Save articles for later
Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time.
Credit: Illustration: Cathy Wilcox
To submit a letter to The Age, email [email protected]. Please include your home address and telephone number below your letter. No attachments. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.
WOMEN’S WORLD CUP
Our grassroots players deserve their fair share
The Matildas have captured the sentiment of the nation, and have been largely self-funded since their very humble beginnings. That they have now shamed the government into a $200million promise for women’s sport is ironic given that early teams had to publish a nude calendar to pay expenses.
But what sports will get the money? Will grassroots soccer benefit on the back of their efforts, or will the money go to the sports with no or limited international exposure? Soccer has done the hard yards, and it is incumbent on the sport’s administrators to ensure the majority of the money is channelled into grassroots, female association football.
Mike Pantzopoulos, Ashburton
The worthy workers who miss out on funding
The government, apparently supported by the opposition, has promised $200million for women’s sport following the success of our beloved Matildas. Many creative innovators saving lives through underfunded and under-resourced medical research, and those working with social housing and overseas aid programs, would envy such a spontaneous response and easy access to public funding.
Kevin Burke, Sandringham
How much of FIFA’s revenue goes to the players?
It has been reported that the Women’s World Cup generated close to $900million in revenue for FIFA, yet there are calls for government funding for the Matildas. Sorry, but why would our taxes subsidise FIFA, which can fund the Matildas many times over? Where is that $900million going
Harry Prosser, Berwick
Matildas have set a standard for young women
Over the past decade or so, female “success” has increasingly been defined through social media in terms of image, sexuality, style and possessions. This is a regressive step straight back to the 1950s that links female success to the approval of others. Each to their own, but the Matildas have shown that everyone, not just young girls, can strive for self-validation and fulfil their own potential rather than subjugate themselves to the fickle “standards” of others.
Emma Borghesi, Rye
Charles and William, destined to be criticised
I have read quite a lot of criticism about the King, or the future king, not bothering to come Australia to watch England compete in the final. Moreover, this is viewed as another reason why Australia should become a republic. I dare not think of the hue and cry – possibly from the same quarters – had either man travelled 17,000 kilometres on a fossil-fuelled aircraft simply to watch a 90-minute game of soccer, then returned the same distance back to London. That, too, would support the call for a republic. The King and the Prince of Wales were destined not to win either way.
Bruce Crowe, Sunbury
Let governor-general represent the Lionesses
The opprobrium being directed at the Prince of Wales for not attending the final game needs to be taken in context. Anyone concerned about climate change and the future of life on Earth might well think a plane journey of such length inappropriate. The British throne has a person specifically appointed to represent it in Australia, so the Lionesses should have been represented by the governor-general.
Juliet Flesch, Kew
Trying to make sense of soccer’s ’cage’
Along with many other articles on the Women’s World Cup in The Age, I enjoyed reading Damon Brooks Jr’s summary of the tournament’s “magnificent seven” goals (Sport, 21/8). However, I did not like the several references to the soccer goal as “the cage”. Is this a new, official or internationally accepted name for it? As the net does not cover the front of the goal, it is technically not a cage. The only sporting cage I am familiar with is another name for the octagon ring used in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) combat.
Tony Wheeler, Lower Templestowe
THE FORUM
Men, just hold it in
Thank you , Jenna Price – “A wee message to men: Stop peeing in public” (Comment, 21/8). I live in Richmond close to the MCG and four pubs. Young men constantly use the lanes and small streets in our area to urinate in public.
When I tell them to pee in their own backyards, they laugh or abuse me. One lane near a hotel smells so bad the locals call it Piss Alley. One night I flashed my headlights at an offender and he ran away in mid-stream. My grandchildren, who were with me in the car, thought this hilarious. Come on, guys, you are not four years old. What would your mothers say?
Ruth Dunn, Richmond
When you have to go
Perhaps Jenna Price has a wee point. However, she should make herself aware of a couple of wee problems that many men face – prostate enlargement and prostate cancer, the latter which may result in a radical prostatectomy. It is not a wee problem, it is a big problem.
It is regrettable but if you have to go, you have to go. It is embarrassing enough without having to wet yourself in public. There could be more to this than meets your eye, Jenna.
