‘Moderates’ ensure Liberals will remain an electoral irrelevance

I am a rusted-on Liberal and, like many others, was bitterly disappointed in the Liberal Party and the very poor campaign it ran in the recent election. It let Australia down very badly.

I am quite prepared to give Sussan Ley a go and hope she can grow into the job as Opposition Leader. But my heart sank when I read in the article, “Howard’s manifesto to revive the Libs” (17-18/5), that Ley stated she would “be focused particularly on families and mothers struggling to balance life and work”.

As important as that group is, surely her focus should be on energy, cost of living, domestic and international security, education and anti-Semitism. She needs to find those big L issues and leave the little L issues until later.

Victoria Webster, Norwood, SA

The commentary, “Reports of the two-party system’s death exaggerated”, (17-18/5), saying the teals and independents have “scant influence in either chamber of the parliament”, overlooks the importance of their influence in the final result.

There were 13 Liberal candidates who received a majority of primary votes, but who lost on preferences. Also, the successful teal candidates who won formerly secure Liberal seats further increased the margin between the major parties to Labor’s benefit.

It’s a big ask for the Liberals to overcome a deficit of nearly 50 seats if these trends continue.

Peter Winzar, Palm Beach, Qld

The LNP has arrived at a position where it offers policies that are similar to those of the ALP, but with the hope that the electorate will think it to be not quite as bad. The LNP continues to support net zero and the Paris accord, but reaching net zero not quite as quickly as the ALP indicates.

The LNP supports throwing money at most of the welfare options financed by the ALP, but just not quite as vigorously. Thus it supports the continued assault on our cost of living, interest rates and inflation.

Australians were exhausted from the torture that the Labor government had imposed on them in the previous three years, and just wanted to end it all. All that the LNP offered prior to the recent election was an extension of the torture.

The “not as bad as Labor” approach appears to belong exclusively to the so-called “moderate” faction of the LNP. Until the parties can rid themselves of those misguided members, euphemistically described as “moderates”, they will be, in boxing terminology, “throwing in the towel”.

Greg Williams, Bicton, WA

Labor won on ‘bribes’

Qatar’s $US400m ($623m) gift, called a bribe by some, equates to a free lunch compared with the billions of taxpayer dollars used to bribe the Australian electorate to vote for a Labor government at the recent federal election.

Let’s not forget the biggest homegrown “bribe” of all, millions of dollars flowing, in perpetuity, from unions and associated industry super funds to the Labor Party giving us such low productivity we can’t even get three productive days per week in the building industry (for example, in Queensland). We need to look in own backyard before criticising others.

Jennifer Hall, Wilston, Qld

Anti-Semitism at uni

Thank you for your thoughtful editorial on the appalling act of anti-Semitism during a meeting of students at Sydney University (Alarming show of student bigotry”, 17-18/5).

However, I take issue with your description that “anti-Semitism has penetrated our society, including among educated young people”. For these people to hold such views, they cannot be described as educated, unless of course they’re getting their education from social media.

Ruth Franklin, St Ives, NSW

Chalmers’ accounting

As an accountant for 40 years, it is a mystery to me how Treasurer Jim Chalmers can get away with rewriting the rules of accounting, developed over the years to protect the integrity of financial accounting systems (“Tax an existential threat, says farmers”, 17-18/5). Did Chalmers consult with the major professional accounting bodies in Australia?

The public has the right to know if this is a case of Labor financial adventurism.

Peter R. Tredenick, Laidley, Qld

‘Woke’ opera decline

I was sad, but not surprised, to read of the decline of Opera Australia (“Opera Australia lost leaders … now $10m too”, 17-18/5).

We subscribed for decades, going to half a dozen performances every year until the last few years, when we went to fewer performances each year, until this year, when we haven’t subscribed at all. As the offerings became more woke, with very strange ideas, costumes, staging and peculiar alterations, they became less and less attractive. As with everything in life, if you go back to your core business model, you will keep your main supporters.

Robyn Manoy, Darling Point, NSW