Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton during question time on Tuesday.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
It is the first parliamentary sitting week since Peter Dutton challenged Malcolm Turnbull for the prime ministership ("'Grooming': Dutton escalates row against Quaedvlieg", September 12).
Over the past few days, Dutton has shown a level of statesmanship similar to what we would expect of Pauline Hanson. He has used parliamentary privilege to attempt to discredit and humiliate someone he has a personal vendetta against.
Australia deserves much better from its politicians, let alone its would-be prime ministers.
I would suggest that he retire - no Australians deserve to have Dutton unleashed upon them. - Margo Mangan, Tamworth
Dutton makes outrageous claims while under parliamentary privilege, about the former head of the Border Force, and then has the gall to challenge a Labor frontbencher to repeat something "outside of this place" ("The Roman games: old colleagues at war", September 12).
Is there a limit to the hypocrisy of the man? - Paul Parramore, Sawtell
Illustration: Cathy WilcoxCredit: Fairfax
Dutton's personal attack on Quaedvlieg, made from the safety of Parliament, looks and sounds like bullying.
The Liberal Party has collapsed into a heap, now there are no longer any professionals with the calibre of Julie Bishop to call them to account. - Ingrid Radford, Waverton
After Dutton's cowardly and vindictive display in Parliament, Australia must be thanking its lucky stars he missed out on the prime ministership. - John Christie, Oatley
It's obvious Dutton is politically dead. Even if he succeeds in demonising his best former mate, his judgment on so many fronts has been compromised. - John Golden, Newport
Give us all a break, and how about some serious governance! - Norma Johnson, Glenhaven
Dutton's behaviour is a valid reason to get rid of the LNP come the next election. He is just creating distraction and not being an active and working government minister.
If the PM doesn't get rid of him, the people will at the next election at the expense of the LNP. - Victor Marshall, Erskineville
Your letter writer is right; many will vote for minor parties because of disenchantment with the two major parties.
Unfortunately, as the preferred minor party candidate is unlikely to win, our compulsory preferential voting system means we have to put one of the major parties ahead of the other on our ballot paper, thus effectively voting for a candidate we did not want. - Roger Anderson, Dundas
Dutton's intemperate display has shown us the prime minister almost half the Liberal Party wanted to give us.
Although, in Scott Morrison, we may have dodged a bullet to get shot. - Tony Doyle, Fairy Meadow
All this brouhaha in Canberra over the last two or three weeks, there's not a peep to be heard from Cory Bernardi.
You'd think he'd be wading into the swamp trolling for new Conservative members, or am I being pre-emptive? - John Grinter, Katoomba
Cartoon reaction reveals the division over racism
Mark Knight's claim that his cartoon of Serena Williams was "drawn innocently" shows how deeply racist tropes are embedded in Australia ("Don't get why Serena cartoon was racist?", September 21).
The depiction of Serena Williams was clearly drawn, consciously or unconsciously, from hackneyed and mocking images of African Americans and Africans - deeply offensive and with no place in social and political commentary. - Alex Byrne, Glebe
Knight has plumbed the depths of racism with his cartoon.
It is sad to see so many Australians writing in support of his latest lapse. They demonstrate that we are as racist a nation as we have ever been
Well done to JK Rowling for calling it out as racism, something the unconscious racists among us are unable or unwilling to do. - Campbell Newman, Gold Coast (Qld)
An excellent and apt cartoon. Being black and female does not excuse an arrogant disregard for the rules of a game or unacceptable behaviour. - Anne Ramsay, Kiama
The cartoon doesn't deserve the angst shown by Williams fans. It was a simple cartoon showing someone's dummy spit - Hazel Tree, Bogangar
Knight has drawn Williams as a black female. She is black and it would be racist not to draw her as such.
She is female and it would have been sexist not to draw her as such.
However, the cartoon is not about her being black or being female, it is about the tantrum she chucked while playing tennis and has nothing whatsoever to do with the stereotypes he writes about. - Lindsay Foyle, Stanmore
I saw in the cartoon a pampered, spoilt child throwing a temper tantrum because she was not getting her way. It captured the occasion perfectly. - Gary Hare, Narrabeen
Forget the superb cartoon, forget the racist claim, forget the sexist claim, forget the motherhood claim, Serena played the oldest con in the book.
When losing, divert attention from your mediocre performance by blaming someone else, preferably someone not able to fully retaliate, namely an official of the game. - Seppo Ranki, Glenhaven
Williams behaved appallingly. The only victim here is Naomi Osaka, whose breakthrough victory is permanently trashed.
Knight's cartoon is an unflattering caricature of unflattering behaviour. It is not a generic slur on an entire race. - Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn
Cartoonists are not in the business of making us look pretty. - Jenny Blain, Pyrmont
If Knight did not intend his cartoon to be racist and sexist, why did he draw Osaka as a petite, white blonde? - Arthur Cooper, Alstonville
Back to the future
I agree, Alan Leitch, sort of (Letters, September 12). I don't remember newspapers being read universally in restaurants but they certainly didn't encourage conversation in a bus or train or even during smoko; everyone had their head in a paper.
