Letters to the Editor

  • Start with bringing our ships and planes home

    We could explain to the Australian public why our ships and planes are surveilling in international waters/airspace off the coast of China.

  • Do we read the documents we talk about?

    The Declaration talks about a "national home", in Palestine, for the Jews, while the Zionists dream is to turn Palestine into a Jewish "homeland".

  • God and gender duality

    Any deity is likely to be a figurehead to all and not defined by gender.

  • Ita, a dose of integrity?

    Perhaps Cold Chisel should alter the lyrics to their song "Ita". or maybe they were just being sarcastic all along?

  • Why only now see the reality?

    As many others have eloquently documented in these pages, it is US behaviour that has rained death, misery, and destruction globally for decades.

  • Taiwan and Gaza

  • From the river to the sea

    This policy should be banned from Likud's founding documents, campaigns, and policies.

  • Our future is in our hands

    Our business leaders and politicians seem yoked to population growth, which only compounds greenhouse gas emissions.

  • A golden opportunity for a determined government

    I consider that our government has a golden opportunity to make a strong stand now for doing the right thing for the environment, economy and world including us.

  • Trump’s Gaza grab: America is no better than China

    The US never signed up to the United Nations' international Charter of Law.

  • Peter Varghese’s swipe at China

    It is naive to think we are protected by the US.

  • What’s really on the nose is politics

    Remember that the job of all MPs is to hold themselves accountable to the Australian voters, not to just oppose for the sake of opposition.

  • Right-wing Advance and our elections

    It was disturbing to read that the Victorian Electoral Commission felt obliged to seek a Supreme Court injunction against Advance for repeatedly defying election campaign rules.

  • Tell ‘im ‘e’s dreamin’

    Whatever else is happening in the world, however bad the opposition is, by any measure Labor is a disappointment, at best.

  • Well-written report

    The problem is how do you make a politician who is left- or right-wing and probably being paid in some manner by the perpetrators to see clearly the falsity that is obvious?

  • Trump saves the subs

    We need a hung parliament in the next election to sort out the AUKUS mess.

  • ABC cowardice vs Zionist blitzkreig

    And, lest the ABC lawyers choose to overlook reality, let it be clearly stated that a vast number of honourable Jews vehemently oppose the Zionist genocidal activity.

  • Rough road to a sustainable future

    My hope remains that realisation will dawn on enough people, in enough countries, to bring about global change to avoid climate calamity.

  • Comcare prosecution over Robodebt turned down

    Comcare says the CDPP declined to prosecute because it saw little chance of a conviction.

  • Escalators and headlines

    The Palestinians have resisted Israel. Why would they not resist the Yanks?

  • Weasel word BS is alive and well in universities

    What is it with academics that they must twist language into some sort of contortions to make a point?

  • It’s time for a balanced parliament

    Community independents have already shown teeth and backbone in calling the major parties to account.

  • Disappointed with our leaders

    Bill Shorten tried to offer solutions to many of her concerns, but was unsuccessful with many short-sighted Australians.

  • The collapse of the capitalism model

    This is a timely warning that the current model of greed encased in capitalism is nearing its logical end.

  • Trump’s diaspora

    if Trump has his way, we can expect another three millennia of Canaanite chaos and carnage. If humans last that long.

  • Yes Minister 2

    Perhaps “Yes Minister” wasn’t a comedy, it just worked, successfully controlling the democratically elected career parliamentarians at a significantly reduced cost to taxpayers.

  • Understanding intent in genocide

    If a reasonable person would understand that there was a strongly probable, indeed, near certain consequence of an act or omission, that establishes intent.

  • The X factor

    X claims I have sent prohibited comment to it for which I am banned. I have never used X.

  • Trump removal of support for climate action and aid

    What if China decided to fund the organisations (humanitarian aid, climate change support) from which Trump has withdrawn support?

  • There is a real choice at this election

    The Greens have been criticised by many commentators for blocking Labor-initiated legislation in the Parliament.

  • Unhinged proposals for Gaza

    What then will Trump propose for Northeast Palestine?

  • DeepSeek

    DeepSeek has the Western world running scared.

  • How the Chinese system deals with the next phase

    For what it’s worth, I think we should be looking at what elements of the Chinese system work for us and adapt and adopt them.

  • They didn’t come to pillage

    They didn't come to pillage, claims the woman who "pillaged" thousands of taxpayers' dollars.

  • Significant differences between Labor govt and Dutton LNP

    Populist anti-political thought fosters political alienation and supports the mainstream and marginal conservative parties.

  • Is the Old Testament Christianity?

    I have been unable to understand the emphasis/equal billing given to the Old Testament teachings at church.

