Here is why:I give respect to people because of the respect they always give me. I use an electric wheelchair from childhood polio and many people I meet are curious about my disability. But no one who asks me about my disability,ever re-asks their question over and over because they don’t like the answer I gave. They wouldn’t:its plain bad manners in every culture and in any country.George Peterson,Bathurst

I always welcome questions about where I was born,why I wear a turban or why I chose Australia as it engages people with me,we learn about each other and is enriching for both.

However,when an acquaintance asked me which country I would support in case war broke out between India and Australia,I asked him if he would ask Tony Abbott or Julia Gillard that question as both were born overseas?Manbir Singh Kohli,Pemulwuy

With a surname like Kamenyitzky I am often asked about my ancestry. With a straight face,I sometimes reply it is Scottish,it used to be McKamenyitzky,but I shortened it. Another variation I have used is the Irish side of my forebears with the name O’Kamenyitzky.Peter Kamenyitzky,Castle Hill

I’ve been in Australia for 37 years and am still asked at least twice a week what country I’m from and I’m white. That’s because I’ve never lost my American accent. Like other immigrants,I’m annoyed by the question,but I always answer it because it generally comes from a genuine curiosity and a friendly outreach.Larry Woldenberg,Forest Lodge

While no doubt filled with noble intention,your correspondents fail to understand the context in which they inquire of other’s ancestries. Many Australians receive racist comments and abuse regularly. These are reminders to perfect strangers that “you’re different” and can contribute to an ongoing sense of exclusion.

The worst thing one human can say to another is “you’re not one of us”. It can be said through thoughtless jokes,incidental body language or indeed by an uninvited,patronising,personal inquiry of heritage. To suggest that this is not racist is facile;nobody has ever asked me about my ancestry.
Michael Murray,Cammeray

Are your correspondents in denial or just not self-aware? We all feel we are above being racist,but Australia is a racist country (ask Adam Goodes) and casual racism is firmly embedded. Wake up people – let’s lift this country that we love dearly;let’s relate to people as people (That’s a quote from Tracey Holmes who told us recently that she has Chinese ancestors. She,of course,looks caucasian,so nobody asks.)

For the record,I am a white man who migrated here as a child,so I look and sound like an “Aussie” and hence have never been asked where I come from. I see the racist implications in the question every single day.Michael McMullan,Avoca Beach

Are you a harbourside dweller sick of party boat noise? Swap with me

Sound definitely travels across water,so I can sympathise with those harbourside residents having to put up with all the party boat noise (“Harbourside residents on the rocks with party boats”,December 6). I love my humble home in my very quiet suburb but I am willing to take one for the team,“Friends of Sydney Harbour”. I will do a permanent house swap with any harbour waterfront homeowner to give you some peace and quiet. Please send photo or video clip to ...Mark Nugent,Lugarno

There is a simple and inexpensive way of solving the party boat noise issue. Have each party boat carry a supply of the sort of personal audio devices that museums and art galleries use. Revellers who want to damage their hearing and block out any meaningful conversation with their fellow partygoers can elect to wear one of these items and turn up the volume to suit their personal pain level. Anyone standing two feet away and those on shore will not hear a sound.

For added realism,a thumping device can be fitted to the boat’s hull to replicate the bass beat which is required to complete the party scene experience. With the absence of sound,shore dwellers can rest in peace. If the lights bother them,they can look away. There is no such escape from the sound.
Richard Keyes,Enfield

How does transitory party boat noise pollution at Cremorne Point stack up against atmospheric pollution caused by cruise liners docked at White Bay for days?Cornelius van der Weyden,Balmain East

Thinking about the animals at Taronga Zoo:I think they’d be prepared to put up with the noise from the party boats if a ban was put on Sydney Harbour firework displays,not only at New Year but at all other times. I’m with them on that.Adrian Clayton,Neutral Bay

Great Christmas schadenfreude on hearing about the “Friends of Sydney Harbour” noisy problem.Tim Schroder,Gordon

Grattan comments on GPs miss the mark

As a GP for over 40 years and experiencing the change from mostly acute relatively transient presentations to managing more complex and chronic illness,I agree with your editorial that the GP business model must change (“GPs must change business model for chronic disease”,December 6).

