Labor pains can be relieved by wooing back workers

Correspondent Trevor Somerville (Letters, December 8) is wrong if he thinks the PhD of Labor’s Jim Chalmers outranks the UK Labour leader Keir Starmer’s knighthood any day. You don’t get a knighthood for nothing and QC Keir Starmer got his for his brilliant work as a lawyer, his work on human rights issues and for five years as Director of Public Prosecutions. In addition, he plays five classical instruments and has doctorates from six universities. Chalmers has a long way to go yet. –Frank Adshead, Mona Vale

In my lifetime, this country has gone from being innovative and imaginative to frightened and insular. When did we become conservative laggards rather than world leaders? For me, the rot set in when the self-proclaimed “most conservative leader the Liberal Party has ever had” held sway. He thought it was enough that Australians be “relaxed and comfortable”. This accelerated the decline into a suburban slough. – Chris McKimm, Karangi

Reconciliation can begin with a single word

The longest journey starts with one step. Could we start in NSW with a glossary of, say, 10 words and greetings in the 70 or so local Aboriginal languages? It is likely there may be some in common so the list may not be overwhelming. Let’s start with “This is (eg Wiradjuri) country.” Schools could be encouraged to incorporate this into their acknowledgement of country statements at their assemblies. Aboriginal community organisations should be asked to nominate key words we should learn. Politicians should start their speeches with the local Aboriginal greeting. We may never become a bilingual nation but to ignore 60,000 years of a rich culture is at best ignorance and at worst racist. – Bob Selinger, Eastwood

As a staunch supporter of the Aboriginal cause I would love to share the opinion of Peter FitzSimons (“Anthem in Dharug nation-changing“, December 8) and others that the singing of the national anthem in an Aboriginal dialect marked a “nation-changing” moment. But I don’t. For years now we have widely adopted “feelgood” practices, such as smoking ceremonies and welcome to country, but the fundamental disadvantages facing Aboriginal people have remained largely unchanged. Singing the anthem in an Aboriginal language might make us feel good but, unfortunately, it will just add another token symbol of recognition to the list. – Col Nicholson, Hawks Nest

Your correspondent opines that “similar local languages (should) become standard on country wherever the national anthem is sung”. In Australia there are more than 250 Indigenous languages including around 800 dialects. That’s an awful lot of words to learn. – Greg Partington, Quakers Hill

What made the national anthem and its message so inspiring was that Olivia Fox and the Wallabies Rugby Union team sang it, instead of screeching it. – John Richardson, West Pymble

Peter FitzSimons, we know your heart is in the right place, but someone has to tell you that We Are Australian is a pop song, not an anthem. The sentiment of the words is what attracts people, but the music is not anthemic. Think of athletes on the podium and compare the melody with anthems that are stirring and anthemic – like The Marsellaise and even The Star Spangled Banner. Maybe it’s time for our government to throw some support towards Australian art music, and commission one of our many composers to come up with a stirring anthem suitable for public occasions. That way we could have something authentic approved by all people of the nation. – Jennifer Carter, Oyster Bay

Falling standards and poor credit

Do we really care that S&P has downgraded NSW’s credit rating (“NSW credit rating downgraded for the first time in three decades“, December 8)? Weren’t they the mob that graded US sub-prime mortgage bonds as as AAA? We should either be very, very worried or not worried at all. I’m for the latter. – Stuart Miller, Ashfield

The NSW treasurer wants us to believe that COVID-19 is the reason for the downgrading of NSW’s credit rating. We are well aware of this government’s tawdry allocations to pork barreling, icare’s treasury-managed fund anomalies and massive public infrastructure overruns. What is worse is that those who actually got us through the pandemic – the teachers and nurses and other health professionals – have been told that their full pay increments were to be frozen. – Jane Morrison, Ingleburn

So NSW has suffered its first credit rating downgrade since 1989, when the Greiner government was in power. However, this will not be much of a challenge for Dominic Perrottet, as all he needs to do is to sell of a few more assets – perhaps Sydney Water or the Port Authority – in which I suspect that the Chinese government could well be interested. – Peter Nash, Fairlight

Should we now commence a conversation on our long-term economic alliances? We need to be a member of a bigger club with economic clout; free trade deals won’t cut the mustard. Australia should consider joining the European Union. – Eugene Kennedy, Mittagong

