Rodger Shanahan perfectly sums up the disturbing nature of Middle East commentary (“Telling Israel the killing must stop in Gaza is not antisemitic”, December 19), where “advocates press hard for their side without conceding any ground to the other”. On the left, we have the Greens and various conspiracy theorists calling any party that doesn’t fully agree with them “genocide-apologists”. On the right, Peter Dutton’s Liberals and the Jewish lobby label any criticism of Israel’s slaughter of more than 40,000 civilians “antisemitic”. In such a volatile time, I thank our progressive government and the thoughtful Senator Penny Wong, who upheld the promise to govern for all Australians and cautiously steered the country down the sensible centre path.
Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn
Mohammad Shouman carries the body of his daughter, Masa, who was killed in an Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, at her funeral in Rafah on Tuesday.Credit: AP
Shanahan rightly takes Mike Kelly to task for his emotive and accusatory opinion piece on Australia and Israel. Standout points in his rebuttal include dismissing the claims that Israel is “engaged in an existential conflict” and that an early end to the Gaza war will mean an early end to “the Israel-Palestine issue”. Why not? Because of the Israeli settlements. Shanahan puts it plainly: “The almost 700,000 settlers create facts on the ground designed to make any future two-state solution less and less practical.” He could also have instanced as “facts on the ground” the expansion of Israeli control over southern Lebanon and Syria. Along with Gaza, these facts suggest a drive towards the creation of a “Greater Israel” that Australia must resolutely call out. Tom Knowles, Parkville (Vic)
Thank you for supplying the one word I was trying to find – “proportionality”. I keep wondering why it is regarded as antisemitic to be devastated by the disproportionate loss of life in this conflict. Sadly, it may not be enough to save the continuing slaughter of innocent civilian lives. Sally Shepard, Nelson Bay
Shanahan wishes there was more “reasoned debate” on Gaza. He observes we live in “an era when identity is king”, but doesn’t question that. He dismisses Israel’s claim that it faces an existential threat, but stays silent on what follows: how then is Israel’s Gaza campaign essentially different to Russia’s in Ukraine? The International Court of Justice, citing “plausible genocide” in Gaza, is not captured by Israel’s identity mantra. Shanahan also fails to link Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands to the frustration behind Hamas’ bloody October 7 attack. If the settlements are a barrier to peace, then so are all the other Israeli abuses of occupation under the Geneva Conventions’ international law: incarceration of children, denial of medical access, travel rights. On which we and our friends, Israel’s friends, do nothing. In exposing the blind spots in Mike Kelly’s defence of Israel, Shanahan fails to see some in his own. Ken Blackman, Inverloch (Vic)
What value to Country?
Senator Jacinta Nampijinpa Price makes a good point about repetitive Indigenous recognition (“Welcome to Country isn’t for every event. Good on you, Storm”, December 19). The acknowledgment of Country especially is vastly overdone. We don’t sing the national anthem or recite the ode to the fallen every time a plane lands, or when a speech or presentation is given. And their words are not printed on the bottom of websites, advertising blurbs or grocery receipts. But the acknowledgment of Country has become so ubiquitous and perfunctory that the sheer repetition of it risks relegating the disadvantage that still blights Indigenous lives as having been properly taken care of by simply mouthing a bunch of well-meaning platitudes. Save it for more serious and pertinent occasions and get on with making Indigenous lives better. Just genuflecting at it at every turn only serves to vacuum non-Indigenous consciences into a state of self-satisfaction at best and indifference at worst. Adrian Connelly, Springwood
Indigenous dancers perform during the Welcome to Country before a Melbourne Storm-Cronulla Sharks match.Credit: Getty Images
I agree with Price when she says, “many people have lost the ability to think and speak rationally about these issues”. What comes to mind, in particular, as an example of this craziness are her own words uttered in the run-up to the Voice referendum about there being no entrenched disadvantage for Indigenous people in Australia. In saying this, she ignored the government’s “Bringing Them Home” report, as well as mountains of evidence in numerous “Closing the Gap” reports, plus ongoing research by Indigenous and non-Indigenous anthropologists. Her article seems to conveniently side-step her nonsensical earlier comments, but we haven’t forgotten. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown
