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Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Sanctions on hardline Israeli ministers are not enough
The sanctions on Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich are clearly warranted (' Australia imposes Magnitsky-style sanctions on two hardline Israeli ministers ', June 11). Not only are they an obstruction to a two-state solution, but their views and conduct are contrary to human rights (Palestinians, as well as Jews, are humans, and so have rights). Logic would say the penalties and fines on Australians who aid and abet them should also apply to non-Australians who facilitate their actions. That is Benjamin Netanyahu and his party who are in coalition with them. So, why not sanction the whole Israeli cabinet? David Rush, Lawson How worrying is it that some people in Australia wanted to have Ben-Gvir and Smotrich come here? While their sanctioning is something of a relief, there were Australians who wanted these two foreign ministers to come here and speak. A fortnight ago, the men joined nationalist Israelis marching through the Old City on Jerusalem Day, where some of the participants chanted slogans such as 'death to Arabs' and 'may your village burn'. Smotrich has said he would allow 'not even a grain of wheat' to enter Gaza and that the strip would be 'entirely destroyed' during the war. Ben-Gvir has a number of criminal convictions against him, including incitement of racism and supporting a terrorist organisation. Patricia Philippou, Charlestown Yippee to the Australian government for joining with Britain, Canada, and New Zealand in sanctioning Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, two far-right senior ministers in the Israeli government who continue to make inflammatory remarks by inciting violence against the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip. Eric Palm, Gympie (Qld) Penny Wong has said of the recent suffering of Palestinians, Australia cannot do much on its own, but it can act with others to uphold international law and humanitarian values. Why does Australia not go further, as have others, and recognise a Palestinian state now, and sanction Israel's current government as a whole, not just the two cabinet members? It will be too late to do this when the majority of Palestinians have been killed, or have fled. Elizabeth Vickers, Maroubra I have not been to the Holy Land since 1964 but since then I have followed the course of events, aware of some of the complex story that includes foolish decisions by Palestinian leaders in the past and very evil actions by Hamas today. That said, perhaps more than two Israeli cabinet members need to be sanctioned. Israel's PM has compared its actions against the Palestinians to the legendary massacre of Canaanites by Joshua. And Israel not only now rejects a two-state solution but through its continued activities in the illegally occupied East Jerusalem and West Bank, it surely seeks one Jewish state, from the sea to the river. John Bunyan, Campbelltown Surely if we, as a nation, are applying sanctions on foreign politicians for making inflammatory, outrageous, racist statements, then Donald Trump must be at the top of the list. If not, why not? Jim Croke, Stanmore It's no surprise that correspondents of the Jewish faith and opinion writers disregard the motives of Greta Thunberg and the others who sailed with her on the aid ship to Gaza ('Activists like Thunberg care more about fame than facts', June 11). Maybe it's compassion and empathy for the suffering of Palestinians that is their motive, rather than money and fame. The cynicism of these correspondents and the Israeli government is sickening. Christine Tiley, Albany Creek (Qld) My goodness, what is it about a young Swedish woman and a boat full of baby formula that so threatens the nuclear-armed state of Israel? You could be forgiven for thinking that her intention was to kill aid workers, bomb schools and withhold food and medical supplies to two million people. Alexander Lane, Thornleigh Salary model unfair Whatever the estimate of cost for bringing the salary of NSW staff specialists up to parity with other states, it is the amount the government has been saving each year with its 50-year-old, inequitable, morale-destroying salary model (' Muddying water on psychiatry pay rises ', June 11). NSW pays a base salary two-thirds that of other states and a third is cost-shifted to the Commonwealth through private practice earnings. Psychiatrists, with other