Minns should follow other states and cut public transport fares

I think NSW Premier Chris Minns has forgotten the election is less than a year’s time, but voters don’t forget (“Free public transport ruled out as fuel crisis worsens”, March 30). We see Victoria and Tasmania have just temporarily introduced free public transport while in Queensland fares are capped at 50c, yet Minns denies the NSW public the same. Minns only cares about his mates in mining, developing, gambling and liquor, while the public are ignored. He has no qualms about spending millions of taxpayers’ money on sports stadiums, yet will not give the long-suffering people of NSW a fare-free transport system. Enjoy the next 11 months or so as premier. You might be looking for a new job after that. Robert Pallister, Punchbowl

Lowering the cost of public transport in NSW makes a lot of sense. Many towns and cities around the world have free public transport to reduce pollution and traffic congestion. It is an essential service paid for by Australian taxpayers. Cheap or free public transport saves commuters on the cost of fuel and the stress of driving in traffic. That’s not to mention the fumes. Transport in Australia accounts for about 20 per cent of our pollution, adding to the already eye-watering cost of climate damage in our country. Reducing our dependence on petrol cars can significantly improve fuel-use efficiency. Victoria and Tasmania are already temporarily suspending public transport charges. NSW Premier Minns needs to get on board. Anne O’Hara, Wanniassa (ACT)

NSW Transport Minister John Graham glibly rationalises its lack of fare relief by saying the government “needs to keep our powder dry”. The war is in the Middle East, Minister, not on Macquarie Street, so please drop the inappropriate cliches. Of course, it’s a rather easy decision for Mr Graham when he and Premier Minns are chauffeured around in dedicated ministerial cars paid for by us taxpayers. Ministers from country electorates even get a free second car and free petrol in their home electorates. Politicians in Queensland and Tasmania have displayed both understanding of the situation and vision by decreeing free public transport in their states, but here in NSW we are just fed glib cliches to justify government inaction. Michael Davis, Balmain East

Free public transport as an antidote to rising fuel prices would only underscore Sydney’s inequity if implemented. Have a look at a map of Sydney and you will see those with the best access to public transport live in the more expensive inner-city locations. The poor suckers in the outer areas of Sydney, without decent access to public transport, will continue to pay through their noses for fuel and tolls. The state government is right to resist calls for reduced or free public transport, because it will only benefit those who can most afford increased fuel prices. Stephen Driscoll, Castle Hill

Premier Minns has ruled out free public transport in NSW. In that case, all his ministers should stop using free state-owned cars to get around and instead use a bus or train. Everyone needs to tighten their belts while Trump causes chaos in the Wild West. Michael Blissenden, Dural

On the surface, making public transport fares cheaper, or free, is stupid: rising liquid fuel prices should put a downward pressure on demand for fuel, which then drives a shift to public transport, with or without fare reductions. However, if people think that prices will rise further it may well drive a surge in hoarding in all manner of containers. We have seen this happen. What interests me, though, is how much of this stored fuel is kept in illegal containers and what insurance companies will do with inevitable accidental fires and explosions. Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls

The least the Minns Labor government can do is offer free public transport, even for a limited period. They should follow the example of the Victorian, Queensland and Tasmanian governments, which have put their people first over revenue. Why can’t Premier Minns, Treasurer Mookhey and Transport Minister Graham at least offer a limited free travel period of six weeks, or even halve the price of all public transport. It would certainly help us all in these tough economic times. Paul Reid, Campsie

Accelerate switch to EVs

When Herald writer Clancy Yeates calls for an EV tax, I remind myself his background is finance and not science (“The fuel crisis helps to illustrate why an EV road user charge makes sense”, March 30). We are experiencing a climate crisis, with regular weather extremes creating havoc with people’s lives. It’s in our own interests to accelerate the transition to clean energy by encouraging the transition to EVs instead of slowing it. It’s a myth that the fuel excise pays for roads. In fact, it goes into general revenue. The simple fact is we need to collect more tax from those who can afford it. Our tax system provides a multitude of methods for the wealthy to pay very little. I was shocked in the 1990s to discover Australia’s richest man at the time (Kerry Packer) paid less tax than I did as a salary earner. Nothing substantial has changed, and it’s a fact that the rich are getting richer and income earners are being overburdened in paying for Australia’s underfunded welfare, hospitals, education and roads systems. Anne Matheson, Gordon

