Powerhouse big spending is at the expense of so much else

What people don’t see behind the eye-watering Powerhouse figures, tossed around like confetti, is the opportunity cost of missed chances (“Powerhouse joins our troubled history of building public institutions”, September 1). It’s amazing that the government can rustle up, at the drop of a hat, $70 million to spend on rugs, studio apartments, videos and other frivolities. Swept under a rug (not one of their $4000 ones) is the fact that many other worthy causes are being neglected. Take the Australian Print Museum at Penrith (recently reopened by the Hon Bob Carr) – a marvellous “working museum” that showcases the story of Australia’s print heritage. All the presses are kept running by an army of volunteers with not a penny from government. For 25 years we’ve been praised by thousands of visitors who are horrified when we explain that governments of both persuasions have ignored us. Their excuse being “we haven’t got the money”. Now, thanks to the Herald exposing what is a scandal of monumental proportions, we’ll approach the treasurer, safe in the knowledge the NSW government has bags of money. We should at least thank the Powerhouse management for alerting the rest of us to the fact that the state government is loaded with hollow logs just waiting to be prised open. James Cryer, Castlecrag

Apparently Powerhouse Parramatta is spending $70 million on opening exhibitions (“Pressure builds on Powerhouse board”, September 1) and yet there exists a 147-year-old collection of objects across applied arts, design, fashion, craft and other areas that we rarely get an opportunity to view. One of the points of these new building projects was surely to allow more access to the collection for the public, students and academics. These collections are part of our heritage but are not even mentioned in this suite of lavish new exhibitions. Surely some of the $70 million could have been spent on supporting the Australian Design Centre in Sydney, which was unceremoniously defunded after supporting designers, makers and craftspeople for more than 50 years on a very small budget. Dr Ruth McDermott, Randwick

Hypocrisy on display

Pauline Hanson is absolutely entitled to protection from threats of violence, and those threats should be condemned without qualification (“Hanson security boosted amid war of words with PM”, September 1). But her hypocrisy is breathtaking. After 30 years of a political career built around division, exclusion and fear of the “other”, Hanson now accuses Anthony Albanese of inciting violence because he describes One Nation as divisive. This from a politician who has long portrayed herself as a fearless champion of free speech, prepared to say the provocative things others supposedly will not. Apparently, free speech becomes dangerous when it is used to criticise Pauline Hanson. Barnaby Joyce’s defence only adds to the absurdity. Albanese did not call One Nation “evil”. He criticised its policies and argued that it divides Australians. That is political debate, not incitement. And it just happens to be true. Threats against politicians are unacceptable, whoever the target, but Hanson’s increasingly familiar pose as the victim whenever she is challenged is becoming a little tiresome. Free speech works both ways. What’s that old saying about people in glass houses?
Denise McHugh, Tamworth

I do not wish to make light of threats against politicians, but it strains credulity for Pauline Hanson to portray Albanese’s observation that she is dangerous as inciting violence. Nor should we forget that Hanson has form in exploiting threats for political sensationalism. Who could forget her extraordinary 1997 video declaration: “Fellow Australians, if you are seeing me now, it means I have been murdered”, that was deliberately broadcast when she was very much alive. Salvatore Sorbello, Campsie

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Hanson, as usual, has a very selective memory and needs to be reminded of some of the outrageous statements, all more likely to incite violence than anything the PM has said. Her complaint is clearly just another wild thought bubble intended to gain attention. The media needs to stop giving her free publicity by quoting every ridiculous thing she says. Ian Ferrier, Long Jetty

Time for patients

Mukul Desai’s own experience is the exception that proves the point, not a rebuttal to it (Letters, August 30). A five-minute consult after a 30-to-40-minute wait doesn’t mean his care needs were simple, it may mean anything beyond the acute complaint went unaddressed. Preventative care, medication reviews and early mental health signals rarely announce themselves; they surface only when a GP has time to ask. The data Dr Elly Goodsall cites bears this out: female GPs report substantially more psychological, women’s health and multi-condition presentations, and spend three extra minutes per patient accordingly (“I’m just one more female GP quitting”, August 29). A funding model that pays per visit rather than per minute doesn’t reward thoroughness, it punishes it. Mr Desai’s quick appointments aren’t evidence the system works; they may be evidence of exactly what’s being lost. Dr Zinnia Lo, Castle Cove

Beat the cheat

The NSW government is to be applauded for its changes to HSC assessment to try and combat students cheating using AI (“‘It tests you far more’: New HSC home rules combat AI”, September 1). For quite some time, schools have had the flexibility on how they administer assessment tasks, and even before AI there were problems with home assessment tasks. I’m sure I disappointed quite a few parents with the marks I’d given them for trying to pass off their own work for their children. Anyone who has been teaching a while picks up very quickly whether a submitted work is that of the student. AI is capable of writing in a person’s style, provided it has samples to work with. This makes it virtually impossible for a teacher to detect unless they are using sophisticated software, as some universities do. One thing for sure is that there will always be students who will cheat, with a few getting away with it, so the challenge remains for the government and teachers to try and keep one step ahead. This will be no mean feat as technology continues to evolve. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Construction constructiveness

If Premier Chris Minns is serious about addressing the crisis in housing supply then he needs to do much more than wring his hands in the hope of an industry white knight galloping into view with saddlebags full of restorative cash. The prospect of construction group Bathla’s collapse and the effect its financial woes are already having on its suppliers and subcontractors require decisive and immediate action (“Builder collapse risks sector-wide contagion,” September 1). It would be enough to send the housing sector reaching for its collective smelling salts, but why doesn’t the Minns government stump up what’s needed to keep the Bathla construction group afloat and take equity or perhaps even a controlling stake in the company for its trouble? Given the scale of Bathla’s woes, such a move might not only placate the industry and the legions of buyers dependent on the company’s viability, but also send a signal to the state’s construction sector that it is a partner in the struggling construction boom but not its controller. Bradley Wynne, Croydon

