Last Post: Government needs to act on anti-Semitism

May I suggest the Prime Minister’s use of the word gentleman to describe the man who attempted to firebomb a synagogue in Melbourne on Friday is probably not quite the right use of that word (“PM ready for the fight against anti-Semitism”, 9/7).

Judy Kellaway, Urangan, Qld

At last, unambiguous, bipartisan acknowledgment and condemnation of the scourge of anti-Semitism infecting our nation, without the previously obligatory “and Islamophobia” in the same breath.

Deborah Morrison, Malvern East, Vic

Reading the insightful hard-hitting editorial, and seeing the brilliant StandUpToHate advertisement, has given me hope for the future (“Anti-Semitic mobs must face truth of Hamas evil”, 8/7).

Rhoda Silber, Manly, NSW

So Anthony Albanese will launch a plan to tackle anti-Semitism “in days”. Isn’t he a few thousand years too late?

Jill Elias, Dalkeith, WA

In challenging the Reserve Bank’s latest interest rate decision (“Treasurer’s calling but RBA puts him on hold”, 9/7), Jim Chalmers seems to be weaponising the bank’s split vote and questioning its independence.

Peter M. Wargent, Mosman, NSW

It would appear at least some members of the Reserve Bank board have taken the lift down from their ivory towers to street level and actually done some shopping.

Dave Chibeba, Toormina, NSW

Defence spending of around 3.5 per cent of GDP will just keep us on the right side of our friendship and military alliance with the US. Without the US, we would need to increase our defence spending to well above 10 per cent to give ourselves even half a chance of defending ourselves for at least a month.

Brian Barker, Bulimba, Qld

When our Prime Minister visits Beijing he will see plenty of red flags, but here at home there are many red flags hanging over where this country is heading: from economic issues, renewable energy availability and cost to defence capability, to childcare, aged care, falling education standards in public schools, gambling and the appalling rise in crime.

Randall Whyte, Sherwood, Qld

“Warnings were issued but the systems don’t seem to have been in place to get information to those in harm’s way fast enough,” an expert says about the floods in Texas (“Why was the Lone Star state taken by surprise”, 8/7) A sentence for our time.

Lesley Walker, Northcote, Vic