I have complete sympathy with the striking salaried hospital doctors (“NSW doctors begin three-day strike”, April 8). They have common cause with psychiatrists, nurses, midwives, and previously the police, teachers and paramedics. And it’s not the current NSW Labor government to blame, it’s the salary caps implemented for years by the previous Liberal governments. Similarly, the nine years of frozen Medicare fees for GPs by federal Coalition governments has created the current crisis in primary care. Those Liberal governments have historically used the responsibility and dedication of those health service providers to degrade their working conditions in the pursuit of small government, knowing they were reluctant to use industrial action because it would hurt their patients and the vulnerable. Peter Dutton continues the tradition. And the current NSW government, promising to right those past wrongs, is suddenly discovering that the cupboard is bare. A wise friend once told me to beware because virtues like loyalty, trust and responsibility can be used by a manipulative person for their own personal gain. Rowan Godwin, Rozelle
Doctors strike for more pay and better conditions at Westmead Hospital.Credit: Janie Barrett
While doctors in NSW hospitals may be underpaid compared to their colleagues in some other Australian states, their case for a 30 per cent salary increase seems largely to be based on the fact they are overworked and under-resourced (“The hospitals to be hit hardest by three-day day doctors’ strike”; April 8). The problem with that is the fact that no amount of extra money in their pay packets will prevent them burning out. The solution to ensuring health professionals’ wellbeing would seem to be more doctors and nurses, and infrastructure, so no one is forced to work ridiculous hours under extreme levels of stress. Ross Duncan, Potts Point
Home truths
Helen Irving’s opinion piece about the prime ministerial residence was interesting, but there was no mention of the electorate duties that any PM still retains (“Dutton harbours dreams of Kirribilli, but Australians never liked a Sydney bias”, April 8). The Parliamentary Education Office explains “when parliament is not meeting, the prime minister and members of parliament return to and work in their electorates.” I wonder how the people of Dutton’s electorate of Dickson in Queensland feel about their member preferring to live on Sydney Harbour. How does the leader of the opposition think he will fulfil his electorate responsibilities? By Zoom, perhaps? Because of those commitments to the electorate, a prime minister generally only resides at The Lodge when parliament is sitting or there are events taking place that require a prime ministerial presence. If Dutton has decided he prefers Sydney, does that mean he would be commuting daily to Canberra from there? This man is one of a growing number of politicians who would do well to read the room. Catherine Moore, Braidwood
The question around the now abandoned work-from-home policy is why did the Coalition adopt it in the first place? Was it a simple ideological attack on “lazy, woke, leftie” public servants, or was it that significant Coalition donors can see their investment in office space not delivering the returns they wanted? I, for one, am following the money. Peter Hull, Katoomba
Minns’ plan runs aground
Chris Minns must have missed the memo regarding vandalism on school grounds (“First a golf course, now schools, as NSW reclaims urban green space”, April 8). For more than a decade, schools have been enclosed by spiked steel fences to keep out vandals, thieves and other undesirables as a response to the growing cost of repairing damage. School ovals are generally poorly lit and are not suitable for after-dark activities. There are rarely any change rooms or basic toilet facilities. In the event of injury to those using these “significant amount(s) of green space”, who will be responsible? The school, the education department or the local council? Like the Moore Park fiasco, this appears to be another thought bubble to overcome decades of pandering to developers, who were allowed to smother areas with housing without leaving any significant green space. Peter Cooper-Southam, Frenchs Forest
The public school my daughters go to opens its basketball court and oval for the local community to use after hours. These spaces are well-used by the public, especially as Strathfield Council is lacking in open space and fields that are not hired out all weekend to sporting groups. Why don’t independent schools do the same? Is it their so-called values holding them back from embracing the community in which they exist? A call to a local Catholic school asking why they don’t share their facilities with the public was met with a simple “local communities are not to be trusted in our space”. So much for Christian values. Todd Hillsley, Homebush
The Minns government wants to free up more green space by opening school ovals to the public after hours and on weekends.Credit: Dean Sewell
