Growing unease about artificial intelligence will only deepen

I applaud Waleed Aly’s wisdom and clarity of vision as he analysed how and why public opinion may be finally turning against the predatory and greedy lords of the tech ecosystem (“The social media ban may be a more seismic shift than we realise”, December 13). The growing unease of the public as it feeds more information into the maw of AI developers can only deepen as it realises how the information being gathered more relentlessly furthers the manipulation of every aspect of our lives, and those of our children. Jenny Stewart, Potts Point

More needs to be done to educate people about AI’s pitfalls.Credit: Aresna Villanueva

In his article, young Jack Okill argues articulately for teenagers to be allowed access to social media platforms (“I’m 15 and I’ve been podcasting for five years. Do you expect me to stop now?” December 13). In rebuttal, I offer the names Amy Everett, Charlotte O’Brien and Matilda Rosewarne, all of whom took their own lives as a result of cyberbullying. They stand as heartbreaking representatives of the many young people who suffer because of malevolent use of social media. Each young life lost or marred is a sad endorsement of the legislation. David Wellham, Broulee

I am sorry, Jack, but your arguments don’t convince me. At 15, you only have to wait a year and you can legally continue to use social media. Your freedom and political voice has not been silenced, merely diverted to alternative media, through which you can still speak to those politicians and decision-makers and make a difference in the real world – something that you might also recommend to all those for whom gaming the system has become some new, questionable badge of honour. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

Ministerial misstep

The pile-on against Minister Anika Wells over travel expenses is disproportionate, but familiar (Letters, December 13). A ministerial misstep has been magnified, while far worse failures by others pass with barely a murmur. Countless male ministers bend the rules with little outrage, yet Bronwyn Bishop’s helicopter ride and Sussan Ley’s property shopping spree were scandalised endlessly. Women in politics are flogged for minor lapses; men’s are merely “learning experiences”. If standards matter, apply them equally or admit this is about gender, not principle. Anika Wells deserves fair assessment, not a feeding frenzy (“Coalition accuses PM of lying over travel expenses”, December 14). Vivien Clark-Ferraino, Duckmaloi

It is a truism that we elect the government we deserve. Rallies for Australia or whatever, poorly targeted media outrage and the pub test avert our attention from the big picture and existential issues facing the nation. HECS raised 168 per cent more revenue for the commonwealth government than did the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax over the past seven years. Not a problem says we. Despite an abundance of natural gas, Australia pays twice the price than does India, China and the USA, and three times that of Canada, Mexico and Malaysia. Not a problem says we. NDIS and Defence ineptitude waste millions and millions of taxpayers dollars. Not a problem says we.
Fourteen per sent of Australians living in poverty, homelessness, infrastructure shortfall, no onshore fuel reserve. Not a problem says we. Yet we and the media are apoplectic with rage when a politician spends a few thousand dollars on the corporate card. Failed the pub test and she must go, says we. My mind boggles and despairs. Wal Mullany, Cambewarra West

Amid the brouhaha about Anika Wells’ expenses and which entitlements fall within the rules and which do but shouldn’t, we are often directed to the pub test: a hackneyed but well-understood set of criteria. A better way to think about this though is to consider these things for what they are – ethical issues – my understanding being that ethics is knowing the difference between what you have a right to do, and what is right to do. Simple really. No rule changes needed. Alan Phillips, Mosman

When the average voter has a genuine work-related event, they are allowed to claim a tax deduction. Why aren’t politicians held to the same account? If they want a family reunion weekend, why not make it tax-deductible? Politicians, particularly ministers, are already on fairly large pay packets. And before they talk about long work hours, two questions: how many weeks did parliament sit this year?; and, wouldn’t your overworked and underpaid nurses, teachers, police and paramedics like some taxpayer-funded family reunion time? Barry Ffrench, Cronulla

The travel expenses scandal has put an unwelcome spotlight on Anthony Albanese and Anika Wells.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

