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Well done, Daniel Mookhey. Glancing over the budget NSW Labor has put together, it would seem, on the surface at least, to be a potential vote winner (“Mookhey plots rego rebate and Opal caps”, June 24). Premier Chris Minns assures us he has been quite judicious with taxpayers’ money. He has been far less judicious, however, in his blatant disregard for public land, racecourses and golf courses. We are still waiting to hear how he intends to fund the $250 million restructuring of 20 hectares of Moore Park golf course when only $50 million has been allocated. He has not bothered to explain where even that $50 million is coming from. We are also still waiting to hear how the substantial revenue shortfall created by cutting the Moore Park course to nine holes at the end of this week will be made up. Revenue generated by the 18-hole golf course and driving range is a major financial contributor to the surrounding parklands. Premier Minns undoubtedly has a plan. As is so often the case, however, his hubris appears to prevent him from sharing it with the rest of us.
Christopher Woodley, Bellevue Hill
Conspiracy theorist
Senator Bridget McKenzie has shown herself to be nothing but an anti-intellectual right-wing conspiracy theorist (“‘Break’ their funding: McKenzie calls for penalties on universities that teach ‘white guilt’,” June 24). There is no systematic indoctrination of anybody in schools or universities, it’s a pathetic fantasy to excuse the fact that science and philosophy – that is, modern thought, 21st-century knowledge – do not support her way of thinking. The social sciences, history and psychology tell us that tolerance, empathy and understanding are critical for the survival of the human race, and for world peace we must learn to see others’ point of view and negotiate it with our own. This promotes harmony but also enriches us. Science tells us we must work with nature and not against it, or in blithe ignorance of the consequence of our actions; spirituality tells us this, too, if she cared to listen, from the Aboriginal Dreaming to Christianity. That people leave educational institutions with modern and contemporary views is a consequence of accumulated knowledge, not indoctrination. It is a measure of what humanity has learnt, represented by and in academia. The problem is not our education system or the people in it when philosophy and science tell you things you don’t want to hear, it’s with you, the listener. Bridget, you have shut your eyes and ears to knowledge, and your speech is a classic case of trying to shoot the messenger. See no evil, hear no evil and stick to the premodern anti-inclusive script of rejecting all that does not fit your 1950s world-view or agenda. But understanding and empathy towards others is not just about guilt, it’s about making your life richer, too. She should be ashamed. She is a philistine.
James Manche, Dulwich Hill
No doubt from a comfortably air-conditioned theatre in London, Bridget McKenzie makes sensational and typically random pronouncements that warm the hearts of those present in their cool cocoon of conservatism. Yet outside this chilled echo chamber, no matter the colour of their thin layers of skin, the people of the UK and Europe are sweltering in an unprecedented heatwave. Her ideological talking points are a fool’s golden gilt for a Tory political movement that is evaporating in the heat of this reality and opportunistic radical-right populism.
Christopher Hill, Kensington
Strength needed for ad ban
Thank you to Ross Gittins for resurfacing the topic of banning gambling advertisements (“PM did quite the trick on gambling”, June 23). Why is Albanese so against the idea? Who is he kowtowing to? Unfortunately, we know the answers to these questions, which proves he is not the stronger leader we need on this issue.
Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill
To use racing parlance, Ross Gittins has really hit form after a spell, to expose Albanese’s response to the gambling report presented by a brave, true Labor member, the late Peta Murphy. As Gittins succinctly points out, it’s another classic example of “tinkering”, though whenever questioned the PM will shower the word “reform” like confetti at a wedding. What Murphy proposed and what Albanese is implementing, as Gittins points out three years after the report, are poles apart. Another addition to the ever-increasing too-hard basket in the PM’s office.
Mike Kenneally, Manly
Starmer’s fate
British PM Sir Keir Starmer stands condemned as too aloof and distant, too rule-bound and for not getting on the turps with the lads or being an approachable knockabout bloke like the rest of the punters (“‘King of the North’ closes in on No.10”, June 24). Meanwhile, English cricket captain Ben Stokes has been lambasted for constantly being on the beers, forever unluckily being in the wrong place at the wrong time, breaking his own curfew (“well, it wasn’t in writing”) and generally being a bounder. One of the above won the largest election victory in a century. The other has lost seven of his last eight Tests and presides over a shambles that has embarrassed even his own unembarrassable overlords. Guess which one lost his job and which one regained his?
Gervase Greene, Clovelly
Methinks Kathy Lette feels like a “woman scorned”, from her nasty piece (“Spineless, petty, robotic: Why I won’t shed a tear for Keir”, June 24). She gives him no quarter in her flailing of his personality and performance. Sounds like she had such high hopes of him (like many of us) and he did her wrong, unforgivingly. But need she be so churlish in her damnation? She found nothing good to write about. Given her skills and her network, presumably she had inside knowledge, surely she could have aimed for some balance in her report card: acknowledge, even if not praise him for something? Nothing to say about him passing landmark workers’ and renters’ rights, passing legislation to renationalise the rail network or his staunch support of Ukraine in the face of Trump? Ms Lette, you have let me down. I thought better of you.
Jennifer Fergus, Croydon
I would vote for Larry the cat – seems to be the only permanent resident of 10 Downing Street. Has outlasted the last five PMs of England.
Norman Broomhall, Port Macquarie
A fine Messi but …
Lionel Messi’s achievement is great but we ought to remember that it has taken him six World Cups to score 18 goals (“Ranking all 18 of Lionel Messi’s record haul of World Cup goals”, June 24) . Kylian Mbappe has 16 goals from three World Cups and he is 12 years younger. It is very likely that Messi’s record will be temporary.
