I was dismayed to read the lead article in today’s paper (“Workers breathing in deadly tunnel dust”, November 26). It is deja vu - James Hardy and asbestos, stone bench-tops and now tunnel-drilling for road development. The public will once again be called on to pay for the damage to workers’ health. Tunnelling has and is causing great damage to the workers through compromised air quality. The government evidently wants to keep the impacts of this hidden. Would it not be reasonable and sensible to get this out in the open now? Workers on these projects need assurances. Taxpayers want fair and equitable treatment for these workers. Instead, the government hides behind Safework NSW, obviously endorsing its policy of revealing nothing. Keep that attitude up and it will be (another) field day for lawyers. Chris Rivers, Port Macquarie
WestConnex staff watch one of the two roadheaders smashing through sandstone. Credit: KATE GERAGHTY
The authority meant to keep workers safe is agreeing with the companies that claim health and safety were their number one priority. Really? Once again, workers will be sacrificed on the altar of profit. Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls
I recall that in the ’60s, and probably decades before and since, railway workers and daily commuters on Sydney’s underground were subjected to brake dust every time a train came into a station. Dust swirling everywhere, and myriad sparkling particles like so many galaxies shone in the lights. It’s a wonder any of us survived. Roger Hallett, Toowoomba (Qld)
Greens on board
By giving the green light to housing reforms, the penny has dropped for Adam Bandt that an election is in the wind (“Labor win as Greens cave in on housing”, November 26). Maybe his party has reached a halfway house in its journey back to sensible policy-making decisions to reach common goals with the government. Michael Blissenden, Dural
With the Liberal Party being dragged back into the dark ages by their coalition with the Nationals, and the Labor Party giving us their best impression of a conservative government, why are the Greens being demonised? They are the only party acting as a true opposition and most of their policies are responsible and people-oriented. In the next parliament, the Greens and teals/independents will hold the ALP to account. This will result in good government, unless the big parties gang up and push through a pro-mining and big business agenda. Bruce Welch, Marrickville
Despite all the vine-swinging heroics about housing, it seems the Greens aren’t quite so holier-than-thou about it after all. Amazing how high principle and implacable rigidity suddenly yield to electoral wind direction. All parties take note – so much for the value of posturing, self-righteous, theatrical nonsense.
Adrian Connelly, Springwood
On Monday night’s 7.30 program, the federal Greens made it clear that they were genuinely prepared to work with Labor to keep Peter Dutton’s Coalition out of power, albeit in return for truly equitable progress on social reforms for the vast majority of Australian citizens. For the sake of Australian society, I beg Labor to put their neoliberal ideology aside and take this offer of co-operation. Any fair, acceptable future for Australia depends on it. Alynn Pratt, Grenfell
Hydro hazard
Snowy 2.0 was hatched in a rushed manner as Malcolm Turnbull’s vanity project and also as an attempt to save his struggling prime ministership as his hard-right colleagues circled (“Bogged, blown out by $10 billion, but not beaten: Snowy 2.0’s rocky path to power millions”, November 26). It is a very environmentally destructive project located in the Kosciuszko National Park. With rapid global warming, it may become a white elephant. The Coalition also downplayed the multi-billion Snowy 2.0 Transmission Connection project, which will cross a scenic and environmentally sensitive area. Tony Simons, Balmain
Construction of Snowy Hydro 2.0. Credit: James Brickwood
Dim future
Here we are, just a week before the start of summer and we are already being warned about the risk of the power grid failing (“Blackout warning as heatwave approaches”, November 26). Why is planned maintenance being carried out on some of the power generators this close to summer? The second issue relates to the high cost of energy we are all paying. With power costs so high, why hasn’t more effort been made to increase the robustness of the grid? With the premier announcing yesterday that tens of thousands of new houses and apartments will be constructed in coming years, the future is looking a little dim. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury
Those with excess solar energy are prevented by some energy utility plans from exporting to the grid during the middle of the day, and most plans pay a paltry few cents when you can export. This has led owners to invest in batteries and keep the excess for themselves. Why, then, are we being warned to expect blackouts due to excess demand on the grid? Something doesn’t add up here. Tim Douglas, Dulwich Hill
Cars take us backwards
Ambrose Evans-Pritchard raises valid concerns about the COP process, but it overlooks a critical issue: the embedded emissions in materials such as concrete tied to car-dependent lifestyles (“Why the biggest green conference is a cynical scam”, November 26). Urban sprawl and infrastructure expansion, driven by private car reliance, lock in emissions that renewable energy cannot offset quickly enough. This approach also draws heavily on resources from developing countries, where the environmental and social costs of mining and production are borne. If we are serious about decarbonisation, we must address the unsustainability of car-dependent living, rather than perpetuating it under the guise of progress. Matthew Benson, Killara
Justice US-style