There is little doubt Anthony Albanese is the luckiest prime minister ever elected. Election wins against the hapless Scott Morrison and unelectable Peter Dutton, then the help of a terrible opposition. The Wells saga won’t cost Labor many votes, but it has exposed what a dithering leader Anthony Albanese is. He loves to be front and centre of any “good news” announcements, but leaves the hard questions to senior ministers like Jim Chalmers, Murray Watt, Richard Marles and Penny Wong. What we need now is a decent opposition with policies that give voters a real alternative to this underwhelming government. Sadly, based on recent evidence, this is little more than wishful thinking. Scott Marshall, Normanhurst

Private perks

The income of the top 20 chief executives in Australia ranged from about $8 million to $50 million in 2024. There are about 30 cabinet ministers in Australia whose pay ranges from about $250,000 to $400,000. Their jobs are probably comparable in terms of responsibilities and demands. I would suggest the risk of electoral loss and responsibility taken on by our cabinet members outweighs these CEOs’ job risks by a long shot. So Ian Muir (Letters, December 13), while you didn’t take any “entitlements” while you were a CEO, it’s a bit rich criticising government ministers. It’s the excessive overpayments to corporate executives that is the real problem with our system. Brenton White, Mosman

The media outrage about cabinet ministers’ salaries and expenses should be seen in the context of the hugely inflated payments made to bankers and other businessmen (and, occasionally, women), not to mention vice chancellors of universities (“Former ANZ boss sues bank over lost $13.5m in bonuses”, December 13). All such inflated earnings are, ultimately, paid for by Australian taxpayers. By all means expect accountability for ministerial expenses, but the most egregious scandals around financial entitlement are to be found in the private sector. Philip Bell, Bronte

Perks are commonplace in the business world. As a condition, many employees are entitled to business-class travel, a vehicle, meal allowances, health insurance or membership of various organisations. If they failed to take advantage of these extras we would regard them as foolish. They are entitled to them as part of their remuneration. I’m sure the ATO keep close watch on this. So why is there so much criticism when politicians avail themselves of their entitlements? If the perks were removed, how much more would we need to pay to attract suitable candidates? And why the particular attack on Ms Wells (“Money Wells spent: anatomy of an expenses scandal that is all too familiar”, December 13)? Jeremy Parsons, Milton

Teals stepping up

Nick Bryant’s opinion that Australia has gone backwards this century rings too true (“Our underachiever nation has lost 25 years”, December 13). At a time when democracy is under threat from Donald Trump in the US, when the world is under threat from climate change, when truth is under threat from the misinformation and disinformation on social media and now from AI, we have a government too afraid to tackle big issues, including tax policy. What can be done to set things right? The Coalition received warnings that it was going in the wrong direction when it started losing seats to teals. They haven’t learnt any lessons and are moving further to the right. Labor seems too timid. Many Australians think a new type of politics is necessary and see the teals – independent, talented professionals – as a breath of fresh air. If they won more seats at the next election and ended up with the balance of power, many would see that as boosting Australia’s democracy. Gary Barnes, Mosman

Gone feral

No species is an island – the loss of one has dire consequences for others, sending destabilising and often catastrophic repercussions through the entwined ecosystem (“Race against time to rid island of feral animals”, December 14 ). This country, as an island nation, has a daunting but not an insurmountable task in the removal of feral-driven extinction of our endemic fauna and flora. As a country, we are not alone in bearing witness to tragic loss of biodiversity. It’s just that our track record is up there with the worst. There’s no time to waste as time is not on the side of the vulnerable. Steve Dillon, Thirroul

A feral cat caught on Kangaroo Island.

