Between the powerful religious schools lobby groups effectively rendering Gonski reforms ineffectual, politicians being too scared to take on these powerful lobby groups and John Howard deciding parental choice rather than student needs should drive the Australian education system, we are in one unholy mess (Letters, October 26). Schools with the least need get the highest government support and those with the greatest need received the lowest level of support. This certainly is not what happens in the high-performing education systems around the world. This devaluing and defunding of public education will have devastating effects not only on student outcomes but on the nation’s social cohesion. Is there the political will to risk an election to save our education system and the future of our nation? Warren Marks, Hill Top
Senior high school students Credit: Louise Kennerley
The Gonski reforms were ethically sound and based on student needs, but successive governments have pandered to the private and religious school lobbies, eviscerated the Gonski recommendations, and even made the situation worse for many public schools. When will our elected representatives have the political courage to show real leadership in rectifying these egregious situations? Rob Phillips, North Epping
Once again the public v private school debate rears its ugly head citing the same familiar arguments and objections. My solution is to scrap private K-12 education altogether, unless it is home-schooling. Make all schools public and go back to mandating that, unless there are proven, compelling, exceptional circumstances, children attend their local schools. This would mean less travel, less rivalry, less stress all round; more certainty, more time and more community connection. Then we could concentrate on what really matters: giving every Australian child equal access to the best quality education our taxes can provide, regardless of where they live, how much their parents earn or what religion or culture they practise. Meredith Williams, Northmead
Non-government schools do not receive more government funding than public schools. In NSW, public schools attract an average of $21,923 per student in government funding compared with $12,313 per non-government student (Productivity Commission data). The model reduces government funding to each non-government school based on parents’ median income. No such reduction occurs for public schools.
Government funding for public schools has grown faster than it has for non-government schools over the past decade ($2,919 v $2,630 per student). The median fee in NSW independent schools is less than $5,500 per year. High fee schools make up less than 10 per cent of the sector, a proportion that is shrinking each year as new independent schools open up in outer suburban areas
The only independent schools fully funded by government are special schools which cater solely for students with additional needs. These schools represent one-fifth of our sector in NSW. Margery Evans, chief executive, Association of Independent Schools of NSW
Your correspondents decry the inequities of school funding. I think if it were a requirement that all politicians send their own children to the local public primary school and thereafter the local comprehensive secondary school, we would see a change in funding structures almost overnight. Gary Stowe, Springwood
NSW government created this mess over golf courses
If the NSW state government hadn’t handed to its rich and powerful mates great chunks of public open space like the Sydney Domain (for the Art Gallery of New South Wales), Moore Park (for car parking), Parramatta Park (a football stadium), Auburn’s Wilson Park (cricket headquarters) and Kensington’s Astrolabe Park (rugby headquarters), nobody would be showing the slightest interest in grabbing Moore Park Golf Course for public recreation (The Herald’s View, October 26). Nat Buckley, Drummoyne
Golfer at Moore Park Golf Course Credit: SMH
To all those concerned about the loss of nine holes from the 18-hole Moore Park Golf Course in order to have more public open space — what is two times nine (Letters, October 26)? Paul Fraser, Coogee
Look on the bright side. Turning a golf course into a cemetery improves your chances of getting a hole in one. David Atherfold, Avalon Beach
We should all be grateful to golf for ensuring we have so many lovely, park-like green spaces set aside for our use. Now, if only we could get rid of the golfers. Barry Riley, Woy Woy
There are more than 100 golf courses in greater Sydney, taking up enormous tracts of land for the benefit of a few. How about a fair go for all? Brian Roach, Westleigh
Well may Bob Carr make erudite comments about residents looking out onto green spaces but with no access to it. This problem is his legacy to Sydney. When he was the minister for the environment he expanded a few national parks and completely ignored the city, refusing to see activists who were working with short-sighted councils to try and improve parklands. Terese Archibald, Enmore
