A publisher of leaked information about war crimes, already in the public domain, is charged with espionage by the US even though the “offence” did not occur within their jurisdiction, and even though the leaker has long since been pardoned (“Freedom flight”, June 26). That publisher is subjected for 15 years to the full weight of the US legal system in an attempt to extradite him, and for all of it is incarcerated in one form or another. The war crimes remain unprosecuted. Australians across political divides call for his release and return. But rather than admit their overreach and drop the case, the only mechanism that the US offers is a guilty plea to the original bogus charges. Some ally. Some justice system. Bob Makinson, Pymble
Illustration: Matt GoldingCredit:
Peter Greste makes an important point when he charges WikiLeaks with not meeting the requisite ethical standards responsible journalism demands: what Assange released might have endangered others’ lives and futures (“A win for press freedom? Perhaps”, June 26). While “celebration” and “jubilation” no doubt reflects Julian Assange’s family’s feelings at being released from a long, character-testing period of incarceration, “relief” might better convey the national response. Many are glad it is over and happy to learn the truth about the abuse of power. But, they are also concerned about Assange’s failure to edit his deluge of documents to ensure they did not damage those in the field of conflict whose job is to act on a nation’s behalf.
Ron Sinclair, Windradyne
While I agree Assange has suffered enough and deserves to come home, I can’t quite forgive him for foisting Donald Trump on the world. We should never forget that it was Assange’s deftly timed release of Hillary Clinton’s private emails that helped Trump to a narrow victory in the 2016 presidential election. Assange was foolish enough to believe Trump was a man of his word and that he would be released if Trump won. As we’ve all since discovered Trump’s word was simply what he said he believed on any particular day and subject to wild variations. Merona Martin, Meroo Meadow
I am happy to accept Mike Pence’s proposition that Assange’s actions should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, if Pence is willing to accept that many of the acts revealed by Assange were war crimes and the same standard is applied to those who committed and authorised them (“Mike Pence says Julian Assange’s plea deal is a ‘miscarriage of justice’”, June 26). Otherwise, spare me the sanctimonious hand-wringing. Stephen Driscoll, Castle Hill
Resilience has been an oft-used word over the recent years of our national disasters. I submit that Assange, his wife, parents, lawyers and supporters have raised the meaning of that word to a different level. It turned out that, ultimately, the US settled for slightly less than their “pound of flesh.” There were no winners in this ordeal. Eoin Johnston, Alstonville
After all the depressing world news happening including the possible election of right-wing rednecks such as Donald Trump and Marie Le Pen it’s a ray of sunshine to hear that Assange is finally being released and coming home. It’s hard to imagine what this man has been put through for doing nothing but pointing out the truth. Let’s hope he can now enjoy the rest of his life. Jerry Stiel, Lilyfield
Never agreed with Barnaby Joyce much before but loved that he was the one of our first politicians to be brave enough to support Julian Assange today. Bravo Barnaby. Great day for Julian - one of our Australian citizens. Helen Simpson, Curl Curl
The dignity and eloquence of John Shipton, loving father of his prodigal son Julian, is a high point in modern Australian history. May peace be with them. Frederika Steen, Chapel Hill (Qld)
It appears Assange will soon be a free man. We have been hearing from his wife, Stella Assange, thanking the countless people who have made this event possible. I too offer my thanks. I also take this opportunity not to offer any thanks to prime ministers Rudd, Gillard, Abbott, Turnbull and particularly Morrison, who stood by while the Americans pursued one of us for their own kangaroo court. Maybe the American justice system should in future pursue the perpetrators of collateral murder rather than its reporters. Darren Mitchelson, Bondi Beach
Credit where credit is due. Assange has been released, relations with France are back on track after the submarine debacle, ties with Pacific Island nations have improved and China is now buying our barley, wine and other goods worth billions. Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong’s softly-softly approach to foreign policy has certainly been rewarded. Malcolm Freak, Armidale
Public opinion on the new GG’s pay being led by vested interests
What Jenna Price is concerned about is quite common these days (“Sam Mostyn’s big fat pay rise isn’t what you think. The PM should have said so”, 25 June). Most people don’t consider all the facts. They are happy just to be influenced by what others (usually with a vested interest) tell them. In this case, there is a range of players who would be appalled that the GG’s pay has increased substantially. It’s more ammunition to their cause. They don’t want to be bogged down by the nuances of income versus pay. Those are complexities that detract from their simplistic argument.
