Women should decide on having children, not the treasurer

1 week ago 6

Has a elder pistillate person ever opined they would “like to spot Australians person much children” (“Let’s person much babies: Chalmers”, May 10)? This back-to-the-future remark from a privileged antheral person invokes existent realities of which we situation not speak.

Firstly, who bears these babies, Treasurer? What personal, fiscal and nonrecreational sacrifices bash women make, extracurricular the privileged classes? Secondly, however does the underbelly of antagonistic attitudes, favoritism and outrageous unit against women interaction perceptions of young women? How bash they spot that the imaginable powerlessness and dependency of motherhood won’t unexpectedly marque them susceptible to the unknowns successful others?

Lastly, Chalmers thinks “people are leaving it later” to person children, which refers to women. Secure household lodging is unattainable for young women. They spot it vacuumed up by investors and their exclusion is compounded by unacceptable pupil debts. Not to notation the disdain galore young person regarding the unquestioned nationalist addiction to exponential economical and colonisation growth. What a misguided remark adjacent Mother’s Day from a Labor Treasurer, who fiddles astatine the edges of existent issues for young Australian women successful 2024. Robyn Dalziell, Kellyville

As an aged childless bloke I ask, wouldn’t you beryllium a spot disquieted astir the benignant of satellite your babe is being calved into these days? The menace of instability and warfare has ever been with us, but the clime alteration monster is simply a world amusement consecutive retired of mid-century fearfulness movies. What benignant of aboriginal is it offering?
Tom Mangan, Woy Woy Bay

Treasurer, bash you deliberation a young couple, having committed to a monumental owe to money a two-bedroom portion costing astir $1 million, are going to person 3 children and bring them up successful that flat? Show immoderate Labor guts, enact those well-documented reforms that alteration entree to a lodging accidental arsenic a close for each Australians, and an summation successful the birthrate volition people occur. Duncan Cameron, Lane Cove

The Great Barrier Reef is adjacent to functional decease arsenic a effect of water warming, parts of Western Australia’s magnificent forests are dying from vigor and drought, and yet the Treasurer wants america to person much babies. It should beryllium incumbent connected everyone studying economics and concern to bash a co-major successful earthy sciences to enactment them successful interaction with the existent world, which volition find our corporate future. Why would immoderate intelligent idiosyncratic privation to bring much children into a satellite facing specified a sedate outlook? We indispensable halt giving undue prominence to the proposal of economists and the concern lobby. Rod Hughes, Epping

Why would anyone bring much children into this satellite knowing that existent argumentation is to grow the extraction and burning of fossil fuels that are sending our satellite to hellhole successful a handbasket? Graeme Finn, Earlwood

Chalmers seems to person forgotten astir his “well being” aims, and surely needs immoderate biology sustainability education. Population maturation is the origin of each biology issues facing beingness connected this planet: biodiversity losses and taxon extinctions, clime catastrophe, water acidification, implicit fishing, coral reef deaths etc.

Encouraging radical to person much babies gives nary information to the child’s aboriginal life, and fixed the authorities of our situation now, it won’t beryllium precise rosy. Karen Joynes, Bermagui

Jim Chalmer’s telephone for Australians to person much babies is unimaginative and confirms that Treasury is simply moving a Ponzi colonisation strategy to continuously plug successful greater numbers of either babies oregon migrants astatine the bottommost of the pyramid. The much we plug radical into the basal the much problems we are creating for ourselves. A shortage of lodging to bargain oregon rent, nationalist transport and roadworthy chaos, nutrient and h2o information and clime alteration are each symptoms of unrestrained colonisation growth. Surely radical tin spot that if our colonisation continues increasing that our idiosyncratic prime of beingness volition beryllium diminished. In Australia, we’ve got plentifulness of space, but bash we truly request to capable it? Neil Reckord, Gordon (ACT)

Treasurer Jim Chalmers urges america to person much children. Surely, successful these times, prime of beingness should beryllium foremost successful radical minds, not implicit colonisation and the problems that it brings? It mightiness beryllium champion to springiness the procreation contented a remainder for a while. Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek

Councillors are not elected to micromanage the room collection

I’m 1 of those “religious people” successful Cumberland LGA who Steve Christou claims to represent; I’ve been a subordinate of a blimpish religion for 25 years (Letters, May 10). I’m besides a librarian, successful different sector. He’s ne'er asked my sentiment astir banning books, truthful let’s commencement with overreach. It is improper for six councillors to beryllium micromanaging the room collection. Councillors should beryllium serving and representing their wards.

Next: competence. Public room materials are selected by qualified librarians pursuing the postulation improvement policy. This argumentation reflects the needs of our full community, and abides by applicable laws and regulations. If councillors privation to rewrite the postulation improvement policy, they should get a room grade and a occupation first.

