Whenever I suffer disappointment with the Albanese government I turn to George Brandis to remind me how pathetic the Abbott, Turnbull and Morrison governments were (“Is Albo fated to be a one- term PM?”, January 27). Brandis has denounced Whitlam’s cabinet as “old dinosaurs and clueless eccentrics”. What then could we say of the pretenders, including Peter Dutton, who hid behind Scott Morrison and his pathetic response to the disastrous bushfire and his callous robo-debt? Ray Alexander, Moss Vale
Anthony Albanese risks being remembered, like Jim Scullin, for being a one-term PM.Credit: Joe Benke
George Brandis has rubbished Anthony Albanese as a shallow also-ran. I would have thought that the permanent shift to renewables as the major element in energy supply and fixing the Liberals’ absurd hybrid configuration of the NBN would easily qualify as lasting and significant initiatives. They sure beat the enduring image of Howard’s and Abbott’s immigration nastiness, Rudd’s “pink batts” home insulation screw-up and Morrison’s multi-ministry fiasco. All the PMs Brandis named have their pluses and their minuses. But if all we can look forward to from Peter Dutton is iffy nuclear installations, taxpayer-subsidised lunches for business types, racial divisiveness and the Trumpification of Australian society, Albo’s stolid blandness is looking pretty appealing. Adrian Connelly, Springwood
I really hate to agree with George Brandis but his analysis of the timidity of Albanese and his government is right on the mark. Prime ministers come to power clutching a bag full of political capital; they can spend it with a bang on nation-changing signature things – Medicare, superannuation, NDIS et al – or they can let it dribble away, little by little, as this government has done, its many small but useful achievements vanishing in the haze. Fortune favours the brave. Albanese has not been brave. Alan Phillips, Mosman
I agree that the Voice campaign began the downward slide for Albanese. The other achievements of recent prime ministers that he notes all had a lot of community support, but the Voice never had that support, it was a niche policy of the elite. Even the First Nations’ leadership was divided. The one politician who benefited from that campaign was Jacinta Nampijinpa Price, who sprang onto the national stage to display a talent few knew about. I am disappointed in this government to say the least, and may well break the habit of a lifetime and change how I vote. I doubt that I am alone. Vivienne Parsons, Thornleigh
Ah, George Brandis, you wish, you wish. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill
I’m sick of this election campaign already, and it hasn’t even started. Stephen Driscoll, Castle Hill
Seoul’s swift indictment
While the US dilly-dallies over indicting their president who urged his “patriots” to “go down to the Capitol” and “fight, fight, fight”, South Korea has acted swiftly to indict its former president Yoon Suk Yeol on charges of leading an insurrection last month and imposing martial law (“South Korea to impeach president”, January 15). Yoon Suk Yeol is the first president in South Korean history to face criminal charges.
Despite being impeached, bankrupted and convicted of theft from his own charity, sexual abuse and tax fraud, none of that has hindered Trump from securing 70 million votes and a second shot at causing global chaos. Rob Buchanan, Kerikeri NZ
As a real estate developer, Donald Trump knows an investment opportunity when he sees one (“‘You know, it’s over’: Trump floats plan to ‘just clean out’ Gaza”, January 27). Like rundown tenements in New York City in the 1970s, Gaza looks ripe for redevelopment. And, like forcing out poor tenants in Manhattan, clearing Gaza of Palestinian inhabitants will pave the way for high-end spa resorts and condominiums. The US under Trump is already paying Israel with bigger weapons of mass destruction for doing the ethnic cleansing. A sad situation. Ian Ferrier, Paddington
Palestinian children play next to a building destroyed by Israeli army strikes in the central Gaza Strip town of Khan Younis on January 1.Credit: AP
Trump has designs on Gaza. He wants to remove all the Palestinians and send them to surrounding countries already caring for a burden of refugees. He says Gaza’s location “is phenomenal with the best weather. Beautiful things could be done over there, fantastic things.” I presume by that he means to build Mar-a- Gaza. Lester Grace, Stockton
Maybe Trump should offer Gazans resettlement in Texas. Martin Frohlich, Adamstown Heights
An idea to end the Ukraine war: tell Trump that if Ukraine is able to reclaim Crimea he can have the entire coast on which to build Trump-branded resorts.
John Burman, Port Macquarie
With Trump’s designs on Greenland, he is doing a pretty good impression of Argentina’s General Leopoldo Galtieri, the Latin American despot who made the mistake of invading the Falkland Islands. Theo Clark, Freshwater
So Trump will clean up the Gaza Strip. Then who will he “give” it to?
