The radical feminist Korean 4B movement for women (which advises women not to get pregnant to men), the importance of respect in relationships and concerns about domestic violence all highlight the need for change towards attitudes toward women in most cultures (“Do the world a favour. Have a baby”, November 13). Having a baby amid these concerns is the last thought on some women’s minds. Respect for women in relationships ensures emotional, physical and financial security and choice over their own body. Throw in a modicum of happiness, and only then will babies be highlighted. We have a long way to go. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer
Newborn babyCredit: Getty
There is a little-known cause for falling fertility in modern humans. A meta-analysis in 2022, led by public health physician Hagai Levine, reported that sperm count fell by 56.3 per cent in Western countries (1973–2015) and by about a quarter in non-Western countries (1986–2018). Research is narrowing in on climate change and forever chemicals as the main culprits. Simon Chance, Richmond Hill
How disappointing that Jenna Price has given no consideration to the likely future of any baby born now. As we continue with destroying biodiversity, worsening ocean acidification, increasing plastic pollution and so on, we increase the threats to all life on Earth. A baby may well bring joy to the parents and grandparents, but adding another child not only increases the planetary impacts but also increases the risk that the child will not have a “decent future”. Karen Joynes, Bermagui
For some couples, there are insurmountable obstacles to having children. For couples struggling to pay rent, make car payments and feed themselves in their current economic circumstances, parenthood is a painful impossibility. Opinion pieces urging them to parent are unhelpful and hurtful. Many couples unable to conceive engage in IVF with varying success and expense. Then there are couples who freely choose not to have children, and that is their right. It’s not a one-size-fits-all decision. Mike Keene, Mollymook Beach
Recipe for chaos
As accurately summed up in today’s editorial, Minns’ outrageous snub of other public servants, especially nurses, is a recipe for industrial chaos (The Herald’s View, November 13). Upgrade a few at the expense of many, more highly qualified professionals. Never before has any union been offered more than their ambit claim. Madness. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach
Nurses protest outside NSW Parliament in Sydney.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone
The difficulties for nurses in terms of their pay dispute with the NSW government are people’s reliance on their goodwill and their inability to add funds towards the budget. With a wink and a nod, police “productivity” can be increased by stricter policing and upward adjustments to fines. Nurses lack such “automatic stabilisers”. Ferdo Mathews, Robina (QLD)
The pay dispute over the difference between raises for police and not nurses and probably all other emergency staff is unedifying, undignified, improper and discriminatory. All those workers deserve more. Even if only for the reason they’re daily dealing with an increasing number of idiots – and at the top of the list are the ones we elect. Tony Doyle, Fairy Meadow
Our nurses are now elevating their industrial strike activities and the CMFEU has been prominent – yet again – in Macquarie Street. Presumably this renewed enthusiasm for pay increases is part of the union response to the extraordinary pay increases granted to our police.
With the RBA and most economists pointing the finger at state and federal governments for contributing to the higher-than-desirable inflation figures through infrastructure projects and public sector wage increases, one can only speculate on the language used by the PM when he speaks to Premier Minns about election planning! Malcolm Harrison, Terrigal
Nurses should follow the teachers and demand that hospitals have eight patient-free days per year. The admin staff would remain hard at work, of course. Stephen Crawshaw, Forest Lodge
As a nurse in NSW, my colleagues and I feel very frustrated and worthless. Public health nurses are paid significantly less than their colleagues in the private system and aged care, not to mention their colleagues interstate. Last year, we saw public sector teachers receive a substantial pay increase, and recently, police received over twice as much as what nurses are asking for. All we are asking for now is close to parity in pay and conditions with comparable professions and colleagues. Something needs to give. Sean O’Keefe, Woonona
I have worked as a registered nurse in NSW for more than 25 years. This decision on nurses’ wages will probably decide for me whether to continue working or walk. Caz Thompson, Mosman
Less than nothing
Anne Ring’s letter reminded me of a joke that my father (a GP) used to explain the difference between a GP and a specialist (Letters, November 13). A specialist learnt more and more about less and less until they knew everything about nothing, whereas a GP learnt less and less about more and more until they knew nothing about everything. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl
Call out the deplorable
Your correspondent is right to note the strange silence from both Labor and Coalition leaders about Ralph Babet’s gloatingly offensive and deplorable comments, encouraged by Trump’s victory (Letters, November 13). Timidity from Labor for fear of alienating those who agree with Trump’s divisive views is unacceptable. Equally unacceptable is opportunism from the Coalition, who smell blood in the water and hope to capitalise at the ballot box. Let’s vigorously call out those who disseminate hatred and those who enable it. Alison Stewart, Riverview
Letters contributors are questioning the worth of Senator Ralph Babet, but I think that we are misjudging him and the United Australia Party. I believe they are in possession of an invention of immeasurable worth. Judging by the photograph in today’s paper – pinstriped suit teamed with a pink pinstriped shirt and white collar – they have a time machine that has allowed Babet to leave today’s troubled world and travel back to 1990, where he has become a stockbroker. Ian Morris, Strathfield
Senator Ralph Babet posted racial and homophobic slurs on social media platform X.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
What price a decent living?