Price highlights the dichotomy in the modern world of progressive identity politics. George Orwell’s “all animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others” could be compared to a multicultural Australian society trying to promote inclusion but increasingly creating hostile diversity. Does the spectator at a sporting event switch off or genuinely contemplate the significance of a welcome to Country? Is a CEO at an AGM going through the motions and ticking boxes as he/she acknowledges traditional owners? The puerile obsession of trying to please everyone and offending no one creates a make-believe world where authentic gestures get lost in the nonsense and the genuine debate gets cancelled before it starts. Simon Pitts, Riverview
Finally, Price brings the discussion about welcome to Country out in the open. The question is, what good does it do? Does it help disadvantaged Indigenous people? Does it engender mutual respect? There must be better ways to help. Ensuring outback schooling for all children, running centres offering useful activities to all citizens, police presence to ensure law and order in communities reportedly struggling with crime, to name a few. Where these things are put in place but fail, methods need to be changed. It would be good to see how Indigenous people have benefited from this policy – there must be some who are glad of it. It’d be heartening to hear how their lives have improved. But it looks like hypocritical jargon to some of us who wait impatiently for the end so we can just get started. I’d happily be educated as to how and why the policy is valuable. Wendy Crew, Lane Cove North
Here we go again, Price sowing the seeds of confusion under the guise of being an authority on what is good for the First Peoples of Australia. Price confuses acknowledgment of Country, a statement that this event is conducted on Aboriginal land, with welcome to Country, an ancient tradition that recognises the presence of a visitor on your land. She says, “I am not interested in pointing out race for the sake of it. So if that is the ultimate aim of the recognition being promoted here, I want no part of it”. Her contribution to the referendum debate was to confuse us by saying a Voice to parliament would divide us. It certainly has and this article will continue to do so. Chris Moe, Bensville
If I could think of one thing that the Coalition has done to promote Indigenous health, I would take Price seriously and I would applaud her celebrating Melbourne Storm’s actions. The Coalition, in government and in opposition, has resisted every opportunity to correct the structural injustice of Indigenous people. Price prefers to rant on disadvantage rather than advance their cause. She is neither an appropriate adviser for Indigenous people nor for the settler groups, of which Melbourne Storm is one. Anne Eagar, Epping
Two writers, Price and Shanahan, literally and metaphorically on the same page, writing about balance in public discussion. Both presenting some well-considered arguments. Good reading, great to see. Needs to be more of it in Australia.
Steven Lee, Faulconbridge
Push for nuclear purely politics
Australia’s Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation produced a report on small modular reactors recently; the essential theme is “it is too early to tell”. The present debate is being pushed by a person who thinks it is important politically but appears to have little understanding technically.
There are many places around the world planning to build nuclear power plants, all with no certainty in regard to the best design, the cost of building, the cost of the generated electricity, the building time and the clean-up at the end of their useful life, as well as the waste problem.
It appears to me the present push is very short on anything but politics. Peter Alway, Hunters Hill
The Coalition’s report on nuclear costings, while controversial for its convenient assumptions, surprisingly details a future energy mix with far less hydrogen than expected. Under the Coalition’s modelling, hydrogen’s energy generation is as little as a seventh of that determined by Labor – a significant departure from Morrison and Turnbull’s dreams of replacing gas with hydrogen. This is the death knell for fossil-fuel-derived hydrogen as its last political support dries up. Electricity needed to produce green hydrogen was also quietly snubbed from analysis, drawing ire from the already dwindling industry.
It seems Dutton no longer believes in his predecessor’s plans for hydrogen. Fortescue – Australia’s biggest green hydrogen player – withdrawing from the industry, coupled with growing expert criticism of its finance and emissions issues has likely made it too politically costly to pursue.
When even solar-produced hydrogen will emit too much to be considered green under global standards, it seems unsurprising the Coalition no longer thinks of hydrogen as the miracle it once did. Rosco Jones, Turramurra
All that’s left
Rosemary O’Brien claims “Labor’s relentless push left” as a fact (Letters, December 19). If that’s the case, why do we still have negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount?
