US behaviour under Trump beyond the pale

Where’s the condemnation from our politicians?
It seems like there’s one set of international rules for some situations and another in other circumstances. Surely, the US military incursion into Venezuela, the kidnapping of its president and the claim by Donald Trump that he’ll run Venezuela is as egregious a transgression of international law as Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, yet it receives no condemnation from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nor Opposition Leader Sussan Ley. I’d be keen for them both to explain the difference.
Stephen Carbone, Thornbury

THE FORUM

Understanding hate
The media are giving a lot of focus to politicians, the Business Council of Australia, sports stars, Catholic bishops and others who are calling for a royal commission into antisemitism (“Sports stars add to push for royal commission”, 4/1).
I agree with Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett that hate should have no place in Australia and that the December massacre in Bondi should be treated as a national crisis. However, after listening to Usman Khawaja’s statement announcing his retirement from international cricket and thinking back to the many racist incidents in football and the hate speech during the Voice referendum, many thoughts come to mind.
I applaud the government’s movements quietly behind the scenes to quickly identify what needs to be done immediately and providing security to those who need it. Royal commissions take a long time to set up, and reach suggestions which history shows are rarely fully implemented.
If we are to have any kind of federal royal commission, we need to understand how hate festers in our society. This can only be achieved by education and a more inclusive royal commission.
Judith G. Hudson, Elwood

Intimidation unchecked
I am amazed at the number of people who believe Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should be absolved of any guilt over the Bondi massacre. Let me tell you, that as a Jew, this incident was not just about Islamic radicalisation; it was fuelled by a government that allowed hatred to be spread at rallies and university campuses, and turned its back on businesses pleading for religious protection.
This government was prepared to give only lip service to the collective fear and intimidation that has touched the Jewish community since October 7, 2023.
Left unchecked, the outcome at Bondi was inevitable, and for this, the Albanese government must take full responsibility.
Judy Sher, Caulfield North

Keep a clear view
First task before rushing into a royal commission is to define the term antisemitism. Hatred of the Jewish race is one thing, criticism of the state of Israel is quite another. The state hides behind the race to commit offences.
There needs to be soul-searching by Jewish people as to what the state is doing in their name. This will never excuse actions such as the Bondi affair, but Australia needs to keep a clear view of the Middle East situation.
Doris LeRoy, Altona

Add in xenophobia
If we must have a federal royal commission, its terms of reference should not only include antisemitism but also xenophobia in general which has been rampant in Australia for more than 100 years. I am sure Sussan Ley and the Coalition would support this.
John Uren, Blackburn

Research opportunity
Australia has been a world leader when it comes to medical research. We have a huge research fund which is becoming increasingly difficult to access by researchers (“Researchers denied grants while fund sits on $25b”, 4/1). One hopes red tape isn’t getting in the way of the next big breakthrough.
If the Trump regime is cutting back on medical research, we have the chance to take up the slack and make a killing, so to speak.
Paul Chivers, Box Hill North

Dense decisions
I applaud The Age for its article on the causes of osteoporosis (4/1), however, it is far less explicit on the difficulties women, in particular, face in confronting the disease. Women are liable to become osteoporotic after menopause, which they usually go through in their late 40s or early 50s. Yet, bone-density scans are not free under Medicare until a person is 70 years old.
If a person decides to be curious about their bone density, they can pay close to $200 for a scan – probably prohibitive for many.
When two of my older sisters had free bone-density scans, they found they were osteoporotic and were put on risedronate, which helps build bone density. I decided to also have a scan, and I was even more osteoporotic than my sisters. By being referred by my doctor to a hospital specialist, I can access risedronate more cheaply but still at three times the cost my sisters pay as I am “underage”, so it is not covered by PBS. My story exemplifies the problems of medical misogyny.
Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights

The benefit of planning
The proposed Cairnlea development (“Backlash to estate close to pokies”, 4/1) is the latest example of planning failure that has become routine: 500 homes approved within walking distance of two pokie venues, yet a 45-minute bus trip from the nearest public pool.
The need to house a growing population is self-evident. But residents should not have to accept new suburbs delivered without the parks, sporting facilities, transport and community spaces that are essential precursors to social cohesion and liveability.
The Victorian government has chosen the low road. It doesn’t have to be this way. Irvine, California, was master-planned so housing arrived alongside schools, parks, local shops, cycle paths and community facilities. Amenities, space and transport were treated as essential, not an afterthought.
Housing supply matters, but housing without infrastructure simply shifts costs onto communities through congestion, isolation and social dysfunction.
David Fox, Beaumaris

Pokies the problem
Pokies pubs are a magnet for misery, wherever they are. The pubs are the problem, not the houses. Lawrie Bradly, Surrey Hills

