The government could use the precedent established by the Howard government in 2000 (“Public needs to know details of Iraqi war entry”, January 1). In that year, the Howard government made public, in advance of the then 30-year rule, historical records on Australia and East Timor between 1974 and 1976. Following the Howard government’s precedent would involve the Albanese government, under the Archives Act 1983, authorising the public release of all key documents (not simply cabinet documents) on Australia’s commitment to the Iraq War in 2003. This would take the form of the release of the documents by the National Archives of Australia and the publication of key documents by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT’s) excellent historical section. The records would include those of cabinet’s National Security Committee, Defence, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, DFAT, the intelligence agencies, the Office of the Official Secretary to the Governor-General and the Attorney-General’s Department. Preparation for the release and publication of the East Timor documents took place within 18 months. David Lee, National Archives of Australia Cabinet Historian
US President George W. Bush and John Howard took us to war in Iraq in 2003. Credit: Getty
So did the release of the Australian government’s cabinet papers reveal the identities of the “industry leaders” whom John Howard met with in September 2003 that led to him consigning an emissions trading system to the dustbin (“Howard’s dismissal of emissions plan a ‘lost opportunity’”, January 1)? Who comprised this cabal that could pull a prime minister’s strings to abandon a crucial environmental policy so easily, despite strong cabinet support and government departmental backing? We should publicly recognise their input for posterity. Perhaps the papers from that apparently anonymous cabal are the ones that should be released to the Australian people, given its influence on the big decisions of the day? Paul McShane, Burradoo
John Howard, through rejecting the Kyoto Protocol and a carbon trading scheme that was strongly supported by senior ministers, firmly established the persistent stance of the Coalition. However, one aspect has changed in that the majority of industries have become supportive of emissions reduction. Now, the Coalition’s preference for the eventual development of nuclear energy and rejection of renewable energy sources is purely political through endeavours to retain electorates with a dependency on fossil fuel production. Roger Epps, Armidale
I was among the hundreds of thousands of Australians and probably millions across the world who protested against the war in Iraq. That the cabinet papers relating to that decision by the deaf and blind Howard government are missing comes as absolutely no surprise and that Anthony Albanese was thrown out of parliament for his objections to that war is to his credit. Mary Billing, Allambie Heights
So before the paperwork used to justify Australia getting involved in a war had to be released to the public, revealing who said what, it all went missing. It was Tony Blair himself who said, “The difference between a democracy and a tyranny is not that bad things don’t happen in a democracy but that when they do people are held to account.” He wasn’t. Howard wasn’t. Bush wasn’t. And the agencies that provided the “intelligence” to them weren’t. Gordon Drennan, Burton (SA)
No place for racism when we are all from somewhere else
Do not despair, Ramia Abdo-Sultan. There are many Australians who not only do not object to your presence in “their” country, but probably actually would welcome you, given the opportunity (“He told me, ‘Go back to your country.’ But that’s right here, Australia”, January 1). All over, in cities and country towns, there are groups who welcome and celebrate the customs of our recent and not-so-recent arrivals. There are also many who realise that, no matter how long ago our forebears arrived here, apart from our Indigenous brothers and sisters, we are all arrivals from somewhere else. My advice to you is this: try to ignore the rude and nasty people that you encounter, and believe that those who say nothing are welcoming but shy to voice their approval. Glenna Coxhill, Orange
Ramia Abdo Sultan is an executive committee member of the Australia Palestine Advocacy Network.
