Sussan Ley is appeasing the right wing with her tittle-tattle missive

Are there no depths to which the Coalition will not plunge in its increasingly pathetic attempts to gain some traction with the Australian voting public (“Ley writes to Republicans over Labor’s Palestine call”, September 23)? Susan Ley’s tittle-tattle letter to a select group of Republicans in America is the latest example. Her erroneous claim that the decision to recognise Palestine is not supported by most Australians, based on one questionable survey, is merely playing politics and largely ignores the fact that most Australians favour a Palestinian state, provided certain conditions are met, such as the eradication of Hamas. Ley has no doubt acquiesced to the hard right of her party to maintain her position as party leader, just as she did with continuing support for the discredited policy of nuclear energy and a refusal to follow a path to net zero emissions by 2050. Robert Hickey, Green Point

I am genuinely shocked that Sussan Ley has written to US Republicans to reassure them that a future Coalition would rescind the recognition of Palestine. Whatever you think about the decision itself, it is puerile, dangerous and sycophantic to embroil us further in US madness to score points at home. Ruth Barcan, Berowra Heights

Sussan Ley communicates with Republicans. I hope she has a long spoon. Keith Binns, Goulburn

Sussan Ley has written to Republicans in the US, trashing Australia’s decision to recognise the Palestinian Authority. By doing so, she is in effect supporting Hamas. Hamas will never be defeated without a strong Palestinian Authority. War crimes won’t do it. The Albanese government has taken the first positive step towards ending the genocide and this is what leadership looks like. Martin Bell, Balgowlah

Ley doesn’t talk for most Australians and her grovelling letter is embarrassing. The Coalition is not in government. The Americans have failed to gain peace for the Middle East yet they oppose other countries for trying. The Coalition’s belief in its negativity and sycophantic behaviour continues to be truly tiresome. Being supreme in opposition will keep them irrelevant for decades. Claudia Drevikovsky, Croydon

Sussan Ley has badly overstepped by writing to Republicans and advising them that most Australians oppose Australia’s decision to recognise Palestine. There is a vast group of us who strongly agree with Albanese’s decision and she has no right to speak for us. America has no business telling us what we can or cannot do, and neither has Sussan Ley. Kris McKeon, Goonellabah

Sussan Ley, kindly do not presume to speak for me to Trump’s Republicans or anyone else. My elected prime minister, Anthony Albanese, speaks for me. Coral Button, North Epping

Sussan Ley’s letter to Republicans in the US Congress, claiming that the majority of Australians oppose our government’s recognition of Palestine, smacks of the nasty, divisive politics that is now taking over the US. It also smacks of betrayal and undermining of Australia on the world stage. Surely the Coalition’s disapproval could have been transmitted through diplomatic circles. Toni Lorentzen, Fennell Bay

Sussan Ley has written to US Republicans. It’s got to be a stunt. Firstly, the US Republicans wrote to Anthony Albanese as the head of Australia’s government, presumably in an attempt to reverse the decision to recognise Palestine. They apparently did not write to her as head of the opposition because a) she didn’t make the decision, and b) she has no chance of reversing the decision for at least 2 years. Secondly, I’m not sure her assertion that most Australians oppose the decision to recognise Palestine is correct. Thirdly, why would she write to US Republicans when those who can help her effect the reversal she touts, ie those who can vote her into office, are Australian? Peter Butler, Wyongah

Whose country does Sussan Ley claim to represent? Christo Curtis, Beaconsfield

Follow moral compass

Albanese is the right prime minister, leading the right party (“PM joins group recognising State of Palestine, angering Israel”, September 23), at a time when the extreme right, especially in America, presents a clear and present danger to democracy and world stability. Despite Trump’s growing authoritarianism, Albanese hasn’t flinched in recognising the State of Palestine. Our PM is a man with a moral compass. He won’t cosy up to Trump or Netanyahu. Matthew Knott says that “the reason Trump hasn’t made time to meet Albanese is not because he’s angry about Palestine but because the evidence suggests he views Australia as something of an afterthought in the geopolitical chess game”. Knott’s summation makes sense. Meanwhile, the Coalition continues to wring its hands over this non-issue. Should the PM score a meeting with the president it will probably be a tick-the-box formality, the impermanent outcome of which will be determined by whatever mood swing Trump is experiencing. A meeting with a US president would be significant for Australia if a rational leader of the free world had been elected. Unfortunately for world stability, that is not the case. The Coalition should stop its histrionic hand-wringing on the subject. Gerardine Grace, Leura

Australia has recognised a Palestinian state, provided it recognises Israel’s right to exist within a two-state solution. Can we now withdraw recognition of an Israeli state until it accepts a two-state solution and recognises Palestine’s right to exist Alexander Hilson, Mawson (ACT)

The recognition of the State of Palestine is not a reward for Hamas but rather an acknowledgment of the fact that the two states were an integral part of the creation of the modern State of Israel by the international community through the UN, in which Australia played a significant part. The need for this has come into focus by the events in Gaza, which have highlighted the realisation that Hamas does not have a monopoly on meanness and cruelty. Gordon Koch, Ashfield

Onya, Albo! I’m proud to see Australia standing firm on what is decent and needed for the Palestinian people. Cheryl Wilson, Crows Nest

Trump dodging

With Trump yet again failing to met Albanese (“Albanese snubbed from Trump’s official meeting schedule in New York”, smh.com.au, September 23), it’s beginning to look as if he is afraid of our prime minister. Lindsay Foyle, Stanmore

