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THE HUMANITIES

Studying English is an essential, not a luxury

I took an arts degree in English at the University of Melbourne, followed by a diploma of education in England. I spent my working life teaching English and literacy at secondary schools in Australia and overseas. Every school child must take English as a subject to ensure they can read, write and speak. These are essential for a literate population. Yet with the massive fee increase for humanities, a degree in English will be a luxury.

When I was at university some 60 years ago, all degrees were fee-paying. But thanks to the generous government provision for the children of servicemen killed in the World War II, my education was paid for by the Department of Veterans Affairs. By the time my own children went through university, fees had been abolished and their education was free.
Dorothy Travers, Hawthorn East

Why our country needs thinkers and visionaries

While federal Education Minister Dan Tehan is doubling the cost of humanities courses, he might like to ponder the courses that were taken by Steve Jobs, the co-founder of Apple: a study of Shakespeare, calligraphy, and modern dance. So no hard sciences or ‘‘job ready’’ courses there. But then I guess Australia has no need of visionary entrepreneurs. We like to stick with those who simply dig up stuff or go into real estate.
Alan Whittaker, Kew East

Understanding who we are and our world

We are a democracy. We must defend humanities education. Maybe our misguided government does not realise that politics is a humanities subject. Are our children to be made so ignorant of political processes that they will be unable to participate, make informed decisions, lead our country?
History, anthropology, archaeology, languages, sociology, religion, philosophy have all been categorised as humanities subjects. If we are to understand who we are and the puzzling and complex world we live in, make the best choices for the future, we need humanities made accessible. So drop the price.
Annie Mullarvey, North Fitzroy

The importance of the pursuit of knowledge

As a teacher of 50 years in nine schools across five countries, I find it hard to fully express my disgust, and despair, at these latest changes to university fees. As teachers, we encourage students to follow their dreams, play to their strengths, explore new horizons. This government has chosen to treat the pursuit of knowledge as a shabby financial exercise. And to do so without any apparent shame. Simply appalling.
Les Littleford, Clifton Springs

A bankrupt vision for young Australians

What crass Philistines the current crop of dry Liberals are. What a depressingly limited view of the average Australian, and of Australian society, they hold. Not for them any vision of a well-rounded citizenry, actively thinking about and engaging in the shaping of the community.

No, they only see an economic functionary to be quickly slotted into labour market gaps. For Liberals, this functionary does not need to know about history, political thought, philosophy , sociology or even literature. What sort of bankrupt vision is this to give to our young?
Ewa Haire, Moonee Ponds

A more diverse, representative Parliament

According to a survey conducted by the ABC last year, the three most popular degrees held by ministers and shadow ministers were law, arts and commerce. Humanities degree are set to double and law/commerce to increase by 28per cent.

Changes in university fees, which are intended to encourage students into more needed/relevant occupations, could have the consequence of ministers and shadow ministers having qualifications relevant to their portfolios. Also, with legal professionals making up 10.6per cent of the Parliament and only 0.7per cent of the population, will this new fee structure lead to representation that reflects more of the diversity of Australia?
Peter Roche, Carlton

THE FORUM

The life-long benefits

The government will require foreigners applying to resettle with their Australian spouses to undergo 500 hours of free English language lessons if they cannot demonstrate a basic proficiency (The Age, 9/10). My parents arrived in Melbourne during the early 1950s. I am very proud of their efforts, back in Italy, on the ship and upon arrival here to partake in English lessons. Their level of speaking, reading and writing English was very high.

Many of their Italian friends who made no serious effort to learn English found it difficult to make friends beyond the Italian community. This set them back even further re learning English.
Also, some of the women never worked because of lack of confidence with English. My mother obtained part-time work because of her good English skills. During her last few years she lived in an Italian aged care community and was one of the few residents who could communicate with staff who spoke only English. The benefits of learning the language of the country where you live are life-long.
Gloria Bower, Mitcham

Immigrants’ hard work

Anyone who has lived in Australia over the past 75 years should know that it was built by immigrants who spoke no English. The federal and state governments have many members who descend from migrants who spoke no English.
Len Fagenblat, Elsternwick

Wow, thanks, Minister

Comments by Anne Ruston – “every single measure in the budget is available for women’’ and ‘‘women can take advantage of, you know, of driving on the new infrastructure and roads’’ (The Age, 9/10) – took my breath away. How callous. Why didn’t she just say, ‘‘let them eat cake’’? And she is Minister for Social Services?
Anneli Kaendler, Mordialloc

Women’s hopes dashed

I remember Joe Hockey saying, ‘‘The poorest people either don’t have cars or actually don’t drive very far in many cases.’’ With the future amount of the JobSeeker payment uncertain, or with the JobKeeper wage subsidy finishing next year, the hopes of unemployed women aged over 35 will be pretty much in reverse gear.
Jan Impey, North Ringwood

Engendering fear

Waleed Aly needs to look deeper into why JobSeeker will be reset to a punitive level (Comment, 9/10). It is not ideology or blindness. It is to discipline those who are in work, to make them fearful of losing their jobs.
Ern Reeders, Tawonga South

A matter of politeness

When Anthony Albanese mentioned respect in his budget reply, Scott Morrison was seated side on, texting, No respect for the opposition, women or the aged. I expect better from the Prime Minister.
Sam Ginsberg, Reservoir

Try a little courtesy

By the sideways swivel of his chair, his studied indifference and his texting on his phone, Scott Morrison was ill-mannered during Anthony Albanese’s speech. While he could not be expected to show enthusiasm, we are entitled to see common courtesy from our Prime Minister.
Peter Barry, Marysville

