We can all speak out
With Reclaim the Night events being held locally and worldwide at the end of October (in Wollongong - 26/10), we continue to think of women who have lost their lives through violence, often, by a partner.
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Sadly, 39 women have died by violence this year in Australia (Counting Dead Women Australia, researchers of Destroy the Joint).
A headline in the Guardian Weekly (20/10/17), "Weinstein's fall is a cue to rethink masculinity" (Rebecca Solnit), brings this crime into public consciousness again.
Is it cultural to condone abuses of women in myriad forms? If so, we as a community, can change this thinking.
We are constantly begging governments for more funding to address violence against women, but let us also as a community, as individuals, be leaders in decrying it.
Solnit calls it for what it is: ''a desire to instill fear, assert dominance, devalue the rights and freedoms of others and assert the power of the violent and of violence''.
We all know women who are victims or survivors of violence (verbal, emotional, sexual, physical).
We can all speak out.
Sue Benham, Woonona
Park somewhere legal
I have little sympathy for Bob Young (Mercury 16th October) who was fined for illegal parking while dropping a child at school.
Mr Young, your 12 seconds may not seem like much, but if the driver behind you also double parks for 12 seconds and so on down the line this can result in considerable inconvenience for other people.
I live near a school and have seen some thoughtless and selfish behaviour by parents, particularly at “pick-up” time.
My street is a cut-de-sac so the only way out is through the intersection next to the school.
On many occasions cars are parked so close to the corners that it is impossible to see if it is safe to enter the intersection.
The street beside the school is not narrow but when cars are parked on both sides there is only just room for two vehicles to pass.
Twice recently I have observed a vehicle double parked at the school gate with traffic banked up behind it right back to the intersection making it impossible for drivers to turn into the street and therefore blocking the cross street as well.
I don’t understand why parents cannot park somewhere legal and walk back to the school to meet their children.
Barbara Sawtell, Oak Flats
Breaking his own mantra
Whenever asked questions about the security effectiveness of “Operation Sovereign Borders”, the ministers with portfolio responsibilities in the LNP governments of Abbott and Turnbull would decline to comment on the basis that to do so, could affect the countermeasures being undertaken to deal with security risks.
Apparently, Minister for Transport Darren Chester, contrary to that established mantra of avoiding answering questions by invoking the national security ploy, decided it was time for him to have his day in the sun by announcing on Sunday, security changes to be made at Australian airports.
Changes which would require “airside employees” at Australian airports i.e. baggage handlers, general ground crew and workers involved in the fuelling and catering of aircraft to undergo stringent security checks pre-employment and then on a random daily basis.
No one could sensibly criticise these or any other appropriate measures taken to improve the safety and security of Australian air travel.
However, Minister Chester then proceeded to breach his own governments mantra about not providing information to terrorists, by informing the world the new security measures at Australian airports would not become operational until 2019!
Barry Swan, Balgownie