This is a wake-up call to the board of Catholic Schools NSW

I am both Catholic and a taxpayer, and I am deeply disappointed at the use of funds from wherever for the purpose of branch stacking (“Catholics must be transparent on use of money”, July 31). Those who chose to act in this way are misguided. I believe there is a place for conversation in the public square and do not see Catholic teaching as conservative as some do, especially when you consider social teaching in light of the Industrial Revolution to stand up against the unjust treatment/exploitation of workers at that time through the papal encyclical Rerum Novarum (Pope Leo XIII, 1891). Other teaching, although called conservative, is about tapping into ancient wisdom that this age rejects as outdated, although it is timeless. Gordana Martinovich, Dulwich Hill

My late father was born Catholic but ran for the hills early on. When I was a young man, he told me that religion is for the women and the Church is for the men because that’s where the money and power lie. The recent conduct of the Christian Brothers and revelations before the ICAC confirm the only thing that’s changed is women now look elsewhere for spiritual solace. Howard Charles, Annandale

There is an unanswered question hovering over the current corruption scandal enveloping Catholic Schools NSW. The board of directors of that body, all highly credentialled and apparently competent people, have backgrounds in educational administration, corporate management, finance and the like. It would seem they were asleep at the wheel while the chief executive was acting in a way that was not being held accountable. It is the responsibility of the board to ensure proper governance of the body. There is no indication on the body’s website as to how these people were appointed, but given it carries the title “Catholic”, it is likely that the NSW bishops had a say in their appointment, directly or indirectly. The NSW bishops have a responsibility to review the operation of the board and, if needed, remove the board’s members. Neil Ormerod, Kingsgrove

Is it any wonder that I am a lapsed Catholic? Denis Goodwin, Dee Why

Lately, I’ve been seeing lots of silly social media conspiracies accusing Jewish and Muslim people of trying to manipulate Australian laws to suit their religious and cultural beliefs. Meanwhile, a secretive cabal of right-wing Catholics shows us how it’s really done. Colin Stokes, Camperdown

Cathy Wilcox’s The Reformers’ Prayer is pure genius (Letters, July 31). She brightens my day with equal measures of deep insight and hilarity. Anne Matheson, Gordon

Uglies by another name

I remember, back in the day, the NSW Liberals had a faction openly known as the Uglies – a hard right, socially conservative bloc that was infamous for branch stacking, internal warfare and relentless pushback against moderates (“Senior Lib caught on ICAC wiretap tipping off suspect”, July 31). Today, the same group has rebranded itself as the Reformers. The name is new, but nothing else is. The tactics, the agenda, the factional muscle flexing – all unchanged. It’s simply the Uglies with a fresh coat of paint. The ICAC is exposing the old Uglies that were untouchable for decades. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill

Grouchy v Fauci

The Republican pile-on in relation to Anthony Fauci demonstrates their desperation and fears as they face the midterm elections (“Hearing exposes deep anger that pollutes American politics”, July 31). Dr Fauci has served under six presidents. Unsurprisingly, Trump did not treat Fauci with the respect he deserved. Trump totally mishandled the COVID-19 pandemic, failing to treat the worldwide virus seriously. As a result, millions of Americans refused to get vaccinated. One million people died due to this failure, the highest number in the world. At 85, Fauci is well into old age. After a lifetime of serving the public, he deserves respect, recognition, and to be left in peace. Irene Goldwasser, St Kilda (Vic)

We should all be aware of the injustice visited on Dr Anthony Fauci by the corrupted, Trump-inspired political system in America. By all fair accounts, Fauci has served his country well, yet this elderly man is being pursued by Republicans purely motivated by revenge. It seems this is the fate of all those who might disagree or refuse to bend the knee before a small-minded, erratic American president. Michael Koziol describes the “sickness in the American soul”. We should be careful that this kind of sickness does not infect our own country. That may be the consequence of giving too much credence to emerging populists, conspiracy theorists and down-right loonies who try to convince us of the injustice and corruption of our own political system and liberal democratic government. I hope that the deep sickness that is corrupting American political life will never gain an influential foothold in Australia. Derrick Mason, Boorowa

What a difference between Australia and the US. Poor Anthony Fauci ends up in front of a rabidly partisan Congressional committee, which apparently wants to see him imprisoned, whereas here our public health officers who were household names for a while – Nick Coatsworth, Kerry Chant, Brett Sutton and Nicola Spurrier, among others – have gone back to their quiet but essential work with no fear of recrimination by government. John Brown, Kianga

