Our society, under stress, has reflected on our teachers' worth. Hopefully, we'll remember it when this crisis is over.

Col Mason, Mornington

A predictable outcome

Of course the answer to Mother's Day reunions was the shopping malls. Jam-packed, takeaway coffees, muffins, not too much social distancing, take all the time you like.

Thanks, Daniel Andrews.

Geraldine O'Sullivan, Hawthorn

Political grandstanding at its worst

Tim Smith's dummy-spitting over Daniel Andrews' strategy to "err on the side of caution" demonstrates political grandstanding at its worst, creating dissension and negativity surrounding a day that we should all be positively thankful for – loving and protecting all mothers everywhere.

As a mother I am content with using social media platforms such as FaceTime or Messenger to connect with my children and grandchildren. Patience is a virtue.

Debb Schmetzer, W Tree

Advice rings true

Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy hit the nail on the head with his comments that we will need serious changes in behaviour as we head "back to normal".

His recommendation that people "with a cold or cough" stay at home and not go to work or circulate among people rings true and should be enforced to the point where the perpetrator of the bug faces a hefty fine if caught, and the employer liable if they attend work. This would also have to have a beneficial effect in curbing the "seasonal flu" .

Ian Anderson, Surrey Hills

We need these restrictions

Tim Wilson, your swipe at Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews and his COVID-19 restrictions was particularly puerile politicking. I have no sense that he is "enjoying the clampdown too much in terms of the authority and power it's given him, and he's not as enthusiastic to roll it back".

I am a former registered nurse and have a good understanding of the need for these restrictions, as difficult as they may be. I am also a mother and a grandmother, and this year's Mother's Day was not as I – or many other families – would ever have chosen. However, it is these restrictions, and the community's responsible willingness to respect them, that have achieved the excellent outcome we can all soon enjoy when they are finally lifted.

I admire Andrews' excellent leadership, and am so grateful for his firm and well-informed stand, which has kept so many Victorians safe. Just get on with your job as a federal member and leave the states to make their own decisions please, Tim.

Christine Harris, Mordialloc

THE FORUM

Curb this recklessness

Lynn Pollock's warning in "Cyclists behaving badly" (Letters, 7/5), unfortunately is too late for me.

I was enjoying a pleasant walk along the Eastern Freeway shared walking/cycling track a week ago when I was struck at speed from behind by a MAMIL [middle-aged man in lycra]. I was knocked violently to the ground with my left hand sustaining the most serious injuries, necessitating a two-night stay in hospital. The wounds and bone damage mean I will need a cast for the next month to six weeks, and dental repairs are also pending.

The cyclist offered me no assistance, appearing more concerned with the possible damage to his precious bike than my obvious wounds and distress.

Action must be taken to curb this reckless behaviour and make cyclists more responsible in their use of a shared facility and fully accountable for injuries they inflict.

Margot Schmidt, Templestowe Lower

Don't look back

Back to normal – the question is, will it be not so much back, but forwards to a new and better normal?

Much is up to our leaders – political and business. Will the atmosphere created by Scott Morrison and his national cabinet be carried on or will we return to the nastiness in Parliament and beyond of pre-virus days ?

Advance Australia where?

Geoff Hinds, Merrylands, NSW

Protect all workers

If only one thing is evident from the pandemic, it is to demonstrate how the massive casualisation of our workforce puts so many at a great disadvantage.

And, as we move to the next stages, all workers really do need access to sick leave and everyone might need greater sick leave than we currently have.

Some sort of income guarantee has to be on the agenda as our new normal unfolds.

Graham Reynolds, Soldiers Hill

Neither monster nor saint

It was enlightening to read Barney Zwartz ("A legacy of shame and failure", Comment, 9/5) referring to the release of the redacted portions of the royal commission findings. Zwartz's well-thought-out, even-handed approach was exemplified by his referring to Cardinal Pell as neither monster nor saint.

That the cardinal's self-serving failure to act seems to have resulted in further instances of abuse is a shameful outcome. Zwartz rightly alludes to both sides of the coin, highlighting some of the arguments of both detractors and supporters, unlike some of the more one-sided outpourings in both social media and comments in the press.

John Silvester (Naked City, 9/5) also paints a picture of a situation that sadly seems to have been all too common in several dioceses, the constant shuffling between parishes of known offenders in the hope of concealing their actions and avoiding embarrassment to the church.

Both articles refer to the fact that many individuals seemed to at least be aware of wrongdoing but failed to act, not wishing to upset the status quo or disadvantage themselves for future advancement. The damage caused to so many individuals along the way could possibly have been lessened.

Any reasonable person would find it hard to accept these activities were not widely known at several levels.

John Paine, Kew East

Food for thought

Pity that the feral cats and wild dogs living in the High Plains and National Park can't read Saturday's Age ("Court ruling clears way for brumby culls", 9/5), otherwise they would be licking their lips at the thought of all those horse carcasses that will be lying around in remote places for them to feed on as the shooting takes place.

John Quinn, Avoca

An environmental disaster

Manufacturing hydrogen from fossil fuels may be politically expedient, but it is an environmental disaster.

The hydrogen economy has many hidden energy losses. The Victorian government-subsidised project to manufacture three tonnes of liquid hydrogen from brown coal for shipment to Japan clearly demonstrates this problem. This project will convert 160 tonnes of brown coal to three tonnes of hydrogen, producing 100 tonnes of carbon dioxide and, by my calculations, 98 tonnes of char. Waste for Victoria to deal with.

If in Japan the hydrogen is used to generate electricity in a fuel cell, simply shipping 28 tonnes of brown coal to Japan and burning that coal would generate a similar amount of electricity and produce only 81tonnes of carbon dioxide. These calculations did not consider the energy consumed to mine the coal and transport the hydrogen.

