Price shows she has learnt from Trump playbook

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I found it difficult to read the article on Senator Jacinta Price on Saturday (“Price’s crusade to remake the Liberals, backed by Advance”, September 13). The senator is often referred to as a leader. A leader of whom or what? She is merely a self-appointed spokesperson on Indigenous issues with views few First Nations people would endorse. The fact that she seems proud of her part in the defeat of the referendum on the Voice is a sad indictment on her indeed. She is quoted as saying there is no way she would let anyone use her, yet that seems exactly what Advance is doing. Be careful what you wish for Australia. We don’t want our own Donald. Patrick McMahon, Paddington

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price in the Senate on September 3.

The headline article on Jacinta Price gives interesting background. From a political family, the early talent on TV and not being shy of controversy, she is obviously intelligent and a good performer in front of a microphone, and in the past few years is seldom out of the news. It is clear she is the candidate Advance was looking for, and she now has its financial backing as well as being promoted by Tony Abbott and the Murdoch media. Her adoption of MAGA themes means she has learnt the Trump playbook, and as Fox News played a big part in Trump’s elections, Sky TV is her favourite channel here. We can expect a serious campaign to turn the Coalition into an Australian version of the Republicans in the US. Whether the centre-right can fight this off remains to be seen. The party of Menzies may be dead. Gary Barnes, Mosman

Senator Price argues that the stolen generations are much better off now than their peers because they gained wealth. Sadly, money seems to be important to her. But they lost something far more important – their families and culture. Susan Haylock, Mosman

Jacinta Price is saying what many are thinking. Once again, the Liberal leadership has failed to read the room. Malcolm McEwen, North Turramurra

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price believes there are a lot of Australians who would like to see her become prime minister. I’m sure that is correct, but I’m also confident that an equal number, or more – including many within the Coalition – would not like that to happen. Labor must love to see her prominence in the media because, like Peter Dutton, she is so polarising that a party led by her would surely be unelectable. Ian Morris, Strathfield

Jacinta Nampijinpa Price says she doesn’t doubt at all that there are those who would regard her as a “gift to the conservative side of politics”. She’s a gift to the other side as well. Lynne Poleson, Kingsford

Kirk death fallout shadows grief of thousands

The outpouring of grief over the death of one man in America overshadows the loss of lives in Gaza, Ukraine and, indeed, the rest of the United States on the same day (“Thoughts and prayers are clearly not enough”, September 13). Charlie Kirk had a wife and children and parents who are grieving, but does his death mean more than those thousands who’ve lost loved ones through no fault of their own? Christine Tiley, Albany Creek (Qld)

In our dopamine-economy age, the boundaries of free speech are endlessly disputed – and rightly so. But some lines are not ambiguous. To assault someone because you dislike their words is not resistance, it is repression. To kill them for their views is to become the executioner of thought itself.

Take Charlie Kirk: his views are, to me, deeply repulsive. As a Jewish person, I loathe his embrace of the “great replacement” theory – anti-Jewish racism in its purest form. I loathe, too, his transphobia and racism toward other vulnerable groups.

But for him to be attacked or murdered for those views is not liberation or solidarity. It is authoritarianism in its clearest form.

Free speech is not a blank cheque to offend without consequence. But the strength of democracy lies in its ability to endure even speech we detest without collapsing into violence. Once that line is crossed, freedom has already been lost.

Both the far right and the far left, convinced of their sublime purity, dream of hastening collapse, convinced that only destruction will bring renewal. It falls to those of us who reject both extremes to resist this nihilism outright. Simon Tedeschi, Newtown

The God-given right to bear arms in the US appears to take precedence over the commandment “Thou shalt not kill”. Catherine Turner, Cremorne

The USA, as it does on a regular basis, is tearing itself apart (“Torn in the USA”, September 13). Why does Australia still maintain US bases and an alliance with such an unstable nation? I know Australians fear China with good reason, but holding on to a ship going down isn’t going to stop us from drowning. Henry Spirek, Blayney

Charlie Kirk arrives at a campaign rally for Donald Trump in Las Vegas last year.

