New generation of leaders needed to deal with changing world

Paul Kelly warns us of the dangers of an approaching hung parliament (“Forget Labor, what are the Liberals actually offering?”, 12/3).

Neither Anthony Albanese nor Peter Dutton are the required “ascendant leaders” who could save us. Informing voters of the facts, as distinct from the spin, on good policy, however, could save the dullest of all leaders. A huge information deficit is wedging voters into Australian self-destruction. Neither major party has any potentially great leader. The Labor contenders are represented by Treasurer Jim Chalmers, condemned in his own words as “obsessed with a clean-energy future”, as Geoff Chambers reports (“Chalmers ‘obsessed’ with renewables”, 12/3).

Admitting “obsession” while doubling down on our electricity grid failure does not inspire confidence, but is ignored by voters who are accepting bribes from their own bank account of public money. Courageous good policy can override charisma deficits in leaders, as John Howard proved, but today’s toxic political environment of low information overrides everything.

Betty Cockman, Dongara, WA

Paul Kelly (and most other pundits) says the coming federal election looks like delivering a minority Labor government – one dragged even further leftward by the necessity of placating the Greens or teals.

This, there is general agreement, will be a disaster, resulting in “rising public dissatisfaction and substandard economic outcomes”. The sine qua non for national progress, Kelly suggests, is the emergence of an “ascendant leader”. But not, I assume, one along the lines of The Donald?

Terry Birchley, Bundaberg, Qld

Paul Kelly’s prognosis of the political landscape post the federal election is sobering.

In essence, there appears no way out for Australia except in the unlikely event of the Coalition governing in its own right. Kelly’s analysis shows a Labor minority government is the most probable outcome, a government that would be subservient to the teals and the Greens to progress its agenda in the next parliament.

It seems like a worst-case scenario but the Albanese government presents as green-lite in any event. Much of its policy is straight from the Keynesian playbook and a number of its most senior MPs, including Anthony Albanese himself, are of the left. The country would suffer with a further shift to the left but, as evidenced by the result in 2013, there’s every chance of a stable majority government at the election beyond this year’s poll.

Kim Keogh, Claremont, WA

Entitlement reigns

Former defence minister Kim Beazley can voice his thoughts as much as he likes (“Beazley’s case for the defence”, 12/3), but he is crying in the wilderness.

Financially, Australia has not exactly been firing on all fours for some time, but the depth of damage to Australia’s economy, its peoples, and ultimately its sovereign security, by the Albanese government, and the mentality of the Greens and many independents, is such that finding the dollars to properly fund any increase in defence will entail cuts to welfare and many associated government services that an electorate, indulging on entitlement, will not easily accept.

Peter M. Wargent, Mosman, NSW

Crisis hits home

Tax, regulation and infrastructure charges now taking up to half the cost of a new house-and-land package shows how dismally broken our housing situation has become (“Housing reveals a bigger failure”, Editorial, 12/3).

We desperately need substantial tax reform. We also need to take a comprehensive look at what regulations are necessary and what red tape should be cut with a thousand scissors.

Some have suggested that if we don’t get our act together on housing and the economy, we could eventually lose our first-world status. I assumed this was hyperbole, but perhaps it isn’t.

Michael Westacott, Cairns, Qld

WFH can’t always work

Janet Albrechtsen is spot-on (“Calling out WFH is fair debate, not a culture war”, 12/3).

I work at the office from 9 to 5, and from home when I am there. I’m in small business, trying to make a profit. Nothing runs itself. I have to be available 24/7 to get things done. It’s called reality. I switch off on the weekend, sometimes.

Alexander Haege, Tamarama, NSW

Energy black hole

One reason for the perfect storm’ on energy in Australia is that nuclear power, a carbon-free alternative to coal, has been banned for 25 years at the behest of the Greens, supported in recent years by the teals. Who benefits from this prohibition of nuclear power generation apart from Chinese industry and a few entrepreneurs in Australia who lap up subsidies for renewables?

Don Higson, Paddington, NSW