Let’s pull together as one in supporting each other

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The three hottest years on record and two extreme fire events in six years. So, it is regrettable that political point scoring is being attempted (″⁣Political row over state’s bushfire defences escalate″⁣, 19/1) while those affected by the recent fires are still dazed and in need (″⁣Fire hit regions in need of trauma support″⁣, 19/1). The state election is not until November. Let’s focus on fundraising, supporting affected communities, and getting prepared for the rest of the fire season, which extends normally until May but may well go longer this year if the drying trend continues.
Ray Peck, Hawthorn

The climate chickens coming home to roost
Environment and climate reporter Bianca Hall (Comment, 17/1) points out that the fires and extreme weather events we have been experiencing are exactly what climate scientists have warned us about for years. These are not isolated weather incidents. The chickens have come home to roost. What is most puzzling is that in the same week Australia was under siege from nature’s response to our carbon emissions, Environment Minister Murray Watt approved another coal mine extension in Queensland. Nature doesn’t negotiate. We cannot have our cake and eat it too.
Lynn Frankes, Kew

Query over burning forests
When will the Victorian Coalition learn that you can’t fight fire with fire? (“Political row over state’s bushfire defences escalates”, 19/1) In a climate that is becoming hotter and drier, it’s misguided to assume that burning forests reduces bushfire risk. As scientist Professor David Lindenmayer explains, the latest science suggests leaving the bush to rebuild its natural fire resistance. Instead of arguing over where and how much to burn, both the Coalition and the government could invest in stronger firefighting capacity, rapid fire detection technology, and emerging tools such as water carrying drones. Ending support for the fossil gas that fuels bushfire flames would help too.
Amy Hiller, Kew

Issue is frequency and severity of fires
Can correspondents please spare us from ″⁣Australia has always had bushfire and floods″⁣? The issue is that bushfires and floods are becoming more frequent and more severe.
James Proctor, Brown Hill

It’s a different time
Your correspondent (Letters, 17/1) is correct that Australia has always had bushfires. He cites Dorothea Mackellar’s description of a sunburnt country ″⁣of droughts and flooding rains”. But the nation is now an estimated 1.5 per cent hotter now than when Mackellar’s verse was published in 1908 and when national records began. Australia’s top 10 hottest years have all occurred since 2005. Rain is heavier, storms are more extreme, fires are more deadly. To comfort yourself with Mackeller’s words is false security. Hers are the words constantly parroted by those who do not want to accept that the climate in Mackellar’s Australia’s is changing, warming, more extreme than when she wrote her paean to her beloved wide brown land.
Judy Hungerford, Kew

Saying thanks to the volunteers
How can we show our gratitude to firefighters and SES workers who give up their time and risk their lives to perform tasks that save lives and prevent loss of property? Simple, after one year volunteering, how about we give them free registration for their own vehicle that they use to get to their stations for regular training and vital call-outs? I would gladly pay an extra $5 on my $800 registration fee to cover the cost. If we all contribute the extra money could go towards replacing outdated equipment.
Peter O’Connor, Bendigo

THE FORUM

Tennis fiasco I
I am writing in complete frustration at the lack of staff, turnstiles and entry points for the Australian Open on Sunday. Apart from the over-crowding safety issues, people were waiting in the queues for up to two hours. The staff found it impossible to organise the masses with complete lack of direction; it was chaos. A message to Craig Tiley – if you are publicising record ticket sales, could it follow that you increase your staff and entry points accordingly? Also having missed half our time in Margaret Court Arena, could we have dedicated entrances for the arenas, especially Rod Laver Arena?
Kathy Lang, Vermont South

Tennis fiasco II
Craig Tiley had better improve accessibility overnight if he’s not going to have more distressing scenes of tennis goers breaking down after long queues, even in the so-called accessibility queue. One woman needed a toilet but no one had thought to put one anywhere near the entrance, while the promised wheelchair for my husband never appeared, nor could it be called as the woman involved was completely overwhelmed. You sow what you reap and in this case it is crowd disasters, leavened by the good nature of many tennis enthusiasts.
Peta Colebatch, Hawthorn

