Bill Shorten’s concepts on universities’ future are a blended bag

In his name to revise the construction of college levels, Bill Shorten comes perilously near defining universities as our bodies whose prime operate is to supply vocational abilities (“Revise levels, says Shorten, future is expert”, September 20). This is just one factor they do and never an important. Among different issues he proposed that some universities have a chief emphasis on educating. This was exactly the system we had when there have been Colleges of Advanced Education, which centered on educating, and universities with a special core operate. But within the late Nineteen Eighties and early Nineteen Nineties, CAEs have been transformed into universities. Shorten is in impact calling for a return to the earlier system, and the proposal has some advantage. Less defensible is the notion that universities ought to function quick skill-based programs to cater for present demand by business. This is exactly the type of factor “tech” did nicely till the technical training system was successfully gutted. It is that this greater than something that has produced the necessity to get expert staff from abroad. Revival of technical training and a two-tier construction of tertiary establishments are higher insurance policies than turning all universities into our bodies which are more likely to change into universities in title solely. Greg McCarry, Epping

Bill Shorten’s dialogue on the present monetary plight dealing with universities was, I believed, revolutionary and, as Sir Humphrey would say, “courageous”, with no probability of universities collectively agreeing with something he recommended. In my view, he omitted one vital restructure that may give credence to his concept: to look at the necessity for 5 universities that exist in Canberra, particularly since there are at the least one other eight inside what is perhaps considered Canberra’s “catchment space”. With Shorten’s most up-to-date expertise of fine-tuning and eliminating waste within the NDIS (which some would agree was profitable), I feel he’s the best particular person to guide the cost. Many would add “good luck with that”. Les Sisley, Kelso

Present college levels might not meet Australia’s required efficiency indicators. Shorter {qualifications} could also be helpful in imparting restricted areas of data and abilities. However, skilled cognitive self-discipline and associated conceptual skills are derived from a breadth of training. Shorten could also be suggesting the roots of the United States’ ideological drawback. There, of just about 4800 universities, solely 187 meet the “R1, Very excessive analysis exercise” classification. More than 55 per cent largely supply the two-year vocational-centric certificates that Shorten is proposing. Stephen Heydt, The Gap (Qld)

Genocide allegations

Jamie Hyams (Letters, September 20) means that “Australia has no obligation to behave in opposition to Israel”. Further, that “the genocide allegation doesn’t stack up anyway”. His want that this was so could also be comprehensible however is at stark odds with info reported by Israel’s oldest newspaper, Haaretz, on September 18. Focusing on the ladies (and their youngsters) primarily, the notion of “secure zones” – missing probably the most primary amenities to maintain life – have to be challenged. “There are 1.06 million girls within the Gaza Strip, 14,000 of whom have change into the only real breadwinners of their household items. Gaza’s Health Ministry reported that 19 per cent of the greater than 60,000 useless are girls … While all Palestinians in Gaza City face hardship, girls carry further burdens [of physical violence, privacy and hygiene as well as nutrition, and] should cope with these challenges anew with every displacement.” Stephanie Dowrick, Pyrmont

Jamie Hyams fails to know the excellence between the chance of genocide and the authorized discovering of genocide. The president of the International Court of Justice is just not going to compromise any future trials by deciding upfront the plausibility of the genocide declare. On the opposite hand, the plausibility of the Palestinians’ proper to be protected against genocide exhibits genocide is a related allegation. Mark Porter, New Lambton

Jamie Hyams tells us that Israel is just not committing genocide as a result of it warns residents to get out of areas about to be bombed, and he states that Israel evacuates the individuals of Gaza to secure zones away from the combating. I’ve seen footage of Palestinians fleeing areas after being informed to take action, very lots of them, totally on foot, some even in wheelchairs, and generally piled on vehicles, donkey carts and the like, however I appear to have missed footage of them being transported to security by any Israeli car. Gay O’Connor, Manly

