Andrew Hastie is the answer the Coalition needs but not quite yet

It is clear from Peter Hartcher’s article on MP Andrew Hastie that he is the only one in the Liberal Party who is capable of being competitive with Labor (“Why Hastie v Hanson has become a defining moment for One Nation … and the Coalition”, September 12 ). The Coalition is currently just treading water with Angus Taylor as leader and it will lose yet more votes in two years’ time. Hastie is young, intelligent and popular but, not wanting to upset the apple cart, he will most likely wait until his party loses another election. Although he opposes net zero emission targets, by the time the next election is held, renewable energy and electric cars will be even cheaper than power plants and vehicles that rely on fossil fuels, so he will not be able to turn back the tide. By that time, the Trump experiment will have been shown to be the failure it is and, hopefully, Australians will recognise that One Nation is not the answer to our problems. Peter Nash, Fairlight

I’m no supporter of Andrew Hastie, but standing up to Gina Rinehart and her sidekick Pauline Hanson is a big tick in his favour (“Rinehart aims to make Hastie an outcast … with One Nation’s help”, September 12). We are told that Hanson’s popularity can be explained, to some extent, by voters wishing to make a protest vote about the cost of living, with a good dose of resentment of the powerful classes thrown in. If that’s the case, a vastly more intelligent protest would be to vote independent, Green (or even Liberal, if necessary) and protest against bullies like Rinehart and all their acolytes who are worming their way into influence and power. These people are much more concerned about your vote than your cost of living. Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point

In the bitter feud between Andrew Hastie and Pauline Hanson and its relationship with the war in Afghanistan, one group seems to have been forgotten – the traumatised relatives of the unarmed Afghans killed by Australian soldiers. In an impoverished country like Afghanistan, even a small payment by the Australian government to the deceased breadwinners’ families would make an immense difference to their lives, once again under the oppressive control of the Taliban. Politicians and billionaires may bicker, but the real victims are those still awaiting some modest reparation for past misdeeds. Bernard Moylan, Bronte

It’s the lie that counts

The media fell for One Nation’s distraction tricks after Warren Pickering’s mea culpa (“Can someone ‘please explain’ One Nation’s messaging muddle?” September 12). The real issue was the lie, not the past indiscretions. Everyone’s got a past. The fact that he took drugs, had open relationships et cetera is irrelevant. The issue is that when confronted with this he stood up and lied, calling the allegations false, then after 24 hours realised the game was up and confessed. That One Nation can spin this into a positive redemption story is appalling. The media should have nailed him down to the fact that he knowingly, intentionally, lied. Here is a man potentially standing for high office in Victoria and he can’t tell the truth about his own life. His first instinct is to lie. We’ve got years of this One Nation click-bait politics to come, and the press need to avoid the distractions and focus on the real stories. Andrew Moffat, Bermagui

Pauline Hanson visited the Bondi memorial for those murdered in the December shooting atrocity. Many in the crowd gave her a rock-star welcome and viewed her as if she was the answer to antisemitism and all Australia’s woes. It can only be hoped these people come to their senses (“Neo-Nazis pledge to campaign for Hanson”, September 12). John Cotterill, Kingsford

Hanson sinks even lower

Now Hanson has attacked a deceased, disabled, single mother, Maryanne Albanese, the PM’s mother (“Emotional PM defends late mother from Hanson’s attack”, September 13). Not satisfied with calling veterans traitors and the Australian workforce lazy, she criticised Ms Albanese for staying long-term in public housing, ignoring the fact that she had a debilitating disease called rheumatoid arthritis. And now we have One Nation’s support from neo-Nazis. I have a mental picture of Barnaby Joyce, with sleeves rolled up, perpetually carrying a mop and bucket. And how long before David Farley’s departure? Rowan Godwin, Rozelle

Many of Pauline Hanson’s comments about politicians and migrants are unwarranted, but she went even lower by attacking Anthony Albanese’s late mother. She is mimicking the behaviour of Donald Trump, but this style of politics is a no-no for Australia. Peng Ee, Castle Cove

