What a can of worms has been opened by the proposal legislation concerning discrimination in the workplace (“,” November 24). The law can prohibit many things but it can’t legislate kindness,tolerance and compassion when dealing with our fellow workmates. Oh,that it could.Diane Dennis,Epping
If the proposed religious discrimination bill does not apply “if a statement is malicious or something that a reasonable person would consider a threat,or would intimidate,harass or vilify a person or group”,then why do we need a new bill of legislation? Anti-discrimination laws already cover this and any statement that passes this test is not going to raise an issue anyway. So if the status quo works,why complicate things?Larry Woldenberg,Forest Lodge
The great irony of the government’s religious discrimination bill is that it does exactly the opposite of what its name suggests. The bill is ostensibly designed to protect religious organisations from discrimination and allow them to speak and support their faith,which they can currently do. The new bill will allow religious organisations to discriminate against people on the basis that the person’s beliefs do not match the religious organisation’s beliefs. It provides a solution to a problem that does not exist and creates problems that also do not exist.Ross Hudson,Mount Martha (Vic)
There is “good faith” and there are bad faiths. Bad faiths are those that continue to preach discrimination against particular sexes and sexual practices that are,or should be,fully accepted in our modern society. It is unacceptable to allow any discrimination based on good faith belief in bad faiths.Robert Hosking,Paddington
For the purposes of the religious discrimination bill,how is a religion defined? Can I start my own,declare my statement of belief? Or perhaps cherry-pick some well-known religious texts,such as Leviticus,which tell us to get our slaves from another country?Eve Moyse,Dora Creek
Illustration:John Shakespeare
The religious freedom bill has morphed into the religious discrimination bill,a farrago of ifs buts and maybes. It would be much simpler if people would just keep their personal beliefs — religious or not — private,unless asked.John Christie,Oatley
Why should anyone be given permission to be offensive simply because they are expressing a “genuinely held belief”,religious or otherwise? No-one is prevented from holding any belief they wish,and they should always be able to express that in a private conversation,but how will the allowance of offensive comments,publicly broadcast,help make a better society?Brenton McGeachie, Queanbeyan West
As a devout atheist,my “statement of faith” is that anyone with an imaginary friend is deluded. My son had an imaginary friend at primary school,but fortunately,he grew out of it about 30 years ago.Andrew McPherson,Kalaru
Maybe an extra few words will make it OK? Could the bill read,“Australians will be able to make statements of religious belief under the protection of federal law as long as they remember to say ‘no offence’.”Margie Christowski,Roseville
Morrison running out of time,but not yet beaten
The miracle man Scott Morrison has spent much of his tenure hiding his inadequacy behind the efforts of state premiers (“”,November 24). The collective efforts of state leaders have navigated the uncharted waters of COVID-19 with the additional headwind of a PM submerged by the responsibility of his office. I doubt they’ll offer any life-saving device come election day.Janet Argall,Dulwich Hill
Your Resolve poll once again shows that Labor is not shifting voters and the reason is Anthony Albanese (“”,November 24). If Tanya Plibersek were leader,Labor would be so far ahead the betting agencies would be paying out now. Given Kevin Rudd’s rules on leadership changes,the only way for this to happen is for Albanese to step down in favour of Plibersek. Labor owes it to Australians to present an electable leader. Come on Albanese,stop blaming Morrison’s lies. Better to be a minister in a Labor government than another failed opposition leader.Kevin Fell,Cooks Hill
The Australian public considered Bill Shorten unacceptable as prime minister and a majority of Australians think the same of Albanese. The absence of any substantive policy detail except to personally attack and denigrate Morrison are huge electoral negatives for Labor. The only reason the Coalition may lose the next election is the “it’s time” factor.Riley Brown,Bondi Beach
If anyone needs any more evidence that the Prime Minister is desperately flailing,it’s his call that Anthony Albanese is being “sneaky” in not announcing Labor policies for the next election (“”,November 24). It must be getting to the PM that Albanese is “keeping his powder dry”,and letting him make the running. It will be interesting to see how the shire reacts to the PM after all the falsehoods.Stewart Copper,Maroubra
Your correspondent is saddened by Penny Wong’s “attack” on Scott Morrison (,November 24). Actually,it’s about time Morrison’s history of falsehoods,evasions,denials and bare-faced lies is called out,and I am glad the ALP are finally highlighting this. It’s also worth noting that,unlike most of Morrison’s stuff,everything Penny Wong said in her address is demonstrably true. And for a supporter of Morrison to attack Labor for having no policies is,quite simply,laughable.Brian Palfrey,Surry Hills
I often wonder how Australians can vote for a deceitful,incompetent government who stand for nothing and achieve even less – and then I saw David Levy’s letter.Phil Bradshaw,Naremburn
We all knew it was political
Spare me,Stuart Ayres. The harsher restrictions were after the vaccination rollout (“,November 24). We all knew it was political when vaccinated people in LGAs of concern could only picnic with their household members and exercise for two hours a day,while the rest of Sydney could picnic with unrelated people and exercise all day. There is no science there. And not all Penrith suburbs in your electorate were subject to the harsher restrictions. Why?Bernadette Scadden,Earlwood
