Letters

Sydney Morning Herald

Wednesday February 9, 2005

Time to stop ignoring this human tragedy

While we are focusing on the mentally ill ("Shameful case forces change", Herald, February 8), when are our federal and state governments going to do something about the number of people - who should be under care - wandering the streets?

In the 1980s the Richmond report in NSW recommended people in mental institutions be released and allowed to live in the community as long as facilities were available for them to have medication and treatment. Unfortunately many have been abandoned to fend for themselves, ending up homeless and/or within our prisons.

Con Vaitsas,

Ashbury, February 8.

Amanda Vanstone asserts we cannot have an open inquiry into the appalling treatment of Cornelia Rau because we need to preserve Ms Rau's privacy, yet she made this claim just a few sentences after revealing on national public radio that Ms Rau had smeared her faeces during her Baxter incarceration.

Obviously Senator Vanstone's motive is more about protecting her embarrassing performance rather than showing this Government is capable of caring for its citizens.

John Carr,

Hornsby Heights, February 8.

Environment's red ink

Last week I had to replace the ink cartridges for my printer. In the store I noticed it was cheaper to buy a newer version of my printer rather than replacement cartridges. I now have two printers, one that no doubt will end up as landfill. What does this do for our environment?

Gavin Miller,

Chevron Island (Qld), February 8.

Up the wrong tree

Murray Bail is in trouble for lifting descriptions of eucalypts from textbooks ("Taking a leaf from another book", Herald, February 5-6). It is always a danger combining fiction with hard core taxonomy. To add to Mr Bail's woes I should point out that Eucalyptus maculata (spotted gum) and its relatives were removed from the genus Eucalyptus and placed in the genus Corymbia in 1996, two years before publication of his novel.

Prepared for a backlash, scientists softened the blow by suggesting that these species could still be referred to as "eucalypts" (with a small "e"). So the novel should have been more correctly called eucalyptus. Anyway, loved the book, can't wait for the movie. "Corymbia" has a nice rhythm to it.

David Ramsay,

Bexley, February 7.

A fare deal for everyone

The Westbus crisis ("Bus passengers prepare for a bumpy ride as administrators take the wheel", Herald, February 8) gives the NSW Government a golden opportunity to do what the West Australian government did 40 years ago: buy private companies and consolidate outer suburban services into public transport. Some day Sydney has to bite the bullet on providing decent bus services for the whole of Sydney. Why not now?

Dan Moloney,

Glebe, February 8.

Fiscal figuring

Peter Costello says we are in a low employment period and can't expect pay rises. In the meantime interest rates look set to rise. Does this mean we can have a job or a house but not both?

Shaun Roman,

Mayfield, February 7.

We're the good guys, silly

Lee Andresen wonders why it's OK for the US to have nuclear weapons but not Iran (Letters, February 7). Who do we think we are, taking steps to prevent unelected theocratic despots with a long-declared wish to annihilate a democratic neighbour, in a country with a history of violent revolution, from acquiring nuclear weapons? While we, with our elected leaders, civil laws and subordinate military forces are apparently allowed to own as many as we want. It's all so unfair.

Paul McDonnell,

Wahroonga, February 7.

Hard labour for mothers

I read with horror of the new mother's pamper package ("Paging room service, please burp my baby", Herald, February 5-6). Is this where my tax dollars are going via the 30 per cent private health insurance rebate? I am a mother of four in rural NSW. We have not had a maternity service for 13 years.

During the course of a pregnancy a woman could drive more than 1500 kilometres for health care and then have to stay in a motel awaiting birth, away from her community.

Many rural areas could have services through the establishment of community midwifery programs. The majority of women who have normal healthy pregnancies would be safer and better looked after than they are now.

Justine Caines,

Merriwa, February 7.

Hypocrisy exposed

It is refreshing to see the democratic rights of Christian clergy and laity in public debate being defended by Gerard Henderson ("Terminating debate snubs democracy", Herald, February 8). But it is no doubt a dangerous thing for Henderson to do.

For years it has been high media fashion to lampoonChristian opinion on everything from Anglican archbishops to abortion.

Christians are easy targets. They preach forgiveness, turning the other cheek, and hit back only with words - and generally gracious words at that.

Henderson's critique that media commentators never dare mock the faith of Islam and its representatives so brazenly isa telling one. The gagging of Christian opinion in public debate through jeering ridicule and snide comment (deftly cited by Henderson) is a disgrace to any democratic society.

Reverend Scott Blackwell,

St Ives, February 8.

Well said, Gerard Henderson. No doubt tomorrow you will be besieged with sanctimoniousletters demanding the religious get their house in perfect order before daring voice an opinion elsewhere. But for today democracy glints amid the dross, and the right of all Australians, even Christians, to express a reasoned view on an important issue has been defended.

Jon Guyer,

Cammeray, February 8.

On with the show, please

Sydney's military tattoo spectacle has been well publicised. What's not well publicised is that preceding the tattoo there is 45 minutes of parochial gibberish from an announcer with a pretentious 1940s radio accent. He told us of numerous wedding anniversaries in the audience, sang Happy Birthday to someone and celebrated the presence of a one-legged woman. It was an agonising prelude to a wonderful evening.

Gerardine Grace,

Mosman, February 8.

© 2005 Sydney Morning Herald

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