Unforced error

The 2022 decision to grant the Aboriginal land claim over Naremburn’s Talus Street Reserve and the subsequent demand for the Northern Suburbs Tennis Association to vacate with under seven weeks’ notice is a profound miscarriage of community stewardship (“Tennis players face eviction”, August 31). For 45 years, more than $10 million in investment by the local community volunteer tennis organisation, including a recent $500,000 upgrade, has made this arguably Australia’s most well-used community tennis centre. The state minister overrode standard land-claim usage protections by exploiting a 1992 clerical oversight where a minister did not sign off on a management agreement with a private operator (a common system in tennis court facility administration). Despite early promises to engage, the Metropolitan Local Aboriginal Land Council has refused dialogue, issuing an aggressive, abrupt eviction notice instead. This is scarce public recreation land. It is also the birthplace of the Humpty Dumpty Foundation, a charity formed by the centre’s players that has raised more than $100 million for critical children’s hospital equipment. Evicting a thriving community and philanthropic hub on an administrative technicality, seemingly to bank green space for future development, defies justification. Our community assets deserve better from state leadership. Rick Anderson, Frenchs Forest

Cost of climate crisis

The housing crisis in my part of the world has been significantly worsened by the effects of climate change, particularly in the aftermath of the disastrous 2022 floods. There are still flood-damaged, unlivable homes scattered through Lismore and surrounding townships. As reported in the Herald, in 2025 alone declared catastrophes damaged 145,392 homes nationwide – almost as many as the 172,657 new homes completed that year, according to the Insurance Council of Australia in its annual Insurance Catastrophe Resilience Report (“‘The homes we build twice’: Repair bill for climate disasters climbing faster than inflation”, September 1). No wonder the supply of new houses nationwide isn’t increasing fast enough. That huge impact on housing supply has absolutely nothing to do with immigration levels but, of course, those banging the anti-immigration drum, like Pauline Hanson and her followers, dismiss climate change as a hoax because acknowledging the real-world effects of climate change, already being experienced, would weaken their anti-immigration arguments and wouldn’t please her mining billionaire sponsors. Lynne Wallis, Wollongbar

Snow and steady

Because so many weather phenomena are immediately attributed to climate change these days, I decided to analyse 75 years of Snowy Hydro’s data on snow depths at Spencer Creek (“Spring set to sizzle after warm winter”, September 1). Yes, there is a slow, long-term decrease in average snow depths and length of snow season, which may be attributable to climate change, among other factors. But what is certain is that snow depths vary widely from year to year – which may relate to the El Nino/La Nina cycles. My conclusion is that it’s just as likely that there will be bumper snow years in the decades to come, just as 2025 was, and Ms Rennie will be digging out her front door once again, and I will be digging out my car. And to put it in perspective, poor as the snow has been, 2026 is better to date than 1973 was and only marginally worse than in 1954 – both way before global emissions were anything like today. Peter Thornton, Killara

I operate a lawnmowing business and always enjoy a break in the winter months. If the weather warms up permanently it might become a solid slog for 12 months a year. Michael Deeth, Como West

A new threat

Purely for research purposes, a one-line AI search, available to any child, negated Labor’s age verification legislation. Courts are recognising the negative addictive effects of social media on children, but the risks that AI pose will be far greater. It’s easy to imagine that you’re having a conversation with a real and helpful person, who vulnerable children could easily adopt as a cyber friend, leading them down endless labyrinthine pathways to who knows where. If social media is addictive, AI will be heroin (“How Australia’s social media ban loomed over Meta’s $24b settlement”, September). William S. Lloyd, Denistone

Inspirational Tony

“Stand up and fight until you hear the bell” may well have been the motto of the late former Australian boxing champion Tony Mundine (“Vale Tony Mundine, a champion fighter and a great Australian”, August 31). While the damage caused by boxing is now well known, we can still recognise how in another age it was one of the few paths out of poverty for some. In hindsight, we can see that this never should have had to be an option. However, we can still applaud the discipline and resolution shown by Mundine, for whom boxing bettered his own life, that of his family and of those boxers whom he later trained. As someone who shunned smoking, drinking, gambling and drugs, his philosophy of life and his achievements, if not his preferred sport, have been inspirational. Paul Casey, Callala Bay

US costs us

Since Donald Trump’s political emergence, we have witnessed the increasing collapse of democracy and decent society in America. It’s stark, it’s real, it’s rapid. It’s also financial, as reported by Stephen Bartholomeusz (“Trump will be furious as his man at the Fed tries to set his record straight”, September 1). America’s public debt is now $US40 trillion, up from $US36.1 trillion when Trump took office. At this rate, the principal will be $US46.6 trillion by January 2028 when Trump’s reign should end, assuming he doesn’t rig the election. Interest at, say, 5 per cent per annum (or higher given the US is a high-risk borrower) spread over the period will add another $US2.15 trillion per annum, or more if it’s compounding. That’s about $US49 trillion and continuing without factoring in any more wars and the consequences of “drill baby drill”. Anthony Albanese and Richard Marles owe us a clear explanation for persevering with Scott Morrison’s AUKUS madness and paying $358 billion to a failing nation. Howard Charles, Glebe

Nicely illustrated

Well, Cathy, as the circus master said to Herbie the Human Cannonball when he retired: “It will be hard to find someone of your calibre.” John Coye, Belrose

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