Keith Fincher, Drysdale

We need a new system

Throughout the world, political leaders are telling us that there must be a "return to normal" in order to protect our economies, while invariably the scientific advice does not support politicians in their self-serving haste to put populations at more risk.

The "normal", to which Scott Morrison and Josh Frydenberg refer so often, does not now exist – it is gone forever. The challenge for elected (and in some cases unelected) leaders is to devise a new system to allow the human race to successfully function on this planet.

The coronavirus may well be the first truly deadly planet-wide infection in a cascading series of viruses that will be the "new normal" for our species. In these circumstances it is not unreasonable to expect political and social leaders will defer to science for development of the tools required to ensure continuation of the human race.

When we are satisfied to place this frightening responsibility in the hands of leaders who reject scientific fact, then the future is dark, uncertain and far from a "return to normal".

Mark Bennett, Manifold Heights

Opportunity knocks

In the post-pandemic but still climate-threatened world, we have the power to choose new social values.

I hope community, friendship, distribution and partnership will replace domination, exploitation, accumulation and force.

Michael Donnelly, Keilor East

You can only do your best

It makes perfect sense that personality type is a significant factor in burnout ("High achievers greatest risk of burnout: study", The Age, 7/5). Most of us have seen those people who seem to be in a permanent state of anxiety, stressing about minor irregularities and obstacles in their lives.

Neither the nervous nor the hormonal systems, whose interdependent activities are elevated in stressful situations, are likely to continue to do so indefinitely, it is not in their nature; animal studies done in the 1970s by Martin Seligman and others showed it can lead to depression. How much more likely is it humans in modern complex stressful situations will also suffer burnout?

Probably the thing that should be impressed upon people of all ages is that they can only do the best they can in the situation in which they find themselves, that society does not expect them to do more, and that they shouldn't expect it of themselves either.

Anthony Whitmarsh, Viewbank

Keep it on hold

On Monday, people will be itching to hear from Premier Daniel Andrews about the easing of emergency restrictions. But I will have my heart in my mouth.

If the government removes travel bans – as seems likely – duck hunters will be permitted to travel to regional areas to shoot ducks.

The duck season was to start on May 3 and has been on hold. It should stay on hold, forever.

Debbie Lustig, Elsternwick

The obvious question

I am not an economist and I don't know the answer. However, the question of what we do in the future about the unequal economic impact of coronavirus on people is obvious, and needs immediate attention.

The debates, and sometimes wars, around how economic systems deal with the challenge of inequality are a constant in politics. And situations in which some workers are suddenly disadvantaged by economic decisions are not new. Ask coal miners in England or car workers in Australia. The current crisis is those situations on steroids. The economic whack has been felt very differently, because some are still working for their salary as always, and overnight some have no work or income, including small businesses. Also, the changes will be felt unequally because there is a huge difference in the capacity of people to absorb economic shocks.

The challenge for all of us, including economists and politicians, is to come up with a better economic system for the future.

Howard Tankey, Box Hill North

We're not hiding

Prime Minister, Victorians are not hiding under the doona but we are carrying out our grave duty to stop the spread of COVID-19 under the leadership of Premier Daniel Andrews and Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton, who, against strong resistance, pushed through early adoption of restrictions, resulting in countless lives being saved.

Also, Mr Morrison, if we get a resurgence of infections, we don't need to "hold our nerve" but instead we may need to backtrack and reintroduce restrictions.

This is especially so, given both the uptake on the COVIDSafe "tracing app" is only about 25 per cent, much less the than the minimum 40 per cent and the desired at least 60 per cent originally talked about, and the disturbing TV news vision over recent days of flouting of social distancing at shopping centres and other activity concentrators.

Carlo Ursida, Kensington

Thinking outside the box

As we all know, while the COVID-19 precautions are in place, one of the tick-box requirements upon entry to some places is to have a temperature check done.

While visiting my mother in an aged-care facility my temperature has been recorded as low as 34 degrees ... seriously hypothermic if it were true. Clearly either the technique or the thermometer is faulty, but no one is motivated to explore this possibility.

I believe this could be a widespread occurrence. Someone with a real elevated temperature, potentially with the virus, could be missed due to the inaccuracies of temperature taking. Thought needs to extend beyond just ticking the box.

Name withheld

AND ANOTHER THING

Lockdown longings

This exile from Elwood eyes with longing the luscious array of takeaway/delivery food options available to those who are closer to the CBD than where I now (happily) live.

Elizabeth Chipman, Seaford

I miss persiflage, I used to get some every day at my favourite cafe.

Peter Voice, Deep Lead

The economy

Is it not time to seriously consider a universal basic wage?

Carolyn Reynolds, Lake Boga

When you think about it, was it a bit foolish to rely so heavily on our spending for our economic security?

Anne Carroll, Brighton East

The highwaymen used to ask the question "your money or your life?" How are we to answer in this current climate?

William Hines, Mornington

The next steps

Dear Prime Minister, all we need now is a three-step plan to ease climate change effects on our economy.

Denis Liubinas, Blairgowrie

In March we withdrew, in May we enter a brave new world. Terrifying.

Margaret Skeen, Point Lonsdale

The danger of overrun hospitals has passed, but will we soon have overrun pubs?

Myra Fisher, Brighton East

Politics

It's shameful that some have attempted to used Mother's Day as an avenue for political gain.

Gary Roulston, Endeavour Hills

Furthermore

On Saturday a political commentator discussed the light at the end of the rainbow. But what we want to know is: Is there a pot of gold at the end of the tunnel?

Greg Eccleston, Malvern

Finally

Move over, Antony Green at the ABC, here comes Casey Briggs with his coronavirus charts. Both of them are interactive screen specialists.

Lou Ferrari, Richmond

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