The Utah governor calls for an end to political violence (“We have to find an off-ramp”, September 13), then reveals how embedded it is by calling for more violence in the form of the death penalty. Those who suffer most from capital punishment are the perpetrator’s family. What crime did they commit, Mr Governor, Mr President? Rob Ferguson, St Ives

Joel Jammal says: “there will not be another man like Charlie Kirk” (“Kirk’s influence lives on in local Christian politics”, September 13). Pray to your god that you are correct. John Boast, Hunters Hill

The Yanks are mightily pleased that the authorities have very quickly arrested the person whom they believe to have killed Kirk. That’s the easier part of the action. The old saying is: “Prevention is better than cure” – but prevention stubbornly remains in the “too hard” basket ... and it probably won’t move because some rabid gun-toters are only too trigger-happy to get rid of anyone who wants to dispossess them of their weapons. David Gordon, Cranebrook

The American school year has just begun. My nine-year-old grandson in New York attended a new school and one of the first things the children were asked to do was “drop and hide in place” drill for an active shooter. My daughter-in-law tells me that it is possible to buy bulletproof backpacks! Thank goodness they will be living back in Australia in a year’s time. Joan Rodd, Gladesville

All need protection

Religious freedom isn’t absolute; it can’t be used to harm others or violate their fundamental rights. The purpose of human rights is to ensure the dignity and freedom of everyone in a society, not just one group. When one person’s practice of their faith directly conflicts with the basic rights of others, such as the right to be free from discrimination, we need to impose limitations on that practice (“Push for politician bans over hate speech”, September 13). A person’s religious belief may condemn homosexuality, but that belief does not give them the right to discriminate against an LGBTQ+ person in employment, housing or public services. The right to be free from discrimination is a fundamental human right that government has a duty to protect for all citizens. John Bailey, Canterbury

Libs doubt themselves

Two articles in Saturday’s Herald point to the problems of the Liberal Party and its future. One common theme is that the party seems incapable of running itself and doing its own work. They have allowed religious groups and Advance-type groups to “join”, and then these push their own agendas, which is usually far removed from what mainstream voters want. Then there is the related issue of past leaders still wanting to run the party. Abbott pushes Advance and Sky and white-ants energy policy thinking; Howard started the religious incursions. Both need to be shown the door and thanked on the way out. Neither has any clue about how the party can work its way back to being acceptable to enough voters in order for it to be electable. The continued trotting out of these two at every occasion is a sign of the party’s desperation and lack of faith in its own ability. Actually getting the shadow ministers to do some hard policy work rather than outsourcing it to others with agendas might be an idea too. Tony Sullivan, Adamstown Heights

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley in question time this month.

If your correspondent mentioning Andrew Hastie saying there is no move to challenge Sussan Ley’s leadership is akin to throwing his hat in the ring, then Angus Taylor saying he supports Ley’s leadership has a touch of deja vu about it (Letters, September 13). Who can forget Scott Morrison awkwardly hugging Malcolm Turnbull in 2018 and saying “This is my leader, and I’m ambitious for him” when asked about his own leadership ambition? Rhonda Seymour, Castle Hill

Funds raid a disgrace

It is utterly disgraceful to pluck funding from Reconciliation NSW with no accounting for why (“‘Kick in the guts’: NSW Labor pulls funding for reconciliation body”, September 13). The process of reconciliation is about recognising what First Nations people are saying is the way forward and listening to what they have to say and their agenda for their lives … which was denied them with the arrival of the British. They deserve to have the means to advocate on their terms, which needs to be supported financially when so much was taken from them. I acknowledge the funding mentioned to improve lives via Closing the Gap, but how can removing funding from a body like Reconciliation NSW be justified? It is just as important to improving the lives of Australia’s First Nations people. Gordana Martinovich, Dulwich Hill

Woodside rules

Murray Watt’s approval of the Woodside gas extension proves that it is too big for any government to say “no” to (“Gas giant faces ‘strict’ pollution limits to protect ancient rock art”, September 13). Forty-eight “strict” conditions that you could drive a gas tanker through, with no effective body to monitor or police them in any case. The Woodside – I mean, Albanese government – has caved in to massive vested interests again, as expected. Dick Clarke, Elanora Heights

I’m gutted. Approval of Woodside’s North West Shelf gas project is the final failure of this federal government. It leaves me with no option but to abandon my lifelong faith in the Labor Party. Albanese’s squandering of his extraordinary mandate for reform beggars belief. This was the only chance I saw for courageous reform in climate change and taxation policies, and robust funding changes to so many areas of social good: public education, the arts, preventive health and others. But what do we have? A timid, weak and lacklustre government afraid to scratch itself lest it offends. I’m offended, deeply and irrevocably offended, and am now officially an independent or Greens voter. Christine May, South Durras

A bilby motif at Enderby Island in Murujuga National Park.

