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James Griffin’s reflections on his time in the NSW legislature as a Liberal member present a neat encapsulation of the dilemma now facing the Liberals at the local, state and national levels (“Retiring MP slams Liberal hacks as moderates wane”, September 6). For some reason, they seem unable to accept the world (electorate) as it is, instead focusing on niche issues that frequently appeal to a particular audience, rather than the general one of the electorate. Which, in turn, continues to make them broadly unelectable in the macro sense. Issues around renewables, climate, women, gender, internal politics/governance or global impacts on our economy. They seem to think that much of our current situation is linked to what is happening now, without considering previous policies of theirs. Examples include removing carbon tax, negative gearing (a government subsidy to reduce tax on high incomes at the expense of those on low incomes buying a home), privatisation/outsourcing, robo-debt, aged care reforms and various others. None of these are “nation building” policies, but rather divisive ones that set us against each other. What One Nation is doing is effectively doubling down on this approach, effectively cannibalising them. Until Liberals realise that they are pushing policies that aren’t dealing with the world as it is, rather than some halcyon time of the past, they will continue to flail about and continue to lose ground. Bernard Stever, Richmond
Retiring Manly MP James Griffin stands out as one of the rare figures in politics who appear genuinely decent – not a retail politician who dodges accountability or hides behind the usual excuses when things go wrong. He took his responsibilities so seriously that it affected him when he couldn’t assist one of his constituents. He is young, capable, and possibly a future NSW premier. But he clearly sees what many moderates in the Liberal Party have been feeling for years: the endless culture war battles offer nothing to the voters they are meant to serve. It has become increasingly difficult for politicians with principles, empathy and a moral compass to survive in that environment – let alone thrive. Griffin’s departure is a loss for Manly, for the Liberal Party, and for moderates generally. It is challenging for values-driven MPs to stay the course in a party increasingly defined by internal conflict rather than public purpose. Voters are forgotten. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill
I recently met James Griffin, and I was left with the strong impression that if the Liberal Party could nurture people of his calibre, there was still some hope left, not only for his party, but for politics in general. His intelligence, capacity to listen and desire to make a positive contribution were clear. It leaves me with immense sadness to hear of his retirement. This is everyone’s loss. Elizabeth Darton, Lane Cove West
Patients deserve better
As a professional patient advocate, I endorse Maddison Teigan’s plea for a serious review of AHPRA (and the HCCC) (“AHPRA accused of failing patients”, September 6). From personal experience, and on behalf of clients, I’ve found their processes punish the victims. A hundred one-star Google reviews out of 108 isn’t just a shocking number. It’s 100 doubly traumatised people who discovered there was no safety net at all. Dorothy Kamaker, Whale Beach
Class of his own?
A thorough analysis by Jacqueline Maley (“Canavan’s odd manosphere comments show he should check his algorithm”, September 6). The Bible, of course, has elements of the manosphere. There is no complaint from the Coalition about its influence; the Coalition seeks and embraces religions for electoral gain. Maley is right: critical thinking is the right of all, but especially necessary in MPs because it informs broader discourse and relevant policies to address poor classroom behaviour. Comments such as Canavan’s reinforce disrespect by male students to female teachers. Shape up, Matt. Anne Eagar, Epping
Volley of letters
The fact that a tennis association (Letters, September 6) has “only occupied the site for 40 years” is cited in a derogatory fashion in three letters. Sure, all activities in Australia that are not signs of Aboriginal activity have only been here for about 250 years. Do we now condemn all such activity in 2026? This tennis association has fostered culture, sport, community and has cared for the local environment. “White upper-middle-class” some may be, but players come from all over Sydney. Clare Sydenham, Kirribilli
Mapping priorities
Why has there been a sudden urge to deal with the problem of the Mercator’s Projection (“UN adopts new world map to correct colonial bias”, September 6)? I was taught in my high school Geography class in the 1950s of its limitations, particularly as regards the invalidity of comparing country sizes using it. The sublime example is that the two poles, which are pinpoints on the globe, are given equal length to the Equator, which is about 40,000 kilometres long. We were also taught in the 1950s that because of this problem, if we wanted to compare country sizes, we needed to consult an equal area projection. At the time, Mollweide’s was the common one to use. I have much more important problems to deal with nowadays than the comparison of the areas of Greenland and the African continent using Mercator’s. Ken Bock, Epping
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