Private school funding is the root of inequality’s ‘great divide’

David Hastie’s quoting of the Netherlands as a country with more students than Australia in private schools than public ones is not an accurate comparison (“In defence of private school funding: it’s not the great divide”, September 13). Private schools in the Netherlands are mostly chosen for children who require additional needs or for international students who have not yet learned Dutch; they are certainly not regarded as a status symbol, as can happen here. It is worth noting that the Dutch royal family sends its children to state schools. Peter Nash, Fairlight

Private schools

What your opinion writer fails to mention is that publicly funded private schools in Europe don’t allow private funding as well. In Australia, public schools are nearly all underfunded and private schools are nearly all overfunded. It is private funding that is the “great divide” and to claim that Commonwealth funding for private schools is in our constitution is simply wrong. There has never been a referendum on providing public money to private schools. It’s about time there was. And while we are at it, we could ask whether the public should fund private vehicles for those who don’t wish to use public transport. David McMaster, Mosman

Professor Hastie needs to step out of his ivory tower occasionally. No amount of his pithy metaphors can disguise the inequality of opportunity between private and public students. This is what the Australian public finds unfair. These schools have assets in the hundreds of millions as well as share portfolios. I’ve seen Cranbrook’s indoor Olympic swimming pool, its cricket oval, tennis courts, basketball courts and its private buses. Two weeks ago, I attended a fundraiser at our local public school to get some airconditioning units for the 700 plus students as there are only four units in the whole school. We raised $15,000. That’s one student’s fees at Cranbrook for six months. The sooner private/independent schools are asset-tested for funding the better. Felix Williamson, Bilgola

David Hastie says Finland fully funds all private schools. He fails to tell the full story. Finland does not allow private schools to operate for profit. Large numbers of Australian private schools make profits, disguised by terminology as surpluses or by accounting tricks as contributions to supporting bodies or reserve funds. He also doesn’t tell us what the total level of financial resources, private fees and government funding the European schools do receive. Governments have choices to make about where limited revenue can be spent. Within the school education funding bucket, it is a zero-sum game where an increase for one means a decrease for the other. So, we keep funding private schools to several multiples more than public schools, or we level the playing field. Steven Lee, Faulconbridge

Crash no mistake

Your correspondents say Brett Button made a mistake, “inadvertently” killing 10 passengers and that his sentence is “unjust” (Letters, September 13). They fail to understand that passengers pleaded with Button to slow down prior to the crash as they were so concerned about his manner of driving. Instead, he sped up. This, combined with the fact that he had exceeded his prescribed dose of opioid medication and failed to disclose his addiction to his employer increases his culpability and justifies a harsh sentence. Denise Duclos, Balgowlah

Families and friends of bus crash victims. Credit: SMH

The support expressed by some correspondents for the driver of the Greta bus tragedy is astonishing. It was not a mistake. When this man knowingly ingested prescription narcotics, which carry a warning about driving, he disregarded the safety of all his passengers who were entitled to expect safe transportation by an unimpaired driver. These passengers had chosen not to drive after the wedding celebration. His actions killed 10 people. To attempt to blame his employers is totally irresponsible. To suggest that somehow the road conditions and not the driver were the cause is wrong. It is all the victims who deserve our deepest sympathy, not this totally irresponsible person. Maureen Lysaght, Terrey Hills

All motor vehicles are deadly weapons; trucks and buses in particular. Drivers must always take extreme care, particularly if they are carrying passengers or dangerous goods. The Hunter Valley bus crash was a tragedy and the court sentence given to the driver will not bring back the victims. It was appropriate, however. Rod Bartlett, Woonona

Cats and dogs

So Springfield USA was the source of those “they are eating our dogs and cats” claims made by Donald Trump in this week’s presidential debate (Letters, September 13). Would that be Springfield, the home town of much-loved cartoon family the Simpsons? Figures. Patrick McGrath, Potts Point

Marg and Homer SimpsonCredit: Fox

Much levity in today’s letters about Donald Trump and feline feasters, but how long will it be before some idiot decides to shoot immigrant people because his moggy’s gone missing? And when they do, what are the chances Trump will be held accountable? I suggest the answers will be: soon and zero. Terry Baker, Rutherford