Minimising harm to the Murujuga rock art by imposing tough conditions on Woodside’s North West Shelf project appears to have been Environment Minister Murray Watt’s primary concern. There’s no doubt that preserving priceless Indigenous art is a profound moral obligation on the whole nation, albeit one still being belatedly recognised. But there’s an even more compelling obligation that Watt seems to have had nothing to say about. That’s preserving conditions for habitable life on the planet. Approving a fossil fuel project as gigantic and long term as the North West Shelf puts that life in ever-increasing jeopardy. Watt’s decision to approve it is nothing less than a gross dereliction of duty. Shame on the government’s capitulation to the giant overlord of the gas industry. Tom Knowles, Parkville (Vic)

Minister for (surely not) the Environment Murray Watt in approving the North West shelf (Chevron gas project) extension and hence billions of tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions needs to explain why he thinks it is better to boost global warming than back a liveable climate. When this choice has been placed squarely before the Albanese Labor government, why is the outcome weasel words and pretence, not the action of a party committed to global decarbonisation? Jim Allen, Panorama (SA)

Uncomfortable truths

It is a sad fact that events that occur in high-pressure military actions are often not reported fully, correctly or honestly. The subsequent investigations by different offices and individuals do, however, often bring forth truths that are not received comfortably by the powers that be. The Australian War Memorial’s charter of honesty is being challenged by the decision to remove Chris Masters’ book from the list of eligible prize winners (“War Memorial changes its prize rules to reject Roberts-Smith book”, September 13). My opinion of Les Carlyon and his integrity lead me to call on the AWM, and the relevant government minister, to acknowledge that a mistake has occurred and reinstate the book to the list. I have not read the book yet. Aidan Cuddington, Umina Beach

Shark info required

I agree with Malcolm Knox, who bemoans politicisation of the shark attack last week (“Politics needn’t trawl this tragedy”, September 13). But there are other factors to consider. Yes, millions of people swim at the beach and board-riders have hundreds of thousands of surf sessions. We all pay taxes, parking fees and patronise the beachside shops and restaurants. I reckon governments and beachside chambers of commerce have a duty of care.

The analogy Knox mentions of a 150-metre shark net being useless, like a “napkin in a swimming pool”, is a good one. Forget shark nets. What is needed is more surveillance and communication of the available knowledge on sharks and their behaviour better.

Surveillance must be easier these days with drones, helicopters, jet skis and pro-lifeguards and lifesavers in rubber duckies.

The day before last Saturday’s attack, the Shark Smart app posted that a two-metre white shark was tagged and released from a drum-line at The Kick, a surf break just the other side of Long Reef. A bloke down the south coast said on radio that a whale carcass was attracting sharks at his surf spot. Word of mouth was all that was spreading this news. The amazing Temperature Guy at Manly did “layman’s research” and discovered the dangerous shark species seem to gather when the ocean temperature is about 18 degrees – what it is now. All knowledge should be “out there”. The chance of you getting bitten might be one in 8 million, but we all know there’s still that chance. Tim Egan, Mosman

Migrants need houses

It is, alas, not true that there is “little to no link between immigration and challenges like housing affordability” (“We must have nuanced debate on immigration”, September 13). While there are many causes of the housing crisis, in economics we establish if something is “a” cause by adopting the ceteris paribus (other things being equal) principle. And it is clear that if you increase the demand for housing while doing nothing effective to increase supply, prices will go up. Equally clearly, immigration is “a” cause of the current crisis.

It is true that we could have immigration without increasing housing prices and congestion if we released more affordable land in regional centres and encouraged decentralisation. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t deal with the huge infrastructure costs (new hospitals, schools and roads) involved in an increasing population.

It is up to the proponents of a “big Australia” to tell us very specifically how they propose to deal with the current housing disaster. And saying “you could do this” or “you could do that” doesn’t cut it when those in power have no intention of doing either. Nicholas Reid, Hughes (ACT)

Supply is true issue

Millie Muroi is correct that the housing situation biases the wealth distribution in Australia (“Wealth inequality is holding us all back from economic growth”, September 13), but home ownership is the wrong thing to argue. Home ownership is about how the finite number of houses is divided between owners and renters.

The issue is supply. How do we build more homes when faced with NIMBYism, a lack of workers and the necessary massive infrastructure rollout? I don’t have an answer, and I doubt anyone else does, but until we address that question, we are focusing on the wrong problem. Neville Turbit, Russell Lea

Wasteful cost of flight

If, indeed, the cost of chartering a 100-seat Airbus A319 to fly one extradited accused criminal from Turkiye to Darwin was “more than $1 million” (“Deportation of accused murderer from Turkey puts legal case at risk”, September 13), that was irresponsibly profligate. Surely, a handful of AFP officers and one prisoner could have squeezed into a 10- or 12-seater jet at a saving of many hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ precious dollars. Andrew Cohen, Glebe

Corporate crazies

I really find the latest Herald headlines alarming. First, there is the $50 million payout (in dollars and shares) to the CEO of Virgin Airlines (“Hrdlicka exits the Virgin gate with $50m golden handshake”, September 13). Nobody, but nobody, is worth that much. The largest payout in Australian corporate history. Then we read that more than 3000 bank workers are to be made redundant. Corporate business gone absolutely barking mad. Graham McWhirter, Shell Cove

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