Jillian Segal is quoted in the article (“Progressive critics spur new wave of antisemitism: Segal”, October 30) as saying some “well-intended people who are concerned about the policies of the state of Israel and feel critical of them transfer that criticism to Jewish members of society in Australia”. That statement is a generalisation and requires further explanation. I, for one, criticise the Israeli government but do not transfer this to Jewish members of the Australian community. Many other Australian citizens feel the same way. Many Australian Jews criticise the Israeli government and clearly do not transfer their criticism to the Australian Jewish community. Some travelled to Israel recently to vote against the current Israel government! I have the right, as an Australian citizen, to criticise the Israeli government and not to be criticised for it. Peter Spencer, Castle Hill
Does Jillian Segal include in her criticism of “progressives motivated by social justice” all those Jewish people who have voiced their abhorrence of the current policies of the Israeli government? She should not equate opposition to Netanyahu’s abuse of Palestinians, even to the extent of his absolute denial of the right to a separate state, with antisemitism. We can be critical of a nation’s policies and still respect the citizens of that country. That is how many of us see the current situation in Israel. Doug Hewitt, Hamilton
Jillian Segal’s updated road map, ASECA Priorities, represents an unacceptable overreach into Australia’s public institutions. By singling out progressives, human rights advocates, public schools, universities and broadcasters for “modern progressive antisemitism”, the report risks weaponising legitimate concern for human rights to stifle political speech. Demanding that universities, arts bodies and media outlets risk losing public funding or face independent oversight panels if they fail to align with a specific ideological filter is dangerous policy. Public institutions must remain independent. Subordinating them to partisan criteria undermines the very fabric of our multicultural democracy. In a successful multicultural society, social cohesion relies on open debate, shared values and fair application of the law – not on enforcing ideological conformity or policing domestic criticism of foreign governments. Robyn Dalziell, Kellyville
It has little to do with political preferences but is more about the fact that treating Jews, based on their religious identity, with prejudice and hostility or discrimination goes against the basic longstanding human or social values of fairness, inclusiveness and empathy. Steve Ngeow, Chatswood
I look forward to reading the empirical evidence for Jillian Segal’s claim that those she labels “progressive” critics of Israel or Netanyahu have spurred (is that “caused”?) anti-Jewish violence or discrimination. Reviewing the book On Antisemitism: A Word in History in The New York Review of Books recently, Jewish scholar Omer Bartov concluded: “Because the aim of today’s surging accusations of antisemitism is not to combat the actual phenomenon but to suppress anti-Zionism or criticism of Israel, the ‘new right’ has been handed a convenient opening.” Bartov is the dean’s professor of Holocaust and genocide studies at Brown University. The university is regarded as “progressive”, as are all universities committed to scholarship. I trust that Segal has taken a historically and conceptually sophisticated approach commensurate with Australian academic standards when composing her report. Philip Bell, Bronte
I suspect I might be one of the social-justice-minded progressives that Jillian Segal accuses of antisemitism. I am so utterly hurt by this because I try to keep a balanced view, but how can I do that with what has happened in Gaza and continues today in the West Bank? How can I not be angry when I am continually told I am something that I am not? When I watch and read about the Holocaust do my tears count for nothing. Julie Robinson, Cardiff
Open embassy
Following ASIO’s findings linking the Islamic Republic to two antisemitic attacks on Australian soil, Australia expelled its ambassador. Yet the embassy in Canberra remains open. During Senate estimates, Senator Paterson asked Foreign Minister Wong whether consular convenience should outweigh the safety of Iranian Australians. Wong said their safety was always front of mind, and that decisions would be guided by security agencies. That leaves unanswered why maintaining the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic presence remains justified following Australia’s own security findings. I recently spoke on ABC’s 7.30 about threats I received after publicly criticising the Islamic Republic. I reported them to the Australian Federal Police. I have no evidence linking those threats to the embassy, but they highlight the broader risk of transnational repression that the government has already acknowledged.
Iranian Australians have legitimate consular needs, which should not be dismissed. Alternative arrangements, including through third countries, deserve serious examination. Having publicly attributed attacks to the Islamic Republic and expelled its ambassador, Australia should close the Islamic Republic’s embassy in Canberra while ensuring access to essential consular services. The government owes Australians a clear explanation of why the embassy remains open. Saeid Zand, Director, Iranian-Australian Public Affairs Committee
A stolen election?
