Whatever their faults, Turnbull, Abbott and Keating have all been driven to change things, but what of Gillard (“Ex-PMs should speak up, not shut up”, March 26)? Is it dignity that prevents Gillard from speaking out, or that as a leader of the modern Labor Party, she was more about office than ideas? Certainly, Albanese is similarly light on ideas and certainly has no observable interest in significant change. Not all change is good, of course, and the Trump-like change hinted at by Dutton certainly looks like a fairly nasty dystopia. If we’re talking about retired politicians, though, I’ll take former Greens leader Bob Brown. Brown continues to passionately advocate for protecting our environment so all of us can live a good life. That message is something all of us should consider. Colin Hesse, Nowra
Getting ahead with leadership.Credit: Simon Letch
Budget blues
Ross Gittins says it all when he describes us as not interested in anything else but the cost of living (“The government is timid, uninspired and uninspiring. This budget fits it perfectly”, March 26). With opposition and scare campaigns like we saw when Bill Shorten’s brave steps resulted in his demise from politics, we will never see any changes of any value. Whilst voters only think about “me” and not what’s good for the country, that is all we’ll get. Thanks to the teals, we can expect some improvements for the best. Judith Nicholas, Kambah ACT
Ross Gittins is correct when he says that this government is timid and uninspiring, but why would they be bold and enterprising when they were punished for it in 2016 and 2019? When you are dealing with an electorate that opposed needed and sensible changes to capital gains tax
and negative gearing even though most of them would not be effective, what can you do? Add to the mix an opposition who will oppose to cripple and hamstring you, then timidity is inevitable. Nicholas Triggs, Katoomba
Nick Greiner had the foresight in 1987 to introduce four-year fixed terms to NSW. It’s a shame that our federal politicians don’t share the same foresight so that we can break the cycle of budgets built for elections rather than for the good of the country. Grahame Marks, Manly
The Coalition is making much of its intention of sacking 36,000 public servants. This would save about $5 billion a year, assuming that they earned $100 -$150,000 per year. Assuming these people are not twiddling their thumbs, then someone will have to do their work or services. For example, the 1000 workers employed to sort out the mess and backlog the Coalition left in Veterans’ Affairs. Will the Coalition do what they did last time and simply employ private workers? That cost nearly $20 billion in the last year of the Morrison government. Somehow the 36,000 employees look like a pretty good spend of taxpayer’s money. Ross Hudson, Mount Martha (Vic)
Why was it called the budget? A more appropriate term would have been an expenditure statement or if the government was being totally honest, a bribe. No revenue measures to offset expenditure and more debt and deficits, consigning generations of Australians to falling living standards. Mike Kenneally, Manly
Tax cut and run in race to the budget.Credit: Cathy Wilcox
Watched the budget speech last night with hope that there would be significant cost-of-living relief. But what did we get: Insultingly small tax cuts, a huge gift to Brisbane for a stadium, some minor trims to family health and welfare commitments and the promise of catastrophically high deficits for the next ten or more years. Hardly election bribes worth voting for. Brian O’Donnell, Burradoo
It is on very rare occasions that I feel an iota of sympathy for opposition leader and noted hard man, Peter Dutton, but the bind he finds himself in now has me reaching for my “in sympathy” cards, a stamp and a nearby mailbox. After young Angus’ underwhelming efforts on both the ABC’s Insiders program and then Tuesday night’s coup de grâce on 7.30, his choice of being stuck with Taylor as his chief economic salesman must keep him awake at night. I fear the best Big Pete can hope for is to lose the election and then enact a major reshuffle of his front bench. Bill Young, Killcare Heights
Labor’s “fully funding” of public education seems to be an example of “doublespeak”, a term from 1984. Locking in a decade more of underfunding all the way out to 2034 is the opposite of “fully funding”. What possible excuse is there to drag injustice out for another generation of public school kids, while overfunding the richest private schools most frequently featured in this paper for building castle-libraries, aquatic centres and other wasteful spending? Nathan Lee, Surry Hills