A few crossed messages

Am I missing something? On Monday Daniel Andrews confirms that Victoria has agreed to pay a Chinese company $2.3billion to build 65 high-capacity metro trains. In his budget reply speech, Anthony Albanese announces an industrial plan for Australian companies to build trains. Perhaps I am standing on the wrong platform.
John Lewis, Elphinston

Squandering paper

Why do we see pallet loads of freshly printed budget tomes in this day and age when it could have all been done online and released just prior to the sales pitch to those who are interested? What an ‘‘un-environmental’’ approach, and at what cost to the taxpayer?
Colin Fowler, Torquay

A very wasteful pattern

Why do I slog to work long hours, cope with remote teaching, keep my lovely students afloat and ‘‘forward plan’’ for a continually changing range of restrictions when I could have applied for a job with the NBN and been paid handsomely – ‘‘Hundreds at ‘millionaire factory’ NBN paid $200k’’ (The Age, 9/10)?

In fact, well above what most people with high responsibility and qualifications earn. Something is really off in Canberra if this kind of spending of public monies is allowed. Did I mention how much we paid for the land for Sydney’s new airport? And flinging millions into preventing refugees from starting a new life here? Oh, and what about … ?
Lisa Dooley, South Melbourne

Think of the students

‘‘Contact inside, particularly in poorly ventilated rooms, is 20 times more risky than contact outside’’ for COVID-19 (The Age, 9/10). What about the VCE exams and the number of students who will spend three hours together? It seems there has been a lapse of imaginative planning.
Kay Moulton, Surrey Hills

Forgotten COVID victims

Returning to the CBD this week for the first time in months (for study reasons), I was attacked twice by ravenous seagulls trying to dash my breakfast to the ground. This is something else to worry about when we reach the post-COVID era.
Michael McBain, Ivanhoe

Look at implementation

Why has so much time been spent on a wild goose chase about who decided to engage private security companies for hotel quarantine? The crucial question is who was responsible for overseeing its implementation. If there had been adequate provision of personal protective equipment, training in how to use it and how to limit the spread of infection, and proper oversight that the measures were being observed, there is a good chance the outcome would have been much better. This a more important issue which could help make the scheme work next time.
Cate Lewis, Clifton Hill

Look to Dan Andrews

If the phone records of our esteemed (sic) Premier were examined, we would surely find the source of the decision to use private security guards in hotel quarantine.
Rodney Hiscox, Blackburn

Look to the ministers

The Premier is the captain of the team, but he is not the whole team. The batters have to make runs, the bowlers have to take wickets and the keeper has to take catches. The Premier cannot do it all and should not be condemned for that. The ministers must be on top of their ministries: it is their responsibility.
Melanie Bennetts, Templestowe Lower

A ‘no’ to major events

With the increasing number of COVID-19 cases overseas, we should not risk Victorians getting back to normal by hosting major events such as the Australian Open and the Grand Prix. Having sacrificed so much, we do not want to return to lockdowns. If other states put up their hands, so be it. Holding the grand final in Queensland is not the end of the world.
Bronwyn Brown, Templestowe

Dangerous transport

Before councils trial electronic scooters on footpaths (The Age, 7/10), I hope the issues of vehicle identification and insurance are addressed. A lesson can be learnt from the Gold Coast, where electronic menaces threaten pedestrians, joggers and older citizens. Without some level of control, they are an injury waiting to happen.
Pieter van Wessem, Balwyn

More green oases

Spot on, Rod Duncan (Letters, 9/10). What a delight these green corridor walks have been during lockdown. Steele and Westbreen creeks are two more shining examples of areas saved by community action.
Megan Rankin, Essendon

Drama, tears and laughs

The US situation has been described as political theatre, but is it farce, tragedy or Pythonesque comedy?
Jon Smith, Leongatha

AND ANOTHER THING

Credit:Illustration: Matt Golding

US debates

Just when you think it couldn’t get more farcical, a fly trumps the VP debate.
April Baragwanath, Geelong

No flies on Harris but a pesky one on Pence. An omen for November?
Nick Toovey, Beaumaris

Pence handled that fly in the same way he deals with Trump’s mountain of lies: studied indifference.
Bernd Rieve, Brighton

Has the fly replaced the worm during the debates?
John Rosenbrock, Mount Martha

Budget

Albanese’s budget reply: Gold, gold, gold.
Chris Boon, Nunawading

Albanese nailed it. A values-based social and economic recovery. Very uplifting in these dark days.
Marie Douglas, Camberwell

Albanese talked about "the Morrison recession". Pathetic. He’ll need to do better than that to be taken seriously.
David Lowe, Caulfield North

Tax cuts are fairly useless when your earnings are close to zero.
Tom Fitzgerald, Sandringham

It would be an obvious act of bias if cooks or plumbers were excluded from government support. Why are university workers fair game?
Meg Williams, Alphington

A disrespectful Morrison showed he is unfit to be PM by turning his back on Albanese during his speech.
David Beardsell, Balwyn North

Furthermore

The NBN: snouts in the trough.
Paul Custance, Highett

Arts degrees are sacrificed on the altar of neoconservativism. I despair for the future of our young.
Megan Peniston-Bird, Kew

I’ll miss the grand final at the MCG. And I’m not even a footy fan.
Donna Tsironis, Blackburn South

Candidates for council elections should have to declare if they are, or have been, members of a political party.
Tony Delaney, Warrnambool

Recently the ‘‘diabolical’’ sudokus have been anything but. Or have I suddenly become brilliant
Andy Hannah, Macleod

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