Migration and racism: Surely, it is possible to have a rational dialogue

There's more to fear from the pronouncements of Peter Dutton and his cohort than from a few errant African immigrants. At stake is public confidence in democratic government and the exercise of justice and mercy in public affairs. The attempt to sway people's voting by inculcating fear debauches public trust and public ability to act with wisdom and compassion. Our nation's character is in the balance.

Fear is the stuff of dictators and despots and those who invoke it are as morally culpable.

Alastair Pritchard, Templestowe

The causes of crime are often ignored

Targeting migrants and refugees is a sad old "sport", which apparently is alive and well. The reality is that most crimes are committed by locals. That has been the case for several decades.

Politicians and some members of the media try to profile people of a particular culture or group to justify our harsh asylum-seeker policy and reduce migrant numbers. The real causes of many crimes are conveniently ignored. Alcohol and/or drug addiction, mental illness and increasing poverty levels are some of those causes. Confronting those issues would require politicians to take some active steps. Far easier to stir the proverbial pot by finger-pointing in all the wrong directions, thus inciting fear and even loathing.

Peter Dutton would do better by visiting the people he has helped to lock up for indefinite periods. Perhaps he could take Matthew Guy with him. Victorians should reject uninformed and uncritical opinions of an exploitative nature, which can only lead to further, cruel and inhumane discrimination against others. There never was, never is and never will be, valid reasons for racism.

Irene Goldwasser, St Kilda

Democracy faces an existential crisis

There were no children overboard. There were no weapons of mass destruction. None of this mattered because enough people simply wanted to believe that asylum seekers and Saddam Hussain were capable of such behaviour – and therefore should be opposed. There are Sudanese gangs, they are a problem, but not of the magnitude that Peter Dutton would have you believe. Nonetheless he knows that a significant number of voters want to believe. This is the existential crisis facing our democracy – inflaming prejudice simply for the sake of winning office.

Tony Newport, Hillwood, Tas

People are kinder than parties assume

The best news about Saturday's byelections is that the virulent message of race hatred, promoted by Prime Minister Turnbull and Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton, was not accepted by the voters. It is to be hoped that now the ALP can jettison its right-wing policies that dehumanise refugees and asylum seekers and put a humanitarian soul at the centre of its campaign.

The Liberal Party will not compete in this space, and the Australian people are kinder and better than both major parties assume.

Di Cousens, Mount Waverley

FORUM

A true heroine

Thank you Angela Williamson ("Cricket Australia sacks worker over abortion reform campaign", The Age, 30/7). You are a true heroine and champion of women's reproductive rights. As someone who has experienced first-hand vilification for whistleblowing I know how lonely that can feel. Be assured there are multitudes of women who will stand with you. Now may I ask The Age to put your investigative team onto finding out why Tasmanian women have to travel to the mainland to get access to abortion services? And why in Victoria has it become more difficult to access some abortion services since decriminalisation?

Beth Wilson, Former Health Services Commissioner, Victoria

Cowardly approach

How utterly bizarre, how disgustingly cowardly and how absolutely misogynistic is Cricket Australia in sacking a female employee for expressing an opinion on a public policy matter that directly affects her.

On what basis is Cricket Australia sandpapering the ball for its employees as far as freedom of expression is concerned?

The employee in question gets sacked for expressing her opinion regarding the actions of a state government, on her own time and on her own private social media, yet three other Cricket Australia employees publicly cheat while performing their official duties on an international stage and get "suspended".

I note they are out and about playing still just not at the "elite" level.

Mike Seward, Launceston

Fair go in peril

I believe that Peter Hartcher is correct to suggest there "is evidence of subterranean upheaval across Australia's political landscape" (Comment, 30/7). Neither leader is liked or respected and thus people are looking more at policy, delving beyond the monstrous superficiality of question and non-answer from politicians. Decisions on who to vote for are being made on which party's policy is least bad.