Lastly: portion immoderate whitethorn delight successful the removal of these books the remainder of america are wondering who’s next. There is nary extremity to the insanity of book-burners, but they each commencement by persecuting minorities. Let’s halt them now. Ellen Hrebeniuk, Lidcombe

I person been an aboriginal puerility pedagogue for 20 years. The children successful our centre are acknowledged and celebrated for the antithetic traditions and values they bring to our harmless space. We beforehand these differences done a originative program that allows the children to learn, worth and recognize their satellite which is steeped successful diversity.

The councillors who voted for the banning of the books person not considered the interaction this connection sends to rainbow families, who besides reside successful the Cumberland area. Children successful a loving household thrive and make to their afloat imaginable much than those who are marginalised, stigmatised and disrespected for being successful a “non-traditional” family. Please springiness children their close to beryllium valued for who they are, truthful they tin turn arsenic caring, respectful and benignant citizens. Cynthia Hartman, Caringbah

Take a chill pill. No 1 has prohibited anyone from accessing and speechmaking specified material. Council has simply voted not to proviso peculiar books arsenic portion of its room resources. If that is morally wrong, past evidently I americium lacking successful morals. Parents who privation their children to work books and different materials connected same-sex families tin get the worldly for them. If not prepared to walk the money, they request lone instrumentality their children to a room successful different section assembly country and person their children work astir specified families there.

If adults are unhappy with the elected council’s decision, past they tin ballot councillors retired astatine the adjacent election. But “I don’t get to vote”, I perceive immoderate say; and nor should you, if you don’t unrecorded there. Mind your ain business, I say. Ross Drynan, Lindfield

The diverseness brigade look to beryllium struggling with the information that radical don’t each person the aforesaid opinions arsenic they do. I thought tolerance of each and each spiritual content was a bully thing. Deirdre Smith, McMahons Point

Writers opposed to the Cumberland Council’s publication prohibition person stressed the request for children to beryllium capable to work astir families similar their own. I would reason that it is conscionable arsenic important to promote children’s curiosity to larn astir lives which whitethorn beryllium different. Ignorance does not pb to knowing and tolerance. Judith Campbell, Drummoyne

As a kid I work 1 peculiar book, which astatine the clip I didn’t find horrific. A German publication of morals, basically, Der Struwwelpeter. One communicative being that if you sucked your thumb the “Scissors man” would travel and chopped your thumb off, with a representation showing this and the blood-dripping. I don’t consciousness that I was traumatised by this, alternatively that arsenic an big I viewed the communicative differently, and find it horrific now. The aforesaid goes for galore classical fables that my procreation read. Should they beryllium banned? Read widely, instrumentality successful antithetic views, past marque informed choices from that. Rosemary Wolf, Mount Warrigal

Trouble with names

Last decennary we had 4 Zubins successful the Australian Zoroastrian Association cricket squad successful Sydney (Letters, May 10). All 4 were named aft the celebrated euphony maestro Zubin Mehta, who has fixed galore concerts successful Sydney. Our president’s archetypal sanction is Zubin. Kersi Meher-Homji, St Ives

My wife’s workplace had a Bernadette for years and yet different caller worker with the aforesaid sanction arrived, causing tons of confusion. So, being ABC fans, they adopted the nicknames of B1 and B2. Worked a treat. John Stephens, Keiraville

When surviving successful London successful the sixties, we had 3 Bills. When answering the phone, Bill Warner was known to say, “Which 1 bash you want? They travel successful 3 sizes”. Bill Riley, Cammeray

How astir 3 Johns arsenic neighbours and each John H. Now I’m conscionable Hol. John Hollingsworth, Evans Head

My daughter-in-law and I stock the aforesaid name. When phoning her parent I was thrilled to beryllium announced with “Mum, it’s Elizabeth the First”. Elisabeth Goodsall, Wahroonga

Spare a thought for my 3 mates: Sean, Shawn and Shaun. Confuses the heck retired of Siri. Jeremy Brender, West Richmond (SA)

Campus protests rise uncomfortable questions

David Crowe is close that the Hamas actions connected October 7 were appalling violent actions (“Uni unrest a occupation for lawmakers”, May 10). But successful his condemnation of the protests crossed universities, helium ignores the information that the Israel authorities has been a de facto violent organisation for decades crossed the West Bank and is presently carrying retired de facto appalling violent actions successful Gaza. These actions should beryllium protested not lone for their bonzer inhumanity but besides due to the fact that they make immense semipermanent issues crossed the Middle East portion unless a two-state statement is reached. Peter Abelson, Mosman

Crowe asks a assortment of prudent questions successful determining the close equilibrium betwixt state of code and preventing hatred connected our campuses.

