New rules applying to travellers from China have understandably aroused opinions for and against their implementation (“”,January 4). In general,these in-bound travellers are usually regarded as presenting threats to the health of the community.
But there are many people to be considered. Some are expat Australians who have thus far not had the opportunity to come home - people like my son. In his position at a Shanghai university,he has endured much during the past three years. He has suffered mentally through countless lockdowns,queued regularly (sometimes daily) in biting cold and searing heat for COVID tests,struggled with the complexities of online teaching,and his health has been compromised by the limited quality of fresh food. Several airlines abandoned all flights into China;others cancelled flights without explanation or refund;and the cost of airfares soared. In the meantime,he stressed about rising COVID numbers at home,his father sank further and further into dementia and passed away 18 months ago. He grieved alone for his father. So if you see a lanky,bald,early middle-aged,fully-vaccinated Aussie arriving in Sydney next Sunday,please let him through. His mum’s waiting to give him a hug.Leone Toker,Port Macquarie
Why the confected fuss over the COVID testing requirement for travellers from China? Last year I sang with the Sydney Philharmonia Choir Festival Chorus. Proof of a negative RAT test was required to attend every weekly rehearsal. None of us minded. I tested negative every week,until the very last week of rehearsals for the Puccini performance at the end of October - the first for two years in the Opera House. It was disappointing. A negative RAT test is a very small requirement,given the statistics of case numbers and deaths in Australia.Gayle Davies,North Sydney
The answer to criticism of the government imposing testing restrictions on China is the fact that China is facing the largest COVID outbreak the world has seen,and we don’t know just how bad due to its government’s unwillingness to report the reality of the situation (“”,January 4). We do know that governments don’t report what they don’t want you to talk about;witness the NSW government reducing COVID reporting,so we too could get on with living with the virus.Michael Berg,Randwick
The case numbers in China are frightening. Do we really want or need a sixth wave? It’s not politics the government is playing,it’s plain common sense.Pam Tatz,Crows Nest
It seems the people most upset by the prime minister appearing not to listen to experts,are the same people who supported the last government,for whom listening to experts had long ceased to be a requirement for governing,January 4).Chris McGregor,Cabarita
The stance of the opposition,that the medical advice on testing of travellers from China should be followed,reeks of hypocrisy. You can bet that if the government had not taken more cautious measures and a variant did start a new COVID wave the opposition would be attacking the government for failing to protect Australia.Andrew Smith,Lane Cove
Pubs and clubs chase extended hours jackpot
You report a spike in applications to extend pokies past 2am in pubs and clubs (“”,January 4). These hours are when problem gamblers lose most of their money. It suggests that venues are anticipating some sort of grandfathering deal with government and indicates their willingness to specifically target problem gamblers. What a fight the premier has on his hands. It would be a travesty if the gambling industry won.Gary Barnes,Mosman
Do these pubs and clubs have no shame? The extended hours they are seeking are only to extract more dollars from problem gamblers. In the context of the public debate on cashless gaming cards,criminal money laundering,and threats to subvert the democratic process in their self-interest,this is a huge own goal.Paul Pearce,Bronte
Illustration:John Shakespeare
We see ads advising us of the dangers of driving when tired. I would have thought that operating a poker machine at 2am would be accompanied by similar dangers. It is time for the government to act to protect the vulnerable from exploitation by these greedy organisations.Philip Cooney,Wentworth Falls
There is no moral justification in allowing gamblers to burn not just the midnight oil but their financial stability and family life by sitting in front of a machine which has become their altar of worship.Allan Gibson,Cherrybrook
Why exactly is it necessary for clubs and pubs to massively increase their profits by trading into the early morning? Surely,they make enough money already and,surely,there must be some executives who are aware of the problems they can and do cause.
And what about staffing? This is not an essential industry;if they were closed there would be no great loss to the general public. It is to be hoped that the incoming government this year deals sensibly with the enormous problem they are causing to families and society as a whole.Nola Tucker,Kiama
Despite overwhelming evidence of the hazards caused by poker machines,not to mention the fact that they are used for money laundering,the gambling industry is calling for longer trading hours. These purveyors of addiction have no shame.James Deli,Oatley
I wonder how many people associate the RSL brand with military veterans? As a veteran myself,I am offended that the term RSL is so shamelessly interlinked with gambling,pokies,and the debate on cashless cards.Geoff Orme,Concord West
Beauty of cricket in eye of the beholder
Duncan Fine’s nostalgic piece about his father,Test cricket and the SCG finishes with the sentiment that “Test cricket is still the most beguiling and beautiful game of all” (“”,January 4).
I cannot argue with “beguiling”. For me,the child of central European refugees,Test cricket has for well over half a century enchanted me and almost as often deceived me.
As for “beautiful”,this is,as always,is a matter of the beholder. Shortly,after arriving in Australia in 1951,my father was taken to the SCG to watch his first game of cricket – a Sheffield Shield game I suspect. Being polite,my father dutifully sat there for some time before asking his host,“When will they start?” They left the ground not long afterwards and he never watched another moment’s cricket.John Balazs,Randwick
Yet more tipping points
Europe’s mid-winter heat wave is deeply frightening rather than “insane”,joining the growing pile of evidence that global warming may have passed tipping points beyond which recovery is impossible (“‘”,January 4). The unprecedented floods in the Kimberley may also be evidence for this catastrophic change in climate of which we have been warned by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Meanwhile,our governments are asleep and continuing to allow the extraction and sale of the fossil fuels that are responsible for most of the warming. Who will wake up,and stop us from ending as TS Eliot predicted in his poemThe Hollow Men nearly 100 years ago;“not with a bang,but a whimper”?Barry Laing,Castle Cove
Growing pains
I love this country and I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. But that could change. The trouble is we base public policy on economics,which leads us to the dubious conclusions that we are better off if there are more of us,and that it’s a bad thing for us to live too long (“”,January 4). Greater population benefits property speculators and those who are already well off,as any young people who can’t get a house will tell you. And all the things money can’t buy,like space on parks and beaches and our wonderful natural environment,are irreparably diminished.Norman Carter,Roseville Chase
Can’t write off Trump
Unfortunately,Donald Trump has always managed to prove wrong everyone’s predictions for his demise (“”,January 4)Mustafa Erem,Terrigal
Seawall stymies nature
Exposed rocks from the seawall construction exposed on Collaroy Beach.Twitter @wendy_harmer
No doubt the arrival of summer has drawn attention to the predicament of our beaches (“”,January 4). Beaches are simply dynamic deposits of sand contained between headlands. They are in equilibrium with the prevailing wave,current and wind regimes. Many have natural buffers in the form of sand dunes which are periodically eroded and replenished. The inexorable rise in sea levels will cause loss of sand from these buffer zones and inevitably add to concerns about infrastructure built upon them. However,the short-term stabilisation through construction of seawalls,or dumping truckloads of rocks,will have one disastrous consequence for the beach-loving public. Due to the obstruction of the buffering process in these areas,future beach users will be presented not with sand but either a rocky foreshore or a concrete seawall.Roger Epps,Armidale
Renshaw should be sidelined
It is simply outrageous and beyond belief that Matt Renshaw could be allowed to keep playing for Australia in the 3rd test after testing positive for COVID (“”,smh.com.au,January 4). There should be a mandatory and immediate replacement for anyone testing positive. Surely occupational health and safety rules would mandate this. If neither Cricket Australia or the ICC can behave responsibly and show some regard for the safety of their players and fans,the federal government should ban such irresponsible behaviour.Rob Cummins,Turramurra
Fasting has benefits
Having tried the 5:2 fasting diet back in 2013,I gradually lost 8kgs and maintain that weight loss today (“”,January 4). Through time restricted eating I rediscovered portion control – have you seen thesizeof muffins? – and became more aware of what and when I ate. Over time,I gained a better understanding of hunger and nutrition,prioritising protein,vegetables and unprocessed over processed food on fasting/non-fasting days and just as importantly,feeling so much better for it.
A little self-discipline is still required on the non-fasting days,but let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. It really is quite a simple diet;good food from all food types with the flexibility to suit your particular lifestyle.Marian Attfield,Mt Colah
NSW trailing the pack
A shared bicycle and pedestrian path is proposed along the 16km M12 motorwayNSW government
Despite letter writers’ assertions,cycling on footpaths in NSW,is not restricted to under 12-year-olds and their adult supervisors (,January 4). The law was changed several years ago to under 16-year-olds.
Furthermore,cyclists of all ages,for many years,have been able to cycle on footpaths in Queensland,SA,WA,Tasmania,the ACT and NT. Amazingly the sky hasn’t fallen in and the oft predicted wholesale carnage on footpaths has yet to occur. We have just spent three months cycling in Adelaide without a single incident.
NSW is undoubtedly the leader in two key aspects of cycling,however. It manages to incorporate the worst bicycle infrastructure in Australia,with the world’s most draconian and punitive anti-cyclist penalties. Bravo!Norman Monshall,Allambie Heights
Abundance of clarity needed
Your correspondent generously offers her list of verb past tenses (,January 4). But first,you have to identify the subject of the verb. It has become common to opt for the nearest convenient word or phrase regardless of whether it is singular or plural,often obscuring the meaning and leaving the poor reader baffled.Gillian Appleton,Paddington
“Abundance of caution” is the phrase that I’d love never to hear again.Elizabeth Maher,Fiddletown
Best summer holidays start after January
Couldn’t agree more with your correspondent (,January 4). Searching for a parking spot,hustling for piece of beach,and being swum over by some kook confirms my idea of a good time differs from others. I’ll wait until the holiday crowds disappear,head down the coast,grab a piece of beach,plant the umbrella and chair,survey all that is mine and relax.Michael Deeth,Como West
As someone lucky enough to be a Coogee local for the past 18 years,I’m delighted to be able to share the pleasures of a colourfully crowded beach with happy holidaymakers a relatively few times in the year,while having the locals’ privilege of year-round enjoyment of the beautiful seasonal and weather variations of the seaside (,January 4).Anne Ring,Coogee
The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on
FromNinaRea:“The government has dealt with this with transparency. They got the health advice,released it,and were clear that they’d decided not to follow it. No obfuscation. And their decision makes sense because expert health advice should not be the only basis for a decision by government.”