Public schools neglected
The article on Preshil (“School tunes into campus in hipster heartland”, 4/1) read like promotional copy. Scanning recent education coverage, it is striking how little attention is given to the policy foundations of our system, and the funding disparity between public and private schools (the education system’s biggest challenge).
One wonders if the “progressive” families attracted to schools like Preshil would champion equitable, well-funded public education, and if so, why they don’t support their local public schools?
Alex Sands, Fawkner

Where are the humans?
Your correspondent (Letters 4/1) nails it for us octogenarians who still excel at mental arithmetic, alpha-numeric phone numbers, spelling and grammar, to name just a few lost skills.
I, too, struggle to comprehend the complexities of the mygov site. Compounding the problem is the constant upgrading of technology, allegedly to “make it easier”. Almost as soon as I master a new skill, technology upgrades the site leaving me floundering again.
If one could speak to a human, it would help, but it seems AI has taken over this function.
Adrian O. Jones, Mount Eliza

Your call is important
I have called my bank a number of times and, without fail, get the message that “we are experiencing higher than normal call volumes”. It intrigues me how they calculate “normal”. Perhaps they include the calls when the office is closed?
Phil Labrum, Trentham

Police chief in charge
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson condemns the Victorian government over its management of police resources after a shooting near a police station (“Teen shot dead metres from closed Fitzroy police station”, 4/1). Perhaps she doesn’t realise it, but it is usually the chief commissioner of police who decides the logistics.
Alan Inchley, Frankston

Is Australia truly inclusive?
Usman Khawaja’s reminder of the challenges of being a brown man in a white man’s world is timely (“Wide of the mark: Khawaja played race card at wrong time”, 4/1). Discourse around race is often avoided due to perceived sensitivity. But not talking about the problem doesn’t in any way make the problem go away.
Many minorities are forced to pay lip service to the idea that Australia is “inclusive and multicultural”, mainly because it isn’t kosher to say otherwise. But is Australia truly inclusive?
Parts of it are, and parts of it aren’t. In sectors rich with minority cultures, such as medicine, racism is less likely a thing, but in sectors such as sports and construction, the brown or ethnic person certainly stands out.
Khawaja’s point is that this leads to disproportionate scrutiny and criticism. His press conference, marking his retirement, was a courageous one. It would have been easier to pretend that all has been well. But that would have been false. Constructive dialogue around race needs to continue.
Arun Subramaniam, Camberwell

Cricket’s goodwill role
Living in Sri Lanka for almost four years, I am extremely grateful to the Australian cricket team for its role as a goodwill ambassador.
From what I understand, the relationship is a two-way street that long pre-dates me getting here. I believe Shane Warne made a significant contribution after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, and know for a fact that his death was met with tremendous sadness by many of the people I encountered at that time.
The fact that the Australian cricketers played during a period of upheaval – when the country united to oust the troublesome Rajapaksha regime – was met with gratitude. As Peter FitzSimons wrote in The Age, many Sri Lankans in the stands donned yellow shirts to say “thank you”.
Australia having a Muslim player in Usman Khawaja brought joy and pride to at least one cricket fan I met in the Muslim community here as well.
Annabel Russell, Puttalam, Sri Lanka

Follow Rose’s lead
Our first Indigenous world boxing champion and Australian of the Year in 1968, Lionel Rose, is renowned for saying: “We’re all Australians.” It is time for the nation to comply with his wisdom.
Peter O’Brien, Newport

AND ANOTHER THING ...

Trump
We now understand Donald Trump’s unwillingness to criticise Vladimir Putin. He’s a fellow invader!
Phil Lipshut, Elsternwick

Just a suggestion for Anthony Albanese: Probably best to avoid doing anything that Trump won’t like, or you might find yourself being held captive!
Ken Wall, Mount Martha

With the United States having gone into Venezuela and now “going to sell its oil”, I wonder whether China can go into Taiwan and sell its computer chips?
John Murray, Hawthorn East

In an unprecedented action, Venezuela was unpresidented.
Ian Robinson, Cowes

It’s always about the oil.
Ray Wilson, Northcote

Royal commission
Have the people jumping on the bandwagon for a royal commission into antisemitism thought about who is going to pay for it? If the lawyers offered to do pro bono work, their calls might carry more weight.
Peter Gribben, Drouin

Why not just have a royal commission into why Australia
has become such a racist and divided country?
David Raymond, Doncaster East

A royal commission into royal commissions’ failures?
George Reed, Wheelers Hill

Re your correspondent (Letters 4/1): I’ll gladly sign your letter from non-prominent Australians calling for there not to be a royal commission.
Anne Lewis, Northcote

Furthermore
Mount Baw Baw and Lake Mountain have operated in deficit for more than 20 years (“Alpine resorts on life support”, 4/1). Likewise, the Australian Grand Prix Corporation. Spot the difference.
Geoff Gowers, Merricks North

Finally
I wonder if Elon Musk would be so casually brushing off concerns about his AI platform, Grok, altering people’s images (“Musk’s AI floods X with sexualised images”, 4/1) if his daughter was shown in a disgusting manner?
David West, Essendon

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