Empathy and ethics are more important than ever these days

Peter Hartcher’s call to “wise up” after the assault on Helen Haines MP demands action, not just outrage (“How to save us from ourselves”, October 24). Let’s start in our schools. Rather than religious instruction, prioritise ethics education — teaching empathy, respect, critical thinking and how to disagree without hatred. We cannot legislate compassion but we can teach it. Our democracy depends on it. Roz Townsend, Queanbeyan East

Mental illness and a breakdown in respect to people serving the public has been around for several decades. In 1983, at the Redfern branch of the Social Security department, we experienced an upsurge in verbal abuse from people having problems getting urgent welfare payments. They were a mixture of being homeless and mentally ill. Several of these people had been released from psychiatric hospitals thanks to the Richmond report that had recommended it, but on the proviso they also be assisted by community health centres, of which there were too few and even fewer resources to cater for everyone. On one occasion, when most of our office took strike action for more staff to assist the increasing number of claimants, we had a homeless man who thought he’d help our cause by making and throwing a Molotov cocktail through the front window. Luckily, he was tackled before he had time to chuck it. Soon after that, our office became the first in the department to get a permanent security guard stationed. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

In 1946, the German-Swiss psychiatrist and philosopher Karl Jaspers wrote.
“Let us learn to talk to one another. That is, let us not merely repeat our opinion, but hear what the other person thinks. Let us not only assert, but reflect in context, listen for reasons, remain prepared to reach new insight. Let us inwardly attempt to assume the position of the other. ” While these words were intended for a country facing internal conflict and fragmentation brought about by World War II, Jaspers’ lessons deserve to be learned by all of us and are as relevant today as they were 80 years ago. Colin Beszant, Moss Vale

Let’s not waste this horrendous attack on Helen Haines; let us fund mental health services adequately. I also suggest we have a national “one hour of no social media” day. Like Earth Hour, people agree to turn off their devices and play a board game. Maybe someone could invent the kindness game? I’d buy that. Janet France, Northbridge

Peter Hartcher calls for our politicians to reach across the aisle in the spirit of bipartisanship to bring healing to our bitterly divided nation. But beyond the hallowed walls of federal parliament, Hartcher claims that while we share in both the pleasures and pains of the same country, we can all contribute to improving it in this dire moment. In other words, the responsibility of what happened to Helen Haines falls to us all – violence is not only rising against our politicians at an alarming rate, it is rising against our ambulance paramedics, our teachers and among ourselves in the privacy of our own homes. Indeed, the sooner we place the infinite worth of our common humanity above all else, the sooner will such violence that was directed at Helen Haines no longer be a deadly scourge upon our fragile democracy. Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT)

Stop the bullies
Julia Baird (“From Queen Victoria to Lambie and Haines, the unspeakable pain women are expected to endure”, October 24) writes of “our long history of insisting that women quietly endure”, of the society’s general dismissal of women’s pain. Writing on political violence, Allegra Spender notes that, “It’s not just politicians who are abused and in danger – it’s teachers, nurses, supermarket workers”. Indeed, the most abused professions are documented to have mainly female workforces. Melbourne psychologist Evelyn Field OAM, who specialises in bullying, has described “the so-called caring professions as bullying hotbeds: teachers, nurses, social workers, doctors, welfare workers”. Yet there has been no effective government or other action to remediate this pattern. The law and codes of conduct can say one thing while, in practice, the opposite can occur, with empowered perpetrators being protected while voiceless victims bear the brunt of injustice. The broken windows theory contends that unless damage is promptly repaired, those responsible will be emboldened and further vandalistic destruction may well follow. Similarly, the failure to take strong action against bullying and harassment across society, especially in sectors with mainly female workforces, is surely a key factor in more extreme manifestations arising. Barbara Chapman, South Yarra (Vic)

WSI back-stories

I dispute Mike Mrdak’s account of the decision to build Western Sydney International Airport (″⁣Time, turbulence, take-off: city’s new airport finally lands″⁣, October 24). Mrdak, then secretary of the infrastructure department, says Sydney Airport’s rejection of the Commonwealth’s offer in May 2017 surprised him and prompted him to suggest the government build the airport itself. However, as late as February 2016, his department recommended Sydney Airport receive a massive subsidy, including a $4 billion, low-interest, 40-year soft loan and cost-overrun indemnities. I was appalled: the Commonwealth would take most of the risk, own none of it, and Sydney would have two airports that are owned by one company. So, with Paul Fletcher, we devised a zero-subsidy offer Sydney Airport was sure to reject. In November 2016, Cabinet approved that offer and decided the Commonwealth would build the airport itself through a new company, WSA Co. Sydney Airport’s rejection was expected, and the government immediately announced it would proceed. Malcolm Turnbull, former prime minister

In my opinion, having led the airport planning, engineering and environmental consulting team for the joint Commonwealth/state “Sydney Regional Aviation Capacity Study” (SRACS) under the overall leadership of the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development starting in 2010, Western Sydney Airport stands as the finest example of bipartisan political cooperation seen in Australia in many a year. Before 2010, both the Labor and Coalition had disavowed the site that had been acquired at Badgerys Creek and said there would never be an airport there. Why? In my opinion, they both wanted to win the seat of Lindsay. SRACS was completed under Anthony Albanese, then a minister, and the Labor government, which then lost the treasury benches. To their great credit, the incoming Coalition government adopted the findings of the SRACS – unlike so many incoming governments, it did not start all over again or shelve it, but proceeded straight to the next stage of the masterplan and business case. And local government, the unions, the industry and the general populous all got on board. When the Coalition government later stepped up and took the development risk after Sydney Airport Corp decided to not exercise its right of first refusal to develop WSA, it became unstoppable. It is a textbook example of how a nationally important infrastructure project should proceed. There is a certain irony that it will be Albanese who finally cuts the ribbon as prime minister, but there should also be the hands of former PMs Tony Abbott and Malcolm Turnbull on the scissors. May there be many more nationally significant infrastructure projects which follow WSA’s lead. Peter Thornton, Killara