Albo, get out of neutral

Several correspondents have recently expressed their concern about the government’s “lack of action”. Anthony Albanese began the new term well, stabilising foreign relations and then taking the long-awaited first step to address the housing affordability crisis. But he is now idling in neutral. Attend to the easily resolved issues first. Ban salmon fishing in Tasmania, outlaw greyhound racing nationwide and compulsorily acquire all the tracks for schools, parklands and public housing. Completely ban gambling advertising. I’ll wager London to a brick those measures will be loudly applauded by the public. Then take a deep breath and address the big issues – the environment and climate change: reinstall Tanya Plibersek as environment minister and impose a realistic tax on companies looting our natural resources. Ban native logging completely; expand national parks and wildlife habitats; and do more to protect the Great Barrier Reef. Create new employment in reforestation, renewables, plantation timber, tourism and the eradication of feral species. Give the nation some dazzling “light on the hill” stuff, not a candle flickering at the whim of every fickle breeze. Kent Mayo, Uralla

Rudd’s value-add

Correspondent Chris Rivers reduces Kevin Rudd to straw-man status, perhaps a tad unfairly (Letters, September 12). Rudd foresaw the climate threat and acted in the best interests of the Australian population, but he was thwarted by Bob Brown of the Greens and the denialism of the Coalition. Rudd indeed had an answer to that monster issue. In his post-PM days, his so-called “empty” commentary has included many prudent comments on China, promoting diplomacy over confrontation. He also offered an increasingly justifiable opinion on Donald Trump, rather fitting and full than empty. Brian Jones, Leura

Let off lightly

Bevan Shields is right in asking for abolition of discounts for convicted murderers who have confessed (“How could this embodiment of evil be out of jail in time to celebrate his 50th birthday?” September 12). Molly’s situation, leading to her horrific death, calls for far stricter punitive measures by the courts – life sentence with no parole. The Dubbo registrar started the chain of injustice – providing a pathway to Molly’s murder by granting Billings bail. Ifs and buts will not bring Molly back, nor diminish her family’s daily anguish. However, stricter legislation could serve as a deterrent. Discounts on the grounds of confession of a heinous, cold-blooded murder are bizarre and entirely unjust. Confessions to murders cannot be the springboard for a “sale” on sentencing. Discounts cannot be applied on innocent lives taken away. Molly was a beloved mother, daughter and colleague. If nothing else, she deserved a system that protected her while she was alive. In death, a non-parole life sentence to serve as example to perhaps prevent such tragic violence and provide closure to Molly’s family. Aparna Banerjee, Balgowlah

I was disappointed to see Bevan Shields seemingly let his (rightful) anger get the better of him. Domestic violence is a scourge and we all have a role to play in helping to eradicate it, but throwing thought bubbles at the problem is not going to yield change. There is a litany of reasons we provide early guilty plea discounts, including to those who commit domestic violence murders. Removing or slashing these discounts would strip these offenders of any incentive to spare families and the community from the ordeal of a long, drawn-out trial. Judges nonetheless retain the discretion to reduce or remove any discount in circumstances of extreme culpability. Domestic violence is undeniably an emotional topic, but we cannot let emotion get the best of us. While it might be tempting to throw away the key, we must listen to the experts and focus our efforts on evidence-based solutions. Only then will we render justice for victims like Molly. Michael Byrne, Mosman

Bring doctors in

In the article by Brittany Busch, the president of the AMA, Dr Danielle McMullen, said that more than half of Australia’s GPs were international medical graduates who prop up rural medical services (“How international talent is turned away”, September 12). A search of medical practices in my community of Albury/Wodonga (hardly a rural area) shows that around two-thirds of GPs are from overseas. We urgently need to improve the pathway of these doctors into general practice in Australia and shut down the racist rhetoric coming from One Nation about immigration. David Thurley, Lavington

