How?Cathy Wilcox
How many women and children will be maimed or die in the 14 months before the “leaving violence payment” begins (“”,May 2)? Clever types can do the stats,and then add some,for inflation. In the interim,what might male thugs do to intimidate and harm women to ensure they are not tempted by the money to flee? Governments must act fast,given the appalling,tragic evidence.Jennifer Fergus,Croydon
One imagined that the national cabinet on family violence would have wanted to demonstrate it meant business. Nothing could be further from those ambitions.
There was no recognition nor apparent understanding that the clear objective must be prevention of violence against women in the first place. There is a glimmer of hope provided by the group of NSW MPs who are calling for a royal commission,but such an entity represents further delay. Family law and family violence expert practitioners and researchers already possess the knowledge and wisdom that any royal commission will unearth.
Unless our politicians can display more energy and initiative in a short timeframe on this pressing issue,we can only conclude they are out of their depth.Ross Butler,Rodd Point
If anyone thinks that domestic violence issues are easily solved,they are delusional. Cases present to court and the outcome may be influenced by the side with the best lawyers rather than who is right. Our judicial system is failing to protect women,but it is also failing to protect children and some men. The answers are not simple and a full royal commission with commitment to implement findings is urgently required.Mike Keene,Stanwell Park
Family violence offenders have contempt for their victims and a belief that current legal restraints such as AVOs are a joke. It is the states and territories that have the responsibility and opportunity to make a decisive change. They make the relevant laws,administer the criminal justice system and fund many victim services. Until they implement effective legislative reform and criminal justice resourcing,the problem will continue. There is a lack of credible deterrence evidenced by the escalating scale of this violence. While the Commonwealth’s announcement of significant new funding is welcome,primary responsibility for action lies with the states.Murray Patchett,Kentucky
While it’s encouraging to see politicians committing to taking domestic violence more seriously by providing additional funding,tackling what the PM acknowledges is a “cultural issue” will take significant change in the fundamentals of our society and our economic system.
What we really need is a gender revolution. It’s time women had the overriding influence on the way our society runs. Every male politician at federal and state level should stand down for a woman. Let’s embrace real change and shake off the centuries of male domination. Vive la revolution.Paul McGee,Springwood
Combating domestic violence must be a whole-of-community approach. The recent announcement by the PM supporting women and children in leaving a violent household is welcome but governments alone cannot fix the problem of DV. Neither can journalists nor affected parties demanding action from governments. Community programs from all sources must be part of the fix. This includes religious organisations,youth groups,schools,parents and social influencers. Intervention should be based on evidence,not emotion,and targeted at groups identified as most at risk.Bruce Pussell,Sydney
TheHerald printed my letter almost a decade ago (December,2014) which in part read:“We have witnessed the outrage before;the outcry palpable,the anguish impassioned when it was learnt that Jill Meagher killer and brutal rapist should not have been walking the streets. The authorities,our protectors failed us … Just as it was before,it’s the innocent ones that remain the fallout of unresponsive apathy”. Is it any wonder street rallies generate such passion.Michael Webb,Cromer
Don’t underestimate our anger at lack of DV action
I read the article on Lou’s Place at Redfern with a heavy heart:it echoed everything we heard at the protest against gender-based violence in Orange on Sunday (“”,May 2). We heard directly from the CEOs of the two services which support The Orchard,our sole local refuge for women and children. We were gobsmacked to learn that these organisations are not government-funded and must hold fundraising events to keep their doors open. We have rates of domestic violence in Central Western NSW which are more than twice the national average.
The call from at the protest was for prioritising funding of front line support services now,and first and foremost,to keep victims safe. This equates to more refuges,more frontline workers and more of the wrap-around services to help women and children get their lives together. We have no guarantee that this is going to happen as we hear about a national plan,more meetings and a “staged” approach to addressing the many known factors that are contributing to our rates of domestic violence. The number one priority is to get women and families to safe places. Don’t underestimate how angry we are,prime minister. Stop the political speak please and act now.
Frances Shannon,Orange
The great divide.Cathy Wilcox
Lou’s Place is a wonderful example of a charity having a real impact,despite relying only on generous individuals. There are many instances where government funding is not available for good causes. Yet,only 29 per cent of Australians make and claim tax-deductible donations,the lowest figure since the 1970s. Hopefully,Lou’s Place will inspire others to support the thousands of charities and social enterprises also doing great work.Clay O’Brien,Mosman
Poison porn
One major question we should be asking is:Why is porn of the kind which objectifies and degrades women being made in the first place (“”’,May 2)? Maybe then we will be able to get closer to answering that other glaring question:Why do many men feel such contempt and hostility – and show a total lack of respect – towards the sex from which they have issued forth?Alicia Dawson,Balmain
PM is listening
Niki Savva laments that “it took the deaths of so many women to prompt the emergency meeting of national cabinet” to confront gender violence (“”,May 2). Compare Anthony Albanese with Scott Morrison on this issue. Albanese faced the highly charged crowds protesting violence against women last weekend,and after being handed the microphone was then called a liar by the organiser of the protest. He had every right to say he was prime minister and in fact turned many boos into cheers. Imagine if he hadn’t turned up! Morrison was nowhere to be seen on the lawns of Canberra when people rallied against alleged sexual violence in a minister’s office. Instead,he commented that such demonstrations could be met with bullets in other parts of the world.Frank Carroll,Moorooka
