Hypocrisy reigns on the vexed issue of indigenous violence

Kerri-Anne Kennerley should be applauded for her stance on domestic violence in indigenous communities.

Whether or not a sleepwalking Australian electorate puts Bill Shorten into the Lodge, it is to be hoped that Northern Territory voters will have the sense to send Jacinta Price to Canberra (“Virtue-signalling a choice as the innocent die”, 30/1). She would be the finest indigenous MP to grace the parliament.

She challenges the hypocrisy of the anti-Australia Day demonstrators who ignore the urgency of domestic violence in remote communities. Well done too, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, for confronting this absurdity.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

I will always be grateful to former editor-in-chief Chris Mitchell who ensured that some of his most able journalists have for many years been investigating and reporting the truth about certain episodes of violence that persist in remote Aboriginal communities, particularly as they affect women and children. I refer to Paul Toohey, Rosemary Neill, Paige Taylor, Noel Pearson and Victoria Laurie, among others. And now, based on historical knowledge and personal experience, Jacinta Price speaks out. She has analysed and outlined the outmoded cultural beliefs that oppress many Aboriginal women and children.

Her critics should wake up and listen. Even literary magazine Meanjin has published her informed views on violence and rape of Aboriginal girls and the consequent suicides. Where are the feminists on these issues? Looking the other way, it seems.

Suzanne Edgar, Garran, ACT

Threat to job target

The Prime Minister has promised that the Coalition, if re-elected, will create 1.25 million jobs in the next five years. These jobs will be needed just to cater for immigration-fuelled population growth. By promising to create these jobs, the Prime Minister has, in effect, promised that he will not reduce immigration, thus threatening his chances at the coming election.

Some economists noted that the job creation target would not be met if immigration were reduced. Those of us who live in the real world understand that if immigration were reduced many of these new jobs would not be needed in the first place.

David Haselgrove, Main Beach, Qld

Northern pipedream

As usual this summer, there are monsoon rains with record flooding in north Queensland. Building dams and sending the excess water to replenish the Darling is a no-brainer.

Hydro-electrical generation could be piggybacked off the diversion that would be used to pump the water south. To prevent evaporation, concrete pipes could be used to transport the water to central Queensland. The water has only to make it to one of the tributaries of the Darling to end up in the Murray.

The alternative is the continued fight over water allocation, the loss of irrigation in the Darling basin, continuing problems with water in South Australia, and insufficient environmental flows.

Bill Gabriel, Morningside, Qld

Fuel for climate hysteria

Chris Kenny’s article was an excellent piece of journalism (“Facts start to blow hot and cold when weather’s concerned”, 28/1). BOM’s selective elimination of previous maximums in temperature records, because of the type of screen in which the readings were made, is unsustainable.

Kenny did not report on whether readings from this screen are being used in the basket of average monthly temperatures that have all been reported by BOM as above average.

Statisticians know that when determining trends you must use data that is “like on like”, and transparency is paramount when it comes to reporting that information. BOM has previously misled us with temperatures that fuel climate hysteria.

Norris Lewis, Chapel Hill, Qld