It’s disturbing to read that the government ignored the advice of Paul Kelly regarding the testing of Chinese arrivals (“”,January 3). We elected this government hoping they would be less duplicitous with the public and more inclined to act on expert opinions rather than political expediency. In taking this decision,it has betrayed our trust. Stick with honesty,Mr Albanese et al. It works much better.Ron McQuarrie,Budgewoi
The Albanese government has carelessly slipped into behaviour reminiscent of the Morrison government. It seems the health minister thinks he knows better than the health experts. The decision requiring Chinese visitors to provide proof of a negative COVID test seems a knee-jerk reaction. At a time when significant progress has been made to restore a workable relationship with China,the confused message is that there may not be much change from the dysfunctional previous government. The government’s decision relating to Chinese travellers could be described as rash and inattentive,contrasting with the growing reputation of Albanese and his ministers to be calm,cautious and considered.Ross Butler,Rodd Point
Prime Minister Anthony and President Xi JinpingAAP
Surely,it is better to monitor for COVID variants at the source – waiting to monitor them here is too late. And variant or not,isn’t it better to address a wave by imposing this sort of restriction now rather than applying broader restriction (which nobody wants) later? To appear non-discriminatory,maybe we should screen all arrivals and make use of the quarantine facilities proposed early in the pandemic,as this is just what they were for. There is a difference between a knee-jerk reaction and acting quickly. This virus has already taught us that we need to act quickly.David Rush,Lawson
Has anyone given thought to the strain on our already stretched health system if untested visitors from China become sick with COVID while in Australia? Saving our stressed healthcare staff from this added burden is justification for all visitors being tested,and shown negative,pre-arrival.
Stephanie Edwards,Roseville
TheHerald is correct when it says (“”,January 3) that the government’s recently revised policy towards visitors from China “defies logic”. However,the part that defies logic is the lack of a mandatory quarantine period and re-testing on arrival for visitors from China. The Herald says the Chief Medical Officer has stated that “Australians have already been exposed to the variants believed to be circulating in China”. The key word here is “believed”. Given that China is far from transparent in providing information to the outside world,it would be foolish for Australia to rely on their information regarding virus types. In regard to pre-departure testing,the editorial says,“Nor is it clear we can be confident the test results will be reliable.” This is why we need to have quarantine and re-testing for visitors on arrival. The government’s new COVID policy for visitors from China does not go far enough.John Croker,Woonona
Population growth needs to be carefully managed
Politicians and economists continually equate economic growth with the need for ever-increasing population,with Australia’s population projected to reach 39.2million by 2060 (“”,January 3). The country is already unable to provide enough housing for the current population,along with a backlog of essential infrastructure,health services and aged-care facilities,especially among Indigenous communities and in regional areas. How will continually increasing immigration and the birth rate overcome this? Serious consideration has to be given to what constitutes “peak population” for Australia. Is it 40million,60 million,100 million? How,where and at what standard will these people be housed? What will be the impact on Australia’s fragile natural environment? With its variable climate and water,what sized population can sustainable agriculture adequately support? There is a major problem with the glib statements from politicians on the need for continually increasing Australia’s population.Bruce Clydsdale,Bathurst
I find it most disappointing to read that various politicians and commentators are pressing for a higher level of immigration to address the issues of skills shortage and an ageing population. Regarding the skills shortage,the federal government has made a good start by offering free or discounted places in universities and TAFE colleges. Another way these issues could be addressed is by encouraging people to defer retirement and for employers to be more willing to hire older workers. Immigration should be limited to a few specific categories such as for those who assisted our forces in Afghanistan (and their families). As for an increase in the average age,this is a normal outcome when a population becomes stable and more healthy.Philip Roberts,Coledale
We really do need a national population discussion,one that considers far more than numbers and the economy:the “wellness” of society and the environment are more important. We need a plan for the future that enables us to stop importing people. With little mention of climate change by demographers or economists,we can only guess how a much larger population will cope with more climate-induced catastrophes and a seriously degraded,possibly near extinct,natural environment.
