Credlin right to reject ‘armchair colonels’ on Roberts-Smith’s VC

Peta Credlin is quite right in rejecting the calls from some armchair colonels that Ben Roberts-Smith be stripped of his Victoria Cross (‘Soldier’s undoubted valour still counts”, 8/6). Whatever else this man may or may not have done in the course of his gruelling six tours of duty in the age-old military hellhole of Afghanistan, his VC – on the evidence of the action in question – was clearly deserved. The “war” in Afghanistan was never about the “goodies” wearing one uniform and the “baddies” wearing another; it was always about trying to define one’s friends and foes within an inherently unstable populace. If it’s a battleground that can confound major empires, what hope for individual reputations!

Peter Austin, Mount Victoria, NSW

Peta Credlin reports overwhelming public support for her refusal to condemn Ben Roberts-Smith. We should not be surprised that, yet again, the “social justice warriors” do not always reflect public opinion.

There are three generations in the community who have observed the sacrifices and burdens asked of our Australian Defence Forces and its ancillaries in serving abroad in appalling theatres of war.

Vicki Sanderson, Cremorne, NSW

As Peta Credlin notes, there is much criticism about the horror of war from a position of blessed ignorance occurring at the moment. All I know, from the comfort and safety of my Australian home, is that if we had to go to war to defend our nation, I am pretty sure I would welcome Ben Roberts-Smith fighting for our country.

Deborah Morrison, Malvern East, Vic

Road to renewables

The government’s policies on the transition to renewable energy sources as soon as is practical are based on the overwhelming opinion of hundreds of scientists around the world, not on a desire to cause people pain and suffering through high energy costs and power outages. Let’s give the government credit where credit is due, even though the road to renewables will not always be smooth.

Graeme Lechte, Brunswick West, Vic

Why the big rush to decommission our coal-fired power stations and infrastructure? Especially when the government admits that there are major delays in construction of renewable energy sources and delivery. Whatever agreements we have signed up to, if there are concerns that electricity as an essential service can’t be delivered reliably and affordably then the government must prioritise our country’s needs. Our government assures us that it doesn’t anticipate any power outages with the changeover. Is the Prime Minister or the Energy Minister willing to put their job on the line if they are wrong?

Chris Blanch, Spring Hill, Qld

The extreme weather disasters fuelled by the extraction and burning of fossil fuels are already costing us billions of dollars. An example we are already seeing is the severe flooding in many parts of Australia last year. This does not even cover the social cost. Looking at the big picture, the switch to renewables makes sense. Governments managed to take strong measures to manage the pandemic crisis. The switch to a clean-energy economy is necessary and achievable. All that is needed is the political will.

Anne O’Hara, Wanniassa, ACT

Covid economics

The Coalition, the RBA, Treasury, Labor and private sector economists all appear to be gobsmacked that we have a combination of persistently high inflation rates and the lowest unemployment rates in decades. They are all ignoring the Covid mammoth in the room. It is no surprise that post-Covid, we have had persistently high inflation rates and the lowest unemployment rates in decades. It’s economics 101.

Roger Tonkin, Newtown, NSW

Contrary to Treasurer Chalmers’ assertion, it looks like RBA governor Lowe increased the cash rate to tamp down excessive inflation, cognisant also of the potential of recent increases in award and minimum wages to lead to a vicious cycle of wage and price increases. Surely, there are better ways to accommodate employer demands for higher productivity with employee demands for higher wages. As things stand, employers’ major concerns are wages running in excess of inflation; for employees it is wages failing to keep pace with inflation. As a result, when a wage agreement takes effect, the increase often fails to match or keep pace with inflation, such that real wages fall, as does productivity, with employees doing just enough to remain employed.

Might an alternative that works for business and employees be bonus payments for higher productivity that increase income, not wages themselves? If this is to work, businesses need to do their part to avoid price increases above the RBA’s inflation target rate. At the end of the day, bonus payments put money into people’s pockets all the while increasing business productivity and profitability.

Robert Boone, Bomaderry, NSW