The decline of the department store began with the advent of the individual “boutique brands” within the store. If I’m looking for a pink shirt, I want all the shirts together preferably in size and colour order, not scattered over an area the size of a tennis court, with shop assistants who know nothing about any brand but their own (“I was a terrible Grace Bros employee, but I hope department stores don’t check out”, June 23). And for stores whose customers are predominantly female, but management predominantly male, don’t get me started on the ladies’ “powder room” – I’m looking at you, DJs at Warringah Mall. Last time I was there, admittedly not recently, this area, while clean, hadn’t been updated in decades. Helen Howes, Collaroy
Miranda Otto in the ABC series Ladies In Black
The slow death of department stores seems sadly inevitable, but online shopping is not the only reason. The store’s first mistake was in becoming tenants in shopping centres that contain their direct competitors. Their second was to sub-lease their floor space to individual manufacturers so that customers have to wander from franchise to franchise searching for a suitable item of clothing, rather than finding all coats, for example, in one place. Norm Neill, Darlinghurst
Nuclear costs
Parnell Palme McGuinness describes Peter Dutton’s proposal for nuclear power as “another way of expressing a focus on cost of living” (“They cast Peter Dutton as a wolf. Here’s why they’re wrong”, June 23). The obvious problem with this statement is the Coalition’s failure to tell us the cost. Politics has truly decoupled from accountability and the real world when the way to “focus” on an issue is to leave out the essential facts. Jim Allen, Panorama (SA)
In 1981 (yes, more than 40 years ago), the British government announced that it was going to build eight new nuclear power stations. Thirty years later they announced that they were going to build one new power station in Somerset (Hinkley Point). One might have expected that this facility would be functioning by now. No such luck; the project will be delayed until 2031. Notably, the final projected cost of this venture is a staggering £35 billion ($67 billion). Britain has a significant nuclear industry. It has had nuclear power stations since the 1950s and has nuclear-powered submarines (French and Chinese expertise has also been engaged in this project).
Australia’s expertise in this arena is confined to ANSTO, an excellent but small facility based in a suburb of southern Sydney. Maybe more homework is needed before we rush off into the unknown with our own nuclear power stations. Guy Hallowes, Lane Cove
l am bemused that McGuinness would use Switzerland as an example of living close to a nuclear power station, considering that Switzerland is decommissioning its nuclear plants, and no new licences are forthcoming. Doesn’t this put Australia ahead of the field, by never building one in the first place? Lucas Heights cannot be compared to a thermal nuclear power plant. Kevin Fischer, Tyrendarra (Vic)
Dutton backflip
What a dispiriting state of affairs (“Has pro-China Peter Dutton morphed from hawk to dove?”, June 23). Anthony Albanese and an academic readily point out the change in language by Peter Dutton in respect to China. The media missed the significant 180 degree turn by Dutton, preferring to focus on a snub to a journalist during a visit that would never have happened under the Coalition.
The PM kowtows to foreign dignitaries and is disloyal to Australians, apparently. Dutton now does plenty of kowtowing. Desperate to rebuild a relationship that he was part of destroying and to win back a community. Brenda Kilgore, Red Hill (ACT)
Here’s proof that Dutton will say anything and, like his predecessor, throw the truth overboard to gain power. And so it is with his nuclear power policy, the only purpose of which is to sow confusion and undermine the public’s faith in renewables, just like he did in the recent referendum. Nuclear has been evaluated against renewables by experts and decisively and almost universally rejected. So when it comes to his nuclear policy, if you don’t know, vote no. Brenton White, Mosman
Squeeze is on
So glad the oranges I buy from the fresh food people are “made in Australia” (“Breakfast staple may become luxury amid drought in Brazil”, June 23). Looking forward to no price increase! Jane Lieschke, Woonona