St George has dropped the ball with offer to Folau

As one of many Australians damned to hellfire by Israel Folau’s uncompromising God, I can only presume that He is a little short on cash, and so has commanded His humble servant to keep his hitherto pious gob closed and his grasping hand open for a bit. Jack Robertson, Birchgrove

How desperate must St George Illawarra be to want to stain such a proud history? While not a supporter, I know many who are passionate for their club. How many of them may also be the people who Folau vehemently condemned in the past, yet they will be forced to back a team that sees this as insignificant? I’m sure the club’s marketing people have a lipstick to cover up these inconvenient facts. Phil Armour, Yass

There is nothing new under the sun when it comes to Folau being told to keep his Christian beliefs to himself. It was the same 2000 years ago when authorities were telling Jesus’ followers to do likewise. Their response “For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard” (Acts 4:20). Nan Howard, Camden

How must LGBTQI folk be feeling? First Margaret Court, now the mooted return of Israel Folau. What sort of deity do these high profile sports people believe in that can permit them to inflict verbal damage and incite actual harm on a vulnerable minority? Rugby Australia did well to rid itself of Folau. Does the NRL really believe it can keep him quiet for long? Ron Sinclair, Bathurst

Shame on MPs who ignore the plight of Biloela family

As I understand it, the minister has the power to make decisions regarding the ongoing incarceration of the Biloela family on Christmas Island “based on the public interest” (Letters, February 3). Obviously it is not in the “public interest” for Australia to become home to a well-supported, hard-working family who desire nothing more than to live their life in peace in a country town.Surely the minister is living in an alternative universe. Judith Reynolds, Leura

I, and the St Declan’s parish Penshurst social justice group to which I belong, share letter writers’ frustration and despair. Before Christmas, we sent letters to all 151 members of the House of Representatives, asking them to loudly and forcefully advocate bringing this shameful episode to an end. To date, two replies have been received. The first was from an MP who advised he will “keep our concerns in mind when discussing this issue with my colleagues” and the second was from the Attorney-General’s department, advising the matter has been referred to the Department of Home Affairs for response. Doesn’t anyone care? Cara Minns, Penshurst

At least the Department of Home Affairs appreciated hearing my views about the Christmas Island family, however the pandemic has made it impossible to pen a reply in the immediate future. My local member has apparently left it to her leader to tell me how much he appreciates receiving correspondence and assuring me that all letters are read. He politely thanked me for my interest.
Vicky Marquis, Glebe

While reading the letters regarding the Biloela Four I thought of the compassion and kindness shown by the grieving parents of the children who died when hit by an out-of-control car.
The support rightly given to these parents by the PM and his acceptance of the “forgiving” could be extended to the family stuck on Christmas Island. Surely this family could be excused for any so-called breach of immigration and given a new life in a town that accepts them as belonging there? Rhonda Davies, Nambucca Heads

Your correspondent asks the PM to allow the Biloela Four to return to Biloela and suggests that they are “a little family, just like yours, husband, wife and two girls”. Unfortunately, the Biloela Four are not just like the PM’s family, as their skin is brown and they are not Australian citizens; two factors that ensure that this government will keep them incarcerated for the foreseeable future. Pauline Croxon, Earlwood

Support our country hospitals

NSW Health spokesmen can say what they like about improvements in hospital and health facility builds, projects and upgrades (“Wretched health of regional hospitals”, February 3), but anyone who has had to wait for hours and hours in an emergency department anywhere in NSW knows different. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown (Dharug country)

There is a simple solution to the crisis in our country hospitals. Many of the problems could be alleviated by greater involvement from the community. In the days when we had local hospital boards, local communities raised millions of dollars to ensure the smooth operation of local institutions for which they felt responsible. Let the community back in again and you will find that country hospitals will thrive once more. Derrick Mason, Boorowa

For over a decade I’ve listened to any number of Coalition health ministers promising to fix NSW hospitals. None of them has come even close and it basically comes down to the right side of politics refusing to adequately fund the health system. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

I hope that many of those people going bush to chase a cheaper life (“Sydneysiders go bush, chasing a cheaper life”, February 3) are doctors, nurses and other health professionals. Sally James, Russell Lea

Burning desires

Politics may be the art of the possible; at least Scott Morrison seems to thinks so, in saying “our goal is to reach net zero emissions as soon as possible, preferably by 2050”. He claims success will depend on science and technology (“Technology will not be enough to meet PM’s climate target: experts”, February 3), rather than on fixing a carbon price. If the science is already known and the technology exists, it rather begs the question: what’s stopping him? Wishing and hoping are nice safe rocks to hide behind, but our governments are elected to act, to get things done. There’s no excuse for leaving the environment in the too-hard basket. Jenifer Nicholls, Armadale (Vic)