Reading and learning

Bravo to Gary Nunn for writing that Mitchell Library’s Reading Room is as sacred as any church (“Take it as read: State Library rivals Opera House as best edifice”, September 13). I was an arts student at the University of Sydney in the early 1960s and this room was my home away from home. I loved the oak-coloured catalogue units that stood sentinel-like just inside the door. I had a preferred desk, on the left towards the back where I often fell asleep, to be nudged awake by Colin, a vigilant attendant. Lifelong friends were made there and my flirtations with various young men, and nicotine, are now my happiest memories of my undergraduate years. During this time, Sydney University’s Fisher Library was built and its stunning views over the park and the city were a big drawcard but its attractions were dwarfed by the old colonial building in Macquarie Street, with its leather-topped desks and its floor to ceiling timber balcony/shelves. Therese Curtis, Marsfield

Lack of exercise

This week, close to 700 participants aged between 60 and 90 in the AIM/Waves Healthy Ageing Program, operated by South Eastern Sydney Local Health District, were given three weeks’ notice that their exercise program was to be axed (“$4.3b to keep elderly home”, September 13). No explanation was given. Some participants who had been regulars in these classes for 20 years and had built up communities cried at the news.

The elderly are not to be dismissed. We are not prepared to die without a fight and that means access to affordable, well-run exercise programs with trainers who understand our needs. Being given a list of alternative venues, some of which already have waiting lists and some of which can’t be easily reached by public transport is beyond disrespectful and physically and emotionally damaging to many participants. After all, the economics of keeping us healthy and independent is a no-brainer. Sue Emery, Malabar

Hell of war has long consequences

War should always be a nation’s last resort (The Herald’s View, September 13). Over past decades, Australian governments have sent our military forces off to Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan to fight and die for unjustifiable reasons. The purpose of our defence forces should be to defend our country; and yet we continue to order innocent men and women to fight like mercenaries and die like human fodder in other people’s wars. No wonder we have record numbers of returned soldiers suffering from PTSD and committing suicide. No wonder we have turned soldiers into murderers. No wonder it is harder than ever to recruit new soldiers.
Bruce Spence, Balmain

It was good to see the bipartisanship displayed when the defence minister announced that medals would be stripped from those associated with war crimes in Afghanistan (“Army arrogance remains despite removal of medals”, September 13). Both Richard Marles and opposition defence spokesman Andrew Hastie lauded the “sacred service” of the majority of our armed forces who fight in our name, while also not shying away from the “painful truths of some of the conduct in the Afghan war”. It is disappointing, therefore, for Australian SAS Association head Martin Hamilton-Smith to claim that Marles was “spitting at the feet of our Australian veterans”. It was not Marles who brought shame on our veterans: it was those who committed war crimes or who turned a blind eye to wrongdoing who have sullied the reputation of the blameless.
Mike Reddy, Vincentia

I am so against taking medals from military personnel who have had to make decisions when at war. We cannot possibly understand what happens or how incidents happen. It is an absolute disgrace. It’s like these silly people demonstrating against war (“Riot squad arrive as tensions escalate at Melbourne anti-war rally”, September 11). We all want peace but sometimes war is forced upon countries. I’d rather have real people defending my country rather than the masked people who behave badly in demonstrations. Maybe they should go to other countries to help rather than cause stress to horses and our police. Janet Scilly, Waterloo

Protesters stand in front of police horses.Credit: Justin McManus

Images of demonstrators at the Land Forces defence expo in Melbourne throwing rocks and projectiles at police horses are simply an outrage. The perpetrators should be charged with animal cruelty and punished to the full extent of the law.

Of course, the horses shouldn’t be in the middle of the chaos to begin with. Horses shouldn’t fight our battles for us; they are extremely sensitive animals that need to undergo rigorous training to condition themselves not to flee when there is noise and confusion, a natural instinct for a prey species. Horses don’t choose to riot and, unlike human officers, they have not volunteered to be placed in violent and stressful situations. Using them poses a danger to both the horses and humans and such use should be terminated immediately. Mimi Bekhechi, Sydney

