James Massola begins and ends his article by asking whether Australians really want Pauline Hanson negotiating with Xi Jinping or Donald Trump, and whether she is ready to run the country (“Voters prefer Hanson as PM. Are they prepared for her to run the country?”, June 15). Those are fair questions that even those who voted for her in the survey would ask. History shows that when people become frustrated with established parties, they are willing to take risks. Donald Trump’s election is one example. Whether Australians would take a greater risk with Pauline Hanson is open to debate, but it is clear that growing numbers of voters are willing to consider alternatives. Instead of focusing solely on whether Hanson is ready to govern, perhaps we should also ask why so many Australians are losing confidence in those who already do. John Kempler, Rose Bay
Polls show only 8 per cent of Australians are genuinely convinced that Australia “shares values” with Donald Trump’s America and yet, remarkably, we are being told Australians are choosing the Trump-loving, pro-MAGA Pauline Hanson and her One Nation as party of government and our next PM (“Hanson overtakes Albanese as preferred PM”, June 16). Have people gone completely bonkers? A cynic might imagine this is a high-end-of-town campaign to terrify the government into watering down the excellent capital gains and negative gearing tax changes. Alison Stewart, Riverview
Growing inequality is a primary concern of many, and changes to housing policy in the budget go some way to addressing this. Those fleeing to One Nation should look for what the party offers in this regard. At present, there is nothing except grievance. They should rather ask if they are currently benefiting from any of Labor’s policies, including increased subsidies to reduce childcare costs, expanded paid parental leave, support for rises in the minimum wage, more job security for gig economy workers, expanding bulk-billing incentives and reducing HECS debts. Given that One Nation’s central platform has always been race, perhaps those flirting with Pauline Hanson’s party should look at how anti-immigrant sentiment via Brexit in the UK and Donald Trump’s vilification of migrants in the US have done nothing to correct the burgeoning inequality in those countries. Craig Jory, Albury
Hanson is allegedly the most popular choice for PM. Perhaps she can tell us which of her candidates she will choose to be minister of education, foreign affairs, health or the treasurer? Which of them will guide the nation through the next crisis, be it a pandemic, a natural disaster or a global fuel shortage? Who will negotiate trade agreements with major economies? How about her plan to reduce the cost of living? What is it? And how will she implement her policy of withdrawing from the WHO and the UN, or repossessing the homes of immigrants? So much to learn, so few clues. June Simpson, Petersham
A growing number of voters don’t want the status quo. Many are working long and hard and going backwards. They are drowning and grasping for any piece of flotsam. At the moment, that flotsam has One Nation’s name on it, but it doesn’t have One Nation’s policies on it. How will this party run a large economy or address the cost-of-living crisis? How will Pauline Hanson negotiate with the bully boys on the international stage? There’s a lot of pie in the sky at this stage, but there are also a lot of disillusioned voters who are prepared to see whether that pie flies. Lyn Savage, Coogee
James Massola reminds us that if One Nation win a majority in the next election, many of those people will be new to politics. That’s just the point. Labor and the Coalition breed future politicians. Most candidates have long histories being inculcated with the “brands” they represent, being modelled to be a future version of some party icon. Voters are tired of career politicians. Tired of the lies. Tired of snouts in the trough seeking party endorsement with no concept of what voters want.
Yes, the idea of Pauline Hanson running the country is frightening, but we all lived with “budgie smuggler” Tony, General Scomo and chaotic Kevin. Now we’re all dealing with “scaredy cat” Albo. It won’t be Hanson we vote for, but rather a group of potentially genuine candidates trying to make Australia a better place. Brian Barrett, Padstow
As James Massola has argued before, Pauline Hanson’s rise to the top of our national politics can be restrained by truth-telling. Now he asks if she is ready to run the country. Personally, I think Hanson will never be ready to be PM despite currently being “in prime position” (“Urgent wake-up call for political mainstream: Don’t ignore or dismiss angry voters”, June 15). The truth is that the malevolence of her Trumpist mindset, her minimal economic credentials and ignorance of our international relationships will be revealed in the heat of a general election, making it highly improbable she will ever head the government benches. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne
I’ve spoken to three men who plan to vote for Hansen – a taxi driver who dislikes “lazy” people and declares Australia has been in recession for a long time and intends to vote to “shake things up”, an unemployed retail worker who declared he had always been unemployed under Labor, and an Indigenous man on JobSeeker who refuses to believe Hanson is racist but likes her policy on keeping out “all the drug dealers” from the Middle East. What can possibly be done to change opinions like these? Patricia Francis, Jannali
There is a lot of media noise about 33 per cent of people polled who want Pauline Hanson as the prime minister. Maybe the media could also add to the headlines “two-thirds of the population don’t want Pauline Hanson as prime minister”. Mark Anderson, Coogee
We never thought the Americans would be silly enough to elect Trump. But they did and look at the mess they have got themselves into. Surely, Australia won’t be silly enough to do the same
thing. Christine Stewart, Willoughby
I wish the media would give less exposure to this offensive woman and her racist and divisive rhetoric. Instead, highlight politicians who want to bring cohesion and fairness back to the land of a fair go. Maybe someone should force Hanson to watch a Socceroos game. Her reaction would be enlightening. Ian Factor, Kiama
Over-50s only
Liberal senator Jonno Duniam is leaving politics, saying “I have had enough, I think that there are things that I need to do that are more important than this”, also citing his children struggling with his absences (“Duniam shares the moment he knew his political career was over”, June 15). Not so long ago, David Littleproud stepped down as leader of the Nationals for more or less the same reasons. I may be a bit old-fashioned in this, but shouldn’t we stop thinking of politics as career and more as an act of service? Put it off until your 50s, when your kids are grown up and you have had a career and life experiences in the world outside of politics. Nicholas Triggs, Katoomba