Scott Morrison hides behind words in his quest to do as little as possible about reducing fossil fuel pollution. His favourite word is technology. Off into the future, some vague technologies are going to save us. Relying on future technology allows Morrison to do nothing now. He also plays with words such as road map, plan and target. No one is fooled. I hope he will be embarrassed enough by Joe Biden and John Kerry into doing real things with current technology that reduces pollution today. Dennis O’Hara, Wanniassa (ACT)

Thinking caps on

If the government some years ago had not decided to punish universities by restricting their funding (“Unis face $2b loss as job cuts top 17,000”, February 3), those universities would not have to rely on income from overseas students. Stop punishing these institutions. The government should not have, when COVID-19 started, simply abandoned overseas students without the means to return home – thus trashing Australia’s reputation when they could have had a publicity triumph by financially supporting them to go home. Penelope Toltz, Alexandria

Cutting the fuel line

Good news from Ross Gittins (“Saluting the great crime decline”, February 3), however he omitted an important reason for the decline in crime. Tetraethyl lead was first added to petrol in 1922, to improve engine performance. However, lead is a potent neurotoxin and epidemiological studies revealed leaded petrol has been a catastrophe for public health. In children it can inhibit IQ, leading to aggressive or dysfunctional behaviour and increasing criminal conduct in young adults.
Since 1986 new cars sold in Australia have been required to run on lead free petrol. In 2002
the sale of leaded petrol was banned in Australia. Most countries report a reduction in crime 20 years after reducing lead additives to petrol. Another good reason to eliminate local pollution by adopting electric cars. Brian Hastings, West Ryde

Wheels on the bus fall off

The increasing cost of travelling on public transport is conveniently explained by the pandemic (“Commuters hit as public transport costs spike”, February 3). But remember, at the same time, that the Berejiklian government is incrementally, and without a social license, privatising these services – first the ferries, then the buses, now the rail network – at huge public expense (the Bankstown metro conversion is costing us billions), and destroying transport heritage along the way. This is transforming our once great, solid and affordable public transport system into a privatised mass transport problem which is, and will continue to, cost the public dearly. Marie Healy, Hurlstone Park

Mr Constance “expects patronage to increase by 75 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in coming months”. With the changes from December and January to bus services, in the guise of additional services and higher frequency, this will hardly be possible on the lower north shore. Our dependency on routes 136, 257, 340 and 343, all now discontinued, mean longer walks to the closest bus stop and at least one connection to reach our destinations. Two new alternative routes have been added, but they add nothing to our travel convenience. As long-time avid supporters and users of public transport, we will persevere, but we will certainly remember when next we vote in the Premier’s electorate. Margaret Harding, Chatswood

Undemocratic support

“Australia may review its Myanmar military ties” (February 3)? The standard you walk past is the standard you accept. Bill O’Donovan, Thirroul

Time to recharge

People today drive much faster and further than humans travelled for 200 millennia until about 1900, but can’t spare 40 minutes for a battery recharge after driving 200km (Letters, February 3)? Weird. Norman Carter, Roseville Chase

Purple pain

The suggestion purple is the best colour to ensure rule infringements are overlooked (Letters, February 3) explains the success of Melbourne Storm. They get away with ″⁣purple″⁣ murder.
John Lees, Castlecrag

I would suggest that a dark purple grape is unlikely to be sour. Try green. Kim Woo, Mascot

Quick fix

A “jab” (Letters, February 3) would be infinitely preferable to some of the shots I have seen people receiving oh so slowly on TV. I will be getting my vaccination at my GP. Stephanie Edwards, Roseville

Not only are we seeing people getting their jab for the virus but footage of small bottles of the vaccine – surely enough for the whole country. Robyn Lewis, Raglan

I have always found “the jab” to be less confronting if I can see the nurse sharpening the needle before insertion. Brian Jeffrey, Gunnedah

The digital view
Online comment from the story that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au
BYO bandages: inquiry told of ‘horrendous’ state of NSW hospitals
From Lizzie: ″⁣Isn’t there still a global pandemic ravaging populations to contend with? Is it really a good idea to attack the most vulnerable portion of the health care system (rural and remote) at a time when it’s already pushed to the limit? If staffing is a problem, would it not be preferable to promote the regions?″⁣