It is indeed satisfying to note that the “American system” is alive and well (?) (“Judge tosses Donald Trump’s 2020 election overthrow case”, smh.com.au, November 26). Enough money to throw around to secure you a platform above the law; nepotism to remove the golden escalator that offered the only access to that platform and a squadron of conspiracy theorists that are capable of turning the Brothers Grimm green with envy – until they (the brothers) recognised the evil, divisive nature of those theories. Yes, the land of the free has the best judicial system that money can buy. Andrew York, Chapman (ACT)
Now that the founder of Space X finds himself at Mars-a-Lago, will Musk stick around? Will his time in Trumpworld be Elon-gated, or after a spectacular start, go through various stages until he finally blasts out of Trumpworld orbit? Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills
Musk’s SpaceX Credit: UPI
Dutton is just doing his job
I don’t understand the vindictiveness of many letter writers on the subject of Peter Dutton. He’s got a job to do, and that’s to oppose the government. They’ll have a choice next year, and probably won’t like the result much, as I predicted when the current government was elected. I would just like an end to all the blatant antisemitism, the return to bipartisan foreign policy, an energy policy that keeps us warm and cool according to the season, and some decency in the behaviour of politicians. I see all that in the NSW parliament, but the federal scene appalls me. Vivienne Parsons, Thornleigh
An aerial view of the Bankstown transport-oriented development accelerated precinct.Credit: NSW government
Housing plan will destroy my home
I have seen the master-plan for my suburb – a mosaic of colours devised in some money-hungry developer’s mind – and I would like to remind the government that our houses are not colour-coded tiles in this mosaic but family homes (“Where the density of housing may double”, November 25). Our suburbs are going to be transformed beyond recognition against our wishes, our current lifestyles will be utterly destroyed, and so much history will be lost. I have lived in Lakemba for the past 30 years. It is where my grandparents lived and where my mother grew up. It’s where I raised my own sons. I love it. But now, my side of the street has been rezoned for nine-storey high rises and the other side of my street – where my sister lives – is rezoned for 15 storeys. It breaks my heart to think we will be forced out and have to watch our homes – with all our family memories in them – bulldozed to make way for soulless high-rise apartments. Lakemba is lauded for its harmonious multicultural community, but this master plan will ruin that. The migrants and refugees who have given Lakemba its vibrant flavour will not be able to afford the new apartments. Refugees who rent here, who have finally found a safe haven and whose children go to local schools, will have their homes sold to greedy developers by their landlords and will have to flee again. Where will they go? Where will we all go? Kim Salisbury, Lakemba
New life for old school
It is pleasing to see the proposed repurposing of the Newtown School of Arts building as a performing arts hub (“Could this $6 million makeover rescue NSW’s forgotten schools of arts?”, November 25). Most towns and small settlements at some time had an equivalent of a School of Arts. Built and managed by residents, they provided libraries, meeting rooms, recreational facilities and venues for musical and theatrical entertainment. Most were built between 1875 and 1914. Though some may now serve a different purpose, many of these buildings remain, still providing a focal point for community activities. ArtsNational volunteers have written carefully researched short histories of 38 of the 120 buildings in NSW, including their changing roles over time. A further 27 schools of arts in Queensland, three in Tasmania and one in the ACT add to an ever-growing record of this important part of social history that is often forgotten. Meg Larkin, The Hill
Staying power
Fifty years is no big deal (“Hats off to the stayers”, November 26). Legendary restaurant The Malaya (established 1963) gave many of us our first real taste of South-East Asia, on Railway Square, Haymarket. Just down the road from uni, it hothoused Marxist, Trotskyite, anti-war, trade union and Labor types. It’s now gone upmarket for lunching suits at harbourside Kings Street Wharf, but its revered beef curry and potato is just as good six decades on. Jeffrey Mellefont, Coogee
Szechuan eggplant at the Malaya.Credit: Janie Barrett
Ordure of the day
Enshittification: what a colourful “word of the year” (“Sign of decline? Macquarie names its word of the year”, November 26). It captures so much. Given the explanation of the pedigree of this word in the Herald I can think of so many things it applies to. For those caught in the murky world of a retirement village with legislation that is very pro-developers, maybe the death bell is sounding for the retirement village model as enshittification proceeds. Oh, for the love of words. Jacqui Keats, Black Head
Enshittification? Good grief! My tip for word of the year was “ceasefire”. Maybe next year. David Grant, Ballina
Macquarie Dictionary’s choice for word of the year is disappointing. As they have chosen it, I was wondering how to conjugate the verb. I am not sure if I am to say that the choice of “enshittification” has “enshitted” or “enshat” me. Marie Del Monte, Ashfield
Keep it simple
The Maglev train system was fully investigated for an east coast “very high speed” system in 2001, which didn’t stack up (Letters, November 25). Incidentally, China built a full-scale revenue service Maglev from Pudong Airport to Central Shanghai as a test for a longer Maglev system to Beijing. It chose to build a proven conventional high-speed railway. After 30 years, Japan is not even close to operating the Chuo Shinkansen as a fee-earning service. Every time Maglev or Hyperloop pop up, they distract our government from doing something realistic and achievable to reduce travel times. The lesson for Australia? Forget about bleeding-edge technology and stick to what others have already bled for on our behalf. Peter Thornton, Killara
Don’t bet on it
