Political infighting is death, get on with policymaking

Treasurer Jim Chalmers is the best performing Labor minister in government and has kept his cool in public even when there was unfair criticism of his performance (“Chalmers leaks must end, says ally of PM”, November 10). It would be silly for Labor to leak about Chalmers and create infighting. They should remember what happened between Rudd and Gillard and how it kept Labor out of power for almost a decade. Infighting is death, and if pollies from both sides haven’t learnt any lessons, they might as well forget about being in government. All MPs have a responsibility to sell government policies rather than knifing a stable government and self harming. Mukul Desai, Hunters HillIt seems like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his multiple advisers can’t read the room, a prime example being the proposed sale of Victoria Barracks. Albanese should now take heed of the anger generated by the AUKUS deal and do another backflip. The only thing he has going for him at present is Angus Taylor and his Coalition colleagues. Christopher Pokorny, Darling PointIt seems many correspondents want to put Albanese in a no-win box. If he persists with a policy despite the anguished pleading of its opponents, then he is described as “arrogant”, “uncaring”, “not listening to the people”. But then, if he listens, and modifies the government’s position in the light of feedback received, he is described as “backflipping”, “indecisive”, “weak”, “lacking strength”. I was glad he was unbending regarding the tax changes that have seen house prices ease off, giving hope to young families. But I am heartened by the change of mind on Victoria Barracks, preserving the fine sandstone buildings from destruction by developers. So knock it off, willya! Stein Boddington, St ClairThe recent public outcry about selling off historic Defence properties has meant they will not now be sold. My suggestion for Victoria Barracks is to preserve the historic sandstone facades, including the fence, and have the site developed to house former army or other service personnel. This will then provide retirement accommodation for people who have served, plus a historic reminder of its prior use as a troop barracks, plus an opportunity to provide guided tours of the site. As the Roman Army once had it: SPQR, or small profits, quick returns. Julia Bovard, North SydneyAre the Victoria Barracks about to be lucky in Louvre?AP Photo/Michel EulerTo shift focus from plainly incompetent fiscal management that’s yielded a plan to sacrifice $2 billion to $3 billion in public assets sales, Anthony Albanese has deftly thrown the proletariat a bone by withdrawing Victoria Barracks from his fire sale and, sadly, it already appears to have worked, with debate deteriorating from protecting irreplaceable public assets to the paintings that should hang in the “New Louvre” (“New Louvre? Battle over future plans for barracks”, November 10). What happened to the noble objective of calling a wastrel government to account or demanding politicians properly manage the national estate? Instead, a bunch of Canberra charlatans has had instant success with a glib party trick. Conventional wisdom is that the electorate gets the government it deserves, and I think we’ve just witnessed precisely that. Russell Murphy, BayviewWho are the ‘we’?Stuart Bonds, the top One Nation candidate for the NSW upper house, told an anti-immigration rally at the weekend that “we are being demographically replaced inside our own nation” (“Minns slams One Nation candidate over rhetoric”, November 11). Who are the “we”, Mr Bonds? If you are referring to the crowd at your rally, they are likely to have the blood of many races running through their veins. Perhaps the “we” includes anyone who is not Asian, African, Muslim or Aboriginal because these are the groups Pauline Hanson generally finds fault with. Perhaps Mr Bonds, like Hanson, thinks there are no good Muslims. One wonders if the crowd listening to Mr Bonds was conscious of the irony in his words. The only people who could genuinely complain about “being demographically replaced inside [Australia]” are the First Nations people. And the white invaders set about that demographic replacement deliberately. As Paul Keating said at Redfern Park 34 years ago: “We committed the murders. We took the children from their mothers. We practised discrimination and exclusion.” Mike Reddy, VincentiaStuart Bonds is on the NSW upper house ticket for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation.James BrickwoodSurely, the question is not whether the “rapist on staff” resigned or was sacked (“Hanson says she had to sack rapist on staff but leaked text suggests he quit”, November 10), but rather what the hell was a rapist doing on the staff of a political party, headed by a woman and financed by a woman, in the first place? Bill Young, Killcare HeightsAs mentioned in today’s editorial (“Strings fraying at One Nation puppet show”, November 10), it is frightening that One Nation may have an impact on numerous future elections. It is not fit to govern or even hold the balance of power, at state level or federally. Hopefully, the voters of Australia will rebuff One Nation, as the US voters did when they finally realised that the Republicans under Trump