Think it over
Columnist Sean Kelly’s comment, ″⁣We need artists and academics to make arguments the rest of us have not had time to think through″⁣(19/1) is a good explanation for part of the thinking behind the Australian government’s increasing of fees for tertiary study in the humanities or the law.
People consuming without having time to think about whether it is a good idea to consume, is how worsening climate change and increasing wealth inequality continue to threaten civilisation and economic stability.
The decreasing proportion of people still doing well out of the worsening situation, and consequently not wanting its underlying motivations to be questioned, assert that ″⁣sound commercial/financial practice″⁣ doesn’t warrant questioning.
In France, the compulsory subject to the end of school is not, like in Australia, the country’s first language, but philosophy, which insists that the point of education is to take time to think things through.
Ruth Farr, Blackburn South

Can’t compare
The Australian Federation of Islamic Councils is quite right in objecting to the Albanese government’s attempts to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir under free speech grounds (“Peak Muslim body defends radical Islamist group as Labor pushes hate speech laws”, 18/1), but their claim that Zionists are just as extremist as Hizb ut-Tahrir is entirely incorrect.
Zionist organisations advocate for the existence of a Jewish and democratic nation-state in the form of Israel. Hizb ut-Tahrir advocates for global jihad and a totalitarian Islamic caliphate which would abolish women’s rights and separation of religion and state, among other liberties we enjoy in the West.
The two are not morally equivalent, and any comparison between the two should be rejected.
Nikhil Dhanabal, Clyde North

Nothing to celebrate . . .
Thank you, Tony Wright, for your timely reminder (“Timme, hanged in 1842, rides a canoe home in spirit”, 17/1) that Australia as we know it, was built on the deliberate dispossession and decimation of this country’s First Nations people.
As January 26 approaches, to our national shame, too many Australians choose to remain ignorant of the brutal basis on which our modern country was founded and seem happy to deny the cultural sensitivity of First Nations people regarding this date.
Will we ever, as a nation, be mature enough to address the inappropriateness of this date for a national celebration?
Elaine Carbines, Belmont

. . . This date was
Another possible date for Australia Day – June 3, the day the Mabo decision was handed down. The King’s Birthday holiday could be moved to January 26 (it never aligns with an actual birthday) so we still have a holiday marking the end of summer.
Jenny Darling, Southbank

Stand up to Trump
The best way to deal with a bully is to ignore him. The counter to Donald Trump’s tariff threats to blackmail the European Union and other countries to accept Americas takeover of Greenland and other countries, is simply to not buy American goods and seek other sources from friendly countries.
A trade embargo on America does not need a tariff war response, it simply needs a united stand against Trump’s bullying, which will force him to reconsider those threats as a trade embargo would have a devastating effect on the American economy and jobs.
Postscript: I don’t intend to ever apply for a passport travel to America again under the Trump regime.
Rob Rogers, Warrandyte

Empty support
Donald Trump’s call for the Iranian protesters to fight on because America is behind you and ready and loaded to intervene reminds me of the Hungarian uprising. In 1956, America and the CIA encouraged their people to stand up to Soviet rule. The result was a bloodbath. Thousands killed and America was nowhere to be seen.
Dan Drummond, Leongatha

Cultures can change
In response to discussion about legislating against hate speech, your correspondent’s response was ″⁣if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all″⁣ (Letters, 18/1). This might seem simplistic, but it is a social response to a serious issue. Cultures can be changed. The media, including social media, is not always kind, respectful or courteous and creates a milieu in which depersonalisation can thrive. Instead of attacking personalities the media could do much by disputing arguments by focusing on facts rather than providing opinions and views of personality traits.
Legislating against hate speech is a top-down approach. Changing our social culture can happen at the ground level. Maybe we have lost sight of being kind. Kindness encapsulates many elements including tolerance and respect.
Learning about different religions could be a start. Before putting more curriculum onto teachers, I wonder what the media could contribute. There has been investigative journalism into other social issues such as domestic violence, what about one into different religions even focusing on the social outreach programs inspired by many religious organisations.
This might in a small way be educative and contribute to understanding, tolerance and unity.
Cathie Hutchinson, Mulgrave