The extraordinary irony is that Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot need the Palestinian bloc to become prime minister (“It’s deadlock in the Israeli election. Here’s how it could unfold”, October 30). In true Trump style Netanyahu says Palestinians have “stolen” the election. Michael Fox, Pacific Palms
‘NBW’ airport taken
Hereward Dundas-Taylor’s concern that Nancy Bird-Walton’s legacy has been corporatised by the assignment of the IATA code WSI is understandable (Letters, October 30). Yet it is worth noting that IATA referencing shows the official name is “Western Sydney International Airport (Nancy Bird-Walton)” . Unfortunately, assigning, say NBW, was out of the question as it is already assigned to Leeward Point Field in none other than Guantanamo Bay, Cuba! Apparently, changing longstanding airport codes is rare. However, that didn’t deter the current POTUS, who recently convinced those in authority to change Palm Beach International Airport to President Donald J. Trump International Airport, and yes, you guessed it, PBI has become DJT! Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook
Options to barrack for
Highlighting the human cost of selling Victoria Barracks is important (“Price of Victoria Barracks is much higher than $200m”, October 30). Too often the human cost of government policy is discounted. Perhaps the most graphic example was the sell-off of public housing in Millers Point and the Sirius building. The human cost of the displacement was profound. A unique community was destroyed, social ties were torn asunder and many tenants, especially older tenants, found it difficult to cope in their new location. The human cost of any policy intervention should be front and centre. Alan Morris, Eastlakes
Lessons from US midterm mess
Waleed Aly’s examination of the wild ride of insurgencies in the US and Britain is a timely and interesting case for Australia (“Wild ride could be coming to an end”, October 30). One Nation’s insurgent attacks on traditional politics have caught the interest of those disgruntled by the Trump administration’s war on the world. Coalition voters have been attracted to One Nation due to the abandonment of common sense, traditional values and honesty by both the Liberals and Nationals. Perhaps it’s timely to ask what is One Nation offering? There is no evidence to suggest that One Nation is interested in the executive functions of government – quite the opposite, in fact. One Nation cannot or will not account for its own internal spending. One Nation’s attacks on minorities, on migrants, on individual politicians should be sounding alarm bells, even to the disaffected. One Nation attack cartoons are not satirical, they’re just nasty. Bluey has been misrepresented as an urban terrorist, instead of the positive role model she is. Pauline Hanson would learn a lot from digesting Bluey’s return message via Matt D’s cartoon published in Friday’s Herald. Geoff Nilon, Mascot
Opinion polls might well show that “moderates” are doing better than “progressives”. But will the “moderates” bring about change? After all, that is how Trump got elected in the first place. Voters thought that the establishment had repeatedly failed them, so they thought they’d try something different. But in his first term Trump was constrained by the establishment types who surrounded him. And then there was Biden. Now an uninhibited Trump has really failed them! But whoever is elected in the midterms, whether they are “moderates” or “progressives”, if they don’t produce the change that the electorate demands then voters are just as likely to swing back next time. David Rush, Lawson
I am an admirer of Waleed Aly, but he has made the midterm situation unnecessarily complicated. It’s simple. If Trump and his cohort are successful in the midterm elections, things will get crazier and weirder. If Trump and friends are hammered, things will get crazier and weirder. Jim Croke, Stanmore
Dignity for seniors
Reading your editorial about the shocking lack of foresight in our system of aged care, juxtaposed with Matt D’s cartoon featuring Bluey dreaming of Pauline Hanson apologising for her incendiary attitude to our world, is a combined portent of what is coming to impact on all our lives. Having watched my mother in her final years deal with an overstretched health system, all I can say is: she deserved better. We are removing dignity for our seniors and we should be ashamed. Aged care is but one area of our wrongheadedly prioritised world that needs a complete shift in our collective mindset. While Hanson’s values are not mine, what she is doing is providing a very effective megaphone to all the collective rage brought about by either real or imagined change and imbalances in our system. And what we don’t understand is a vacuum that will vent itself. We all need to better understand ourselves through creative solutions. “PLEASE EXPLAIN” is a good place for the creatives to start. In not creating understandings, what we end up with are leaders that our collective intransigence so rightly deserves. It’s time for some self-reflection. Neville Williams, Darlinghurst
Staff and nonsense
James Massola exposes a fundamental flaw in our governance: the executive’s control over the resources of parliamentarians (“PM has gone too tribal this time”, October 30). When a prime minister can manipulate the staffing and advisory resources available to rival or crossbench MPs, the national interest is compromised. An independent body should determine resourcing for all parliamentarians, including the prime minister. Letting a partisan government decide who gets what support creates an obvious conflict of interest. In a modern democracy, the executive should not control the resources of those charged with holding it to account. Chris Rivers, Port Macquarie
Fluoridation antics