Dave Dickinson, Balwyn North
The law on ’exposure’
Jenna Price suggests that men urinating in public in Victoria “might fall under obscene exposure”. In fact, section 19 of the Summary Offences Act (the offence of “indecent exposure”)requires that the exposure of genitals has to be “sexual” for this offence to be committed. (The law was amended in 2005, after decades worth of otherwise innocent – mostly young – men were lumbered with a lifetime sexual-offence record.)
And, despite that the act of urination behind a bush might be obvious to a passerby, most urinating men (in my observational experience) seek to avoid any possible genital exposure. Women, of course, were always able to squat and wee without the fear of a criminal conviction. (Indeed, one reason for 18th to 19th century “hooped” skirts was to facilitate such public activity.)
Dennis Dodd, Wangaratta
Protecting our gardens
Paul Sinclair (Letters, 21/8) is right to worry about the renovation of the pavilion in the Fitzroy Gardens if the soon-to-reopen Studley Park Boathouse is anything to go by. The crowds they now appear to be catering for in the boathouse’s outdoor area make it less appealing than it used to be to this Friday regular.
Margaret Callinan, Hawthorn
Still missing the point
Tony Abbott told a conservative forum that defeating the Voice referendum was “the most important challenge we face as a nation right now” (Sunday Age, 20/8). How out of touch is he? This is the man who, as prime minister, thought it was a great idea to award Prince Philip a knighthood.
David Fry, Moonee Ponds
Look at the big picture
Here we go again. This time it is farmers bemoaning the proposed towers for power lines to transmit renewable energy (The Age, 19/8). It is a pity the towers have to go through private land but if we are to have this clean energy, then not everyone can be kept happy.
Today’s communities are not looking at the big picture. Instead, it is “not in my backyard. Go somewhere else, mate.” Well when we finish up with the possible effects from burning fossil fuels, such as bushfires, the farmers may change their tune. As a society, we must think of the neighbour next door, not just our own backyard.
Nola Cormick, Albert Park
How to retain teachers
Changing the teaching system to a four-day week (The Age, 21/8) will not resolve the teacher shortage issue by itself. Bringing about change in education systems needs to focus on three broad areas.
Curriculum: moving from content (memory) based to skills (doing) based learning. Teaching: moving from teacher-led to self-regulated student and teacher learning. Assessment: moving from tests at completion of a unit to continuous assessment.
Do all of this and introduce a four-day teaching week, with one day for all the other things teachers need to do, and this may result in increased teacher satisfaction and better student outcomes. Change just one of these three and it is doomed to fail.
Recently more than 160 Victorian teachers from 52 schools met to discuss student development in teaching and learning, demonstrating their enthusiasm for this shift in education. Teachers have a force of their own and a four-day week is likely to help this change.
Patrick Griffin, emeritus professor, Melbourne Graduate School of Education
Tackle the critical problem
Recently it was the low quality of teacher education. Now it is changing working hours for schools. After a half a century involved with schools, I am asking when will our community and government realise the real problem. Attracting the best and brightest to embrace teaching as a vocation requires better working conditions for teachers, and in fact all staff, in schools.
And that means a higher starting salary, a meaningful salary scale based on performance and seniority, sabbatical leave, incentives to upskill our educators, and quality mentoring and rewards for those who shine. Until these issues are embraced by politicians, other suggestions are Band-Aid solutions to a critical problem in our education systems .
Tony Ross, Bunyip
Clean up our walking trails
I am walking a lot as recovery from an operation and I can’t help noticing that there is far more dog poo left along the trails than there used to be. Sometimes it is put in a plastic bag, but then the plastic bag is dumped. Come on, people, we need to pick up two things: our act, and the dog poo. Our walking trails will thank us. (Thank you to those who are picking up.)
Lindsay Markham, Mount Waverley
Importance of prevention
Your correspondent (21/8) asks: “Why can’t that money [for women’s sport] be donated to better research and support for the thousands of Australians who are battling mental illness and sleeping on the streets?” (Letters, 21/8). There is plenty of evidence that sport, or indeed any physical activity, can have a significant positive effect on mental health.
Being physically active can improve mood, decrease the risk of developing depression and anxiety and contribute to a better quality of life overall. Funding that can be used to increase participation in physical activity at any age is an effective form of preventative mental health that is cheaper than the costs of trying to treat established illness.
John Togno, Mandurang
The right to fair pay
Re ‴A Labor of love and power plays” (Comment, 18/8). So the business lobby thinks legislation to criminalise wage theft will shrink its profits. Should we be sympathetic? Does its businesses depend upon ripping off workers?