Bruce Graham, Waitara
Your correspondent Allan Gibson speculates whether the Trump Bibles will replace the Gideon ones in Trump hotels (Letters, January 27). If they do, I bet you will have to pay for them. Sue Morgan, Menai
Trump as US president provides further support for the multiverse theory. We can now say that there are at least two universes: one in which rational thought, utilitarianism and evidence-based decision-making apply; and the other in which irrationality, autocracy and decisions based on retribution are evident. While the theory would say that these two universes can coexist, it cannot say they interact. There is no doubt that these two universes are entangled, which is further support for this aspect of quantum mechanics. Other than these two positive outcomes, I expect it to be turtles all the way down. Ian Caddy, Cheltenham
We need a new word to describe the changing political landscape of the US – something that blends oligarchy, plutocracy, kleptocracy, theocracy and Hitler’s theory of the Fuhrerprinzip. Suggestions? Gary Stowe, Springwood
Right Tame in the right place
Grace Tame did not hijack the Australia Day awards as your correspondent suggests (Letters, January 27). I am so grateful to her for highlighting the damage done to the fabric of both national and global cohesion by the lies and misinformation emanating from this fractured family, whose only aim is to feed their endless greed. I agree wholeheartedly with the sentiment and would add “from here to the next election”. Elisabeth Goodsall, Wahroonga
Former Australian of the Year Grace Tame wore the t-shirt at The Lodge.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
Although I find it hard to agree with singling out one person’s contribution to Australian society above all others, I congratulate all who were nominated in the Australian of the Year categories. It was wonderful to see that all were involved in directly improving the lives of others. And not a ball or bat or pool in sight! Terry Tunkunas, Leura
The PM should be careful criticising those who actually believe in something,
have the courage of their convictions, and stand up to oligarchs lest he inspire
us to draw comparisons. Peter Fyfe, Enmore
Graceful phenomenon of Putricia
It’s not just the dramatic paradox of beauty and beast that is in itself an enigma worthy of perusal in the flowering of the amazing Putricia, but that this dramatically graceful phenomenon has awakened a sense of wonder and awe in so many of us, in these habitually onerous and uncertain times, and made us realise that the world is still a beautiful and wondrous place (“The curtains have closed on Putricia. Here’s what she looks like now”, January 26). Judy Finch, Taree
I was one who queued for two hours to see the corpse flower and it was certainly worth the wait. It was very soul-enriching to not only see such a remarkable plant, but to witness those who waited in the line ready to embrace the beauty and fascination of nature. Steven Baker, Engadine
Australia clearly not advancing
Oh, what an enlightened, forward-thinking, egalitarian society we Australians have become (“Australia Day roars back into favour in wake of Voice referendum”, January 24). One of the last first world societies to eventually pass gay marriage. Still bitterly divided over climate change and renewables versus fossil fuels. Still remaining a loyal colony to God and the king and content to have another country’s flag emblazoned on ours. Overwhelmingly rejecting the Voice and now we are satisfied to accept January 26 as our national day despite what it represents to our First Nations people and that a vast swag of our population are not of British heritage.
Why don’t we simply complete the picture by reinstating the White Australia policy, shut down TV at midnight with the flag flying and “God Save the King” playing, and reinstate meat and three veg as our national dish? Tony Bennett, Broke
The Australian national and Aboriginal flags fly together on the Sydney Harbour Bridge on Australia Day. Credit: Getty Images
At the heart of the heated debate and problem around Australia Day and whether the date should be changed is that there are two unreconciled groups of people in this country – Indigenous Australians and non-Indigenous. What needs to happen more than anything as the country moves forward is that these two groups are reconciled.