were similarly unfit. Denis Suttling, Newport BeachThe term “whinging pom” (Letters, November 10) was often used when British immigrants arrived and expected the streets to be paved with gold. Pauline Hanson’s use of the term is racial and used to instil a fear of being overrun by a group of people who are not of European descent. Josephine Piper, MirandaMixed messages on AIWhat a confusing speech by the RBA’s chief economist, Sarah Hunter (“AI could push rates up, but jobs look safe for now: RBA”, November 10). Apparently, AI is not affecting overall employment, but there are signs of lower hiring among younger workers. She says there was little evidence that it had affected overall headcount and yet admitted that businesses are taking their time to “invest and reorganise”. Concurrent to this, the ABS says the rate of redundancies has not been this high since the COVID pandemic. Many workers can already see how AI is making their roles redundant. The productivity gains everyone is so desperate to see will come. The question is, will it be at the expense of millions of jobs? The word on the street says yes. Elizabeth Darton, Lane Cove WestAs George Orwell wroteThe allegations of corruption, treason, etc. regarding Nvidia, the US and Jensen Huang are so 1984 (“Nvidia boss in affair with alleged spy”, November 10). We have two evil and corrupt regimes, the US and Chinese governments, battling for supremacy in our world (Russia is the other of the 1984 triumvirate), using all the resources and ploys at their disposal. Meanwhile, smaller nations are crushed underfoot, like the grass when elephants do battle, even when the struggle between the giants is still at the pre-war stage.Australia, its government and people are apparently oblivious of, or uncaring about, the nature of these two behemoths and blithely try to cling to one while extracting the maximum financial profit from the other. In future days, any surviving people will ask: “How can the Australians have been so stupid as to associate with either of these foul regimes?” Hindsight is a fine thing, but how much finer would be foresight? Ian Usman Lewis, ArmidaleThe new Cold WarThe CIA does not know how to turn off internet-connected fridges (“Iran blamed for ‘sabotage’ attacks on hundreds of European fridges”, smh.com.au, November 10). They are too busy hooking up with Chinese spies. Keith Russell, Mayfield WestI am racking my brains trying to work out what strategic advantage Iran believed it would get from secretly hacking fridges in a country not directly involved in the illegal war being waged against them and I keep coming up blank. Something is distinctly on the nose here, and it is not just spoiled food. Graeme Finn, CampsieCoalition shows (net) zero ambitionMarkets speak loudest, it seems. As Peter Hartcher reports (“Trump, accidental climate saviour”, November 10), renewable energy is now seen as “an agent of sovereign security and economic logic. Investment in renewables is running at about $US2 trillion ($2.9 trillion) a year globally, according to the IEA – double that which goes into oil, gas and coal.” Trump has inadvertently boosted electrification globally by waking nations up to their dependence on imported oil and vulnerability to volatile pricing. Dollar cost, not environmental cost, seems to more urgently focus the minds of investors. Why, then, elect governments that are hellbent on denigrating and even reversing our successful shift to renewables? Why support politicians who portray this success as a failure, and at the same time promote 20th century technology as the solution? Why do the Coalition and One Nation have zero ambition when it comes to ensuring we can provide cheap, clean energy for all? Fiona Colin, Malvern East (Vic)While it is true that Donald Trump’s ill-thought-out excursions into Iran have helped make the world wake up to our dependency on limited sources of energy as oil and gas, renewable energy accounted for more than 90 per cent of new energy capacity in America in 2024 and 2025. Because solar became the cheapest source of energy five years ago, despite recalcitrants such as Trump and Barnaby Joyce urging companies to invest in fossil fuels, there will be fewer and fewer companies prepared to do so. As with most things, economics determine where investments are made, which is why climate-related debt transactions have surpassed fossil fuel fees for the past five years. Trump’s actions have only hastened the inevitable transition. Peter Nash, FairlightChris Bowen with Queen Mary of Denmark at COP31 in Antalya, Turkey on Monday.Getty ImagesChris Bowen is right that the climate talks opening in Antalya must rebuild trust (“Don’t delay climate action: Bowen”, November 9). But trust is not built in negotiating halls. It is built at home. Australia now holds the negotiations gavel while remaining one of the world’s largest coal and gas exporters. It asks small island nations to believe in a process that keeps approving new fossil projects on its own turf. Bowen says every delay costs the world more in human and economic toll. He is right, and the same arithmetic applies to his own government: each new coal or gas approval is a delay dressed up as a decision. The 35 per cent electrification push is a smart way around the old fossil fuel fights. It will only be credible