Ramia Abdo-Sultan’s words should bring shame on us all and bust the myth of our “most successful multicultural nation” boast. We’ve read in these pages of the same racism felt by people of Jewish descent since the outbreak of the war on Gaza, which should be a wake-up call to all of us who are not Indigenous Australians: that we are all here by the good grace of those who are truly from here. Charmain Brinks, Newcastle
What a sad start to the new year, reading Ramia Abdo-Sultan’s account of the racism she experiences. Thankfully we are safe in Australia, far from the violence in Gaza and the war in Ukraine, but some Australians insist on finding cause for division, racism and even violence against fellow Australians, and against those who come here seeking safety. One of the joys of living in Australia is that almost everyone comes from somewhere else, and everyone has a story. Those few who don’t come from somewhere else, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, also have stories. We live in a fascinating multicultural society, a great place in which to live, to learn and, above all, to love your neighbour. George Rosier, Carlingford
Thank you for the article, Ramia Abdo-Sultan. You are Australian because you were born or chose to live here, not because of how you look or how you dress. There are no such thing as being more or less Australian. Many of those from a previous generation went through unimaginable circumstances prior to choosing Australia as their home and that of their families – not only from world wars but those conflicts across Indo-China, the Middle East and West Asia, and more recently Africa. Bernie de Vries, Bolwarra
Vaping, a plague on our children
The development of the vaping epidemic, particularly in schools, is a blight on our society and represents a failure to protect our children (“Medical industry braces for vape addiction as first stage of ban begins”, December 31). The solution to the problem has now become complex but I applaud all efforts being made, particularly limiting the availability. As a vascular surgeon of four decades I have seen many lives lost and many organs destroyed from cigarette smoke. While heart disease gains appropriate high-profile recognition, cigarette chemicals destroy arteries all over the body leading to gangrene and limb loss, strokes and aneurysms which can rupture and kill instantly, to name but a few cardiovascular catastrophes. Cigarette smoke has also been incriminated in many cancers including lung, bladder, breast and bowel. The claims that vaping prevents cigarette smoking is almost certainly false, and in fact vaping probably leads to cigarette addiction. A multipronged approach will be required but the most important measure is to educate the public who should then educate their children. The historical tragedy of cigarette smoking should not be repeated disguised as bubble gum. Bernie Bourke, Gosford
Just not cricket
Jim Maxwell thinks that test cricket could struggle to survive (“From ballboy to the ABC’s voice of cricket”, January 1). Let’s hope that for once in his illustrious career he is wrong. At its core, cricket is a contest between bat and ball. Consequently, limited overs games are not cricket – being stacked in favour of batting they tend to be repetitive and boring as boundaries are continually hit. Genuine cricket lovers and cricketers themselves almost invariably agree that they prefer test cricket. Harry Polley, Dural
ABC broadcaster Jim Maxwell at his home in SydneyCredit: Flavio Brancaleone
While Jim Maxwell was a ball boy on the field, with a group of mates I was a 15-year-old standing on the Hill at the SCG when the Wallabies and Springboks played in 1971. It was utter bedlam, with the field covered in smoke from countless flares, and as cans and missiles rained down on us, the only protection was half a cardboard beer carton placed on our heads as a helmet. John Cotterill, Kingsford
No offence to Channel Nine’s great cricket commentators, but many times I used to turn on the radio to listen to Jim Maxwell, Kerry O’Keefe and the late Peter Roebuck’s more entertaining commentary while watching live on TV. Maxwell is no doubt one of the best to comment on cricket. Best Jim!
Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill
Remembering Brian
Absent from the names of admirers of the late Bill Granger is that of the person who virtually created the Bill’s legend, the designer of the first eponymous restaurant in Darlinghurst, the late Brian Kiernan. Understanding that there is a substitute for money - creativity - BK cooked up the style of the place, advised on the menu, elicited the subsequent support of loyalists and guided the 22-year-old novice to international fame. It is incorrect to call Bill a chef. He was a restaurateur. Leo Schofield, Potts Point
The famed communal table at bills.Credit: Wolter Peeters
Keep the change
The demise of the use of cash is being encouraged by our extremely profitable banks (Letters, January 1). But a cashless society will be harmful for many people in our society. I’m thinking of the women who are secretly hiding cash in order to escape from brutal and/or controlling husbands. I’m thinking too of the elderly who don’t have credit cards or use the internet. What about Jobseekers who might walk a neighbour’s dog for a small fee or mow someone’s lawn in order to buy a train ticket to a job interview? Children too need cash as pocket money in return for household chores. Our federal government should remain in charge of our currency and ensure that it remains available for its citizens. Molly King, Freshwater
In all the correspondence about doing away with cash it seems that no-one has considered the danger to our whole society that could result. If an outside entity were to destroy our electrical or communications systems, either remotely or by direct attack, everything would shut down. Unless you had something to barter with your neighbours, and not many of us have large fruit or vegetable gardens or a cow in the backyard, chaos would ensue. Just look at what happens now when there is a blackout and the cash registrars are out of action at the shops and you cannot buy petrol for your car at the service station.
