Antisemitism is pure evil and the cause of much pain and suffering. However, the recent police operation around the caravan was a “covert” operation, with secrecy crucial (“Hunt for caravan puppet masters”, January 31). By exposing it allegedly in the name of public interest, The Daily Telegraph may have jeopardised the chances of catching the criminals. No one is denying the rise in antisemitism. Both sides of politics are united in their voice to stamp out this abhorrent behaviour. The first six pages of Friday’s Herald covered this dangerous escalation. While we all need to be aware of the situation, shock and horror won’t catch the crims, and over-reporting may only serve to amplify fear in the Jewish community. There are other serious subjects that seem to have become lost in the media, such as the rising number of women dying in gender-based violence – last year, 78 women were killed in this way. If there was ever a time for responsible journalism, it’s now. Kathy Cutcliffe, East Ryde
As an Australian citizen, I was appalled and offended to read of the Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar stating, “We expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease” (of antisemitism). Perhaps he should go home for a bit of re-education. His job is not to lecture our leaders but to represent the State of Israel – whose actions we are told are not responsible for the rise in antisemitism in Australia. Alan Keating, Waitara
Gideon Sa’ar, right, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Credit: Getty Images
The discovery of a caravan full of explosives is dangerous and frightening. However, scenes on the news of Palestinians returning to northern Gaza are significantly more frightening. They found their homes, hospitals, schools and services had been completely destroyed. Many couldn’t even locate their former homes among all the rubble. They then faced the awful task of exhuming and identifying the remains of relatives and friends, which was enough to cause anyone serious trauma. In Sally Rawsthorne’s article, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, said the caravan discovery was “intolerable”, that an “epidemic of antisemitism is spreading in Australia almost unchecked”, and “we expect the Australian government to do more to stop this disease”. I unreservedly condemn the October 7 killings and hostage-taking by Hamas, but I believe Israel’s relentless bombing of civilian homes, hospitals and schools was too extreme and should not have been tolerated. In comparison, antisemitism in Australia appears to be a relatively minor problem, with few, if any, injuries, and which our government, police and security forces will resolve. It is indeed a problem, but it needs to be kept in perspective. Keith Woodward, Newport
Friday’s Herald was full of pages about the Jewish community, with a half-page editorial critical of the government and police for not informing the public about an ongoing investigation (“Jews deserve better than silence over caravan”, January 31.) All that print and nary a word on the tens of thousands of women and children killed in Gaza. When are the leaders of governments and terror organisations going to be satisfied? When are we going to acknowledge that the horror needs to stop? Ideally, Palestinian and Jewish leaders in Australia could unite publicly and call out the bad behaviour that has come to Australia. And the leader of the opposition needs to stop slinging blame and support the government and local policing efforts. That also goes for the media, who could help balance the argument, for the good of all Australians. Robert Antill, Lake Conjola
I take issue with your page 3 headline (“PM told to do more on rising wave of attacks,” January 31). We would all like the government to do more: on climate change, health care, education, social security, the NDIS, childcare, the list goes on. Sadly, governments now seem beholden to the 24-hour news cycle, with people expecting instant reactions to complex issues designed more to assuage people’s immediate anxiety than contribute to a meaningful solution. Governments are not infallible nor omnipotent. Criticism is easy, solutions are difficult. Neil Ormerod, Kingsgrove
I find it confusing that the media pundits who demand answers to recent antisemitism were happy to undermine police and other agency investigations by printing the leaked caravan explosives story and shifting the advantage to the perpetrators. Peter Hull, Katoomba
Would Police Commissioner Karen Webb or Premier Chris Minns like to borrow Grace Tame’s T-shirt? Alex Springall, Westleigh
PM can learn from Minns
Thank you for a cracker of an article from John Coyne (“PM’s timid reply to antisemitic terror is dangerous,” January 31). He rightly points out that our prime minister’s reticence appears to have escalated the racism. Albanese has seemed to be conflicted on antisemitism instead of conveying a strong message. The issue has been mismanaged from the very beginning, with no action taken after the Opera House march when racists went looking for Jews. We need strong leadership on this. Perhaps Chris Minns can give some lessons to Canberra on how to be an adult. Pamela Shepherd, Balgowlah
Playing the victim
