Both parties must address uncertainty about coal-fired power

Considering the consumer watchdog has issued warnings about gas shortfalls on the east coast from July to September, Peter Dutton is on the right track with his domestic gas reservation policy (“Energy price election”, 28/3). But what about our coal-fired power stations? The Albanese Labor government doesn’t want a bar of them.

Indeed, its renewables-only policy is designed to guarantee their demise. Yet coal-fired power now provides 60 per cent and at times up to 80 per cent of the nation’s daily electricity needs.

Is Dutton going to stand by and watch these energy workhorses being forced to shut down? The Opposition Leader’s intention of setting up a domestic nuclear power industry is all well and good, but there are numerous obstacles to overcome before that becomes a reality.

Amid a prevailing belief that coal-fired power stations have to go, there is little incentive for their owners to spend the millions of dollars required to keep them maintained.

So, under a Coalition government, we’ll have more gas to prop up renewables and a vague hope a nuclear power industry will be delivered some time in the future.

Queensland Premier David Crisafulli has the right idea. He has vowed to keep the state’s coal-fired power stations operating indefinitely, thus ensuring industry gets the reliable, 24/7 baseload power it needs to continue operating, businesses are able to keep trading and Queensland households continue to function normally.

Until Dutton addresses the plight of our coal-fired stations, they will be left alone in a hostile environment to soldier on, ensuring the nation’s lights stay on.

Dale Ellis, Innisfail, Qld

Real-world discomfort

Peter Slezak has stated that Australian Jews “should feel uncomfortable” about the war in Gaza that is being waged in their name (“Academic probed on Jews remark”, 28/3).

Dr Slezak seems to be ignoring a few points. First, Australian Jews are Australian citizens. The war in Gaza is not being waged for them. Second, since October 7, 2023, Australian Jews have received death threats; have been doxxed; have had their children threatened; have been targeted by criminals who were masterminded by an anti-Semitic criminal overseas; have had their cars burnt; have had a synagogue incinerated with people inside who just escaped; have had their homes, businesses and schools defaced; have been spat on, screamed at and attacked in the streets; and have been confronted by Hitler salutes. This is not “discomfort”. It is pure racism.

Perhaps Slezak might like to leave his ivory tower and see what is really happening.

Pia Brous, Armadale, Vic

Politics of legal studies

Henry Ergas (“Role of law schools is to teach, not preach”, 3/28) masterfully exposes the flaws of University of NSW dean of law Andrew Lynch’s argument (“ ‘Black-letter’ law alone doesn’t make for good lawyers”, 26/3) that those who criticise the politicisation of law courses are promoting an “impoverished conception of law” that would “produce a profession ill-equipped to serve its society”.

If universities refused to fulfil with “judicial severity” their responsibilities to ensure impartiality and objectivity, and instead invoked academic freedom “as a shelter for inefficiency, for superficiality, or for uncritical and intemperate partisanship”, then it’s not surprising they would be made to correct their failings.

Cutting funding could be a powerful mechanism to bring our tertiary institutions back to places of learning rather than places of partisan indoctrination.

Lynda Morrison, Bicton, WA

As I would expect, Henry Ergas eloquently takes apart the nonsense that is going on in some of our law schools. But perhaps he has overlooked one thing: courtrooms are often called theatres of justice and the performance of barristers in them is often highly theatrical. So, by forcing trainee lawyers to put on a performance of giving acknowledgment to country in a suitably earnest and enthusiastic manner, whether sincere or otherwise, perhaps those law schools are, in fact, training them in the theatrical skills and insincerities they will later need in the courtroom?

Peter Thornton, Killara, NSW

Pandemic blunders

Adam Creighton (“Vaccine tops list of Covid blunders still ignored across West”, 28/3) should not apologise for any reticence he felt in criticising the Covid vaccine directives. Even in the letters section of this publication the furthest I dared was to cite a US study that showed vaccine resistance to be greatest in the most educated (PhDs) and least educated in the community. This, I suggested, was because the doctoral candidates were committed researchers, while the least educated were often best at detecting falsities. To quote Basil Fawlty, “I think I got away with it.”

Vicki Sanderson, Cremorne, NSW