As a heritage consultant, I agree that heritage is about sensitive change management (“What stays and what goes in race to build Sydney’s housing”, January 10). However, too often I have seen the weaponising of “heritage” to impede and prevent development. The word is thrown around by NIMBY communities without understanding that significance is not purely tied to a building being old or having “streetscape quality”. Heritage assessment is not an objective process. The difference among opinions within the industry is vast and obtaining a development approval can often rest on the sole opinion of the heritage adviser to the local council. A historical building is not a static monument trapped in time. It is a living document which changes, expands, contracts or adapts to new requirements and historical contexts. We should start seeing heritage as an opportunity and not a constraint. Emily McSkimming, Coogee
“The idea that heritage is just buildings has moved on”: NSW Energy, Environment and Heritage Minister Penny Sharpe.Credit: Louise Kennerley
There is no evidence that heritage protection has any impact on house prices, or that heritage must be sacrificed to improve housing supply and affordability. Heritage places are protected because they have cultural values for the whole community. Heritage also has enormous economic value. The No. 1 interest of high value, long stay international cultural tourists is visiting history, heritage buildings, sites and monuments. In the year before COVID-19, cultural and heritage tourism to NSW was worth $14.3 billion. At last year’s ICOMOS General Assembly (UNESCO’s International Council on Monuments and Sites), which attracted 1200 of the world’s heritage influencers to Sydney, the garden suburb of Haberfield was one of the destinations, along with The Rocks – the site of a landmark conservation battle led by Jack Mundey. It is no coincidence that almost all the world’s major tourism destinations are cities that protect their heritage precincts and places. These are also the cities rated among the most liveable in the world. Arguably Sydney needs more investment in heritage protection and conservation, not less. Kylie Winkworth, Newtown
In the heritage v housing so-called “battle”, the words of Cicero come to mind; “To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child”. There are many aspects to this battle, not just NIMBY v YIMBY forces facing off. Let’s hope the strategists are clever and creative in their planning to allow Sydney to emerge into an adulthood acceptable to all.
Lyn Langtry, East Ryde
There is little doubt that the discussion of where to build housing in Sydney will hot up in the coming months. What I fear is that the YIMBY lobby, while it may have some genuine followers, is nothing more than a front for developers that want to get their hands on prime real estate to overdevelop, not for the good of Sydneysiders, but to line their own pockets. I also think many of these so called YIMBYs should be called YISEBYs – yes in someone else’s back yard. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury
With suburbs of treeless, ugly McMansions forced on homeseekers for decades now and inner suburban renovations and rebuilds of mighty boxes both freestanding and unit blocks, Labor offered a fix but I wonder where Stephen Wallace of Glebe was during the 2019 election that couldn’t be lost (Letters, January 10). We can’t move on until a majority of voters can be turned towards - what would it take? Community mindedness? I won’t mention the cost of downsizing etc. Irene Wheatley, Bethania
Pricing practices cost shoppers
To re-engage with the community and to bolster its support, the Albanese government needs to gain control of the day-to-day political agenda (“Grocery giants warned on prices”, January 10). The announcement of a review into the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct is a limp attempt to do this. Most voters will be wondering what the “all available levers” are to bring down supermarket prices and will be sceptical about the potential outcomes and when they will see meaningful results. It is hard to imagine that the government will institute price controls and that they will set up some system to scrutinise and manage farmgate, supplier, wholesale and retail pricing.
The government needs to develop a compelling dialogue and innovative plans to tackle inflation and other concerns that will silence the opposition’s populist and superficial criticisms. Ross Butler, Rodd Point
Craig Emerson: “I’ll follow the evidence and give everyone an opportunity to contribute to the review.”Credit: Brook Mitchell
It is about time that the ludicrous “voluntary industry-led regulatory scheme” in the supermarket sector is abandoned and stricter government regulation is introduced. The duopoly supermarket giants have been pressuring food producers into low supplier prices for years, but consumers continue to be ripped off with high retail mark-ups which lead to exorbitant profits. Has any “voluntary” code of conduct ever worked for the benefit of consumers in any industry?
