No need to shape our city in the image of another – Sydney Morning Herald

Two sides, same coin

I agree with Jacqueline Maley, the noted authors she cites and others who signed the open letter in Harper's magazine against over-censorious attitudes ("When even Salman Rushdie is worried, it's time to take pause", July 12). I'd like to add, however, the common tendency to blame almost exclusively the "progressive left" for this attitude is nonsense.

It wasn't the "progressive left" which banned major literary works like Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover' and Joyce's Ulysses from entering Australia for years, or hounded Yassmin Abdel-Magied out of her job and out of Australia with abuse and threats on social media, or refused a visa to Chelsea Manning. Al Svirskis, Mount Druitt

I was disappointed to read about Nick Bhasin's experience at SBS ("Not a place for people like me", July 12). However, I was also disappointed that it seems to lump all "white" people as some "English speaking" edifice. I have and am proud of a quintessentially Australian multicultural background Anglo-Australian with Scottish elements, and Polish.

It seems I would have been part of the silent white people Bhasin complains of. Not all Indian people are rude. Not all "brown" people are the same. And not all "white" people either. Paul Jurdeczka, Mosman

Innovations like the flexible solar panels invented at the University of Newcastle could make Australia a world leader in the production of next-generation renewables and secure our economic future ("Printed solar panels a shining light", July 12). Government investment of COVID-19 recovery money could take us into that new world. The major parties are navel-gazing while this fantastic opportunity slips by the nation. Barry Laing, Castle Cove

Headlines every day show us sections of the community demanding they be given special treatment because of the pandemic. The latest are universities, declaring that government "must" allow them to import students from overseas for the next term ("Desperate unis plead for spring lifeline", July 12).

They wish to conduct an experiment to see how they go at quarantining a considerable group of young people, presumably possessing the usual high spirits of youth an operation which may be viewed by the more cautious as similar to herding cats.

They appear oblivious to the previous failures in achieving quarantine here, the consequences to the rest of society and the economy. It is disappointing thinking. No one area of the community is more important than the rest. Jennifer Briggs, Kilaben Bay

"Greenwashing" is a good term to describe large polluters who grow trees as "carbon offsets". It is a PR stunt rather than real climate action ("Seeing the good for the trees in net-zero age", July 12). If we want to seriously reduce emissions, we need to switch to renewable energy and stop releasing the greenhouse genie (burning fossil fuels) from its carboniferous bottle.

On land, trees are better carbon sinks than grass. Unfortunately, we eat grass seeds and our meat animals eat grass. This has resulted in uncontrolled tree-clearing and deforestation since colonial days. While it is nice to have trees on paddock lines to provide windbreaks and shade for animals, and on slopes to reduce soil erosion: if we want to seriously increase the number of trees, we need to learn how to eat them. Does anyone have a good recipe for pine nut pie or gum leaf stew? Geoff Black, Caves Beach

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No need to shape our city in the image of another - Sydney Morning Herald