Credit: Illustration: Cathy Wilcox
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SEXISM
There has rightly been shock expressed at the events which have taken place at a Melbourne private school, where women were effectively regarded as objects to be graded (“Schoolboys suspended for ‘disgraceful’ girl ratings”, 6/5). I have been giving this matter a lot of thought recently, together with the related topic of respect. As someone who uses public transport, I have observed that most men sit on a shared seat with their legs wide apart, thus making it awkward for anyone else to sit down. Most of these men would feel that they respect women and would never hit a woman, but they still feel entitled (yes, there’s that word again), to take up more than half a seat.
Do they also feel entitled to play golf on the weekend while their partner manages the kids at home, and do they feel entitled to not be called from daycare if their child is sick because their job is more “important”, and do they feel entitled to not do the washing because their wife does it “better”? There are many examples.
These behaviours are being modelled to their children and especially their sons. Yes men, it starts with you at home. Unless you can think hard and carefully about your own actions, then you will be perpetuating the myth that you are entitled to more than half a seat on a tram.
Julie Smith, Soldiers Hill
Can’t take a joke
The Yarra Valley Grammar boys’ “attractiveness” rating of female classmates was disturbing, but shows how embedded these dysfunctional attitudes to women are in our culture – and how early they start. Misogynistic views are often cloaked in so-called humour, so there’s an automatic defence when it’s called out – where the person objecting is being too “precious” or “can’t take a joke”.
Alcohol and drug use, gambling and the ubiquitous presence of internet pornography (and the influence of malevolent, entitled alpha males like Andrew Tate) all contribute to the toxic atmosphere, endangering or destroying women as male empathy and respect evaporates.
Schools need to mandate programs to address the perpetual hostile messaging that continues to undermine our society. The students are reflecting what they’ve learnt elsewhere, so it’s time for a new and dynamic education. We all need to be up for the challenge.
Bruce Watson, Belgrave
No school is above bad behaviour
What is it that makes a school “exclusive or “prestigious”. While not wishing to blame a whole school for the behaviour of a small group of students, the current, offensive and sexist issue of boys “rating” their female students shows that no school is immune from bad behaviour, whether it be a private or a public school. Let’s just call a school a school in future.
Jo Bond, South Melbourne
Classes need an upgrade
In regards to the appalling behaviour of some young male students at Yarra Valley Grammar School, I would suggest to principal Mark Merry that his much touted “respectful relationship” classes don’t appear to be working too well and may require a few tweaks.
Neale Meagher, Malvern
Early intervention
As we know from history, this offensive rating of female students by a group of schoolboys is not new. Remember publicised cases where some Brighton Grammar boys did something similar in 2016, and the incident where St Kevin’s boys were chanting misogynistic songs on trams in 2019. The commonality is it is group behaviour. On a grandson’s fifth birthday he turned his back on a longstanding female friend in a photograph when being observed by male friends. Unpacking this uncharacteristic behaviour, it was clear he felt that to be accepted as a member of the “male” tribe he had to repudiate showing attachment to a female friend. He was helped to understand the unconscious dynamic and has made big attitudinal changes. Early intervention can help shape attitudes.
Diana Yallop, Surrey Hills
THE FORUM
Overhaul needed
The federal government’s change to the indexation of HECS loans (“Labor wipes $3b off student loans as cost-of-living relief measure”, 5/5) is welcome news for tertiary students, including my two sons who are both studying. However, it doesn’t go far enough. The current tertiary fee structure is based on the Job Ready Scheme, a Morrison government program that has been widely acknowledged as a failure in terms of its objective, which was to encourage tertiary students towards more vocationally oriented degrees such as teaching and nursing.
Consequently, fees for humanities, communications and law-based degrees were raised to punishing levels. Such high fees do not provide value for money for students choosing these courses. In addition, the Jobs Ready fee structure ensures that only students from financially advantaged backgrounds are in a position to undertake most courses.
I am surprised and disappointed that the current government is prepared to persist with a failed initiative of the previous government, when the alternative is clear: return to the previous fee structure, which was more affordable for most students.