Listening to Josh Frydenberg being interviewed this week reminded me that the Coalition, in the current discussion regarding antisemitism, are nothing short of hypocrites. Frydenberg has now played the minority victim hand, and while antisemitism should be rightly and loudly condemned, let’s not forget which side of politics routinely denounces identity “woke” politics, stokes culture wars and division, stirs up Islamophobia and treads on the rights of many different minorities – even if not Frydenberg personally. His claim that the Labor government doesn’t care about the Jewish community was contemptible, particularly his claim that the Albanese ministry would have acted more decisively had the minority under attack comprised, for example, “gay people and people of Indigenous background”. My observation is that the current government is doing everything it can and takes a strong stand on the matter, but for the Coalition, it seems some minorities are more equal than others. Shaun Davies, St Peters
Former treasurer Josh Frydenberg. Credit: Jason South
Josh Frydenberg gave a heartfelt response to the current spate of antisemitic incidents, but he strayed too far into the blame game and ended up being just another partisan warrior for the Liberals. He described criticism of Israel’s policies as antisemitic, and when he mentioned attacks on politicians of Jewish faith, he omitted the fact that at least two were from the Labor Party. After all, he and Dutton blame Labor for anything and everything in the debate, so why spoil an argument with some relevant facts? His interview on the ABC started well, but ended up being just another anti-Labor spray. Poor effort. Tony Sullivan, Adamstown Heights
Mental health crisis
The big increase in waiting times for people with mental health crises since the mass resignation of hospital psychiatrists is extremely troubling, particularly as the public health system is already so overloaded (“Harsh truth of psychiatrists crisis”, January 31). For GPs dealing with patients in crisis, hospital emergency departments are often the only option because private psychiatric hospitals frequently won’t accept such patients, and private psychiatrists are unaffordable. To lambast hospital psychiatrists as greedy ignores the reality of the pressures they were working under compared to those in private practice. The government is moving to a model of GPs sharing the care of mental health patients, but with GP shortages and the long appointments these patients require, it’s not a viable solution. Let’s hope the health authorities and psychiatrists can find agreement. It’s the only option. Louise Dolan, Birchgrove
Public service cuts are false economy
Please, let’s not fall for this yet again (“Right idea, wrong target: How Dutton’s 36,000 job cuts will leave him exposed”, January 30). In my career in the NSW public service, Labor and the Liberals sought to outdo each other at each election on who would get rid of the most public servants and after the election staff would be offered redundancy packages to leave. “Wait a minute though”, they would think, “work still has to be done.” So before long the desks of the people who had left would be occupied by new people. Not staff though – “consultants” employed on contract. Consultants are not counted when the number of public servants is tallied so, yes, the number had been reduced as promised. Trouble is, consultants are much more expensive than staff but nothing is said about that. I finally got the message and left and came back to do the same job at double the salary. The electorate was happy, though, because the head count was lower. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach
David Crowe is right to point out the perils of drastic cuts to the public sector and to highlight the exorbitant costs of consultants, many of whom had previously been public servants and received paid redundancy packages. Reductions in staffing levels lead to reductions in service and ultimately chaos and abuse of the community. To cite merely two examples, robo-debt at the federal level and the privatisation of much of Sydney’s bus network at state level. And to do so with an ever-growing population makes the proposition more absurd. Tony Doyle, Fairy Meadow
Good to be reminded of the army of consultants funded by taxpayers under the Coalition to avoid hiring much-needed public servants. I’m still struggling with Peter Dutton’s two shadow ministers for waste to cut down on waste – laughably ironic as it begs the question, isn’t that a waste? Deb McPherson, Gerringong
Minority vote
The claim by Donald Trump that “diversity” was a factor in the American Airlines air disaster on Thursday is simply ridiculous (“Trump blames diversity hires, Biden for fatal aircraft crash without evidence”, January 31). He fails to mention that he sacked the head of the Transportation Security Administration days after taking office. To see what Trump is really talking about in relation to “diversity”, replace that word with any minority you like – Mexicans, Latinos, Cubans, British, Californians, Women, LGBTQI, Africans, Asians, Arabs or even Jews. Before you vote in our election, pay attention to the language of the candidates. The insidious creep of “MAGA” slogans, views and even policies is not only divisive, but also damages social cohesion. Peter Dutton is haranguing the prime minister at every opportunity about his response to the rise in antisemitism. Would he be as fervent if the targeted minority was Asian, African or LGBTQI? What about domestic violence victims? I don’t know. Before you vote, ask yourself “which minority do I belong to?” Lee-Ann Groblicka, Turramurra
President Donald Trump said diversity hiring practices at the Federal Aviation Administration were factors in the accident.Credit: AP
