Parliament's response to released detainees was over the top

Data from the ABS shows that an average of over 90 prisoners who have served their time or are on parole are released into the community around Australia every day. Many of these are hardened criminals who have committed serious crimes. A lot of prisoners would fail any good character test.

The police and judicial system enable us to cope with those 90 prisoners released every day without requiring restrictive conditions that inhibit their employment or movement.

Also, the cost to monitor special conditions imposed on the 93 released could be considerable and will be borne by the community. And the High Court may not approve of Australian citizens being treated far more gently than non-citizens for the same offences.

If you are the victim of a crime, you generally don't care what their citizenship status is, only that the law will protect you and suitably punish them. This imposition of severe restrictions on persons who have done their time seems like a huge overkill.

The Canberra Times reports the Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neill said she was advised by her department that the government would win the High Court case that ruled against indefinite detention of asylum seekers ("Home Affairs advised 'we would win': Clare O'Neil", November 20).

Earlier in the year it appeared that the only advice whether the "robodebt" Cabinet submission required legislation came from the line department.

As a former head of the Office of General Counsel I wonder what has happened to the role of the Office of General Counsel which was once the source of advice to government on constitutional law and whether proposals in Cabinet submissions required legislation?

Mr Seselja wants to fight against the "woke" indoctrination' of our kids.

Using words that have a rather flexible interpretation is risky. The origin of the word "woke" is African American slang. It has evolved into a politically pejorative and ill-defined term intended to mean excessively left-wing.

The Merriam Webster dictionary defines the meaning as "aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)".

If I had to choose between having Australian kids educated as "aware of and actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)," or, for example, "ignorant, arrogant and bigoted" the choice is a true no-brainer.

If Mr Seselja had been a bit more "woke" when he was a senator he might still be one.

I note the federal government has made a big noise about increasing Medicare payments to GP practices to encourage a return to bulk billing.

I have not seen any evidence of the alleged effect at any of the several GP practices my family attend. A 15-minute consult costs $108 up front and now going to the practice nurse costs $30 a time.

No relief. Just more out of pocket. I thought the Commonwealth paid the wages of the practice nurses so I'm unclear why a new charge. Has the Commonwealth stopped funding the positions?

Alternatively is there another reason such as greedy practice owners or is it territory government payroll taxes?

Maybe somebody could take responsibility and explain. For example, the federal Health Minister, the AMA President or the ACT Treasurer.

David Polkinghorne ("Pitch doctoring is cheating - even at the Cricket World Cup", November 19) suggests that the Indian cricket team had an unfair advantage by asking curators to prepare turning pitches "to suit your own team".

Leaving aside the fact that pitches in India have been dry, dusty "turners" for as long as I have been following the game, and visiting teams never arrive expecting to play on "green tops", this would appear to be a particularly inefficient method of cheating.

Analysis of the bowling returns up to, but not including the final, show that of the top-10 wicket takers in the tournament, seven were fast or medium pace bowlers. The leading Indian spin bowler was Ravindra Jadeja who took 16 wickets in 10 matches making him eighth in the list of wicket takers. He was the only Indian spinner in the top 10.

In contrast, the top wicket taker for the tournament was the Indian fast bowler Mohammad Shami who, in only six matches took 23 wickets.

The Australian spinner Adam Zampa was able to take advantage of the pitches prepared for the benefit of the "cheating" Indian team by taking 22 wickets, placing him second on the list.

David is generally correct in asserting that Australian pitches are usually predictable in the way they are prepared in Australian conditions.

Indian pitches are prepared in sub-continental conditions and in my experience are equally predictable.

It's a pity David Roberts didn't check all his facts before just repeating some of the one-sided propaganda he's used in his criticism of Israel over Gaza (Letters, November 20).

If he had he would have realized that Gaza has two recognised borders; one with Israel and the other with Egypt. Israel does not "control everything that goes in and out".

He would have also realised that thousands of Gaza residents used to cross the border every day into Israel to work before October 7; so much for a "open air prison".