There is considerable ongoing debate and investigation regarding the cost of living, focusing on shelf prices at the two major supermarket chains. No analysis thus far on what determines this price – costs such as wages, fuel costs associated with the transporting of goods from producers, and producer input costs. Should producers and farmers not make a reasonable living, the eventual outcome will be dire, as seen with the collapse of the dairy industry. Bruce Clydsdale, Bathurst
Capitalism victims tempted to worsen their fate
It is perverse indeed that the right-wing parties in Australia are proving more attractive to lesser-educated and lesser-wealthy folk (“Political tribes are trading places”, November 13). How can we forget the impoverishing effect on workers of the brutal free market, neo-conservative ideologues of the 1970s onwards, still well represented in the upper echelons of the Liberal and the National parties? And now those same workers who suffered at their hands are voting for them. Seriously? You just need to look at who makes up right-wing think tanks such as Advance Australia and the Institute of Public Affairs to realise that multinational financial, mining and media corporations are still pulling the strings of us all. We are truly heading towards plutocracy at best and fascism at worst if we allow this to continue. My university education taught me how to say “viva la revolucion!” Gough would never have danced with Gina. Russ Couch, Woonona
The new divideCredit: Simon Letch
Ross Gittins rightly points out that the political duopoly has flipped into reverse, but can we please also recognise that this has occurred in media and political contexts in which truth is absent, consistency is disregarded and shamelessness is ever present? Labor’s incremental improvements are really quite conservative – their anti-corruption commission has no integrity, their climate policy has no teeth and Albanese’s promise of a “kinder, gentler parliament” has been broken. Meanwhile, the radical LNP are proposing a blank cheque for publicly owned, uncosted and unproven nuclear power. Thankfully, communities in Australia have more trustworthy, constructive and colourful options than either red or blue, blue or red. Peter Moore, Newport
The reason the “progressive” side of politics both here and in the US has become susceptible to the “woke” label is that pushing more extreme social policies is now the only way in which they are able to appear progressive. More concrete economic measures with any tendency to undermine the underling neoliberal ethos are right off the agenda. Thus, in Australia, we have a Labor government making a big deal of restricting access of children to social media but unable to do anything about negative gearing and capital gains tax reform. If you want an indication of the likely outcome of this process, just look to the US. John Croker, Woonona
The centrepiece of Labor’s re-election campaign will no doubt be achievements while in government and a sound but realistic policy program addressing current and emerging issues. Unfortunately, this may not be enough as it assumes people come to reasoned decisions based upon careful analysis of facts, figures and the character of the people presenting. The reality is that a good many voters have little interest in politics or current events beyond those with an immediate personal impact and form voting intentions from feelings and impressions. There is little sympathy for or understanding of the complexity in addressing intractable problems where the best that can be achieved is to choose the least worst option available. Labor campaign strategy needs to counter the inevitable Trump-inspired Coalition effort by appealing to emotions and feelings, along with self-interest. Cutting red tape means less regulation, allowing the big to swallow the small and the interests of the little people no longer being protected by government. Workplace flexibility means poorer and possibly unsafe working conditions and lower pay. Lower taxes means fewer government services or higher levels of debt, and reducing immigration might relieve some housing pressure but will exacerbate workforce shortages in critical areas. These are the messages that need to be delivered if we are to not repeat what we have just witnessed in the US, where the poor and disenfranchised have voted overwhelmingly against their own as well as national interests. Ross Hannah, Bowral