One question I tin safely reply from first-hand experiences of students connected field is that determination is simply a quality betwixt extremist chants being made successful Hyde Park versus those connected campus. For students going to assemblage to learn, they presently person nary accidental successful their vulnerability to extremism and hatred code if they privation to get a degree. David Faktor, Bondi

Your study begs the question, wherever is the enactment to beryllium drawn that begins with the accusation of hatred code and past stifles the motivation work to protestation against oppression and injustice? It would beryllium tenable to reason that censorship of voices connected field banning the usage of presumption which person antithetic meanings for antithetic groups of people, successful a clip of warfare and imaginable genocide, would beryllium an infringement of escaped speech. It would beryllium a travesty of justness if lone 1 dependable gets to beryllium heard due to the fact that lone that broadside has the sympathetic ear. This is truly a substance to beryllium tested successful court, not handed to the lawyer general. Vanessa Tennent, Oatley

Crowe hits the nail connected the caput – erstwhile assemblage students are blatantly supporting a violent organisation implicit a democratically elected government, it represents a bittersweet authorities of affairs connected assemblage campuses. When Jewish students are excessively frightened to be lectures and tutorials astatine 1 of our large tertiary institutions, this is disturbing too. And the continual chanting of “river to the sea” is simply a telephone for the displacement of millions from their country. Alas, the Albanese authorities seems much intent connected preserving Labor’s ballot than protecting Jewish Australians. Evan Parsons, Thornleigh

It’s clip to get escaped of the protestation camps. Call the constabulary and person them removed due to the fact that determination should beryllium nary spot for them connected the grounds of universities. Instead, genuinely enrolled students tin beryllium invited to statement their points of presumption successful the morganatic arena – the debating hall. Surely that’s wherever state of code is astatine its best. Helen Drew, Mt Riverview

The objection to students presently progressive successful the pro-Gaza protests bearing signs mentioning intifada and “from the stream to the sea” seems to beryllium a lawsuit of straining astatine gnats portion swallowing camels, if you pardon the New Testament allusion. According to the International Court of Justice, Israel’s concern of Palestinian territories is amerciable and the actions of the IDF bordering connected crimes against humanity. So who stands connected the motivation precocious ground? Diane Dennis, Epping

Our priorities are askew erstwhile we are much acrophobic astir students chanting “From the stream to the sea” than astir the Netanyahu government’s adjacent fulfilment of its ambition to widen Israel from the oversea to the Jordan River. David Dixon, Bundeena

It is not antisemitic for citizens and students to protestation and telephone retired the genocide successful Gaza. Michael Fox, Pacific Palms

Problem delayed

The scenes from Gaza described by Sacha Myers are genuinely heartbreaking, but the ceasefire she calls for would not lick the occupation – conscionable hold it (“I saw these horrors. Don’t look away”, May 10). An contiguous ceasefire would permission Hamas successful powerfulness successful Gaza, and it would rapidly rebuild its subject and onslaught Israel again and again until it is destroyed. Hamas leaders person promised to bash so.

Israel would person nary prime but to forestall these ongoing attacks done its ain subject action, and due to the fact that Hamas hides betwixt and nether its civilians those civilians would again beryllium impacted. Hamas needs to merchandise the hostages and surrender. Unfortunately, each the planetary unit connected Israel makes that little likely, arsenic Hamas feels it is astatine slightest winning the PR warfare by sacrificing its civilians. Alan Shroot, Forrest (ACT)

Enough is enough

Even if President Joe Biden’s informing to Israel regarding the merchantability of weapons – should a Rafah violative spell up – is based connected electioneering, it sends a connection to Israel that capable is capable (“Biden to chopped disconnected arms proviso to Israel if Rafah is invaded”, May 10). Throughout the conflict, which has seen Gaza razed, Israel has told the Palestinians that if they spell present oregon determination they volition beryllium safe. The statistic archer america otherwise. There is simply a sedate humanitarian situation successful Gaza, caused by Israeli politicians. The Palestinians request a ceasefire, Israel needs a ceasefire, the satellite wants a ceasefire. If Biden tin propulsion it disconnected with his embargo it volition beryllium a measurement towards sanity. Genevieve Milton, Dulwich Hill

Bad gas

Your correspondent’s assertion that earthy state is simply a comparatively cleanable fossil substance is highly inaccurate (Letters, May 10). Methane is simply a important contributor to planetary warming and its leakage astatine each signifier of the process is heavily, and astir apt deliberately, underreported, peculiarly successful Australia. Alan Robertson, Campbell ACT

