Albanese can’t keep snubbing US calls on defence spending

Albanese can’t keep snubbing US calls on defence spending

It is alarming that Anthony Albanese is defying US President Donald Trump’s reasonable call to lift Australia’s defence spending to 3.5 per cent of GDP (“Defence spending to lift but at arm’s length”, 26/6). Strengthening national security is one of the most important duties of any prime minister. But this PM is far more interested in squandering billions of dollars in taxpayer funds on failed green hydrogen projects and feeble, weather-dependent renewables that in the event of war in our region would be useless in providing the crucial energy we’d need to defend ourselves. If Albanese took his duty of care to the nation seriously, he would heed Trump’s call. Better still, he would follow the lead of NATO members who are set to lift their defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.

Dale Ellis, Innisfail, Qld

Kennett conundrum

Jeff Kennett’s article encapsulates the reasons why the Victorian Liberals are, and continue to be, unelectable (“My Pesutto support is not about me – it’s about principle”, 26/6). It’s as if they are a private boys club that gets their jollies out of alienating women. One can only hope there are enough centrist independents standing in the next Victorian election, to give traditional conservative voters a viable alternative.

Paul Tooker, Bald Knob, Qld

The comments made by Jeff Kennett in Thursday’s paper are very explicit. But all Victorians would agree with his final lines: “I am very keen to do what I can to save Victoria from the condition in which it finds itself.” Many are by taking the road north to Queensland.

John Houghton, The Gap, Qld

Husic out of touch

Ed Husic has criticised Israel for its strikes against Iran, suggesting the Jewish state would be “outraged” if Israel’s neighbours took the same action against it. Perhaps Husic has difficulty understanding a couple of quite important facts. First, Israel’s neighbours did attack (on October 7, 2023) and committed atrocious war crimes with the slaughter of civilians and taking of hostages). Second, Israel does not have a charter committed to the extermination of its neighbours. Given his clear lack of understanding of this issue, it is a concern he is in a position to have a public voice on this.

Nicholas Milns, Pelican Waters, Qld

Union self-interest

It looks as if the Labor Party is under the pump from its union paymasters to use the “productivity roundtable” to further extend the power of the trade unions, which for many years have demonstrated they don’t give a fig for the nation’s interest. The problem for the nation in the longer term is, as the Howard government found, winding back these excessive, anti-productive powers once the Coalition gets back on to the government benches is all but impossible.

Labor’s hallmark is inventing ideological schemes that turn out to be ultimately disastrous for the country. Out-of-control trade unions and the NDIS are but two examples of Labor’s inability to properly plan and manage the economy.

Kerry MacDermott, Binalong, NSW

Dud leadership

It has been said many times before that if the ABC was a private enterprise it would have gone out of business many years ago. It is proof positive that when a staff collective controls a business, it soon goes out of business; that is, of course, if it is not the ABC. The leadership has been shameful now for many years. Some highly qualified personalities have been appointed to the ABC’s leadership only to be brought down by the staff collective.

Some of the best journalists in the country have suffered the same fate. How Chris Uhlmann hung on for so long completely confounds me. The ABC would have to be up there with those organisations that are continually the subject of litigation. Any payouts made by the ABC are financed by the taxpayers. It may be a good idea that from now on, any damages awarded against the ABC and/or its staff, these amounts be subtracted from the ABC’s annual budget gifted to it by the government, aka the taxpayer.

Peter Surkitt, Sandringham, Vic

Welcome stand

Congratulations to Melbourne street sweeper Shaun Turner, who had the courage and common sense to give Darebin City Council’s bureaucrats a two-finger salute. His dismissal for objecting to the compulsory “welcome to country” ritual at every team meeting is absurd. Shaun has my vote for Australian of the Year. There is growing resentment over the endless “welcome” ceremonies that now accompany so many public events. This is no longer respectful tradition. It’s time more Australians said: enough.

Lee Smith, Kenmore, Qld