Dreamland observations miss why Libs were rejected

I would prefer fewer queues for surgery and specialists, emergency doctor wait times, or GP visits. Perrottet and his government must refocus on what is important. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer

Mr Perrottet may believe $828 million to replace an existing stadium was a great achievement. Others think fixing crises in hospitals, aged care, the environment, climate change, education and affordable housing are what government is expected to deliver. It’s playing music as the Titanic sinks. While pleasantly distracting, it doesn’t solve the serious problems on the “to do” list. Anne Matheson, Gordon

If the beef burgers are anything like the rubbish they serve up at another Sydney stadium, at $14.50, they’re overpriced by about $10. The only decent food at the footy are the pies and hot chips. To take and feed a family of four to one of these stadiums, you will need to take out a second mortgage on your house or sell a kidney. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

Now that the over-budget stadium is complete, will the $828 million of NSW taxpayers’ money be returned to us in the form of free entry? Probably not. As with toll roads, taxpayers will continue to pay forever. The NRL accuses the state of breaking a deal on the construction of more sporting facilities, while flood victims battle to get a roof over their heads. The stadium will undoubtedly be festooned with ads for multinational junk food operators and gambling promoters, most of whom don’t pay much tax. The current catchcry seems to be “Let us all Pay”. Amen. Greg Thomas, Annandale

Glad to see the new stadium’s “half-time beer and bathroom queues” have been fixed (at an enormous price). Perhaps the Opera House should be pulled down as there is usually a long line of anxious women waiting for the toilets during breaks. As well, the bar can be a bit of a bun fight sometimes. Is a redesign on the books? Kate Chivers, Epping

The end of half-time queues for beer and toilets? Is this a sign of an aleing economy? Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook

Thieves must return ancient loot

Philhellene David Hill (Letters, August 29) can also work to return the Koh-i-Noor, a 105.6-carat diamond, to India. It was found in southern India in the 14th century and was ceded to Queen Victoria in 1849. Since then, it has been a part of the British Crown jewels and is displayed at the Tower of London. Hill will get kudos from Indians if he takes on this project. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill

In the 19th century, the West and Japan looted whatever treasure and valuables they could lay their hands on in China. It is a conservative estimate that the British alone looted hundreds of thousands of artefacts from the Forbidden Palace during the 1900 Eight-Nation Alliance. Some have since been traded privately, but most are still in storage in the British Museum, gathering dust in its basement. China should demand these be returned. Paul Lau, Dolls Point

In 2003, the world looked on as vandals and thieves trashed the Iraqi antiquities museum during the war in Iraq. This gives us some context to the situation that Elgin faced in Athens as an envoy to the Ottoman Empire. The Parthenon marbles were being looted by lime burners. No Elgin, no marbles. The man should be praised, not derided. Genevieve Milton, Newtown

A decade of decay

The premier’s claim that “there’s not a community in this state that’s not in a better place today than it was 11 years ago” deserves some scrutiny (“Moves to swing state seats,” August 29). Where to start? How about the clogged and congested local roads I travel on, which are much worse than they were a decade ago; the growing number of demountable classrooms in local schools; and the blow-out in waiting times at my local hospital’s emergency department? Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown

Cremorne Junction is certainly a community that is not better off after 11 years of Coalition government. An ill-advised $24million tidal flow system on Military Road has caused businesses to close, made conditions more hazardous for pedestrians and inconvenienced bus commuters. Graham Short, Cremorne

Summit to think about

Here is a suggestion for this week’s jobs and skills summit (“Watch for the three-card trick on productivity”, August 29). Give an amnesty to the more than 100,000 individuals who are in Australia as visa overstayers or refugees. A one-off offer of amnesty to all visa holders and illegals here on September 1, giving a path to Australian citizenship, would get them out of the cash economy and into paying taxes, up-skilling and helping to solve the workforce shortages. John Keene, Glebe

The summit on jobs and skills has encouraged suggestions for fixing the worker shortage crisis, one being to use pensioners and the mildly disabled. However, silence continues regarding those held in refugee detention facilities. Here awaits a cohort of employable people some, no doubt, highly skilled. Even those not in this category could be quickly trained in requirements for, say, cleaning, driving trucks, working on farms, fruit packing and picking, and in kitchens, bar duties and waiting on tables. In some cases, two birds could be struck with one stone by the offer of release to a job requiring the person to stay for two years working in an area suffering serious shortages. Christine Perrott, Armidale

Emission statement

Many dream of a decarbonised world without a deteriorating climate and its consequences for extreme temperatures, floods, fires and rising sea levels (“King’s tone at odds with climate need”, August 29). However, we also dream of a comfortable life for our families with cheap energy and adequate government services. Unfortunately, for the medium to distant future, these two dreams are incompatible. Two decades ago, John Howard and Peter Costello decided that the export of Australia’s abundant mineral resources could be used to subsidise taxes, particularly for the well-off, indefinitely. So Australia is one of the lowest-taxed developed nations. Unfortunately, we now realise that some of the most lucrative resources we mine and export are poisonous to the climate and to our long-term wellbeing. Weaning Australia and the rest of the world off reliance on carbon-based energy is indeed a diabolical problem. Geoff Harding, Chatswood

The window dressing afforded to methane gas by more than just Resources Minister Madeleine King is much like parading around in the emperor’s new clothes. It’s invisible to the eye, but its continued use will bring the wearer more harm than good. We humans must divest ourselves of this carbon cloak and style our future attire in a sustainable weave of wind, solar, wave, tidal, hydrogen and thermal power. Steve Dillon, Thirroul

Trade-off

As for the defence minister’s assertion that we need to further arm ourselves to protect ourselves against any aggression of the Chinese towards us (Letters, August 29), someone should tell him that all they have to do is stop exporting to us. That would be the end of us. Not a single bullet needs to be fired. Wayne Stinson, Merimbula

Join the club

Kerri Sackville (“Travel joy restored, but not for long”, August 29) bemoans being “in the sandwich generation”. She should try being in my “club sandwich generation” which includes a 99-year-old mother, four married children and eight grandchildren. There are many members of this club out there. Like most retirees, I wonder how I had time to work. Sally Spurr, Lane Cove

Without a trace

Why is the word “absent” now being used as a substitute for the preposition “without”? Absent a rational explanation, I’ll just continue with without. Col Nicholson, Hawks Nest

Test of convictions

The only way to stop war would be to legislate for each country’s ruler to lead the troops into battle, just as they did in medieval times (Letters, August 29). And, of course, their loyal courtiers/MPs would be riding right behind. Merona Martin, Meroo Meadow

The boy who never was

I used to work with the late Letters contributor J-Alice Hoffler (Letters, August 29). People often wondered what the J stood for. She told me once that the boys in her family had names starting with J and her mother had one picked for her. When she was born a girl, confounding expectations, her mother hadn’t chosen a girl’s name and never did. The J remained a placeholder. Matthew Stevens, Thornleigh

My now ex-wife wanted to name our son something that couldn’t be abbreviated. In NSW, you must name your child within 28 days of birth, so Lloyd was so named on the 28th day postpartum. Alas, he soon became Lloydey. David (Dave) Williams, Port Macquarie

The digital view
Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au
Visas for nurses ‘must be fast-tracked’ to fill critical shortages
From NewsNitPicker: ″⁣People are leaving/have left nursing and allied health in droves … burnout, injury and atrocious work conditions are the main causes. How about addressing these problems and holding on to these valuable workers?

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