Lawyer Jennifer Robinson’s Sydney Peace Prize win proves one person can have a huge impact

Peter FitzSimons’ story about Jennifer Robinson shows what a difference a determined lawyer can make (“Sued the Pope, defended Julian Assange and won the Sydney Peace Prize,” May 17). Their work defending human rights and tackling difficult cases demonstrates the impact individuals can make. But reading his story also made me wonder whether we are seeing the end of an era in law. The best lawyers traditionally build their careers on mastering large amounts of information, researching cases, and finding arguments that others have overlooked. Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing this. Artificial intelligence can already analyze documents, search for precedents and process information at a speed no human can match. We are already seeing signs of change, with some major law firms reducing their graduate recruitment as AI takes over more routine legal work. This does not mean that lawyers will disappear. People will still need judgment, confidence, negotiation skills, and advocates who can connect with clients, juries, and courts. Jennifer Robinson’s accomplishments show how much a lawyer can accomplish. The legal stars of the future may look very different, with artificial intelligence doing much of the work behind the scenes. John Kempler, Rose Bay

tax logic

The proposed emergency services tax should be based on property use, not property value (“Property owners face new emergency services tax,” May 17). A residential property has less fire risk than a manufacturing, industrial or storage facility. Second, all property owners must contribute to the provision of emergency services, not just those with property insurance that pays 75 percent of the emergency services budget. However, instead of funding this important service, the NSW government saw an opportunity for another form of automatically increasing taxation similar to the model used for land tax (based on property value) rather than the cost of providing the service. Tim Platt, Clontarf

People before politics

Poet John Donne’s oft-quoted saying “No man is an island” is an aphorism describing the interconnectedness of all peoples. In the 1960s, Canadian Marshall McLuhan coined the term “global village” to describe our communicative interconnectedness resulting from the then-dominant media of radio and television, a metaphor amplified by the Internet. Now Nick O’Malley develops the concept further, describing how the war against Iran and climate change interact to create the potential for several hundred million people worldwide to be threatened with starvation (“Our fragile world is rocked by one crisis after another. It’s about to get worse,” May 17). Tragically, our unity with nature and each other is a concept ignored by Donald Trump and some political figures focused on MAGA. For the sake of humanity and the environment, we need to either change the self-centered attitudes of these people or vote them out. Paul Casey, Callala Bay

The future is clear

Mike Foley’s article on Sunday highlights Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor’s slide straight into climate denialism (“Coal comfort: Taylor launches a third climate war,” May 17). Supporting dirty, decades-old, coal-fired power stations is not a plan for Australia’s future. Right now coal actually provides only 45 percent of our electricity as renewable energy and battery storage continue to take off, driving down wholesale energy prices in the process. Amazingly, rooftop solar capacity exceeds the entire output of Australia’s coal fleet. With abundant solar and wind resources, Australia is uniquely positioned to lead the transition to clean energy. The Liberal Party ignores this and the reality of the compromised climate. Karen Lamb, Geelong (Vic)

Taxation argument

“The Labor Party sees your money as its money,” says Parnell Palme McGuinness in his article on Angus Taylor’s budget response speech (“Can you believe it? Our major parties are suddenly finding their faith,” May 17). In fact, the tax we pay is used to meet needs that only national and state governments can provide, and from this perspective, the tax element of revenues is what we owe the government for services rendered. The same will be true if the next government is Liberal; They will also see your money as their own. John Forrest, Annandale

Parnell Palme McGuinness notes: “Treasurer Jim Chalmers presented a truly anti-capitalist budget.” Definitely. May I ask Parnell to review a few basic facts? Facts such as low wage growth over the last 10 years. Like the boom in the stock market during the same period. Like the increase in housing prices and CPI. So can he explain how those who earn income through labor should not be preferred over those who earn income through investment? Neville Turbit, Russell Lea

McGuinness’ weekly column is often worth reading, but he toes the Liberal Party line on Labor’s 2026 budget. His rant against eliminating negative gearing fails to mention that it will continue to be available for new builds. Christ no. Michael Britt, MacMasters Beach

Life is a beach

Fortunately for many Sydneysiders, there are plenty of beaches with coffee shops, takeaways and restaurants just an hour’s drive south, away from large crowds and traffic jams. (“’Beaches should be free’: Debate breaks out over municipality’s paid parking plan”, 17 May). Even the locals are more welcoming and willing to share the beach, ocean pools, and playgrounds alike. Locals have access the rest of the week. But leave your footprint when you set out. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer

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