A second invitation?
So, the new Adelaide Writers Festival board has apologised to Randa Abdel-Fattah and invited her to next year’s festival. Will the new board also apologise to American writer Thomas Friedman, who was uninvited from the 2024 Adelaide Writers Festival and also invite him to next year’s festival?
Sylvia Kappadais, Ivanhoe East

City v country
Your correspondent (Letters, 18/1) states that ″⁣city people can well afford to share payment of the emergency services and volunteer levy″⁣. Sorry, city people are not rich and also pay our own levies. Many of us rent with no chance of ever buying a home.
When the state government tried to increase the levy to pay for the CFA it was rejected. From a city point of view the country appears a lot cheaper than the city to live in.
Laurens Meyer, Richmond

Let’s not forget Gaza
While the news is understandably focused on US threats against Iran (bombs), Greenland (seizure) and Venezuela (kidnapping, scurrilous drug charges, piracy and murder for starters) and while Ukraine remains locked in deadly limbo, please don’t allow what Israel has been doing with US taxpayer dollars for the past two years and counting – or the mountain of aid that it continues to block from entering Gaza – to be forgotten.
Annabel Russell, Puttalam, Sri Lanka

Australian spirit
I cannot begin to imagine the heartache and pain farmers and wildlife carers are going through euthanising animals affected by Victoria’s cataclysmic fires. However Blaze Aid, the CFA and all essential personnel just roll up their sleeves and get on with saving lives and properties while many have lost everything.
This epitomises the ″⁣true blue Aussie spirit″⁣.
Kate Bossence, Kerang

Who is that?
Who is teaching English these days – I mean, correct English? ″⁣Who″⁣ is for reference to people – ″⁣that″⁣ is for reference to things and animals. The misuse is deplorable, and cringeworthy, particularly among those who should know better – politicians, newsreaders and reporters, and academics. Or should that be ″⁣What is teaching English″⁣?
I know I’m on a hiding to nothing, but I live in the (vain) hope that those who should know better, will learn that it is just lazy, inaccurate, and offensive to those of us who actually appreciate and enjoy our language.
Robert Reid, Camberwell

Seventy-five years young
An item on a recent news bulletin reported a home invasion with the elderly owner injured. The report continued stating the 75-year-old was in a stable condition.
Since when is 75 elderly?
Kevin O’Callaghan, North Ringwood

AND ANOTHER THING

Trump
If Donald Trump played cricket, he would demand, “I’ve got the bat, so I’m captain and I’m to win the best player award.“
Barrie Bales, Woorinen North

Is Greenland going to become Orangeland?
Barbara Chapman, South Yarra

Donald Trump uses tariffs as an economic weapon.He never mentions it is US entities that actually pay that tariff.
Gary Bryfman, Brighton

I’m of the opinion that Donald Trump could very well be Putin’s Manchurian Candidate when it comes to the NATO alliance.
Gary Florence, Hampton Park

Politics
Re how to beat ″⁣the arvo slump″⁣ (19/1), at first I thought it read ″⁣How to beat the Albo slump″⁣. Silly me.
Myra Fisher, Brighton East

Re PM popularity poll, what a waste of time – Anthony Albanese isn’t Father Christmas, even he doesn’t bring you what you want.
Margaret Skeen, Point Lonsdale

Furthermore
Suggestion for an inscription on the new Bondi Bridge – let all who cross this bridge leave hatred behind them.
Helen Matters, Northcote

Similar to your correspondent (Letters, 19/1), I will maintain my heroic and principled stance of not watching grand slam tennis until screaming is banned.
Glenn Murphy, Hampton Park

New for the 2040 Australian Open: a robotic ball kid.
Doug Springall, Yarragon

New hate speech laws will not give protection to any community. Laws are set to control people and the people they control are usually law abiding. Criminals don’t care about laws.
Peter Roche, Carlton

How about February 29 for Australia Day?
Greg Lee, Red Hill

Australia Day should be February 23, my birthday.
Bill Trestrail, St Kilda