Must we be cruel to ISIS brides to be kind to our MPs’ margins?

The Coalition’s pearl-clutching panic over the return of ISIS brides and their children is tediously predictable (“Coalition pushes new laws to bar IS brides from Australia”, February 23). Stoking fear of anything that isn’t rooted in Anglo-Celtic culture or doesn’t come with archetypal Australian trappings has been their stock-in-trade since John Howard’s cynical attempt at exploiting racial difference for political purposes in the 1980s. Pauline Hanson and all the other practitioners of racial division simply followed suit, albeit with far greater fervour. Never mind one’s individual rights as a citizen, or being judged on your personal behaviour by due process, if you don’t present as a traditional dinky-di Aussie you are automatically tainted as a lesser, riskier being and, just like in earlier hysterical times, the hue-and-cry must go up from a mob of self-appointed public saviours. The only things lacking these days are the pitchforks and the flaming torches. Adrian Connelly, Springwood

For a PM who often wears his heart on his sleeve, Anthony Albanese regularly fails terribly where intestinal fortitude and moral courage goes begging. It is easy to prosecute the case for leaving the women and kids to languish in the tents in Syria, but as Australian citizens they must surely have the right to our laws and constitution. If those laws demand incarceration or home detention here in Australia then repatriate them and charge them accordingly. Leave the dog whistling to the newly appointed cultural warrior Angus Taylor and the usual nonsense from Pauline Hanson. Bruce Hall, Avalon

A politically contrived crisis about ISIS brides is not helpful. Arguing whether they should, or must, be allowed to return is evading a more fruitful focus on managing the consequences of their inevitable return to Australia. As is the Pythonesque political rhetoric masquerading as debate, denying the very Australian values the brides and their children will be expected to embrace. Peter Mair, Dee Why

In this country, we are fortunate to be presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law. Nor do we penalise children who are in a difficult situation through no possible fault of their own. To assist a fair trial, advocates are permitted to assist accused persons, regardless of the charge. Cases are decided in courts after hearing both sides of an argument, and not by politicians, or in the media. Happily we live in a system of rule by law, not rule by man or rule by press release. Bill Bowman, Rhodes

This is indicative of the fact that the Coalition aren’t serious people. It’s just getting silly. You can understand wanting to make criminals of those who knowingly help terrorists enter Australia (if it isn’t a crime already). But criminalising those who assist people who might be terrorists, or who have associated with terrorists? It would potentially make criminals of everybody. Going after those who assist anyone suspected of terrorism would make medieval witch hunts look like a picnic. Not only is the Coalition appealing to those who might vote for One Nation, it is starting to act like them. What’s next? Jane Hume in a burqa? David Rush, Lawson

Given the current calls to shut the door on the ISIS brides returning from Syria, I wonder who’s next. Will Australia also ban convicted child sex offenders from returning to Australia after being released from prison overseas? Murderers? Drug smugglers? How will countries wishing to deport these Australian criminals react? And how will Australia cope with having other countries refuse to accept their citizens being deported from Australia after committing serious crimes? Responsibility goes both ways. Andrew Moffat, Bermagui

PM Albanese, please lead on the issue of the ISIS brides and their children. As Australian citizens they are entitled to return. If they are a risk or have broken any laws, that can be managed here. Others repatriated in the past have quietly settled back into a normal life. Be brave. Rhyan Andrews, Faulconbridge

I applaud Mat Tinkler’s defence of the children trapped in Syria (“Eight-year-old in desert camp did not make her own bed”, February 23) and share the unease shown by Herald letter writers about the prime minister’s inhumane mindset towards them and the ISIS brides. It is sickening, as is the supine compliance of Albanese’s ministers, who have not raised a whimper about this abomination. The brides should be brought home, vetted and, if need be, charged. Albanese’s lamentable acquiescence in the attitude of those on the far right is the antithesis of strong leadership. He will have to lie in the bed he has made for himself, and I believe it will damage federal Labor. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

A recent poll showed 64 per cent of Australians do not want the women trapped in Syria with their children to return to Australia. The Coalition now proposes that criminal penalties should apply to anyone assisting their repatriation. This has gone mad. A letter writer yesterday claimed the prime minister was out of touch with the wishes of the Australian electorate. By poll results, it seems that no amount of cruelty to these unfortunate people will be enough. Brenda Kilgore, Red Hill (ACT)

A possible and humane solution to the ISIS bride problem would be for the government to facilitate the return of these women and children to a secure detention facility in Australia. Would Christmas Island be a possibility? There they could be assessed by security officers while being held in hygienic conditions and receiving medical care. Only those deemed not a risk could be released into the community. This solution should satisfy the broader Australian community and the right-wing politicians. Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt

Look to their interests

Nostalgia can be a wonderful feeling, happy memories for some, terrible memories for others (“Nostalgia a tricky weapon to wield”, February 23). As Sean Kelly reminds us, the recent nostalgia push from politicians has had mixed results, some positive, some negative. Anthony Albanese appeals regularly to our better instincts, looking after each other, the idea of a fair go. John Howard used the old politician’s trick of blaming Albanese for the Bondi massacre – hardly a fair call. Pauline Hanson’s selective memory recalls a whiter Australia, and she calls for us to return there, though she wouldn’t have been prime minister then, either, because of her gender. Angus Taylor’s lack of finesse with the nostalgia weapon would have us unaware of Indigenous flags, rights or welcomes to country. Our “best qualified idiot” wants us to reject migrants (not the ones who brought us cappuccinos) on his subjective test of their values. Thankfully, we can see through the miasma of the nostalgia curtain and make our own judgments. Geoff Nilon, Mascot

What’s the real problem?

