Going broke while living on borrowed time and money

Your editorial (“Echos of stagflation in low growth and high inflation”, 23/10) has highlighted the essential elements of Australia’s economic problems: in summary, the only thing stopping stagflation is the federal government creating new jobs in the care ­sector with our money (borrowed from some unknown source).

It is pretty staggering that in the age of transparency and FOI requests, the public is unaware of the creditors’ identity. Let’s all hope we don’t wake up one morning to be told that the country is broke, the largest creditor is calling in the debt, and the president of a foreign socialist power is our new sovereign while our leaders are smugly sipping champagne.

While the Prime Minister’s role is broadly shaping Australia in a positive direction, so far, ­Albanese seems to have been on vacation from this job, making an appearance from time to time to be seen to be doing something.

Peter R. Tredenick, Laidley, Qld

Great Victorian blight

Peter Costello says what tens of thousands of Victorians have long believed about the Daniel Andrews regime’s slow destruction of Victoria as an attractive state, be that financially, socially, or politically (“‘Moronic’ Andrews reign blasted”, 23/10).

Having been a Victorian during the world record series of Covid lockdowns, I can now see how regimes like Nazi Germany, the USSR, North Korea, and Iran, just to name a few, can and do ­impose their authority on a populace. That is exactly what happened in Victoria during Covid, and the population readily succumbed to the evolving illogical and dictatorial laws being imposed upon them by a regime that was a law unto itself. A regime whose tentacles penetrated all ­facets of state authority, while every democratic organisation became less so.

There was even a “dob in a neighbour” hotline. All of this while the “I stand with Dan” propaganda team and a handpicked adoring media supported the Andrews regime every step of the way.

Now, after Andrews has departed, the scope of the damage he inflicted on Victoria during his tenure is coming to the fore. And it is not limited to the destruction of the state’s economy, the post- Covid rubble, and the Commonwealth Games. There is a social price that is still being paid, with many like me having fled the state at the first opportunity. Sadly, not everyone can afford to leave and are forced to ride out the difficult, long and arduous road to recovery.

Tom Moylan, Dudley Park, WA

Ever-rising tax burden

Clare O’Neil thinks stamp duty is a bad tax (“States reject O’Neil’s overtures to scrap ‘bad tax’ stamp duties”, 23/10). She obviously doesn’t pay any of the onerous land tax which is levied on every income-producing property in NSW and other states.

Land tax is onerous because while the rate may remain stable, the increasing valuations of the underlying unimproved land have produced ever-increasing land tax bills for property owners and their tenants.

For all governments, the holy grail is to tax everything. And a land tax on all land is heaven sent. That the government snake oil salesmen tell us that a perpetual tax on land, including the family home, will make life cheaper, falls into the same category as “renewables make electricity cheaper”.

Stamp duty is a regressive tax. But so is land tax. And it will never pass the pub test, once ­people realise that their home is to be taxed. Another Labor loser.

Alexander Haege, Tamarama, NSW

Not so Kean on nuclear

Following the Labor model of playing the man, Matt Kean says the people proposing nuclear as a carbon-free form of power generation are “delay mongers” (“Lib delay mongers pushing nuclear”, 23/10).

Perhaps he could explain why Amazon, Google and Microsoft – all much better at what they do than the current government is at its responsibilities – see a future for nuclear energy as a source of commercially viable power well before 2050.

Chris Taylor, Dernancourt, SA

In recent weeks, three of the largest companies in the world – namely, Microsoft, Amazon and Google – have committed to nuclear power to ensure their power demands are met.

The planned offtake will be coming primarily from many small-scale nuclear reactors yet to be built, and Australia should take notice. These smart companies aren’t fazed by the time frames for delivery, so why should we be told that we have no time to do the same here?

It’s not as if the US doesn’t have plenty of sun and wind – and it also has plenty of gas and coal – but these major companies believe nuclear will be reliable and will be deliverable 24/7 at a competitive price.

Having a mixed energy supply that includes renewables, along with gas and nuclear, just makes common sense.

Brian Barker, Bulimba, Qld