Bronwyn Benn, Burwood
Value for money
I have worked as a public school teacher for over 35 years and will be retiring at year’s end. Like my university peers, our tertiary degrees were free. Remembering many of the cohort who graduated at the time, there would have been hundreds of us who wouldn’t have taken up the offer of a course if the current HECS regime was in place. Many of us were from working-class backgrounds and had witnessed firsthand, the effects of varying degrees of poverty. Until Australia follows leaders in health and education like Finland, a country devoid of tertiary fees, and private schools for that matter, and fails to see that abolishing HECS fees is an investment for the country, not a cost, we will continue to provide a disincentive for our young people to become the doctors, nurses, teachers, among other professions, that we sorely need.
I’d like to think that our 35-40 years worth of service to the Australian public has been money well spent.
Craig Jory, Albury, NSW
Boomers paid too
In his Hip Pocket opinion, Dominic Powell refers to Baby Boomers enjoying the benefit of free university. Free university was introduced in 1973 following the election of the Whitlam government in late 1972. Before this, university was not free and fees had to be paid in full prior to the start of the academic year.
Mike Slater, Mentone
Another penalty
While I’m pleased that the federal government is tinkering with the HELP system, there is a structural issue that requires fixing urgently. Young people with a HELP debt have repayments deducted from their wages each pay day. However, the money taken out is not debited to their account until after the end of the financial year when their tax return is submitted.
For my son, this resulted in this grossly unfair situation. At the beginning of the 2022-23 financial year his HELP debt was $1900. During that financial year he had $5000 deducted in HELP payments. That’s about $3000 more than he owed. He submitted his tax return in August 2023. Indexation of just under $200 was applied on July 1, 2023. That is, he paid a penalty on his debt even though he paid around $3000 more than he owed.
Additionally, deductions from pay should stop immediately once the loan has been repaid.
Peter O’Keefe, Collingwood
Rein in which spending?
While millions of Australians are struggling with the cost of living including mortgage repayments, education costs, healthcare and the weekly grocery and fresh food costs leading economists (“Extra $25b not enough to lock in a surplus”, 6/5) are urging the federal government to rein in spending to take pressure off inflation and interest rates. What spending are they suggesting should the government reduce? What other suggestions do they have to support families and individuals under cost-of-living pressures that will not mean less funds for essential services?
Ray Cleary, Camberwell
Elevate ethics
It’s intriguing that the ACCC chair described Qantas’ “ghost flight” debacle as “egregious and unacceptable” – but stopped short of declaring the airline’s actions as unethical. As Ross Gittins suggests (“Raising ethical standards will lift productivity”, 6/5), there are far too many examples of unethical behaviour that have eroded our trust in organisations – and people, generally. If organisations like the ACCC are unprepared to describe miscreants’ actions as “unethical” how will people learn?
As Gittins writes, the St James Ethics Centre has set the benchmark in helping people through the mire of ethical dilemmas. So why can’t this model be adapted to become a compulsory subject in every Australian primary school? And in secondary school it could become a philosophy-based subject. Ethics should replace the now seemingly moribund religious instruction.
Sally Davis, Malvern East
Short-term decisions
Thank you Ross Gittins for making the case for more ethical behaviour in business and government. And perfectly timed with the huge fine on Qantas by the ACCC to show exactly what unethical behaviour can cost to a single organisation. If such unethical behaviour did not happen we would not need to fund policing organisations such as the ACCC to pursue the big companies on behalf of the collective but relatively powerless customers. Aside from the fines imposed, businesses lose substantial customer loyalty and loss of business, potentially leading to bankruptcy in some cases. All of which is a waste of productive time because someone made what they considered to be a short-term “win” for themselves.
David Gorman, Parkville
Real action
I agree with Sean Kelly (Comment, 6/5) that the slow and steady approach of the Albanese government is unlikely to result in victory at the next election. As a government it has been doing good work on many fronts but is timid when confronting the elephants in the room.
The first of these was the stage 3 tax cuts where it finally acted. Unsurprisingly, it was a popular move. The second is the housing crisis. There is a need for major reform. Negative gearing and halving the capital gains tax jump off the page. But we need to go further and consider issues such as the planning and approvals process, stamp duty, the case for revival of a government housing body, workforce training etc.
