Letters to the Editor: Declining education levels in need of reversal

It's great to read stories about how dedicated individuals with help from their school can overcome such disadvantages and achieve an opportunity to attend university.

There are two sides to every coin and I am left to wonder what Ms Peate's ATAR score would have been if she had attended nearby Erindale College instead of Canberra Girls Grammar?

The article's corresponding table, showed Erindale College had just 45 per cent of students reaching the ATAR=65 benchmark. Other government colleges such as Narrabundah and Dickson met the benchmark for more than 80 per cent of their students.

What an eye-popping difference in performance scores between the schools.

These results continue to highlight a huge disparity in the performance of public schools in Tuggeranong when compared with schools across most of Canberra. This performance disparity is confirmed in NAPLAN and PISA testing, as well as in the excellent Education Inequality in Australia report mentioned in Rosemary Follett's article.

Tuggeranong schools have performed increasingly worse over the past decade and both the ACT government and Education Department continue to trot out the same old arguments and the same old strategies when promising to improve Tuggeranong results.

It's time the minister accepted that the sliding student performance of Tuggeranong schools is not satisfactory for a city like Canberra.

It's time for ACT Labor to address the slide they have overseen and properly fund Tuggeranong schools with the best teachers and the best available resources. Let's give other Tuggeranong students the same educational opportunities as Lulu.

Brendan Halloran, Wanniassa

Canberra's effluent monitoring research suggest its micro-organism population are so "flush" with drug metabolites they should be the most relaxed, happiest, pain-free and disinhibited in Australia ("Sewage testing shows drug use rife in capital", Canberra Times, December 14, p2). However, the effluent should carry alcohol and nicotine health warnings.

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW

The decision by the World Bank to deny funding to oil and gas developments is to be applauded.

It will send a strong market signal to other financiers and may even reduce some future carbon emissions.

But there must be complementary action to develop other sources of power. We need more research on cheaper means of producing hydrogen and more development of renewable energy sources, wind, solar, tidal, and biofuels.

Together they are the future.

Our governments must do more. Already there is so much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that the stratosphere is cooling and the troposphere is warming. So far, compared with overseas initiatives, our governments have done little to boost electric vehicle numbers.

This is the next challenge and may help ensuring a decent future for our grandchildren.

Chris Warren, Aranda

Mr Trump recently tweeted, "Also, I seldom, if ever, watch CNN or MSNBC, both of which I consider Fake News. I never watch Don Lemon, who I once called the 'dumbest man on television!' Bad Reporting."

I happen to watch both men religiously on television and I can confirm in absolute terms that Mr Trump, not Mr Lemon, is the dumbest man on television and on earth (no offence).

Mokhles k Sidden, South Strathfield, NSW

The artwork outside the Premier Youthworks headquarters in Newcastle ("Homes company seeking non-profit status to stay private", December 14, p13) strongly references a Keith Haring piece which is readily accessible online.

Keith was a New York artist who blossomed in the 1980s, with an approach to public art that preceded that of Banksy.

Keith died from AIDS complications in 1990, aged 31.

Before his death, he established the Keith Haring Foundation "to preserve and exhibit his artwork" and "to provide support to not-for-profit organisations that assist children". "The Keith Haring Studio owns the international copyright to all artwork created by Keith Haring, and his artwork may not be reproduced in any way without express written permission from the Haring Studio," says the Keith Haring Foundation's website.

Did the for-profit Premier Youthworks company seek copyright permission?

Ann Smith, Curtin

The industry push for the uptake of driverless vehicles makes me somewhat apprehensive about their long-term reliability when correlated with the excessive degree of danger we, as inert passengers, will face.

All users of computers will be aware of the many times that digital technology can go inexplicably wrong, but the risk factors for its users are very low and time is not critical to safety.

Driverless vehicles, however, have a very high reliance on computer technology, which will be subject to constant vibration, corrosive and dirty atmospheres, compounded by passive passengers whose technological skills will be completely inadequate to correct faults.

The danger factor in which time can be a critical factor will be potentially extremely high.

So far, I have seen no discussion of these very serious possibilities in the media.

Could we have some enlightenment, please?

Surely, some guide to general reactive behaviour when faced by failure on the road will need to be published by the industry or government?

Derek Wrigley, Mawson

I see that Donald Trump nowwants NASA to get astronautsback onto themoon, and eventually toMars, at the expense ofNASA's valuable work in thestudy of Earth ("NASA told to aim for Mars", December 13, p19).

In short, Trump would drop NASA's very valuable work on, for example, satellite measurements of ocean and land surface temperatures, Arctic and Antarctic ice areas, and the compilation of data related to global warming.

Could it be that Trump isn't interested in global warming and/or thinks that the populace in general shouldn't be, and wants our attention diverted to "spectacles" like more moon landings, a construction of a lunar base, and ultimately a manned landing in Mars?

This strikes me as fiddling while Rome burns, but on the scale of a solar system.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

In a perfect world, the old dinosaurs currently in government have been put out to pasture.

Replaced with bright new young "intelligent" people.

Workers are paid a fair wage and the economy is on the up.

People have money to spend, more tax is collected, more goods are produced and in demand. Subsidies and tax cuts to big business are done away with, and they are forced to pay a fair tax on profits.

A new concept is introduced: public servants advise governments, outsourcing and lobbyists are banned.

Penny Wong is PM and Jacqui Lambie is her deputy.

Oh what a wonderful world.

A. Mutch, Nicholls

Mr Benwell from the Monarchist League really shows his naivety in his most recent letter (Letters, December 15).

Politics in Western democracies is, and always will be, adversarial because it is about the struggle for power.

