Letters
Letters to
the editor
Insurance fears
– Lesley Walker, Northcote, Vic
Bear facts
The prediction in Alice Bishop’s article (“Bad news bears”, November 22-28) that koalas will be extinct in New South Wales by 2050 is heading towards reality. Wallaroo State Forest, a nature reserve north of Newcastle, is home to a healthy koala population. Experts advise that dispersed populations be maintained to offset the risk of bushfire and disease on the overall koala population. Forestry Corporation NSW, with the Australian Resource Development Group, plans to establish Stone Ridge Quarry, a commercial operation that will destroy a large section of the state forest. The community has opposed the quarry through all stages of the planning process, including a legal challenge to the approval decision. The NSW Land and Environment Court upheld the approval, while establishing additional conditions on the proponent, including providing $20,000 a year to local wildlife organisations. Nothing like adding insult to injury.
– Allan Evans, Lambton, NSW
Coal confession
“Narratives have been controlled,” says Michelle Manook, the chief executive of the FutureCoal lobby group (Chris Wallace, “Coal comfort”, November 22-28). One can’t help but see the statement as a confession. Wallace does everyone a service by outlining a “sophisticated pivot” that disguises fossil fuel companies’ disdain for climate change action. Sophisticated, however, it is not. The pivot relies entirely on gaslighting, by using concepts associated with progressive politics, such as equity and inclusion, to cover the fact the lobby wants to use coal to further profits. This denies the core challenge of urgently reducing emissions. Policymakers should be exposing this obfuscation, and exposing the contempt for science lurking behind the rhetoric. We need the climate to be dealt with seriously, while ensuring that FutureCoal has little future.
– Gil Anaf, Norwood, SA
Press pass
The National Press Club drew significant attention to itself after cancelling a planned address by the Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist, and former long-term war correspondent, Chris Hedges. It has now drawn further attention with Michelle Manook’s pro-coal address. What is less known about our NPC is its corporate sponsorship. Its website lists 81 corporate sponsors. Twenty-one of these sponsors are either part of the global arms industry or actively working on its behalf. They include the world’s two biggest weapons makers, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon; British giant BAE Systems; France’s largest weapons-maker, Thales; and United States weapons corporation Leidos. When National Press Club chief executive Maurice Reilly warned there would be no mischief “on his watch”, he was clearly referring to the protesters outside the club, not its corporate sponsors.
– Sarah Russell, Mount Martha, Vic
Forgive and forge on
Stan Grant’s article “The infinity of forgiveness” (November 22-28) was superb. In it, Stan challenged set beliefs regarding what constitutes justice and introduced the theory of forgiveness as the ultimate justice. Reflecting on the article, my thoughts turned the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement of 1998. At its core, I believe, the agreement centred on forgiveness, rather than a search for justice. This helped forge a safer, less bitter future for the young people of Northern Ireland.
– Chris Stevens, North Perth, WA
Letters are welcome: [email protected]
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Letters may be edited for length and content, and may be published in print and online. Letters should not exceed 150 words.
This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on November 29, 2025.
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