Correspondents can find as many anomalies as they like when they start analysing how governments use their revenue (Letters, March 30). Fuel excise goes into consolidated revenue along with many other taxes, which then supplies road grants to states. There’s no immutable link between the two, so to claim that miners and farmers deserve to be reimbursed for the excise they pay is special pleading. Should commuters who drive to work be reimbursed for the public transport funding their taxes provide? Should patients paying a gap fee to a GP who doesn’t bulk bill be reimbursed for the cost of the emergency department they didn’t use? Obviously, no and no. Taxes fund the services provided by government. Once our taxes disappear into consolidated revenue, governments should distribute funds according to need, not the source of the funds. Therefore, the $11 billion fuel excise rebate is a subsidy and has no place in a fair system. Ronald Watts, Newcastle

Price signals work, so why do we encourage the purchase of big utes over smaller “luxury” cars by making the utes exempt from the luxury car tax? Currently the “price signal” – a tax exemption of up to $50,000 – is pushing buyers of expensive cars to the big ute option. In 2024, there were 1.94 million tradies in Australia and 3.1 million utes on our roads, so it’s not just making them cheaper for tradies. That price signal gives us more cheaper-to-buy, expensive-to-run and more dangerous big utes (“Pedestrian fatalities reach 17-year-high. This trend could be why”). How is that a good idea? Lesley Walker, Northcote (Vic)

As usual, it will be the battlers and the disadvantaged who will suffer most from the spiralling cost of living. A hard-working contractor I spoke to this morning had a comment which did little to allay anyone’s fears. “As long as we continue to pay, they’ll continue to charge,” he said bluntly. Derrick Mason, Boorowa

History echoes

It’s said history doesn’t repeat so much as it rhymes. It’s certainly happening these days (“Millions of Americans rally against Trump – even in small town West Virginia”, March 30). The US government’s mouthpieces dismiss the No Kings demonstrations as the product of left-wing lunatics who hate America, similar to put-downs used against anti-Vietnam War demonstrators. Back then, critics of American warmongering, including Australians, were condemned as traitors, enemy agents and cowards. As thousands of innocent civilians suffer and die, as economies worldwide are disrupted and damaged, the only ones who are happy are the arms manufacturers. Daniel Flesch, Bellingen

Evan Parsons uses the familiar catchcry of the blinkered right – “Trump Derangement Syndrome” (Letters, March 30), as if the derangement lay with the president’s critics rather than those who see method in Trump’s madness and tell us he is playing 4D chess when, in fact, he has upended the board and scattered the pieces. To condemn Trump’s wilful folly, his illegal behaviour and dangerous disregard for consequences is neither deranged nor an endorsement of any other autocratic regime. Kathleen Riley, Burradoo

Yes, Evan Parsons, attitudes towards women in Iran are socially and sartorially conservative, as in many other Muslim countries. But don’t confuse Iran with Afghanistan. In Iran, women attend university and assume professional jobs. John Christie, Oatley

Your correspondent appears to justify Trump’s invasion of Iran as necessary to free the Iranian people from an oppressive regime. Try telling that to the parents of 150 schoolchildren killed by American bombing. Corrado Tavella, Rosslyn Park (SA)

Your correspondent complains that distrusting Trump “matters more to some people than the Iranian people being freed from the oppression of their tyrannical government”. Quite the opposite. The fear is that Trump’s muddle-headed war will, in fact, ruin any chance of that dream becoming a reality. Nick Andrews, Bellevue Hill

