Important to play fair when quoting Covid death statistics

While I appreciate the thrust of Adjunct Professor John Skerritt’s letter about the vaccine rollout in this country (30/12), his use of gross deaths in the US and Europe, instead of deaths per capita, makes those numbers appear more alarming by an order of magnitude. It would be interesting to hear what countries with similar populations to us are doing, examples being Taiwan or Malaysia (seven and 455 deaths respectively, 0.01 and 0.5 times the numbers of deaths in Australia).

Gayner Goodbody, Thurgoona, NSW

Partner on ore

While turning to India is the obvious move, Australia should also build relations with Brasil (“India trade pivot to counter Chinese bans”, 30/12).

Devastated by coronavirus and last year’s dam disaster at Brumadinho, Vale SA has been forced to slash iron ore production, granting a windfall to Australia’s biggest export to China, which won’t last.

Or will it? The chief financial officer of Vale SA, Luciano Siani, recently said that while ramping up production in coming years, Vale “is not going to overflow the markets with iron ore”.

I wonder if Australia’s biggest export competitor could use some help right now, and might also be open to a cartel arrangement — a sort of OPEC for iron ore — for the day China starts playing us off against each other?

James McDonald, Annandale, NSW

Backwards

Paige Taylor’s articles (“Troubled town in new wave of strife”, 29/12, and “Grog and dope fuel outback felonies”, 30/12) about youth crime and the parlous state of community stability of the territory communities of Yuendumu and Numbulwar are distressing. Destabilisation is not limited to these two communities. Discontent, unrest and the need for ever-increasing law enforcement is an escalating territory need.

I was principal of Numbulwar School from 1976 until 1978. During those three years, unrest was minimal. Any matters of concern were dealt with by community elders and responsible family members. Petrol sniffing and drug usage were minimal and alcohol consumption in this declared dry community was not an issue. There was little graffiti and negligible damage to school and hospital. There was no police station as a permanent police presence was deemed unnecessary. If the need arose, it was sufficient to have police available on call from Groote Eylandt. In far too many instances, remote community situations are collapsing for both Indigenous residents and staff appointed to meet the needs of people. Problem situations are becoming increasingly frequent and barriers to life and living ever more insurmountable.

There are solutions and ways to address these issues, but present leaders are not interested in countermanding underlying issues. Band-aiding and glossing over issues seems to be the preferred government management methodology.

Henry Gray, Leanyer, NT

Brave reporting

In response to the piece “Confessions of an ‘arch neoliberal’” (29/12), I have followed Adam Creighton’s columns for quite some time and I have admired them for their rigorous and rational analysis (a lost art these days, except in The Australian). I’ve admired Creighton’s stoicism, too, in not buckling to puerile, hysterical, ignorant or self-serving attacks.

Yes, some of his warnings have been confronting, but he has been unrelenting in his efforts at alerting the public to the dangers of ignoring that old political axiom: It’s the economy, stupid. I salute his wisdom.

V. Fraser, Buderim, Qld

Bins and beer

I can inform readers that the great tradition of putting a six-pack out for garbage collectors is alive and well in South Australia (Letters, 30/12). Every year we place one (or the equivalent) on each of our bins. We have been doing this for more than 20 years without them ever being stolen. This year we even received a hearty blast on the horn from the collectors. Clearly the gifts hit their intended spot. Long may the tradition continue, come theft or skulduggery.

John Halsey, Upper Sturt, SA

The smart play

Robert Craddock’s mystification about the lack of Test class batsmen (“Australian has lost its aura on home territory”, 30/12) was inadvertently answered by Steve Smith’s comment, “You can bat as much as you want in the nets, but there’s nothing that can replicate what a game can do.” Cricket Australia has, in its wisdom and grab for money, ripped the heart out of the Sheffield Shield, once regarded as the world’s best training school, and replaced it with the Big Bash, popular, but not a great training ground for Test Cricket. The Shield is reduced to two “rumps”, one at each end of the season, when the best players are often unavailable, and it receives virtually no publicity. How wonderful it would be for Joe Burns, for example, to go back to his state side for a couple of Shield games, to rebuild his confidence, but, alas, the slog and bash of BBL will hardly do that.

And Craddock seems to think that magnificent coaching and magnificent facilities should solve the problem. Certainly they help, but over the years, the best batsmen have been “forged” by the most competitive conditions and — apart from Test matches — that was the Sheffield Shield.

Peter Valder, Toorak, Vic

Malcolm McMurray’s call for the inclusion of Glenn Maxwell in our Test team (Letters, 30/12) has merit. Maxwell’s century on Indian soil in 2017 showed us he has both grit and a touch of batting genius. An element of either characteristic would be a welcome feature in the third Test.

Bob Miller, West Leederville, WA