traders and the tourist who buys the "real" thing.
Tony Taggart, Sandringham
Proud of health service
Recently, on a weekend, I took a woman, whose first language was not English, to the Royal Dental Hospital. With an abscess she was in excruciating pain. The waiting room was full. After a 2 hour wait, my friend was treated appropriately and kindly. The following Monday I rang the North Richmond Community Dental Hospital and was given a follow-up appointment for three days later. We were so impressed with the professionalism of the service. The receptionists were efficient and helpful, and the treatment thorough. Further appointments were arranged with an interpreter provided if required. Too rarely do we sing the praises of our public health system but I thank the government and council for providing an amazing amenity.
Bernadette Murray,
Moonee Ponds
Local MP too busy for us
Thank you Health Minister Jill Hennessey and others for taking steps towards enabling end-of-life choices. It's a pity my local MP, Lizzie Blandthorn, is far too busy into the foreseeable future to meet constituents to hear our points of view. Part of the job, I'd have thought. Arrogance or the social conservatism of the "shoppies union" in action?
Anne Sgro, Coburg North
Crack lamington elusive
The ubiquitous cooking shows on TV have spawned a subset of baking shows. And personality required to excel at this sort of baking. Perfectionist? Obsessive compulsive comes closer.
My annual entry into the Royal Melbourne Show lamington contest provoked these thoughts. I have sought out the recipes most likely to be successful and have fiddled with various techniques. One can try to solve "uneven coconut distribution", but it is near impossible to solve the issue of icing viscosity. Furthermore, one needs to tumble the little beggars in coconut without disturbing the shape or leaving fingerprints. Constructing a lamington is not unlike handling nitro glycerine. Too much pressure or an act of clumsiness, and the partially built cube is dispatched to the zombie plate where the mutant cubes sit awaiting consumption by undiscriminating family members. The results came through on Thursday night. I have a year to figure out what I did wrong.
Tony Long, Glen Iris
Close calls often deadly
While a one metre minimum distance for cars passing cyclists is welcome, this won't ensure cyclists' safety. We need infrastructure. Unfortunately, in this neo-liberal era, government prefers citizens to bear the responsibility and cost for their safety.
Daily I commute to work, notionally protected by my helmet, bell, reflectors, lights and hi-vis clothing. But they did nothing to protect me from the driver who failed to look at a roundabout the other morning, nor were they helpful when I and a line of cyclists were nearly felled by a utility vehicle. Close calls are a frightening reality for us. Such incidents are rarely recorded but they can result in injury or death.
Bruce Hurst, Fitzroy North
Try plain credit card
Ric Acott notes that a travel card is not the way to go (Letters, 11/9). I was offered one before a recent trip to Switzerland and I declined. I transferred funds to an account accessible in ATMs so my need for local cash was covered. And I used a credit card whenever possible, which meant I didn't need much cash. Admittedly there were fees involved, but I paid only for what I used.
Wayne Robinson, Kingsley, WA