And, of course, there have been no Israeli settlements in Gaza for almost 20 years.

Mr Roberts is free to criticise Israel, just as I'm free to remind him "freedom fighters" do not kill babies or rape and mutilate women.

His suggestion that those Hamas butchers are anything other than terrorists is ridiculous to the point of absurdity.

There is heroism in the catastrophe unleashed in Southern Israel and Gaza. But it's not evident in the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades who outrageously killed hundreds of Israeli civilians. Nor in Hamas's leadership, in Qatar, devoid of morality and politics.

Nor is it among IDF pilots whose uncontested control of the skies allows them to kill thousands of women and children.

Nor in Netanyahu, and the extremists whose puppet he is. Nor in the governments of the US, the UK, Europe or Australia.

The heroism is to be found in the anguished families of the kidnapped who have challenged Netanyahu's war that re-imperils the hostages and in the thousands of Israelis who've faced police to condemn Netanyahu.

It is also to be found in the ordinary Palestinians whose bare hands rescue bloodied women and children from concrete rubble' and in the Palestinian doctors and nurses, and UN workers, desperately trying to save lives.

The civilised world is stunned by the cowardice of the powerful, and weeps for the courage of the powerless. This inferno must end now.

On November 16 the Chancellery of the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem issued an "urgent communique" stating it is under "possibly the greatest existential threat" since its founding in the fourth century.

The communique stated this threat "extends to all of the Christian communities of Jerusalem".

It comes from Jewish settlers who are destroying property and engaging in unlawful occupation.

The communiqué claims the Christian presence in Jerusalem and the Holy Land is endangered.

How come Christian interests in the United States or Peter Dutton MP so wholeheartedly support the Jewish government?

With the current warfare in the old territory of Palestine, it is about time the term anti-Semitic be abandoned.

There are 330 million Semitic language speakers in the world. Of these only eight million are Jews.

The term was first used in 1860 in Austria where the only Semitic language speakers were Jews.

Now we have anti-Judaism which is to be against religious Jews and anti-Zionism which opposes the proposition that there should be a Jewish homeland. The real anti-Semites are the Zionists who hate Muslims.

The war must end now. We must stop insulting each other. Peace be upon you is my cry.

Letters in Thursday's The Canberra Times (November 16) pointed out Australians like Pauline Hanson are free to publish opinions. One letter, ironically, pointed out that Australians like David McBride are not free to publish facts.

Thank you, Michael Kennedy (Letters, November 16). I agree. We are meant to be the "Bush Capital" not a cramped metropolis.

A recent article stated "this year marks 30 years since US President Bill Clinton hosted the first APEC leaders' meeting at Blake Island Washington". Wrong. The first APEC meeting was held in Canberra in 1989 at the Hyatt Hotel. APEC evolved under the direction of Bob Hawke and Gareth Evans.

So Albanese is off on yet another flight from Australia. He would be much better employed staying at home and trying to find all those wonderful economic plans he boasted about during the election campaign but has since misplaced. Still waiting.

History teaches us that war is a cost of living.

I am so pleased that Skywhale and Skywhalepapa survived their tour of regional Australia. I was worried they might have had an unpleasant encounter with a windfarm.

Bill Deane and others (Letters, November 16) suggest Senator Hanson thinks. There is a difference between a thought and a knee-jerk reaction.

Wow. Eric Hunter (Letters, November 20) owns two dictionaries. And both define the word opinion. Great. But what's that got to do with freedom of speech?

Cricket, a great game spoiled by mind-numbingly dumb commentary. Richie must be spinning.

It's about time the US sent in the special forces to take out the rampaging pathological West Bank settlers.

David McBride guilty? The Australians who actually committed war crimes in Afghanistan must be celebrating. "Got the bastard, mate". Disgusting.

To the people of Queanbeyan re Zed Seselja's move to Queanbeyan from Canberra: your loss is our gain.

Politicians might propose and pass legislation but the judiciary determines legality.