It is easy to blame the specific school involved in the latest devastating bullying incident (“Suicide puts spotlight on school”, September 18), and ignore the fact that no school knows how to handle bullying. Surely every school grapples with the problem of whether and when to intervene. Then there’s the impossibility of finding an intervention that avoids making things worse and protects victims without harming the perpetrators while maintaining the school’s duty of care to all the children involved without interrupting their education.Our family’s experiences of denial (the principal can’t believe allegations against an admired high-achieving student), exclusion (the victim is suspended from school and then sent for counselling) and re-traumatisation (keeping the perpetrator and victim in the same class group together) are not unusual. In all cases, perfectly good schools seem out of their depth, having exhausted their repertoire and accepted a fail grade for their efforts. Suzie Ferrie, Newtown
This article made me cry for the girl and her family. Our sons attended a Catholic school in a nearby suburb for 18 months. The youngest was mercilessly bullied by some of his peers. His teacher reported one incident of choking to me, and there were constant taunts. Despite the school being aware of the bullying, the headmaster denied there was any bullying at the school. As the taunts did not stop we moved our sons to St Aloysius College in Milsons Point, where there was only one incident of bullying of our older son. When it was reported, St Aloysius acted immediately and the bullying stopped. That school provided a safe place and the boys flourished. All schools have bullying, it is how it is handled that distinguishes a good school. Olga Stosic, Gordon
Unfortunately, bullying is as old as that misleading playground chant: sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Always was a lie and always will be. There are many ways of tackling bullies, but surely the first step must be for parents to recognise a painful truth if their loved one is proven to be a bully. Wealthy parents hiring expensive lawyers to represent kids who make other children’s lives a misery are not only in denial but are themselves guilty of a particularly cowardly form of 21st-century bullying. Nick Franklin, Katoomba
For a teacher, it is difficult to judge when it is necessary to interfere in the social relationships of children in the playground. In the classroom it is easier as it should be an environment controlled by the teacher. As a victim of bullying myself as a child because of my religion, and possibly my shy personality, I was regularly subjected to the popular torture at this time of “Chinese burns” (twisting the lower arm until the victim screamed in pain). I am still amazed 60 years later that the teacher on playground duty did not intervene. But teachers cannot be everywhere, and some children are not only cruel to others but sly. Yet, with maturity comes increased empathy, and by adulthood, most of us are good and kind to others. If it were otherwise, society would be a very different place to what it is. Lyndall Nelson, Goulburn
For a school principal to react to a mother’s grief over the suicide of her young daughter due to bullying at school with the comment that it’s inconsistent with the school’s records over background circumstances is a particularly insensitive and woefully inadequate response. Even the slightest hint of bullying behaviour ought surely to result in all school teachers gently reminding pupils in specifically tailored classes what constitutes appropriate or inappropriate behaviours with their peers. The lessons learnt should apply throughout their lifetimes as role modelling guides. Frederick Jansohn, Rose Bay
In 1974, I was the first student in first year to grow a Beatles haircut. One of the other students, who used to be a good friend in primary school, decided to bring a pair of scissors to a music class that we were in. He sat behind me and cut a piece of my hair. I went to the school principal to complain. His response was “You need a haircut.” Some things never change. Branco Gaica, Redfern
Fix this funding gap
Paramedics doing their best to keep up with needs.Credit: Fairfax Media
Hospital emergency departments are overrun, and ambulances ramped because of “bed-block” (“Wait time rising as hospitals struggle”, September 18), caused by the chronic underfunding of public hospitals, which rely principally on Medicare funding, and because of a rapidly worsening shortage of GPs and the escalation of private fees for GP visits. This situation can be sheeted home to the fact that the Medicare schedule of fees – upon which GPs remain reliant for about 90 per cent of patients, and which public hospitals also rely on for the money patient fees bring in – has, since the inception of Medicare, been indexed at about one-third of the CPI. In other words, funding for primary health care has been decreasing annually for 40 years. Small wonder, then, that GPs see no future in their profession. The obvious solution is a substantial increase in fees, funded by a similar increase in the Medicare levy, for which there is tragically little political appetite. Peter Craig, Dulwich Hill
Solar divide
The article about solar power (“Wealthy suburbs shun solar panels”, September 18) overlooks one key point in its thoughts. Many wealthier suburbs have extensive tree canopies, one of the reasons why these suburbs are desirable – and these trees can often shade a roof reducing the viability of rooftop solar. I live in the Woollahra LGA and there are many mature gum trees on council nature strips that shade roofs, as well as provide habitat for our birds, provide shade for people and pets, and reduce the urban heat island effect. There are also many significant trees on residents’ properties which the council, with good reason, will not let you chop down. It’s the newly built suburbs of McMansions that are all the same height and have no trees that are most suitable for rooftop solar and should have it. Pierre Mars, Vaucluse
Wherefore art thou, solar panels?Credit: Getty
As someone who has gone the full electrification route – solar panels, heat pump, induction cooktop and EV – I concur with the points Caitlin Fitzsimmons has made. Most of the heavy lifting in the energy transition has been done by those on middle incomes – people like me. The wealthy have no reason to install solar panels or a heat pump, as they don’t need the savings these will bring. Those on lower incomes, by contrast, have the opposite problem. They desperately need the savings, but lack the means to achieve them. It is therefore essential that governments provide assistance to these people, so they too can enjoy the benefits of cheaper, cleaner energy. That way, everyone will benefit. Ken Enderby, Concord
We were advised that it was not cost-efficient to install solar panels as we wanted to because of the large trees shadowing our roof. This might be a more common consideration in wealthier parts. Lewis Kaplan, Birchgrove
We often talk of the digital divide. It appears that there is a solar divide that marks the differences in income across Greater Sydney. Or is it that the closer you are to the sea breeze, the less you need to run your air conditioner? Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls
Dutton’s shameful non-apology
Patrick Begley’s even-handed treatment of the search for the elusive Peter Dutton apology to Muslims presents only one possible conclusion: Dutton has been caught out in a lie (“The deepening mystery of a Dutton apology to Muslims”, September 18).
