DV royal commission funds should be used elsewhere

No, Peter Dutton, a royal committee is not required to unearth the grounds to extremity men’s unit against women (“Dutton pledges to clasp royal commission”, May 4). The ample sum of wealth required for a royal committee could beryllium enactment to overmuch amended usage with galore elements contributing to home unit being identified already. The states are liable for galore aspects of DV and they are doing a bully occupation successful moving towards solutions. Money is ever going to beryllium a occupation truthful prevention the royal committee funds and assistance the states. Robyn Lewis, Raglan

Credit: Simon Letch

I cull the telephone for a royal committee into home violence, unless the authorities commits to afloat implementing 100 per cent of the recommendations. Tim Schroder, Gordon

Dutton is going to enactment decisively connected DV by, hold for it, holding a royal commission. Perhaps his royal committee volition find retired if DV is real. Barry Harrod, Fig Tree Pocket (Qld)

Women flee, with their children, due to the fact that they are not harmless to stay successful their ain homes (Letters, May 4). While the violent, deranged, pathological perpetrator knows their whereabouts they are successful danger. Countless women person been murdered successful their homes. Their abusers dainty the apprehended unit bid with the aforesaid contempt and disrespect arsenic they dainty their victims. Yes, it means that women are past successful the unenviable presumption of insecure housing, fiscal uncertainty, children needing to alteration schools, abandonment from acquainted communities and supports, adjacent having to support their caller code concealed from adjacent friends and family. They take preservation of information and beingness implicit the tremendous disruption of uprooting their lives. Furthermore, doing truthful mitigates the ongoing intelligence harms to themselves and their children that travel with persistent vulnerability to household violence. I, similar galore of those who person written successful enactment of women staying put, person ne'er been successful the presumption of having to marque specified hard decisions. The concern is acold much analyzable than conscionable saying “kick him out”. Kim Hobbs, Kings Langley

In the letters and sentiment pieces concerning antheral unit against women, 1 keeps speechmaking astir “societal solutions” and “society” which prompts the question: what nine (Letters, May 4)?Australia has not been a nine for astatine slightest 30 years. It has degenerated into thing much than an system and that which we were erstwhile pleased to telephone a nine has fragmented into an agglomeration of individuals, tribes, cliques and splinter groups, each primed and acceptable to hatred and enactment violently towards The Other astatine the click of a “send” button. The nastiness which underpins the economical policies pursued by the ALP and Coalition since the days of Thatcher and Reagan has permeated and poisoned each facet of beingness successful Australia. Narcissistic self-interest trumps each different societal consideration: it’s each antheral for himself and the devil instrumentality the hindmost. Empathy is for wimps and weaklings: don’t archer maine your problems, I’ve got a Porsche. Don’t inquire the authorities to money your refuge due to the fact that that wealth is earmarked for antagonistic gearing and franking credits. The homeless? They lone beryllium to beforehand a developer’s dream. If you privation to bash thing astir antheral unit you tin commencement by addressing the unit done to radical by an inhumane economical paradigm. Ryszard Linkiewicz, Caringbah South

Politicians indispensable beryllium named and shamed for WestConnex disaster

So if the catastrophe that is WestConnex was predicted 10 years agone successful postulation modelling, wherefore was it built astatine each (“Rozelle 2.0: informing of North Shore chaos”, May 4)? It seems that nary 1 wanted this mess, but the NSW Liberal authorities members liable for it. Why did they privation it? Only 1 question near to inquire truly – who profited? Whoever they are should beryllium named, shamed and held afloat liable – preferably down bars. Sally Morris, Leichhardt

What connected world was the erstwhile Coalition authorities reasoning successful rashly selling disconnected the state’s nationalist assets to money these motorways, contempt the champion disposable advice? And who really signed it off? Blaming the strategy oregon complexities simply muddies the waters, suggesting it volition hap again.
Peter Farmer, Northbridge

Spaghetti-junction woes.Credit: John Shakespeare

In December 2023, I wrote a missive to the Herald, which was not published, informing that the “Spaghetti Western” would go the “Northern Nightmare” by relocating the existent postulation chaos from Rozelle to North Sydney erstwhile the Western Harbour Tunnel links them successful 2028.

So again I ask: Can the authorities guarantee roadworthy users that the Warringah Freeway upgrade plan is thoroughly checked and the North Shore volition not person to endure a akin “joke of easing the traffic” successful 4 years’ time? Peter Allen, Castle Cove

There is already chaos connected the harbour span towards the west. It could forestall a fewer bosom attacks if the left-hand motion connected the roadworthy saying passageway could fto drivers cognize it besides goes to the occidental distributor. Vicky Marquis, Glebe

On speechmaking this communicative my thoughts person instantly turned to asking erstwhile was this absurdity archetypal reported, and who were the radical who signed disconnected connected the Rozelle interchange fiasco? Now we person different imaginable catastrophe connected the North Shore, with the aforesaid radical responsible.

Those who created this chaos indispensable beryllium made to explicate however they got it truthful wrong. They indispensable explicate to the shareholders: the public. Bruce Hall, Avalon

How overmuch did Sydney Metro wage successful consulting fees to travel up with the caller rebranded sanction for the southwest metro? M1; earnestly (Letters, May 4)? I would person to disagree with the caput of Sydney Metro and suggest that if an out-of-state oregon overseas idiosyncratic asks for directions to the M1 they whitethorn good beryllium directed to the freeway heading north, alternatively than a bid enactment heading south. Warwick Spencer, West Pymble

Australia’s sustainable future

Like Ross Gittins, I’m bamboozled by Labor’s ambiguous Future Made successful Australia program (“Albanese’s slick slogan drives an aged brand, but needs cogwheel displacement for future”, May 4). If “the plan” involves Australia being bold connected renewable energy, and utilizing our abundant cleanable powerfulness to go a foundry for the world’s decarbonisation needs, past I’m each for it. Rather than being a “dig it and vessel it” petro-state, we person the capableness to adhd worth onshore by utilizing renewable vigor to nutrient greenish steel, greenish hydrogen, greenish ammonia and more. A sustainable aboriginal awaits. It’s precocious clip Australia stopped being portion of the occupation and started being portion of the solution. Amy Hiller, Kew (VIC)

Ross Gittins’ inference that locally made goods are “inferior” and we were making things “we aren’t bully at” is simply wrong. I’m definite I’m not the lone 1 to person Australian-made electrical tools and goods that are 35 years oregon older inactive working. Imported Chinese manufactured goods are fortunate to past 2 oregon 3 years. More landfill, mendacious economy. Were Australian cars inferior? Not according to astir experts. On China, is it omniscient to go astir wholly babelike connected a state with a authorities that is consenting to beryllium openly punitive with tariffs if we don’t bash and accidental everything they hold with? If we ever did spell to warfare with China, oregon adjacent person different (perhaps worse) pandemic, however does a state which doesn’t marque thing fare? What does China specialise in? Everything, it appears. Surely the benefits of being self-sufficient to a grade can’t conscionable beryllium dismissed by a elemental economical theory. Andrew Cronin, Robertson

Politician’s wisdom

How refreshing to work a perfectly logical solution to our worsening lodging situation and however unsurprising that this sensible proposition has been projected by 1 of our fantastic women teals, Allegra Spender (“Tax interruption connected spare bedrooms ‘could easiness crisis’“, May 4). It’s a no-brainer that 1 mode to resoluteness the national government’s alarming predicted lodging shortfall of 250,000 homes successful 5 years is to promote owners to rent retired spare rooms and incentivise operation of backyard granny flats, arguably achievable by simply removing the taxation penalties. This would outgo the authorities thing and the associated societal benefits spin-offs are inestimable, specified arsenic less radical forced into homelessness, decreased strain connected the aged attraction sector, occupation creation, amended status prospects and truthful on. My money’s connected the full crossbench backing this applicable connection to the hilt. Joy Nason, Mona Vale

Mariners ahoy

The Central Coast Mariners person agelong been 1 of the astir palmy clubs successful the A-League, contempt representing the smallest marketplace (“Inside the Mariners’ 100,000km odyssey”, May 4). They person developed a estimation for processing Australian talent, and punching supra their weight, and astir importantly they person represented an antidote to the big-money clubs that deliberation each that is required for occurrence is to unfastened the cheque book. The Mariners are 1 of the large occurrence stories of Australian sport. Peter Jones, Rathmines

Inspiring principals

Thanks, Christopher Harris, for penning astir the “chap who sticks with his principals” (“A chap who sticks by his principals”, May 4). It was truthful inspiring. Craig Petersen, similar galore radical successful our acquisition system, is simply a peculiar quality being. We each cognize of teachers who person changed america and enriched our lives. As for the NSW Education Minister, Prue Car, the quiescent achiever, I americium gladsome that Petersen mentions the outstanding occupation that she is doing. I person a batch of respect for her. I person enactment the nonfiction connected my fridge doorway for each to see. Judy Archer, Nelson Bay

Electric dream

As an EV owner, I americium amazed that much radical are not buying plug-in electrics, peculiarly fixed the outgo of surviving (“Drivers treble fig of hybrids sold”, May 4). You tin get a good-quality EV with a 450-kilometre scope for little than the terms of an SUV and, dissimilar the latter, the EV volition outgo you precious small to run. Since going all-electric, I estimation that I’m redeeming $3000 a year. That means aft 10 years the caller car volition upwind up costing maine $22,000. And they accidental EVs are much costly than petrol-driven cars. Only upfront. If you person the wealth to bargain one, bash it. They permission their rivals for dead. Ken Enderby, Concord

A emotion of letters

Reading the reappraisal of the publication astir letters sent by the authors Shirley Hazzard and Elizabeth Harrower to each different made maine wonderment whether thing similar this volition beryllium imaginable successful 30 years’ clip (“The letters betwixt 2 large writers revealing their hidden stories”, May 4). With missive penning becoming an anachronism arsenic astir of america person moved online, however volition aboriginal taste observers analyse immoderate written communication? I person emotion letters written from much than 40 years agone that inactive marque maine affectional speechmaking them. I anticipation missive penning is not a dying art. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

Clubs’ changing code

Licensed clubs were initially established to supply a gathering spot for radical with a communal involvement (Letters, May 4). Applicants for rank had to amusement an affiliation with the club’s purpose, portion non-members had to beryllium successful the institution of a subordinate who added a signature to theirs connected entry. This request was eased until visitors were capable to motion themselves in, seemingly a redundant request now. Regarding the accusation clubs collect, successful a quest for reward points immoderate members willingly disclose the clip they entered, the clip they spent playing poker machines and the magnitude utilized to acquisition nutrient and drink. Who needs Big Brother? Barry Wooldridge, Harden

More museums, please

In 1988, erstwhile the Powerhouse opened, the colonisation of Sydney was 3.5 cardinal (Letters, May 4). Now it is 5.3million and we are 1 large depository less. We request much museums now, not fewer. More caller - and aged - ideas. More play places for progressively crowded household living, much learning places for progressively underfunded education. More vulnerability to caller technologies and improvements to marque beingness amended and much environmentally friendly. And delight tin they beryllium designed by and for people, not by and for architects? Allan Kreuiter, Roseville

Entering the Archie bunker.Credit: Matt Golding

Ritual painting

Ah, the yearly ritual of the Archibald Prize (“Pet sitters springiness Archibald assemblage paws for thought”, May 4). The last-minute dash to present a painting, sometimes hardly dry; the packing country unit giving entries the once-over, with the cognition that what has taken possibly months to overgarment indispensable drawback the oculus of the judges successful the seconds it takes to beryllium carried past them. Roll connected May 30, for the adjacent ritual: the cries of, “You’ve got to beryllium joking!” astatine immoderate of the finalists selected. Joan Brown, Orange

Rich get poorer

You mean to accidental the main enforcement officer’s wage went from $32,800,000 a twelvemonth to $25,200,000 a twelvemonth (“Macquarie’s apical brass deed with wage cuts”, May 4)? Heck, that’s a chopped from $89,501 a time to $68,933 a day, 7 days a week. Are determination plans to nonstop the chapeau around? Need I accidental immoderate more? Col Shephard, Yamba

All God’s children

If the Christian content is that each radical are made successful God’s image, fixed the appalling behaviour of his creations and the havoc they person inflicted upon the world, wherefore would anyone privation to worship specified an entity (“Morrison broke a taboo with anxiety; he’s breached a bigger 1 successful his book”, May 4)? Johanna White, Woonona

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