ASIO chief’s warning shatters illusion that nation is free of threat

When peace and stability between nations are being shattered by the terrifying absurdities of the Trump administration, the never-ending war zone that is Central Africa and the appearance of Chinese warships off our eastern seaboard, it would be reasonable to be thankful for living in Australia, the most beautiful and safest country in this troubled world.

Unfortunately, ASIO chief Mike Burgess, in his latest threat assessment, spells out with alarming clarity that we are not safe, that elements within and without are determined to do us harm (“ASIO steps up to beat new level of security fragility”, 20/2).

While the timing of this report is unrelated to an upcoming federal election, it surely requires both major parties to place the security of the nation above all other priorities. In a turbulent world, everything else must come second.

Norman Moore, Bangalow, NSW

ASIO chief Mike Burgess tells us threats are “trending across the Western world” and are “only going to get worse” (“State-sponsored murder plots”, 20/2). The emphasis in his statement is on “the Western world”.

We must ask ourselves, urgently, what is it about our liberal democratic societies that is inviting these threats? Finding ways to protect Western civilisation is incumbent on all of us.

We could start by valuing our country instead of denigrating it. As Anthony Albanese might say, there’s no place for complacency in Australia.

Julie Winzar, Palm Beach, Qld

Green steel fantasy

Anthony Albanese is spending billions of dollars to convert Whyalla to a producer of green steel. The concept is dubious at best. Steel produced that creates no environmental damage by using electricity to replace coal or gas or recycles steel is a concept, not a reality.

South Australia is in extreme electrical stress, often relying on connectors to eastern states even to keep domestic power connected. It pays Elon Musk a ridiculous amount of money for a battery that would provide less than one hour of power if a critical failure occurred, and that is without a green steel mill. If it happens then the steel will be so expensive it will not meet the market. The government may legislate that it has to be used but that will further damage our industrial base. Cheap imports of steel from India and China – ironically, probably from ore sourced in Australia – will further damage our manufacturing industries. It’s easy to interpret this as posturing to back up the Labor vote.

If the ALP wins the next election, the inevitable review and business assessment will find that the Whyalla mill is unviable as a green steel mill. It will be mothballed or a decision will be made to keep it going with massive subsidies.

Tony Hennessy, Casino, NSW

Brain drain

Thank you, Douglas Murray, for your insights from the Alliance of Responsible Citizenship (“West’s greatest task: restore pride in our civilisation”, 20/2). Part of me wants to say, “for stating the obvious” but, sadly, there are many things he mentions that should be obvious but are not.

I am constantly appalled reading newspaper reports of universities and academics crowing about research or “revelations” that my long dead mother would have known as a matter of course.

Universities seem to churn out PhDs without any thought to originality. In my own day a PhD was awarded for original thought, and reflecting on previously unknown issues, or unthought of symmetries.

Now we squander valuable brainpower and potential on the vacuous and the obvious.

Tony Hagar, Sandy Bay, Tas

No time for narcissism

Psychoanalyst Erica Komisar writes about the mental health crisis in children across the world and lays the blame at the feet of the women’s rights movement – the “Me” movement – which she says is a “major contributor to the epidemic”(“Narcissism at the heart of children’s mental health crisis”, 20/2).

While this line of thought certainly does have a lot going for it, she has actually ignored the real elephant in the room. How many children are in distress because their mothers are just flat out working to provide the wherewithal for a roof over their children’s heads?

It is a challenging life, to organise children out of the house each morning, go to work, work diligently all day, collect children, do the shopping, come home, feed them, wash their clothes, wash them, supervise their homework, clean up, and so on.

There is not much time or energy left for “narcissistic pursuits”, nor is there often much time or energy left for the nurturing of the relationship between the child and their mother.

No wonder some children are not having their “irreducible needs or requirements” fully met by their parents. Their mothers are exhausted!

Carolyn McMurtrie, Berowra, NSW