Halting and delaying visas for overseas-trained doctors is already impacting NSW hospitals. The changes made in late July halted overseas doctors who were due to start in August, and they have not been able to start work during a typically busy winter in NSW hospitals. This is the unintended but obvious consequence of these short-sighted changes. For the sake of our hospitals and their patients, please rectify this overreach immediately. Jonathan Egan, West Ryde

One of the great failings of modern Australia has been its inability to fully tap into the expertise of bilingual/trilingual migrants and refugees who have come to our shores. In an era of increased calls relating to lifting productivity across the nation, we rarely as a society view our migrants and refugees as a rich source of untapped potential. The ability to communicate in multiple languages and work as part of a team is a skill set that is too often taken for granted. The nation needs to be investing more heavily in youth with more than one language in their kitbag. Rod Leonarder, Roseville

More lives saved

A number of questions arise from your report on increased incidence of childbirth interventions (“A cascade of interventions in low-risk pregnancies”, September 12). Firstly, has the rise increased with midwife-led obstetrics occurring over the past few years? I also wonder if expectant mothers’ ideas about childbirth and its perils are unrealistic. I recall a letter to the Herald recently that said in 1900, there were 600 maternal deaths and 10,000 child deaths per 100,000 live births, and, by 2023 those figures had dropped to 5.5 maternal deaths and 208 child deaths per 100,000 births. So some progress is clear. Susan Tregeagle, Yarralumla

Insurance nightmare

Though I suffered a serious brain injury due to a car accident two years ago, no one told me that I’d need considerable help to recover from it (“It’s hard to tell anyone: the debilitating, hidden injury affecting thousands of Australians”, September 12). I have since been diagnosed with significant cognitive impairments. Combined with multiple physical injuries, I have had to navigate an extraordinarily complicated pathway to obtain rehabilitation through my CTP insurer. I believe I would have faced far fewer obstacles had I accessed treatment through Medicare or my private health insurance. Under CTP, victims must justify every appointment against an obscure definition of “reasonable and necessary”, resulting in treatment delays, reviews, disputes, expensive legal assistance and sleepless nights. I believe that the insurance industry takes advantage of victims who, because of their injuries and lack of awareness of their rights, are particularly vulnerable. They deserve far better. Peter Mahoney, Oatley

Easy, tiger

The article by Linda Morris about the saving of the 1906 Parcel Shed at Central Station rekindled my memory of the first day I worked there as a teenager, circa 1960 (“How a 1906 heritage shed was saved, stored and rebuilt”, September 12). I was employed to help out the permanent staff over the allegedly busy Christmas period. Our job was to move parcels from inbound to outbound cages, and we worked through a bundle of cards that arrived at our desk. I had completed the first bundle of cards by morning tea time and was reaching for the next consignment when the incumbent worker, who had not moved off his chair since arriving that morning, stopped me and told me the bundle I was reaching for was for our over-time work. Craig Lilienthal, Wollstonecraft

System fails students

“If the Australian education system was a consumer product, customers this week might think they were entitled to a refund,” writes Christopher Harris (“Inside the fight to fix our education system”, September 12.) Yes, when thousands of children not been equipped with functioning literacy and numeracy skills in the 10 to 12 years they’ve attended school each day, that is a distinct breach of contract. By law, the kids have to go to school. By law, the schools must educate them. This is a serious matter. Why are we not marching in the street? Pen G. Layton-Caisley, Marrickville

Cash for comment

I support David Boyd in encouraging Angus Taylor to offer $5000 to everyone who votes for the Liberal Party (Letters, September 12). I’m sure the Libs can afford $50,000. Chris Robinson, Guyra

Scram, scammer

I have been contacted just once by my “daughter”, who supposedly needed a quick cash injection (“AI scammers, my children and me”, September 12). My reply of “absolutely, when you come home and make your bed” sent the scammers back to hunting for another mark. Elisabeth Goodsall, Wahroonga

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