Cash shelter

Blacktown Mayor Brad Bunting says one bus shelter can cost up to $30,000 (“Tinsel and Christmas cards: Emma’s push for more bus shelters in western Sydney”, December 13). How can that price for such a simple structure be justified? The contractors must be laughing all the way to the bank. Judy Christian, The Ponds

Plot not thickening

So true, Julia Baird (“Incredible shrinking women return” December 13). My husband and I have been remarking on how thin the weather “girls” are on a certain commercial channel and wondering if it was a requirement to get the role. Of course the choice of clothing often emphasises this body type, but you would have to wonder if this has become a trend. So sad if that’s the case. Mary Lawson, Marrickville

Trump symptoms

The host of an upcoming dinner party asked guests to notify him if any of them had a nut allergy. I texted back that I was allergic to Trump. Given that Australian travellers to America may soon be required to provide details of their social media use, am I now at risk if I go to America (“Trump’s visa plan shapes as an own goal”, December 13). John Lewis, Thornleigh

Tomago folly

The government’s decision to prop up the Tomago smelter will force higher electricity prices onto business and electricity consumers (“PM reveals rescue deal for power-hungry Tomago smelter”, December 13). Preservation of old, low-value-add jobs at Tomago will likely be at the expense of many more new, higher value jobs. Moreover, gifting Tomago preferred access to Snowy 2.0 power will shackle it’s vital role absorbing daytime solar generation for overnight release. Michael Britt, MacMasters Beach

The Tomago smelter has been facing an uncertain future.Credit: Chris Elfes

Sub-standard record

We are told that Tony Abbott is lobbying in the US regarding Australia’s acquisition of nuclear submarines (“US should give us retired nuclear subs, says Abbott”, December 14). This raises the question of former politicians, especially ex-prime ministers, meddling in international politics. Give it a miss, Tony, you caused enough problems when you had the job. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill

Liberals hardly fair

Liberal politicians want new Australians to sign a “fair go” doctrine (“Libs debate refugee cuts ahead of new policy”, December 13) This from the party that has through its policies entrenched private school privilege, private hospital privilege and housing unaffordabilty in our system. They don’t have a sense of fairness in their DNA. David McMaster, Mosman

Yay for Greenway

We are certainly indebted to Nick Chapman and all those who have worked tirelessly to see the “Greenway” finally complete (“‘It’s been 25 years in the making’: The inner west’s $57 million path is finally opening”, December 13). Nick and other like-minded, passionate community members have left a lasting legacy, a place “historically, culturally and environmentally significant”. Indeed, Nick spent many years teaching the kids of Kegworth and other local schools about the hidden secrets of the Greenway. Those kids, now adults, no doubt will be enjoying this green space tomorrow and every day from now on, thanks to this grassroots (no weeds by 33’) campaign. Thanks, Nick, I can’t wait to ride my bike to school. See you on the Greenway soon. Lisa Williams, Dulwich Hill

Nick Chapman at the new Greenway site at Lewisham.Credit: Sam Mooy

Fishy dilemma

Whatever your views on the farming of salmon, it hardly seems fair of Dani Valent and the GoodFood cohort to bag the “Tassie stuff” but then review a whole lot of imported farmed salmon products (“We put 13 supermarket smoked salmons to the taste test, and the cheapest was the best”, December 13). Do people think other countries farm fish any better than the farming companies in Tasmania? Does New Zealand have wild salmon? Nope. Their product is also farmed and not all are happy about the methods. Salmon farming is equally controversial in Canada and other northern hemisphere countries. Carol James, Cronulla

Drivers’ lane pain

I agree in general with Max Redmayne’s assessment of the standard of driving on our roads (Letters, December 13). But if drivers are overtaking him “on both sides”, it’s probably because he’s cruising in the middle lane as many drivers do, instead of obeying the road rule to “keep left unless overtaking”. Our roads would be safer and have far greater capacity if the middle lane wasn’t clogged with drivers who refuse to move left, including, disappointingly, truck drivers. But I accept that it doesn’t help that our road design means the left lane can disappear and reappear at random, like some deranged magic trick. Trevor Townson, Leichhardt

All strings considered

The observation by correspondent Mustafa Erem that it is Oscar Piastri’s car that is fast, not him (Letters, December 13), reminded me of the great violinist Jascha Heifetz. Told after a concert that his violin sounded great that night, he held it up and said “funny – I don’t hear anything”. Tim Robinson, East Ryde

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