non-procedural specialists with limited private earning capacity, can't make up that third. Doctors understand that the government doesn't have the resources to do the right thing overnight, but a structured, assured program is likely to be supported. It should start with psychiatrists, due to the crisis in public psychiatric care, which continues to worsen. How many lives need to be lost before an iniquitous salary model is abolished? Graeme Stewart, Avalon Beach Press under attack From my memory of Ireland during The Troubles, rubber bullets were designed to be fired low so that they would bounce from the ground and start rotating before hitting their target (' Albanese condemns shooting of Nine reporter ', June 11). The fatalities usually occurred when the bullets were fired directly at people's heads and bodies. Now, can anyone explain why members of the press were being fired on at all? Richard Murnane, Hornsby Make NDIS safe The NDIS is our modern-day equivalent of what Medicare was in the 1970s and '80s. It has to be made sustainable and not subject to rip-offs (Letters, June 11). Why not just introduce a medical benefits scheme-like fee structure for services provided and let providers decide if they want to be part of the system? Dale Bailey, St Leonards Collision course RUNIT may be a big hit on social media, but the concept is moronic (' Run It Straight a big hit with global social media fans ', June 11). We've seen the results of high-impact collisions in various forms of football and already this version has caused the death of a young man in New Zealand. While so-called 'sanctioned' events may have medical personnel present, very few if any pop-up versions do. It is time for the authorities to ban this before more people are hurt. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury Least is best The most important gongs awarded in the Australia Day and King's Birthday honours are the OAMs, the lowest rank (Letters, June 11). They are awarded to the people whose voluntary efforts have supported our communities in a wide range of endeavours, often over several years. I salute them. Ainslie Lamb, East Corrimal It's not hypocrisy. If Scott Morrison had deserved his award I would have applauded. He didn't. I didn't. Mickey Pragnell, Kiama It's not whether a recipient is a conservative or a so-called progressive; it's what they did to deserve it and this is where Morrison falls down. He let Aussies down on quite a few occasion, but the worst was probably the delay in vaccines. The rest of the world was vaccinating in November; it didn't start here until February. Elaine Hoyle, Avalon Beach I think that's called 'shooting the messenger'. Our noted defender of the conservative faith flails the lefties for their loud, factual assertions of Scott Morrison's, let's say, shortcomings, but offers no rebuttal other than a feeble, reverse psychology-style 'you're either silent or laudatory when one of yours wins'. In many respects, consistent with conservative politics: predictable ideology and a dash of culture war with a pinch of nothingness. Brian Jones, Leura Revamp toothless building rules Property owners know they are gaming the system when they proceed with unapproved construction (' Uncertified inner-west dream home faces wrecking ball ', June 11). They push their luck and hope they get a Building Information Certificate and then they play the victim. I have no sympathy when I have done the right thing and they are captured by the system for doing the wrong thing. Terry Cook, Ermington The disregard for rules and the arrogant assumption that the law is toothless is what has given rise to the so-called NIMBY. There's a valid fear that the four-storey block will morph into a 10-storey monstrosity, or that the approved house plans will bear no relation to the final result, or the mature trees will be illegally razed. If government wants people to accept increased density, it should step in and play a much larger role in the provision and management of housing and the laws governing housing. Alison Stewart, Riverview Those who build monstrosities, thumbing their noses at council regulations, do so in the knowledge that they are likely to get away with a fine and a slap on the wrist. This lack of action will only encourage others to do the same. Councils need to set an example to stop this anti-social behaviour. Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek I'm puzzled by the story about the house in Strathfield facing demolition. Were we supposed to have empathy for a husband and wife trying to build a nice home for their family yet facing the intransigence of a bullying council? Any of us who have built or renovated homes can share stories of dealing with endless red tape and pedantic rules and regulations set or enforced by local councils, but they are usually invoked for good reason. This giant monstrosity of a home towering over the bungalows either side of it is an example of this. I couldn't think of a more appropriate charge than contempt for these home owners. Tony Bennett, Broke What a contrast your photo highlights, with a modern, land-swallowing mansion flanked by the modest family homes and yards of a bygone era. The trend towards building multi-storey dwellings must surely be a major factor in the housing shortage and affordability crises. Whatever happened to simple and practical? Meredith Williams, Baulkham Hills I hardly call butler's pantries, marble tiles, steam rooms and cinema rooms affordable, and this clearly demonstrates 'red tape' has no effect on housing affordability. Todd Hillsley, Homebush Screen is not a parent Well done, Connie Tao Li (' Kids' smartphone use soars ', June 11). If only more parents would recognise the danger of outsourcing child-minding to screens. Gaming apps are designed to provide similar rewards to other addictive habits, while exposure to social media can distort and disrupt a young person's development and mental health. Children are still learning the wisdom and discernment required to engage safely with digital media. As with the rest of life, parental guidance is not just recommended, it is essential. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls Smartphone use begins in the pram. What a lost opportunity for a child to hear the human voice, to learn the cadence and words of its mother tongue and to form a bond with its parent. If the person pushing the pram would talk or sing to the baby or toddler, so much would be achieved. Irene Thom, Vaucluse Vale, Shakespeare Indeed, vale, gentle John Shakespeare (' The gentle cartoonist who gave the Herald its colour ', June 11), and sincere sympathy to his family, many friends and appreciators. His death prompts me to give acknowledgement to all cartoonists who work hard at their craft, whether kindly, instructively, pithily, comically – and even scarily, a tad sarcastically, and very often angrily, at what they see as malfeasance, sham politics, public hypocrisy or dangerous. They comfort, cheer, shock, annoy, inform and ask questions of us. They are picture-wordsmiths. What a valuable service they provide to the community. I thank them. Jennifer Fergus, Croydon Never has a quote rung truer than 'The eyes are the window to the soul'. John Shakespeare's eyes reflect the gentleness and warmth inherent in his nature and displayed in the thousands of his illustrations. Elizabeth Maher, Gordon When life sometimes gets too much, beyond understanding and acceptance, I'm reminded of Louis MacNeice's poem London Rain. No religious overtones, no biblical psychobabble. Short, sweet, direct. To the point. Like a cartoon by John Shakespeare, who illustrated one of my letters and took me straight to Nirvana. Peter Skrzynecki, Eastwood I've had serious letters, humorous letters, letters in Column 8 and letters page on the same day, letters on consecutive days, et cetera. But my proudest moment was a letter accompanied by one of John's 'toons. Vale, John, and my sympathies to his family. Robert Hosking, Paddington I'll always remember the unfailingly optimistic and joyful art of John Shakespeare, and I hope his friends and family never forget what pleasure he gave to the world. Andrew Scott, Pymble John Shakespeare was one of my heroes. His cartoons were the first items I looked up daily in the Herald. To me laughter is more precious than literature. RIP JS. Kersi Meher-Homji, St Ives Warm down south Here in Melbourne, large numbers of people are still casually strolling the streets wearing shorts on 12-degree days. This surely suggest warming the bits of the house you're using to around 18 degrees is enough to be comfortable (' Power bills got you sweating? Stay warm without spending a fortune ', June 11). Switch off lights and the stand-by function. The latter, especially the modem and TV, are costing you 6 to 10 per cent of your bill. And explain why to the kids. Mark Wills, Northcote (Vic)
India.com
16-05-2025
- Sport
- India.com
Bad news for RCB and Virat Kohli, THIS star player will miss match vs KKR due to......., his name is.....