However,the change must be radically different from the care plans for chronic illness introduced several years ago. These were bureaucratic tick boxes exploited by some as easy revenue raisers and,in my experience,of limited benefit to patients except providing a limited number of allied health visits on Medicare. I am pretty sure the specialists who co-opted to the plan never read it.Jim Pollitt,Wahroonga

General practice has changed and evolved considerably over the years and it appears the Grattan Institute failed to appreciate these changes. In so doing,the criticisms and suggestions are significantly behind the times and fail to reflect the reality on the ground.

I trained as a GP in the late noughties at which time the concept of multidisciplinary care was well in swing and as a consequence,we “younger” GPs are well versed in the role of team-based care for chronic health conditions. Indeed,a move to patient enrolment at a “medical home” and blended funding models have long been advocated by GPs to improve health outcomes. Grattan is rather behind the times - perhaps listening to the actual specialists in the field might be an idea.
General practice is a dynamic field that looks after the whole person in conjunction with all other health and allied health providers.Ashwin Garg,Strathfield

LGBTIQ inquiry overdue and police should help

NSW Police have complained that personnel are required to participate in the world-first inquiry into suspected hate crimes targeting the lesbian,gay,bisexual,transgender,intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) community (“Angry judge blasts police claims”,December 6). They complain that resources are being diverted from current unsolved homicide investigations. They may be diverted resources in the opinion of NSW Police,but they are needed to assist this essential and long-overdue inquiry into historical hate crimes. There would be significantly fewer unsolved crimes today if NSW Police had provided enough commitment,priority,and resources to solving the hateful murders of members of the LGBTIQ community when they occurred. It’s time for redress.Rodney Secomb,Petersham

Childbirth still open to abuse

Reading this study I initially thought isn’t this just the way of birthing (“Women tell of ‘obstetric violence”’,December 6). Having given birth 50 years ago as a naive young woman I assumed it was a trauma best forgotten. It was only when I read about the woman begging for the doctor to stop stitching her that I remembered the experience of feeling every stitch and trying to tell myself this will finish,don’t make a fuss. I am shocked that after 50 years of growth in women’s rights,childbirth,the epitome of a woman’s vulnerability,is still open to abuse.Sally Shepard,Nelson Bay

Want Soccer to flourish? Cut registration costs

Blacktown City received publicity during the World Cup for its role in producing six Socceroos (“Players call on chiefs to make most of World Cup momentum”,December 6). The extended Liverpool area has previously been described as one of the great nurseries for junior players. Soccer has always had more junior players than the other football codes.

Should the great game wish to maintain and build on the momentum provided by the returning Socceroos,the task is straightforward. It costs parents a bomb in registrations etc for their children to play. Slash those costs.

That’s the single biggest thing that could be done to maintain numbers,interest in the game and a supply of future Socceroos.John Macdonald,Kings Langley

Grammar saves lives

Chris Harrison failed to mention that punctuation saves lives (“How grammar restores world - and brekkie - order”,December 6). It was drilled into us at school that the addition of a correctly placed comma in the sentence “Let’s eat Grandma” avoids a potentially grisly outcome.Joy Nason,Mona vale

No-one is suggesting teaching English grammar at the expense of learning other subjects,as your correspondent implies (Letters,December 6). Grammar pervades language in both written and verbal forms. Whatever the topic,El Niño or quantum mechanics,if either the teacher or the student has not mastered language,the knowledge passed on will be compromised.Andrew Scott,Pymble

Your correspondent claims grammar is useless without knowledge,but it is grammar and its structures that give people the ability to learn,analyse and convey knowledge and new ideas clearly. We’ve all met the highly intelligent person,who understands complex ideas but lacks the grammatical capability to break down that knowledge so it can be understood. Conversely,how amazing to meet the brilliant person who can convey the most difficult ideas in a simple and engaging way by using grammar effectively. Knowledge is useless unless it can be communicated.Elisabeth Goodsall,Wahroonga

The digital view

Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday onsmh.com.au
Australians strongly support price caps on energy as states push back
FromBeachcomber:“The states need to remember they don’t govern to protect their budget bottom line. They govern for their residents. When people are starving,homeless or can’t afford to turn on fans or air-conditioning to cope with extreme heatwaves,they need to put the needs of people first.”

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