Trump is both insensitive and irrational (“Common sense? More like a lack of common decency as Trump stoops to new low”, January 31). Soon after America’s worst air disaster in 25 years he started playing politics, blaming Joe Biden and Barack Obama for cutting costs and employing “dummy” air controllers and former transport secretary Pete Buttigieg’s “diversity policies”. No wonder the world is bracing in horror for a tumultuous four years. Congratulations to the American voters for electing such a dummy President. D’Arcy Hardy Turramurra
I find it galling to listen to President Trump lamenting the loss of precious lives in the American Airlines crash, when as 45th President he presided over the equivalent of two Jumbo jets’ worth of people crashing, every day for months, as a result of his mishandling of the COVID crisis. No apologies back then. And who is his pick for US Department of Health and Human Services? Robert F Kennedy jr? Disinfectant anyone? Craig Roberts, Matraville
Skills shortage
There are certainly many skilled overseas-trained immigrants who find it very difficult to find professional jobs here (“Solution to our skills shortage is hiding in plain sight”, January 31). One of the biggest hurdles is their level of English. Many skilled immigrants study English at TAFE, but it is very difficult to reach the International English Language Testing Systems level required for most professions (7.5-8.5) through the TAFE English programs. The skilled immigrants do not require further study in their professions. Most have high-level tertiary qualifications (Masters degrees and PhDs) and many years of work experience. In most cases, their qualifications are recognised by their respective professional association here, but their English level is lacking. What would be useful in helping them into work would be high-level, vocationally specific English courses run in collaboration between TAFE and professional organisations (such as Engineers Australia). Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills
School holi-daze
I wonder how many parents, grabbing a moment’s respite, sighed and agreed with Michael Ruffles (“I love my children, but sheesh it’s time they went to school. These holidays have gone on forever”, January 31)? Imagine how much more challenging it must be for parents who are also teachers. Say goodbye to your darlings and then face other people’s treasures for another term. Think, Michael, not of the thousands of dollars in saving on childcare but of the talent, sheer hard work and dedication those teachers, who by coming back from “holidays”, a lot of which is spent in work preparation, will be preparing your kids for life. Thank our public school system, too, for doing it at no great cost – and no “babysitter” fees. Nola Tucker, Kiama
Insults r’us
When did all the “latte lovers” and “chardonnay sippers” so loathed by “the silent majority” become “woke”? What is wrong with good, old-fashioned Australian insults, anyway? Glenn Wood, Bardon (Qld)
So long, Marianne
How many of us realise “we’ll never ride through Paris in a sports car with the warm wind in our hair” before it’s too late. Vale, Marianne Faithfull, a life lived. Paul Betts, Marsfield
British singer and actress Marianne Faithfull has died at the age of 78.Credit: AP
Postscript
Love it or hate it, Grace Tame’s audacious anti-Murdoch stunt at the Australian of the Year awards certainly elicited strong reactions this week. Ambrosia Brown was “inspired” by Tame’s “unquenchable fire”. Lindy Lou Rigg “applauded her courage”, while Andrew Moody was moved to “marvel at her intelligence, bravery and resilience”.
In the other camp, an angry David Jackson dismissed Tame’s “appalling behaviour” as grandstanding for her own glory. “Grace, this event wasn’t about you,” he wrote, “it was about the recipients.” Ross Drynan denounced Tame’s “disrespect” and willingness to use people for her own purposes. “The wording boldly printed on Tame’s T-shirt was obscene, in anyone’s language,” he fumed. Mike Kenneally even managed to get some Albo-bashing in, saying the PM should have made his disapproval clear immediately “and not have to be prompted 24 hours later”. It was just “another example of the PM’s political tin ear”, he wrote.
Whatever your opinion, Tame certainly succeeded in focusing the public’s attention on a certain media baron with an inordinate amount of influence on Australian politics. You might call it a storm in a T-shirt, or was it an F-shirt? Regardless, it was definitely a case of mission accomplished.
Surprisingly, the biggest stink wasn’t caused by any scandal or controversy, rather, a wonder of nature at Sydney’s Botanic Gardens. Visitors queued for hours to witness the rare and exotic “corpse flower”, which only blooms every few years and smells of putrefying flesh. Reader Steven Baker was one of them, and despite the waft found it soul-enriching to finally see the remarkable lily. It was even given a name by staff, “Putricia”, which didn’t exactly enrich Patricia Harvey’s soul. “My thanks to the Botanical Gardens for naming the corpse flower Putricia,” she wrote. “My grandchildren are going to have such fun with my new name.”
To finish at the beginning of the week, January 27 was the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in 1945. With the recent spate of antisemitic incidents in Australia on his mind, Michael Hinchey quoted death camp survivor Leon Weintraub: “Be sensitive to all expressions of intolerance or resentment of those who are different in skin colour, religion or sexual orientation. We, the survivors, understand that the consequence of being considered different is persecution.” Ivan Hemens, letters desk
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