Way back when Julia Gillard’s government paid to put fences around our schools and other places, I bemoaned the decision as depriving children of important playing spaces outside of school hours. Now Minns and his cohorts are talking about opening school grounds up again. Round like a circle in a spiral of political decisions. Aidan Cuddington, Umina Beach
Good on you, Mr Minns. Living in the Blue Mountains, I enjoy the advantage of lots of green space. However, I had to spend time in Liverpool while my husband was in hospital and was appalled at the lack of it. Even where it existed, along the river, it was for short distances, with few paths and lots of weeds. Green space is essential for mental wellbeing. Please, Mr Minns, look at doing your green space trials in the parts of Sydney that really need it. Katriona Herborn, Blackheath
Community spirit
NSW Education Minister Murat Dizdar, who suggested the system could be better off without Catholic and independent schools, failed to make the important distinction between public and private schools at the primary and secondary levels (“NSW education boss questions existence of private schools, April 8). Children attending public primary schools are part of a community involving their whole families. They actually create the kind of caring communities we all need: the walking, talking, local shop and park neighbours who live nearby. Private school primary school children are bussed and driven in from their local areas. They miss out on the bonding with people and place, a loss for them and the neighbourhood. Secondary schooling, on the other hand, can be either private or public, here or there, whatever is in the student’s best interest. But let’s keep our little ones together, and nearby. Mary Stewart, Newcastle
Mother of all insults
A shout-out to Senator Pauline Hanson’s three sons who are victims of their mother’s and sister’s dismissive, public statements about their lack of ability (“Hanson recruits daughter to build One Nation legacy”, April 8). Also, to imply it’s not nepotism if she chooses only her daughter is just wrong. Nepotism encompasses all genders. Furthermore, Pauline’s daughter Lee Hanson states One Nation policies are “based on family values and are core to the Australian identity”. Not if they are sexist, Hanson women. Jennifer Fergus, Croydon
Sin-binned
Don’t talk to locals of postcode 2011 about ibis (“Hated to feted, the bin chicken rises”, April 8). As pretty as they are, dipping their curious beaks into the El Alamein Fountain, the colony is out of control. Fitzroy Garden, the “backyard” for our mostly apartment-dwelling residents, is awash with bin chicken poo. It is unsightly, unhygienic and dangerously slippery. Large parts of the garden, including the park benches, are continually covered in it. The City of Sydney must resolve this problem and give us back our village park. Warren Fahey, Potts Point
Deafening silence
Now the world has eyewitness accounts of the killing of 15 Palestinian rescue and aid workers, ambushed and their bodies pitched into a mass grave along with their vehicles (“‘I saw everything’: Doctor recounts Israeli attack on paramedics, filmed on dead worker’s phone,” April 8). If further substantiated, this could be regarded as a war crime. It has drawn “international condemnation”, but not in Australia. I haven’t noticed any politician taking a break from kissing babies or patting dogs to condemn this behaviour. And certainly not a word from the often vocal pro-Israel lobby. The silence is deafening. Mark Paskal, Austinmer
Credit: Cathy Wilcox
Cuts both ways
Headlines predicting more rate cuts will be welcomed by those with mortgages. However, there’s another view we should not lose sight of. Lower interest rates inevitably drive up property prices, making home ownership even less attainable for those still trying to buy. Additionally, many in the growing ranks of retirees depend on modest interest earnings from bank deposits to help cover their living expenses. Today’s lending rates of about 6 per cent are a long way from the 18 per cent peak in 1990, when Paul Keating famously declared, “this is the recession we had to have”. John Kempler, Rose Bay
There is no denying that we have a cost-of-living problem (Letters, April 8), but I believe that apocalyptic disaster will be upon us when the numerous nail salons across Sydney, which are always full to overflowing, start to close down. That will be true reflection of just how bad things really are. Robyn Park, Balgowlah
Far from super
It’s been suggested that people be allowed to raid their superannuation to buy a house (“Could early access to super fix our housing Hunger Games?” March 5). We’ve been here before: when the Liberals changed the rules during the pandemic to let people access their super if they were “in extreme financial stress”. It was an immediate bonanza for a friend of mine. He owns a luxury motorcycle shop and couldn’t keep up with the demand from young men thrilled to suddenly have the funds to buy one. Maggie Ramsay, Woolloomooloo
Tariff cruelty