More heritage horror
On top of the hoax heritage listing of the Powerhouse Museum, in which no part of the museum as we know it is actually protected by state heritage listing, now we have the graceless evisceration of the Parcel Post building at Central (“45-storey tower to dominate Central”, November 13). No doubt this travesty met Sydney’s low bar for design excellence. It seems there is no heritage indignity the Department of Planning and a compliant Heritage Office is not willing to inflict on state-significant places. Sydney has led the way with some of the worst examples of facadism and the “box on top” treatment for state-significant heritage buildings. Now we have the “heritage skewer”. The system of state heritage protection has become a shameless farce when the developer gets the green light to partly demolish and drive skewers through the heart of a publicly owned heritage building which is an integral part of the design and setting of Central Station. Kylie Winkworth, Newtown
American complexities
While F.D. Roosevelt’s third (and fourth) term was unprecedented, it was not unconstitutional, nor was his cousin Teddy’s attempt at a third term in the 1912 election (Letters, November 13). The two-term limit was only a convention until the adoption of the 22nd Amendment in 1951. Nixon had plans to overturn this amendment during his second term but Watergate scuppered those plans. If you want a playbook for trashing American democracy, look no further than the Philippines, where President Marcos got around a carbon-copy of the US Constitution to become a virtual dictator 50 years ago. The great hope for the US is its fragmentary brilliance, where one section often tends to balance out the eccentricities of another – it can be like watching a centipede attempt ballet, but progress is eventually made – perhaps even with gun laws. Lance Rainey, Rushforth
I am bemused by the preoccupation with Kevin Rudd’s suitability to remain as Australian ambassador to the US. If prior disagreements were a disqualifier, most of Trump’s likely future administration would go missing, right up to VP-elect J.D. Vance, who once compared Trump to Hitler, among other unflattering commentary. They say Trump has a strong sense of revenge, but his memory of past difficulties does seem to be selective. So let’s keep Rudd in our Washington chair. He’s a great schmoozer and a capable, if hubristic, diplomat who will serve us well. Mike Salon, Darlinghurst
A better cause
The madness of Elon Musk and Trump poses a dilemma for those of us owning skyrocketing Tesla shares. Could I suggest directing this unwanted windfall to something useful? I am sending a chunk of ours to Gaza via Medicin Sans Frontieres.
Bill Munro, Gosford
Phil Rodwell’s brilliant idea needs to be passed on to Elon (Letters, November 13) Here is a sweetener to get Donald on board. Just picture a TV advertisement: Donald and Melania sitting in luxury bathtubs on a SpaceX rocket ship. Melania, reading a magazine, says, “Mars looks nice”. Donald picks up the phone and says, “Elon, Mars” (with apologies to Cussons Imperial Leather soap). Mark Nugent, Lugarno
When he gains his commission as a Kentucky colonel, do you think that Anthony Pratt will become privy to the 11 secret herbs and spices (CBD, November 13)? William Galton, Hurstville Grove
Anthony Pratt (centre) at this year’s Met Gala.Credit: Getty Images
Cultural powerhouse
Vale Ian Stephenson (Timelines, November 13). His ever-present smile, his quiet voice … these are what I remember Ian for. But more than these was his indefatigable devotion to architectural heritage, pouring his heart and soul into advocacy through his travels, supported by a mind brimming with an enormous capacity to delve into insights that would have been overlooked by the most astute historians. I collaborated with Ian on two exhibitions for the National Trust. The photograph of him amid the columns of Burdekin House about Sydney’s past and present was symbolic. Ian was the column that ensured that the architectural and cultural heritage of Australia will continue to be supported by us. Zeny Edwards, Lindfield
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