Liberals using ratepayers’ pain for political gain

The NSW Liberal Party is stating that if they had not made a mess of nominating Liberal Party candidates in the last local government elections on the northern beaches, the proposed 40 per cent rate rise would not be happening (“Residents protest on beaches over rate hike”, January 30). But wasn’t it the Liberal Party that pushed the three northern beaches councils to amalgamate, stating that thousands of dollars would be saved? Peter Nelson, Moss Vale

The Liberal government promoted council amalgamation to provide efficiencies of scale which have not eventuated. The Liberal Party failed to complete nominations for the last local government elections. I cannot see that the involvement of those candidates would necessarily have provided the vision to plan for the future needs of northern beaches residents. Catherine Turner, Cremorne

How ludicrous to speculate on hypotheticals about the Liberal Party and the last council election. It’s a bit like saying that if the Americans did not launch Apollo 11, there would not have been a moon landing. However, it beggars belief that with only 11 per cent in favour of this huge rate rise, the councillors have steamed ahead regardless. With a council incapable of containing costs after the supposed administrative efficiencies of amalgamation, we are well overdue to reinstate Pittwater Council. Bruce Hall, Avalon

A few years ago, Blue Mountains Council faced the usual dilemmas of services versus rates. In a brave but sensible move, it asked the community which of three options it preferred – no rate rise, a small rate rise or a larger one. It outlined the decisions that would flow under each option. The community voted overwhelmingly for a modest rate increase and a modest improvement in services. Perhaps Northern Beaches Council would be wise to follow suit. Stein Boddington, St Clair

I am intrigued by the assertion by Liberal Party member Karina Page that the current Northern Beaches Council is undemocratic because all Liberal candidates have been excluded. Karina should compare notes with the Liberal supporters around Australia who are denied the chance to vote for Liberal candidates because of the Coalition agreement which only allows National Party candidates to stand in specified seats. Nicolas Harrison, Evans Head

The Coalition state government’s policy of amalgamating councils has proved disastrous. Inner West Council voted via referendum to de-amalgamate, that hasn’t happened. Central Coast residents have also been forced to endure massive rates rises. Many local government CEOs are on higher salaries than the prime minister or NSW premier. Kevin Armstrong, Forrester’s Beach

Your correspondent’s claim that there had been “no sign of promised (council) amalgamation savings” is, I suggest, a common experience. The former conservative state government destroyed the local element of local government with its forced council amalgamations. This is what comes from ignoring the voice of the people to score perceived political gains. The record of the Baird/Berejiklian governments will forever bear this anti-democratic stain. Derrick Mason, Boorowa

Win at any cost

Peter Dutton glibly asserts that Labor is “high taxing and high spending” despite evidence to the contrary (“You can dress Dutton as ham, but that doesn’t make him PM material”, January 30). Think of Labor’s last two budget surpluses and the changed Stage 3 tax cuts to lower taxes for all income earners. Dutton’s proposed nuclear solution for power will mean future taxpayers will bear the very significant taxation necessary to pay for this ill-considered and wildly extravagant thought bubble. Even worse for future taxpayers will be the burden of having to finance a much larger payout for age pensions because the Coalition plans to allow increased raiding of superannuation holdings to pay for housing. The outcome of the resulting reduced superannuation will impoverish many retirees in the future. Sadly, this will not deter Peter Dutton as all he cares about is being prime minister. James Tulloch, Westleigh

Peter Dutton is using Trumpian tactics to win over the electorate. He is constantly belittling Anthony Albanese, presenting himself as the person who will make Australia great again, making the cutting of immigration a central part of his program and dividing the country with misinformation and ensuring that the fossil fuel industry is protected by his absurd nuclear power policy. One can only hope that the Australian electorate will realise that a Coalition government will not enhance their quality of life. Alan Morris, Eastlakes

Shaun Carney makes an excellent point when he states that “he (Dutton) does not head a crack outfit. Sussan Ley as deputy leader, Angus Taylor as shadow treasurer. They don’t really trouble the scorers”. During question time Angus Taylor is almost in witness protection. It’s a rare sight indeed when he musters the courage to ask Treasurer Jim Chalmers a question. In fact, he seems to tiptoe around the treasurer in case he might bite. Malcolm Freak, Armidale