Perhaps Jamie Hyams, together with different members of the Australia/Israel & Jewish Affairs Council, might discover a strategy to get into Gaza City and, when the warning leaflets rain down ordering evacuation, they might then inform us simply how simple it’s to hold out such orders, and the place precisely do they discover any sheltered areas that might be secure and freed from IDF bombardment? John Boutagy, Mosman

At warfare with local weather

Our two-party Westminster system of presidency is woefully unsuited to the motion required by the Climate Risk Assessment Report (“Degrees of Difficulty”, September 20). Finding one dissenting scientist, as Matt Canavan does, or petty point-scoring from Opposition Leader Sussan Ley does nothing to even recognise the gravity of the local weather hazard we’re all in. The local weather is just not negotiating – it’s at warfare with us. What’s required on this explicit concern is a warfare cupboard: all-in, shoulder to the wheel, a co-ordinated entire of group effort to drastically cut back our carbon emissions and preserve international heating to 1.5 levels above 2005 ranges. As in World War II, there are solely two decisions right here: victory or annihilation. Politicians, which one is it to be? Sue Young, Bensville

Remarkable, isn’t it? Despite the Coalition nonetheless badly lagging within the opinion polls greater than 4 months after the May 3 federal election, and with a number of surveys displaying that between 60 and 80 per cent of Australian voters settle for that local weather change is attributable to people, the federal opposition nonetheless has MPs and senators inside its ranks actively campaigning in opposition to the dedication to retain internet zero emissions by 2050. Eric Palm, Gympie (Qld)

It is the opposition’s function to carry the federal government to account for its insurance policies. Before the opposition will get too essential of the federal government’s local weather actions, they need to supply the voters a reputable coverage first. There is not any level criticising in the event that they refuse to acknowledge the science. Peng Ee, Castle Cove

Power imbalance

Thank you, Peter Hartcher (“US Democrat frontrunner’s dire warning on rhetoric”, September 20) for one of the best purpose to perpetually favour a constitutional monarchy for Australia. A republic with a president has no opposition chief per se to average the elected president and be a pacesetter in ready, on the whim of the voters, in fact. Nothing appears to have the ability to examine the ambition and energy of the incumbent president – not the Congress, not the courts, nothing and nobody. We have seen this play out earlier than. Tinpot dictators could be ignored, however it didn’t finish nicely for the entire world when main energy dictators have been concerned up to now. Peter Kamenyitzky, Castle Hill

Peter Hartcher quotes California Governor Gavin Newsom saying that Trump doesn’t need one other election. I agree this appears the trajectory of his actions. I ponder, although, with solely 60 per cent of Americans voting, whether or not almost half the eligible voters is not going to discover. I’m proud of the AEC, obligatory and preferential voting. Jim Martin, Narooma

Cold-hearted choices value lives

Our authorities has let Australians down (“Three useless in Optus Triple Zero outage”, September 20). We preserve getting hacks into delicate databases of personal info and upgrades that go mistaken. Why? Because the methods are underfunded. Why? Because the penalty for being hacked or having a service disruption is way lower than the price of doing the safety or the replace securely and efficiently. The likes of Optus make a cold-blooded enterprise resolution to spend the minimal on information safety and system upgrades as a result of the penalties are so low. The authorities can cease this instantly, legislate to make chief executives criminally chargeable for information hacks or system breakdowns and jail them when it goes mistaken, then tremendous the corporate, let’s say, 50 per cent of that 12 months’s income and confiscate govt bonuses to compensate affected people. I communicate from expertise. Thirty years in the past, I used to be liable for the then largest database of non-public info in Australia. That system has by no means been hacked, and our updates have been all the time profitable, as a result of the chief govt and executives insisted that safety and updates be totally deliberate and correctly funded. Let’s cease these organisations from dodging their duties. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach

Those who died have been sacrificial lambs to capitalist greed and conservative governments’ coverage of privatisation. Would this have occurred if telecommunications have been nonetheless government-owned and operated? I feel not. If solely we had an actual Labor Party that may put a cease to this madness, wind again the tide of privatisation and put the “frequent” again into Commonwealth. Ryszard Linkiewicz, Woolooware

