Premier Dominic Perrottet’s dam scam will not save him from damnation at the next election (“”,October 6).Ron Russell,Leura
It was disappointing to read Perrottet’s statement that more development is needed in the Hawkesbury-Nepean region so that “young people can get into the property market”. Surely the emphasis must now be on ensuring young people can have stable,long-term housing. There is a range of ways in which the government could assist this. Our obsession with the property market has reaped awful consequences for young people so far.Natalie Mabbitt,Randwick
Put people before plants,eh? I love Perrottet’s sense of humour. His sky-bound gags just keep coming,like Crown casino putting people before public parkland and the tower dwarfing Central station promising to put people (developers) over,well,everything. In the premier’s high-vis mindset,lateral thinking spoils the snappy delivery. What use are big words like integration,preservation and consultation when “fast-tracked” is the punch line of progress? No,let’s swap that boring waratah as our state floral emblem for a people-powered crane. Damn. That’s not funny at all.Peter Farmer,Northbridge
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Perrottet pretends to be concerned about people who can only afford to live on floodplains,people who can’t afford housing at all,and Indigenous culture,but this decision shows he is totally insincere in what he says.Judy Christian,Castle Hill
Perrottet’s priorities have become clear. His agitation to put aside health advice shows he puts business before people. Now,he has declared our state must “put people before plants”. He seems to have forgotten the impact of his priorities on the planet and the dangers of climate change. Plants before people before business.Anne Ring,Coogee
The premier has hit on a new car number plate logo:“NSW – putting people before plants.”Michael Hinchey,New Lambton
Protecting the residents of the Nepean-Hawkesbury floodplain will take more than raising the dam wall. The lessons of Brisbane’s Wivenhoe dam show management of dam levels is essential. Reliance on the desalination plant is the unspoken and uncosted element in the premier’s plan.Philip Cooney,Wentworth Falls
Raising the dam wall has been condemned by many different groups. With that controversy to be settled,I believe Perrottet should not be able to commit the state to a huge debt when the elections are just six months away. Especially when the state is already carrying huge debt.Ann Eskens,Crows Nest
In 1983 Bob Hawke won government on the back of a campaign of “No Dams”. Could Chris Minns at the next NSW election repeat history?John Bailey,Canterbury
“People before plants” clearly defines the all-too-common view of our unique,complex,beautiful but ever diminishing environment.Peter Lane,Margaret River (WA)
Fixing crowded hospitals requires good dose of will
I first experienced hospital emergency department overcrowding in the 1980s,with long ambulance queues developing in the 1990s (“”,October 6).
As a specialist emergency physician,I have been to more workshops,policy reviews and meetings about this issue than I could poke a stick at. Each year the problem gets worse and spreads wider. It’s time we recognised that the system is designed to overload EDs. While they remain the backstop for gaps in every other social and medical service,needs will never be met. If we don’t re-direct patients who can wait for other services and we don’t move out patients who need ward beds,EDs will always be full and skilled staff will continue to leave out of frustration and exhaustion. We could solve this tomorrow with the right will. Unload all ambulances on arrival. Re-direct patients whose condition is not critical and move the backlog of patients requiring hospital beds out of ED. Re-purpose ideas from COVID:medi-hotels could accommodate those almost ready to go home,or only needing daily care.Sue Ieraci,Balmain
Chris Hopkins
Once again Brad Hazzard resorts to weasley words. How comforting to hear that he’s “sympathetic” about the stress experienced by doctors and nurses who simply can’t do their jobs because there are too few of them when we are sick or dying.Kerrie Wehbe,Blacktown
The deterioration of health services and public education,and the increasing number of families living in poverty,suggest that in some ways Australia is indeed trending toward Third World status. Far more important than any election promise to reduce taxes is for governments to do their utmost for the health,education and living standards of the entire population.Geoff Harding,Chatswood
When I was a hospital resident in 1987,no ambulance ever had to wait longer than five minutes to unload its patient and have them transferred to a bed and attended. What has changed so dramatically? It is not the will or the expertise of the staff,which has greatly improved. The only factor is the population increase since then,unmatched by an effective,inflation controlled increase in hospital funds. What did the government boffins think was going to happen to hospital care? Who has benefitted from this increase in population,when people can no longer be cared for and even kept alive when sick or injured? Who wins? Not those in the ambulance or the waiting room.Jennifer Briggs,Kilaben Bay
All teachers deserve a pay rise
Who is deserving of a pay rise among our public school teachers (“”,October 6)? Is it the teacher at a top selective school whose students all achieve band six in the HSC? Is it the teacher of year 8 music or a language who inspires their kids to follow the subject on in later years? Is it the teacher in a remote area who manages to get kids to come to school and builds social cohesion in some of the most challenging circumstances? There are myriad ways in which a teacher can achieve excellence and few of them can be measured on a rigid scale determined by “policy experts”. Higher salaries for all teachers will attract a few of the best and the brightest,reducing the workload will attract even more,as will the recognition that being a public school teacher is a valuable and respected career.Peter Cooper-Southam,Frenchs Forest