I think Gittins’ summary of last night’s budget was a little harsh. The government needs to walk a very fine line between providing hope for easing cost-of-living pressures without letting the inflationary genie out of the bottle. It needs to provide the framework to allow the Reserve Bank to provide future interest rate cuts. While juggling all of this, Chalmers had to stealthily navigate his way around the tumultuous geopolitical maelstrom occurring around the world. And finally, the government had to ensure that it did not provide the Noalition with the usual “high spending, high taxing” anti-Labor rhetoric that it espouses at any opportunity. Unexciting the budget may have been, responsible and politically savvy – yes. Tony Bennett, Broke
I enjoy Gittins’ insightful articles on economic matters, but I think his response to the federal government’s budget is unfair, overly negative, and even curmudgeonly. Chalmers quite rightly advocates resilience; how can any government prepare for what Trump might do next with his globally damaging tariff policies? The bottom line about the budget is that most people, especially the least well-off, will benefit modestly in respect of supermarket costs, energy bills, housing, school education, health, disabled and aged care, and so much more. The government deserves credit, Ross, not castigation. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne
Fishy business
Peter Singer tells us in no unambiguous terms that salmon fishing is throwing good money over bad money – where the government is trying to win a seat from the opposition, and the opposition is doing its best to keep the seat (“Planning tonight’s dinner? Don’t eat Atlantic salmon before reading this”, March 23). Sixty-five per cent of Tasmanians oppose Atlantic salmon farming. There are only 21 jobs, and all profits go to overseas owners. Where is the logic? No wonder voters are moving away from major parties to independents and minor parties. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill
The Greens’ environment spokesperson Sarah Hanson-Young holds up a salmon during question time in the Senate.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
In recent months, I have shed 10 kilos of weight and considerably improved my health by adopting a diet the main components of which are a daily meal of Atlantic salmon and six vegetables. I don’t intend to give up eating Atlantic salmon. I’m just going to stop reading articles about it. Coral Button, North Epping
Plain stupidity
These days, I wouldn’t be building a house on a flood plain that an expert considers will “still flood” despite flood remediation work without a cast-iron guarantee from an insurance company that it would insure it (since that’s a business that is already counting the costs of such stupidity), in light of the progressive increases in stormy weather that we’re in for as a result of doing too little about climate change (“Sydney’s most expensive swamp hits the market”, March 25). Anne Ring, Coogee
Wedding windfall
Do it Albo (“We considered eloping; Albanese”, March 26)! We eloped for the grand sum of $420; the best part – we still received lots of gifts from family and friends. Kate van de Wall, Collaroy Plateau
We’re with you, Shakes
Reading your story about Herald artist John Shakespeare in today’s paper, I say all the very best John; anyone owning that name deserves an extra push, so summon up the blood and stiffen those sinews (“Shakespeare a master of his budget art”, March 26)! Donald Matthews, Fennell Bay
Shakespeare’s cartoons have made me laugh for years. Such talent and thoughtfulness. Thank you and best wishes from me and Rimski our dachshund. Your cartoon with a dachshund watching fearfully in the doorway is hanging on the wall. Bea Hodgson, Gerringong
One of Shakes’ favourite subjects - Donald TrumpCredit: John Shakespeare
Bad investment
Investors in Nucoal should not receive compensation for failing to do their due diligence (“Joe Hockey goes in to bat for US investors in Trump trade dispute with Australia”, March 26). Even the most casual reader of Australian newspapers in the years prior would have been aware of the very real risks involved in entering in to an arrangement with Ian Macdonald or with an Obeid. Nucoal either knowingly decided that the potential profits were worth the risks, or failed to do the most basic of research. The investors should pursue the board and executives, not the Australian taxpayers. Bart Fielden, Lindfield
Relative truth
In regards to the opinion piece by Professors Leask and Atwell, there are a couple of additional cultural factors (“Measles is back, and the anti-vax lobby has real power”, March 26). There is a loss of trust in institutions. One of the most common tropes of the past few decades is the group of plucky individuals who insist that chemical X is making them ill. Corporations and governments, backed up by scientists, deny that this is the case, only to be shown wrong. Anti-vaxxers see themselves in the plucky individual role.