Coalition cash furphy at play

Your article identifying the huge blowout in the cost of Snowy 2.0 (Letters, October 24) certainly brings into question the Coalition’s claim to be the “good money managers”, especially when pandemic disaster payments and the AUKUS deal are considered. Some $20 billion wasted on payments during COVID, a blowout from Malcolm Turnbull’s original captain’s call for Snowy 2.0 of $2 billion to $25 billion and counting, and Scott Morrison’s captain’s call on AUKUS, which included $835 million in compensation to France and an initial $380 billion price tag with no certainty we will ever receive a submarine and the potential for a horrendous cost blowout before any contract fulfilment. It makes me wonder what those not so proficient in money management would do. Bob Cameron, Coffs Harbour

The Snowy Hydro 2.0 project admittedly hasn’t been ideal. Certainly, too much politics from both sides is affecting progress. In 10 years’ time, though, $25 billion will look like a bargain to Australia in terms of the benefits the scheme will bring to energy supply – even if it isn’t turned on until 2029. To put it in perspective, AUKUS submarines over a 30-year plan expects at least a $250 billion outlay. If the Snowy produced this level of “contingency” (ie $2 billion estimate in 2017), imagine how badly AUKUS costs could blow out. Ted Bush, North Epping

The previous Liberal-led government was going to build the Snowy Hydro 2.0 for $2 billion. The Herald reveals that the cost could actually now be $25 billion. The current Liberals should not drop their heads, though – at least it is not as bad as the other legacy project that they left for the current government, AUKUS, which has a current ceiling of $368 billion. And that assumes we actually get a submarine. Did anyone say “good money managers”? Joe Weller, Mittagong

Rioting localised

Your correspondent (Letters, October 24) says the last time he was in Paris, in 2005, he couldn’t get out quickly enough. As our daughter lives there, we visited every year from 1988 until we got too old after 2024. Our friends would read horrific reports of riots and email us to ask if we were all right, but we never saw anything, just people having a great time as it seemed to be confined to certain areas. So it is a pity your correspondent won’t visit that marvellous city ever again. Incidentally, in 1958, I was living in Notting Hill in London when my mother rang very concerned as in Australia she was reading of the Notting Hill riots. I hadn’t turned the radio on so knew nothing about them even though they were in the next street. Christine Stewart, Willoughby

Our lost realities

Saul Eslake and many letter writers (Letters, October 24) quickly reach for anonymity as the cause of heated rhetoric and assume that real names would fix it. One look at Facebook would disprove this (as Eslake acknowledges). The actual causes are more complex. Certainly, people are encouraged into alarming positions by their online communities. The trauma of COVID, still unacknowledged by our governments, drove many people into the arms of conspiracies and extremism. Not many Australians understand liberalism, the underlying philosophy of our democracy (if they did, One Nation wouldn’t be polling so high). It’s also popular to blame social media, which is not unfair. Social media, even at its best, is an onslaught of information, and we develop habits such as reflexive dismissal and doomscrolling in response. At its worst, social media delivers disinformation and manipulative algorithms. But neo-Nazis and harmful online groups such as “pro-anorexia” existed long before social media. I suspect the root cause lies elsewhere: the decline of “third places”, social spaces outside of work or home, starting in the 1980s. In Australia, churches and unions were the backbone of our democracy, as well as social groups such as the CWA, Rotary and Lions. Many of these institutions are shadows of their former selves, hollowed out by rising costs and hostile institutions. Most people get these needs met exclusively online; it is no surprise, then, that so many Australians lose touch with reality. This is particularly difficult for small communities such as Wangaratta. Matt Cramp, Epping

Cynical coal move

I feel it is inappropriate, and indeed morally wrong, that coal miner MACH Energy should be promoting its product in schools (“Coal, colouring-in and classrooms: Mine makes push into schools”, October 24). The obvious overall strategy is to increase the longer-term returns to its shareholders. Its parallel would be a fast-food chain adorning school noticeboards with posters promoting their products. And, apart from enhancing the prospects of the coal mining company, it is attempting to inculcate in young minds that production of fossil fuels is to be desired. To the contrary, being made aware that coal, oil and gas is part of the cycle that leads to global warming and its consequential catastrophes including increased wildfires, droughts, flooding and sea level rise should be the educational objective. Roger Epps, Armidale

Tobacco growing provides jobs. But we don’t give kids “find the cigarette” colouring sheets. Lesley Walker, Northcote (Vic)

Hollow Halloween

Do we really need to encourage the overconsumption of useless, plastic commodities that are on sale for this Halloween that will no doubt end up in landfill? To make matters worse, producing pumpkins that will end up thrown away is extremely wasteful. Patricia Nicol, Avalon Beach

Pink bus plus

Your correspondent (Letters, October 24) asks what happens to all the pink buses. I would like to think some of them will be returned to routes that our transport experts removed “to improve our service”. John Pick, Cremorne

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