  • Limitation of ‘physics emulating’ economics

    The blog of Real World Economics Review, as well as posting items on current economics matters, also has those that address the weaknesses in mainstream economic mathematical modes.

  • Exposing the IDF’s AI-enabled barbarity

    The Israeli Defence Force used software to selectively murder numerous Palestinians.

  • The elephant in the nuclear room

    Nuclear proponents shouldn't bother writing about using this form of energy until they can decide how to get rid of the waste safely.

  • Do economists know anything about economics?

    I have my doubts if economists know anything about the economy or if any two economists ,politicians agree on anything.

  • NYT were not the first

    The New York Times was not the first publication to report these claims.

  • What about Robodebt?

    Has this writer forgotten Robodebt where the Conservative government itself did the stealing, leading to the suicides of far too many?

  • The biggest hoax of all is democracy

    The King is wearing no clothes and people will only tolerate him as long as he suits their reset agenda.

  • Our human footprint

    Landing on the moon was a huge engineering undertaking, but as Peter Sainsbury points out, nothing like the feat we must pull off to keep Earth habitable.

  • Are the right questions being asked?

    The reaons behind children's crimes need to be studied more.

  • Labor government achievements

    Perhaps one of the Labor government's positive achievements has been to make it easier for criminals to hack into the my.gov.au site and steal the money of pensioners.

  • Time for compassionate change

    For some time that we seem to be approaching an apocalypse such as was seen in the Great Depression.

  • DeepSeek challenges US capitalism

    What terrifies the American elite most is that DeepSeek yet again shows that the Chinese economic model can out-perform the American proprietary form of capitalism.

  • Let’s all agree to survive

    Julian Cribb's list of 10 catastrophic risks ranged from forest loss to misinformation.

  • The impact of colonisation: A couple of not so minor points

    How anyone can think British colonisation "has had no lasting negative effects." is beyond me.

  • The Trump way?

    Labor seems to have abolished roots, i.e. the low paid workers for the more lucrative middle class.

  • If only First Nations had guns

    Some time ago, author Jarred Diamond wrote a book about why colonialism worked. The books title is "Guns, Germs and Steel".

  • Foul and repeat, foul and repeat

    For we old Laborites, the Albanese government embrace of the Zionist agenda in all its multivarious forms is a treachery.

  • Public servants are there to support the community

    In the end, I would hope that public servants are there to support the community, or public or society rather than the state. Following “the state” just allows people to say “ I was just following orders”, don’t you think?

  • The third possibility

    At last, someone has mentioned the unmentionable - the third possibility. I have been astonished and irritated that, till now, nobody else has dared to mention it, but now, finally, Paul Heywood-Smith has put his head above the parapet.

  • Support for Sarah Schwartz

    I thank the Jewish Council of Australia and Pearls & Irritations for giving readers some background to this sordid story.

  • Welfare: cheaper than perks given the uber-wealthy

    If The Voice campaign taught me anything it's that Indigenous people aren't listened to.

  • Why are we so easily conned?

    How depressing that Greg Latemore has thrown in the towel just before the election.

  • Wokism

    Wokism is about the essential an best human values, but they construe it as weakness, a mistake to be despised.

  • Join your local chapter of TA

    It was going to join my local chapter of TA Trump Anonymous until I found PA Politics Anonymous they seem to be affiliated with AA Alcoholics Anonymous as they all have the same prayer.

  • The Hollow man

    Thank you Peter Henning for your superb article (The Hollow man seeks to Lower the Temperature 24 Jan).

  • Refaat, the death toll may be even higher

    The Lancet, one of the worlds most eminent medical journals calculated the death toll in Gaza has been underestimated by 20%, and more likely to be 64,000

  • The Christian right in Australia

    Christians may no longer be in the majority in Australia, but the Christian Right has - as Ms Hamilton documents - infiltrated our political system.

  • Future generations need a flourishing ecosystem

    Tipping points will change our environment irrevocably; climate extremes will become the norm. Life will no longer be about ‘standards of living’; it will be a battle to survive.

  • how stupid is America’s ruling class?

    Trump's election has made the role of the ruling class even more obvious but there is the danger that we may see that as a Trump abberation rather than a feature of western democracy.

  • Say NO to “mutual obligation” – in any guise

    That unemployed people are burdened with "mutual obligation" 'work' is an abomination. To suggest that volunteering be part of that coercive package is an oxymoron that adds insult to injury.

  • Jews are not responsible for the war in Gaza

    Conflating the antisemitism in Australia with the war in Gaza isn't simply political comment, it gaslights the lived experience of Jews in Australia and discounts the seriousness of what is occurring in Australia.

  • David Lockwood is making assumptions re attacks

    All the anti- semitic attacks must be condemned and certainly don't help the Palestinian cause. Not completely out of the question is that some may have been done by zionists or their supporters, hoping that Palestinian supporters will be blamed.