Fertility support

Young women faced with serious illness or health conditions that could affect fertility must be unconditionally supported in their hopes for reproductive success by IVF services and Medicare (“‘IVF is changing’: Why more women are freezing their eggs”, September 13). These might include cancer treatments, severe endometriosis, polycystic ovary syndrome and some autoimmune conditions. We need to ask if young women are considering freezing their eggs to delay childbearing due to contemporary unprecedented pressures on them, given the relatively short biological reproductive window that’s their reality. They must juggle this with the imperatives now to complete education, build careers, repay HECS debts, navigate the housing crisis, establish security and then somehow find a partner and time to build a relationship, to boot. Good times, though, for the IVF industry. Robyn Dalziell, Kellyville

Youth vote

Now, with Gen Z candidates running in council elections, it’s time they also took a shot at federal elections, where there is a far greater threat to their future and a need to safeguard that future where the two major parties are failing (“Gen Z lines up to take power”, September 13). A youth party might not be successful in a first run, but it would set them up for greater success in subsequent elections. If we can also get more intelligent and active independents to stand in the coming election, the Coalition can be reduced further and it could probably also put the ALP on the back foot. The two major parties have failed the people of Australia on so many levels that it is time for a complete change in our political landscape. Governing would be more thoughtful and considered and would serve the people of Australia far better than irrelevant party ideologies. Victor Marshall, Meander (Tas)

Gen Z candidatesCredit: Louie Douvis

Thank you to Louie Douvis for the inspiring photograph of six Zoomer local government candidates who just so happen to also be a wonderful example of our multicultural society. With the pall of gloom cast over the political landscape by the absurdity of the US presidential election and the endless negative squawking of those in the No-alition, I detect a ray of sunshine emanating from these young folk and their progressive ideas. All the best for Saturday, from this Boomer to Zoomers one and all! Bill Young, Killcare Heights

All but central

Thank you to the correspondent from Castle Hill bemoaning the ABC’s move from Ultimo (Letters, September 13). Google shows these car travel times: Castle Hill to Ultimo, 38 minutes with $11.56 in tolls. Castle Hill to Parramatta is 25 minutes with no tolls. By public transport the times are 60 minutes v 39 minutes. How exactly is Ultimo more central?

Roger Campbell, Beecroft

Maxine Collins makes the case for the ABC to remain in “more central Ultimo”, rather than relocate to Parramatta. Look at a map of Sydney, any map, and is clear that Ultimo is nowhere near the centre of Sydney, but Parramatta is. Ultimo is only the centre of the inner west and the move to Parramatta would force staff and management to confront the real world outside their inner-city bubble

Rob Arthur, Erina

Equine stature

My dad was getting fitted for a suit and as the measurements were read out, the tailor would call out various letters (Letters, September 13). My father asked what they meant. “Well, sir, PC means proud calves so that the cutters add a little more for the lower leg.” Yes, but the last one. “SLBCH”? Standing like a bloody cart horse.
Jo Rainbow, Orange

Postscript

Niki Savva is one of our most popular columnists; an article she wrote earlier this week generated a lot of comment. In The major parties could disappear if pollies and journos don’t tell the truth, she wrote:

“In this fight for survival, integrity and decency matter. To journalists: Don’t publish lies, then claim it’s balance. Also, balance is not refusing to run one side because the other side fails to turn up. If you do your job well, you will upset people ... you will be abused online, you will inevitably lose friends. But you will also win respect.”

Boorowa’s Derrick Mason said, “Australians have had a grandstand seat to observe the ruin of US democracy through the actions of cowardly politicians and the media mouthpieces that they employ. Democracy and media independence are continually at risk, and we can only hope that our version of them survives.”

Tony Clark from Red Rock wrote: “I would like to thank Niki for speaking out on behalf of a majority of the voting public who have had a gutful of the current state of politics in our country. After all, what’s the point of going into politics if it’s not to leave a positive legacy at the exit door?”

I want to thank everyone who responded to my request for feedback. You were overwhelmingly complimentary (phew!), but a common complaint was that some writers get run more often than others. To make it fairer for everyone, we have always had a general guideline that writers can be published only two or three times a month, with at least a week between appearances. Obviously, this changes when we have a particularly insightful contribution, but we try our hardest to share the space around. I know how lucky we are to have such a huge number of talented writers to choose from.

I’m open to any new suggestions, apart from two subjects on which I’m immovable. Oxford commas? They’re history. And on the subject of pets, I’m with Taylor Swift. Cats rule.

Margot Saville, Letters editor

• To submit a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, email [e-mail]. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.
• The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform. Sign up here.