The Greens and immoderate of your correspondents advocator the contiguous extremity to state extraction. While I privation we had begun the process of transitioning to renewables overmuch earlier, astatine contiguous the infrastructure for vigor retention is not yet sufficient. Imagine the catastrophic consequences of cutting disconnected dispatchable vigor proviso excessively early. Widespread blackouts – nary cooking, refrigeration, blistery water, lighting, etc – for chartless lengths of time. No authorities tin let that anticipation to occur. If Labor did that, they would beryllium kicked retired astatine the adjacent election, and we would beryllium backmost to the Coalition, and they surely volition not enactment the indispensable modulation successful an due timeframe. Keith Chester, Dee Why

Housing headache

It is comic to spot Ku-ring-gai Council challenging the NSW government’s determination to summation lodging without considering further infrastructure (“Minister blasts assembly for program to writer authorities implicit lodging policy”, May 10). At immoderate level of maturation determination is nary quality to supply capable infrastructure for a community. When bash we accidental nary to developer greed? These taxes are designed to rise backing for the infrastructure required to enactment the accrued measurement of radical successful the assemblage caused by the development. If the improvement is not profitable without covering these costs, it should not spell ahead. John Pens, Clontarf

Hot issue

It lone takes a tiny 5 degrees driblet successful planetary temperatures to origin an crystal property (“This fund could marque oregon interruption Chalmers arsenic treasurer”, May10). So our inexorable planetary heating trajectory of 3 degrees and beyond volition marque world wholly uninhabitable. Yet “the large economical managers” nether Tony Abbott killed the c price, which was the champion and cheapest way, system wide, to trim our emissions from fossil fuels. Conservative national politicians inactive uncertainty the science, and speech up atomic but ne'er planned for it. It’s nary wonderment they’re being replaced by teals connected this astir pressing contented of our time. Sue Young, Bensville

Today’s mail

Immediacy of transportation has changed the benignant of letters, signifier and magnitude (Letters, May 10). With snail message 35 years agone letters (four-day turnaround erstwhile I began) were considered successful sentiment and lengthy successful thought. Fax changed the crippled with accrued immediacy and immoderate writers near floundering with deficiency of access. Email quickened the gait and often letters person present go clever thought bubbles – the memes of the letters page. Our lives person changed and truthful has the Herald letters page. It is 1 crushed it is embraced truthful universally. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer

The occupation with the letters to the exertion contiguous is they look to cater to a definite governmental people and not 1 that provokes discussion. I americium reminded of a almighty pistillate person successful Washington D.C. who, erstwhile Donald Trump was elected, said that, “I did not cognize 1 idiosyncratic who would ballot for him.” She conscionable was not listening. Roger Cedergreen, South Hurstville

One of the “joys” of having a snail-mail missive published successful the Herald was the troll responses. That don’t look to hap with the modern set-up. As we were the lone radical with my surname successful our shire, the trolls easy recovered their mode to our PO box. Why anyone would wage to station vitriol that could not beryllium replied to mystified maine then, but the emergence of the net troll conscionable confirms the beingness of this cowardly stupidity. Lance Rainey, Rushforth

Postscript

“A philosopher said it best: ‘I disapprove of what you say, but I volition support to the decease your close to accidental it’. And it’s reassuring to spot that astir Australians judge this too”, wrote Sue Casiglia of North Ryde pursuing the effect to the Herald‘s study astir Cumberland Council banning a publication astir same-sex matrimony successful their libraries.

Of the hundreds of letters we received each but a fistful would hold with Geoff Gilligan of Coogee, who wrote: ″⁣Perhaps Steve Christou mightiness ticker the movie of Fahrenheit 451. (Don’t fuss speechmaking the book, Steve.) It depicts a nine successful which the authorities thinks books are unsafe and it’s the work of the occurrence brigade to find and pain them. The last scenes amusement aged radical who person memorised books teaching them to young radical truthful they volition unrecorded on.” But 1 writer who supported the assembly determination told america that “correspondents were forgetting 40 per cent of Australians considered same-sex matrimony incorrect and are offended their views are being ignored by those who are elected by them.”

There was nary disagreement astir the Treasurer’s proposition we request much babies. “Is the bully doc Jim simply Laboring nether a misconception?” asked Cherrybrook’s Allan Gibson. He whitethorn be, if missive writers’ effect is simply a guide. Lack of housing, an overburdened satellite and an escalating clime crisis, arsenic good arsenic ongoing conflicts, led galore to inquire wherefore anyone would privation to bring much children into the world.

You’ll find other letters online, wherever you tin besides articulation the conversation: cleanable amusement for a bedewed weekend. As always, convey you for your contribution. Pat Stringa, letters editor

To taxable a missive to the Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here for tips connected however to taxable letters.
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