Given the seasonal nature of COVID-19,we’re probably safe until next winter. But if and when more lockdowns are needed,may I please ask that they be based not purely on geography,but instead on how many cases per week there are in an area,and on whether the number of cases is going up or down.Ben Aveling,Alexandria
Premier,you may have not noticed that in recent times there has been a two-tiered population in NSW:the Macquarie Street people and the hoi polloi.Chris Hornsby,Bayview
We should focus on how well NSW and Sydney have managed the pandemic and look at where we are now,not quibble about whether lockdowns were unfairly targeted or if the vaccine rollout was botched. It has all worked.Jenny Greenwood,Hunters Hill
Thinking ahead
Now that the Bureau of Meteorology has declared we are entering a La Nina weather event,we therefore can experience higher risks of flooding (“”,November 24). Will the government lower the level of Warragamba Dam to less than 80 per cent capacity to better protect the Hawkesbury Valley in 2022?John Woodward,Ashfield
Hypocritical ideal
It is disappointing to read that the majority of Australians like to dream of a country with few immigrants (”,November 24). I’m thinking our First Peoples might smile at that attitude.Lorraine Hickey,Green Point
Partisan inquisition
The government-backed Senate inquiry into the ABC and SBS complaints-handling processes has been suspended until the next term of Parliament (“Labor,Greens and independents derail ABC inquiry”,November 24). Plans for this partisan inquisition should be abandoned altogether because the ABC has already set up an independent panel to review these procedures,headed by former Commonwealth ombudsman John McMillan and ex-SBS and Ten executive Jim Carroll.Diana Wyndham,North Sydney
Vaxxer logic
The letters page infamously includes a few rabid critics of unvaccinated people (,November 24). For the record,as my regular cafe staff know,I am fully vaccinated. However,I couldn’t care less if someone beside me in a cafe,bus,shop or supermarket is vaccinated or unvaccinated. All of us were unvaccinated only six months ago. Did we then have a greater chance of spreading COVID-19? Only if we had the virus. It is clearly irrational for people to believe that unvaccinated people spread the virus. The unvaccinated,just like fully vaccinated people,can only spread it if they actually have contracted the virus. No one can pass it on if they haven’t contracted it in the first place. To think otherwise is irrational logic at best.David Vale,Cremorne Point
Everyone seems to miss one critical point in the debate about mandatory vaccinations:consequences for actions. While I don’t believe they should be mandatory,people who refuse to be vaccinated seem to think there should be no consequences for their actions,which is the crux of the matter. Everywhere else in society,if you do (or don’t do) something,there are consequences for your actions. If you drink and drive,if you smoke,if you speed,if you jaywalk – there are consequences for your actions. There are definite,proven health consequences for not being vaccinated,but rather than demanding people inject things into their bodies if they don’t wish to,we need to make it clear there are consequences. That may be ongoing social restrictions,limitations in employment or whatever else is deemed appropriate. Sure,it’s your right to choose not to get jabbed,but understand,like jaywalking,there are consequences for your decisions.Lee Featherby,Chatswood
The great divide
Another layer of disadvantage suffered by HSC students was the incapacity of some public schools to actually provide returning year 12 students with face-to-face learning (,November 24). Year 12 do not normally return in term 4 and resources are stretched. From my experience,those classes continued online learning but such learning falls short of face-to-face engagement. Those high-fee-paying private schools able to employ additional staff and provide classroom space on school grounds reinforced the divide between the haves and the have-nots.Michael Blissenden,Dural
Blame it on the Reserve
Your correspondent asks who is to blame for the rip-roaring house price escalation (,November 24). Can I suggest it is the Reserve Bank which seems to have been fiddling while Sydney burns. That’s where the blame lies.
To have our central bank for years now sitting on its hands and pronouncing with satisfaction that its inflationary target of about 2 per cent is being met and there’s no cause for alarm is fatuous nonsense. How is this real when the cost of that basic necessity,a place to call home,is rising in Sydney annually at more than 20 per cent and mortgages are taking up more and more of take-home pay? The same applies in other cities and in the regions. The real inflation rate is now in double digits and rising.Lance Dover,Pretty Beach
Political brief
Megan Brock,your political science 101 exam question could not be answered in one sentence,as that would not be the science of politics (,November 24).Jenni Burgess,Westleigh
Norman wisdom
I spy a consumer-led adjustment to take account of Harvey Norman’s JobKeeper payments (“”,smh.com.au,November 24)?Stephen Driscoll,Castle Hill
Sacred Lambie
I remember when Jacqui Lambie first appeared on the scene I thought she was a bit of a joke and not to be taken seriously (,November 24). Today? I think she is a goddess and I worship at her feet.Max Fischer,Wollongong
Lame as Craig Kelly
Thank you for the best laugh I’ve had in a long time when I turned to page 9 of the paper and saw in bold yellow type “Our next prime minister” over a photo of Craig Kelly (Advertisement,November 24).Ann Babington,Lambton
Talk about delusions of grandeur. Not sure who imagines that Kelly could be “our next prime minister”,except perhaps in some bizarre alternate universe.Anne Ramsay,Kiama
Goes to show there is no truth in political advertising.Tim Schroder,Gordon
The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on
FromLisa S:″It’s about quality of life. Our largest cities are choked,dirty and sprawling,endless suburbs without trees,infrastructure or amenity. Governments have relied on population growth as the only trick in their books and now we’re all suffering.″