Easy peacy
US President Donald Trump can now add ending the Iran war to his list of Nobel Peace Prize-worthy achievements (“Trump says Iran, US have reached peace deal”, June 15). What a pity he saw fit to start it in the first place. Billions of dollars worth of weapons have been expended, a huge boost to the American military industrial complex’s coffers. The Straight of Hormuz is open, as it was before the war began. The price of oil has skyrocketed around the world, adding billions to the income of American oil companies. Thousands of lives have been lost across the region, but only a few were American, so I presume that’s another win for Trump. Can someone please explain the point of the whole exercise, apart from a crude effort to boost a failing US economy? Peter Cooper-Southam, Frenchs Forest
The US appears to have eaten some humble pie to end hostilities in the Middle East. Let’s hope they eat more when they meet the Socceroos at the weekend. Brian O’Donnell Burradoo
Together again
Australia’s 2-0 victory over Turkey at the World Cup was not just a spectacular display of emerging talent, but it was also good for the country in bringing about a tangible sense of civil unity that has been sorely absent in recent years (“How Irankunda and Metcalfe pulled off moments of magic”, June 15). How refreshing, too, to see young athletes singing the Australian national anthem rather than standing grimly, looking morose and mouthing the words half-heartedly. Regardless of how much success the Socceroos taste in their remaining games, a defining win on and off the pitch has been resoundingly achieved and Australia is all the better for it. Peter Waterhouse, Craigieburn (Vic)
Hot spotting
After the shark attack at Coogee, my children are refusing to go in the water (“Coogee shark attack survivor an ocean lover and young mum”, June 15). Our beaches are synonymous with our Sydney psyche but an unfortunate reality is emerging – attacks are occurring more often. The 2022 Little Bay attack was the first fatality in Sydney for 60 years, then another happened at Long Reef in 2025 and in January there were four more attacks in 48 hours. Climate-related ocean warming is changing thermal habitats and seasonal movements of major shark threat species, increasing the chances of attacks here. We live in an ocean warming hotspot and are experiencing the warmest recorded start to winter. However, the government continues to approve coal mine expansions, open new areas for gas exploration and lag in the transition to EVs. These things all relate to our warming coastal waters. Our policymakers shouldn’t shrug off the rising number of attacks as bad luck. NSW should cease fossil fuel expansion, aggressively support transport electrification and provide unhesitating standardised shark monitoring at all beaches. Anthony Hull, Doctors for the Environment
I read with considerable interest Culum Brown’s article about sharks, people and surfing – especially on NSW beaches (“We have the technology to prevent shark bites. Will we use it?” June 15). When I was growing up in Dee Why in the 1950s and 60s a spotter plane regularly patrolled at low altitude close to shore. Any sign of a shark and a toilet roll, thrown from the plane, created a long ribbon that was easy to see. The lifesavers immediately rang a loud bell on the beach and everyone in the water got out, pronto. It worked well until bureaucrats got the bright idea of installing nets – spotter planes were no longer needed. Big money saver. Really? I regularly surfed Long Reef and the nets did nothing to keep sharks away. I still surf there but am more cautious now. The use of spotter drones along our beaches is a welcome development. There is no substitute for eyeballs – human or electronic. Denis Williams, Sydney
AUKUS v AI
Thank you, Carmen Lawrence, for shedding light on the futility and wastefulness of the AUKUS deal (“AUKUS will cost us $368 billion, so this is no time for secrecy”, June 15). I do not see it as a distraction from the budget issues, I see it as related. The billions spent on shoring up America’s armoury could help solve Australia’s problems of homelessness and healthcare. It’s hard to believe our politicians are gullible enough to accept that the submarines, if they ever arrive, will be of any use in a war fought with drones and weapons generated by AI technology. Anne Shay, Ballina
Traumatic twist
Twenty trauma surgeons have unequivocally stated that the correlation between the proposed blood THC limit and the degree of neurologic or physical impairment among drivers is still not backed by evidence (“Trauma surgeons condemn Labor’s cannabis changes”, June 14). Additionally, there is concern that any undetected psychiatric or medical conditions may be exacerbated by THC use. What sort of blind arrogance afflicts our state government that it is now willing to ignore the advice of the same people who would be moving through hell and high water just to save our lives should THC-related accidents occur? THC is not the magic drug that will cure all our maladies. Let us err on the side of caution and heed the expert advice. Cristina Corleto, Stanmore
Casualties of closure
The series Medical Misogyny by Aisha Dow and Kate Aubusson is excellent (“Penny was told her agonising pain was just ovulation. The next day, she was begging to die”, June 15). It is also worth noting that since the 1970s in Sydney alone several women-only hospitals have closed: Crown Street Women’s Hospital, St Margaret’s Camperdown, Rachel Forster Hospital. The threat of closure of the Royal Hospital for Women (RHW) at Paddington sparked a street march of over 1000 people. The RHW was saved and transferred to the Randwick campus, where over the years it has been slowly absorbed into Prince of Wales. Maybe this decrease in women-only services is contributing to the problems of women in a general hospital emergency department. Joy Heads, Wollstonecraft
Origin integrity
Roy Masters mounts a powerful argument that referee Ashley Klein should not adjudicate Wednesday’s second State of Origin match in Melbourne (“Klein should stand down from Origin duties following gambling revelations”, June 15). No one who gambles (or who has gambled) on any sport should be entrusted with control of such an important game if the NRL wants to retain its integrity. John Drysdale, Clunes
I’m unsettled by columnists shining a (blow) torch on Ashley Klein. While they are entitled to their views, they’re still just people with opinions. Mr Klein appears to have sought help with his gambling. He’s also a good ref, so please get off his case. Neil Bryant, Myocum
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