Natural disasters are a reminder of nation’s insurance needs

With so many natural disasters occurring in Australia each year, it is high time for the federal government to implement a national insurance scheme where every householder has basic insurance coverage.

This arrangement would be similar to Medicare where all citizens are covered for basic healthcare needs. Insurance companies still would be free to offer top-up insurance to cover extras.

It has been estimated that up to one in four households in the country do not have building or contents insurance.

With the cost of insurance ballooning, these numbers will only increase, leaving many lives in tatters after every disastrous weather event.

Ed Sianski, West Moonah, Tas

Trump’s message

Of all the US presidents in recent times, Donald Trump gave the most outstanding speech, putting the future of his country above petty politics (“ ‘America’s greatest era’: Trump’s congress triumph”, 6/3).

Sadly the Democrats sat sullenly and, like kindergarten kids, held up silly lollipop signs.

Trump fully detailed the billion-dollar wastages, incompetence and destructive acts upon the people and industry, through which the US industry and people were sold out to other countries’ profits.

He highlighted how porous borders led to the nation being overrun by busloads of criminals and many without background or health checks.

There is a logical corollary for Australian politics. We need to identify all government expenditures and remove wastage, and as Trump urged his nation to do, we need to protect Australia from crime and rebuild the military.

Gil May, Forestdale, Qld

Troops for Ukraine

Australia has a proud history in peacekeeping.

We have been engaged in peace operations around the world every year since 1947. But our current commitments to peacekeeping are lacklustre.

If we want to contribute to maintaining the global rules-based order, then Anthony Albanese is right that we should be open to sending peacekeeping troops to Ukraine to enforce a ceasefire.

The world is a small place when it comes to protecting our national security.

It’s true, as RSL president Greg Melick reminds us, that we need to be mindful of our Indo-Pacific backyard (“US halts arms, PM gets willing”, 5/3).

But we’re not likely to send infantry battalions to any Ukrainian peacekeeping force. It would be a niche contribution, like logistics or medical support.

The Australian Defence Force traditionally has supplied such capabilities in coalition operations. Our military commitments have mainly been about flying a flag with our international partners. That’s exactly what any contribution we make to a Ukrainian peacekeeping force would be about: sending a clear signal that we want to invest in protecting the global rules-based order.

Anthony Bergin, Reid, ACT

Public sector in clover

Clerical staff in the public service in Canberra are enjoying a multitude of benefits, which includes working from home or in a camper van or overseas, regular wage increases and ample holidays.

Are any of these employees aware their wages are being paid by the taxpayers in private enterprise and the much-maligned mining companies? Is their productivity measured and are their hours policed? The Coalition is right to call for their return to work and get efficiency back into the public service.

Peter Deans, Katherine, NT

Reading the data

Judith Sloan rightly pours cold water on Jim Chalmers’ claim that the economy has turned the corner (“Lesson buried in the data: it’s all about productivity, stupid”, 6/3).

How could it be when insolvencies are up, employment growth is almost entirely in the public sector, red and green tape and industrial relations “reforms” act as a brake on productivity, and soaring energy costs cripple business, farming and households? GDP alone is a very blunt gauge of the health of the economy, as it reflects the factors that feed inflation, rather than productivity gains.

John Morrissey, Hawthorn, Vic

Reduce immigration

Immigration has had enormous benefits for Australia over many years but I wonder whether it might be time for those standing for the upcoming federal election to consider reducing current levels to somewhere between 50,000 and 100,000 in the first 12 months of the new parliament.

Maybe they could pledge to give priority to immigrants who have skill sets that Australia badly needs.

Reducing immigration to the above levels also might help reduce the current housing crisis.

Adrian Hassett, Vermont, Vic