Very high immigration levels have resulted in a population several million higher now than that projected in 2002. If we substantially reduced our immigration intake,our social and environmental indicators would undoubtedly be higher.Karen Joynes,Bermagui
Footpath cyclists mock the law
Footpaths are for pedestrians and riding a bicycle on them is illegal,unless you are under 16 or supervising such a child (,January 3). The problem,as with many state laws,is enforcement or,to be more accurate,lack of enforcement. A council officer once told me that the offence of riding a bike on the footpath comes under the jurisdiction of NSW Police,not council rangers. Given that on any day there are probably more adults cycling on footpaths than there are police officers in NSW,I cannot see much chance of the law being applied. Sadly,many people only follow rules if they think they will be caught breaking them,rather than doing the right thing for the good of society.Eric Scott,Bondi Junction
Your correspondents will be relieved to know that footpaths are exclusively for the use of pedestrians. With some exceptions,cyclists are not allowed to ride on them. On the other hand,shared paths are what the name suggests – shared between cyclists and pedestrians. They are there to service the needs of pedestrians and also to give cyclists a car-free off-the-road option. I suggest to walkers that if they don’t like the presence of bikes on shared paths they confine their walks to footpaths or,failing that,keep to the left of the shared path rather than occupying the full width of the path,as so many pedestrians do.Frank Paterson,Mount Annan
From one granny to another,I agree with your correspondent. Council footpaths should be for pedestrians,but it would also be much safer if councillors could acknowledge the necessity that every residential street,regardless of type,should have at least one footpath. I have corresponded with one of our local councillors about having to walk on the road,grandchildren as well,only to be informed that it is not in the budget. But as another correspondent highlights,there is now much more traffic around than 60 years ago. It is only a matter of time before local councils realise the cost of installing a footpath would have been far less than litigation.Bernadette Scadden,Earlwood
Sure,let’s keep footpaths for pedestrians. However,many Sydney cyclists will continue riding on footpaths to avoid vehicular traffic until dedicated cycling paths are more common place. Brisbane has an excellent system of contrasting coloured paths separating cyclists and pedestrians.John Anderson,MacMasters Beach
As a MAMIL,I wholeheartedly agree with comments made by your correspondents regarding the behaviour of some bike riders. Perhaps the police should spend less time harassing festival goers and more time policing.David Farrell,Erskineville
Bedtime reading
Nick Bryant’s article pointing out the omissions and lack of detail in the US Constitution (“”,January 3) has equal relevancy for Australia’s founding political document. Where not clearly stated in our Constitution,the role of convention is also crucial to the good conduct of government. For example,PMs not secretly holding multiple ministries or governors-general not publicly disclosing ministerial appointments.John Bailey,Canterbury
Good luck keeping anyone even awake during a full public reading of the US Constitution. The main trouble with the American founding document is that it constructs the United States as a loose collection of individual states with some limited common interests,rather than a national entity with incidental local interests. The states are paramount in the control of pretty much everything;including,bizarrely,the electoral processes that decide the presidency of the entire country and the make-up of its Congress. There are no federal electoral laws or mechanisms as we know them. It’s up to individual states to decide voting rights and methods of selection for themselves. But I suspect there are few Americans who grasp the difference and even fewer who care,so long as their precious guns are there at the ready and the legal right to use them is sacredly preserved.Adrian Connelly,Springwood
The digital divide
The mobile phone - not ubiquitous,after allSimon Schluter
Maree Badgery-Parker’s article about her father’s difficulty in coping with a computer-based test (“”,January 3) is just one example of technocrats’ arrogance and assumptions when dealing with the public. There are similar arrangements concerning elderly people having to do lengthy child safety checks on a computer when many wouldn’t even know how to switch one on. Nearly all government departments now assume everyone has a mobile phone and computer and can use them with ease. The fixation of these people on the computer/mobile phone loop is shown in this message on an email site:“We’re checking if it’s you. Look on your mobile phone for password.” “No phone? Go to this site and a message will be sent to your mobile phone.” And these people supposedly have the logical minds to write computer programs.Donald Hawes,Peel
Death’s virtuous cycle
To tree or not to tree in your next lifeBloomberg
How appropriate is it to return one’s remains to the soil along with friendly microbes as an intrinsic part of the (re)cycle of life on this planet (“”,January 3)? How much more reverent a treatment of human bodies is this than being stuck in a supposedly aesthetically pleasing shiny box or in a crevice in a cold hard rock wall. I know which method I’d choose.Judy Finch,Taree
Evolving English doesn’t please all
My pet peeve on word usage lately (,January 3) is “post” as a preposition. “After” is the correct word. My guess is that some people say “post” rather than “after” as they think it sounds more sophisticated. But it doesn’t,it just sounds awkward.Dale Bailey,Five Dock
Clearly the English language is constantly evolving,but it seems to me that it should become richer,not poorer,with time. The use of “less” and “fewer” have merged now,so “fewer” is seldom used. Using “less” exclusively is just one example of how the language is changing,but becoming less precise in meaning.Joanna van Kool,Crows Nest
I have an easy-to-navigate list of the past tenses and past participles of 200 irregular English verbs,used for my ESL classes – if anyone would like a copy.Heather Johnson,West Pennant Hills
Beach escape
Your correspondent (,January 3) writes of “Coogee locals” wanting to escape. I’m not a Coogee local but I went there once,saw the “beach precinct” and I,too,felt the need to escape. Fortunately,I only had to wait 10 minutes for the bus.Kent Mayo,Uralla
The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday onsmh.com.au
FromSaltySeaDog: ″The advice from the CMO may not call for the implementation of restrictions,but it also doesn’t say they are a bad idea or that they will harm anyone. My point being,the advice is a moment in time and only looks at one thing. While the political decision is more complex and will develop over time.″