Stay the course, Albo. In 35 years of teaching, I never saw one instance of sucking up to bullies ending well. Indeed, almost without exception, those that ignored the bully and stayed true to their own convictions are the ones who turned out the best. Barry Ffrench, Cronulla

It seems predictable that President Trump would seek to undermine the credibility of a Labor prime minister by refusing to meet. When one looks at the sycophantic conservative Australians in his close circle, it is likely that the tactic being advised by them is deep-freeze diplomacy towards the “crazy left”. I have no doubt that key right-wing politicians and billionaires are happy to give such advice to further the conservative cause at the expense of what’s good for democratic Australia. Peter Hull, Katoomba

Kirk vigil indeed a turning point

After seeing the performative grief and the histrionic, quasi-religious, partisan political declarations masquerading as a memorial service for Charlie Kirk (“Church and state blur in MAGA rally masked as funeral”, September 23), I couldn’t help comparing them with the images of genuine grief and dignified suffering at the funeral of president John Kennedy. Which is the greater tragedy? The death of that man or the death throes of a democracy now attacking its own dignity and the respect it held for the variety and differences of the people who made it so great? Elisabeth Goodsall, Wahroonga

Charlie Kirk’s memorial leads me to think that Turning Point has now reached the point of non-returning point of the once “United” States of America. John Burman, Port Macquarie

The staging of the Charlie Kirk memorial has redefined Christianity. There is now Christianity, as generally known, and American Christianity, better called Trumpstianity. I know which I prefer. Mike Budden, Springwood

The memorial service for the slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk held in a football stadium was more MAGA rally than celebration of a life, and its speakers straight from the cult of Donald Trump. Trump and his sycophants elevated this event to place Trump as Christ-like, and Kirk as the sacrificial Jesus, with Vance and others as disciples of the gospel according to Trump. In his own mind, Trump has assumed divine power and few dare to tell him otherwise. This is a worrying time for the world with an unfettered, delusional Trump seemingly free to do and say as he chooses with little restraint as his cultish clan willingly accedes to any of his messianic fantasies. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne

I would rather share a dream with Martin Luther King than sympathise with Donald Trump. I weep for America. John Crowe, Cherrybrook

Michael Koziol’s article shows the prescience of Billy Graham’s iconic statement of 1981, always worth revisiting: “The hard right has no interest in religion except to manipulate it.” Edward Grieve, Woolloomooloo

Higher power

How refreshing to read a story about a Christian in the spotlight without reference to bigotry or politics (“Book of Nicola recounts a reach for the heavens”, September 23). Nicola Olyslagers is following the example of Jesus, displaying humility and the desire to deflect any praise and attention away from herself and towards God. Whether she succeeds or fails as an athlete, she is a welcome ambassador of love and grace. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

Keep up energy

Rod Sims, chair of The Superpower Institute (“Emitters should pay for energy transition, not consumers”, September 23), writes, “If we want to reduce emissions to meet our targets, we must make emitters pay. While putting a price on carbon is not all we need to do, it is a necessary component of any plan to significantly reduce our emissions.” Without “significant policy change” emissions targets won’t be reached. How tragic that the Gillard carbon pricing scheme, which had already achieved significant reduction in emissions, was abolished (along with the minister for climate change) by Tony Abbott in July 2014. Fast-forward to September 2025. Without any apparent sense of shame, Abbott, while no longer publicly stating “climate change is crap”, and in the face of a further 11 years of acceleration of global heating and climate-change havoc, continues his mission against climate action. Fiona Colin, Malvern East (Vic)

Rod Sims is dead right when he says that there is nothing in the federal government’s emissions plan that will encourage companies to decarbonise, and we know that while they are happy making profits under the status quo, they will not change their behaviour. The government also needs to be able to fund the switch to renewable power, so surely the way to provide the necessary resources is by taxing the emitters rather than taxpayers? We know that when the 2012 carbon tax was implemented, there was a 7 per cent reduction in carbon emissions, and the decision to repeal the tax was a costly mistake. As Sims says, the equitable approach is “polluter pays”, and without such a tax our transition away from fossil fuels will, at best, be too slow to reap the gains from being an early adopter of an economy based upon renewable power. Peter Nash, Fairlight

Rod Sims is right that we need a uniform price on carbon if we are to cut our emissions as quickly and efficiently as possible, but that’s not going to happen any time soon. With the Coalition divided over whether to take climate change seriously, and Labor still traumatised by the Emissions Trading System and carbon tax fiascos, neither of our major parties has any desire to revisit the issue. This leaves us with the Safeguard Mechanism as the only way to make polluters pay in Australia, but it only applies to our top 215 emitters and to a mere 30 per cent of the economy. Little wonder it’s a struggle to get to net zero. Ken Enderby, Concord

Health concerns

It may well be that the Trump administration is on the way to finding an answer to the risk of autism (“Caution urged on US autism finding”, September, 23). I hope it is successful. However, I would feel more confident if the Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy were not an anti-vaccine sceptic, and President Donald Trump had not once suggested injecting disinfectant to cure COVID-19. Bernard Moylan, Bronte

Flat fees

Your correspondent (Letters, September 23) makes an excellent point about apartment living. Coupled with this, ceilings in strata fees and body corporate rates need to be implemented. It’s very deflating to see money going up in smoke every year. Pankaj Rao, Merewether

Love problems

As a counterpoint to things to love (Letters, September 23), I do not, and never will, love a ukulele. Vijay Randev, Stanwell Park

I have a hate list of just two: cockatoos and brush turkeys. Justin Fleming, North Sydney

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