Leaders can’t continue to ignore weakened defence capability

Warning bells are ringing on several fronts about the perils of Australia’s parlous defence capability, as we were reminded by Chris Uhlmann’s column in The Weekend Australian (“Stretched US can’t carry us in a world of chaos”, 19-20/10).

As Uhlmann argues, Australia after decades of complacency finds itself hopelessly ill-equipped to defend itself (let alone play a meaningful role in any wider allied military initiative), and reliant on a “great and powerful friend” who may or may not be there to save us again next time around. Clearly there is an urgent need for the nation to be galvanised into recognition of our vulnerability, and of the parlous state of our defence capability, so that the necessary ramping up of our defence resources can begin. Such a bold move, however, seems as far away as ever, as discussed by Paul Kelly in his incisive article in the same edition (“Depressing retreat from big picture politics”).

As he writes: “The nation needs bold, breakout policies but the electorate is wary of national-interest reforms or big changes, preferring instead single-issue causes and pursuit of narrow sectional interests.” Peter Dutton has already raised the stakes of the next election by feeding nuclear energy into the mix. Perhaps he is just the leader-in-waiting with the courage to go one step further.

Peter Austin, Mt Victoria, NSW

Tariff troubles

There are three things to say about Adam Creighton’s scarcely believable defence of Donald Trump’s proposal to introduce a 10 per cent tariff on everything coming into the US and up to 2000 per cent on certain imports (“The most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff”, 19-10/10).

First, don’t tariffs necessarily reduce the opportunity of economic specialisation and trade, the basis of our economic prosperity? Second, don’t tariffs weaken critical price signals and allow some weak and inefficient businesses to remain on life support? Finally, if Trump is elected president, what is to stop him one day, perhaps while munching on his breakfast, to decide to replicate the notorious Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which led to average US tariffs of 60 per cent and prompted predictable retaliation? After all, as Creighton himself points out, the US president has the power to do so without congressional approval.

Bob Miller, Leederville, WA

Royal snub

The decision by South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas and, indeed, all six state premiers to not attend the official welcome reception for the King and Queen when they arrived for the Australian leg of the royal tour to Samoa for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting is shameful and shortsighted. Whether one is a republican or not, all politicians have sworn an oath of allegiance, recognising the Crown as the centrepiece of the established Australian Constitution.

The monarch wields no executive power and the governor-general and governors are the effective heads of state, albeit with the Crown being the source of their legitimacy. Aside from this, King Charles III is the British head of state and hence it is a massive snub to the head of state of one of our closest allies. Royal tours bring soft power and multiple connections. The King will no doubt be accompanied by an entourage of officials associated with trade, investment and a meaningful co-operative exchange of ideas. Would these premiers replicate this behaviour if the leaders of China, France or Indonesia, the emperor of Japan or Prime Minister of India visited? It is also in particularly poor form in view of the King’s cancer battle and thus the huge sacrifice he and Queen Camilla have made in making this tour with its arduous round of diplomatic and community engagements.

Dennis Coleman, Torrensville, SA

Arresting decline

In their article in The Weekend Australian, Philippa Stroud and John Anderson expressed so emphatically the way many of us feel about how our values are being devalued and broken by different organisations and governments (“Have the courage to rewrite story of Western decline”, 19-20/10). Currently, we live with the dilemma of war. Wars in so many places around the world have led to destruction on a huge scale, and an unresolved continuation of fear and hate between the warring parties, while families are left destitute and broken.

Facing the importance of maintaining a peaceful and fulfilling existence within today’s society, the Alliance of Responsible Citizenship seeks to define and create solutions, drawing inspiration from our past and facing up to the values and vision for a conflict-free future, while “aspiring to restore belief in our core values of freedom, the rule of law, and common decency”. These are the values we respect and admire in this lucky country, a country that has drawn people from all over the world.

Stephanie Summers, Turramurra, NSW