For better or adverse, Labor needs to toughen up

There is a parallel between the Albanese government and Joe Biden’s tenure. Both have been reasonably successful in policy delivery but their “nice” demeanour has been overshadowed by a forceful, divisive and ultimately dominating opposition (“Dutton is landing punches on a rattled Labor, and voters are noticing”, August 31). Labor’s reaction to Bill Shorten’s 2019 overreach and an emphasis on improving parliamentary behaviour, led by a vanilla leader, has resulted in a timid government, which has allowed Peter Dutton to dominate agendas and policy, no matter how vacuous, facile or divisive those policies may be. Like Trump under Biden, Dutton achieved headlines without challenge; Labor’s backflips on the census and politicking over university quotas fearing Dutton’s immigration attack has only emphasised a weak and reactionary government. With another election looming, the time for cooperative conciliatory politics is over. Unfortunately, the voting public appears to favour the loudest and strongest voices, less so rational thought and argument. Anthony Albanese, and his senior colleagues, need to do a Kamala Harris and take back the initiative by being proactive, resolute, commanding and loud. Rowan Godwin, Rozelle

There has been an odd shift in Australian politics. We have the Nationals being aggressive and combative with the Liberals and we have the Greens behaving the same way with Labor. The Greens seem hell-bent on destroying Labor, the only electable party they have a hope of working with. Over-promising because you will never have to deliver is a dangerous game for a political party. Adam Bandt can let loose a stream of promises knowing he will never be held accountable to deliver on them. Politics is the art of compromise. Not everyone can have everything they want. The Greens need to go back to art school. Australia has drifted into an adversarial and aggressive form of politics that’s more about the personal and less about policy and the long-term vision of what is good for the country. Dutton’s negativity, Bandt’s aggression and Albanese’s meekness are not doing anyone any favours. David Troughton, Camperdown

To achieve government, federal Labor adopted safety-first, middle-of-the-road policies to offend no one and entice the swing voter. Reform policies were shelved, particularly after the 2019 defeat, but now we find that the middle of the road is a dangerous place, with attacks on the government coming from left and right, and neither satisfied. Labor needs to be bold by pursuing positive Labor reform, otherwise it may be run over. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne

James Massola’s reporting of negativity about Albanese and his government is unsurprising. No government is likely to be popular when so many people are experiencing cost-of-living pressures like high shopping prices, rent increases, mortgage repayments and school fees. Labor is doing much about this with its policies on child care, medical fees and the like. The PM is not so divisive and overtly opinionated as Dutton. If that means he is seen as “weak”, it reflects a contestable view of leadership strength. Dutton will have to produce detailed policies if he is to be elected. Voters who are averse to unpopular Coalition policies such as those on nuclear, climate change and immigration might well prevent Dutton from closing in on government by closing him out. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

That Dutton is getting the better of Labor is depressing. It is evident that the Coalition has very little to offer besides its extremely questionable nuclear energy policy, getting tougher on refugees and immigration and tax cuts. Labor needs to be far more explicit as to why it is a better option. Its ultra-cautious and unadventurous approach is clearly not working. The country needs bold policy that will clearly illustrate Labor’s determination to create a more just society. Alan Morris, Eastlakes

Universities get the third degree

Having worked as a tertiary teacher, I view the reduction in overseas student numbers as perhaps a positive (“Top Sydney unis are the biggest targets of the student cap. It will cost the state billions”, August 30). It would give the larger institutions an opportunity to reset and reign in the graduate quality problem. It would give space to focus on student professional learning. And also work out the thorny problems of AI, contract cheating and metrics to properly assess student work from cohorts of diverse language and literacy competence. Our institutions cannot undertake this seriously while student numbers push ever higher, adding pressure on their workforces to just get graduates through. The government has not really pushed this line, apparently happy to allow alternative political agendas to frame their policy decisions. It’s a mess. Chris Hill, Kensington

Everyone seems to have accepted the premise that education is a business. It is not. Its ultimate aim is not to make a profit but to deliver the best teaching and research that universities can provide. These aims conflict, and always will, no matter how far governments try to shirk their responsibilities to provide sufficient funding for universities. As they did once upon a time. Universities must focus on their true business; providing the best education that will ultimately result in greater commercial success. Alice Spigelman, Wildes Meadow

