Migration quotas will help plan solutions for our housing crisis

Judith Sloan clearly explains the desirability of detached housing with backyards for families raising children (“Sure, boost supply, but don’t forget the backyard is still king”, 1/7).

Unfortunately, detached housing developments foster urban sprawl, with consequent challenges for councils in providing land, services and transport.

The current shortfall in housing can be largely sheeted home to Australia’s unsustainably high rate of immigration. Limiting quotas for migration would allow more flexibility in planning for better housing options.

Peter Clarke, Corinda, Qld

Thank you, Judith Sloan, for your article. When I see new high-rise apartments – often, as they are everywhere in Sydney – I see too many negatives, including loss of community, loneliness and the slums of the near future.

Between the federal and state governments, much of the population is being, in effect, bullied into apartment living.

The current immigration numbers need immediate reduction so that people are not forced into a type of housing that is, for them, unwanted, unsuitable and unpleasant.

Susan Dornan, Beecroft, NSW

Defence the priority

In response to the statement from the Chinese diplomat about Australia’s defence spending, I do not hear Prime Minister Anthony Albanese objecting to China and claiming that Australia decides how much they spend on defence, as he did when Donald Trump made a reasonable request that Australia contribute a fair share of its defence and not expect America to pick up the tab in terms of money, American forces and equipment (“Don’t fall for NATO’s hyped-up defence spending rhetoric”, 30/6). Nor did l hear any objections to China conducting live-fire exercises and disruptions to our air traffic.

We, who pay salaries of politicians, do not want to become a Chinese communist satellite.

Marian Hinwood, Elsternwick, Vic

Our budget was fairly tight when our family of seven had only one breadwinner, but one thing we didn’t skimp on was insurance expense for the home.

No matter how fiscally improvident our federal governments have been in building up our debt, one thing we must not skimp on is money for defence.

It’s tragic to see our current government with its fingers in its ears and blinkers near its eyes as it skimps on national insurance payments, unaware of the extent of its responsibilities to the nation that elected it.

David Morrison, Springwood. NSW

Opposition suits Ley

Opposition Leader Sussan Ley, when choosing her wardrobe, could just as validly pick a red suit as a blue one.

The party over which she presides is no longer conservative. It is just as zealously pursuing net zero as the Labor Party, with almost no difference between the two major players when it comes to energy.

Her party supports those ridiculously high levels of immigration despite the lack of infrastructure, together with the energy policy, both of which are causing cost of living to surge. It has no intention to reduce the size of government, and in fact, during the Covid times, it vastly increased the size of government.

Hand in hand with this philosophy is a determination to increase spending, leaving current and future generations deeply in debt. Similarly, to pay for this, Ley supports significant increases in tax without any attempt to reform the taxation system.

The so-called conservatives were responsible for the invention of the “misinformation” bill, and they vigorously support Labor in its attempts to muzzle all of us. Free speech in this country is going down the gurgler. The so-called moderates in the LNP, in attempting to be “less bad” than Labor, are consigning themselves to decades of opposition.

Greg Williams, Bicton, WA

Resolve tariff issue

When US President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he imposed tariffs on every nation around the world and both Australia and the UK had a 10 per cent tariff imposed by the US.

Earlier this year, British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer began negotiations to remove the 10 per cent tariffs that were placed on the UK, and just before the 2025 G7 summit in Canada those tariffs were removed.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese should have arranged to meet Trump after the federal election in May to negotiate the removal of the 10 per cent tariffs on Australia but so far has not done so.

To be fair, Albanese intended to meet Trump at the G7 summit but Trump had to leave the summit early because of the Iran conflict, but the PM could have arranged to meet Trump earlier than that time. The Prime Minister should arrange to meet Trump at the White House as soon as possible for negotiations. The sooner he can do this, the sooner Australian businesses and exporters can return to business as usual with the US.

Malcolm Webster, Boronia, Vic