In 2019 Bill Shorten went to the election promising some action on this issue. He lost, and since then Labor has been like rabbits in the headlights.
The nation is screaming out for action, not a risk-averse approach.
Bill McMahon, Glen Waverley
Ready to race?
Anthony Albanese is not Scott Morrison. We voted for Albanese because he was not Morrison and yet somehow he is giving out the same bland everyman vibes. Can some of his advisers please grab him by the coat lapels, look him fiercely in the eye and let him know that in today’s media cycle the tortoise does not beat the hare. This is a race suited to Albanese the Tory fighter. But where is he?
Tony Newport, Hillwood
Focus on violence
One of the campus protest leaders said Hamas “deserve our unconditional support” (“MPs on both sides pressure unis over protest camps, 5/5). At a time when there is a focus on violence against women, how can anyone support a group responsible for so much violence against women? Support Palestine, yes, but Hamas, never.
Louise Kloot, Doncaster
History of disruption
Your correspondent, in contrasting today’s on-campus demonstrators with those of yesteryear (Letters, 6/5), writes that the street marches against our involvement in the Vietnam fiasco did not prevent other citizens from going about their everyday business. His memory fails him: I clearly remember taking part in at least one huge rally led by Jim Cairns occupying the intersection of Flinders and Swanston streets to the belligerent fury of some politicians and other civic leaders decrying the disruption to traffic and others, all deprived of “going about their everyday business”.
Peter Price, Southbank
Lessons learnt
Fifty years ago in 1974, Melbourne University students campaigned for more childcare facilities for students and staff (An Age Ago, 6/5). Among others, I was arrested and was subsequently convicted on a range of charges: resisting arrest, besetting and trespassing. Five decades later our demands seem extremely modest. But we were prepared to jeopardise our liberty in support of student parents’ human rights.
Today’s student demonstrators are similarly calling for the protection and enhancement of human rights: this time of the residents of Gaza. Like the demonstrators of 1974 they have been criticised by conservatives and the force of the law has been called for. It is a shame Coalition representatives such as Senator Henderson ignore the lessons of history.
Andrew Hewett, Brunswick
Media attack
What do the supporters of Israel as a bastion of democratic freedoms have to say about the “cancelling” of the Al Jazeera network by the Israeli government? The law allowing foreign media bodies alleged by the government to be “harming the country” to be raided, blocked and shut down in Israel was quietly passed by the Knesset in early April. Now, only news outlets approved by the government can inform Israelis what is going on in the war.
Ken Richards, Elwood
AND ANOTHER THING
Stand against violence
Let’s have a men’s march against men’s domestic violence. Too busy, you say?
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
A minute’s silence is good optics for the AFL, but if it is serious about ending violence against women, it should start referring to the men’s game as AFLM.
Genevieve Redding, Esperance, WA
Rating disgrace
Boys rating girls via technology (“Schoolboys suspended for girl rating ‘disgrace’,” 6/5). Isn’t that how Facebook started? One of the many reasons I don’t use it.
Jane Ross, San Remo
Where is the hope for women when our elite private schools produce young men with these types of values?
David Parker, Geelong West
Furthermore
Could George Brandis, in his next article (Comment, 6/5), please also detail for us the cronies who influenced the Coalition government and benefited from those connections?
Laurie McCormack, Flemington
So when Victoria is basically broke and our treasurer is warning us of a horror budget, someone in the government thinks it’d be OK to spend taxpayers’ money to assist with funding an ABBA computer-generated band?
Nathan Feld, Glen Iris
Would not the $100 million civil penalty imposed on Qantas and destined for government coffers better be spent on a mandatory and closely audited safety/maintenance regime for the airline? Surely it would be a better way to engender confidence in our national carrier.
Michael Harris, Fitzroy
By all accounts these are peaceful protests in our Australian universities. University should be a place where young adults learn to think independently, to question, to challenge the status quo and to use their voice.
Julie Perry, Highton
Finally
Why should HECS debts be indexed at all?
Miranda Jones, Drummond
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2024-05-06 10:00:00Z
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