I agree with your correspondent Brian McDonald about the achievements of the current government (Letters, January 29). However, if he thinks that voters will give thanks by voting for a second term, he will be disappointed. Most voters know more about the achievements of their favourite sports team than that of the government and vote based on their impressions of the leader and their own economic situation. They know nothing of the government’s policies. When Kevin Rudd was deposed by Julia Gillard, a leader was changed but the policies remained intact. Nevertheless, voters felt outraged that the leader they had elected had been deposed. Labor was lucky to govern for two terms. Ignorance is bliss in voter land. Rodney Crute, Hunters Hill

If people wonder why conservatives such as Trump and Dutton insist on fossil fuels and deny the value of renewable sources, the answer is that renewables and sustainable technologies are initiatives of the left. It is seen as the “woke” agenda. Dutton wants to make himself distinct. This means going down a path that is at odds with what he sees as woke, regardless of what cost this involves for the Australian people. It’s simply politics.
Development of nuclear power is not a positive solution. Nor will sacking thousands of public servants fix anything. The Coalition left the country with not only an economic mess but a social one. They undermined the working of our democracy by damaging the trust of the Australian public in their own democracy through their duplicitous behaviour. This is one reason why the numbers of independents in Parliament have grown. David Ashton, Katoomba

Quirky genius

Fear not Sunny, my fridge door and I suspect countless others were re-adorned last December (“Michael Leunig was my father, he didn’t want a state funeral”, January 30). Your Dad’s irreverent legacy will outlast you and me, despite edicts from on high. Terry Flanagan, Wagga

I wonder if Sunny Leunig has read A Common philosophy / Michael Leunig & Karl Rahner. With Leunig’s cooperation, John Honner compiled a series of quotations from the theologian Rahner and paired each one with a specific cartoon. Each one illuminates the meaning of the other. Honner states: “both are preoccupied with human yearning, with loneliness, with the heart, with the materialism, evil and guilt that goes with human freedom, with the mysteries of the spirit, with angels, sleep and death, with innocence and Christmas and with the joy of coming home”. Mark Porter, New Lambton

Following mixed dealings with my late father, I was moved by Sunny Leunig’s dedication to his father. I have multiple books, calendars and countless cartoons from Michael’s works. As Sunny says, what a shame that anyone would want to demean the works of someone like Michael, who offered gentleness, kindness, pathos, compassion, whimsy – and always humour. I’ve followed Michael’s career since he commenced with the creative and progressive publication, Nation Review, from the early 1970s. Michael’s books have been a continuing source of gifts for friends. Vale Michael. Sunny, well said, stay proud of your dad. Adrian Bell, Davistown

Michael Leunig might have been something of a homegrown, tortured genius who held up a mirror to our common humanity. Like many prophetic voices, he was not always appreciated, but we will miss his quirky insights. Margaret Johnston, Paddington

If Michael Leunig had done nothing else, his legacy would be encapsulated in his cartoon of the parent and child watching the sunset on TV while a window to the outside shows it is actually occurring. He was a gifted, idiosyncratic artist and a genius at succinct comment on everyday Australian life, whether you agreed with him or not. Gillian Appleton, Paddington

Everybody say cheese

What have they got to be so angry about (“New official photos cast Trumps in a new light”, January 30)? Melania glowers, Donald looks as if he is barely containing his hostility. Surely, they should be looking triumphant, benevolent even, instead. Have they, in a rare moment of clarity, realised the enormity of the task that lies ahead when they could have settled for a very comfortable retirement? Joan Brown, Orange

Do POTUS and FLOTUS have teeth and if so, have they nothing to smile about? Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook

Drop politics and unite in war on antisemitism

In and around my beloved Sydney, my children wear the Star of David around their neck in a proud acknowledgement of their heritage. Should I now insist they remove their insignia? (“‘Terrorism’: Caravan of explosives found”, January 30). Joanna Auerbach, Kensington

It is frightening for the Jewish community and all NSW residents that a caravan laden with explosives was found recently in Sydney’s north-west. Wouldn’t it be a positive result if Dutton and Albanese showed a united stance on the Israel and Palestine conflict and antisemitic attacks in Australia? Dutton is not helping by politicising and inflaming the events and blaming the federal government. We need to be united as a nation after the waves of antisemitic attacks in Sydney, not divided by our leaders in the federal government. Helen Simpson, Curl Curl

It’s past time for Peter Dutton, Josh Frydenberg and the others to drop the cheap politics and stand firmly with the government on antisemitism. Tom Mangan, Woy Woy Bay