And as for radio, we didn't speak much during the Goon Show on Sunday night. So perhaps things haven't changed all that much. - David Stibbard, Singleton
Royal tourist tips
While Harry and Meghan are in Dubbo could I recommend to them the raspberry and peach ice-cream at the Dubbo Memorial RSL Club ("Popular royal visit a welcome reminder", September 12). - Brian Cook, Forresters Beach
Gone to the dogs
Fish, the greyhounds of the seas ("Fishing bans set to be cast aside amid poll woes", September 12). - Rod Hughes, Epping
Keep it to yourself
Can we please keep quiet about various birds arriving early in case the dreaded koel gets the message and does the same? (Letters, September 12) - Nick Andrews, Vaucluse
I woke this morning to find a baby ring-tail possum sitting on an orange in the fruit bowl eating an apple. Is this a sign of anything? - Sarah Benmayor, Bondi
Religious groups and the bid to cherry-pick
The former Anglican Bishop, Robert Forsyth, has added his voice to the self-interested clamour of those religious groups who constantly, but falsely, claim that they don't have legal freedom of religion in Australia ("Religion tests how democracy handles diversity", September 12). Like them, he seems to forget Section 116 of the constitution which clearly forbids our Parliaments from making laws which prohibit the free exercise of any religion.
Our society permits and seriously subsidises religious schools – that seems a pretty clear demonstration of the "support for religious traditions". - John Carmody, Roseville
I find the proposition that a plea for religious freedom as a fundamental principle of democracy and diversity (which it is, within the law, as are all "freedoms") should include "a mechanism that balances non-discrimination with other fundamental human rights" to be totally self-contradictory. We cannot cherry-pick which forms of discrimination contravene such "rights".
The anti-discrimination laws in employment can take account of genuine occupational requirements, but the religion or personal life of a maths teacher at a religious school is not the employer's business, any more than it's allowed to be for other public or private enterprise. - Al Svirskis, Mount Druitt
Does religion of any kind necessarily "underpin" a liberal democracy? Who are the "non-religious" people that are so agitated about the right of the church to use discriminatory employment policies? Who are the "we" that the author tells us flock to this issue?
This article really appears to be lobbying for how necessary it has become in the author's view for our liberal democratic Australian state to underpin institutional religions' business model through legislation. - Christopher Hill,Kensington
Robert Forsyth makes a cogent case for a "fair go" to allow religious communities to operate in accordance with their defining beliefs.
Few Australians would dispute this position. - Bill McMahon, Lennox Head
Religion is indeed a fundamental aspect of our society and our various cultures, so what we need is religious instruction classes that introduce the basic history and the main precepts of the all the major religions in the world (Letters, September 12). Simple. - Gabi Duigu, Cammeray
Insurance rip-offs
It is hardly surprising that businesses such as Freedom Insurance use aggressive techniques to sell essentially useless insurance products to vulnerable people ("'Easy peasy, smash 400 lives by lunchtime' agents told", September 12). Try standing between certain businessmen and a bucket of money. But the employees at these places should not escape critical scrutiny either. It is understood that a person may fear losing their job, but surely a moment comes when such an employee thinks they cannot do the job any longer. - Bill Young, Greenwich
Why do we need cold-calling sales tactics at all ("'Gut wrenching': push for cold-calling ban over sales tactics", September 12)? As my dear departed dad used to say: "If your product is as great as you reckon it is, why aren't you just sitting in your office signing people up as they voluntarily come through the door?" - Rob Peard, Beacon Hill
Move up a notch used car salesmen. You are no longer bottom of the heap. - Coral Button, North Epping
Our digital world
It is not only children that are distracted by phones in school (Letters, September 12). When I attended concerts at my sons' primary school I was aghast at the number of parents face down, fixated on their phones. - John Mizon, Collaroy
Digital technologies are here to stay and us educators need to engage. We must remain relevant to young people's culture; good learning and digital technologies are inextricably intertwined.
The school I have had the honour to lead over the past 14 years will contribute. We will promote "good digital citizenship" as an essential component of quality schooling; a steep learning curve for us all. Banning phones is crazy.
A strict protocol has been evolved; students must turn off their phones before entering their classroom. Occasionally students will be encouraged to use their phones to take a picture, identify their position on the earth, play some soothing music, etc. Ignore the protocol and students understand that they will not be given a warning. Offend, and you will be sent to the office to hand in the phone; to be retrieved at the end of the day in exchange for a docket.
A similar protocol has been evolved for digital devices.
Our systems are still evolving; dialogue with parents and students is crucially important. But our engagement has facilitated discussions around the "gaming epidemic" and about our ability to prepare students for work and learning beyond school. Our engagement with digital technology places us exactly where we want to be; front and centre in young people's lives.
This huge challenge is absolutely central to the future of schooling. Responding thoughtfully, strategically, energetically, is the task; banning leads us in the opposite direction. Onwards! - Andrew FitzSimons, principal Dapto High School
Bullying MPs
After the next federal election I wonder if Lucy Gichuhi will claim that she was bullied into not disclosing the names of the bullies in the Liberal Party ("Senator reports bullying but won't name names", September 12). - Riley Brown, Bondi Beach
Working `til you drop
One thing you can be sure of Ross Gittins is that if the retirement age is raised to 70, the only people capable of working to this age will be politicians and our houses will no longer be made of brick as no brickie can work to that age ("One forecast you can count on", September 12) . - Peter Miniutti, Ashbury
Abbott's long tenure
Proclaiming the virtues of living a long public life is only acceptable if you work for the broad public good, Tony ("Tony Abbott set for long-term as he cements his hold on seat", September 12) .- Sue Dyer, Downer (ACT)