Commenting on the story: Education chief urges teachers to call off ‘divisive’ strike

Reference to the “almost two-thirds of teachers who responded to a union survey” has appeared in several reports on this matter including yours.

Firstly, naturally, this survey is only of those who belong to the union. Secondly, I am told by a union member that the total number of replies was around one thousand. Thirdly, the survey was distributed several days before the final arrangements were announced and members were contacted several times in that period if they had not voted.

Thus, while I am sure the original statement is accurate, there is a risk that it leaves a false impression of the views of the more than 20,000 teachers employed in SA public schools.

That is not to in any way discount the anxiety that must be felt by virtually all teachers returning to school in this highly infectious period of the pandemic. – Anne Williams

It sounds like a teachable moment for the Education Dept head if he’s going to say that teachers concerned about their safety are causing anxiety for others, and uses that as a reason to not support them.

When he says teachers are respected, does that only extend to things that aren’t “causing division”? – Jacob Hodgman

Commenting on the story: Your views on elective surgery bans

Given the bans on elective surgery, I am interested as to how Port Power players Charlie Dickson and Orazio Fantasia (and possibly others) are going to be able to undergo operations in the immediate future, as has been recently reported.

Do the bans not apply to AFL players and perhaps other sportspeople? If not, why is that the case?  I had thought, as we are often told, that “we are all in this together”.  I can only imagine the distress being caused to those poor patients who really require surgery, and which for them is hardly “elective”, and whose surgery has been postponed for many months, if they are aware that footballers are in a different category.

Minor knee surgery for a footballer cannot  be described as other than “elective”. Have they been given some sort of secret exemption unavailable to the rest of the community? – Greg Howe

Commenting on the opinion piece: Ali Clarke: When the dress code takes a sinister turn

Strike two, Mr Craig Tiley. – James Sage