Liberal senator Alex Antic is the Australian equivalent of his US counterpart Robert Kennedy Jr, hawking conspiracy theories that spread panic and anxiety (“Guidelines over water fluoridation under review”, October 30). This time it is about fluoridation of water. Singapore has had fluoridation of its water supply for 68 years, and instead of causing lower intelligence in children, the country has for many years sat at or near the top of the PISA score list. Another high-score entity, Hong Kong, began fluoridation in 1961. Other high scorers, the PISA-assessed regions of China (Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang), no longer fluoridate their water supplies but only because the water sources contain naturally high fluoride background levels. While many people might point to the fact that many other high-scoring countries prefer fluoridation of toothpaste, in support of their opposition to fluoridation of water, one should not confuse cause and effect in the low-high IQ debate. Low IQ or weak intellectual development in children may well be caused by regular consumption of alcohol by the mothers. In its review of Australia’s national guidelines for fluoride in drinking water, the National Health and Medical Research Council should study the effects of alcohol, too. Kim Woo, Mascot
Testing time over
I, too, am tickled pink to farewell the replacement bus shuffle. Commuters endured two years-plus of it while the heavy rail morphed into a modern metro, a very welcome addition to our transport network (“Twists and turns of metro challenge”, October 30). It’s been quite literally a testing time, months of watching the promised passage whizzing past without access as the systems were bedded down. That excitement was tempered when the station announcements commenced some weeks ago; a strange penetrating chime that can be heard up to one kilometre from the platform. It is an alert that is very alarming for residents of Hurlstone Park – the unique topography of the station acts as an echo chamber. Vegetation along the line, removed for the build, would have helped to buffer the noise, but for those in close proximity life has become unbearable. It’s a relatively easy fix. I just hope the hype around the retro metro doesn’t distract from mitigation for those who embrace the change but need the issue of audio addressed. Janet Argall, Hurlstone Park
Federate ATAR
It is claimed by NSW Universities Admissions Centre that an ATAR from NSW is presently equivalent to an ATAR in any other state. Other states use different methods to construct their ATARs (“National exams for years 6, 10, 12 proposed”, October 28). For example, Victoria UAC scales advanced maths differently, and Queensland uses a different proportion based on external exams. A national ATAR is required. Brad Elliott, North Rocks (Former Subject Chief Examiner, NESA)
Reading about a new battery of tests (Letters, October 29), I am reminded of the adage “weighing the baby doesn’t make it grow”. Stephen Lyons, Kellyville
Spendthrift Coalition
Bravo, Corrado Tavella (Letters, October 30)! You’ve expressed my thoughts exactly, although I would add that a mea culpa from the current opposition for these examples of gross government mis-spending is long overdue. Also, and even more damning, is that payments for AUKUS so far total $3.1 billion.
Martyn Yeomans, Sapphire Beach
I, along with most of the country, would love to see the AUKUS contract torn up. However, I suspect the small print has some kind of financial strangulation opt-out clause that prevents us from heading for the exit door. Still, I guess if we really are obligated to seeing it through and end up with some vintage submarines in 50 years’, we could put them up for sale in a used recreational car lot on Parramatta Road. John Swanton, Coogee
Hospital pass
What would happen to Long Bay Hospital (“Labor rubbishes Coalition plan for 12,000 homes at Long Bay jail site”, October 29)? The facility houses those with medical and psychiatric conditions. It is staffed by nurses, doctors and other support workers who have specialised skills. How will it be absorbed into the existing correctional facilities? Surely, a new hospital befitting the purpose would have to be built. Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay
Early Aldi
Michael Deeth (Letters, October 30) can get some of his food shopping done before November. Aldi has Christmas food on sale already, at least at its Bondi Junction shop. Christmas cakes, etc, all ready to be shopped. Suzanne Wicks, Potts Point
Ah, springtime …
Now that early El Niño storms and winds have batted and depleted my mango tree, greedy bats will have to sharpen their radar this year, and search elsewhere for their tea. Joy Cooksey, Harrington
The poor, wretched koel is back, mournfully and tediously calling endlessly for a mate. However, quite by chance, I found the pitch is such that by removing my hearing aids, peace is restored. Happily amid all the daily fare of doom and gloom, one still finds every cloud has a blessed silver lining. Elizabeth Kroon, Randwick
True price of Halloween
Stephanie Edwards (Letters, October 30) is spot-on about the obscene, costly waste of single-use plastics, most going straight to landfill after Halloween. Come Melbourne Cup Day, millions will blow billions on pub grub, booze and gambling, to be left with full bellies and empty pockets. The “cost of living” crisis, as dumbed down by most politicians and the media, simplifies the broader and deeper price we pay for living in a world where inequality and division are tearing apart our social fabric and democracies, as fast as the polar ice and glaciers are melting. But how dare scientists and climate experts challenge our leaders and corporations over our impending doom. They’re too busy focused on the price of diesel, re-election and mid-year net profits. Howard Charles, Glebe
The simple solution to avoid the landfill issue is to retain Halloween decorations for re-use each year, as most do for their Christmas decorations.
Graham Martin, Bowral
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