Judith Campbell, Drummoyne
Your correspondent must be wearing strongly tinted glasses to be seeing what she claims is “Labor’s relentless push left”. Labor moved right of centre in the Hawke-Keating years and has never come back. Some would argue that that is what has driven the Liberals’ relentless push to the even-further right. Regardless, when did striving for a fair, equitable society become something of the “left”? Is that not just something driven by a compassionate, caring, humanitarian view? Peter Thompson, Grenfell
The global economy has faced major headwinds and will continue to do so. Australia can’t shelter from those. Quick, bring back Angus Taylor! Only joking. Dave Watts, Avalon
Nothing too left in governing and caring for all Australians, Rosemary. There were signs not long ago that the conservatives would reverse aspects of the right to an abortion. Pretty far right, if you ask me! Claudia Drevikovsky, Croydon
Oh, Rosemary! Your ideological slip is showing. There is abundant evidence of the Coalition rush to the right, but if you think helping people with great policy here at home and conducting ourselves well in the international sphere is a push to the left, I can only shake my head. Wolf Kempa, Lithgow
Like this prayer
In December 1999 John Marsden wrote A Prayer for the 21st Century (“Acclaimed Australian author John Marsden dies aged 74”, December 19). “May those who live in the shadows/Be seen by those in the sun” – I kept this quote on my desk, intending to use it some relevant time, never figuring it would be on his passing. Vale John Marsden. May your prayer be heard by many. Glenys Quirk, Forster
John MarsdenCredit: The Age
Beyond HSC scores
Congratulations to all those schools that did so well in the HSC (Letters, December 19). However, why not look beyond the numbers and see other achievements? For example, Dubbo College Senior Campus graduated 74 First Nations students this year. That is an incredible achievement for the school and also for our community.
It is an outstanding school that is recognised by the community with increasing enrolments. Supported by the junior campuses, the achievements of the Dubbo College Senior Campus are a true team effort. Philip Halpin, Dubbo
I can see why North Sydney Boys excelled at English (“Inside the island study camp where North Sydney Boys plotted their HSC success”, December 19). The school’s head of English, Ms Loveday Sharpington-Recny, has a name of which even Shakespeare would be in awe. Peter Hill, East Ballina
Skid’s stuff
With Hugh Marks as their new boss, will Roy and H.G. stop referring to him as “Skid”? William Galton, Hurstville Grove
Try before high
The Minns government’s announcement of a pill-testing trial is certainly good news for drug users and those who care about them (“Pill testing to go ahead at NSW summer music festivals”, December 19), and is a significant win for reform advocates who worked so hard at the recent drug summit. It is to be hoped that this trial will be more robust, more comprehensive and more conscientiously carried out than the half-hearted debacle that was the six-month cashless gaming trial earlier this year. Meredith Williams, Baulkham Hills
Missed talent
I was saddened to read today of the death of performer Zulya Kamalova, but was impressed to see her so well acknowledged in Suzie Miller’s obituary (“Musician with Tatar heritage made new life and her name in Australia”, December 19). Years ago I heard her music on the radio, and its mysterious and haunting quality prompted me to buy her CD Elusive, which I am playing as I write this. Her Volga/Tatar background and transition to Tasmania forged a unique and versatile person and music. It was heartening to see her many awards listed. As Miller says, “For those of us touched by her soulfulness, her tenderness and her talent, she lives on in all she created and the joy she brought and continues to bring.” I trust this is consoling for her bereft family and friends. Jennifer Fergus, Croydon
Zulya Kamalova in Moscow, 2003.Credit: Ramil Gali
Culture fail
I’m left scratching my head about Sydney’s indifference to culture (The Herald’s View, December 19). The Sydney Opera House interiors fell far short of the dream that began our Emerald City status, while almost half a century later a shining artistic renaissance promised by Sydney Modern has instead produced a white elephant. Meanwhile, across town, the Powerhouse Museum sits ominously empty. Now, the struggling harbourside Museum of Contemporary Art is forced to charge a $20 entry fee from January 1, heralded by a $7 million firework display lasting 10 minutes. Peter Farmer, Northbridge
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