Richest 250 show it’s fine to seek rewards of innovation, hard work

Your editorial states that there is nothing wrong with individuals making money (“Richest 250 cause for celebration”, 15/3). Hear, hear to that.

Adam Smith’s capitalist model that rewards innovation, enterprise and hard work is alive and well in Australia, as it is in most successful nations.

With success comes a responsibility to give back – a recognition that a social licence to operate is an important element of doing business.

On that score, Australia rates highly. The Charity Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index placed it fourth in 2022 out of 119 nations, and found that three out of five individuals donated.

Complacency, however, is an eternal risk to successful economies. Australia must continue to present as a safe haven for foreign capital and the government has an enormous responsibility in ensuring this. The cost of doing business in this country – when measured against our competitors – will always be a matter of concern.

Kim Keogh, Claremont, WA

Lessons of Kerr case

Henry Ergas analyses the implications of the case involving Sam Kerr (“As Kerr case shows, police fair game for foul mouths”, 15/3).

With her mega-star status and highly paid ability to play football, she feels offended by being called out for fouling a taxi, disputing the fare to the driver, and then throwing abuse at a policeman without feeling a sense of remorse. This kind of behaviour, and much worse from others in the public gaze, is unacceptable, although it is now a daily occurrence in our society, where standards of public behaviour leave us wondering just how much we really care about the human condition and decency in our society.

Foul-mouthing and insults are nothing new, but it is the accumulation of the hate-inspired thoughts behind the mouthing that give vent to the sort of catastrophic horrors being played out in the world today. It behoves us all to call out that which is unacceptable both in thought and deed, if we care about the future of our nation.

Stephanie Summers, North Turramurra, NSW

The forgotten victim in the Kerr saga is the taxi driver. He was the person subjected to unseemly behaviour, which cost the lowly paid driver time, money, inconvenience and distress through someone’s selfish actions. Kerr’s status as a role model for young kids, particularly girls, is tarnished, whatever the outcome of the pending court case.

Riley Brown, Bondi Beach, NSW

Howard on right track

While agreeing with former PM John Howard that three-year terms are too short for effective government (“Howard supports PM on four-year terms”, 15/3), I would rather see the term be five years for the House of Reps and 10 years for the Senate, with the latter being half offset with general elections.

For governments to be effective, we need them to concentrate on governing, not retaining power.

The present regime does not work. Even if federal governments run the full three years, one is spent settling in, one in governing and the last year doing things to get re-elected.

Please, Mr Albanese, propose four-, or preferably five-year fixed terms, so that we, the electorate, can have a modicum of reliability in government effects on our lives.

Alan Slade, Dover Heights, NSW

Biden bows to pressure

Joe Biden, a loyal supporter of Israel over many years, is clearly bowing to pressures from the left in his party in an election year.

October 7 for Israel was proportionately a much greater disaster than September 11 and the pursuit of Hamas should continue unabated with the same vigour with which the US hunted al-Qa’ida.

With the terrorists close to defeat, misplaced interference in Israeli domestic politics and the easing of pressure on the terrorists will only lengthen the conflict and the misery for the civilian population of Gaza.

John Kempler, Rose Bay, NSW

The Democrats in the US government should stop trying to undermine Israel while it is in a war for its very survival, which is only giving encouragement to Israel’s many unhinged enemies and demonstrating to the rest of the world America’s political inability to follow through in wars it gets involved in.

Ukraine is seeing this abandonment first hand and now it’s Israel’s turn.

Mark Sheen, Bellevue, WA

Putin has made it known if NATO troops enter Ukraine he will not hesitate to go nuclear.

French President Emmanuel Macron has called his bluff by declaring he is ready to send French soldiers to Ukraine.

He has left some European leaders who spoke out against sending troops to Ukraine looking a little embarrassed.

G. Jaworsk, Wollert, Vic