Vision for Australia

I have a vision for Australia emerging from the COVID-19 pandemic: that our elected representatives act as managers in the interests of all Australians and cease being politicians putting selves and party first. I can envision all of Australia’s power being generated by renewable methods; a high-speed electrified rail service along our east coast from Melbourne to Brisbane; a major hydrogen generating industry on our northern coastline using the almost unlimited tidal power available there with the gas being exported and also fed into an extended pipeline system to supply all states; our manufacturing industry being re-invigorated, with our car plants building state-of-the-art electric vehicles; major incentives from the government to speed up the move from fossil-fuelled road transport to electric vehicles. We would cease to be reliant on vulnerable sea-transported fossil fuels. With our levels of government being reduced by the elimination of state governments, eliminating blame and responsibility shifting between state and federal levels. And then I woke up and realised that politicians would have to be motivated to achieve these changes. – Terry Lanz, Mona Vale

Australia’s COVID-19 death tally should be adjusted. I would imagine our death tally would be much greater if we included the COVID-19 deaths of Australian citizens who have been stranded overseas. – Greg Adamson, Griffith

Let’s end diseases

I concur with Stephanie Dunstan (“Don’t stop with COVID: let’s speed a cancer cure“, December 8). If various coronavirus vaccines can be developed and ready for roll-out in a breathtaking 10 months, can we now dare to dream what our brilliant scientists and researchers could do? With similar government commitment, policy and cash input, could we now also see acceleration in solutions for other cruel killers such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease? – Lorraine Hickey, Green Point

Dunstan’s piece is like a voice crying out in the wilderness. Having lost our daughter, albeit at a much older age, the cry must go out to governments of all persuasions to focus on every form of cancer for young and old. For example, the federal government could easily find $1 billion over 10 years to fully fund cancer research into all forms including specialised research into paediatric cancer. Just do it. – Ken Pares, Forster

Computer says no

I am not a stupid person. Nor am I cognitively impaired or have any other disability. However, I have been driven to distraction by the requirements necessary to access the new myGov website in order to contact Centrelink. After making several attempts to set up the new requirements for myGov – scanning my driver’s licence and Medicare card – I was locked out of my account because I had made too many attempts to log in. Taking the website’s advice, I phoned the suggested number only to find that I was directed to more automated options. The myGov app has been hailed as providing greater security. Of course it will – not even hackers could find their way around this site. It disadvantages the very people it is supposed to help: the elderly and people with physical and intellectual disabilities. The end result will be that people will be unable to report income or other requirements to Centrelink and will then be penalised. – Patricia Farrar, Concord

While our neo-liberal, small government approach applauds its handling of all things cost-effectively, it might look to the circular nightmare of proliferating websites both federal and state ostensibly serving the public need for information and support. Try, for example, the quest for information on any aspect of getting a family member home from overseas. “Click here” starts a journey down a rabbit hole of frustration. Help and hotlines (if there is a contact number at all) have neither information nor capacity to precipitate action but can always point you to the URL for any one of the other websites referring you on the next website. Prepared answers on chat lines are an intellectual insult. Ministerial and legislative offices, while apparently sympathetic, are clueless. Perhaps more time spent thinking through issues and managing the details for resolution and less spent telling us it is being done would be a start. – Robert Caraian, Crows Nest

Immune deficiency

Unfortunately President Trump didn’t grant Giuliani immunity (“Giuliani went to meetings without mask“, December 8). – Les Shearman, Darlington

In dealing with the disruptive behaviour of Donald Trump, the Democrats should dust off an old campaign slogan used against Barry Goldwater in 1964. “In your guts, you know he’s nuts.” – Michael O’Brien, Mosman

Family affair

I’m sorry to question long-held beliefs, Peter Spencer (Letters, December 8), but the marriage which Henry VIII wanted annulled was to Catherine of Aragon, who had previously been married to Henry’s brother, Arthur. So therefore their marriage was invalid because, according to the rules of the church, a man was not permitted to marry his deceased brother’s wife. Maybe Henry had a point? – Derrick Mason, Boorowa

Social schism

After the display of unsocial isolating experienced in 2020, I think each state should have a separate anthem, extolling its individual virtues. The ACT could adopt “I’m forever blowing bubbles”, for instance. – John Flint, St Leonards

Rort reduction

Because some politicians rort their entitlements, they all should be issued with a cashless debit card that excludes alcohol and entertainment, and the card can only be used at approved outlets. – Sandra Pertot, Diamond Beach

The Digital View

Online comment from the story that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au
“Stay-at-home Rudd furious at PM’s claim he was travelling the world“
From The Waves: “Morrison has now apologised and corrected the parliamentary record on his false accusation against Kevin Rudd. I assume this means the original question as to Abbott and Downer flitting in and out of Australia remains unanswered.”