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Earning a living through labour is not morally superior to earning a living through investment (Comment, 15/5). Investment, though, is a business/job in its own right, and any immorality lies in claiming, as some do, that it should not be subject to a similar rate of tax as other earnings while claiming losses when it suits. Savings invested are no longer savings so no longer sacrosanct, and the income they generate comes with risks and costs attached, including tax — just like in any business.
While certain concessions are justified for the genuinely aged and retired, they have been exploited by some while passing costs on, beyond what is fair, to others. That is too easily done in areas of essential goods and services, including accommodation, because people must pay for what they need, The risk in property investment by individuals is also relatively low because it gives three bites of the cherry — rental income, asset appreciation, and tax breaks — but it was never intended to be a golden goose (although the moral of that fable is worth noting).
There is no cause for moral indignation when asked to pay a fair rate of tax.
Emma Borghesi, Rye
Liberals ignore the reality of energy shift
Thank you to reporter Mike Foley for highlighting Liberal Party leader Angus Taylor’s latest slide towards flat-out climate denialism (“Coal comfort: Taylor’s policy fires up the climate war”, 17/5). Propping up clunky, dirty, decades-old coal-fired power stations is no plan for Australia’s future. Coal actually now only supplies about 45 per cent of our electricity as renewable energy and battery storage continue their rapid rise — and drive down wholesale power prices in the process.
Rooftop solar capacity now exceeds the entire output capacity of the coal fleet. With world-class sun and wind resources, Australia is uniquely placed to lead the clean-energy transition. The Liberal Party ignores this reality at its peril.
Karen Lamb, Geelong
The interplay at work in the property market
Shane Wright (″Shifting the balance″, 16/5) provides crucial historical context and well-researched data to explain the dynamic interplay between the hot issues of negative nearing and capital gains and how they impact housing affordability. Treasurer Jim Chalmers nailed it, saying ″We’re trying to level the playing field … so people can find more affordable options″. It’s a very credible narrative to sell to younger generations.
Kevin Burke, Sandringham
No more games, the clock is ticking
When will our politicians stop treating climate and energy policy like a football to be booted around for entertainment? It is our future they are playing with — our climate stability, our living costs, our energy security. Angus Taylor and the Liberal Party’s latest proposal to prop up unreliable, expensive and highly polluting coal-fired power stations defies both scientific evidence and economic common sense (“Coal comfort: Taylor’s policy fires up the climate war?“, 17/5). It’s the policy equivalent of reaching for leeches when antibiotics are readily available. The refusal by One Nation, the Nationals and now the Liberal Party to acknowledge and support climate solutions like renewable energy and electric transport is not just outdated, in the context of a predicted omnicrisis (“The omnicrisis”, 17/5), it is reckless, costly and damaging to the nation’s long-term wellbeing. We cannot afford more political games while the climate clock keeps ticking.
Isabelle Henry, Ascot Vale
A new definition of Australian values
Angus Taylor’s migration policy is discriminatory and unfair. Compare an Australian citizen to a permanent resident both of whom work for decades paying their taxes and leading law-abiding lives. Each reaches retirement age but only the former is eligible to receive an aged pension. A new Australian value?
Peter Randles, Pascoe Vale South
THE FORUM
Gambling with kids
The article “Roblox’s predatory economy for kids” (17/5) ) describes exactly what I witness weekly in my consulting rooms – Roblox is systematically exploiting children. Research conducted by Professor Marcus Carter discovered that of its top 15 games, 14 are engaged in the use of deceptive monetisation strategies such as loot boxes modelled on psychological manipulation employed by poker machines, fictitious discounting, and countdown timers. Targeted at children as young as six-years-old, who are biologically unable to recognise these manipulations.
The Communications Minister Anika Wells has put Roblox “on notice”. A website making $8 billion per year can withstand an indefinite number of warnings. Law, not letters, is what is needed.
Three actions, in particular, are necessary from the federal government: to categorise loot boxes available to minors as gambling products, impose a structural rather than discretionary limit on spending, and to enforce consumer law on fictitious pricing mechanisms in online games without exception.
Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, Child and Adolescent Psychologist, Melbourne
Short-term solution
Angus Taylor’s commitment to fossil fuels to produce our energy might appeal to some on the far right but we all know the fossil-fuelled power stations are dirty and expensive to run. It might be a very short-term solution while we transition to solar, wind, wave and geothermal power, which is mainly carbon neutral. For our industries to compete on the world stage it is essential that their power comes from a carbon neutral source. Reliability of supply can be overcome with the introduction of large, container-sized Australian-made solid state batteries coupled with urban solar farms as suggested by Angus Taylor.
Australia is on track to achieving zero emissions as long as we stay the course.
Paul Chivers, Box Hill North
A backward step
Angus Taylor embraces coal to capture the One Nation vote, taking the Coalition backwards – instead of moving to higher ground.
Greg Curtin, Nunawading
Dissonance abounds
I was first introduced to the notion of cognitive dissonance as a psychology student several decades ago. Over the years it’s been very useful tool for reflecting on our human habit of holding conflicting ideas together and what that tension does to us. Opposition leader Angus Taylor is testing the limits of our capacity to play host to contradiction (″Coal comfort: Taylor’s policy fires up the climate war″, 17/5). He wants to go hard with coal power in the face of all the plain facts that this will increase carbon emissions, add to global warming, and lead to more extreme weather events (″The omnicrisis″, 17/5). I’m suffering from cognitive dissonance trying to grasp how someone who claims to have economic nous can be so economically (not to mention environmentally) irresponsible. The remedy? A big dose of clean, affordable and reliable energy from Australia’s abundance of sun and the wind.
Tom Knowles, Parkville
Country v city
Like Shane Wright (″Shifting the balance″, 16/5) I spent my childhood in country towns, though maybe a decade or so before him, and enjoyed the adventuresome lifestyle I was sure cityslicker kids didn’t have. I also can remember most sources of heat being wood-related with the hard work and inconvenience that entailed. Certainly the technological advances of the sixties made life easier and agricultural productivity greater. They also meant the need for a rural workforce was inevitably diminished. Being in the Latrobe Valley meant the economic impact was less than in purely rural regions but nevertheless most of my contemporaries realised opportunities were going to be greater in the “big smoke” even if that meant more time commuting, putting up with crowds, less fresh air and incurring bigger mortgages. If avoiding those problems is not a big enough compensation for those who stayed in the country, they shouldn’t blame city dwellers.
Bill King, Camberwell
Share it around
There’s been a lot of reaction to the changes in the capital gains tax, particularly as they relate to housing. But there’s been barely a squeak on the effects for those who have prudently invested in shares as a way of producing income and savings.
As a self-funded retiree, I chose shares as an investment vehicle more than 20 years ago I don’t own any real estate. Surely investments in shares should be grandfathered, in the same way as existing investments in property. A suggestion might be to protect all share investments held for a defined minimum period, say 10 years. That would ensure that all investment classes are treated equally, rather than selectively favouring property investors.
It might also mitigate against the anger over broken election promises and related trust issues.
Monty Arnhold, Port Melbourne
Party in denial
Kos Samaras’s Comment (17/5) could well be read as an early obituary for the Liberal Party. As I listened to Angus Taylor’s budget reply address I was reminded of a paler version of Donald Trump, Nigel Farage and Pauline Hanson. The demonisation of migrants was a central theme of Taylor’s delivery, however, Taylor has failed to outline how his government would address the important workforce and skills issues that Australia faces, particularly in healthcare and service industries to name a few.
Australia has benefited immeasurably from immigration. We are a richer and more rounded country and regarded as a model of a functioning multicultural society. Seemingly the Coalition are in denial of our history on immigration and are all too ready to tear it down whatever the cost. The politics of hate and division has devastating consequences, as we have already seen.
As Samaras has highlighted this alienation of a significant voting bloc will have consequences. The question for all Australians is do we really want to be a meanspirited country lacking any semblance of fairness and compassion and further imperilling social cohesion?