Wild at artifice

Tony Wright speaks from a position of strength on Bob Hawke’s views on the rights of Indigenous peoples in this country and on Hawke’s consistent stand against racism (“The ghost of Bob Hawke supports Hanson? That notion is so wrong”, July 31). The claim by Daniel Wild, the Institute of Public Affairs’ deputy executive director, that a reinterpretation of one of Hawke’s speeches could be used to assert that Hawke was against Welcome to Country, is ridiculous. Talk about taking words out of context. I would like to hear Hawke’s response to such a claim, and it seems unlikely such a claim would have been made if Hawke was still with us. At this stage, Tony Wright’s clear rebuttal will suffice. Geoff Nilon, Mascot

The notion that the ghost of Bob Hawke supports Hanson’s call for the termination of Welcome to Country and acknowledgment of country ceremonies is absurdly false, yet the ghost calling for a treaty between White and Indigenous Australians has been seeking political action for more than 140 years. In the Illustrated Sydney News in 1883, it was emphasised that “… so in Australia the Blackfellow has had to submit to the superior power of the pioneers of pastoral and agricultural settlement … It is sad to think that nothing can be done to stay this war of extermination, although there are not wanting those who hold that it is possible to establish a permanent truce between black and white, if the latter coveted less the lands of the former. It is the insatiable earth-hunger of the white man which forms the real difficulty, and this is aggravated by the aversion entertained by the blacks to submit to the restraints of civilisation”. Surely, it is time that we mature as a nation, respect the rights of our First Nations’ Peoples and own our past mistakes. Mary Carde, Parrearra (Qld)

Legal eagle-eyed

You don’t need to be a top law expert to point out the main flaw in Hanson’s proposed terror bill (“Top law expert points out major problem in Hanson’s terror bill”, July 31). In plain, non-legal speak, the problem is simply Hanson. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Technology sure can be torture

I’m sure most of us have experienced a morning (or evening) like Waleed Aly (“The insane loop of our digital lives”, July 31). I’m not usually involved in one-upmanship, but can’t resist this challenge. Even worse than expired apps, forgotten passwords and disappointing websites is the multifactor identity authentication access required by my workplace (and I’m sure others), meaning we cannot log into our work computer system without a verification code supplied by our mobile phone. Accidentally leaving the phone at home means one is completely hamstrung. I am not a phone-in-the-pocket person, so this has happened to me more than once, Thursday being the most recent occasion. No solution but to return home to retrieve the phone, a huge imposition at the start of a working day with students due to arrive for classes. Later, asking our IT support if there could possibly be some emergency overriding system put in place to cope with the problem of a forgotten phone (I couldn’t be the only one), I was advised that if it happens I can call them on my registered device (my phone) and will be guided through a process. Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills

Waleed Aly’s article is spot on. (My computer helpfully corrected Waleed’s name to “walled” for starters.) I can’t make a move on my computer without being asked to download, sign up, save in a new way or click on a brand to proceed. Trying to book expensive tickets this week resulted in a continuous circle pattern on the screen and the word “Reserving” – which it did not. To be pursued the next morning with a long wait on the phone. It is endless, and everyone I know suffers from frustration. Jill Stephenson, Woolwich

Thank you for another Waleed Aly “nailed it” column. As an older person who has had doings with the computer age from the early 1980s, I also find it increasingly frustrating trying to get help online, including the MyGov site, which I only have on my laptop/tablet. The app (most apps) seems another world of half offerings in comparison. With more than one human’s help I am able to sign in with my username, which is a number provided by humans and then a password by me. Navigating the various offerings is good, but require help? Go back to trying to find a human to talk to, mainly because the “help” offerings take you to their version of what they have decided you need, all of which you have already been through. Progress, it ain’t. Irene Wheatley, Heritage Park (Qld)

Is there anyone who doesn’t relate to Waleed Aly’s frustration regarding online communications for everyday services? For instance, why is a password needed to pay for continuing my subscription of nine years’? Are there ghosts out there, paying other people’s bills willy-nilly? I went through the gruelling process recently, and my subscription number, address, etc were required, even though, surely, my name and number held all this information. The final straw was when, after actually phoning, I was still unable to finalise the transaction, as the instructions didn’t work. So I cancelled, via phone. Sat down with a stiff drink and the paper. However, that wasn’t the end. I received an email, thanking me for renewing. I hadn’t paid. We’re living in LaLa Land. Wendy Crew, Lane Cove North

Waleed Aly crushes the sentiment of modern living. Systems designed to protect us – fair enough on that – to integrate and to make things easier have almost achieved the opposite. Surely consumer frustration is a measure of the (lack of) success. Are we expecting AI to make it all any simpler? Ted Bush, North Epping

