With civics education, we can all become influencers

Inherent in the concept of compulsory voting is an informed understanding of the democratic process, which civic education provides (“Inquiry urges new school subject”, July 4). Voting is a sovereign right – the only way we can influence the type of society we want: our society. It is how we communicate our ideas on a good society. The course should include the Australian legal and constitutional system as well as the Democracy Index, which supports the democratic and legal framework. Understanding civics engenders love and respect for a system, a desire to protect and take it seriously and to recognise and reject disinformation and demand truth of politicians and in political advertising. Academically, civics education is a very practical example of analytical and critical thinking, a great skill for every student, and helps to avert becoming a flawed democracy like the United States. That country lacks the democratic institutions a civics education here would continue to uphold. Anne Eagar, Epping

Educating our young adults in civics and parliamentary procedure is critical to ensure democracy continues to succeed. But educating our young in the actualities of representation in politics (no matter their sex), including backstabbing, power grabbing, lobbying, manipulation and self-interest, is something they should discover first themselves. Janice Creenaune, Austinmer

Back in 1837, when the British passed the Electoral Reform Bill allowing a handful of men from the lower classes the vote, the call went out, “We must educate our masters”, and certainly this widening of the vote did great things for the education system. Since then, in the western world, education has become mandatory for all children, but so far this education explosion has had only mixed results electorally, as the 1933 German election ended democracy in that advanced nation for a decade. In Russia and Turkey, democracies have morphed into dictatorships, while in the US Trump won in a virtual landslide. Against this backdrop, it is great to see that our humble state parliament is considering making civics compulsory, especially for years 11 and 12. For democracy to work well, voters must understand that the right to vote implies an equal duty to cast an informed vote. Plaudits to the government for leading the way. Andrew Caro, Greenwich

When many Australian high school students fail a basic civics test on how our democracy works, it’s good news that the NSW and federal governments are pushing for mandatory civics classes. The deluge of misinformation on the internet now is a new barrier for kids to understand how the world works and guard against those who would sell them lies. We see the outcome of that with the rise of Trumpism, the election of a convicted felon as president of the US. It’s not easy. The lie peddlers get smarter. RMIT Information Integrity Hub recently reported that Moscow now has a “fact checker”, which is really a cover for pushing Russian propaganda. But it is really the more subtle misinformation rife on social media that the likes of Trump can use, and that democracies scramble to combat. Civics classes are a good start. But only a start. Gary Barnes, Mosman

From cradle to grave

Making a profit fails people at their most vulnerable, first as kids via childcare centres and again with our elderly as we have become aware at aged care centres (“Relentless profit push fails our kids”, July 4). Both these types of profit-driven institutions have been allowed to flourish and expand to the detriment of our young and old, with little scrutiny. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

Mother load

Your correspondent (Letters, July 4) has made a good point. Women would often prefer to stay at home and care for their own infants, but they miss out on a salary, superannuation and career advancement. A government allowance for women caring for preschoolers, perhaps by extending the term of maternity leave, would go a long way to easing those pressures. Meanwhile, most women are stuck between the rock of childcare (expensive and of questionable safety) and the hard place of the good intentions of grandparents, who are often elderly due to late childbearing for the last two generations. Stay-at-home dads are increasingly common, but reduce the family to one income. Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt

I agree with your correspondent that mothers caring for young children at home in the first two years have historically been undervalued, and it would be beneficial to consider greater financial support so that more families could opt for at-home care rather than using for-profit daycare institutions. However, my support would have been much stronger if the writer had included fathers as potential stay-at-home carers (which is an increasing trend) rather than limiting the scope to “mothers” only and so perpetuating gender stereotype role modelling. There is some fairly credible evidence that most children have both a mother and a father. Warren Marks, Richmond (Tas)

Your correspondent asks, “Would children be better off in the first two years of life being cared for by their mothers?” Should she not have asked, “Would children be better off in the first two years of life being cared for by their mothers and/or fathers?” John Berry, Cammeray

