I feel for Kathleen Parsons, 12 months is an eternity when you are in pain ("Waiting pain: life on hold in the queue for hip operation", Herald, 5/12). My mother's doctor sent in a request for her to be seen by a specialist at JHH when she was 83 or 84, after waiting on the "waiting to get on the waiting list" she finally got to see a specialist at the end of January this year where she was told she would be rushed through in three to four months.
Now, after relying on patients dying to reduce the waiting list, they (obviously after a large think tank on ways to reduce the waiting lists without providing medical services) are sending out "Do you want to remain on the waiting list" forms every three months ... coincidentally around school holidays.
The first of these mum received said the form must be returned by a date that was six days after it was received, which was 10 days after it was written, otherwise the patient must reapply and start at the bottom of the list. This has since been amended stating one more contact attempt would be made before removal. Mum turned 90 this year. I am fairly sure the next step in reducing the waiting list without providing medical treatment will be ... "Oh you are too old now ... you should have had it done five or six years ago".
HNEH is not just in crisis, it is terminally ill.
Owen Clarke, Swansea
Climate modelling a farce
As I've said many times, until China and India come on board to reduce emissions it is doomed for failure. This was no more evident than in the facts presented in the article "Carbon dioxide emissions increase, driven by China, India" (Herald, 6/12). In simple terms, China and India have increased their emissions massively and have no interest in what the rest of the world is doing. This doesn't mean we shouldn't try to reduce ours, but not to the detriment of our economy and living standards, which is the path being taken by the Labor government and, in particular, Chris Bowen.
Make this mob a one-term government before it's too late.
Tony Mansfield, Lambton
Comparing footprints
Climate denialists seem to have a cognitive problem, as in Darren Saxon wondering if a port blockade arrestee "took into account the carbon footprint of the protesters who travelled to and from the event" etc. ("Itemising blockade's cost", Letters, 6/12).
Yes Darren, we are very aware of that, but you know, we live in a society that largely runs on fossil fuels. Trying to change that is not hypocrisy. How would you suggest we act to change the energy mix without using energy? Individuals can't build grid-scale renewable generation and we can't influence the government by living naked in a cave eating insects, as you would seemingly have us do.
Meanwhile, you would find that most of the 2000 people who attended, including myself, greatly reduce their carbon footprints. You?
Michael Gormly, Islington
Real academic riches
What a pleasant surprise it was to see regular correspondent John Cooper criticising poorly researched and biased comments from media contributors ("Reasons for private option", Letters, 6/12). This was refreshing after his frequent opinions about The Voice, and division within the nation caused by the current PM.
His stated preference for independent schools lacks some important detail, mainly that 80 per cent of Commonwealth education funding goes to independent schools, and the remaining 20 per cent to the public system. Also that Australia is the only OECD country where this differential in funding exists between the two systems. The academic successes he refers to are not always evident in comparative results released after NAPLAN and the HSC.
It is important to realise that success does not necessarily follow King's sending the school headmaster first class to London to watch the school's rowing team, Scots building a mock castle where the library once stood, Newington trying to get itself out of the 18th century with co-education, or Riverview enclosing its spacious sporting fields.
Brian Collins, Kotara South
Hotline to timely lesson
I am too old for Santa. But I am pleased that he now has a telephone number. As a child I wrote a list and posted it to the North Pole. Does Santa have a website? I have tried the 'royal telephone' of prayer to God for many material things I need ("Dialling the Ho Ho Ho hotline", Herald, 4/12).
I could use a lottery win or a new car (Oh Lord, won't you buy me a Mercedes Benz). Maybe God is not answering my prayers, because I am praying for the wrong reasons. Maybe my prayers are too selfish. After all, he knows best. Maybe that is why I live in poverty and pranged my old car last week. Not a lottery win, or a new car. Just a lesson.
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
SHORT TAKES
Nuclear not right for Australia
A number of Herald readers clearly have not seen the CSIRO report and others detailing the high cost of nuclear generation. It appears many readers do not recognise that European countries and the US have higher population densities and colder winters with snow compared with Australia. Perhaps, unlike Australia, they may have fewer options but nuclear? With higher population densities they may want us to look after the resultant waste for thousands of years?
Darryl Stevenson, Coal Point
No doubt about Dutton
History shows that no first-term opposition leader has ever gone on to become PM, so I'm ruling a big red line through Peter Dutton's ambitions ("Dutton shaping his PM persona", Opinion, 2/12). However, the politics of "no" is strong in Australia at the moment so the conservatives will probably continue to play to their strengths - saying "no" to everything.
Mac Maguire, Charlestown
Pointed rebuff noted
Prime Minister Albanese promised to bring a higher standard of behaviour to politics. Apparently Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus did not get the memo. The way he responded to a reasonable question from a young female reporter, raising his voice, finger-waving and attempting to belittle her, would have had the lefties flooding this page with feigned outrage if he were a conservative. Not a peep.
Dave McTaggart, Edgeworth
Finland success a fiction
Barney Langford's claim that "Finland is ranked third in the world for education" is over a decade out of date ("Finland can teach us a lesson", Letters, 9/11). Finland failed to place in the top five in the past two PISA tests. In the 2022 results released last week, Finland ranked 19th in maths, below Australia. Most countries at the top - Hong Kong, Estonia, Canada (in most provinces) and Denmark - have healthy private school systems with growing public funding and enrolments. The OECD has criticised Finland's declining results since 2008, particularly the widening equity gap with the worst declines among least advantaged students.
Scott Hillard, New Lambton
Child-care option to explore
Anyone trying to find child care, please consider if in-home care suits. Applications are available on the Department of Education website to see if you fit the eligibility.