But I believe there is another factor that has not been explored in any great detail and it is among a significant section of the population what is called the fear factor. Politicians use fear as a tactic but the Liberals have overreached themselves with Peter Dutton. His anti-democratic zealotry offends and frightens, the fair go is seen to be under threat.

Vaughan Greenberg, Chewton

No understanding

I have been an ABC listener all my life and enjoyed Red Symons as the breakfast host for the past 15 years. I don't think station manager Dina Rosendorff understands the ABC audience, thinking that we want to hear two presenters chatting nonsense between themselves – this style of program is available on commercial stations. The ABC is not going to attract new listeners, it will only turn off existing listeners, who want a single, articulate presenter with a good radio voice, presenting music, information, interviews and news.

Barry Gray, Brighton

Tram stop trouble

The Jolimont tram stop in Wellington Parade is an embarrassment to Yarra Trams and Melbourne City Council. It may claim to be accessible to the disabled, however, they cannot get to or from it via an accessible kerb crossing to the footpath. Likewise the Spring Street tram stop. Do Yarra Trams and the council communicate or co-ordinate these things? Good luck to any wheelchairs that do get up onto the footpath on the north side of Wellington Parade. They will need good control to stay upright on a very rough and steep surface.

Glen Ryan, East Melbourne

Damaged goods

One of the first rules of sales I learned as a young person was, if the best pitch you have is to demean and attempt to diminish your competitors then you have nothing worthwhile to sell.

Murray Boyd, Torquay

Stop the bullying

Eddie McGuire's comments ("McGuire leads the charge to eradicate on-field 'bullying'," The Age, 28/7 ) are spot on. He believes it is time to stop the shoving and whacking, hitting from behind and elbowing. In the same issue, the cyclopic Hawthorn supporter John Silvester (The Naked City) obviously feels the same way. He says we must protect the ball carrier and stop the fake tough-guy crap and the unnecessary argy bargy off the ball. I agree, but I don't think it will happen.

John Cummings, Anglesea

Road to ruin

The Sydney Road plan will be an unmitigated disaster for hundreds of businesses along Sydney Road ("Sydney Road plan a win for cyclists", The Age, 30/7). Thousands of people employed in shops, cafes, restaurants and hotels will become unemployed. It will be a disaster also for all sorts of road users if one traffic lane is to be shared by trams and cars.

Bill Mathew, Parkville

The Upfield track

Rather than removing car parking from Sydney Road, why don't cyclists use the adjacent Upfield bike track that was designed to keep cyclists away from traffic.

Michael Kaczynski, Ringwood East

Level the funding

Thank you Diane Wheeler (Letters, 30/7) for your statement of despair at the inequality of school funding. I am sick of driving past "private" (usually church-run) schools with huge well-kept grounds and playing fields, large and up-to-date buildings, and lots of off-street parking. Anyone with eyes can see the unkempt buildings, tiny grounds and minuscule parking at "state" (partly publicly funded – the parents do the rest) schools.

The government funding that pays for the "private" schools' huge newspaper, magazine and hoarding advertisements and the multi-page, glossy publications sent out with newspapers and other advertising material should stop immediately. No doubt these schools would argue that it is the parents' contributions that are paying for these things, but this is just obfuscation. Stop the inequity in school funding now, please.

Don Jordan, Mount Waverley

Drought relief

The plight of farmers in drought-stricken areas is of extreme concern. They are selling livestock for more than it costs to feed them. There is no water, 100-year-old trees are dying and even beekeepers are struggling. Immediate action is required, even if it short term it will be a start. The government has to take the lead.

Instant grants for fodder would be a short-term aid to keep a few more animals alive. What we don't need is government procrastination. This needs action now. There are not only people's livelihood and wellbeing on the farms at risk, but also ours – not only the scarcity, but escalating costs of buying food that will ensue.