Bad apple effect

Imagine those honest and hardworking men working in childcare centres and the damage caused by a few bad apples (“Nightmare waits for childcare families”, July 4). They must be nervous, as they will be under suspicion from female colleagues, parents and authorities and will struggle to regain society’s confidence. The childcare industry has severe workforce shortages; with this incident, many men will leave the industry, putting further stress on already stretched resources. New men entering the industry will be severely diminished. Many young women work in childcare centres. These women start their own families and leave their jobs or take a long absence of leave. A vicious circle of increasing childcare demands as both parents work and shortages of workforce creates more stress for all stakeholders. Also, kiddies need male teachers in childcare to understand that society is not just run by women, but men do play an important role in their development and understanding their roles. Governments at all levels must do more, quickly, with increased checks and balances in place, but don’t create unmitigated disasters that will create more problems in the future. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill

Semi-Nats?

When raking over the ruins of the Coalition’s performance at the last election, it could be helpful to examine the Nationals’ position in the partnership. It’s true that the Libs could never form a government without the support of the Nats, as they claim to support rural/regional Australia and didn’t lose a seat. However, they hold only 15 seats, six in Queensland, six in NSW and three in Victoria – none in any other state. Is it a bit of a stretch then to call themselves a “National” party? Duncan McRobert, Hawks Nest

Give me a PM who acts with dignity

James Massola says that, after the G7 and NATO no-shows, “all hell could break loose politically” for Anthony Albanese if Donald Trump also delays or cancels the submarines under the AUKUS deal (“Between Xi and Trump, a relaxed PM?” , July 4). I’m not so sure. I’d rather not have our prime minister behaving like yet another sycophantic toddler, running to tug at “daddy’s” trouser-leg so he’ll agree to someday fill our toy box with pricey hand-me-downs. For my money, Albanese’s “all in due course” approach has an agreeable bit of dignity and backbone about it. And if that can produce political hell, people’s idea of heaven certainly doesn’t have much to recommend it. Adrian Connelly, Springwood

Why all the fuss about the urgency of our prime minister having a meeting with America’s president? Albo should just send him a text message or email, “Hi Donald, I know you’ve been very busy lately, arranging peace in the Russia/Ukraine conflict and at the Middle East, bombing Iran, supporting Israel and making America great again. So, when you eventually have time, come here (Down-Under) for some talks – about scrubbing AUKUS, a new deal on Pine Gap, Exmouth and the various US military activities around Darwin and our north-west, our precious minerals, and then, tariffs. I’ll advise you on our defence spending plans. Just when you’re ready, Regards, Albo.” Time for us to stop grovelling and stand up as a strong, independent nation. Ken Butler, Mount Colah

John Howard made “relaxed and comfortable” his mantra in government and was in power for 11 years, and though I am not advocating that Anthony Albanese become a “left wing” Howard, he should pursue policies to both retain the trust of the sensible centre and pursue pragmatic and progressive reform. In any event, he should be careful of thought bubbles from the impatient Left of Labor and from the likes of the irrelevant Angus Taylor. Any future meeting with Donald Trump, which while necessary eventually, should be viewed with caution given Trump’s unpredictable nature and America First mentality. Albo has shown commendable restraint thus far, but eventually hard decisions have to be made, and some political capital spent. The secret is not to waste it. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne

School of life for gifted

Your correspondent (Letters, July 4) is spot on about selective education. I was a “gifted” child, assessed as such by possessing a good memory and scoring well in IQ tests. This resulted in my being top of the class without effort throughout primary and opportunity school. The other result was my lifelong belief that studying was actually cheating. Naturally, I ceased to be top of the class in my selective high school and at university. At high school I think I actually had my most rounded education as a member of the cadet corps. John Flint, St Leonards

