Free speech must be protected in legislation

Thank you, Henry Ergas, for your powerful and instructive commentary on the misguided attempt by Megan Davis and her ilk to impose on us a censorship of views with which she and they disagree (“Censorship powers pose grave threat to free debate”, 18/10). Agreeing to disagree is part of tolerance so essential to our liberal democracy.

As Ergas has shown, that tolerance has been hard won and should not be lightly cast aside at the fickle behest of those who insist there is no view other than their own. Certainly censorship is no answer.

As Ergas writes, in the battle of ideas suppressing views is more likely to cause tumult than prevent it. That suppression will not erase the idea but simply encourage the thinking of it and its secret spread in defiance of unwanted authority. In no way does it test the idea’s worth as public debate tends to do regardless of political outcome. That debate is an essential part of our liberal democracy and its cornerstone, free speech.

Ian Dunlop, Hawks Nest, NSW

The ability of Henry Ergas to set contemporary issues in related historical contexts is formidable, but it also can distract. For example, while recounting how philosophical views about opinion and the meaning of the word reform have changed over time is interesting, it muddies the water.

As News Corp Australia senior executive Campbell Reid said at the Senate inquiry, the intention of the Combatting Misinformation and Disinformation Bill is fine but it needs to be improved (“Misinformation debate being ‘hijacked’, says News executive”, 18/10). While Ergas disagrees, there was indeed harmful misinformation and disinformation during the voice referendum.

The Uluru statement with its focus on truth-telling has parallels in other cultures. Truth-telling is an admirable value and those who use disinformation to paint it as threatening and divisive, even racist, should be held to account.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic

Cheap energy

Colin Packham writes that pumped hydro projects can use cheap electricity produced by renewables to pump water uphill and that water is later released downhill to drive turbines and produce power (“NSW aiming to nearly double long-duration energy capacity”, 18/10).

Classifying renewable electricity as cheap is confusing the difference between low cost and low priced. The electricity produced by renewable wind and solar projects sometimes exceeds market demand at a specific moment in time.

That results in the market value, expressed as the price of that electricity, being very low. Quite separate from that is the cost of producing that electricity. Notwithstanding its low value at that time, the cost of producing that renewable energy is high, as is nearly all wind and solar energy using current technology and cost structures.

The electricity used to pump the water uphill did have low market value but was produced at high cost. That needs to be recognised when proposing expensive pumped hydro storage projects.

David Agostini, Murdoch, WA

The wind droughts mentioned in Colin Packham’s article (“Renewables’ winter blues hit bill relief hope”, 18/10) have been analysed for over 10 years and papers written warning of the perils of relying on intermittent junk generators for a power supply. It seems clear that none of those who profess to save the planet have bothered to read them and are content to plough on with their tunnel vision approach that is destroying the economy.

David Bidstrup, Plympton Park, WA

ADF in dire straits

Elizabeth Buchanan’s commentary piece gives clarity to a dire defence crisis of our own making, created by successive governments of both persuasions (“Defence lost in fog of strategic inertia, leadership failure”, 18/10). By any standard, the Australian Defence Force is a token force whose existence merely ticks a political box. It is impotent and all but useless as a combined arms force and would be incapable of putting up any form of resistance. Poor quality politicians, military brass self-focused on career progression and lack of funding have given us the ADF in its current form.

AUKUS, the much lauded saving grace, is now looking to be watered down by the US due to insufficient domestic submarine building capacity. We cannot rely on allies to come to our call as they too may be committed in a fight of their own. We have shown we aren’t to be trusted as a friend and ally after publicly throwing Israel under the bus, choosing to destroy rather than donate forty-five surplus operational helicopters to Ukraine and being incapable of sending a warship to the Red Sea when asked to do so by allies. Our nation’s security has never been in such bad shape. It is time for our self-serving politicians to do something for our country’s protection. Yes, Dr Buchanan, the clock is ticking and we seem more focused on the Morris dance.

Tom Moylan, Dudley Park, WA