To our new Reserve Bank boss I say: “I think you’d better think it out again” and to everyone else I would suggest that we all keep some cash in our pockets and use it whenever we can. Pam Nankivell, Parkes
Who’s that?
What irritates me more than the neglect of “whom” is the use of “that” to describe people. My guess is it is done by speakers who know that “whom” exists but are unsure when to use it. Anne Baillie, Nowra
Do we no longer “look at” or “listen” to a piece of news; does it have to be “take a look” or “take a listen?” Elaine Murray, Artarmon
Shifting sands
As a long-time Byron resident, I shake my head at recent prices for beachfront properties (“Cash to spare? Five dream beach homes that you could own”, January 1). Twenty to $40 million for absolute beachfront on top of the dunes at Belongil Beach? In 1974, a cyclone sat off the coast for a week and a whole row of houses on the seaward esplanade disappeared into the sea. “Build upon the rock and not upon the sand”, or more money than sense?Jim Rogers, Byron Bay
New year, same issues
A new year and a new set of predictions by economists and other “experts” about the year ahead. (“Household relief, shocks coming in 2024”, January 1). This year a rosy outlook is predicted with wages increasing and inflation and interest rates receding. However, last year a recession was predicted but never eventuated. Perhaps we should take all predictions about the economy with several spoons of salt and for the medium future just try to live frugally and keep one’s head above water. Tragically, a significant number of families will continue to live in poverty irrespective of the accuracy of the current predictions, and it is essential that this problem is addressed by government for the good of the nation. Geoff Harding, Chatswood
This time last year 85 per cent of economists predicted a US recession (“How were so many economists so wrong about the recession?”, January 1). Nowadays more than 50 per cent think we will avoid one. At the time of writing my weather app is predicting a 50 per cent chance of rain. Even a broken clock is right twice a day. Mike Keene, Stanwell Park
What a cracker!
Before all the complainers and whingers start going on about the ABC’s NYE show on Sydney Harbour, I’m just going to say that I loved it. Jennifer Nichols, Casino
Sydney’s New Year’s Eve midnight fireworks.Credit: Edwina Pickles
Wise words
New Year’s resolutions are best avoided, but I can recommend one piece of very sound advice from the ancient Greek philosopher Anon: “one should try and experience everything in life except folk music and incest”. Phil Rodwell, Redfern
A royal Aussie
In two weeks there will be an Australian on the throne of Denmark, but after 123 years of “independence”, still not as head of state in Australia (“A shocking certainty, Princess Mary’s elevation to queen nears completion”, smh.com.au, January 1). Andrew Taubman, Queens Park
Iron rule
Unlike Don Firth, I am happy to disclose the number of children in my primary school classes in the 1950s; 48-50 children (Letters, January 1). However, most of our teachers had qualified post-war after six years of armed service and had absolutely no problems maintaining discipline. Helen Howes, Collaroy
Regional solution
Planning in the regions is the answer to a constructive supply of homes (Letters, January 1). Basic criteria: protect existing and potential agricultural areas, protect potable water catchments, identify new railway corridors and simply lay tracks, and only cluster new communities along them. Peter Leech, Manly Vale
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