We see it particularly in political debates. To take just one example, according to some all the problems of congestion and housing availability would be solved by cutting immigration. Never mind that the world is more complex than that. Don’t let the details get in the way of a good story that will potentially convince others.
As for Albanese not speaking up, unfortunately this is indicative of the timidity of this government’s approach to things. The false premise is accepted and it is just the simplistic argument that is countered, rather than convincing people of the falseness of the original premise. They are always on the defensive, fighting on other people’s ground. Don’t just accept the simplistic argument. It is rarely the full story. David Rush, Lawson
King Charles meets Samantha Mostyn, Australia’s incoming governor-general in May.Credit: Jordan Pettitt - WPA Pool/Getty Images
It’s such a relief to have a new GG. She’s worth the pay rise. We should note that Samantha Mostyn has legal qualifications (which should be a prerequisite for the position). Hopefully, that means that she’ll be capable enough to carry out her duty to the Australian public and inform us when, say, our prime minister appoints himself to five ministries. Glenn Johnson, Leura
How astounding that seven letters published about the incoming governor-general’s new pay rate were all from men and all were critical. Would they have been as critical if the new GG was Samuel Mostyn and not Samantha Mostyn? Bronwyn Willats, Mittagong
Price provides compelling evidence to justify the new GG’s salary. However, it is the general excessive pay-packets of those above the base that many of us rail against. The haves and the many more have-nots. And the divide continues to grow with little true understanding of either. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer
No doubt some will be outraged, however, this is the first rise in five years for our GG and is well short of one million. Unlike a significant number of corporate senior execs, our next GG will not be a member of the millionaire’s club, does not get fat bonus payments or the gifting of stock options. I am relaxed and comfortable about the pay rise. Murray Patchett, Kentucky
Mostyn should not be paid a cent by Australian taxpayers. She is the king’s representative - he should be paying. Andrew Spencer, Pymble
What a great honour to be Australia’s governor general. What an opportunity to do good for all Australians. I would do it for free. Rita Zammit, Concord
Student visa regulation overdue
Before retirement, I worked in NSW higher education and VET sectors. It was my observation that while overseas student experiences such as those recounted by Valentina Olivares were not rife, international education was too often treated as if it were no more than an on-tap free-for-all cash cow (“Migration agents ‘exploit’ students: survey”, June 26).
For example, the NSW economy benefited hugely from international education, but it was the only jurisdiction where overseas students were ineligible for concessional fares on local public transport, a disadvantage that could add significantly to their living costs and, in turn, their mental wellbeing.
Although the government’s efforts to better regulate the sector and student visa eligibility are way overdue, I fear that the scale of exploitative practices that flourished and compounded in plain sight continuously over past decades may not augur well for Australia’s international standing in decades to come. John Williams, Balmain
Moore to do
Let us all applaud Clover Moore for her ethical and considered approach to the business dealings of the City of Sydney and the citizens she represents, who I assume include members of Sydney’s Jewish community (“City of Sydney backs boycott of Israel providers”, June 26). I am assuming that included in her stance would be a boycott of any government dealing with Hamas. Let us not forget, as well, China and their appalling human rights record, including the persecution and genocide of the Uyghur people. I hope I see no Made in China labels in the Sydney Town Hall offices. As well, what about Russia and its appalling invasion of Ukraine? South Africa? The United States, where black lives have not mattered? Several South American nations need to be put on the list also, as well as any Australian company with a colonial past. I imagine Clover Moore will be kept remarkably busy over the next few decades making sure to boycott any nation that has allegedly transgressed her values, and expanding the council’s role in foreign affairs. It is time to condemn this council’s hypocrisy. Evie Apfelbaum, Bondi Junction
Powering ahead
