TO all Malaysians, I want to reach out across the seas and ensure that you heard directly from a member of the Australian government. I was horrified to hear about the racist attack on a student from Malaysia this month. It is awful to hear of anyone being attacked by strangers on the street simply because of their race and ethnicity.

As an Australian who used to travel regularly to Singapore for work before my election to the Australian Parliament House last year, I was horrified to hear about the racist attack on a student from Singapore in my home city of Melbourne last week.

It’s always disappointing when a politician plays silly political games, let alone during a national health and economic crisis. Paul Edbrooke’s comments in ‘Rail extension at a ‘standstill’’ (The Times, 30/3/20) is game-playing at its worst.