Western culture is now dominated by expressive individualism, where a person’s identity comes from within rather than without. The most obvious examples of this are sexuality and gender, but also shown when celebrities talk about “my truth”. Anti-vaxxers are, in some form, another offshoot of the same thinking; “I will do my own research and decide whether or not to take this vaccine.” Roger Gallagher, Merrylands
Name and shame
Having lived three years in Singapore, I fully agree with Anil Nayer’s defence of the country’s tough stance on drug trafficking and other crimes (“Singapore’s drug stance works, regionally and socially”, March 26). Anyone who has been there will tell you how safe it feels, no matter where you are. My wife and I were comfortable letting our two young children go to the cinema, unaccompanied.
What Nayer didn’t mention is the role the media plays in keeping crime low. The main newspaper, The Straits Times, has long relied on public shaming to enforce the rules, regularly publishing the names – and sometimes photos – of those who break the law. These “shame pages” have exposed everything from tax dodgers and litterbugs to restaurants failing hygiene checks, COVID-19 rule-breakers and even people caught urinating in lifts, a surprisingly common offence. Public humiliation seems to act as a powerful deterrent, reinforcing Singapore’s strict culture of order and discipline. The country doesn’t just rely on laws, it uses social pressure to ensure even the smallest infractions don’t go unnoticed. John Kempler, Rose Bay
Trust teals
George Brandis attempts to woo Liberal-leaning teal voters on the grounds that the teals can’t be trusted to support a Coalition minority government (Letters, March 25). The problem for the Coalition is their own lack of transparency, their policy vacuum. One thing voters are clear on is the teal candidates’ policies and their continued independence in a hung parliament. Liz Adams, Kareela
Pale males
The guest list at Joe Hockey’s garden party makes depressing reading for any female (CBD, March 25). Apart from a couple of high-profile women, the names were almost exclusively male and Anglo, reinforcing the fact that leadership and influence in a variety of fields in this country remains firmly in the hands of stale white males. Stephanie Edwards, Leichhardt
Joe Hockey’s partygoersCredit: AFR
Cattle class
Qantas can attempt to spruik the virtues of its new A321XLR as much as it likes (“Bigger overhead bins and more: Qantas unveils new Airbus”, March 26). But I doubt they will compensate for the horrors of three-across seating in economy, especially on longer haul international routes to Asia and a seat pitch now shrunk to suit midgets. Though having watched the bunfight for overhead locker space on last night’s flight from Adelaide, I’d have to say that will be welcome. But I say reincarnate the glorious B767 with its fabulous 2-3-2 seating in economy – no one has more than one other passenger to climb over to the aisle. Now that really would be a back to the future, and a big improvement in economy customer experience. Peter Thornton, Killara
Trump tricks
Trump is the gift to Labor that keeps on giving. The worse he becomes, the worse it gets for Dutton, who is completely bereft of policies. Tony Simons, Balmain
In order to really get right up Trump’s nose, Denmark should, with Greenlanders’ approval, gift Greenland to Canada. How we would love to see that. David Rafferty, Peakhurst Heights
Complaints welcome
Your correspondent Bernadette Scadden suggests that companies concentrate on negative feedback (Letters, March 25). She is correct. A complaint is free feedback about an alleged failure of expectations whereas modern surveys are merely done to produce management metrics. We, however, are partly to blame because we accept these surveys and because we don’t know how to complain effectively. From my experience as a complaint manager for a government revenue department, a good complaint – as opposed to a tick-box survey – sets out a service recipient’s expectations and how the service failed that expectation. A great complaint does that and includes workable suggestions aimed at fixing the situation. Also regrettably, businesses (and probably governments) find it easier to collate the results of an easy short, sharp and shallow survey rather than do the hard work of receiving, analysing, investigating and resolving complaints. Doing the former can’t improve the service, but doing the latter can. Peter Butler, Wyongah
Olympic folly
Since the Queensland government is going all out with new 2032 Olympic venues, why not introduce locally focused sport for the occasion (“And the winner is … #StadiumSplurge”, March 26)? How about “toss the croc”, “spear a cane toad” or “walk along a red fire ant track”, for example? These suggestions are just as valid as implementing costly vanity projects to please the IOC, particularly when so many people are facing a housing crisis, mortgage overload, higher power bills and an ever-escalating cost of living. Amazing how priorities change after an election. Perhaps the Commonwealth’s portion of the costs for such “one-use-only white elephants” can be clawed back and spent on the immediate needs of real people in financial distress. Andrew Elder, Ashfield
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