There were already workers in the room welcoming customers but it was immediately obvious that they had no interest in the comfort, or even perhaps the safety of this venerable elder, so I walked the approximate 10 metres to retrieve a chair, which I politely offered to the man, who gratefully accepted.

When I finally was seen to by the teller, I brought up the fact that this current set-up made it very difficult for some and inquired as to why there could not be chairs provided by staff in these situations.

After telling me it was just the rules, I argued that there was always a way around red tape, to which he replied, paraphrasing, that they were not allowed to ask if anyone wanted a chair in case they were offended.

It was at this point I realised there was no actual rational reason behind this policy unless perhaps the fierce loyalty that chief executives have to their bottom line and their bonuses. None of this will surprise anyone. What is shocking is what people will put up with in the face of an arguably rampant capitalist system.

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I CANNOT find words adequate to express deep feelings stirred up after reading the piece by Tasmanian Liberal senator Eric Abetz (The Examiner, January 25), aided and abetted by Alice Springs deputy mayor Jacinta Price, whose words and ideas were strategically interlaced throughout the article and revealed in a hard-hitting manner that maximised their impact to greatest effect.

If these two people - one from the senate and the other hoping to make a home there - are capable of delivering such a well-thought-out, rational set of ideas on Australia's biggest social problem of the past 236 years, then there is great hope for comprehensive Reconciliation succeeding.

After reading the article a second time, I marvelled at what the future could be should Abetz and Price post-2022 election have seats in the Senate chamber together and be able to lead a movement forward to unite the feelings and future hopes of an undivided nation just as they did in The Examiner, January 25) Australia Day-eve edition.

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THE on-court antics and bad behaviour of a few tennis players needs addressing by the International Tennis Federation and Tennis Australia. The latest is Canadian Denis Shapovalov smashing his racket and mouthing the umpire is corrupt. If this was a jockey or soccer player, they would be given a red card and maybe say goodbye to the season.

Not being a tennis fan but wanting grandchildren to engage by watching playbacks, these players make a mockery of the game, as do the serving-player grunts.

At this point, the Australian and state governments should tell tennis to remove the idiots or there will be no funding or tax relief to sponsors. How to fix it? Deduct a point for every breach and carry forward accrued breaches. These men and women are spoilt brats who must learn there is a standard.

Recent media reports about waiting lists again completely fail to tell the full story. In fact, there are many waiting lists. Given the ageing population, if you need a joint replacement, it could take two years. But the failure to acknowledge the volume of emergency surgery is a gross injustice and misrepresents the clinical staff efforts. When I retired some years ago, the emergency component was already 45 per cent of the total surgical load.

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If the beds are half taken up with these cases, fulfilling the elective component is impossible. The "short stay" unit makes a great contribution, and modern technologies with early mobilisation frees up beds, but cannot make up for the shortfall in available beds.

None of this has anything to do with the pandemic; the situation long predates this, but does underscore it.

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