Bad news for RCB and Virat Kohli, THIS star player will miss match vs KKR due to......., his name is..... New Delhi: The IPL 2025 is ready to entertain gain from May 17th after being suspend for one week due to tension between India and Pakistan. The first match after resumption will played between the tournament openers that is RCB and KKR at the M Chinnasawamy stadium in Bengaluru. The RCB is in prime position to reach the play off with top two position. However they will miss the service of prime Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood during the on 17th. RCB director for cricket M Bobat confirmed in press conference that the Australian blower is still in Australia, working with his rehabilitation for recovering shoulder niggle which stands a week long now. It is confirmed that he is not in India and wont participate in the match against KKR. In Josh Hazelwood's case, he's obviously been managing a shoulder niggle, which he's had for a couple of weeks now. He's still back in Australia and he's still working on his rehab to come back from that shoulder niggle. We don't have any updates right now at the minute, so we're going to have to take that day by day,' Bobat said. When Will Josh Hazlewood Return? According to a report by Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood is set to complete his rehabilitation in Brisbane next week. He is expected to fly to India ahead of the IPL 2025 playoffs. With the league stage concluding on May 27 and the playoffs starting May 29, Hazlewood is likely to be available only if RCB qualifies for the knockout stage. Josh Hazlewood has been instrumental in RCB's fantastic campaign in IPL 2025. He is their leading wicket-taker with 18 scalps from 10 games.
Sydney Morning Herald
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Sydney Morning Herald
Dutton critics are vindicated, but strong opposition is needed
My faith in the Australian electorate has been restored ('Federal election 2025 live results', May 4). While I was moved by the sincerity and graciousness of Peter Dutton's concession speech, it stood in stark contrast to his divisive and backward-looking election strategy. Leadership of the Liberal and National parties is now more important than ever. The Westminster system of government requires a strong opposition. Recent events in the UK provide a salutary warning of what happens when an opposition has lost its way. Let us hope that politics here will get back to the debate of policy and not the flags we are willing to stand behind. Gordon Lambert, Kiama Downs After Saturday's thrashing, a number of Liberals were commenting on how they need to better sell their party. Maybe it's time they realised their party is no longer relevant, in much the same way as the old Communist Party is no longer relevant. They need to change their ideology or change their jobs. Bye bye, Liberals. Victor Marshall, Meander (Tas) All the Dutton denigrators, myself among them, are feeling vindicated today. Despite all the fearmongering, despite the flooding of our suburbs and countryside with a sea of blue, despite the clogging our roads with mobile billboards and runaway trucks and campaign buses, and despite having our polling booths invaded by an army of alleged volunteers, Australia stepped up for our future. Let's build on this and drive our government to be the best it can be, for all Australians. Bob Edgar, Moss Vale Having just suffered an even worse defeat than their 'worst ever' defeat in 2022, will the Liberal Party now start listening to the electorate? Sensible centrist policies that show they care about Australia and Australians, more women as candidates? Abandon the mythology that the Tony 'Doctor No' Abbott model of opposition leader is the way to success? Time will tell, I suppose. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach A resounding majority of Australians voted for decency on Saturday. They defeated hate. Hate in politics. Hate in media. The hate of those who peddle grievance and division. Terry Quinn, Coorparoo (Qld) A returned prime minister can now set a path towards his legacy, such as structural change to higher education costs. Wiping 20 per cent off the debt is a start, but let's freeze any CPI increases, grandfather existing arrangements and standardise the cost across all degrees for the future. And legislate to force banks to streamline HECS debts on home loan capacity. Over to you, Albo. Michael Blissenden, Dural Well, now the dust has settled and the focus on individualism and greed evident in the bribery of the electorate by both major parties is over, I hope the incoming government can focus on the real issues facing this country. Essentially, this requires a government focusing a lot more on care for others, which has been missing during the current election campaign, but was evident in the outpouring of thanks to the late Pope Francis for what he had tried to