The Herald advances the proposition that 550 hectares of land, some 13 golf courses are available to golfers near Sydney’s CBD (“How much golf is too much golf?” October 25). This claim is seriously wide of the mark and needs to be corrected. Of the 13 golf courses mentioned by my calculation six are reserved for the wealthy or the ultra-wealthy. The chances of the “Average Joe” getting a game there are very remote. So when you examine the headline claims in reality less than half of the 550 hectares are available to the public. In this new debate it’s pretty clear how the issue will unfold. The soft targets of affordable public courses will be in the crosshairs while the ultra-exclusive private courses, where the movers and shakers play, will be blissfully unaffected. There is enough inequity already in the lives of Sydneysiders without targeting the average golfer. John Sutton, Termeil
Doubt over Hawke’s florid words with Thatcher
John Brown’s so called sharp memory seems to be matched with a vivid imagination (“The man Bob Hawke turned to on his deathbed”, October 21). It is inconceivable that a prime minister would talk directly to the prime minister of another country in the florid terms John Brown claims Hawke did with Thatcher. Both PMs have written about their rancorous and combative arguments at various Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings over sanctions to bring about the end of apartheid in South Africa, but they always retained a high personal regard and respect for each other, including hosting welcoming and co-operative reciprocal official visits.
As the former, long-standing private secretary to Bob Hawke, I am sure that he was not averse to using robust language, but he would not have embarrassed himself or his country when speaking to Mrs Thatcher by calling her a “f---ing b--ch, or referring to the British and Irish Lions as that “f---ing team”, as claimed by John Brown and detailed in Roy Master’s article. Notetakers would have been present at both ends of the call and it would have most certainly been leaked, creating sensational headlines and considerable consequential diplomatic ripples. The fact that this alleged conversation in the alleged terms has not appeared in any of the various published books about Mrs Thatcher’s prime ministership, not least her autobiography for the period of her cabinet years, leads me to believe it did not occur; Mrs Thatcher would not have forgotten the alleged exchange. Sad that Bob is no longer around to defend himself against such an implausible story. Jill Saunders, Surry Hills
Bob Hawke and Margaret Thatcher Credit: Getty
Old justices are good justices
The retirement of High Court Chief Justice Susan Kiefel highlights the need to revisit the constitutional requirement for High Court justices to retire at 70 (“It’s one of the key government decisions, but you may have missed it”, August 28). This was the result of a referendum held in 1977. Times have changed though, and what made perfect sense in 1977 no longer looks that way. Most High Court justices do not get appointed until their late 50s or early 60s so are destined for a relatively short tenure on the bench. We are unnecessarily denying ourselves many years of developed wisdom. Clearly some kind of cut-off is needed but this should be according to each individual’s ongoing intellectual acuity. It shouldn’t be too difficult to develop independent evaluation processes at various stages — perhaps in five-year steps after 70. Often justices who are forced into retirement at 70 are then deemed perfectly qualified to head royal commissions and other forms of inquiry. Times have changed, 70 is no longer old. Let’s change our constitution again to reflect this. Alan Phillips, Mosman
Contemporary musicals
Joanna Mendelssohn’s challenge for a musical about Henry Parkes (Letters, October 26), has already been met with “The Duke of Edinburgh Assassinated! or the Vindication of Henry Parkes”, a play written by Dick Hall and Bob Ellis and performed at the Nimrod Theatre in 1971. I understand that in this version of history Sir Henry was the villain, and that the play also considers the would-be assassin who shot a bullet into the buttock of the royal visitor during a picnic at Clontarf in 1868. The prince survived, but perhaps we could invite nominations for contemporary political figures who are similarly a pain in the backside? Evan Bailey, Glebe
Joe’s words laughable
Who could forget Joe Hockey puffing away on his smug fat Cuban cigar with Matthias, while sorting out the lifters from the leaners, implementing the tough cost-cutting measures that hit ordinary tax payers (remember the “the poor don’t drive cars or drive them very far anyway” comment?) and cutting pensions while letting the multinational mining firms off the hook off paying a fairer share of tax via a mining tax and managing, along with Tony, to kill off any hope of a carbon price to stabilise the market (Letters, October 26). And now a decade later he reappears, lecturing the world on how they should run their economies. It would be laughable if it were not so sad.
