After days of increasingly lurid revelations of how Liberal Party operatives used Catholic Schools NSW in their factional fights, it is refreshing to read what Anne Benjamin has written from her deep experience (“ICAC allegations cast a shadow on our Catholic schools. That makes me angry”, August 5). This stands in stark contrast to the deafening silence of all but one New South Wales diocese, Broken Bay, which made some tepid comments. Being of an age with Damien Tudehope, who has stood down as NSW shadow attorney-general, I have been searching my failing memory of criminal law and administrative law lectures to find words to describe what is being revealed. By any measure, paying more than $130,000 to a young man who spent about 60 per cent of his hours at work conducting Liberal Party factional business looks like corruption. At the very least it suggests the senior management of Catholic Schools NSW were either incompetent or complicit, or both. In any event, it is time for the dismissal of all those who are implicated. We must hope the board of Catholic Schools NSW is at work. Paul Fergus, Croydon
I fully agree with Anne Benjamin that a “shadow has been cast on our Catholic schools”. As a former commissioner with the NSW Catholic Education Commission and recently retired principal, I, too, am angry at what the current ICAC investigations are unearthing. Knowing that the commission was dissolved in 2017 to create the current Catholic Schools NSW – a model designed to provide more accountability, efficiency and transparency in the support of school systems and dioceses across the state – leaves a nasty taste in the mouth. Yes, Anne, our parents, principals, teachers, staff and, most importantly, our students deserve better. Brian M Lacey, Bolwarra Heights
It should be impossible to consider a person as an attorney-general of this state after they have sworn under oath to having known the whereabouts of a person hiding overseas to avoid appearing before a parliamentary inquiry and, secondly, shared a confidential draft report from that parliamentary inquiry with a key witness who refused to give evidence and is also a person of interest to this inquiry (“Tudehope concedes leaking confidential report to Liberal operative on the run”, August 5). NSW Liberal leader Kellie Sloane needs to assure us immediately that Damien Tudehope will not be returning to the position of shadow attorney-general, now or ever. Maureen Partridge, Baulkham Hills
Well, well, well … Damien Tudehope, who seems to share the same “Christian” principles as Robert Assaf, Jeremy Greenwood and the Perrottet brothers, stated that he didn’t recall having a confidential report but then conceded he had sent it to Greenwood. How’s that for truthfulness? While acknowledging that leaking a report is never good, Kellie Sloane obviously thinks this is a minor infringement because she’s even entertaining the possibility of Tudehope returning to her frontbench. This is absolutely staggering: the A-G should be above reproach, and Sloane doesn’t seem to believe Tudehope has messed up big-time. David Gordon, Cranebrook
Look to the future
Ross Gittins’ latest article looks at the past but doesn’t consider the future (“Stop complaining. Australia’s in good economic shape (mostly)”, August 5). What will happen to house prices when more than 10 per cent of properties in greater Sydney and 30 per cent of properties in Newcastle are flooded and no longer able to be insured after the next major disaster like the 2022 Northern Rivers floods? How will tourism fare within 20 years when the Great Barrier Reef is dead because of our warming seas? What will happen to food prices by 2050 when many regions will have so few insects left that they cannot pollinate our crops? The University of Sydney found that global warming had already reduced NSW economic output by 18 per cent (“You’re losing $20k a year because of climate change”, June 10). Instead of walking their talk about “expecting the unexpected”, our governments and economists just teach our high school students about business as usual and an Australia from 1901. That’s a huge mistake. Joe Hallenstein, Mayfield
Get tough on gambling
Milksop gambling reforms indeed (“Stark testimony highlights weakness of government’s gambling reforms”, August 5). The government should stop pussyfooting around with disingenuous language like “getting the balance right” and “we don’t want to ban Australians from gambling”. This is a golden opportunity for the government to seize the moment and crack down hard on this pernicious industry, as the Peta Murphy-led inquiry unanimously recommended. If they did this it would get overwhelming approval from the electorate and receive strong support in parliament. While the gambling companies, the sporting codes and big media may well cry in their beers, who cares? And if they do cut down on their donations to Labor and the Coalition, so what? It would affect both sides equally and cancel itself out. Come on PM, stiffen up and reap the rewards. Alan Phillips, Mosman
Senator David Pocock is the man many Australians would like representing them in parliament as he is authentic, has clarity and is happy to call out the money men who are preventing Labor going hard on the gambling industry (“V’landys weighs in as gambling inquiry gets personal”, August 5). If you don’t toughen the rules to protect people from gambling harm, prime minister, you probably won’t be the leader by the next election. Is this really the hill you choose to die on? Wendy Atkins, Cooks Hill
The government’s failure to implement all the recommendations for gambling reform shows an utter disrespect for the late Peta Murphy and her parliamentary committee. As Pocock says, Anthony Albanese is listening to the gambling lobby rather than honouring the late Labor MP and her public health blueprint for a total ban on gambling advertisements. Oh, for a progressive teal in my rusted-on Labor seat. John Cotterill, Kingsford
Midterm mayhem
Clinton Fernandes raises the frightening prospect of a dollar-driven victory for Donald Trump in November (“Why Trump will win the midterms”, August 5). In Australia, politicians and others who throw vast sums of money at elections often achieve very little, as witnessed by the futility of Clive Palmer’s efforts and, in all real probability, those of One Nation and their supporters. Unlike our American “friends”, Australians are not dominated by cultural isolation, consuming self-interest and voter inertia. The benefits of an independent electoral body, compulsory voting, standardised electoral processes and controls over donor sources essentially ensure that the outcome of our elections is fair. In contrast, the party-driven gerrymandering, contorted and varied voting procedures across state lines and the lunacy of an early winter Tuesday to deter working people from voting equally ensure that American elections will be dominated by money politics and disputed outcomes. Unfortunately, get ready for more of the same Trump insanity. Peter Cooper-Southam, Frenchs Forest
