Battle lines drawn as the federal election draws near

As a cynic (who was taught by another cynic), I have always tended to vote in elections for the candidate representing the “least worst of the alternatives” of the major parties. However, polls suggest many people are likely to do this in the forthcoming election, or vote for a non-major party candidate. This seems likely to result in a hung parliament, with the consequent wasting of parliamentary time on trivial subjects and filibustering objection for the sake of demonstrating the role of opposition. Perhaps it is time for the parties to elect charismatic leaders with positive positions on important issues – like Menzies and Hawke.

Geoff Dunsford, Wahroonga, NSW

Jim Chalmers makes a big call (“Economy safer with Labor, says Chalmers”, 5/4). His party has traditionally held the edge in the minds of voters in education and health but generally trailed the Coalition on the economy. He carries a further burden as a close associate of Wayne Swan, Labor’s last treasurer, who, despite promising a series of surplus budgets, failed to deliver. Chalmers has a challenge to convince the electorate there has been a “wasted decade of missed opportunities”. In the past three years Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has presided over record low interest rates, unemployment rates at near record lows and growth rates that are the envy of the world.

The government may be vulnerable in some areas of its management, but to mark it down for its management of the economy through a very difficult period is grasping at straws.

Kim Keogh, East Fremantle, WA

Between climate alarmists Zoe Daniel (electorate of Goldstein) signing the journalists’ anti-Israel petition last year and Allegra Spender (Wentworth) using the services of a campaign adviser seriously hostile to Israel, you have to worry about the hubris displayed by these independent candidates in the upcoming election.

Electorates often have a local flavour, be it socio-economic, ethnic, cultural or even religious, so you would think that any candidate standing for parliament would ensure that their background and campaign logistics are both squeaky clean before presenting themselves to the people for their vote. If this trend is indicative of the independent politicians we are being offered this year, it is a sad reflection on what people interested enough to stand for government really think of the public they seek to represent.

Alan Freedman, St Kilda East, Vic

Listening to Radio National this morning, one could be forgiven for thinking that Scott Morrison is a combination of Hitler, Stalin and Pol Pot. In an interview with Patricia Karvelas, Liberal senator Catherine Cusack branded the Prime Minister as a “ruthless self-serving bully” with no moral compass.

It is unbelievable that taxpayers’ funds can be used to broadcast such nonsense with impunity. Fortunately, RN’s tiny audience is probably already convinced that Morrison is an evil person.

David Adams, Toowoomba, Qld

Nick Cater reminds us the major cost-of-living concern for voters going into the upcoming federal election will be the price of fuel (“ALP’s biggest obstacle may be a complacent Albo”, 5/4). An elected Labor government will exacerbate the high fuel costs due to Labor’s new carbon tax policy, announced last December, which will be foisted on 215 of Australia’s biggest CO2-emitting companies. Two of the 215 companies are the nation’s oil refineries, located in Geelong and Brisbane. The revamped safeguards mechanism imposed on these two oil refineries will no doubt eventually be paid by the nation’s consumers at the fuel bowsers.

No doubt Labor will endeavour to run silent on this new carbon tax policy during the election campaign, thereby presenting the PM and the Coalition with a significant point of difference opportunity that they should be spotlighting every day during the election campaign.

David Spratt, Mosman, NSW

The opposition Treasury spokesman claims the Coalition government over the past nine years has missed opportunities. Are the free trade agreements with Japan, South Korea, China, India and Britain examples of missed opportunities? Seriously? But for the Covid-19 pandemic the federal budget would have been in surplus in June 2020.

Geoff Bushby, Milsons Point, NSW