Donald Sleer, Manly
Joe Hockey Credit: AFR
Rushed out the door
I spent two weeks in hospital after my total knee replacement last year, meaning I had expert care and rehabilitation from the on-site doctors, nurses and physiotherapists essential to my recovery (“Day surgery for joints may reduce backlog”, October 26). This is major surgery and the prospect of being sent home without proper pain relief, medical and nursing care and the wonderful physiotherapists who worked with me twice daily horrifies me. This is just another poorly thought out idea to churn patients through the healthcare system and cut waiting lists.
Most joint replacement patients are over 60, have other medical conditions and may not have support at home. Then there is the lack of a suitable bed, height adjustable armchair, accessible bathroom and toilet, walking aids and meals which are available in a hospital. Amanda Brian, Bexley
As a physiotherapist and about to undergo my own bilateral knee replacement surgery, I am very concerned at this proposition. Firstly, these patients would have to be carefully selected. They would need to be relatively fit, not overweight, have good home care and post-operative physiotherapy.
If not, rather than this proposal aiming to reduce surgical backlog, it may increase it as these patients will be back in hospital with complications, defeating the original idea. Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek
I am fit, healthy and have a new hip since last Friday. My recovery is going well, but I shudder to think how differently things could have been if my procedure was only day surgery. The level of care I needed could not have been provided by my dedicated and able home carer (aka wife) in my first two days. John Bourne, Moruya
When operations are carried out in public hospitals, patients can’t be kicked out soon enough to make room for new patients. When the same operations are performed in private hospitals with the same doctors, they want patients to stay as long as private health insurance allows them. It shows that patients are not the top priority, it is the “efficiency” in public and “money-making” in private hospitals that dictates the health system. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill
Permanent teachers
When I retired from teaching a few years ago half the staff in my subject were on temporary contracts or casually employed (“My bus purgatory is nothing like the hell voters will raise”, October 27). When I started teaching far more teachers were permanent employees and casual teachers rarely used for any length of time and contracts did not exist. Perhaps the Labor government could make teaching a more attractive profession if more teachers were given permanency and a decent salary progression without usually having to leave the classroom. I wonder if teacher shortages are more a problem for public schools where salaries are lower than in private schools which get enough money from both state and federal governments to be able to attract and keep teachers. Mary Billing, Allambie Heights
Trick missed for Albo
So, no Rock Lobster on the menu (“Australian theme for state dinner, but B-52s off menu”, October 26)? Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay
It seems like a lot of unnecessary fuss about “a meal three months in the making”, when a prawn cocktail followed by a chicken parmi and pavlova would have been perfect for the PM’s state dinner at the White House.
George Zivkovic, Northmead
Cate’s no pasty
Having walked through Mawgan Porth on the Cornwall coast, I reckon Cate Blanchett has a wonderful sense of place. She will suffer the criticisms, do whatever to make peace with neighbours, if she’s wise, and enhance her life (“‘Hollywood-on-Sea’ turns on Cate Blanchett over home renovations”, October 26). Brian Jones, Leura
Climate change bypass
Don’t hold your breath for action on climate change, Francesca Stahlut (Letters, October 26). Two stark examples are the extensive use of outdoor gas heaters by restaurants and the very frequent fireworks over Sydney Harbour. Rick Johnston, Potts Point
Rugby’s hot air
The heads of Australian rugby union have triumphantly announced that their 2027 World Cup is to start two weeks later than usual so they can get “clear air” from the NRL and AFL finals. Oh, suffer the poor leather-patchers.
Tony Doyle, Fairy Meadow
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