Party politics is the semi-civilised alternative to civil war; and to dictatorships, absolute monarchies, and one-party states, where the struggle is hidden behind closed doors and the public is excluded. It is delusional to deny the age-old struggle between vested interests.

Adversarial politics is here to stay. One can only try to manage it and minimise harm.

In this regard Mr Benwell is also delusional in believing that Australia is "saved" from the consequences of the adversarial system "because our constitution is insulated from political control by the Crown, and our politicians swear allegiance to the Crown and through the Crown to the people".

For centuries now, the monarchy has been powerless in influencing realpolitik.

We don't need it here. Our stability, success and prosperity are all our own work.

J. Adamson, Flynn

I'm not convinced that Eric Hunter (Letters, December 13) has thoroughly considered the potential ramifications of introducing a "constitutionally guaranteed Indigenous 'voice' to Parliament".

It would either be just an advisory body, political but with no more power than the offices and commissions that have preceded it, or it would be both political and undemocratic, and have the power to delay or even veto any legislation after its improbable passage through both houses of our already dysfunctional and unrepresentative Parliament.

It wouldn't, however, solve any problems. The most important step in raising the living standards, life expectancy and opportunities available to those facing the worst disadvantage is scrapping the restricted access of everyday Australians to much of central Australia.

I'm very fortunate to have visited many Aboriginal communities within these restricted areas on multiple occasions with the late Phillip Toyne.

If the average citizen could see some of the things I've seen and realise that, despite our nation's affluence, there really are pockets of our society that wouldn't seem out of place in an African country ravaged by famine and civil war, the political will to enact meaningful reform would materialise almost overnight.

James Allan, Narrabundah

Eric Hunter (Letters, December 13) doesn't fill me with confidence when he assures readers that the Indigenous "voice" can't morph into a "third level of government" because Noel Pearson says it is up to government to work out the details of its structure and functions.

Where's the rigour of thought?

The lack of detail alone condemns it.

What Hunter fails to see is the profound difference between an advisory body and an elected body enfranchised on a racial basis enshrined in our foundation document — the Australian Constitution.

The grotesque legal and political consequences of this folly don't bear thinking about.

Peter Robinson, Ainslie

Contrary to Jack Wiles' viewpoint (Letters, December 14) dual (or multiple) citizenship is a beneficial issue and not something to be disparaged. Even the more socially backward nations have recognised and adopted the concept — even the US has been dragged into the 21st century by the US Supreme Court ruling that the ban on dual citizenship was unconstitutional.

Citizenship as a loyalty issue was relevant in past centuries such as in the ancient Greek cities which were often at war with each other; in the 19th century countries were at war and nationality had significance but in the 20th and 21st century our loyalties are to a way of life or ideology.

For loyalty purposes we are part of Western culture, not just to a single country.

My dual citizenship allows me to avoid bureaucratic obstacles should I wish to have a long holiday or work in my other country and this applies to my children too.

I am as good an Australian as anyone whether born here or not — remember I chose to be a citizen.

When the Constitution was written there was no Australian citizenship — all were either British subjects or subjects of another nation and thus the requirements of S44 would be met by being a citizen of a Commonwealth country but not a foreign power.

Perhaps, if the High Court has rewritten the Constitution, without a referendum, we should have a referendum to change it back to its original meaning.

Michael Lane, St Ives, NSW

Jack Wiles (Letters, December 14) opposes any amendment to Section 44 of the Australian Constitution and that, consequently, federal MPs should renounce any other citizenship to which they may be entitled.

He also proposes that migrants should renounce all other citizenships before being allowed to become Australian citizens. The basis of his argument appears to be that dual citizens cannot be as loyal as non-dual citizens.

This is a fallacy. Britain's four most notorious spies, Burgess, Philby, MacLean, and Blunt, all had their paperwork intact but worked against their own country for decades. Guy Burgess, for instance, came from a family that could trace its British origins back to 1592.

Those standing for Parliament should be judged on the qualities they bring to the office not their gender, colour, race, religion or place of birth.

Mike Reddy, Curtin

You say the ANU's new skymap ("New Atlas for southern stargazers", December 15, p2) includes "images of black holes that glow as they compress and destroy stars".

Great, does that mean we can finally see where our taxes have been going for all of these years?

M. Moore, Bonython

PICTURE IMPERFECT

A question, Andrew Barr. Given the "secretive" police escort arrival of the first Light Rail carriage into Canberra, why was it necessary for the ACT taxpayers to fund your recent $74,000 junket to Spain. The reason? To have a "look-at-me" selfie taken, posing in front of the same carriage. Even more amazing that Rattenbury and Fitzharris A!didn't tag along.

Heather McMillan, Greenway

AY CATRAMBA!

I assume cost or some other factor may have been the reason the ACT chose to buy the red trams made in Spain. Melbourne is building dozens of E class trams with only the electric motor imported from Germany. Please "exSpain".

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, Vic

LET US SPRAY

Graffiti already – the anti-tram mob don't waste time.

Mike Black, Lyneham

MARRIAGE AND MEANING

Roger Quarterman (Letters, December 15) rightly says that "husband" and "wife" are gender-specific. He incorrectly says that they are "explicitly heterosexual". A husband is a male spouse and a wife is a female spouse, full stop. Now that we have finally finished the decision process on marriage in Australia, let's accept the new norm as normal.

John M. Schmidt, Monash

DUTTON AS STOCKING FILLER

All I want for Christmas is for Minister Dutton to spend a few nights on Manus Island and be treated to what the refugees were given.

Holly Berry, Kangelani, NSW