And for the Coalition to be criticising the major supermarkets of “extraordinary” mark-ups now is unmitigated hypocrisy because they did nothing about the issue during their wasted decade in office. Rob Phillips, North Epping
Finally the government will address the ever-disturbing and increasing issue with supermarkets and their price-gouging. The review of the Food and Grocery Code of Conduct is desperately needed, with both Coles and Woolworths recording unprecedented profits in the billions. The only question remains is, how long until we start to see changes that will help ordinary Australians at the checkouts? Daniela Catalano, Haberfield
How can anyone doubt the sincerity and integrity of the big grocery chains’ pricing practices? After all, they assure us daily that prices are down, down, offer to help us spend less, and loudly proclaim that the best interest of customers is always at the forefront of everything they do. Surely they are putting customers before profits, right? Meredith Williams, Northmead
What Coles and Woolworths have done so effectively is to create a virtual duopoly of gleaming, vertically integrated supermarkets and blame their supply chain for driving up consumer prices. The devil’s in the detail – if the banks can be held to account by Reserve Bank levers, then why not logically expand its powers to regulating unfair corporate citizenship? David Briers, Earlwood
Hope amid heartache
As I read Natasha’s story, memories from 40 years ago flooded back; the anguish of the diagnosis of our baby daughter Jocelyn with cancer (“For those who relieve our burden”, January 10). Our world was turned upside down and yet, everything else stayed the same. Like Natasha, family and friends were our mainstay. Having a child with cancer is a tough journey to travel, for all the family. The need for support is enormous and the journey is made a little bit easier when family and friends help. Even all these years down the track I’m still grateful for all the help that was so willingly given to us. Thank you, Natasha, for sharing your story. I hope and pray that Ezra will make a complete recovery. Marietta Hopkins, Woolooware
Natasha Sholl and her family including son, Ezra, 13, who suffers from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Natasha Sholl writes movingly of pockets of grace in times of extreme grief. By contrast, her landlord’s action is utterly unconscionable. Landlords, now is the time to show grace to renters. Do what a relative of mine has done – ditch your real estate agent and set a fair rent. If those of us who own property continue to screw over those who don’t, then the nightmare that unfolds is America’s desperate underclass and Trump’s vengeance. My relative’s grace allowed her tenants to save. When she was ready to sell, they bought it – at a fair price. Win-win. Sue Young, Bensville
No laughing matter
Lindsay Smith’s letter about Nazi symbols reflects a complete lack of understanding of the huge rise of right-wing neo-Nazi groups here and world-wide (Letters, January 10). The symbols are banned in many countries reflecting the understanding that it creates a bond for their evil ideology. Laugh and ignore them is an inexcusable suggestion. Michele Apter, St Ives
Healthy advantage
The government is obviously examining closely the cost of various dental schemes, but is it considering the cost of continued business as usual? (“Dental arithmetic: government weighs costs of plan for universal access to dentistry”, January 10). The statistic that half of Australians do not have acceptable oral and dental health, no doubt primarily those less well-off, is alarming, as evidence grows of serious consequences for long-term health. The addition of dental services to Medicare – with an appropriate increase in the Medicare levy – is the best approach, with dentists being encouraged to bulk bill or charge a minimal gap fee. An increased levy will never cover the full cost, but even a $12 billion annual cost of an uncapped scheme is a far better investment than the imminent tax reduction for high-income earners. This is a decision which would cement Labor as the superior party for health policy. Geoff Harding, Chatswood
Dentist and patientCredit: iStock
High-fee folly
Principals of private schools should stop blaming teachers’ well-deserved increases in salaries for lifting fees beyond reasonable levels (Letters, January 10). It is the commitments that those empire-building principals, often highly paid themselves, and their business-orientated boards make to extravagant building projects and their ultimate maintenance that necessitate high fees. Perhaps government funding for private schools should cover only teachers’ salaries and not much more. Costs for extras like university-level libraries, Olympic-standard swimming centres, athletics fields and gymnasiums might then be diverted to reinforce quality learning that often is available in government and cheaper parochial schools. Brian O’Donnell, Burradoo
The average student-teacher ratio in NSW is reportedly 12:1, so with private school fees nearing $50,000 per year, the average teacher is supporting some $600,000 in fees. The average salary for an experienced teacher is around $150,000 per year, which leaves about $450,000 per 12 students to pay for administration and maintenance of school facilities. A school with 300 students would have $11.25 million. Seems a lot. Perhaps cost accounting should be added to private school circulars. Brett Howard, Mosman
Plan for peace
When it comes to getting women into parliament, I hope and believe that a woman would put the future of her children and grandchildren first and recognise that we have come to the point where war with China, no matter what the US wants, is not an option we can accept in a world bristling with nuclear weapons (Letters, January 10). The alternative, learning to live with one another, is entirely feasible and assures a future for all of us. Jeannette Tsoulos, West Pymble
Repeat offender
As your strongly worded editorial makes clear, US democracy and world stability is at risk if Trump is re-elected president (The Herald’s View, January 10). Hitler’s propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels said, “Make the lie big, make it simple, keep saying it and eventually they will believe it”. Trump has weaponised his big lie, that the 2020 election was stolen, despite no evidence to support his claim and a plethora of lost court cases. Nonetheless, the polls show that millions of Americans do believe it. Churchill’s words that “those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it” could not be a more apt warning. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl
Poor sport
Warner (and Khawaja’s) revelation that Warner was asked to be the Australian cricket team’s sledging “attack dog” is a poor defence for his actions over many years (Letters, January 10). As Andrew Webster says, he could have said no. One wonders what suitable personality characteristics he had already exhibited to cause officials and teammates to select him as the best candidate for the role. And it is laughable for Khawaja to suggest that Warner’s agreement to assume the role is an indication of what a fine team player he is. Mark Morgan, Palmwoods (Qld)
Top dog
Reading my printed Herald is a daily pleasure, but today was extra special thanks to the splendid piece from Andrew Probyn (“A dog, a war and a one-armed man”, January 10). What a great yarn, as was your editorial, which with steely precision sets out the evidence as to why a second term for Donald Trump would be catastrophic for the US and a danger to the world. Thank you! Felicity Biggins, Cooks Hill
Bev Todd in the Libyan desert in 1941.
Scomo keeps faith
Like Melania Trump’s call to “be best”, Scott Morrison has clearly decided to ignore grammar in his memoir Plans for Your Good – A Prime Minister’s Testimony of God’s Faithfulness (“Morrison enlists former VP Pence to write foreword for Christian memoir”, smh.com.au, January 9). Good what, in heaven’s name? Phil Rodwell, Redfern
Scott Morrison must have been burning the midnight oil to write his memoir. Obviously his working days would have been devoted to serving his constituents and giving all of us taxpayers full value for money. Don’t you think? Maggie Ramsay, Woolloomooloo
A testimony of God’s faithfulness is not required from Scott Morrison. Of far greater relevance is an understanding of the social and political impacts of Morrison’s faithfulness to God, particularly in relation to his environmental and refugee policies. Stephen Foster, Glebe
I look forward to Scott Morrison’s chapter on the Christian inspiration for robo-debt. Graeme Finn, Summer Hill
Superlative sports
Shane Warne is recognised as one of our greatest-ever Test cricketers, as is David Warner. So finding a replacement for the latter shouldn’t be all that hard. Just find someone called Warnest. Bernie Bourke, Ourimbah
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