Engaging the least-cost supplier to keep up infrastructure that’s essential to the nation, such because the telecommunications community, is dangerous. The threat compounds when the “offshore” part can’t be successfully managed as a result of cost-cutting has extinguished native, deep technical experience which ought to oversee the outsourcer’s work. Graham Hansen, Denistone

This is a tragedy that would have been averted by strengthening the emergency quantity methods, and offering real-time accessibility to the closest cell community, whatever the caller’s service. Given the technological developments to this point, absolutely Australia can construct a strong system that gives certainty. Allan Gibson OAM, Cherrybrook

There is an extended checklist of well being and care providers that ought to all the time be offered by the federal government, not a non-public enterprise. Clearly entry to emergency calls ought to prime the checklist. Don Firth, Wooli

Uplifting checklist of loves

After trawling by means of pages of worldwide disasters and ongoing anguish, it was such a reduction to learn Julia Baird’s life-affirming essay on the price of life (“The little issues I really like? Here’s my checklist”, September 20). It triggered an internal response of my very own checklist, and it introduced a lot pleasure turning the highlight away from negativity to positivity. I, too, love the preliminary sip of that first morning cuppa with the welcoming aroma of toast within the air, because the cat meows for breakfast. The magic of first gentle as a brand new day dawns. The stroll to the village as early morning risers line up for a espresso begin. New shoots and buds forming within the backyard make for a welcoming signal {that a} new season will convey rewarding outcomes. I really like the kookaburra refrain that echoes throughout our Kiama Valley throughout the night glad hour. l love the hushed anticipation, because the lights dim within the theatre. I really like the joy and reduction of the ultimate passport examine as one braces for an extended anticipated vacation. All of the above illustrate, that aside from the traumas of ongoing wars and variations of political beliefs, the straightforward moments of our personal lives, simply should be recognised and celebrated for all their value. Greg Vale, Kiama

I really like no matter Julia Baird writes. Judith Fleming, Sawtell

Thank you, Julia Baird in your checklist of stuff you love. A reminder that in a world the place a lot darkness exists immediately, there’s nonetheless a lot pleasure and wonder. Ruth Magoffin, Cheltenham

Love your checklist, Julia. I learn it with a drippy nostril that I blew with my Dad’s outdated hanky that was stuffed up my sleeve. Loved your checklist a lot I simply needed to write a letter. Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay

I cherished Julia Baird’s little issues she loves, however I used to be shocked that there was no music. My checklist would come with JS Bach’s Cantata 147, “Jesu, pleasure of man’s needing”. Andrew Macintosh, Cromer

What’s to not like about Julia Baird’s fantastic checklist of issues she loves, particularly if it contains the dung beetle? She’s not the primary to put in writing down an arbitrary checklist of such incidental blessings. More than a millennium in the past, about 990, a Japanese lady remembered as Sei Shonogan wrote down her “issues that quicken the guts”, reminiscent of “passing a spot the place infants are enjoying”. Thanks, Julia, for reminding us in these darkish instances that nothing joyful is trivial. Philip Bell, Bronte

I really like the truth that Julia Baird loves newspaper letter writers. As for me, I really like lime milkshakes, the purring of my cat on my pillow, John Denver music, nice sporting moments, hitting a profitable shot in pickleball and the surprise of magic. I additionally love the affected person and long-suffering Michele Peak. Phil Peak, Dubbo

The worms’ flip

It is unhappy to learn in regards to the natural waste drawback in Bali (“Koster dwelling disaster: Governor’s new coverage buries Bali in luggage of garbage”, September 20). Perhaps composting is an answer? Not a lot area is required for 2 compost bins to course of natural waste. Add some worms to optimise the decomposition and the system produces a unbelievable soil enhancer. Digging the bin into the earth a number of centimetres and wrapping the bottom with mouse mesh stops rodents from invading. Anaerobic (no holes) design works greatest, particularly if the compost is turned weekly. All our natural waste goes into the compost bin and after recycling glass, plastic, paper and metallic, there’s solely a sandwich bag of non-organic waste for the pink bin each week. Josephine Grieve, Bronte

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