Having 50 per cent of students at Sydney University from overseas is obviously far too high a figure. How many domestic students are being denied a place for study? Do these foreign students enjoy studying in an Australian university if most of the class has English as a second language?
What has happened to government funding for our universities, which power our nation’s future? Most European nations fund free degrees for their young people; why can’t we, a wealthy and secure country, at least put enough funds into universities for them to provide excellence in education for our students? Come on Labor, be brave and bold, return to proper funding of our public, tertiary education providers!
Molly King, Freshwater

Unified approaches

Thank you, Jennifer Byrne, for the fabulous article on Rwanda (“Three decades after the genocide, Rwanda is a nation transformed”, August 31). I visited Rwanda in July as a tourist and found a country that was clean, safe, progressive, dignified and profoundly beautiful. There was a strong sense of working together for a unified future, a richness within the community to move forward and government policies that were both practical and beneficial. There was a sense of pride and support for President Paul Kagame (elections were held while I was there). I also visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial. It is now 30 years since the 100 days of genocide. It was incredibly sobering, particularly the involvement of colonial governments, churches and the Rwandan government in previous decades to demonise a small group of people. Sadly, the UN did too little, too late. Since visiting Rwanda, I have thought often of the demonisation of groups within our community and the divisiveness of that negative rhetoric. It is very important that we seek to accept diversity and difference, and work towards an inclusive future.

Cheryl Kay, Miranda

Hot power source

The recent uptick in emissions shows how much harder we have to work if we are to meet our 43 per cent target (“Power grid emissions rise a risk to climate goals”, August 31). And herein lies the irony. The hotter it gets, the more we use our airconditioners, and the more we do that, the harder it is to cut emissions. That makes it all the more imperative that we decarbonise the grid, so people can cool down without warming the planet. The problem is there is a concerted campaign to stop this from happening – by people who either don’t believe in climate change or who stand to gain politically by opposing renewables. We’ve wasted enough time on this already. Let’s just get the job done, so we can put the issue behind us and move on. Ken Enderby, Concord

It is no surprise that this winter has been hot (“Spring comes early, with more heat on the way”, August 31). The levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases continue on their upward trajectory with no indication of deviating. This is hardly astonishing, given the continued expansion of fossil fuel projects to feed growing consumption in many countries. Peak production of coal is forecast to be 2030 and for gas and oil it is 2050! It is essential to at least target net zero by 2050, but of increasing critical importance is the need to plan for inevitable rises in sea level and temperatures possibly exceeding 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius. Roger Epps, Armidale

Kohler is right on the money

I’ve had a crush on Alan Kohler for quite some time and he would definitely be someone I’d like to invite to a dinner party (“Two of us”, August 31). He nails the economic data with just the right amount of expertise and humour. His son’s not bad either! And, yes, I watch Nine News and the ABC news every night. Claire Edmonds, Floraville

Alan Kohler says that he’d be surprised if anyone watched both of them, on the ABC and Nine. Well, I do, and I enjoy listening to their takes on the financial news of the day. I love Alan’s dry humour and Chris’s approachability. His pieces during the worst of COVID were so enjoyable, even on dry money matters. I wasn’t the only one trying to read the book titles at his elbow! Susan Jones, Hamilton

Gross assumptions

Life for many people has unfortunately gone backwards, due to the cost of living, increasing rent or high interest rates and inadequate social welfare payments (“GDP is going backwards. That doesn’t mean your life is, too too”, August 31). The dreams of a better life have been destroyed by the inevitable consequences of severe financial problems: less food and consumer goods, enormous stress when bills arrive, less entertainment and travel. Meanwhile, the well-off, particularly well-endowed retirees, maintain an enjoyable and often extravagant lifestyle. Perhaps surprisingly, GDP has shown a minuscule increase due both to continued spending by the well-off and to migration, which is marginally good news for the government. However, GDP – a statistic that is a crude average of all economic activity – does hint at the level of misery and growing inequality in our society. The government and Reserve Bank alike should take careful note.
Geoff Harding, Chatswood

Thank you, Millie Muroi, for reminding us that GDP isn’t exactly the “go-to gauge” for measuring our prosperity, as politicians would have us believe It beggars belief that our shadow treasurer and his colleagues are not interested in continuing the current government framework, Measuring What Matters, that “tracks our progress towards a healthy, secure, sustainable, cohesive and prosperous Australia”. The Coalition would have us believe they are master economic managers, but the short-term thinking this stance reveals shows they are certainly not interested in “getting the economy to work for the people and the planet rather than the other way around”. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown

Adopt an attitude

I wholeheartedly agree with your correspondent (Letters, August 31) on the need to show some decency towards refugees. Of course, we cannot take them all but that does not mean that they should not be treated with compassion and empathy. To be a refugee is no crime. Many of our forbears endured this affliction, yet have also made an outstanding contribution to the country of their adoption.