Clinton Fernandes’ utterly disheartening article describes how Trump is likely to win the midterms not because of anything he has done but because American governance systems are so dysfunctional. The interaction of huge campaign funds, voluntary voting and politically determined electoral boundaries, all supported by a politically chosen Supreme Court, are likely to determine the outcome of the coming elections. Trump has waged wars and effectively set taxes, which he calls tariffs, in defiance of his constitutional authority, and just carries on. As Fernandes writes, “The US system is so rigged that it wouldn’t meet the standard for accession to the European Union.” God help America. Bill Johnstone, Blackheath
If Clinton Fernandes is correct in his prediction that the Trump Republicans will take the midterm elections, and I suspect he is, there will be no brake on the disastrous Trumpification of the US and, indeed, the world. Two years of Trump 2.0 has been an unmitigated disaster for most except favoured billionaires and autocrats, with Trump’s whims creating the needless Iran war and disrupting the world order, never mind what has been done to increase the vast inequities among the US population. If this can happen in just two short years, who knows what may lie ahead, given Trump is surrounded by sycophants, with no one capable of restraining him. The world can only hope Fernandes is wrong, and the Democrats provide some much-needed opposition in November. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne
Iran doesn’t have to worry about midterm elections. Trump does. He cannot afford America to be at war for too much longer and Iran knows this. Trump will have to back down. John Rome, Mt Lawley (WA)
Testing times
Maybe it’s time we thought about the kind of test NAPLAN is (“Concerning NAPLAN results in year 3 maths”, August 5). Mathematics requires thinking, strategy and trial and error. Students must use knowledge and skills to prove their thinking and be accurate. It’s messy. Asking students who are just out of year 2 to answer questions on a screen is very different to the explicit teaching and learning that happens every day in our classrooms. Mini-whiteboards or pencils and paper, collaboration and robust discussion are evident in the maths classrooms I see. And yes, “focus, repetition and practice” are also necessary. One may ask if we even need NAPLAN? It seems to only bring concern and criticism. Lisa Williams, Dulwich Hill
The letters from Denise McHugh and others make strong points but ignore the fact that parents need guidance for their children now, not years down the track when other measures might become available. In their absence it makes sense for parents to look at school rankings, with all the qualifications your correspondents identify. One thing we can all agree on: good teachers produce better outcomes for our children. Until we can identify or, better still, schools call out their best-performing teachers and the results they have achieved, we will all be lacking the information parents so desperately need. Rob Ritchie, Mosman
Vivienne Parsons is wrong to blame public selective schools more than private schools for a poorly rounded high school experience (Letters, August 5). Private schools are the source of the problem. As the principal of the state’s top-performing school confirms, if it wasn’t for private schools poaching potential public school students via their scholarship programs, there would be much less need for selective schools (“On average, James Ruse is still city’s top school”, August 4). Carol Witt, Boronia Park
Church sexism
The Presbyterian Church’s general assembly in NSW has voted to exclude women from some future leadership roles within the religion (“The religious meeting that left Sydney private school old girls fuming”, August 4). It’s a real slap in the face for women who are active in the church, and also a wake-up call for the young women attending Presbyterian schools. I suggest that women in the church withdraw all unpaid labour from its schools and churches. Let those old fellows do their own minutes, maintain their own churches and wake up to how basic women are to the workings of their church. Jan Aitkin, Rozelle
We PLC graduates can’t be church leaders but we can be girl surgeons, girl chief executives and girl senators. Did principal Paul Burgis really just mansplain gender inequality to us? Sophie Cato, Dulwich Hill
Flight flaw
Your correspondent’s comparison with flight paths over Sydenham and the Blue Mountains cannot go unchallenged (Letters, August 5). Sydenham and surrounding communities have lived with Kingsford Smith flight paths for several decades and, importantly, are protected by an overnight curfew. Western Sydney Airport will introduce aircraft noise to communities that have never experienced it before, with flights operating 24 hours a day. Even at 4000 feet, large jets can still generate enough noise to make sleeping difficult. The reference to fuel dumping is also a red herring. Routine fuel dumping is very uncommon but does occur in addition to the continual aircraft emissions overhead and their cumulative impacts on air quality, the environment and residents’ wellbeing. While there is a strong argument for not operating a noisy airport such as Kingsford Smith in the heart of a city, existing flight paths over other communities are no justification for imposing new, around-the-clock impacts on the Blue Mountains, a UNESCO World Heritage site. John Berry, Cammeray
Have a heart
The workers have cleared out of Hurlstone Park station, ready for the Metro opening. They took the defibrillator with them, which was one of only a handful in the suburb. Now just one local AED is accessible 24/7, attached to the football club down on the Cooks River. This community has been promised an AED when the station opens but we can only hope it will be installed outside the barrier. The difference matters. If it’s placed inside, it will be locked away every night and whenever there is trackwork. The decision could save a life. Who can residents write to about this? State government? Council? The Metro operator? All of these will no doubt deny responsibility and point to someone else. We need defibrillators in our communities and we need commitment from all involved to make that happen. Belinda Keir, Hurlstone Park
Synthetic sins
Jill Robinson, I am as perplexed as you regarding the lack of government action on synthetic clothing (Letters, August 5). One of the reasons, I believe, is the lack of public demand for them to do something. There is a blind spot in the public eye regarding microplastics and nanoplastics in synthetic clothing. On January 28 this year I opened my copy of The Sun-Herald to a front-page article about synthetic turf in school playgrounds. Parents were concerned because their children were breathing in microplastics. The fact that they were swathed in synthetic school uniforms for up to 40 hours a week didn’t seem to ring alarm bells. Ellen McEwen, Croydon
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