Acca Dacca DAs

There they go again (“Fans fret over plans for rock stars’ site”, July 4). A 39-storey tower with 48 two-bedroom flats. Why is it that developers cannot incorporate three-bedroom units in their glitzy towers? You shut out so many families by neglecting this point. Why aren’t authorities demanding there be three-bedroom units in all high-rise designs? And how’s it going on the insulation side, both climate- and noise-wise? Have regulators got this under control yet? I wouldn’t want to live in a tower like the one proposed for Burwood without knowing I won’t hear what’s going on above, below or beside me. This is a simple stipulation that no developer can stint on. Regulations should favour the client. After all, high-rise units are not exactly dirt cheap. Claudia Drevikovsky, Croydon

I can see why Burwood Council is not happy with the new development on the birthplace of AC/DC. There simply aren’t enough racing stripes compared with other apartment blocks that have been approved. Todd Hillsley, Homebush

Hells Bells! That proposed building is a Touch Too Much and looks like Anything Goes. If built next to you, it would almost certainly Shake Your Foundations. The good people of Burwood need one of two things to cope with this situation: a Stiff Upper Lip, or TNT. Stephen Driscoll, Castle Hill

Footy free-for-all

As a non-interested bystander of male-dominated rugby league or union, that often occasions thuggish collisions causing concussions, fractured and broken body bits, eye gouging, ruptured organs and tendons and, at times, digital rape, I am gobsmacked that an eye-watering $600 million of taxpayers’ money will be spent on these sports to further Australia’s diplomacy in the Pacific (“Pacific rugby leaders raise alarm about NRL”, July 4). Is that what it takes? Also, won’t legal and illegal gambling increase, furthering financial suffering on many? Finally, how much of this money will be spent on establishing women’s teams so they, too, can equally damage themselves? Jennifer Fergus, Croydon

Weight a minute …

I’ve been in and out of gyms most of my adult life and have seen many “crazes” over the years (“Weight nearly over for fans of addictive fitness craze”, July 4). The one thing they all have in common is that they become obsolete rather quickly. Stick to walking and a weights program, especially as you get older – you’ll look and feel better and save a lot of money. Peter Miniutti, Ashbury

More the merrier

There’s nothing to disagree with in the many letters this week about taking up a hobby, and much to admire, but the common thread is that whatever you do, do some of it with others. Whether it’s your partner, your bestie, your instructor or your fellow volunteers, it probably matters less what you do than that you do it in company. Prue Nelson, Cremorne Point

Postscript

This has been a different sort of week on the Letters pages. After many weeks of politics, politicians and political parties, this week’s most popular story was about finding a low-cost hobby, following a story by Shona Hendley.
It turns out that letter writers have many hobbies they can recommend. The usual – reading, walking and running, volunteering and sewing – but also the more unusual, such as campanology, recording audiobooks, and geocaching, which, now that you ask, turns out to be a pastime that involves hiding something and putting the GPS co-ordinates online for treasure hunters.
A number of writers also claimed that writing letters to the Herald is an excellent hobby, which, of course, we endorse.
Of course, there was also a lot of politics – a week without politics is like a spring without sunshine around here. First there was discussion about George Brandis telling Sussan Ley how she could be like Gough Whitlam and lead her party out of the wilderness. Writers could mostly see the point Brandis was making, but spent a lot of time explaining why this was not realistic as times had changed so much.
Then came the question of why women aren’t joining the Liberal Party, and the related subject of should there be quotas.
Writers had scathing things to say about grumpy old men who can’t see the need for quotas because they were, of course, chosen on merit; the lack of women chosen for safe seats; and how women got sick of ″⁣bringing a plate″⁣ and organising Miss Young Liberals competitions.
As for the idea that the Liberals are considering going to the Court of Disputed Returns because Gisele Kapterian lost in Bradfield, well, don’t make the letter writers laugh – but they did.
Letters writers also had much to say about the reports into the Merivale companies. No one was impressed.
The end of the week was discussion of what can be done about childcare. Should men be banned from work involving small children? This was almost unanimously dismissed as impractical, and an insult to men.

Harriet Veitch, Acting letters editor

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