People normally do not leave their country without great reluctance or serious consideration. It is usually because of war, extreme poverty or human rights abuses. It would be a great pity if we allowed ourselves to be influenced by the current noxious wave of Trumpian and Dutton-like selfishness in their regard. Bernard Moylan, Bronte

Stress v self-interest

On the ABC’s Insiders program, opposition home ownership spokesperson Andrew Bragg said that “the Coalition has had home ownership at the centre of its policy offering since the Menzies era.” What he should have said was “the Coalition has had property investment at the centre of its policy offering since the Menzies era”. Both sides of politics have been guilty of treating housing as an asset class rather than a place to call home for decades. Each has lacked the courage and the willingness to address a social disaster unfolding before their eyes for many years. Love them or hate them, the Greens and more recently the federal independents have forced the major parties to acknowledge there is indeed a housing crisis. The good news for those trying to find a home they can afford to rent or buy is that inevitably we will reach a tipping point where those in housing stress outnumber those, including most politicians, whose self-interest is in protecting the value of their property investment. Tony Rhead, Orange

Par excellence

I noticed Jim McAlpine of Moss Vale mentioned in Column 8. Jim was the principal of Moss Vale High, which my daughter attended in the early 2000s. Jim was an exceptional leader with vision, enthusiasm and compassion for all. Friends pointed out my daughter would never make it to university from a country high school. She not only made it to uni but has gone on to achieve multiple degrees and a stellar career in making lives better for others. Thank you, Jim.
Gill Anton, Fairlight

Define safe PFAS

We know that PFAS substances, the so-called forever chemicals, are linked to cancers in humans (The Herald’s View, August 31). We do not appear to know the safe level of exposure, if there is one. The Herald should be commended for pursuing this issue. The public has a right to know the levels of these chemicals in Sydney’s drinking water and the “safe” exposure levels need to be aligned with those of the US. There are ways to reduce PFAS contamination in drinking water, but it is not entirely clear whether our water authorities have an active program to do just that. PFAS chemicals are in our rainwater, so the issue will never go away and those of us in communities that rely on rainwater cannot afford to be complacent. Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls

Shorter horizons

Yes, it’s not easy saying goodbye to a child and for them to say the same to their parents as they leave for another country not knowing how long they will be away (“Farewell, my son. Now he’s a foreign student”, August 31). My parents over 70 years ago as newlyweds in their 20s left their parents, relatives and friends to travel for a month by boat here, to a country they knew little about, let alone the language and culture. They could not just ring and speak to their parents as there was not even electricity in their village, let alone a phone. It was by letter my dad received about 10 days after it had been sent, he learnt of my grandfather’s death. Today he would’ve known within minutes and could’ve attended the funeral in time. More importantly, air travel is much cheaper and frequent between Europe and Australia. The tyranny of distance is no longer a problem. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

Renal failures

Kidney disease causes are wide and varied, and for many of us it is genetic (“Doctors rationing dialysis”, August 31). ADPKD (Autosomal Dominant Polycystic Kidney Disease) runs in the female line in my family and there is no cure. Research is continuing with generous benefactors especially through PKD Australia. But one of our only options is dialysis and it provides hope for the future. Even hope is now being eroded by the lack of facilities, machines and beds. Intervention and increased funding are essential, especially in Indigenous communities where the gene for PKD is common for kidney sufferers. Funding and facilities must be increased as lives are at stake and for some there is no time for political waffle.
Janice Creenaune, Austinmer

Go-go Gout

Impressive achievements by the young lad, indeed, but I have to say his name is not a word usually associated with those who are remarkably fleet of foot (“Aussie Gout Gout dominates world junior champs”, August 30). Ross Duncan, Potts Point

Warble on

It was Tom Petty who sang “she wrote a long letter, on a short piece of paper”. With the Travelling Wilburys. John Elder, Brisbane (Qld)

Just heard the raucous squark of the first channel-billed cuckoo of the season. Expect to hear the manic call of the koel anytime soon. Michael Deeth, Como West

• To submit a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.
• The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform. Sign up here.