Unknown passwords are an issue, and there is another problem people should be aware of. What happens when you fall off the perch? Just think about all the drama you cause for family trying to cancel your memberships or download information stored in the cloud. We should all make sure there is a list of usernames and passwords stored somewhere. Better still, use a password manager with a single password and write it down somewhere, preferably not on a Post-it note on your monitor. Neville Turbit, Russell Lea

I pressed the wrong button recently, Waleed, and ended up needing to reset all my passwords. The anxiety, for a 78-year-old, was probably the worst part of the surreal experience. I have to say that all my important connections were two-step secured, which is comforting, but I came away with a distinct impression that the anxiety was what the system was actually looking to promote. Keith Russell, Mayfield West

In the line of fire

France has a different ecology to Australia (“It’s not just the flames Bordeaux residents fear”, July 31), but amid the inferno in its pine forests, dry grass is visible, even up to the firefighters’ waists. Such grass rapidly carries a fire, including to the forest, where enormous amounts of undergrowth are also visible. Fire requires ignition, oxygen and fuel, of which only fuel can be readily controlled. The higher the fuel load, the greater the intensity of a potential fire. In Australia, nature has designed a volatile grow-burn-regenerate cycle to spread seeds for new growth, ignited by lightning. Bushfires are the rule here, with an average of 54,000 each year (ABS). Captain Cook’s logbook records fires along the east coast, a natural phenomenon now exacerbated by climate change. Most bushfires are started by lightning, but also by arsonists, cigarette butts and so on. The leaves, bark and sap of eucalypts, or gum trees, are explosively inflammable, they are called “gasoline trees” in the US. Their oil, released into the atmosphere, gives the “colour” to the Blue Mountains. What preparation is under way here to reduce the fuel load by burying or burning dry grass and bramble and/or the use of goats or other animals to eat it, plus extra water-bombing planes Barbara Chapman, South Yarra (Vic)

David Crowe’s report from Bordeaux puts the spotlight on a conundrum. Do we play down damage and risk from climate change so that businesses, including tourism, can operate asusual (or limp from one disasterto the next)? Or do we acknowledge the fact that these disasters are increasingly frequent, and that unless urgent reduction of fossil fuels burning occurs, the cycle will keep repeating? The concerted emissions reduction course would be cheaper. As Crowe reports, the economic damage from the fires in France “will be measured in billions of Euros from the destruction of properties, the suspension of 13,000 companies during the evacuations and the collapse of tourism”. The major parties in Australia have answered. They want more coal, more gas and even more oil. Some even say they want nuclear. All are delaying any genuine reduction in emissions. But hey, the Bordeaux wine is still good. Fiona Colin, Malvern East (Vic)

Planning counts

I would have thought (Letters, July 31) that Premier Chris Minns would best serve NSW by pressing Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to produce a plan for Australia’s optimum population and immigration levels as well as acceding to his request for housing targets. As Dick Smith pointed out some time ago, there is no plan. Obviously, we need immigration. (How else do we put enough doctors and nurses into the regions?) But how many? Last century we had a much lower intake and we were better off housing wise. Ironically, it was John Howard, the champion of the house with a picket fence, who put the first nail into its coffin by raising immigration to unprecedented levels. Bruce Johnson, Lakewood

War on sanity

Your correspondent (Letters, July 31) discusses alternatives to synthetic fibres. She mentions wool, and for that she is to be applauded, but the ultimate natural fibre is hemp. It has a vast range of uses for clothing, and, if compressed, is a better building material than timber. It takes far less water to produce and is cheaper to grow because, after all, it is a weed. But because of a man called Harry Anslinger and his racist demonising of cannabis, it is supposed to be a perversion from South America into the homes of Christian white America. The war on drugs is, in fact, a war on sanity and reason. Chris McKimm, Karangi

Music is magic

I was reminded of the power of music when reading about Glen Hansard (“Hansard always found a way to bring the music out of people”, July 31). Sometimes a simple tune improves bad times. Sometimes a collection of varied music celebrates a special occasion. A concert by the SSO at the Opera House is always joyful and uplifting. Dancing, or just tapping your feet, is wonderful. Myfondest memories as a youngster belong to a regular gathering of friends at our place with Mum playing popular songs and everyone smiling and singing together. If music be the sound of love, play on. Singing nursery rhymes and childhood ditties with small children is always fun. Bea Hodgson, Gerringong

Work of heart

What a beautiful portrait and heartwarming story behind the winner of this year’s Archibald Prize People’s Choice award (“Emotional portrayal wins Archibald ballot”, July 31). A heart-warming story and a lovely painting shows how we can be what it means to be Australian. Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek

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