Savva has issued a timely warning to the prime minister and to the leader of the opposition. We live in difficult times and the political status quo is under threat from organised committed individuals and groups,who want to represent their electorates. As Savva suggests,Anthony Albanese has largely responded well to the recent attacks on women,and he has a good team around him. Peter Dutton is described as less popular than Scott Morrison at the same period as leading into the last election,but donning his invisibility cloak is not the answer. Leadership and decisive action are the only options for success.Geoff Nilon,Mascot
Society must speak up for vulnerable children in care
Protests and marches over the protection of women,the environment and climate change,terrorism and war-torn regions feature predominantly in the media (“”,May 2). But who is protesting for those children most vulnerable and in care,often in alternative care arrangements? Does anybody really speak for them? Do we no longer care for the young,many without a voice? An urgent review is under way,but these young people need assistance urgently. Alienation from society is a significant possible outcome,but love,family care,education and basic human needs must be met.Janice Creenaune,Austinmer
Club farce
Clubs NSW admits to a data breach involving about one million people who have provided their details at sign in (“”,smh.com.au,May 2). Clubs NSW can’t provide details of who and how many people are affected. With due respect to those who may be affected,this is good news. For decades,we have been subjected to the nonsensical routine of identifying ourselves when we enter any NSW club. Clubs NSW have been collecting and storing these details without admitting why they do it. But woe betide the visitor who attempts to bypass the sign-in charade. This nonsense continues,despite the fact that any adult can enter a hotel that ostensibly offers the same services of serving alcohol,serving food and all too often poker machines,with no endeavour to obtain details of who you are. It’s none of their dammed business.Greg Horan,Wentworth Point
Student protest
The measured response by Mark Scott to the student pro-Palestinian encampment is to be applauded,but outside groups must not be allowed to hijack it for their own purposes (“”,May 2). Attending a student graduation ceremony in the great hall this week,the same message was repeated. On walking by the encampment later,no harassment was to be seen occurring and memories of the anti-Vietnam war movement period came flooding back. Noteworthy is the fact that a Jewish student is leading this protest.Louise Dolan,Birchgrove
Climate deniers
There is a deep sickness of thinking in the Commonwealth’s denial in court that they have any control over global climate change,so the Torres Strait islands inundation is not their responsibility (“”,May 2). The data speaks for itself;the mean sea level rise around those islands has been an alarming 24 cm in nine years,attributable entirely to global warming whose cause is mostly the burning of fossil fuels. The Commonwealth has allowed and still is allowing the export of massive tonnages of fossil fuels,whose burning by other countries the UN has proved to have significantly raised global temperatures. Australia clearly is complicit in this crime. The Commonwealth and its lawyers sound like the asbestos companies before the law caught up with them,trying with specious arguments to absolve themselves of blame for loss of “way of life”.Barry Laing,Castle Cove
Trouble for Trump
Donald Trump is finally being held to account,at least in Judge Juan Merchan’s court (“”,May 2). He constantly whines about being treated more unfairly than anyone else in history,while receiving greater leniency than any other US citizen. However,Merchan’s remarkable patience finally came to an end.
Time will tell if the threat of jail time prevents further violations of the gag orders. I suspect a majority of voters would like to see Trump incarcerated for his disrespect of law and order. He considers himself above the law and believes he is entitled to absolute immunity from prosecution. He plays the victim and blames others for his failures. A conviction in this election interference case would hopefully be a wake-up call for disengaged voters and prevent his return to the White House.Graham Lum,North Rocks
Trump’s in a pickle.John Shakespeare
“It would be preferable if the court could impose a fine more commensurate with the wealth of the contemner.” Well said by Judge Merchan,as he fined Trump a mere $9000 for contempt of the court. That point is pertinent in many ways. A fine of $1000 is a lot for a person on a $1000 weekly wage,not so much if one earns $10,000 or more. A much better way to fine offenders should be a percentage of their wage. “I fine you 100 (or 200,500) per cent of your weekly wage,” would probably get offenders to listens up,instead of them shrugging their shoulders.Carsten Burmeister,Balmoral
Flying shame
Qantas has done it again:knock out competition in order to be able to rip off the travelling public (“”,May 2).Dieter Liebrich,Swanpool(Qld)
Rain timetable
Commuting can be a nightmare in bad weather,with clogged roads and public transport delays (“Transport woes show city must prepare for a rainy day”,May 2). Certainly,every major city must plan for worsening transport problems due to climate change-driven weather events and also increasing populations. However,many employers could help reduce the problem if staff were allowed to at least occasionally work from home.Geoff Harding,Chatswood
Healthcare challenge
Tim Woodruff,Doctors Reform Society vice-president,says that the Australian government provides quality healthcare equal to or better than most countries,but with several important caveats (,May 2). One of the caveats he doesn’t mention is the lack of efficiency and effectiveness in the public hospital systems,with long waits for elective surgeries and long queues in emergency departments. This is despite Australia having a ratio of 3.59 health workers per 1000 people,well above the WHO-defined figure of 2.3 to cover primary healthcare needs. The challenge is for public hospital management to use available resources more effectively and reduce the backlogs.Mukul Desai,Hunters Hill
Mundane Metro
Couldn’t Sydney Metro be a little more creative? M1 used for both Sydney’s motorway and metro (“”,May 2)?Margie Christowski,Roseville
And they say public servants don’t have the souls of a poet. On the other hand,they won’t have to labour as long and hard to name the next Metro line.Tony Mitchell,Hillsdale
Light bites
I agree with Gordon Gekko and your correspondent,nurse Johnson. Lunch is for wimps (Letters,May 2).Bernie Bourke,Ourimbah
Souths saviour
I think the South Sydney first grade rugby league need a Ted Lasso (“”,May 2).Pasquale Vartuli,Wahroonga
Art of cashing in
Downsizing is a rolling series of compromises:what to keep and what to let go (“”,May 2). With the impending sale of his Point Piper home,John Symond possibly has a big job ahead,although it is likely that he can afford to pay for some help. Good on him for grasping the nettle now and not leaving the job to his family later. Or perhaps he is not planning to downsize?Robert Grundy,Warrawee