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Premier Ben Carroll was wrong to say he would prefer students to be in school learning, rather than protesting (″Students ditch class to protest One Nation″, 14/8). We read about concerns that people are becoming disconnected from politics, yet object when tomorrow’s voters choose to connect through a few brief moments of participation. What better way to learn? As a retired teacher, I would easily run out of fingers if I counted the many hundreds of times schools required students to take part in activities that had far less relevance to any educational curriculum. Anybody who seriously believes that those protesting students were somehow retarding their education has little understanding of education. Mostly, of course, objectors are merely engaging in politically motivated naysaying.
Dennis Dodd, Shepparton
Seeing dangers through young eyes
Despite Barnaby Joyce’s statement that the students protesting about Pauline Hanson were “brainwashed by Labor”, I believe that they actually understand the dangers of One Nation’s policies. How refreshing to see the younger generation recognising the dangers of what an alarming proportion of the older generation don’t.
Ken Finley, Mount Martha
An exercise in engagement
Good on the students for expressing their voices against the ideologies of One Nation. Of course, there has been the predictable response and dismissal of their voices by conservative politicians (“‘Socialist’ teachers encouraging students to protest One Nation: Joyce”, 13/08). They dismiss the voices of students at their peril, and forget that in a few years many will be eligible to vote. I find it a bit hypocritical of politicians to try to silence the voices of students, yet we want them to be more engaged with the political process and with civics in general. We also tend to forget that when students take action, they are expressing lessons from school. Yes, teachers would probably prefer students to stay at school and attend their classes. But we also want our students to be engaged with the world and the issue they care about.
Jeremy de Korte, Newington
Take protest to ballot box
The students’ protest is not comparable to climate action protests, which were about everybody and a global issue. It is not comparable to protesting against a government, since that is in response to the actual actions of those in power. This is against a party seeking to gain support for its bid to exercise some power. If you don’t like it, vote against it. If you’re too young to vote – are you also too immature to understand why? This shows a misunderstanding, or rejection, of the democratic process. Educators, and perhaps some parents, should be ashamed.
Anthony Caughey, Elwood
THE FORUM
Private benefits
May I suggest an alternative view to opponents of government funding of non-state schools (Letters, 13/8)? Our taxes support the education of all children, regardless of school. Parents choosing to top that up with a non-government school (usually with considerable sacrifice) pay for these “state-of-the-art facilities” mentioned, often contributing to the school building fund in addition to fees.
Consider also the alleviation of strain on state schools by these parents, as well as the social and community benefits afforded by the diversity in education style.
Removing base government funding would make educational choice a privilege only of the uber-rich.
Lisa Langtree, Greensborough
Celebrate the frogs
People bemoan the lack of biodiversity in this state and the state of many species. Now there is a growing second population of endangered grass frogs, in a place set aside for biodiversity (″How did frogs get to Brighton? For council, it’s a $40,000 question″, 14/8). Someone or something has arrested their slide into extinction. If the council had any sense, it would celebrate it, not condemn it.
Benjamin Levy, Caulfield North
Job expectations
It’s just not right that CEOs get bonuses for doing their job. Surgeons don’t get a bonus for saving a life or a pilot for landing a plane. These executives are employed (like everyone else) for the experience and knowledge they bring to their profession. Why pay them more for doing their expected job?
Linda Lewis, Watsonia
Independence daze
Your correspondent’s view (Letters, 14/8) that since Wales was incorporated into England in 1536 most Welsh people haven’t accepted it may or may not be true, but it ignores the possibility that the English may not have accepted it either. It brings to mind the sentiment often expressed whenever Scotland considers a referendum to decide its ties with England; that the best way to guarantee Scottish independence is to let the English vote as well.
Greg Hardy, Upper Ferntree Gully
Bin there, done that
I took my rubbish out for its weekly pick-up. It’s a small-sized bin and it was not even a quarter full. With both a fortnightly green waste and a recycle bin, plus container return and soft plastics recycling we have less need for rubbish disposal. With a little effort by us as consumers (including more thoughtful buying at the supermarket), a large bin-full fortnightly should be more than adequate for every household. Weekly large bin pick-up is a surefire route to laziness and a strain on our environment. Silly proposal by Jess Wilson. Bin it!
Freya Bennett, Baxter
Nothing to brag about
Andrew Bragg’s suggestion that low-income Australians should accept substandard building standards in order to afford a house to live in is a low blow and not the answer to our housing problem. Living in a cold house during winter or a hot box in summer, only serves to increase energy bills and health issues for many. Or telling people to put on another sweater is akin to saying stop buying smashed avocado for breakfast. Rude.
Andrea Morrow, Northcote
Our better angels
I have been undergoing cancer treatment at The Alfred for a few months. It has been an extraordinary, reflective, revelatory and surprisingly joyful experience. The care has been simply superb – from reception to nursing, technical services and senior specialists – unfailingly competent, caring, sensitive, respectful and engaging — drawn from many parts of the world. It is a reminder of all the better angels politicians should appeal to, rather than self-interest. They might heed writers like Rutger Bregman, who declare faith in the innate goodness and decency of human beings, and quote many examples of individual communities bonding and co-operating during crises.
