Beach culture rewards come with risks
How far are we willing to go to maintain our sense of comfort? Caitlin Fitzsimmons (“Culling won’t help stop attacks,” June 14) opposes culling sharks, pointing out that if one species is targeted, other species will move in as well. But there is also the question of how far our society is prepared to go in interfering with the environment in our own interest. Many people have surfed throughout their lives, but if a change in our ecology means that surfing is no longer a safe pastime, do we have the right to take drastic action to protect our right to surf? It only takes one shark to attack a swimmer, so it’s pointless to try to eliminate the threat. People who go rock climbing accept that there is an element of danger, so perhaps those who want to swim in open water should do the same. Ian Adair, Avcılar Hill
Surge nets, barrel lines and monitoring drones are the cost of coastal and beach councils to patrol our beaches. Maybe they need to turn to “high chairs” and binoculars to help keep watch? Strategically positioned elevated chairs in rotating shifts to prevent napping and a reward incentive for confirmed shark sightings and successful beach evacuations: the flick of a tail and the first detected snap of a fin can be the difference between a day at the beach and a tragedy. John Kingsmill, Fairlight
Misogyny is unacceptable
How easily Parnell Palme McGuinness rejects the sexism towards women of a party she clearly dislikes (“Misogyny is buying a lot less now,” June 14). But others somehow become martyred victims of the same thing. While misogyny is a powerful weapon, its use is unacceptable in any context, and if you have to rely on it to win an argument, you’ve already lost it. This much should be obvious, and its use is disingenuous at best and dishonest at worst. It is downright arrogant to acknowledge its existence but blithely shrug it off as an outdated attitude. Adrian Connelly, Springwood
Whether intentional or not, McGuinness tolerates, if not excuses, misogyny, arguing that “misogyny” has lost its political clout. By placing politics above ethical relationships and accepting attacks on women because of their gender (there is no other way to interpret the use of the word “witch”), McGuinness does a great disservice to all of us, men and women. Warren Marks, Long Beach
Today we still have fewer female politicians than male politicians, but in schools the situation is the opposite. I’ve always thought that, whether you’re a man or a woman, a politician or a manager, if everyone loves you, you’re not doing your job properly. It’s also no coincidence that in our current political climate, misogyny seems highly linked to ignorance. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury
raising the baby
One thing you can bet: Pauline Hanson wants to limit the number of immigrants (“How much does it really cost to have children”, June 14), but Australia’s current birth rate of 1.48 children per woman is well below the 2.1 needed to sustain our current population. Meanwhile, older people in Australia are predicted by the ABS to constitute 21 to 23 per cent of the total population by 2066. So where will they come from, given our growing need for construction workers pegged at 90,000 builders, carpenters, bricklayers and electricians (BuildSkills Australia estimate)? The same question can be asked about the needs of the accommodation industry. Larry Woldenberg, Lodge
Paltrow’s decision
Gwyneth Paltrow worships only one god (“When the moral compass loses direction,” June 14). He is the god of greed. If he had any decency or compassion, he wouldn’t have made a promotional video about Israel’s development. And he will understand the enormous, perhaps permanent, damage that Donald Trump has inflicted on the United States and the world. Mark Paskal, Austinmer
Words and wisdom
During a teacher exchange in the UK (Oxfordshire and Cornwall), I noticed the respect shown to modern languages by students and parents in English schools and the size of the modern languages department (eight to nine teachers) (“NSW schools struggle to keep teaching languages”, 14 June). This contrasted sharply with NSW public schools, where language teachers were generally one or two in number and language choice was limited. In Britain, students and their parents saw the value of learning languages for travel, work and general communication. It’s a shame we don’t all feel the same in NSW. Language learning can open up a whole new world for business and play. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer
There are so many governments, so many ideas, that we still cannot get students to want to learn languages and schools to inspire and encourage students to learn languages. I love teaching, I love languages, especially French. Despite my English accent, I am French with many years of experience. I taught in many public and private schools. Some schools actually encourage this. I applied to Newtown Performing Arts when the job was first posted. I didn’t get an answer. I have difficulty even taking ordinary positions. I’m still fit, young and eager, but I’m 75 and no one wants me. Peter Mayes, Petersham
gloomy economy
The number of US billionaires has tripled since 2010. Of course, they can now also claim the world’s first trillionaire (“Musk becomes first trillionaire as SpaceX soars after spectacular Wall Street bid,” June 14). The number of billionaires in Australia has increased more than 14-fold, from 13 in 2010 to 188 last year. Meanwhile, ACOSS found that the proportion of Australians living below the poverty line was 12.8 per cent in 2010 and 14.2 per cent in 2025, with 15.6 per cent of our children living in poverty. It seems that our systems are much more conducive to amassing excessive wealth and perhaps robbing the poor than the so-called land of opportunity. This should be a shame. Lesley Walker, Northcote (Vic)
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