It is extremely disappointing that government legislation to halt online gambling advertising appears to be stalled (The Herald’s View, November 26). Banning such advertising is an essential strategy to prevent gambling addiction caused by unregulated saturation advertising by predatory gambling companies. This government has achieved much in a short time, yet many consider this insufficient and are suggesting that Dutton and a change of government is the solution. To the minister, I beseech you to get this legislation done to restore faith that this government is committed to action on social issues. I also remind voters and commentators alike that patience is a virtue. Tony Heathwood, Kiama Downs
Put to the Test
The Australian men’s cricket team are holders of the World Test cricket championship (Letters, November 26). Their recent thrashing by India in the first Test was bad enough, but considering the range of results in the last few months for the nine countries in the World Test Championship, it may be even worse. In October, India were trounced by New Zealand 3-0, though in September, New Zealand had been beaten by Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankans were defeated that month by England, whom you may recall recently lost to Pakistan. Pakistan succumbed to Bangladesh in August. The West Indies are poised to take the first of two Tests against Bangladesh but, you guessed it, the West Indies were beaten in August by South Africa. Thankfully, Australia doesn’t play South Africa in the current cycle. Daniel Pellen, Waverley
Like Jeremy Brender, I’m also making myself available for the Adelaide Test. In 1971, as a teacher at Young High School, I took six wickets for four runs against the Year 8 Methodists when their minister failed to turn up for scripture. Peter Ryall, Hallidays Point
Perhaps our cricket selectors need to employ talent scouts to find someone who can’t field. Can’t bowl. Can bat a little. Peter Butler, Wyongah
Abbott’s legacy
What about an anniversary for when Tony Abbott ate the onion (Letters, November 24)? That would be a stand-out. Natalie Maschmeyer, Lindfield
Tony Abbott and onion Credit: John Shakespeare
Stating their opinions
What is going on? All these letters in the Herald from out-of-the-way places such as Victoria, Queensland and South Australia. Paul Fergus, Croydon
ABC’s biggest blunder
It is perfectly reasonable for the ABC management to want to increase its audience share, but you don’t do it by annoying and irritating your loyal listeners by sacking a popular and competent presenter, holding the sword of Damocles over another, and then adding insult to injury by putting the cricket on the digital channels. I hope lessons are learnt. Nicholas Triggs, Katoomba
Of course ABC staff are feeling furious, scarred from years of serial slashing. They have just witnessed the dumping of a valued broadcaster, one who has grown the ratings and shaped discourse, earning the respect of politicians and peers along the way. The rationale for such an unwarranted decision is simply a desire for change under new leadership. What message does it send to remaining employees? Sarah Macdonald matters, not just to her loyal listeners, reeling from the news Richard Glover will no longer buoy their mood. For those within the ranks of our national broadcaster, it’s a bruising reminder that if someone of Sarah’s calibre is disposable, who’s next? Janet Argall, Dulwich Hill
I heard Sarah Macdonald interview the Newcastle area police commander about the Rising Tide protest on the weekend. She gave a masterful class in interview technique: persistent gentle probing, considered listening and always referencing the specifics of the case, all of which hit the commander’s generalised, evasive and repetitive replies out to the boundary. The ABC selectors may very well have “carefully thought through” the dropping of someone at the top of their game, but we will still all be losers. Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi
If the ABC replaces Sarah Macdonald with Hamish Macdonald, they only have it half right. Robyn Lewis, Raglan
Seriously, Rosemary (Letters, November 24), have you listened to either Sarah MacDonald and Simon Marnie? Their use-by date was nowhere near expiration. There is some other mischief afoot! Angie Miller, Bondi Junction
The ABC’s director of audio, Benson Latimer, said that the strategy across local radio was “clear and simple, and it’s to create unique, compelling relevant content, that’s putting engaging voices in front of our microphones”. We have that with Sarah Macdonald. As a long-time listener, I am extremely disappointed with ABC management. Debra Flower, Hurstville
Your correspondent displays a limited knowledge of radio. Listeners can tune into community stations, alternative offerings from SBS and ABC, innumerable shows from far-flung corners of the earth and podcasts without resorting to Sydney-based commercial broadcasters. Management of Radio Sydney can and will diminish listener numbers of the morning show by sacking Sarah Macdonald – a proven performer, incisive interviewer and an intelligent, relatable personality. Tim Coen, Ashfield
It’s sad to see that people like relative newcomer Ben Latimer, current head of ABC radio, seem to have limited understanding of the nature of the public broadcaster or its charter. This seems clearly manifested by the “carefully thought out” decision to remove quality radio broadcasters Sarah Macdonald and Simon Marnie, the flooding of ABC TV with poor quality quiz and comedy shows, as well as endless repeats and the dumbing-down of news and current affairs programs. Unlike commercial radio and television, the public broadcaster is not defined or ruled by ratings and the need to appeal to the lowest common denominator. Its charter requires a high standard of programming, appeal to the diversity of the Australian community, and a balance of programs of wide appeal against educational and specialised programs. In its laudable, but more naive and unrealistic, focus on attracting a younger audience, current ABC management appears bent on sacrificing ABC principles and integrity. Jeanette Heys, South Turramurra
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