Liberals must seize opportunity to keep focus on super tax

The Liberals would be smart to accept Janet Albrechtsen’s suggestion and accept the reality of Labor’s obnoxious new super tax, but push for an amendment that exempts unrealised gains on super fund assets (“Libs’ chance to expose Labor on super tax”, 18/6).

There must be many rusted-on Labor voters who are wincing at the prospect of the implementation of an unprincipled tax on funds, designed not only to meet one’s financial needs in retirement but to improve our budgetary position by easing the pressure on Age Pension spending. Labor’s legislation lacks integrity and the Liberals should keep the public focus on the issue of tax on unrealised gains.

Bob Miller, Leederville, WA

Those who are conducting the review of the policy and strategy of the Liberal Party will need to have skills in excess of what is required for such a “coronial inquiry” (“Autopsy into Libs’ dead duck campaign”, 18/6).

May I suggest that an understanding of resurrection – the ability to make someone rise from the dead – is the required skill level for this task?

Tony Kelly, West Melbourne, Vic

No moral equivalence

Why is Foreign Minister Penny Wong refusing to directly criticise Iran in its conflict with Israel?

Israel has engaged in a targeted campaign against military targets, particularly Iran’s nuclear facilities. Iran is indiscriminately targeting civilians, including men, women and children. They do not care who they kill or injure. Iran has openly promised the total destruction of Israel and the genocide of Israel’s people, which is the sole reason Tehran wants nuclear capacity.

Unlike Israelis, Iranians cannot vote in free and fair elections and basic human rights are a joke. And yet our government apparently believes in moral equivalence in this conflict.

Jeremy C. Browne, Ripponlea, Vic

Anthony Albanese, Penny Wong and the rest of the Labor cabinet, in calling for diplomacy and dialogue, completely ignore that Iran and its proxies – Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis – have forever been totally open in their goal of destroying Israel. Where do Labor politicians see the common ground that would lead to a lasting ceasefire?

Ian Porter, Subiaco, WA

Powerless future

As attention is once more on AUKUS and nuclear activity, Anthony Albanese needs another wake-up call, and it is not only in defence.

The US is building new nuclear facilities and reopening old in anticipation of a jump in electricity demand by 2030.

In Australia, winter is only just upon us and already we have concerns about electricity supply.

Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen’s renewables master plan is falling further behind schedule. With lack of maintenance or new construction, coal-fired generation is falling. Gas supplies are declining as projects are blocked by environmental legislation and the nuclear option remains banned.

Meanwhile, electricity demand from population growth, electric vehicles and data centres is predicted to increase over the next 10 years. With rising cost and unreliability of supply, union intransigence and over-regulation, we appear powerless to halt the decline in manufacturing investment. The future literally looks dark.

Graham Pinn, Maroochydore, Qld

The first thing our government needs to learn from the proposed productivity summit is what productivity is, why it is important, and what governments should do and not do to increase productivity.

Our productivity-destroying policies are: 1. Increasing the price of energy. Energy is an input into everything. 2. Increasing the cost of labour through industrial relations policies. 3. Increasing immigration. Migrants tend to work in less productive jobs given the same skills as resident workers. And the economy has not been able to increase investment in infrastructure to accommodate the number of migrants. 4. Blowing out the size of the public sector, which sucks workers out of the (more productive) private sector. 5. Blowing out the size of the care economy, particularly the National Disability Insurance Scheme, which draws resources from more productive activities.

The government needs to have a solid workshop with the Productivity Commission or the Reserve Bank.

Ross Guest, emeritus professor of economics, Griffith University

Losing out on Santos

It does not take much business skill to see the Abu Dhabi-based group’s takeover offer for Santos is cheap and will rob Australian investors, many through their super, of the true future value of Santos’s developing assets.

We now need to ask, is our obsession with renewables the greatest economic folly in the history of our nation?

Ian Morison, Forrest, ACT