Why would his office refuse to nominate when the apology occurred? Apparently, it didn’t occur. Apologising is not a sign of weakness, however, refusing to apologise can be a sign of weakness. Dutton has made fearmongering an art form and continues to target migrant and refugee groups, as well as Indigenous people, who he did not support in the Voice debate. This former immigration minister and would-be prime minister should be ashamed of his behaviour. He should formally and unequivocally apologise to Muslim people and all the people he has blamed or walked out on in his political career. That would be a sign of goodwill and strength but don’t hold your breath waiting for it to happen. Geoff Nilon, Mascot
While he’s at it, the opposition leader might also consider apologising for his denigration of African Australians, his facilitation of racist abuse during the Voice referendum (and his promise for a second referendum), his climate change jokes, his sexist texts, the millions in public money paid for his department’s libellous mistakes, the half a billion dollar contract awarded without tender to a company run from a remote beach post box, his nuclear fiction policy and a mea culpa to the soccer player left languishing in a Thai jail because, as the responsible minister, he forgot to send an email. Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn
I can only sympathise with Peter Dutton. After all, our alternative prime minister has made so many intemperate statements about minorities he can hardly be expected to recall exactly which dog whistle he has apologised for and when. Perhaps he is thinking of the African gangs apology, or that time he apologised for walking out on an apology. It’s hard to keep track. Colin Stokes, Camperdown
The failure of everyone to remember the leader of the opposition apologising to Muslim Australians may be because, as he tends to do, he walked out of the House of Representatives before the apology was made. Andrew Brown, Bowling Alley Point
As the old saying goes, “Your apology needs to be as loud as your disrespect was.” Steve Ngeow, Chatswood
Private isn’t preferable
Yes, Ross Gittins (“Runaway NDIS costs had to end”, September 18). Until the advent of Reagan and Thatcher and the ideas that the private sector can do it better and smaller government is better, we had a mixed economy. And a very successful one. The government provided services and even built affordable housing. And government services were adequately funded. Now we have a focus on surplus – the government must have a surplus. Bob Menzies, darling of conservatives, was prime minister for 23 years, and he ran 11 deficit budgets because he knew that a prime role of government is to manage demand to ensure full employment and stable interest rates. Now, the government is run by ideology regardless of the outcome. Even Labor has privatised services like building certification, with predictably dire results. Yes, we want to fix the NDIS. OK – take it out of private hands. And our “public transport”. And our road building. Even policy development, which is surely a core business for the government, has been privatised. What private organisation privatises its core business? Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach
Ross Gittins, right againCredit: Oscar Colman
As he so often is, Ross Gittins is right about crucial issues, in this case, the NDIS.
Any one of us might need it at any time. It has become essential to both personal and national wellbeing – when ill health shows itself, with birth defects, when injuries and accidents disable us, and more. The NDIS is very costly, but with personal dignity at stake, even life itself, we have to be prepared to pay for it. So, as Gittins compellingly argues, it must be competently managed. Taxpayers’ money wasted on fraud, overservicing and overcharging can be spent elsewhere in the health system, including on improving this service fundamental to better living for everyone. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne
Don’t ban, manage risk
Another group is blaming safety for introducing a ban for something they were not prepared to manage (“Catholic school ban on dates for formals”, September 18).
I try to teach that the role of a safety system is to find a way of doing what’s required safely – not just banning it and appropriating blame to a system. Excessive drinking is a hazard, and the duty of care is clear, but not being able to toast the successful students and the dates these students want to share it with is ignoring the hard work and sacrifice the students and parents have all put in – a voucher issued for a single drink would manage the risk. One parental drink may be appreciated but it wouldn’t be compulsory. Also, does the policy manage the students meeting the dates at the pub before or after the event? Keep your charges safe and manage what they may want to do. Don’t ban because it’s a little easier while in itself not necessarily being safer. David Storie, Windsor Downs
Does the Catholic schools’ ban on partners at school formals mean that the boys will have to dance with the boys and the girls with the girls? William Lloyd, Denistone
Work in progress
Metro: It’ll be here almost before you know it.Credit: Fairfax Media
Your correspondent’s comments about train services to Birrong and Yagoona (Letters, September 18) took me back to a Transport for NSW briefing attended by 1000 rail industry people about 10 years ago. I asked how, when the metro opened to Bankstown, would passengers of those two stations be served? The answer was, “We’re working on it.” It seems like they are still working on it. Peter Thornton, Killara
In praise of puzzler
David Plomley was my favourite cruciverbalist (“Vale David Plomley”, September 18). As an L-plater at cryptic crosswords, I learned a lot from the way he compiled his puzzles. I’ve missed his Wednesday contributions. Vale DP. Lyn Savage, Coogee
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