The contrast between this and the way politics has been practised for 30 years is appalling – preoccupation with re-election, focus group analyses, marginal electorate analyses, preference deals, ″wedging″ opponents, regardless of the national interest. The scale and scope of necessary change is immense – if change does not occur the future looks bleak.
Norman Huon, Port Melbourne
Humourless chat
I recently tested the humanity and approachability of ChatGPT asking, “If I had $10 in one pants pocket and $10 in the other what would I have?” The answer, as we all know, is “somebody else’s trousers!“
The answer I received was “$20” with an explanatory equation ($10 + $10 = $20). How dull is that?
Neil Falconer, Castlemaine
Don’t target the person
Are you personally responsible for every decision a government makes? Should you be held individually accountable for their actions? I think not. So why should we penalise a young Iranian student by preventing them studying here (″Unis’ hardline ban on Iranian students labelled ‘unfair‴, 14/8)? This hurts one individual student and their family. It does not ″send a message″ to the country’s leaders. Travelling through Iran showed me that the people are the most hospitable and welcoming in the world (and I have been to more than 100 countries). Strangers thanked me for visiting and for understanding that the ordinary person is not the same as the regime. Sanctions should be applied to a country’s leaders and exporters, but not an individual seeking a better life.
Julie Christensen, Blackburn North
No longer reliable ally
I find the reported comments of US officials assuring Australia that all is well with the AUKUS treaty amusing (“Pentagon ‘very clear’ over AUKUS”, 14/8). Their reassurances are worthless. When are Anthony Albanese and his cabinet going to notice that our once reliable ally has seen its institutions and its democracy dismantled by a president who wreaks havoc wherever he goes?
Does Albanese seriously think that Trump would jump to our rescue if we were invaded? Anyone who thinks he’s only there until the end of his second term is deluding themselves. He is reportedly already preparing ways to manipulate this November’s mid-term elections or even cancel them by declaring a state of emergency.
Trump will look for a way to stay in the White House. He is certainly not building his ballroom for the convenience of his successors. The Albanese government should base Australia’s security policy on the probability that the United States will for the foreseeable future be a far less predictable ally than it has been for the past 80 years.
Edmund Doogue, Crawley, WA
Protest brings change
I attended secondary school in the conservative province of Alberta, Canada, in the 1960s. I and some of my female friends skipped school to attend a protest about supermarkets paying us female staff less than men for stacking the shelves – they said we were doing different jobs. This protest motivated us to gather female students back at school to confront the principal and tell him we did not agree with the school policy to make all female students take “cooking and sewing” classes but not allow us to take “woodwork or metalwork”. We got into trouble for skipping school and holding an in-school protest. But it was worth the detention we were given.
We knew things needed to change and we needed to play our part in making that happen. The catalyst for our protesting was not “socialist” teachers but young women who thought a better future would be there for everyone if changes were made.
Sandy Guest, Yarraville
Macbeth reads the news
I would like to have a go at understanding Shakespeare reading the news (Letters, 14/8). It might go like this: ″Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more; it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. So let’s cross to the tennis.″
Simon Thornton, Alphington
AND ANOTHER THING
Protests
I have great faith in the young people who have chosen to protest against the politics of hate, racism and intolerance. They clearly want Australian politicians to solve issues rather than create them.
Linelle Gibson, Williamstown
I was so heartened seeing the kids turn out in protest against Pauline Hanson. They are fighting for their future, and ours.
Cate Broadbent, Yarraville
Bravo to the student protesters. Their active participation, contribution and commitment to Australia’s democratic process is to be congratulated.
Julienne Gleeson, Portarlington
Frogs
Re the article ″How did frogs get to Brighton?″ (24/8), they’ve got class.
Margaret Skeen, Ocean Grove
You have to feel for the growling grass frogs of Brighton, unwanted and endangered. It’s not easy being green.
Paul Custance, Highett
The illegal immigrant population of growling frogs in the wonderful Yakulit William Nature Reserve should be deported immediately.
Richard Druce, Mount Macedon
Furthermore
We know Iranians are mistreated in their own country, so when they come here our response is to mistreat them a bit more? (“Unis’ hardline ban on Iranian students labelled ’unfair‴, 14/8). Surely we can be better than this.
Duncan Reid, Flemington
For a moment I thought they were going to deport the PM. (‴Deportation on PM’s mind″, 24/8) and I thought ″C’mon, it was only a gaffe.″
Myra Fisher, Brighton East
Anthony Albanese’s melon gaffe would pass the pub test.
Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale
Anthony Albanese has found a new secret weapon – Andrew Bragg and his views on tax rates, superannuation and housing.
Helmut Simon, Thomson
Finally
With apologies to Freud, sometimes a melon is just a melon.
Bruce McMillan, Grovedale
