NSW Premier has struck the right note on fire emergency

Before the unstoppable bushfires ravaged so much of this country, I did not know much about NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian. After observing her presence at the emergency headquarters each day, I doubt there is much more she could do. She understands the bushfires and she has made herself available every day.

She answers questions from the media; she has begged the public to listen and act on the instructions of the emergency executives; she has pleaded for residents and holiday makers to evacuate their properties and holiday sites and to seek shelter well away from the fires.

She has recognised the damage to life and limb that can occur if the public doesn’t listen to emergency staff and heed their advice. Her dealing with the deaths of the volunteer firefighters was dignified and heartfelt.

Her reliability to front up every day and her understanding of the situation is remarkable. I have a lot of respect for the NSW Premier now. She hasn’t delivered sermons or parochial statements about how tough the people of NSW are, but she is front and centre every day contributing and providing good advice.

Lizzie Haydon, Runcorn, Qld

China undeterred

Alan Dupont’s plea for Australia to push back against Beijing’s political warfare (4/1) is the latest in a cry that others have made over recent years. Australia’s foreign interference legislation has to be seen to be effective and Chinese-backed individuals and organisations have to be called out and, where necessary, expunged from Australian society. China will not stop because there is paper-tiger legislation that seeks to deter its activities.

While Xi Jinping is a committed Marxist, he is a Marxist with Chinese characteristics and has to be understood in those terms. China anticipated Marx and the totalitarian surveillance state by 2000 years. Xi and his dynasty are a back-to-the-future movement; a return to the Celestial Empire in which the rest of the world tremble and obey.

The liberal-democratic world will continue to be a plaything of China’s divide-and-rule tactics until it unites and perseveres to defeat its authoritarian enemies.

Jim Wilson, Beaumont, SA

Drone killing unwise

The killing of Iran general Qassem Soleimani under the orders of President Donald Trump (“Top Iran general killed in US strike”, 4/1) could be described as an unwise move. David Kilcullen (“Quds chief’s killing lifts US-Iran tension to new heights”, 4/1) highlights the grim consequences of this action. Barack Obama’s killing of Osama bin Laden failed to bring the Afghanistan war to an end; it exacerbated the situation.

Kilcullen points out a number of retaliatory actions Iran may take, including asymmetric attacks on US personnel and bases. In this context, we should not discount attacks on US allies, including Australia. It is time Australia considers whether to continue its role in the Middle East.

Bill Mathew, Parkville, Vic

Faith in Constitution

Damien Freeman’s endorsement of the minister’s advisory panel (“Wyatt on right track for recognition of indigenous people in Constitution”, 4/1) is not unequivocal. He is happy the panel includes those committed to recognition while opposing a symbolic statement; but what if the only choice is between symbolism and an indigenous assembly?

We must have faith in the Constitution. The statesmen who drafted the document had a good grasp of its power to service the political necessities of a free and equal people. And they were under no illusion that the peoples of hundreds of indigenous tribes would have great difficulties in assuming their rightful, equal status in a liberal society.

David Long, St Lucia, Qld