The cruelness of the Trump administration, as noted by correspondent Annabel Marley (Letters, April 8), is exemplified by the 49 per cent and 48 per cent tariffs respectively on Laos and Cambodia. These are two of the poorest countries in Asia, which export footwear, apparel and foodstuffs to the United States. Building up the export capacity of these countries was seen as a path to development. Coupled with this has been the cessation of USAID programs in both countries, especially the mine clearing program. We should not forget that during the Vietnam War the US is estimated to have dropped 500,000 tons of bombs on Cambodia and more than 2 million tons on Laos. Having recently travelled in South-East Asia, China’s growing presence is most notable. These tariffs are likely to accelerate this trend, though many in the Trump administration have probably not considered this. Ron Brown, Wallsend
Could it be that the US president’s Liberation Day excises, which led to worldwide stock market crashes, have been orchestrated by the world’s richest man? Once the values of many companies with strategic resources have fallen to an acceptable level, they could be snapped up by the non-elected head of DOGE, at bargain-basement prices. Makes you wonder. Harry Evans, Mosman
While there is little to no evidence to prove that Roman emperor Nero fiddled while Rome burned, there is incontrovertible evidence that Donald Trump played golf while the entire Western world went into meltdown after his unjustifiable tariff affront. History will hopefully treat him with appropriate contempt. Donna Wiemann, Balmain
Slow train coming
Correspondent Peter Farmer is right about our inadequate passenger rail transport (Letters, April 8). Unfortunately, it will stay archaic until we upgrade our railway lines. Other countries have built 21st-century railway tracks. There’s no point in upgrading the trains – they’ll rattle along at 80km/h on our ancient tracks. I once took an uncomfortable business trip to a destination south of Sydney, travelling in first class on the XPT – bang, rattle, bang, rattle all the way. Governments have spent a huge amount of money on roads and very little on railway lines. We are still the developed country with the lowest percentage of freight travelling by rail. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach
It’s not only the dated trains that make long-distance rail travel so slow, it’s the tracks themselves.Credit: Liam Mannix
It’s not just the age of our regional train fleet holding back NSW. It’s also the track. Most regional lines are on the same alignment as when they were built in the 19th century, despite advances in technology. “Curve easing” would mean quicker journeys for passengers and freight. Regrettably, governments of all stripes have neglected this, instead spending on study after study about 300km/h high-speed rail. How about they start with some simple curve easing to get the average from 80km/h up to 110? Jeffrey Gabriel, Gladesville
The trip we planned to Sydney on Tuesday to see an old friend in Abbotsford, which included a ferry link, was cancelled owing to an industrial dispute on the ferry network. Throughout the coming four days of Easter, we won’t have a direct train link to Sydney because of “trackwork”. This disruption takes place every Easter, one of the busiest holiday periods for our seaside tourist town. Our plans to reach the airport on Easter Monday will require two train connections and two bus rides. All this instead of one train trip. Our promised new whizz-bang train carriages have been sitting on the sidings for years as the rail network tries to work out how to get them running. A more comfortable train to Melbourne remains far-off as newer XPT train timetables and carriages get shelved year after year. An interstate “fast train” seems like an impossible dream. Trying to negotiate a train journey has become a nightmare with all the antiquated infrastructure and rolling stock. It’s no wonder there are more cars that require more roads. Greg Vale, Kiama
Parrot fashion
On the subject of general knowledge in the US (Letters, April 7), I once overheard a conversation between a group of young American travellers on a train. One commented she would never allow her boyfriend to wear Speedos. Another said, “Did you know they call them budgie smugglers here?” “What’s a budgie?” The response: “A small parrot.” Their conversation ended there in perplexed silence, and they left the train. I was tickled for some time, not only by their conversation but at the thought of trying to explain it to them. Marie Del Monte, Ashfield
Once when I was in America in August, I was asked by a local: “Is it August in Australia?” I’m guessing they knew that the seasons were different in Australia and wondered if we changed the months around so that summer was still June to August, like theirs. Mark Morgan, Palmwoods (Qld)
Working on a cruise ship at Circular Quay, I heard a rich American woman ask her husband: “Is that the same moon we see back home?” David Sayers, Gwandalan
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