Being a captain’s pick is not a disqualification for Ita Buttrose

The new chair of the ABC is eminently qualified to lead the organisation and has a big job ahead of her

Ita Buttrose is indeed a very courageous woman and one who all women and men should look up to (“Born leader the right one to fix ailing broadcaster”, 1/3).

She would have realised that accepting the role at the ABC was bound to be controversial. It must be extremely disappointing to her to be castigated as Scott Morrison’s “captain’s pick”.

I cannot remember Julia Gillard being treated in the same way for her choice of Nova Peris as a senate candidate.

I wish Ita well but I need to impress upon her that the ABC is not a balanced institution when it comes to news and current affairs reporting. This is something that she is eventually going to have to come to terms with in conjunction with the yet-to-be appointed managing director

Peter D. Surkitt, Sandringham, Vic

Ita Buttrose has at last risen to a well deserved appointment in recognition of her talent and professionalism. Could there be a more worthy person for the position of ABC chairwoman? Ita does not tolerate fools and her leadership ability, journalistic skills and tenacity will allow her to hold onto this job, to the delight of most people.

Ken Johnston, Rochedale South, Qld

I’m very hopeful that before I leave this planet, I will be able to view the ABC news and current events people as something other than a publicly- funded left wing activist mob. Hopefully under Ita’s direction this might happen, however, if she can’t see it now, maybe she never will.

Phil Tucker, Mountain Creek, Qld

Diplomacy won in Hanoi

Full marks to Donald Trump for not succumbing to the temptation to reach some quick agreement for the sake of political kudos (“Nuke summit stalls: Trump won’t lift bans”, 1/3). North Korea has only one bargaining chip, its nuclear weapons, and will require huge concessions before giving them up.

Trump’s stance makes it clear that any deal requires concrete and verifiable action on North Korea’s part, rather than mere promises.

But at least both parties walked away from the talks in Hanoi with appropriate diplomacy, leaving the door open for further talks. That in itself is an achievement.

Michael Schilling, Millswood, SA

IB conversion unfair

Rosemary Neill is correct that the conversion of International Baccalaureate results to ATARs is unfair, partly because its gradings are given out of seven (“Failing a test of fairness”, 23-24/2). That’s only part of the issue. To score that seven means little in many subjects. In 2017, for example, physics required only 70 per cent and business management only 69 per cent. On top of that, only three of the six subjects counted are at the higher level. So a student could score in the seventies on all subjects and end up with an ATAR of 99.95.

On the VCE, similar results would give, at best, depending on the subjects, an ATAR in the low nineties.

Dr Neil Lennie, Principal, Imperial College, Melbourne, Vic

Tax plans stymie growth

As a self-funded retiree who receives a cash refund from franking credits, I am fed up with being demonised by Bill Shorten and Chris Bowen. They imply that self-funded retirees are receiving a benefit to which we are not entitled, that somehow we are rorting the tax system: providing a refund of franking credits has been tax policy for years.

Labor’s policies on franking credits, discretionary trusts, negative gearing and capital gains will destroy any incentive to grow wealth. Perhaps Shorten and Bowen could explain to young people how they could grow wealth under Labor’s policies.

Ken McCarthy, Morningside, Qld