if the countries championing it publish their own plans to get off fossil fuels, with dates. Australia has a rare chance to lead. Leadership starts with consistency. The Pacific is watching, and so is everyone else. Jackie Omotalade, Pittsburgh, PennsylvaniaKhawaja lifts coversThe revelations from David Warner (“Khawaja is ’100% accurate’: Warner”, November 10) over “Sandpapergate” are timely. The previous denial from bowlers has always bothered me for one basic reason – it seems unlikely that bowlers who are using the ball the entire time could not be aware of its surface nature and the changes in that surface that affect the ball movement! Brian Kidd, Mount Waverley (Vic)I’ve seen lots of cricketers ball-tampering, usually by the bored bloke fielding at long-on. Kent Mayo, UrallaNow that crotchcam is back in the news, I would really appreciate a warning before it flashes up again. Lorraine Phillips, WollongongLaughable bite from KissWallabies coach Les Kiss saying “there’s some work to do … trying to shift the dial a bit” after conceding 138 points in their last three Tests belongs in Monty Python (“Wallabies’ defence under the spotlight”, November 10). Each successive coach revives memories of the defiant black knight, from Dave “Tis but a scratch” Rennie to Eddie Jones’ “I’ve had worse”, Joe Schmidt claiming it’s “just a flesh wound” and now Les Kiss assuring long-suffering supporters they still have bite. If only tears of laughter weren’t caused by real life equivalents, like rebuilding the team, learning from our mistakes and “there’s a lot of talent here”. A more cynical writer would liken tackle-shy Wallabies to federal political sides running on denial. If excuses and whitewashing were peeled away, coaches might rediscover the pride, cohesion and grit of, say, Kangaroos. Peter Farmer, NorthbridgeDeadly serious speed lessonI couldn’t agree more with your correspondent’s advice to “pay attention, stick to the rules, stop blaming others” and so forth to avoid traffic fines (Letters, November 10). In 2024, I was seriously injured when another driver chose to risk crossing double lines and collided with me head-on. Though he wasn’t fined, he paid with his life. I survived but have been left with multiple disabilities. Peter Mahoney, OatleyIf traffic fines are for safety, why is there a lack of care for effectiveness? In our new K-shaped economy, traffic fines are a minor inconvenience to some and a major problem for others. Many European countries link fines to income, a more equitable method that deters drivers no matter how well heeled. Anne Matheson, GordonYoshi Masuda, 75, at his home in Chatswood with one of four gramophones he owns and his double bass. For years, Yoshi has visited patients with dementia in care homes around Sydney and played them music on his gramophone.James BrickwoodMusic therapy a positive noteMusic therapy has long been in use (“Music therapy found to ignite brain wiring in dementia patients”, November 10). Decades ago, using quietly played baroque music – with a beat in sync with brain waves – was an effective way to keep classroom students quiet, alert and concentrating on their work. Joy Cooksey, HarringtonWhat an extremely sad yet beautiful story of Mandy Noffs and son Rupert. There should be more music in all our lives. What a difference it would make day to day, and who knows, maybe even peace might prevail. Kath Maher, LidcombeOpportunity in receivershipGiven all the media interest with David Jones going into receivership (“DJs restocks to keep in step with in-store foot traffic jump”, November 10), it would appear to be publicity you can’t buy. With the tills ringing and shelves being restocked, maybe they should call in the receivers each year? John Swanton, CoogeeYour correspondent (Letters, November 10) inquires about meeting my now husband in David Jones in 1985. Let’s just say it was love at first sight, Lindsay. No phone numbers were given, but he came back the next day to make a date. As always, “There’s no other store like David Jones”. Wendy Bull, North TurramurraSusan Boyle and Con Hart regularly visited David Jones and its Oyster Bar on trips to Sydney, but said on Saturday this visit may be their last.Sitthixay DitthavongMemo to scammersI, too, have received numerous scam emails about promoting my work (Letters, November 10). But the thing that confuses me is this: if scammers are so clever, why do they target an industry where so few writers make a decent living, let alone a fortune? Someone should tell these scammers that they’re dreaming. Jeff Apter, KeiravilleAnchovies over pineappleI don’t care much what is on my pizza (Letters, November 10), as long as it has extra anchovies. Ted Richards, Batemans BayI would like to express my gratitude to Good Food’s digital editor Andrea McGuinniss for her parting gift to readers of the statistically identified outstanding recipes from the past nine years (“KISS to Christmas: Nine memorable recipes that created a stir online”, November 6). I’ve decided to work my way through them, in no particular order, and the first two have been absolutely delicious delights (Rick Stein’s 2023 chicken, lemon and garlic tray bake, and Adam Liaw’s 2018 vegie stroganoff pasta bake). Augurs very well for the rest! Anne Ring, CoogeeTo 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.