Government must get tough to protect our future prosperity

There are three irrefutable facts in the blame game over which side of politics is responsible for our trillion dollar debt (“Government debt to hit $1 trillion today”, August 20). The first is that John Howard and Peter Costello paid back the Hawke/Keating-era debt, leaving Australia debt-free when they lost office. The second is that the Coalition under Morrison/Frydenberg had little choice when COVID hit but to pump money into the economy to stop total collapse. The third is that it is Labor’s responsibility to track a path back to surplus by cutting expenditure and waste, and improving productivity. What we see at the moment is just the opposite – subsidies are handed out every day, the renewables obsession continues unabated (and uncosted), the public service remains bloated, unions are taking over workplaces, laws and regulations are stifling innovation and economic activity, and working from home is becoming a right. Labor has been in power for more than four years now. Despite booming mining revenues, all we have to show for it is forecast deficits as far as the eye can see. Labor is responsible for our future prosperity and it is failing to deliver by making the hard choices needed. Pity our children and grandchildren. Ian Morison, Forrest (ACT)

Appropriate response

I am a Sydney Swans supporter and am outraged by the behaviour of the players implicated in the latest scandal (“Swans fans devastated by sexual assault allegation”, August 20). But I fail to see how this degrades the so-called culture of the club. It is not the club’s fault that these men made such stupid decisions. I think the real culture of the Sydney Swans is shown by the leaders of the club, who have come down hard on these players. In doing so, they have recognised that winning a trophy is much less important than allowing such behaviour to be swept under the carpet. John Rome, Mount Lawley

You grasp the effects of poor choices by adult men when you realise you’re wearing a Sydney Swans jersey and quickly take it off before you pick your grandchild up from daycare. Mark Palmer, Inverell

As legendary Australian rugby league coach Jack Gibson once famously warned his players: “Nothing good happens in a bar after midnight.” Geoff Goodfellow, Moss Vale

Passing the buck

If the government manages to remove 240,000 people from the NDIS I assume they will all be picked up by the new scheme the government plans to implement – which will also be paid for by either individual states or the Commonwealth (“States have more work to do on NDIS, says Butler”, August 20). This will just shift the cost from the NDIS onto a different platform. How is this making any difference for people who require help? I was never any good at maths, but even I can see this doesn’t add up. Monica Turik, Mona Vale

Leaders’ poor example

Greg Baker poses the question at the heart of ethics: “What is the right thing to do?” (Letters, August 20). Many letter writers have suggested that parents should instil values and schools endorse them. Less has been mentioned of the examples set by our leaders. How telling, then, that the government and opposition together endorsed such limited curbs on the gambling industry despite the well-known potential to cause harm and the population begging for reform. How might that decision adversely affect not only children, but all Australians? If we can’t trust our elected representatives to bring about legislation that most constituents strongly believe in, how can any government require anyone else to behave ethically Barbara Watt, Frenchs Forest

Doesn’t pass the test

Among the thousands of students who sat for the selective high school examinations, successful applicants have just received the good news (“Selective school offers out as gender quotas take effect”, August 20). However, many who were offered places in a selective high school will instead opt for a private school scholarship, which, according to the article, was always their primary goal, while others who accept their offers will be committing to a long-distance daily commute for the next six years – a round trip of about 110 kilometres a day in one case! Neither of these outcomes – using a selective placement to secure a place in a private school, or having students travel across regions to school – seems desirable to me. Irene Buckler, Glenwood

Double standard

Three Scots College teenagers are charged with sexual assault and released on bail to their parents. In a parallel universe, three teenagers from south-west Sydney, also charged with sexual assault, are remanded in custody (“Private school students allegedly raped girl in Sydney home”, August 20). It will be interesting to watch these studies of crime and punishment as they unfold. It may be as socially and morally revealing as Dostoevsky’s classic. Rowan Godwin, Rozelle

Gunning for change

Tracy Blackburn’s “sandstone curtain” jibe at city people sipping lattes from eco-friendly cups is not only patronising; it rather gives away the contempt behind her argument (“Farmers take aim at state’s gun ownership restrictions”, August 19). I run a farm in regional NSW and the graziers near me manage perfectly well with one or two firearms for various legitimate purposes – foxes, feral cats, injured large animals, wild pigs and deer. They know their firearms are tools and that a smart person does not need excess tools. Ms Blackburn might also remember that many of those supposedly clueless latte-sipping city people she disparages are the doctors, nurses and teachers who leave the city to fill essential positions in rural and regional communities. They don’t need a lecture about life on the land – rural Australia needs them. And the latte sneer is increasingly tired. I see plenty of local farmers and graziers happily sipping lattes from reusable cups. Perhaps Ms Blackburn could join them, take a soothing sip and reconsider the notion that common sense stops at the sandstone curtain. Farmers deserve to be heard in the gun debate. But so do others, without the sneering city-versus-country caricature. Vivien Clark-Ferraino, Duckmaloi

Unite on gambling reform

Instead of supporting the government’s pathetic modifications to the recommended new gambling laws, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor could have worked with Anthony Albanese to get all of Peta Murphy’s anti-gambling reforms passed into law and collected lots of much-needed public brownie points (“Husband of late MP Peta Murphy gives his verdict on Labor’s gambling reforms”, August 20). We heard both parties praising Murphy’s proposals when they were introduced to parliament but when it came to the crunch each party backed off, frightened to lose millions from the gambling lobby. We know that the gambling industry is all-powerful and has our politicians seemingly under its control, but if our two main parties had worked together they could have got all Murphy’s reforms through both houses of parliament. It could have been as easy as that, and would have had the public’s support. Christine Shale, Mosman