do for others. The important issues in caring for others include rehousing the homeless, reducing the growing levels of poverty, dealing with refugees who have been here for years on temporary protection visas, and focusing on the impact of climate change on all living creatures in this fragile environment. Jack Flanagan, West Pennant Hills The outstanding result for Labor on Saturday night must not be wasted on another three years of mediocrity. The country is becoming increasingly divided between the haves and the have-nots, as well as more polarised politically. Both must be addressed if we are not to follow the US down the same divisive path. Firstly, there has to be structural tax reforms. The current system is so biased towards those who have already made it, particularly self-funded retirees. Secondly, we need to see a more bipartisan opposition. It is not necessary for the opposition to say no to every piece of legislation; sensible amendments can be made to good ideas and then both parties can move towards better outcomes and help to eliminate the polarisation path. Thirdly, please, can we ban the word 'lie'? An estimate or expectation is not a lie. The word must be reserved for real untruths. This may help to boost the electorate's opinion of politicians and encourage more people with intelligence and ability to put their hand up to represent us. Bridget Sant, Hyams Beach Congratulations to the independents who won at the federal election. Even though Labor has a clear majority, I trust they will listen to those re-elected independents who are now experienced and promote genuine concerns from their communities. The Coalition, of course, can now toss out that nuclear plan and 41,000 families in the ACT can breathe a sigh of relief that someone in their family won't be pressured to retire early or be unemployed. Ken Pares, Forster I wonder where the Liberal Party would be today if it had elected Julie Bishop as leader seven years ago? Alastair McKean, Greenwich At the beginning of Anthony Albanese's first term, he expressed his wish to preside over a more respectful parliament, but Dutton was having no part of it. Maybe this time around? David Macgregor, Summer Hill As I contemplate the election result, I feel an enormous sense of pride. Not pride in Albanese, nor the Labor Party, but pride in the Australian people. They didn't fall for the opposition's allegations of lies nor complaints about the hate media, and resisted the global political move to the extreme right. I can't help but wonder as well just what would have been the result had the Voice referendum been held with the federal election. Brian Roach, Westleigh They got an avalanche that has probably buried any hope of truly meaningful social reform for the next three years. What a shame we didn't get a Labor minority. Alynn Pratt, Grenfell The reason the Liberal Party has found itself in such a parlous state can be summed up in just two words: Scott Morrison. Robert Christie, Cleveland (Qld) The Coalition has had feedback before this election, at federal and state level, that change is needed. The problem is that it is only willing to undertake first-order change, where small and incremental adjustments never move far from the underlying philosophy. Blind Freddy sees second-order change is needed. It is more challenging to achieve, but can be transformative with a resultant fundamental shift leading to sustainable and lasting results. Concerningly, the rank and file has diminished over time and is unrepresentative – it lacks the multicultural, gender and age distribution of the broader population. Can it manage this necessary change? Vince Heffernan, Biala Dutton gone, nuclear gone, culture warring hopefully gone. . The electorate has decisively spoken. Grahame Riethmuller, Redbank Now for real truth-telling and reconciliation. Viv Mackenzie, Port Hacking As John Howard said, 'The Australian people always get it right.' Dierk Mohr, South Turramurra It looks as though the meteor has struck the dinosaurs, thus opening the path for new warm-blooded life forms to emerge. Alan Carruthers, Artarmon It looks as though Australia has 'woken up' and can see the future. Luke Connery, Manly Vale Now for the wedding! Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt Libs divided, but failed to conquer Of course, Peter Dutton's concession speech was remarkably gracious, as Treasurer Jim Chalmers noted on election night. If the now unemployed Dutton plays his cards right, Anthony Albanese will do a Kevin Rudd and – in the spirit of unified bipartisan hard-right geopolitical and military policy – appoint him ambassador to AUKUS. Alex Mattea, Sydney Dutton is now in illustrious company. He has joined other Liberal leaders in losing their seats – his mentor John Howard and Tony Abbott. This is a massive loss that will continue unless the Coalition learns to govern from the centre, as John Howard has often said. Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South With no wish to kick a man while he is down, I really believe we dodged a bullet with Dutton's defeat. He is by nature a culture warrior, and we have far too many divisive figures in the world today. I think that is why we instinctively mourned the death of Pope Francis, a reconciler and peacemaker in a world dangerously awash with thugs and bully-boys. Bernard Moylan, Bronte The good citizens of Dickson have channelled their inner Doc Neeson when asking Peter Dutton: 'am I ever gonna see your face again?' Stephen Manns, Woollahra Trashed the Voice, trashed the Liberal Party. Just deserts. Chris Downs, Stanwell Park With respect, the people of Australia have resoundingly spoken, leaving Dutton, contender for the prime ministership, without a voice in parliament. Mary Carde, Parrearra (Qld) How lucky we are to live in this country! If a political party leader seems to not know the difference between hate speech (the ABC?) and intelligent discourse, he is out. People all over the world will wish they were living here. Georg Pedersen, Glebe Dutton spent too much time at petrol stations. Not many votes there. He should have been talking to voters. Graham Russell, Clovelly Dutton never had the skills required of a politician, so I wish him well as he seeks a career to which he is better suited. John Christie, Oatley Cartoonists across Australia must be tying crape to their pens as they bewail the loss of Peter Dutton to the political scene. He was the gift that kept on giving to their creative genius. Levane Abdoolcader, Padstow Heights 'Work Wanted. Experienced Bowser Attendant. Willing to travel. Call Peter.' Bob Cameron, Coffs Harbour Albo rebooted I remember Whitlam minister Tom Uren saying to a young Anthony Albanese that he would make a great Australian prime minister. Millions of Australians have just agreed with him. Go, Albo. Vale Tom. Neil Duncan, Balmain Booth etiquette I'm sorry to read about your correspondent's unhappy experience while handing out how-to-vote cards (Letters, May 3). I always accept a card from every party as I go in to vote, then throw them all in the bin before voting as I intended to. That way, no one is offended. The consolation is that when I go out after voting, no one wants to talk to me. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill Amid the recent tales of drama at various polling stations, I am happy to report that at the Terrigal CWA hall, Liberal, Labor and Greens volunteers spent a congenial voting day together, sharing sun-cream, chocolate biscuits and discussions about football, plus some less important matters. Not a cross word. I suspect the same occurred, and goes unreported, at many polling booths. Jon Fogarty, North Avoca Buttons pushed Richard Glover's entertaining insight into the internet (' One or two joys, but net result is evil ', May 3) reminded me of a recent event. I was texting a friend in the UK on Messenger on my new phone and accidentally pressed a button. It responded by asking me if I would like my message turned into: a poem, Shakespearean language, re-phrased, grammar corrected (I couldn't see anything wrong with it) etc. AI has infected my phone. Maybe this isn't new – my old phone was very old – but it's distinctly worrying. Mary Billing, Allambie Heights Boomers not so bad Your correspondent asserts that 'the Boomer dominance is over. The younger cohort of Australians will face the new world of climate-related disasters that the Boomers will not see' (Letters, May 3). This implies that the Boomers are the environmental villains and the younger generations the world's saviours. But when I see the young guys in their huge petrol- and diesel-fuelled utes, the frequent overseas air travel of the younger generations and their love of fast food hamburgers sourced from cattle grazing in cleared South American forests, I have my doubts. Bruce Johnson, Lakewood No throwaway line The last line of the Herald editorial (' Collapse of Planet Ark a wake-up call ', May 3) says it all about our throwaway society: 'We can no longer accept that a Coke bottle used for 10 minutes will then become a problem for humanity to deal with for the next 10,000 years'. Paul Doyle, Glenbrook Environment loses What an appalling record Australia has to be the biggest consumer of fast fashion when it puts 200,000 tonnes of plastic into landfill each year. Yes, plastic, aka polyester clothing. And online selling is a huge part of the problem as there is no opportunity to feel the 'fabric' nor read the label in a store, and then one is enticed with the flick of a finger into purchasing yet more colourful plastic bags labelled as clothing. Our individual and corporate greed is drowning us in landfill pollution and there is no way the fashion industry can claim sustainability, with or without recycling. Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi
