Senator Jacqui Lambie is a legend (“”,November 23). A politician with no agenda other than a sincere determination to contribute to the well-being and quality of life of fellow Australians. Senator Lambie’s honest no-nonsense speech rebutting the One Nation,no notion,vaccine discrimination bill is now etched in history. Her blistering speech was brilliant,informed and articulated loudly and clearly. She is a fiery breath of fresh air blasting through Canberra’s staid bastion of privilege and power.Gerardine Grace,Leura
Thank you,Senator Lambie,for pointing out to fellow senators and Australians the bleeding obvious:Individual freedom ends when the freedom,health and safety of others is threatened.Ferdo Mathews,Robina (Qld)
The shrill champions of individual “freedom” ignore the hypocrisy of their bluster;conveniently forget all other rules that are accepted without demur;and thumb their noses at the responsibility and selflessness that is the essence of a civilised society. Where are the clamouring champions of those who’ve quietly accepted that responsibility,behaved accordingly,and want to push back against,as Shakespeare put it,“the noisome weeds that suck the soil’s fertility from wholesome flowers”? Not among the current or aspiring crop of politicians,that’s for sure.Adrian Connelly,Springwood
Peter Shmigel tells us we might have a chat with unvaccinated people at a soccer match without knowing (“”,November 23). I’ll bet you’d know when you contract COVID-19 because your mate at soccer is a conspiracy theorist. It’s been repeated ad infinitum that lockdown is a result of those who remain unvaccinated. They are the ones taking freedom from society.Wendy Crew,Lane Cove North
In Australia,if you don’t want the free COVID-19 vaccine,no one is going to force you to have it against your will. It’s that simple. However,those of us who have had the jab don’t want to be forced to have contact with the unvaccinated if we go to a hospital,school,nursing home,coffee shop,the office or factory,if we catch a bus or train or ferry. That is our choice. Please respect our decision.Marcia McPherson,Mount Coolum (QLD)
Illustration:John Shakespeare
It’s simple really. Every vaccinated person should refuse to patronise any business which allows unvaccinated customers. Let’s see how long those businesses persist.Richard Fry,Marrickville
Morrison’s populist announcement is at odds with the states’ health orders. While endorsing mandatory vaccination for some,but not all employees,claiming that “business should make that decision and shouldn’t be told by the government what to do” he leaves both business owners and employees in a legal limbo. What of a business’s obligation to provide a safe work environment for their employees? If an employee catches COVID-19 from an unvaccinated co-worker or client,surely the business will be legally liable. What protection is owed to employees with underlying health issues?Alan Marel,North Curl Curl
Do any of the politicians and citizens who are in the “anti-vaccination,conspiracy-theories,all-rights-and-no -responsibilities group” see what is happening in the new COVID-19 hotspot Europe (“,November 23)? When autumn and winter hit here next year we will be on a new battlefront against this ever-evolving virus.Sally Spurr,Lane Cove
Two-tier system ensures layers of disadvantage
Access to special provisions for the HSC is only one of many layers of entitlement and disadvantage across schools (“”,November 23).
Wealthier schools with luxury budgets routinely employ specialist sport and conditioning coaches,multiple psychologists,PR and advertising staff,archivists,accountants,school nurses,artists in residence,and even special provisions staff – far beyond the average high school budget.
Parent access to occupational therapists and psychologists,a requirement for special provisions,is often not within the means of disadvantaged families,and consequently,eligible students often feel labelled and conspicuous by the process.Vanessa Tennent,Oatley
Equality of opportunity and a level playing field in education is a myth. This inequality is magnified in the final school years by HSC disability provisions. Students don’t need to learn in libraries that resemble Scottish castles but they all need the opportunity to achieve their potential. Society is disadvantaged when this opportunity isn’t supported.Lyn Savage,Coogee
Private schools continue to claim the most HSC disability provisions while having the fewest students with special needs. Why? Because these often high-fee paying private schools have the facilities,staff and,most importantly,the funds to claim these provisions for their students while state public schools do not.Helen Simpson,Curl Curl
What proportion of disability provision applications are unsuccessful and does this proportion vary by school sector? Everyone quoted in the article used the word “rigorous” to describe the application process. From my own experience I would say “prohibitive” or perhaps “labyrinthine”,and I am sure our application would have failed without the help I gratefully received - help that is not widely available or generally affordable. Ironic,for a system that is explicitly aiming to improve equity.Suzie Ferrie,Newtown
It’s easy to know why private schools are applying more for special provisions in comparison to public schools. It’s money and time from parents and teachers. Those two commodities can be in short supply in many homes and public schools. Wealthy parents can pursue costly private help outside the school systems which many low-income parents simply cannot do.
The waiting time taken to have students assessed through the public system can be considerable and slow. It also requires a lot of work on behalf of the school and again that is time and cost which are not available in the public system.
It makes a difference if school fees are so big the school can afford to pay allocated teachers to handle the special provision students and their applications. There must be a must be more equity in the system as students are missing out while wealthy families are paying to get these advantages.Augusta Monro,Dural
Congestion tension leads to voters’ toll-road indigestion
If Dominic Perrottet can block a road toll across the Harbour Bridge,when will he give the people of the west some relief with crippling tolls that cost us thousands every year (“Perrottet put a halt to toll plan as treasurer”,November 23)? Here in the west we are condemned to paying each time we travel north,south or east. With plans for a new road to bypass Blackheath,it could be west as well.Lynne Egan,Glenbrook
The state government’s passion for privatisation and toll roads is preventing the logical revenue raising solution for road congestion. Make the routes that divert traffic from the city toll free,but charge every private vehicle entering Sydney’s CBD. From any direction. Using any road.Joanna Mendelssohn,Dulwich Hill
One city,two realities
I’m sure I speak for many in the insular peninsula and elsewhere when I say my heart goes out to Yusra Metwally and her community for the unjustifiable discrimination they endured during the COVID-19 lockdown (“”,November 23).
Our south-western Sydney neighbours should take comfort that it was always obvious something
was radically wrong when TV images of police raids at Rookwood Cemetery contrasted so starkly with the hordes out and about on the beaches. I felt shame then and Metwally’s eloquent article has reaffirmed that our political masters have a lot to answer for.Joy Nason,Mona Vale
Unlikeable;electable
Are we going to see a government re-elected with an unpopular leader (“”,smh.com.au,November 23)? Despite people having a lower opinion of the PM,they are still prepared to vote for the Coalition – or at least park their votes with independents. People may think Morrison is a liar,but they’re not yet prepared to give Labor the reins of government. The opposition needs to show that Morrison’s faults are not just about him,but infect everyone in the government he leads. There should be enough evidence to prove that.David Rush,Lawson
Penny for your thoughts
Can we please clone Penny Wong (“”,November 23)? Or even better,can Penny Wong establish the Penny Wong College for the Development of Sensible Politicians – the aim being to better train our politicians in how to be diplomatic,understand nuance,be guided by well-thought through policy and think before they speak,just like her?Arna Radovich,Faulconbridge
I was deeply saddened to hear Penny Wong’s vicious personal attack on Scott Morrison. It’s clear from her speech that Labor has zero policy to offer and so is basing its election campaign totally on name calling. Politics is a dirty business,but this is gutter stuff. I used to think better of her,but she has shown she has been sucked into Labor’s strategy. All this has achieved for me is to turn me off Labor. I don’t want to hear any more of this foul stuff and will not vote for a party that espouses it. My message to Labor:produce some decent policy or go away.
David Levy,Bellevue Hill
Building mistrust
The NSW Building Commissioner was recently installed to resolve the defects in multi-storey residential buildings. This fails to address the basic problem of Private Building Certifiers being paid by the developers (“”,November 23).
The cost of repairs of developers’ defects are mostly worn by the consumer because the developer is now responsible for only two years. It’s clear to see,with many major defects,that over recent years the privatisation of councils’ powers to supervise the state’s building regulations has failed. It is time that these powers were returned to local government to administer.Brian McDonald,Willoughby
Cost of living
I am a retired dentist approaching 90 (,November 23). I can remember the 1970s when I bought a nice two-bedder unit at Artarmon,a five-minute walk to the station,for $40,000 as an investment. Two years later I sold it for $80,000,and I remember saying to my wife that I had better sell it as I can’t imagine who would want to pay that amount for a little unit there. This was a time of an inflationary surge and at the same time the dental Association was sending out quarterly notices of escalating award wages for dental assistants. So in my narrow world at the time wages were in lockstep with rising prices. I find it difficult to understand how Australia has got into this awful situation about home affordability,who is to blame?David Hellström,Wahroonga
Dramatic recovery
It is wonderful that there is now talk about protecting and prompting our long-lost theatres. but don’t forget to look at what is happening in regional NSW (“”,November 22). The Malachi Hall in Oberon is a case in point which is undergoing a new lease of life after its demise in the 1970s. Thank goodness for those who have a vision for saving our heritage.Anne Hodgson,Lane Cove
Mark my words
Political Science 101 exam. Consider these two statements made by a senior politician in Parliament a) I told him where I was going and he was fully aware of where I was travelling;b) I did not tell him the destination of where I was going on leave.
In one sentence,explain what is at play here (“”,November 23).
Megan Brock,Summer Hill
Cost of doing business
The federal budget to the end of September shows a deficit of $31.7 billion (“Budget repair can wait as government eyes tax cuts”,November 23). Meanwhile,corporations wrongly profiting from JobKeeper to the tune of $20 billion are not being forced to repay this money to the government.
One would think that any good money manager would chase this large sum of money to assist in ameliorating the budget deficit.Jill Phillips,Newstead (Qld)
Enduring Paine
Perhaps Cricket Australia allowed their own subjective feelings on this issue to cloud their judgment rather than seek the resignation of Tim Paine from the captaincy immediately it was known (Letters,November 23). Was Steve Smith’s sin far greater in Cricket Australia’s eyes and,knowing that they had the public’s approval,easier for them to hang him out to dry? It’s a wonder he isn’t embittered. Steve Smith should be restored to the captaincy of the baggy green team forthwith.Nan Howard,Camden
I don’t care what Paine does with his phone off the field. It’s none of my business really. I do care what he does with his mouth behind the stumps,however,when captaining Australia. Poking the bear into beating Australia with embarrassing sledges which spectacularly backfire is a sign of an immature leader. This poor strategy is why I would have relieved him of the national captaincy anyway.Bernie Bourke,Ourimbah
Historian Chant?
I can’t wait to read Dr Kerry Chant’s memoir ( November 23).Kerrie Wehbe,Blacktown
Too demanding
Demanding excellence of children is damaging,especially when the demanding parents are less than perfect themselves (“Dark stripes in tiger parenting”,November 23)Mustafa Erem,Terrigal
The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au
Fromshearn666:″If Anthony Albanese can’t make ground on the government in the current climate,he never will.″