And the winner is …

I have never read a more chilling sentence: “If the Strait of Hormuz is closed for another month, it is game, set and match to the Russo-Chinese axis” (“China has already won Trump’s impulsive war”, March 30). It is surely now past time for Australia to realign. Just as Taiwan is approaching the previously unthinkable possibility of making a deal with Xi Jinping, we need to start planning to follow suit. For myself, I have begun scouring education sources for (elementary) Mandarin lessons. Brian Haisman, Winmalee

Voting blocks

The AEC’s latest campaign to “save” informal votes in Farrer misses the point (“AEC launches blitz to save Farrer from the informal bin”, March 30). Australia’s system of compulsory voting and compulsory preferential voting is not neutral. It is a political fix designed to protect the two-party duopoly, which is already crumbling. The mechanism is simple and ruthless. No matter whom you rank first, if your real choice is not a major-party candidate your vote is automatically funnelled through the exhaustive distribution of preferences until it lands with Labor or the Coalition. The system is engineered to deliver the status quo. Independents can occasionally break through, but only with massive funding and organisation. For the vast majority of voters, the outcome is rigged in advance. I object to being forced, on a ballot with nine or more names, to manufacture preferences I do not possess. I am happy to vote for the candidate I actually support. If that candidate loses, I accept the result and try again next time. That is democracy. What is not democracy is having my ballot seized by compulsion and redirected to a candidate I actively oppose. Compulsory voting and compulsory preferential voting do not enhance choice; they suppress it. It is time to scrap both. Chris Rivers, Port Macquarie

Death of a murderer

The death of cop killer Dezi Freeman will be seen as just and inevitable by most of us, but some misguided souls, perhaps those claiming to be sovereign citizens, might see him as a modern-day Ned Kelly (“Dezi Freeman armed when he was shot by police”, March 30). Like Kelly, he was a murderer and should not be lionised as a martyr. Brian O’Donnell, Burradoo

Trickle-down economics

Now that Atlassian is saving upwards of $1 billion a year by replacing 5000 staff with AI, can we look forward to a substantial reduction in the price of their products? Or, as I suspect, are shareholders the only beneficiaries of the much-spruiked AI revolution? Stein Boddington, St Clair

Maintain the rail

I absolutely agree with correspondent Gary Glover about the importance of carrying out vital trackwork on our rail network (Letters, March 30). I do, however, wonder how efficiently this significant injection of funds is being spent. Are maximum resources utilised during each shutdown to ensure the works are completed as quickly as possible? I’ve lived in Stanmore for 20 years, and shutdowns have been so frequent over this time that I’m never sure whether there will be a train service on any given weekend. Geoffrey Leeson, Stanmore

Dress for success

Wardrobe decluttering is a waste of time if it is not accompanied by a mindset change (“Cut the clutter with utter ruthlessness”, March 30). Slow everything down, show your clothes some love and learn some basic mending skills to repair or adjust them if needed. Think hard and pause before you buy. Shop your wardrobe first, then consider second-hand before buying new. Look for well-made clothes – think neatly finished seams and hems, secure buttons, smooth zips, no loose threads and 100 per cent natural materials like wool, cotton, linen and silk. Buy less, choose well, make it last! Jill Robinson, Randwick

Cash converts

I think even better than finding $20 in your coat pocket as Richard Glover did is scuba diving at La Perouse and finding $50 lying on the sea floor, as my dive buddy did a few weeks ago (“Interest-free ice-blocks: How a five-year-old beat the big banks”, March 28). Michael McFadyen, Kareela

At our favourite Sunday market, my son and I saw a 10¢ piece lying on the ground with shoppers, including children, not bothering to pick it up. When I was a scout with the 2nd South Hurstville troop, I remember doing “Bob a Job”, collecting for charity, and 10¢ was considered a decent donation. I suppose money was worth more in those days. Paul Keir, Strathfield

My sweet moment involving loose change occurred when I selected a book from the street library. As I flicked through the pages, a “lobster” dropped at my feet! Easiest $20 I ever made. Beware, readers, don’t use cash as a bookmark. Viv Munter, Tumbi Umbi

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