Why would so-called experts in education believe that paying high-performing teachers more than other teachers will stop teachers leaving the classroom? Who will assess the teachers for their pay rise? How would a teacher feel knowing the teacher in the next classroom is being paid more for doing the same job? So many questions and so few answers.Robyn Lewis,Raglan
So,90 per cent of teachers will be happy to see the other 10 per cent paid more,while they continue to be underpaid,under-resourced and undervalued. That’ll encourage people to fill the thousands of gaps that are already in the system.Bill Irvine,Goulburn
You would think by now the Premier,Education Minister and the whole government would get it. Teachers aren’t leaving in droves because of the pay,it is the workload and conditions. Earlier this week the idea of lengthening the school day was floated. This will send even more teachers packing. Improve the conditions,lessen the workload and then,and only maybe,will you attract and retain more teachers.Peter Miniutti,Ashbury
Labor’s tax problem
My primary reasons for voting for Labor this time was the commitment to addressing climate change,the Voice to Parliament and a national ICAC (“”,October 6). I did not vote Labor so that the rich could receive tax breaks at the expense of the needy. So far,although Labor has demonstrated greater integrity and intelligence than the Coalition,I remain disappointed by the lack of action on addressing climate change and tax breaks for the rich.Jennie Lindbergh,Darlington
The PM needs to stamp out any debate over the 2024 tax cuts. What is done is done and it would be very foolish to give ammunition to a weak Opposition to exploit. The government needs to be smart about this and deal with the elephant in the room – tax reform. A summit could be held within the next 18 months so that the emphasis is on structural change to a system that is buckling under the weight of its reliance on income tax.Michael Blissenden,Dural
Labor should never have supported the stage three tax cuts. They are hugely inequitable as they so favour the wealthy. Really,why should someone on a basic income of $46,000 be in the same tax bracket as someone earning $199,000 (30 cents in the dollar). It is basically an attempt by the Coalition to introduce their flat tax policy by stealth as it eliminates one tier of the tax brackets.Malcolm Freak,Armidale
So interesting that those politicians arguing for the tax cuts are all going to get the most financial advantage. A man’s gotta laugh.Barry Ffrench,Cronulla
Bring them home
The government has generously offered to bring home ISIS wives and children (,October 6) who (even if only minimally) supported the violent overthrow of a number of governments,and yet it seems to have no interest in bringing home Julian Assange,who has only sought to tell us what our governments are really doing. What about some compassion for this Australian citizen too,Mr Albanese?Lee Cook,Orange
Peter Dutton tries to justify the previous government’s lack of humanity in refusing to repatriate women and children from Syria. His concerns for national security are pretty pathetic when there are 40 children and only 20 women involved. If he is so concerned perhaps he can persuade the Albanese government to spend a pathetically small amount of our defence budget to monitor these women.Peter Rose,Jamberoo
For the first time,I agree with Peter Dutton. Bringing the ISIS women and children is very dangerous for Australia. I believe it is far more important that we should be trying to bring the stranded Afghans,who helped us against the Taliban,to safety in Australia,and it is definitely time we made sure that Julian Assange was free and able to come home.Pam Nankivell,Parkes
Airport connection
Many passengers at the new airport ( October 6) will have connecting flights with Mascot airport. A line through Leppington would offer a direct and shorter trip east to Mascot only a few kilometres away. Why go on a tour north to St Mary’s that is much further away and will take much longer? Plus,consider the extra costs.Alberto Bizcarra,Rozelle
Loretta was better
Loretta LynnAP
Loretta Lynn (“”,October 6) was once asked how she would like to be remembered. She said:“As a good person. Someone who never hurt nobody.” I wonder how many people in power will be remembered that way?Rajend Naidu,Glenfield
Over the rainbow
Regarding rainbows (,October 6),my fridge magnet says:“Some people walk in the rain,others just get wet.” A rule I try to live by.Llieda Wild,Eastwood
Jo Rainbow from Orange says her rainbow connection is life-enhancing for her husband. I wonder if his name is Roy G Biv? Surely they would be a rather colourful couple from a colourful town.Denis Goodwin,Dee Why
Lost heritage
Any update on when the NSW government plans to reassemble Parramatta’s heritage-listed Willow Grove?Martin Frohlich,Adamstown Heights
Quite contrary
It’s disappointing that a major catastrophe like some Danish princes and princesses losing their titles was relegated to page 22 of the Herald (“”).Mustafa Erem,Terrigal
The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au
Fromdannypockets:″What a joke. The problem is with retaining recent graduates who are burning out under the massive burden of non-teaching administrative duties on top of all the unpaid class prep outside of working hours. No amount of fiddling around the edges will redress this. The only solution is to spend a lot more money,either to fairly compensate teachers for the real amount of work they do,or to hire additional administrative support staff to lessen their burden. Anything less is an unserious non-solution.″