Decades of pollution

Lead pollution in the soil near homes and schools around Broken Hill was known about 40 years ago (“‘Potent’ toxin found above guidelines in soil at 10 childcare centres”, August 20). I included the issue when teaching environmental medicine to postgraduate students at the time. There is an immense slag heap that borders part of the town and every time the wind blew, it would spread lead-contaminated dust over the whole town. The poorer families’ houses collected more dust, exposing them more. The government has dragged its heels in preventing this pollution and remediating the town, and is still doing so after all this time. Why isn’t BHP cleaning it up? It’s their mess. John Frith, The Entrance

Empty nests

In her article about housing people in need, Julie Power writes about the utilisation of vacant properties pending development, demolition or upgrades (“The empty homes that could help solve Sydney’s housing crisis”, August 20). There is another measure that, without laying a brick so to speak, could deliver more housing, address the cost of living for those struggling to meet mortgage payments and tackle the loneliness epidemic among older, single people. The cost to the government would be negligible. Britain’s Rent a Room scheme allows homeowners to earn up to £7500 a year tax-free (about $15,000) from letting out furnished accommodation in their homes. I would love to see this scheme adopted in Australia. Jill Robinson, Randwick

Congratulations to Toga for their outstanding initiatives in finding vacant properties for the homeless, whether short or long term. I have often wondered about the seemingly empty hotel accommodation that I pass in Sydney. Irene Thom, Vaucluse

Renters struggle

The budget tax increases were to force investors out of existing housing and into new construction (“Renters in crossfire of battle over tax reforms”, August 20). The idea was for reduced prices of existing property to assist first home buyers while increased investor demand would increase prices for new stock, thereby stimulating supply. Renters who can never buy will inevitably face increasing rents from declining old stock and higher rents on new. If I were now forced to sell a house that a neighbouring family has rented for over 20 years, it would almost inevitably go to a well-financed owner-occupier. My tenants could not afford it and they would lose their home. William S Lloyd, Denistone

Danger of censorship

I spent 14 years working as a humanitarian worker in Bangladesh, Myanmar and Cambodia. I saw what happens when governments and institutions restrict access to information and make certain ideas too dangerous to discuss. I returned to Australia assuming that freedom of expression and access to information were deeply embedded in our public institutions. That is why I find the reported removal of How to Sell a Genocide from Waverley library so disturbing (“Sydney council pulls book critical of Israel from library shelves”, August 19). People have every right to find a book offensive, including this one. But that cannot be the test for whether a public library makes a book available. The NSW Parliament has just strengthened the Library Act to protect libraries’ freedom to collect and make available material. Yet Waverley library has reportedly removed this book following a complaint. We should be very careful about becoming comfortable with censorship simply because, on this occasion, we happen to dislike the book being removed. A public library should expose us to ideas we disagree with, not protect us from them. Stav Zotalis, Waverley

I imagine Adam Johnson is hoping to have further bans imposed on his book. The free publicity and controversy would really boost sales. Banning certainly helped popularise To Kill a Mockingbird, Catcher in the Rye, Ulysses , Harry Potter, The Satanic Verses, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and many others. Paul Doyle, Glenbrook

I’d like to let fellow readers and librarians know that I’ve phoned my local library in Marrickville Adam Johnson’s book How to Sell a Genocide has not been “removed”. I just thought all the readers from Waverley and surrounds might like to know. Antoinette Riley, Marrickville

Memory loss

As I age, I am conscious of memory loss and wonder how well I am doing. Having listened in recent days to the evidence of numerous ICAC witnesses, all of whom are much younger than me and can hardly recall anything about important work matters just a few years ago, I have decided to stop worrying. Michael Georgeson, Balmain

Reading the room

As chair of the Children’s Book Council of Australia, I wish to respond to Sally Rawsthorne, who called Children’s Book Week “the bane of the contemporary parent’s existence” (“Has play got in the way of learning?” August 19). At its heart, Book Week has never been about creating the most elaborate costume or staging the most impressive classroom display. It is, and always has been, about connecting children with Australian stories and celebrating the creators who spark children’s imaginations. In an age of endless distractions, a week that puts books and stories at the centre of school and community life remains more valuable than ever. Book Week is not about perfection or competition, but rather about participation, imagination and cultivating a lifelong love of reading. Jo Panckridge, Geelong

Sally Rawsthorne underestimates the importance of engaging young children in the early days of their formal education. One of the main aims of teachers in the early years is to help children understand that school is a great place to be and that fun and learning go hand in hand. The “class pet” exercise is a wonderful way to engage in some imaginative play as well as building vocabulary and concepts. As to Book Week costumes, there are plenty of YouTube clips that give ideas for easy costumes. Margaret Hogan, Hurlstone Park

Waste of wealth

With all that incredible wealth, billionaires could do so much good (“A bit rich: All this billionaire belly-aching’s a real pain”, August 20). Instead, many align themselves with the far right. A study by a Boston University epidemiologist has estimated that up to 600,000 people, of whom two-thirds were children, have died as a result of cuts to USAid orchestrated by Gina Rinehart’s friend, Elon Musk, the world’s richest person. What drives these people to be so cruel is mystifying. Alan Morris, Eastlakes

Unintelligent design

The current debate in the letters pages on divine design defects (Letters, August 20) brings to mind the comment made by my doctor as I entered the third day of labour with my first child: “I could have designed a much more efficient woman. I’d have put in a zipper.” Ann Clydsdale, Bathurst

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