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator, Australia needs to find more than 200 gigawatts of additional electricity generation by 2050 (“Shift to clean power is not quick enough”, June 26). In this context, the nuclear rollout proposed by the Coalition, providing 10 gigawatts, falls well short of what is needed. Since all coal power generation will cease by 2038, the need for an acceleration in renewable energy projects is imperative. Thus, if the solar and wind farm naysayers are successful in interrupting this transition, disruptions to electricity supply will be frequent and catastrophic and occur well before 2050! There will be no power for households, supermarkets, industry, the media, etc., and forget about charging electric vehicles. Regardless of whether nuclear plants become a reality, our nation will, of necessity, be almost totally dependent upon renewable power generation. Roger Epps, Armidale
D’oh! Peter Dutton as Homer Simpson.Credit: John Shakespeare
AEMO has just disproved Peter Dutton’s comments about the costs of moving to a renewable electricity grid by 2050. The cost is not over $1 trillion, as Dutton claims, but $122 billion. And this will mostly be funded by private enterprise, not taxpayers. Dutton’s seven nukes will almost certainly cost more than that, but according to experts, only supply about 5 per cent of our electricity needs. So not only is Dutton comparing an apple with an orange, he is silent on how much it will cost under the Coalition’s plan to replace the other 55 per cent of our electricity generation. Brendan Jones, Annandale
Ethical choice
It’s beyond time that government stopped treating pharmacy as some third-rate part of the public service and consulted us on changes that affect our profession (Letters, June 26). Pharmacists will decide if they choose to sell vapes according to their professional ethics, and not because government saddles us with the task. I, for one, will not. David Haworth, Sylvania
Just the ticket
I agree that Sydney needs fast trains to service regional areas. The cost of developing new lines to both Newcastle and Wollongong are prohibitive due to the steep terrain faced in getting trains down the escarpments and crossing the Hawkesbury River (Letters, June 26). I suggest that a fast train to Goulburn, then onto Canberra, would do wonders to open up residential areas that could service both Sydney and Canberra at a much cheaper cost due to the easier terrain and large supply of land south-west of Sydney. Geoff Lindsay, Thurgoona
Talking down
Michelle Cazzulino bemoaned the fact that our politicians can only trade colourless dull insults compared to the vivid words of Churchill, Lincoln and Twain (Letters, June 26). No one expects to speak like Shakespeare any more, but descriptive language is currently very limited. In theory the English language has a rich lexicon, but it is basically ignored by most of the population. The dialogue of films and plays has become dull and featureless because the same three words are used for every emotion and function. If we are using just these few words now, how will our grandchildren communicate? Where can we go to from here? Judith Rostron, Killarney Heights
No charm
As a former constituent of Tony Abbott in Warringah, I have to say I didn’t detect a whole lot of “boyish charm” in my long-term parliamentary representative (Letters, June 25). Mostly what we saw was confrontational obstinacy, bull-headed dogma, and sycophantic deference to foreign royalty.
Unless, of course, you focus on the famous budgie-smuggler image. No shortage of outstanding boyishness there, for sure, but hardly what one might call a bucketload of charm. Steve Cornelius, Brookvale
Australia should be Tuckered out by Carlson’s politics
“A huge compliment” was apparently paid by Tucker Carlson at his right-wing soirée (“Tucker Carlson’s message for his Australian faithful”, June 26). His announcement that “Australia is the most middle-class English-speaking country left in the world” is tainted with the kind of nationalism that fill me with fear. There is no place for his kind of politics here. Lorraine Hickey, Green Point
Bad sports
It is disappointing to read the commentary regarding Afghanistan’s behaviour in a T20 cricket game (“Australia dumped as Afghans bend rules” , June 26). One could reflect that Australia has form on the cricket field that has not always been honourable or in the “spirit of the game”. But, more disturbingly, it continues an unpleasant trend that could be called media whingeing whenever an Australian sporting team, or sportsperson, is beaten or suffers an adverse result. Accepting defeat honourably seems absent from the sports media lexicon in this country. Brian Kidd, Mt. Waverley (Vic)
Constant critics
I took the children from my small school across to my residence to view the moon landing (Letters, June 26). They sat on the lounge room floor waiting through the delays to witness the historic event. It eventually happened and as we were returning to the classroom I heard the reaction of one student to this momentous achievement. “Boy, was that boring”, he remarked to his friend. Barry Wooldridge, Harden
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