  • The Genocide will Continue if Morale Improves

    Alison Broinowski's prediction is a statement of the inevitable rather than a possible future scenario.

  • It’s always the Palestinians’ fault… Not!

    I've always respected Jack Waterford's writing but this ... "the war on Gaza ... was consciously started by Hamas, which ... has long been provoking Israel, …" brought me up short.

  • We need to look in the mirror

    We should remember people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

  • Balanced coverage of hostage release

    We celebrate the release of hostages, be they Israeli or Palestinian. But watch the MSM to see if they give the same granular coverage to both.

  • Into the neoliberal darkness

    We are seeing the dying days of the USAmerican empire. But don't blame Trump... or those who voted for him. They are the natural end-point of neoliberalism.

  • Gaslighting Australian Jews

    What right does the writer have to make any claims about Jewish identity with the Israeli state in part, or whole?

  • History as a starting point

    Kari McKern's contribution is the latest in a long line of excellent contributions to P&I advocating for a sensible and promising way forward for the world society.

  • MUCH TO BE DONE NOW

    It's important to be optimistic. Talks are ongoing in Oslo on a 2 state solution. The first trucks with food and medical aid are already rolling into Gaza. The ceasefire is a start, and a good start. But there is much to be done

  • The One Day of the Year

    The politics of division only undermines social cohesion. Its time to change the date so we can all celebrate together and give thanks for this great country.

  • Stop the talking. Start the action.

    If we want change re AUKUS, we have to be prepared to put in a similarly long, slow, hard slog. We need to stop talking and "act" - now.

  • Not dead yet

    You're right, we're a dying breed. We're proud, strong and committed to using re-used, recycled and repaired materials from landfill and second-hand building suppliers and - we're finding it harder and harder to find what we need to repair and maintain our beloved homes.

  • Sanctity of Sovereignty – Ukraine

    All of humankind has a vested interest in no invasion succeeding.

  • Pyrocene perception and the politics of Palestine

    How can we fix the climate if have such overt and ghastly double standards related to our neighbours ?

  • Has UN ceded responsibility for aid to Palestine?

    Whilst I sadly agree with the substance of this article, I cannot agree with this statement which seems to be based on this hyperlinked article: ‘the senior UN leadership has adopted the position that the responsibility to deliver aid is Israel’s as the occupying power’.

  • Mature debate on nuclear health risks is essential

    By demanding a mature debate, Peter Dutton and co simply reveal their ignorance and shameful lack of honesty.

  • Opening our eyes

    We are lost without fearless honesty in journalism.

  • One to 50,000

    While the deaths of 50,000 Gazans as well as the maltreatment of many of those captured by the Israeli army can’t rouse him to action, I note that Anthony Albanese (and Peter Dutton btw) have come out all guns blazing over the reported death of one Australian in Russia.

  • Tackle the root causes of climate policy blindness

    The climate crisis is real, and near. We need governments with integrity and courage to tackle the root causes of the problems we face

  • Could the election results give some indication?

    Recently I've been wondering if the forthcoming election might give an indicative answer to just how large or small the influential Jewish lobby (AIJAC and the like) is within the Jewish community itself.

  • Our Dogs Do Not Deserve to be so badly Disparaged

    There are better more apt negative descriptions to be used ( eg scum) without harming the image and reputations of our so precious beautiful 4 legged friends.

  • Risk of Nuclear Power Generation

    With Nuclear policy, one fact that has not been considered is the need for cooling.

  • ABC bias? Not so simple

  • Truth in democracy

    We don’t live in a democracy we live in a capitalist society. The greatest threat to our so-called democracy is our political system.

  • How come so much influence?

    How does a smal religious group exercise so much control over so many secular governments?

  • Out with the aged

    The government certainly seems to think that the aged do not matter.

  • Which party is the more competent economic manager?

    Why does the myth persist when the evidence is so clear over the last 30 years?

  • Not only racists oppose high immigration

    There is a often a reflex reaction by people of progressive views against those who oppose our current high immigration levels.

  • The Tour Down Under

    I wrote to various government officials regarding the above tour, but did not receive a response.

  • Social cohesion

    We need to promote the positive and call out the dog-whistling which will inevitably ramp up during the election campaign.

  • Commercial in-confidence? Not with taxpayers’ money

    The truth is that commercial in-confidence should never apply to taxpayers' money.

  • Things need to change around here

    Let's start improving our schools and hospitals, let's get on with providing housing for the young and dignified care for the aged, let's get the the potholes in our roads filled.

  • Weasel words on behalf of Penny Wong

    It was fine, and effective, to boycott South Africa on account of its apartheid regime.

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Letters to the Editor

Read letters from our readers in response to our articles and current issues.