For crying out loud, the theatre is no place for a baby

Times person changed (“Miffed mum’s outrage does not basal up”, April 24). Children were not usually taken to restaurants erstwhile I was a kid and I didn’t really spell to 1 until I was 17. These days determination are galore child-friendly restaurants and well-behaved children are invited astir anywhere. However, if I person paid a precocious terms for a summons to an evening show, screaming children are not portion of the deal. It’s not just to the different members of the assemblage oregon the performers. Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights

No laughing matter: Arj Barker and Trish Faranda with girl Clara.Credit: Andrew Murfett

I congratulate Arj Barker for asking the parent to permission the theatre with her baby. And what was she reasoning sitting 4 rows from the front? The theatre is nary spot for a baby. People wage bully wealth for the theatre and merit to bask it escaped from distractions. We request to amusement our chap theatregoers respect. Phil Johnson, Dee Why

I went to spot Jethro Tull astatine the Hordern Pavilion successful 1972. There was a babe up the beforehand with mum and Ian Anderson came up to her and said that the babe shouldn’t beryllium present due to the fact that the set is truthful “expletive” loud. We heard the set but not the baby. John Brown, Kianga

We discreetly took our 18-month-old girl with america erstwhile we saw Monkey Grip successful the aboriginal 1980s. Our girl had regularly seen Noni Hazlehurst successful the ABC’s Play School, but erstwhile the full cinema assemblage was watching Noni’s bare love-making, our girl looked up from being breast-fed and said “that beryllium Noni!” It surely broke the tense soundlessness successful the cinema. Evan Bailey, Glebe

What astir the dependable of the loudest lolly wrapper successful the world, the feet connected the backmost of your chair, the iPhone screens lighting up with incoming messages, precocious arrivals, endless chewing down to the past spot successful the noisy bag? I gave up connected being captive to assemblage behaviour agelong ago. In earlier years theatres invested successful ushers. These were usually adjuvant radical with a torch who wandered astir silently civilising the assemblage and spreading harmony. I ever felt astatine bid that idiosyncratic was successful control. Now I enactment astatine location with my cat. Joe Whitcombe, Bronte

While my woman and I raised our ain children, we accepted the information that, for a play of time, we did not spell to societal events, unless determination was idiosyncratic disposable to look aft our babies. This was arsenic overmuch retired of information for others arsenic thing else. Being retired successful nationalist with a babe is not the aforesaid arsenic attending a unrecorded performance. I’m not definite that Arj Barker did thing incorrect erstwhile asking her to permission his show. Jon Pollard, Moss Vale

When my children were young, my societal beingness chiefly revolved astir family, and friends successful the aforesaid concern arsenic me. When I was fortunate capable to spell to a unrecorded theatre event, oregon adjacent the cinema, did I instrumentality my babies with me? Definitely not! On a purely selfish note, I wanted to beryllium capable to immerse myself successful the experience, without distraction. Leaving my children astatine location was besides an enactment of courtesy, some to those onstage and to the remainder of the people successful the audience. Suzanne Fuller, Thornleigh

Elon’s endless entitlement

Elon Musk asks: “Should the eCommissar (an unelected official) successful Australia person authorization implicit each countries connected earth?” (“Musk v Albanese: How Sydney stabbing sparked a censorship debate”, smh.com.au, April 23). I’d inquire wherefore an unelected oligarch believes that it is his close to find which policies of a legally elected government, successful a state of which helium is not a citizen, are due and which ones are not? Does having immense wealthiness entitle him to beryllium the eCommissar of the full satellite and to insult our elected MPs? If he’s truthful pro-truth and against each censorship, wherefore has helium been soundless connected the banning of books successful a fig of US states? Alan Marel, North Curl Curl

Federal Tasmanian legislator Jacqui Lambie.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

If Elon Musk has been truthful irritated by Jacqui Lambie that helium has to vilify her connected X, that puts her astatine the apical of my popularity list. Go Jacqui, support up the bully work! Pamela Wood, McMahons Point

He mightiness beryllium assured taking connected assorted governments and agencies but lone a fool takes connected Jacqui Lambie. Good luck, Elon, you’re going to request it. Tom McGinness, Randwick

ASIO, constabulary forces, and the eSafety Commissioner are lambasting Facebook and different societal media companies for providing end-to-end encryption due to the fact that it mightiness beryllium abused by criminals oregon “misinformed”. This is simply a turnabout from the Arab Spring erstwhile quality agencies crossed the satellite provided end-to-end encrypted connection to dissidents. ASIO and the constabulary forces besides expect america to judge that they volition lone presumption the messages of paedophiles. That’s bunkum.
Yes, privateness volition beryllium abused by individuals, but constabulary powerfulness tin and has been abused, too. My mother’s Indigenous activism successful the ’70s resulted successful her having a “terrorist” record with the South Australian Special Branch. I deliberation the astir extremist happening she ever did was inquire creator Harold Thomas to travel up with a emblem (it’s the 1 that the PM present stands beside). Let’s summation backing for constabulary to usage their existing powers and not sacrifice our liberty retired of fear. Ken McNamara, Wollongong

We tin nary longer spend to spell softly softly successful warring the harm that societal media is doing to societies everywhere. Social media bosses with unparalleled wealthiness and powerfulness resent immoderate projected restrictions connected their freedom, and societies everyplace are struggling to find ways to power them. From not taking capable measures to forestall children from being exposed to pornography, unit and hatred code to reams of misinformation and disinformation sown by Russia and China to discredit ideology successful our eyes, they penchant their nett implicit our welfare. They volition enactment up a fierce absorption to controls but it is encouraging that Peter Dutton signals the combat volition beryllium bipartisan. Gary Barnes, Mosman

Monitor suspects retired connected bail

The caller spate of murders of women and the grade of home unit successful Australia is appalling (“Molly’s death: Court decisions nether fire”, April 24). There is thing elemental that tin assistance forestall these atrocities. Currently, Apprehended Violence Orders (AVOs) are not treated earnestly capable by the constabulary oregon the courts and the consequences tin beryllium deadly. When an Interim AVO is made by a tribunal it should beryllium accompanied by reporting conditions for the suspect to be the section constabulary station, either reporting daily, oregon 3 times a week, and the constabulary should interaction the Person successful Need of Protection (PINOP) by telephone to corroborate that determination has been nary breach of the order. Records volition beryllium kept. A breach, either by not reporting to the constabulary oregon arsenic confirmed by the PINOP, would past effect successful a transgression charge, bail being refused and the suspect held successful situation until the AVO hearing.

Unfair? Maybe, but the hazard of harm to the PINOP, astir ever a pistillate and her kids, is reduced, and the suspect is alert of the seriousness of the offence, and volition deliberation doubly astir his actions. Lives volition beryllium saved. And these laws should use Australia-wide, not state-by-state.
Greg Martin, Balmain East

Molly Ticehurst’s alleged murderer, Daniel Billings, was released connected bail conscionable weeks aft being accused of sexually assaulting her.

The alleged murderer of Molly Ticehurst had been released connected bail lone weeks earlier aft being charged with the intersexual battle of Molly and different superior offences. The adjacent leafage reports that an A-League shot subordinate likewise charged with rape and battle offences has besides being granted bail. How superior indispensable the alleged offences beryllium earlier bail is denied?
Helen Simpson, Curl Curl

No enactment connected tax

Shane Wright highlights the information that, though ostentation is falling, Australians are suffering nether a welter of authorities and national authorities taxes (“Price pressures to easiness but Australians deed by grounds taxation take”, April 24). Economists person been screaming from the rooftops that the Henry Tax Review came retired successful 2010, small has been done since and a implicit revamp of our taxation strategy is good overdue. With expanding expenditures connected defence, the authorities knows it has a backing occupation but has declined to marque immoderate large changes and layout a program arsenic to however it is going to summation its revenue. However, with Jim Chalmers’ fund coming retired adjacent period and the adjacent predetermination conscionable a twelvemonth away, thing volition hap successful the adjacent future, truthful presumably Albanese volition tackle this task if helium wins different word but, successful the meantime, the authorities conscionable plans to tread water. Peter Nash, Fairlight

Visit Gallipoli

Anzac Day has successful its ain mode go our nationalist time (Letters, April 24). One September we joined an Anzac circuit to transverse the Dardanelles from Cannakale to Gallipoli connected a tiny ferry. Our Turkish usher showed america the intended landing spot and the fatal one. We toured the tract successful tiny buses and were impressed by the tranquillity. It is simply a immense parkland with the Lone Pine memorial, the cemeteries and trenches surrounded by brushed greenish pines. It is worthy the sojourn during a quiescent clip to springiness 1 a accidental to admit the views, the past and hitch distant a teardrop aft speechmaking the generous words carved connected the memorial to the mothers of the sons lying successful the crushed here. It is worthy the sojourn conscionable for that. Nola Tucker, Kiama

Bad reasoning connected Gaza

“This thought … that morganatic criticisms of Israel are being unopen down by accusations of antisemitism is 1 of the reasons the assembly was formed,” says Sarah Schwartz of the Jewish Council of Australia, a radical that purports to relationship for “the abject failures of our alleged Jewish typical organisations to recognise the increasing fig of Jews who enactment an contiguous ceasefire and Palestinian quality rights” (“Australians consciousness strain of Gaza war”, April 24). And therein lies the bosom of the problem. For the JCA is simply a assemblage that has consistently reduced this catastrophe to wholly zero-sum terms. If you are not for the JCA, you are pro-Israeli government. There tin beryllium nary mediate ground. On the contrary, rather isolated from the JCA’s funny nonaccomplishment to telephone retired the rabid antisemitism connected the far-left, the crushed the immense bulk of progressive Jews – those who are arsenic supportive of Israel’s beingness and Palestinian state – garbage to beryllium associated with the JCA is precisely due to the fact that of this benignant of coarse framing, which plays close into the simplistic, anti-intellectual reasoning spurred by this catastrophe.

It besides goes immoderate mode to explaining wherefore astir left-of-centre Jews successful Australia person ne'er felt much politically stateless successful their full lives. Simon Tedeschi, Newtown

Australians are close to consciousness interest astir a emergence successful spiritual intolerance. But to reason the utmost lethal unit the existent Israeli authorities is inflicting connected defenceless radical successful Gaza is not antisemitic. Many Jewish radical successful Israel and elsewhere besides reason it. Even if they termination each Hamas subordinate successful Gaza, the Israeli government’s actions volition effect successful a caller procreation of militant groups successful Palestine and surrounding Arab states, and dissipate the reservoir of goodwill that the satellite rightly extends to Jewish radical arsenic a effect of the Holocaust. Kevin Fell, Cooks Hill

Light bulb moments

As Ross Gittins reports we bash request a batch much renewable energy procreation capableness to regenerate dying fossil substance infrastructure (“New zero? Here’s a agleam idea”, April 24). We besides request a batch much of the “bright idea” that is utilizing gathering absorption to trim energy demand. There are plentifulness of agleam ideas including the usage of microgrids to heighten resilience and trim the request for expensive, long-distance energy transmission. Bright ideas? Yes please. Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls

Here’s a agleam idea. Credit: Dionne Gain

Cut down connected plastic

Consumers addicted to convenience are each complicit successful generating the glut of single-use integrative wrapping, accelerated nutrient packaging and discardable integrative cups that signifier the basal of breakdown particles freed to permeate the smallest nook and cranny of our bodies, homes and earthy habitats (“The toxic chemicals we unrecorded with each day”, April 24).

Until authorities modulate everlastingly chemicals, we could put successful PFAS-safe eco-friendly reusable nutrient containers and keep-cups for takeaway meals and barista coffee. Not lone bash we trim idiosyncratic vulnerability to PFAS, this greenish wont is expected to dilatory the discarding of PFAS-containing packaging that further poisons the environment. Turn the micro-pulverised toxin pat disconnected portion we fig retired however to rein successful the 14, 000 PFAS “forever chemicals” that harmfully insinuate our lives. Joseph Ting, Carina (Qld)

Good blood

I whitethorn not beryllium capable to tally 100 metres successful 16 seconds (Letters, April 24), but erstwhile I made my past humor donation astatine the Toowoomba Red Cross Blood Bank 1 week aft my 88th day I was told I was the oldest humor donor successful Australia. So Brian, if you privation to springiness humor you mightiness person to determination to Toowoomba. John Munro, Toowoomba

Job share

I don’t spot wherefore radical should entity to 2 candidates sharing a spot – we often get a two-for-one woody with ministers, particularly premier ministers, whose wives supply governmental enactment and proposal (Letters, April 23). Kristina Vingis, Church Point

Easy money

Well, well, good (“Bleak outlook for Star arsenic Crown gets licence back”, April 24). Crown is to support its casino licence contempt its appalling behaviour record. I should person enactment a stake connected it. Tim Parker, Balmain

Costly mistake

It present transpires that having escaped the lions’ den, Bruce Lehrmann not lone made the mistake of going backmost for his hat, but besides refused the lions’ connection to screen the outgo of a caller 1 (“Ten pursues Lehrmann for costs”, April 24). Matthew Stevens, Thornleigh

That could beryllium to beryllium a precise costly portion of head-wear. Philip Bell, Bronte

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