Such a great article from Victoria Devine (“Boomers, don’t say you had it worse”, July 7). She highlighted the important fact that today an average mortgage is eight times the annual salary. I clearly remember the 17 per cent interest rates in the ’80s, when the average mortgage was only three times the annual salary. I would never suggest to anyone trying to get into the property market that “we had it worse”. I absolutely acknowledge the financial stress of the current generation and my heart aches for them. Pam Ayling, West Pennant Hills
Work in the finance industry for long enough, and you’ll regularly hear boomers piping up about how high interest rates were back in their day.Credit: Dionne Gain
Born in 1944, I am a pre-Boomer, yet I agree with Victoria Devine that younger people are doing it terribly tough because of the cost of putting a roof over their head. Recent government policies covering taxation, city planning and migration have been grossly negligent, driving housing demand without regard for housing supply. I suggest the younger generations should become interested in politics and seek better options for social housing, tax reform, better city planning including diversification away from the major east coast cities and reduced population growth through reductions in immigration. It will take policy change in all these areas to make a meaningful improvement. Andrew Bain, Broulee
Love v money
The main problem with music festivals (“Music fans overcharged for live shows”, July 7) is that the festivals that were held in high regard were those run by music lovers, who simply wanted to host acts they admired. Now they’re run by corporations and hustlers more interested in bottom lines than bottom ends. Jeff Apter, Keiraville
Fitness to serve
Perhaps you could follow up your consideration of the relevance of age to fitness to run a country (“‘I screwed up’: When is a leader too old to lead?”, July 7) with a piece asking how much consummate lying makes someone too dishonest to lead. Ross Duncan, Potts Point
Keep the faith
The campaign to denigrate Senator Fatima Payman has its own playbook, promoted by a league of supporters: that is, attack her for “identity politics” and for representing “political Islam” (“Australia will lose if Payman’s identity politics triumphs”, July 7). Parnell Palme McGuiness follows this to the letter. The aim is to deflect attention from the horrific scenes of slaughter in Gaza, witnessed daily by so many Australians. Huge numbers of non-Muslims and non-Arabs, including Jews, attend growing rallies calling for a ceasefire. But we wouldn’t want people to think that a majority of Australians of all identities and all faiths finds the continuing deaths abhorrent and calls with one voice for a ceasefire and a policy stance in accordance with international law. Caroline Graham, Cromer
Anthony Albanese may well believe that faith-based parties “risk social cohesion”; however, it is far more likely he is really concerned about the future prospects for seats currently held by the government. All groups or tribes in our society are entitled to form political parties that the electorate can choose to support or reject. When the PM and others make comments about social cohesion what they are admitting is that it doesn’t take much for race or religiously based prejudices/antipathies to bubble to the surface. If the PM and the ALP seriously believe that as a community we should welcome and embrace diversity in whatever form it manifests then there should be no fears about faith-based parties. Ross Butler, Rodd Point
I can’t say that I’ve often agreed with the views of McGuinness, but there is a strong possibility of identity politics arising in Australia leading to division, upheaval and resentment. It will cause a move to the right, just as it has done in Europe. No one wants to see that. The possibility of the spoiling of our beautiful Australia is real. Stewart Copper, Maroubra
One hopes Fatima Payman is aware of Andy Warhol’s words about 15 minutes of fame. The ALP was the party machine that had her elected to parliament. The party celebrated her as being indicative of the inclusive nature of its preselection process. One imagines that Senator Payman will be but a footnote in Australian political history after the next election. One cannot imagine what she might have achieved from within the tent had she honoured her signed commitment to the party that gave her the platform to stage her protest in the first place. Barry Ffrench, Cronulla
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