Why not have an Australian National Reconciliation Day? An ideal date to celebrate such a day would be May 27 as it would mark the anniversary of the occasion when more than 90 per cent of white Australians voted to change the Constitution so that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples would be counted as part of the population and the Commonwealth would be able to make laws for them. William Brady, Randwick
If people keep trivialising Australia Day, such as comparing it to Wattle Day, we will never make progress. The date is one of those which is of major significance in the development of a nation. For the Indigenous people who subsequently suffered atrocities, dispossession and loss of culture over a relatively short time. It marks a significant change in the lives of both the prisoners and the free settlers who have arrived since. It should be the perfect day for both sides to come together and understand each other’s point of view. Both sides can mourn for what was, celebrate the good that has occurred and move forward together with better understanding. It is not a day to be trivialised but one of serious commemoration and celebration. Augusta Monro, Dural
I’m not sure about everyone else, but Bob Jackman’s OAM for “Service to competitive Scrabble” caught my eye. Who said we’re not a balanced society? James Gibson, Summer Hill
Such a contrast. The happy smiling faces of those receiving Australian citizenship. And the footage of manacled, undocumented migrants being loaded onto military aircraft to be flown out of the country, their legal right to apply for asylum having been taken away from them. All at the stroke of a Sharpie wielded by Donald Trump. Valerie Bray, East Killara
Wattle we call Australia Day? Steve Jacobs, Willoughby
Oafish behaviour
The disgraceful display of disrespectful booing by the wealthy, entitled and privileged Australian Open crowd on the retirement of Novak Djokovic with injury is a particularly worrying trend in Australian society (“Commentator’s disbelief over Djokovic booing”, January 25). If anything has become more obvious, since the defeat of the Voice and the rise of Dutton’s adoption of Trump-style aggressive politics, it is the nasty callousness, selfishness and disrespect of a great number of Australians.
It was great that commentators openly aired their disgust at the crowd’s behaviour. The Australian Open’s previous acceptance of bogan behaviour has also led to this. I’m glad this is being called out. Mark Berg, Caringbah South
Creeping influence
Emma Shortis’ article clearly spells out clearly the unmitigated disaster that Trump’s re-election is for the world and Australia (“Think the past will protect Australia from Trump’s future? Think again”, January 27). While it may have been comforting to think during Biden’s presidency that Trump’s previous term was just an aberration and we could safely settle back into the world as we thought we knew it, Trump’s re-election and his behaviour since the inauguration shows what a mistake that was. It seems unlikely that Trump will allow any remaining guardrails of democracy to survive his presidency. We are now shackled to a would-be dictator and need to rethink how we respond. One thing we must consider is how he managed to win. A large part of the answer lies in the oligarchs surrounding him. They own the public square. We have their phones in our pockets, they know who we talk to and who we listen to. We drive their cars, we shop on their platforms. They boosted Trump with their long-term misinformation. It would be a surprise indeed if there were no attempts to interfere in our upcoming election. Gary Barnes, Mosman
Powerful agenda
Caitlin Fitzsimmons presents an excellent precis of the possible Trump effect as the world transitions to renewables (“Trump is ditching climate action, again. This time there are ways to fight back”, January 27). She repeats the common view that in Australia the Coalition’s policy is to extend the life of coal-fired power stations until renewables come along in 15 years or so. This meets their zero emissions by 2050 commitment while kicking climate action down the road. Under pressure, shadow minister Ted O’Brien admitted on the ABC’s 7:30 a few weeks back that renewables would be slowed in anticipation of nuclear and as the old power stations close down, the slack will be taken up by natural gas. And if nuclear takes 20 or 25 years or not at all? Well, gas is cheap and there are large untapped reserves in NSW and Victoria so I guess we just stick with carbon-emitting natural gas. The perfect dog-whistle for their National Party cousins who do not believe in anthropogenic global warming. John Vigours, Neutral Bay
Star of the South, 10 kilometres off Gippsland’s south coast, is the most advanced offshore wind project in Australia.Credit: Getty Images
Mass memories
Caroline Zielinski reminiscing about her childhood Roman Catholic Church services and homemade cakes afterwards brings back fond memories (“My faith might have lapsed but I am still a card-carrier”, January 27). In the 1960s, our mother would walk my two sisters, my brother and I up the hill to St Therese Catholic Church at Dover Heights for Sunday Mass. Afterwards, we were rewarded with either a 10, 20 or 40¢ packet of bulk chocolate bullets weighed by the friendly owner of the milk bar on Military Road. Like Zielinski, I too found Mass boring except on the one occasion when, from the pulpit the parish priest announced to the congregation that “the southerly buster” was coming. He ran through the consecration in record time and had us out of the church in under 30 minutes. Riley Brown, Bondi Beach
Pipe dreams
Thank you to our Herald for informing readers of the water quality of our swimming locations (“Sydney’s cleanest and dirtiest places to swim”, January 27). However, reporting weather conditions before and during sampling together with water turbidity would have provided a complete picture. The age, condition and capacity of our existing sewers together with the paved/built surface of our city are the major causes of contamination. Our forefathers of more than 100 years ago could not have predicted the current population of Sydney when designing our sewers.
Most waterways feeding the harbour/ bays/ major rivers are contaminated due to aged, defective and inadequate capacity of our sewers. It will take their renewal with adequate capacity and a better effort from everyone to clean up our stormwater and waterways for water quality to improve. Brian McDonald, Willoughby
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