Anne Lyon, Camberwell
Life after jail
Crime is a hot topic for our community and generally there is not a lot of sympathy for those who transgress and end up in prison. John Silvester’s article “Inmates’ second chance for a way out” (16/5) highlights positive work that can be done to reform inmates and the story of one such person, Pattie Phillips who now works with inmates to assist them to turn their lives around.
Phillips correctly identifies housing, employment and support as being required to have any success.
I found when doing volunteer work with the Office of Corrections many years ago that there was little co-ordination between these three sectors.
Later, working in homelessness for 14 years I found it was a struggle to get employment agencies to work co-operatively with the housing sector.
I would like to think that things have changed but fear that this may not be the case.
Giving voice to those who have experienced this struggle first-hand should be assisted to further this good work.
Lyn Lanham, Wantirna
Focus on real issues
Re the proposed statue of Daniel Andrews and the “dead cat” strategy rings true not simply because of the s statue debate, but because it highlights how easily political tribalism distracts from substantive issues of governance and accountability.
Predictably, public debate will now revolve around arguments over Daniel Andrews himself, while the far more serious allegations surrounding the Big Build, misuse of taxpayer funds and the CFMEU risk fading into the background once again.
Democratic accountability depends on citizens being willing to scrutinise governments they support, not merely those they oppose.
If a Coalition government had presided over the same pattern of scandals, integrity concerns and failures of oversight, many who now minimise these issues would be apoplectic.
Perhaps all governments attempt political distractions from time to time. The greater problem arises when voters accept this as normal and allow personality, tribalism and political theatre to eclipse serious questions of integrity and accountability.
Democracy depends on voters being willing to hold their own side to account.
Suzette Miller, Ashburton
Commonsense, please
The article about the promotion of smoking and excessive red meat consumption on social media, which was appropriately described as ″deathmaxxing″ (″Forget looksmaxxing. We’ve moved onto deathmaxxing″, 17/5) has made me convinced that more people need to try some commonsense-maxxing instead.
Nikhil Dhanabal, Clyde North
Sleeping out challenge
I challenge the Port Phillip councillors to spend one week sleeping rough on the streets without bedding, blankets or any personal belongings. I doubt they would last a single night. What a heartless and thoughtless attitude when what is needed is care and compassion.
David Smith, Drysdale
From have not to have
John Howard legislated in 1996 so the ″haves″ could have more of the ″have″, paid for by the ″have nots″. Jim Chalmers’ budget is aimed at helping the ″have nots″ have more of the ″have″, for once. Sounds fair.
Campbell Laughlin, Berwick
AND ANOTHER THING
Andrews’ statue
I’m sure graffiti removalists are excited to hear that Daniel Andrews is getting a statue (″A Daniel Andrews statue – or just a dead cat?″, 16/5).
Ron Mather, Melbourne
The statue will be an appropriate facility for pigeons to express their disdain on behalf of the Victorian public.
Richard Sykes, Bell Park
The homeless
Confiscating belongings of homeless people by council: mean and ineffective.
Jerry Koliha, South Melbourne
Councils can always start with the homeless by confiscating their dignity.
Ian Macdonald, Traralgon
How can they just be deprived of their possessions? These unfortunate people need assistance not persecution.
Doris LeRoy, Altona
Furthermore
Victoria’s associated Big Build corruption has ensured The Age investigative journalists will have employment for decades.
David Cayzer, Clifton Hill
For goodness sake, if I hear another thing about Donald Trump’s ballroom.
John Hennessy, Montmorency
Angus Taylor’s promotion of coal power – perfect policy for the mid-18th century. Presume he’s keen on steam trains too?
Jenny Smithers, Ashburton
By stating he will restore the negative gearing on all housing, Angus Taylor has in one fell swoop lost many young voters who are trying to get into their first house.
George Djoneff, Mitcham
We seriously need to consider removing tax concessions to an organisation that demands its members destroy their pets (″Secret sect pet purge sparks new cull fear″, 16/5).
Ralph Frank, Malvern East
Finally
At 82, I feel I will go to my grave still perplexed why people pronounce ″kilometres″ as ″kill-omm-eters″ but ″kilograms″ correctly as ″Kill-o-grams″.
Susan Munday, Bentleigh East