If ever there is a time for national leadership, it’s now. Anthony Albanese should address the nation, issuing a call for national unity and condemning the spate of antisemitic hate. It might seem symbolic but a call from our nation’s leader would go some way to reassure the community and to emphasise the fundamentals of tolerance and acceptance of difference that the majority of Australians adhere to. Therese Schier, Casino

Cathie Wilcox’s cartoon brilliantly draws a parallel between remembrance of the Holocaust with Donald Trump’s plans for mass deportations of illegal immigrants from the US and Trump’s ideas to “clean out” the Gaza Strip by moving about 1.5 million Palestinians from their land. The cartoon made me think how frightening it is that charismatic leaders can get the masses to go along with outrageous cruelty and to endorse and carry out or overlook man’s inhumanity to others. Elizabeth Vickers, Maroubra

Well-worn path

Once again women are lectured to by men about their choice of clothing (Letters, January 30). Was it coincidence that the letters decrying Grace Tame’s T-shirt are all from men? Add to that, your correspondent’s claim that the factor driving such “demeaning” trends is “the need to impress males, of course” should be enough to propel women back to the proverbial battleground, seething with frustration. Toni Fatherley, Taree

Grace Tame didn’t wear that T-shirt to the awards ceremony. She wore it to morning tea with the PM. Some might think such a disregard for facts sounds rather Murdoch? Peter Fyfe, Enmore

Truly, madly …

I have been told by ChatGPT that in response to the Chinese AI DeepSeek platform, President Trump has ordered an emergency AI platform called DEEPSHIT to be developed (“China’s DeepSeek miracle is not everything it seems”, smh.com.au, January 30). It has been developed some miles up a paddle-less creek that runs into Silicon Valley. Ivan Head, Burradoo

Signal failures

As I read this, my NBN is out for the seventh time in three months (Letters, January 29), and the fourth time this month. That’s only unscheduled outages. I work from home, like many Sydneysiders, and need reliable connectivity. After being sent back to my provider by NBN Co, who of course can do nothing because it’s NBN’s infrastructure that’s the problem, I made a complaint to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman. I recently got a call from my provider who could only offer me a free month to compensate. I even joked and said to him, I might have to sign up with Mr Musk. As all providers are affected by these outages in my area, I’m surprised they haven’t taken collective action against NBN Co. It would be great if I could hotspot off my phone but, unfortunately, I appear to be in a mobile blackspot too. So people such as me are forced to use a constantly underperforming service. Lisa Del Vecchio, South Coogee

Whilst it is true that the NBN fibre to the premises (FTTP) rollout reached relatively few customers, it should not be forgotten that it was the Turnbull government who apparently deemed it as being far too good for the peasants, consigning them to the inferior hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) and copper ADSL schemes instead. Dave Horsfall, North Gosford

Very few boundaries

Google Maps is adapting to the new geographic naming of places in and beside the US (“Google Maps to rename Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America after Trump order”, January 30). As Greenland is not known for its greenery, if the deal comes off, a more appropriate name for the 52nd state of America would be Trumpistan. Bruce Johnson, Lakewood

The so-called “Gulf of America” is not located in the Gulf of Mexico. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC. Craig Chappelle, Denmark (WA)

Trump 2.0 is like buying a second hand car. Your dad warned you! The car is all polished up, defects carefully disguised and the salesman talking it up. Then you get it home and the buyer’s remorse starts. The noises you didn’t hear on the test drive, the missing bits of trim you didn’t see and the smoke suddenly coming out the back. And now you own it for the next few (four) years. Andrew Raymond, Parramatta

Who might David Littleproud be emulating when he says, “we’ll start building the first nuclear power plant the very first day after a Coalition government’s elected”? Tells us lot about the playbook the opposition plan to use in the forthcoming election. Salle-Ann Ehms, Glebe

Multiplication division

In answer to Millie Muroi’s question (“Should we really go forth and multiply?”, January 25), the answer is an emphatic “no”. By all means, go forth and have a child but please don’t go beyond two. We don’t need to multiply. The world does not need more people when they have, on average, very high consumption levels. We are using too many resources and producing too much waste.

We have two major global crises: climate change and biodiversity loss, both functions of too many people making too many demands on the planet. Losing koalas and other iconic species? Much of it is habitat loss. Why are we losing habitat? To house and feed ever more people. If we could just stabilise our population, globally and nationally, we will have a better chance of dealing with the crises we face. Jenny Goldie, Cooma

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