Criticism of prime minister turns to praise for some

Comparing Anthony Albanese to Scott Morrison is meant as stinging criticism but actually turns out to be unintentional praise (“Here’s a secret about Albo and Scomo,” November 23). Using disgusting comparisons with one of their own (Morrison) as the ultimate insult to attack Albanese shows just how desperate supporters of the once great Liberal Party have become. Secondly, this argument also shows that Albanese’s long-term plan to reposition the ALP as the middle-of-the-road “natural government” for Australians and make the Liberal National Coalition the alternative government on the fringe is clearly working. Well done, Albo! Warren Marks, Richmond (Tasmania)

It’s rare for Parnell Palme McGuinness to command my undivided, uncynical attention, but this time I read it with great sympathy. Albo has facts to consider before his increasingly dull leadership and compromised ideology fade long and slowly into irrelevance. Alynn PrattGrenfell

An annoying problem

I know a lot of people look down on how things are done in Canberra, but in the ACT a construction report, including a pest report and energy rating, is prepared by the party selling the house and then paid for by the home buyer at closing of the sale (“How shoddy building inspections are crushing buyers’ dreams”. 23 November). A single building inspection report instead of purchasing reports for every home you may be interested in. There may still be issues with impartiality, and the actual report is mostly a cover story for the report maker, but it is still a far superior process to NSW’s. Neil Reckord, Gordon (ACT)

promising beauty

Azka Ishfaq’s exquisite poetry captures her great love for her mother and the essence of grief: longing, “the fragmented, overwhelming thing that so often traps us in the desolation of grief” (“Azka turns grief into a touching book of poems”. November 23). But, as if by a thin thread, the connection to the person who is no longer physically with us remains, and there is hope expressed in the magnificent beauty of Azka’s gift for language. In her words, people can “see their own complex emotions reflected on the page and feel a little less alone.” Azka honored his beloved mother with his profoundly beautiful writings, and as an aspiring English teacher, his future students will surely be inspired by his writing talents. I will definitely follow Azka’s book and tell my friends about it. We thank him for generously sharing his path through grief, which provides great value and benefit to our society. Barbara Chapman, South Yarra

BoM is a boon for word games

This revelation escalates things for BoM, which now has to weather a storm of anger from taxpayers over its somewhat foggy website design (“Bungled BoM website redesign costs $96 million,” November 22). The economics and effectiveness of changes have proven notoriously fickle. The original ease of access to information has been eclipsed by this rapid upgrade. I’m sure the consultants are enjoying the sun on the design front, which is not to be missed. Steve Dillon, Thirrou

There are people who do not like and do not accept change. Even if the change is a huge improvement over what was before. However, this does not mean that a mistake was made when making the change. I love the new BoM site. It knows where I am and balances the weather between weather stations to give me the best it can for the exact location. This way I get the weather forecast for “Paddington” and don’t have to choose the nearest weather station (North Head? Sydney?). Navigating the site to find tide and wind is no longer a complicated and frustrating search through endless pages. All of the statewide rainfall maps are also a godsend: they help understand the big picture. Perhaps sticking to the original coloring and maps may have deflected some criticism, but tweaks can always be made. It is worth the cost and always remember that putting money into the economy by the government creates jobs and keeps the economy moving along nicely. Robert HoskingPaddington