Your article refers to Cumberland Hospital as “troubled” (“Another hospital inpatient absconds”, February 23). Other adjectives that come to mind include under-funded, undervalued, under-resourced and dilapidated. This hospital in western Sydney provides a vital service to the health and safety of our community. Many of the people who are cared for in Cumberland Hospital have serious and life-threatening needs, as recent tragic events have made clear. So, in addition to security protocols, it would be helpful if the urgent review authorised by Minister Jackson could include investigation into funding, staffing, facilities and level of appreciation of this very difficult, important and stressful branch of our health system. Meredith Williams, Baulkham Hills

Uni laxity abets teacher trouble

While an ATAR is not the only way to measure one’s intelligence or how good a teacher someone will make, it certainly is a strong indicator (“School-leavers with ATARs of less than 50 get teaching spots”, February 23). If you score a low ATAR, then you probably won’t pass all the university subjects that constitute a teaching degree, and nor will you cope with the rigours of being a teacher today. More than likely, you’ll be left with a HECs debt and if, by some miracle or string-pulling you end up in the classroom, odds are you will leave the profession in the first five years. While I would certainly agree the money is now better than it was when I retired nearly a decade ago, those still teaching I am in contact with say that although the government has eased some areas of the workload, other areas have increased. Our education system is a very complex thing and as far as I’ve seen, it is very far from being a well-oiled machine. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Having less than able school-leavers attending university wouldn’t be a problem if reasonable standards were kept at university. Unfortunately, academics are forced to pass almost any student, irrespective of attendance or quality of work, for fear of a bad review or parental complaints. The integrity of degrees has long been sullied by both the academic institutions and poor students who can hide behind so-called group work, and now AI. Giving kids a chance is great, but safety nets are needed so only those who are able get through. Elizabeth Darton, Lane Cove West

One wonders what the minister responsible really thinks of school-leavers with an ATAR less than 50 being offered teaching places in tertiary institutions. This must perpetuate the wrecking of education in Australia. It should not happen. School-leavers with an ATAR north of 75 should be offered financial incentives to pursue education on completion of a first serious degree in core arts or sciences. There must be something seriously broken for the sub-50 offers to happen. I suggest students with an ATAR less than 50 should pursue other life pathways for now and give uni the flick. You’ll probably be wealthier and happier if you work at it. All in all, don’t be another brick in the wall. Ivan Head, Burradoo

That students of mediocre academic ability have been offered teacher training positions is an indictment on the administration and trends of the education sector, which has succumbed to educational whims and the parent lobby. With few exceptions, high-performing students are rejecting teaching, not willing to work in an environment where they receive little support, get little respect from poorly behaved students and their parents, and are paid relatively poorly for their efforts. While high academic intelligence may not be a requirement to be a successful teacher, emotional intelligence is, so this news is not encouraging. It doesn’t help that teaching, of all the professions, is more highly scrutinised by so-called experts based on the premise that they all once went to school. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne

Trains of thought

Plans for high-speed trains have them all terminating at Sydney Central (“The dream lives on but can high-speed rail ever work in Australia?” ‚ February 23). But where do people actually want to travel to? For work, business or pleasure, only a percentage want to go to Sydney CBD; the rest across Sydney. There is already a major transport hub in the centre of the Sydney metro area – a place called Parramatta. How about saving billions tunnelling under Sydney Harbour again by extending the Parramatta hub to include a VFT terminal (for Newcastle and Canberra/Melbourne). From there, the current rail service will get passengers to western Sydney and the metro will get passengers to the city centre in 20 minutes. And if the Western Sydney Airport connection were planned properly, the Metro from there would extend to Parramatta instead of terminating at St Marys. And why is no one talking about fast rail freight? Let’s assume the last train to run from Sydney to Melbourne leaves at 10pm (arriving in Melbourne at 2am) and the first morning train leaves at 5am (for a 9am meeting in Melbourne), that leaves a seven-hour break to run overnight freight. Now assume freight runs at half the speed of passenger trains, leaving a window between 10pm and 1am for freight trains to depart. Surely anyone who has travelled the Hume Highway at night would appreciate this. Trevor Connell, Balmoral

The immense difficulty and eye-watering cost of building a high-speed railway line through the national parks of the Hawkesbury River sandstone gorge country are wrong for many reasons, not least of which is the likely spoiling of what is the closest thing we have to fjords in this country. I often take a mid-morning train from Woy Woy to Newcastle for leisure and after leaving Gosford, there are only ever one or two other passengers on the top level of the train. High-speed trains on this sector running at other than peak hour are likely to run at least 90 per cent empty. The focus should be on the Sydney to Melbourne run, the world’s fifth-busiest air route, carrying 9 million people annually. Lance Dover, Pretty Beach

Turkeys no threat

Your correspondent (Letters, February 23) is correct to include foxes and rabbits with cats as invasive species, but the brush turkey needs to be left alone. It is native and not a threat to other Australian animals. Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill

Best Bond bar none

Anyone after Sean Connery is a watered-down version of Bond (“With that wuthering height, Elordi is surely no Bond”, February 23). Mustafa Erem, Terrigal

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