Domestic violence is everyone’s business

The more things change, the more things stay the same, or so says the old adage (“‘I thanked God for the axe’: Historic case shines light on women who kill”, November 1). It is hard to believe that literally in my lifetime many things have changed, but much has stayed the same. Many women still are not safe in relationships, nor are their children. The Mrs K 1955 axe killing of her abusive husband is a prime example of how far some women are forced to go to protect themselves and their children. The indicators are usually there in a potentially abusive relationship. We all need to be better at not just identifying those behaviours, but at doing something about them. We are more aware nowadays, but perhaps still hampered by the “it’s none of my business” approach. It’s everyone’s business. Geoff Nilon, Mascot

Make struggling families the priority

Under the diesel fuel credit scheme 18 major mining companies receive on average $22 for every dollar they pay to compensate for their insurance-and-food-cost-increasing emissions. Meanwhile, a third of Australian households feel food insecurity, and services to help people facing homelessness are overwhelmed (“Broke? Don’t blame yourself”, November 1) There’s money there for the corporations but not the struggling families. Our government’s priorities need fixing. Lesley Walker, Northcote (Vic)

Politics in the rough

I usually enjoy Jacqueline Maley’s columns, but her suggestion that the Marrickville Golf Club controversy might define Anthony Albanese’s prime ministership left me shaking my head (“Golf club gaffe might be mistake to remember on Albanese’s record”, November 1). Who really cares about the plumbing arrangements at Marrickville Golf Club? Yes, public money should be properly accounted for, but must every political misstep become a national drama. Political reporting increasingly reminds me of why I fell out of love with My Kitchen Rules. Somewhere along the way, it became less about the cooking and more about confected personal dramas, petty squabbles and manufactured outrage. I sometimes wonder whether the Canberra press gallery has gone the same way. The personalities, the scandals, the political point-scoring and the daily dramas dominate, while the actual business of governing becomes almost incidental. Meanwhile, policies affecting Medicare, wages, education and the cost of living struggle to compete for attention. The banal gets a loudspeaker. The substantial barely gets a whisper. Denise McHugh, Tamworth

Mother of all train delays

In 1928, at the centenary of Manly Area, a booklet was put out with early photos (“Facilities the key to increase in housing”, November 1). In it was a full-page add for the newly opened Warringah Shire (northern beaches), encouraging the purchase of land and saying that, within 10 years, there would be a railway to the area. That decade was mighty long, and getting longer. Michael Payne, West Pymble

One Nation brains bust

One Nation may be the “new” Liberal party on the block, albeit an extreme right version, but one has to question if its new-found support and record polling is a result of the Liberals committing harakiri, angry voters lashing out in protest or some social media bots giving the appearance of support (“One Nation facing new challenges”, November 1). I suspect the answer is all of the above. Parnell Palme McGuinness points out what is both a strength and the greatest weakness of One Nation; its so-called brains trust. Politicians like Hanson and Joyce may enjoy a cult-like following, but throw in foreign-born Queensland senator Malcolm Roberts and you hardly have a brains trust. There lies the problem with One Nation. Few, if any of its radical policies have been costed and those that have been are way off the mark. Hanson in particular can hardly string together a coherent sentence unless she is vilifying someone or a group of people. Before the next federal election hopefully oil will be flowing again, which will ease the cost of living and reduce some of the pressure and scrutiny that the prime minister is currently experiencing. If the Liberals can elect a more inspiring leader than its current lame duck Angus Taylor, support for One Nation will drop to a point where they will just be an annoying background noise. We have two state elections to be held before the next federal one and this may give us a more accurate picture where One Nation stands. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Schools tongue-tied

It is a few years ago now, but I remember being shocked that there were no foreign languages taught in a selective high school (Letters, November 1). How sad that learning a second language was seen as elitism and torn down into a system of mediocrity in which language classes are now sparse in our schools. Being multilingual in a country like Australia has to be essential. Yes, English is the common language, but we are a country of migrants, so why isn’t more being done to teach another language? Of course, it takes properly trained teachers who have a command of whatever language is taught. Starting with Asian languages such as Indonesian, Japanese, Chinese seems a good beginning. It will be difficult to achieve enough teachers in the short term, but there is such a thing as, dare I suggest it, migration, another area of skilled workers? Australia, it is time to stop being so language insular and teach diverse languages all through school years. Augusta Monro, Dural

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