Ian Anderson, Surrey Hills

Demeaning attitudes

I found David Leyonhjelm's piece (Comment, 26/7) to be a rather self-serving case of special pleading. I write this, not to dispute his right to hold his political views, although I support neither libertarianism at the extreme nor the Greens. Both are, for me, too pure at either end of a spectrum of theories of government.

However, his tendency towards personal sensitivity to criticism of pervasive male attitudes against women has led him to a form of violent language. As a male I feel diminished by the attitudes and behaviours of many males towards females, which are still embedded in our culture.

Peter Wigney, Pakenham

Making a pitch

Caitlin Fitzsimmons (Comment, 26/7) said much of what has bothered me for a long while. As a very elderly person I am aware that my hearing range is limited, particularly the higher pitch. I do wear hearing aids but though they can clarify sound much better, the high pitch still impairs the message.

Comparing female presenters in radio and television, I find a difference. For example the woman who presents the Business report on late ABC-TV has a very high pitch, making her not as easy to understand as, say, Margaret Throsby of ABC FM .

Also, the speed of speech is of importance. There should be an optimum range of speed for all presenters, many will lapse into a rapid rate which my brain doesn't interpret quickly enough.

Hope this strikes a chord with others and the broadcasters will take note.

Bryan Taylor, Drysdale

Blind faith

In the wake of the Coalition's poor showing in Saturday's byelections, the focus by commentators and the government itself is on company tax cuts as the main cause of its troubles. It beggars belief that its refusal to act decisively on climate change, its inhumane treatment of asylum seekers and its constant pandering to the party's hard right hardly rate a mention.

Do they not remember the same-sex marriage vote, where voters sent an unequivocal message that they want a more compassionate and broad-minded government than the one they're getting? Perhaps it is a case of "there's none so blind as those who will not see".

Jill Rosenberg, Caulfield South

What policies?

If Malcolm Turnbull dumps the plan to cut corporation tax, that would leave the Coalition with only two policies – to ignore climate change and punish immigrants.

Colin Mockett, Geelong

Games of throes

Jacob Friedman (Letters, 30/7) argues his case well, but he is wrong. First, players do not throw the ball onto their foot to kick the ball, they drop it. Second, the laws are as clear as a mountain stream with respect to throwing the ball. They state: "When the football is in play, a free kick shall be awarded against a player who hands the football to another player or throws the football."

If you throw the football, it is a free kick. It couldn't be more simple.

Scott McIntyre, Elsternwick

AND ANOTHER THING

Politics

At least now the Liberals know what trickle-down politics is all about.

Dennis Richards, Cockatoo

Endorsing corporate tax cuts and not reversing cuts to penalty rates to the most vulnerable workers. Can't wait for the next election.

John Nash, Altona

And Malcolm Turnbull had the audacity to say that the byelections were a bad result for Labor.

Phil Lipshut, Elsternwick

I smell a new TV sitcom. Malcolm in a muddle.

Bill Trestrail, St Kilda

Malcolm Turnbull may be popular but the question is, with whom?

Phil Alexander, Eltham

Bill Shorten must be Malcolm Turnbull's worst nightmare – no matter how much he beats him up, Shorten remains standing.

Garry Meller, Bentleigh

Isn't it nice that the PM is so gracious in defeat?

Adrian Tabor, Point Lonsdale

Whose smile is the bigger? Bill Shorten's or a true-blue Carlton supporter's?

Rex Condon, Ashwood

Alexander and family need to retreat back to Downerton Abbey and leave the campaign for Mayo to the tenant farmers.

David Ker, Geelong

Has Tony Abbott ever heard of Majak Daw, Aliir Aliir, Joseph Deng and Peter Bol?

David Seal, Balwyn North

Listening to the people has never been one of this government's greatest achievements.

Annie Wilson, Inverloch

Furthermore

Maybe the headline should read "Three non-Sudanese men attack innocent bystander in Frankston".

Tina Van Wees, Somerville

Cricket Australia: where your opinions on women's healthcare and rights will get you fired.

Julia Macmillan, Hawthorn