Patrice McCarthy, Bendigo
Clarifying those goals
The AFL’s ARC review system is deeply flawed (Sport, 21/8). Critical decisions by the ARC in the past fortnight have impacted on where teams will finish on the ladder. Technology may not be the solution, so why not change the rule for scoring to: “If the ball is kicked, and crosses the line between the goal posts, then it is a goal regardless of whether the ball is touched or hits the post”?
This would remove over 90per cent of goal reviews instantly, reduce a lot of the uncertainty and allow the game to flow. It would largely stop players from taking the soft option to concede a point by rushing the ball through the goals or claiming that they touched the ball. I can hear the traditionalists screaming, but surely this would be a better option than having teams’ results impacted by the complications of this great game’s rules.
Andrew Ferguson, Richmond
A true football leader
Trent Cotchin’s captaincy (Sunday Age, 20/8) epitomised the Stoic philosophers’ mantra for a good life: Respect yourself and respect others. When he was appointed captain, tradition was that the captain wore the legendary Jack Dyer’s number. Cotchin copped some flak from supporters when he decided to wear his own number. He said: “I have great respect for Dyer but I’m not him, I’ll wear my number.” And one of his first acts as captain was to lead players in cleaning up the club room after training to demonstrate respect for others.
Kevin Brown, Moonlight Flat
Time to face reality
Doesn’t Peter Dutton see the writing on the wall when our three largest energy companies support the government’s energy plan (The Age, 19/9)? He is condemning the Liberal Party to obscurity.
Marsha Merory, Ivanhoe East
The benefits of gas
I have loved cooking Jill Dupleix’s recipes on my induction cooktop for the past 20 years, so I’m delighted to read that many top chefs are energised by induction cooking (Epicure, 15/8). They have addressed one of the barriers to getting off gas. The good news is that switching to all-electric homes makes great financial sense.
The Grattan Institute reports that Victorian households will save $12,170 to $13,900 over 10 years by making the switch. This includes the costs of upgrading to the new-generation, highly efficient electric appliances which use substantially less energy to produce the heat we need to cook, wash and warm our homes. It’s satisfying to know that cooking with induction is good for our palate, pocket and planet.
Karen Campbell, Geelong
Hope for Ukraine
There is little good news these days. But learning that the Russian Luna-25 spacecraft went into an uncontrolled orbit and then crashed into the moon lifted my spirits. Hopefully, this will be a prelude to Russia’s defeat in its shameful Ukraine war.
Dennis Walker, North Melbourne
AND ANOTHER THING
Credit: Illustration: Matt Golding
Politics
If you don’t know, find out – then vote Yes in the referendum.
Fred Seymour, Surrey Hills
We are defending ourselves (at a price) from China, but how well are we defending ourselves from next summer’s fires?
Vivienne Player, Beaumaris
Abbott was wrong when he denied climate change and shrunk the public service. Might his opinion on the Voice be wrong?
Patricia Russell, Malvern
A politician’s go-to defence: the orange high-vis vest on a building site.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
Legislate that anyone who removes a canopy tree without a permit must replant an identical tree in its place at their own expense.
Brandon Cheshire, Patterson Lakes
World Cup
A pair of discarded “not so fresh” women’s legs would definitely enhance my old age.
Kerry Bergin, Abbotsford
I love it when England lose sporting tournaments.
Steve Barrett, Glenbrook
Any chance of swapping the Spanish royal family for ours?
Les Anderson, Woodend
The women’s final warm-up was better than Meatloaf.
Dan Drummond, Leongatha
Sam Kerr-iffic.
Corrado Tavella, Rosslyn Park, SA
It’s great to see smiling referees in the Women’s World Cup. Not so the coaches.
Malcolm Cameron, Camberwell
Furthermore
Forecast for this Saturday – reigning Cats and Dogs.
Barry Brown, Brighton
Let’s hope Russia’s war in Ukraine is as successful as its Luna-25 moon mission (21/8).
Vera Lubczenko, Geelong West
No comics in The Age? Words fail me. No they don’t – they’re just not printable.
Scott Lowe, Highton
Patrick Elligett sends an exclusive newsletter to subscribers each week. Sign up to receive his Note from the Editor.
Most Viewed in Politics
From our partners
Source: Read Full Article