Illustration: Cathy WilcoxCredit: Cathy Wilcox
It is time for the NSW Department of Education to rethink the outmoded selective school model (‘‘Lessons to be learnt in world of separation and inequality’’, July 16). Research has confirmed its inequity and negative impact on surrounding high schools. Selective high schools must be made comprehensive and all high schools should be co-ed to mirror the world in which we live. The challenge for the NSW government and its Department of Education is to accept this and to reinvigorate the resourcing of all our public schools to enable every student to reach their potential. - Sharon McGuinness, Thirroul
Once again, the usual antagonists are ripping into the government selective schools. What have been the effects of the sports high schools on the sporting achievements of the schools around them, and on zone sports competitions? Have the designated technology schools drained other schools of their IT high achievers? Have the senior high schools drained the best student leaders from the nearby years 7-12 schools? The diversity of student needs makes it unlikely that a one-size-fits-all approach to state schools will produce a ‘‘golden age’’ of education in this state. - Rob Phillips, North Epping
My daughter is in year 12 at one of your Top of the Table schools (‘‘Selective schools wrest the advantage off private colleges’’, July 16). She’s never been near a tutoring or coaching clinic in her 13 years at school. We can’t afford it for a start, nor do her teachers encourage it. I can also attest that a number of her friends don’t receive any tutoring. Perpetuating the myth that students must be tutored from the day dot to claim a place at a selective school is not helpful and a disservice to many that may give up before they’ve tried. An enquiring mind and self-motivation far outweigh any tutoring. - Megan Chatterton, Riverview
The system allows parents to choose a ‘‘better’’ selective school based on an easily gameable exam, and so send their kids halfway across Sydney on crowded public transport or in four-wheel-drives, to a school the parents are not locally involved with. This hurts the kids, the school and the education system. Solution: return to the original Selective Schools plan where every area has a selective school or stream which selects only from that area. - Allan Kreuiter, Roseville
It is not the socio-economic status of parents that increases the likelihood of their children attending a selective school through coaching. No amount of training can make a slow horse win the Melbourne Cup. Any sensible system of school education must accommodate innate differences in academic ability, just as we also do for sporting or musical talent. - David Salter, Hunter’s Hill
I feel sorry for those kids who are coached and groomed from a very young age for entry into selective schools. How hard it must be for them if they don’t make the cut, and how stressful when they find themselves struggling to keep up in the hothouse even if they do get in. As if it’s not hard enough living up to society’s expectations, let alone one’s own parents. I say ‘‘Leave those kids alone’’. - Sarah Benmayor, Bondi
Already sick of the new health record system
One fears that the My Health Record System is another taxpayer-funded government business designed to be sold off in a few years when the kitty is low (‘‘No guarantee of data safety under new digital system’’, July 16). Please reflect on the mess that this government business model has left us – telephones, banks, electricity, Land Titles Office to name a few. - Chris Hornsby, Bayview
I followed the online prompts to opt out and found that I was strangely already opted in. I was given a phone number to opt out but this was only answered by music. The other alternative was to go to myGov, which is a nightmare to navigate.
Eventually, I found the online form to fill in and got the same alternative. Now, I have three notifications to state I am opted in. Is there really a way to opt out? - Gill Whitton, Dover Heights
For those who are opting out: Mexit. - Les Shearman, Darlington
Seems there is more than one problem with private health insurance (‘‘New rankings help decode health insurance’’, July 16). Ranking policies according to what they cover seems pointless unless a typical out of pocket assessment accompanies the ranking.
The only advantage in private health insurance is the alacrity with which participating surgeons and anaesthetists will see you. Even with these new rankings, most Australians will not be able to afford private health insurance and jump the queue for treatment. - Annette Kent, Hunters Hill
I have great sympathy for Michael Ginges, his medical situation and his experience with our public health system and the PBS (Letters, July 16), and hope diabetes 1 patients will soon get the assistance he requests. However our public health system compares more than favourably with the British NHS. In Australia, would a mastectomy and removal of one’s ovaries be considered ‘day surgery’? Sent home in the afternoon after morning surgeries? Those were recent experiences with the NHS, for the daughter of friends. - Paul Parramore, Sawtell
Tucked away in a side column (‘‘Hearing aid help improves’’, July 16) was a column that highlights the disgraceful lack of progress with Indigenous health over tens of decades. No wonder so many Aboriginal and Torres Strait children fail in education and face a bleak future. It’s simple – if you can’t hear it, you can’t learn it. - Bert Candy, Glenvale (Qld)
After a fall, whereby I fractured a wrist and two ribs, I spent a week at Concord Hospital. I cannot praise the staff enough: the doctors, nurses, cleaners, security and catering. Thank you. - Rita Zammit, Concord
At the mercy of changing weather
With increasingly severe temperature inversion events and predicted sea rises, climate change has the Sydney basin caught between the lowering air quality level and the deepening blue sea (‘‘Rising air pollution a threat to more lives’’, July 16). - Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills
If ‘‘days of severe pollution’’ in Sydney ‘‘will worsen in coming decades as a warming climate triggers more intense temperature inversion events, exacerbating health issues’’, why then is the federal government (and opposition) hell-bent on accelerating the process with a massively polluting, climate-changing, 24/7 international ‘‘aerotropolis’’ in western Sydney? - Colin Andersen, Lapstone
Great! That’s all we need: a rogue iceberg (‘‘Villagers evacuated after iceberg drops by’’, July 16). - John Swanton, Botany
Unlevel playing field
Scott Olive says his poker machine ‘‘game’’ is ‘‘stronger for longer’’ (‘‘Magic maker who hit the jackpot’’, July 16). I guess he means this machine will make more people homeless and wreck more families over a longer period of time than the competition. - Richard Watson, Pyrmont
How anyone could be actively involved in this industry and sleep soundly at night is beyond me. With a casino in every club and (pretty well) every pub and a government addicted to its cut of the $7 billion annual profit these infernal machines generate from losing players, one can only conclude that this state has lost its moral compass. - Bill Young, Greenwich
In the beginning, when playing a poker machine and you won a jackpot, you would have a drop of 20 coins but would have to sign for $20 or whatever the jackpot was. Then they altered the system and you received credits in the machine and players continue merrily along their way. At least when one signed for and was paid in paper money a player may have stopped playing. - Ron Field, Bermagui
Who is NATO’s enemy?
Paul Waldman’s article (‘‘For Trump, foreign policy is always personal’’, July 16) is a must-read. Trump is a modern day Narcissus but unlike the beautiful youth ‘‘who fell in love with his own reflection’’ he, unfortunately shows no signs of pining away. - Lorraine Nelson, Frenchs Forest
Donald Trump has asked NATO countries to double their defence spending. But who exactly are they defending themselves against? Russia? China? On the one hand Trump shakes hands with Putin to make friends and then asks NATO to double defence spending – why? Who is this huge enemy that requires billions of dollars to be spent on defence that could be so better spent elsewhere?
I can’t understand why billions of dollars should be spent on defence against an unknown enemy whereas there is so much that could be achieved if all countries worked together as we know we can, for example the Thai cave rescue. - Fiona Smith, North Balgowlah
I suggest one of the best places to show our kids that bullying doesn’t pay, Merran Dawson, is at the polling booth (Letters, July 16). But it takes courage to enact one’s convictions and not fall for the usual electioneering pantomime, promises and fake news. - Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi
A fair choice
At the next election in Wagga Wagga, voters must be given a choice of candidates between the Liberal and National parties (‘‘Premier pressures disgraced Liberal MP to quit seat’’, July 16). If this does not occur, the secret Coalition deal will trump democracy, with the people being the losers. - Tony Re, Georges Hall
Natural logic
Only in our justice system could natural mean artificial (‘‘Natural can be mostly artificial too’’, July 16). There must be logic in this ruling somewhere, but why do these peculiar judgments seem to favour the big end. Better lawyers, or something more sinister? - Ashley Berry, Toolijooa
Dark family secrets
A correspondent asked recently why, given that abuse of minors is more likely than not perpetrated by family members or close family friends, other relatives don’t act.
My wife of 52 years was raped by her brother-in-law when she was 11. The day it happened she was so devastated that she took off on her bike and was very late home for tea and was chastised. Not an ideal environment, where it would have been easy to tell her parents what had occurred.
The same person tried to abuse her on other occasions but she was able to avoid him. She never told her parents and only told me about 20 years ago. And it explained a lot of things that happened during our marriage; extreme protectiveness of our children for one.
My wife is now 74 and in permanent care with advanced dementia and I believe her abuse as a child contributed to this current condition. So I can understand why families/carers don’t always act as is expected in child sexual abuse cases – they just don’t know. - Name withheld, NSW
The best investment
Rio Tinto laments that it has difficulty finding people to handle the new technology (‘‘Rio’s robot train comes with stark warning’’, July 14-15). This is an own goal that is all too common these days. Business is reluctant to take on apprenticeships and the investment in university graduates is pretty dismal. Time to go back to the catchcall of yesteryear: people are our most important investment. -
Peter Le Marquand, Meadowbank
Among friends
Are we alone in the universe (Editorial, July 16)? Well ... er no; we have each other (here on earth) don’t we? Simple. - Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga
Amazingly, yesterday morning I had a small (massless) thought that travelled undetected into the ether, passing, I know not where, but by some rare chance may have collided with someone else. -
David Reid, Artarmon
Arrogance of youth
Professor George Williams’ call for 16-year-olds to be allowed to vote reminded me of the wisdom I possessed at that tender age (‘‘Drop voting age to 16: law expert’’, July 16). I also felt I was pretty smart and worldly at 12 so why not begin there? - Alan Haselden, West Pennant Hills
Bliss to be alive
The ideal recipe for Sydney traffic? School holidays, a World Cup final, the Wimbledon final together with the coldest morning of the year; too many sleepyheads who didn’t want to scrape the ice off their cars. - Bernadette Scadden, Earlwood
Congratulations to our other team at the FIFA World Cup - SBS. Particularly Lucy Zelic, a worthy successor to Les Murray at No.6, and Craig Foster, now a veteran No.10, who put away many commentary goals with passion while maintaining balance. Qatar 2022 can't come quick enough. - Peter Egan, Artarmon
From Bristow to zero
I agree with Paul Miles that lionising thugs like Tim Bristow is to be avoided (Letters, July 16). What next, praising Roger Rogerson’s ‘‘light touch’’ on the piano in Long Bay? - Nick Andrews, Vaucluse
Timmy was always desperate to be known as a heavy criminal. A quite affable and likeable man, he was far from being the ‘‘Earthquake’’ he saw himself as. The poor bloke barely registered a point on the scale with the coppers and crims of his time. ‘‘Eccentric’’ would have been more appropriate. - Max McKinnon, Forresters Beach