Mustafa Erem, Terrigal
What’s the renewables plan?
The Coalition plans to “shift renewables from the country to the city”. (“Coalition plan shifts renewable rollout from bush to city”, June 24). Really? Don’t they know that 40 per cent of all voters already have solar on their roofs – including their own constituents in the country? Do they really have a clean energy “policy” – or just another dastardly plan to foil progress? Will they consider offshore wind – the cheapest and most efficient way of providing city power? Its New England voters complain of a “loss of agricultural productivity” if renewables are built there. We look forward to learning how they will cope without electricity – most comes from highly polluted sources, like the agricultural desert that was once the fertile Hunter Valley. Details, please.
John MacKay, Asquith
‘One culture’ notion ridiculous
Most “Australian values” loudly claimed by Angus Taylor are in fact universal values, exhibited by every nationality on Earth (“Asked five times, there was one word Angus Taylor couldn’t say,” June 24). Our only uniquely Australian value is the one word Angus cannot say, despite being asked directly five times.
Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn
Pauline Hanson’s comparison of Japan and Australia being monocultures is the notion of a mad woman. Japan has never really wanted or needed migrants. Australia’s very development depended on them, the first of which were convicts from Britain. We are now probably the nation with more migrants from different parts of the world than any other. If we want to become monocultural, we would have to stop migrants coming for ever and, through generations of interbreeding, we might start looking the same. But, until then, we are multicultural and should be very proud of that. This stupid notion that when migrants arrive they repudiate their personal histories and views of the world and somehow become Australian is simply fanciful and Angus Taylor should say so.
John Rome, Mt Lawley (WA)
Japan is not a strict monoculture. The concept of a totally uniform “monolithic Japan” is largely a modern political narrative rather than a historical or social reality. While the Japanese government notably does not collect official census data on the ethnic heritage of its citizens, making it difficult to fully quantify multicultural demographics, experts estimate that the actual percentage of the Japanese population with non-Yamato ancestry sits closer to 6.5 per cent to 8 per cent.
George Zivkovic, Northmead
Japan’s monoculture is the result of many thousands of years of isolation and independent development. We had a monoculture here once. It was called Aboriginal. But then people like you arrived. Maybe we should all leave? As that is unlikely, another approach would be to invite a single dominant monoculture here. Maybe invite, say, 100 million Indian or Chinese. Not both. That would give us a chance over a few thousand years of developing a monoculture like Japan. Or maybe we should just celebrate our diversity and the many benefits it brings.
Alan Hargreaves, Kincumber
Your correspondent encourages us not to underestimate Pauline Hanson (Letters June 23). I don’t think anyone who criticises her or her policies is underestimating her. Being well-informed, whip smart and charming makes her dangerous, not leadership material. What’s missing, among much else, is generosity, kindness, compassion and empathy. I know plenty of smart, well-informed and charming people who I wouldn’t allow to take my dog for a short walk, let alone run the country.
Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point
Pay for park use
You report that there are many critics of North Sydney Council’s planned charges for schools, fitness trainers, dog walkers and wedding parties to use its parks (“Council accused of ‘cash grab’ over planned hike in park fees”, June 24). There are six major high-fee private schools in the North Sydney council area, which has a low amount of public space per person. These schools receive generous taxpayer support from the federal government. They have built grand facilities on their open spaces and now need to use parks such as St Leonards Park for outdoor activities regularly. They pay no rates and have refused council’s request to contribute. My children and I attended private schools but now I feel it is about time that they pay their way for their place in our community, as all ratepayers do. Paying to use our parks is one small way they could start.
Sally Smith, McMahons Point
North Sydney municipality has one of the densest education precincts in Australia and a significant deficit of open space. Some schools now use parks as their playground and for sport classes. At the same time, North Sydney ratepayers face significant rate increases and would support contributions by the non-government schools, classified as not for profit and exempt from rates, towards the maintenance and occupancy of valued space. It is reasonable also for those who profit from their commercial activities such as dog walkers, marriage celebrants, fitness trainers and picnic organisers to contribute also.
Catherine Turner, Cremorne
Redeem value
Your correspondent feels it’s unfair to criticise the Redeemer Baptist School for not paying staff as “they are being appropriately cared for by the church” (Letters, June 24). Unfortunately, there’s another term for this kind of “caring” – medieval feudalism. Serfs, or staff, are beholden entirely to their master for their needs and are subservient to church rules. Meanwhile, the Redeemer Baptist School Ltd invests the money generated from their labour, including the approximately 49 per cent in government grants that make up its total yearly revenue ($52.7 million over the past decade), in such things as a property portfolio worth more than $67 million. One wonders how much of this is shared with the unpaid staff.
Alison Stewart, Riverview
Great hounds
Please advise Carolyn Webb (“It shouldn’t be difficult to adopt a dog in 2026. Sadly it is”, June 24) that her search for a furry friend will surely end if she changes to a greyhound rescue approach. My family has had the joy of a greyhound for the past two years. Our Jacky, who had a successful career as a racer, fitted into our lives very easily and gave us great company and so much love. Sadly, cancer took her from us recently. Greyhounds appear to have so much bad publicity that they do not deserve. Indeed, we found our lovely female dog to be so gentle and well behaved that she had the run of the house. Greyhounds do not shed and have no doggy smell. Jacky was happy with plain food and short walks which both my disabled daughter and I at age 92 were able to provide.
John Saunders, Evans Head
In the hotseat
Your correspondent asks when was the last time an Australian PM travelled by train (Letters, June 24)? Surely the answer is Ben Chifley who, unlike today’s professional political class, not only travelled by train, but more importantly, drove it.
Tony Ramsay, Armidale
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