Negative gearing was originally introduced in the Depression-era 1930s to induce people with money to invest in housing for rental to people short on money who were trying to cope with the fraught economic environment and a banking system highly regulated and miserly in its ability to approve loans (Letters, March 3).
The capital gains tax discount was introduced in the 1990s to induce wider investment in company shares to stimulate business for an economic boost. Franked dividends aimed at voiding double taxation later boosted this stimulus. Yes, the world changes, but it is always worth understanding why things began and if they remain relevant and fit for purpose.
To me, these inducements via the tax system seem like horses that morphed into camels, some would say sugar that morphed into white powder, and perhaps it’s time for a constructive review. In 2019, Bill Shorten was probably on the right side of the argument, but the abrasive, cold turkey approach didn’t cut it. Brian Jones, Leura
Your correspondent today writes of investors “charging massive rents, otherwise known as negative gearing”. This is incorrect. Negative gearing occurs when landlords charge rent lower than their expenses, so they deduct the excess expenses from their gross rental income. If you take away the negative gearing, landlords will be required to charge higher rents to cover their expenses, which will keep rising, while mortgage interest rates increase, among other expenses like insurance, electricity, council and water rates. Roz Millar, Moss Vale
Self-pity won’t help Libs
Why would Peter Dutton or anyone else in the Liberal Party imagine for a moment that the report into their 2025 election loss wouldn’t be leaked to the media (“‘Unprofessional attempt at hit job’: Dutton lets fly as Liberal review leaks”, March 3)? The feeble attempt to hide it has succeeded only in reinforcing how out-of-touch with reality the party still is. It would go some way to redeeming itself in the public esteem if it owned its mistakes, stopped feeling sorry for itself and showed a capacity and willingness to face facts. Stuck in denial and whimpering in self-pity behind closed doors about its fate only reinforces in the electorate’s mind that it made the right decision to spurn them so comprehensively at the last two elections. And behaving like sooks won’t improve their prospects. Adrian Connelly, Springwood
Peter Dutton calling the leak of the post-mortem on the devastating election a “hit job” doesn’t help the Liberal Party moving forward. Releasing the report would have raised questions about Dutton and the current Liberal team of Angus Taylor and Jane Hume, but it would have caused short-term political damage. In the long term, it would have helped heal the wounds. This silly drama about the report leaking is causing more harm than good. Hard heads in the Liberals need to prevail. Mukul Desai, Hunters Hill
Your correspondent states that the report on the previous election loss was written “by a pair of notable old timers”. Given the average age of Liberal Party members is approaching 70 and the ongoing rolling-out of John Howard, it’s difficult to envisage how it could be anything but. Graham Fazio, Cootamundra
Wow! Surely a better approach to putting the Liberal Party back on track would be to have candidates who, rather than being forced to engage with young people and diverse groups, would actually enjoy such interactions and listen to their views to inform policy. Merilyn McClung, Forestville
Rosemary O’Brien need not wince at an imaginary “Lessons for the Libs” book launch, providing “boundless glee” at the “many gaffes” of “the nutty ol’ Libs” for Herald contributors and speakers from the ABC (Letters, March 3). It’s no dream, Rosemary, we have already enjoyed such events all around the country, thanks to the excellent book, Earthquake by Niki Savva, the legendary political journalist, Herald columnist and frequent guest on the ABC. Maybe Rosemary’s invite didn’t arrive? It’s a cracker of a book, well researched and a gripping read. There’s no need to wait for more leaks of the official review of the Liberal’s election loss, Earthquake is on sale now at all good bookshops! Catherine Smithson, Balmain
Ouch! A pre-emptive strike from Rosemary O’Brien, wounding fellow correspondents and other deplorables where it hurts us most. Meredith Williams, Baulkham Hills
Rosemary O’Brien, no need for Herald contributors, worthy columnists and the ABC to highlight the many gaffes exposed in the Libs’ recent review of the last election. Libs themselves have leaked the report, highlighting that internal division and white-anting among the Libs remain the order of the day. Michael Healy, Raworth
A gleeful evening revelling in the pale, male and stale husk of the Liberal Party, surrounded by wonderful books replete with bubbles and canapes? Count me in, Rosemary O’Brien! Nick Andrews, Bellevue Hill
West Ryde, far and wide
Jacqueline Maley’s excellent Herald article on ABC chair Kim Williams describes his birth suburb as “unprepossessing” (“‘I’m a lots-of-feelings person’: Inside the world of ABC chair Kim Williams”, February 28). Agreed, even today, as you crawl along West Ryde on Victoria Road, or pass by on the northern line, it is not attractive, impressive or pleasing to the eye. The West Ryde community schools, in conjunction with local churches, boys’ and girls’ brigades, scouts, guides, sporting clubs and many others, produced thousands of well-rounded young people who made their way into the world. Every occupation imaginable emerged from Marsden High and nearby Meadowbank Boys High schools. Many second-generation immigrants are now conducting businesses on the same local sites as their parents. As a local resident since 1965, and having attended Marsden High at West Ryde, along with four brothers, two sisters-in-law, four children, a niece and a nephew, it is important to be mindful of the impact that seemingly “prosaic” suburbs have on our wider community. Just like the good old Ryde Pumping Station, West Ryde continues to spread its output far and wide! Warren Finnan, West Ryde
Food for good thought
Reading the Herald these days requires intestinal fortitude as there is much to elicit dismay, and relentlessly so. This year’s introduction of a daily Good Food section is a beacon of joy and grounding for your beleaguered readership. Thanks, Herald. Keep it up! Andrew Cohen, Glebe
Reinventing the wheel
Gen Z’s trend for not learning to drive is probably just a slow turn of the wheel of history (“Why Gen Z are putting the brakes on this rite of passage”, March 3). After all, cars as we know them are a 120-year-old fad, prior to which it was horse and buggy, or shank’s pony. Perhaps the private car is passing its use-by date for urban society and Gen Z is just ahead of the curve. Again.
Whatever future transport may be, it is very unlikely to look like it did in the 20th century, electrified or not. As well as vastly better public transport, automated on-demand individual transport may be one of the few truly magnificent things AI can offer a sustainable society. Dick Clarke, Elanora Heights
Guns don’t mean safe
I doubt if I’ll feel safer with the increase in the number of NSW Police carrying military-style rifles (“Our new, heavily armed ‘pro-active’ police unit may make things worse”, March 3). In comparison, New Zealand police do not routinely carry any arms, and the number of victims of the Christchurch massacre was higher than Bondi. I’ve visited China and North Korea, and never seen anyone in either country as disturbingly armed as a NSW Police officer, even before the latest escalation. David Swain, Glenhaven
Investing in clean technology is more important than ever
The conflict in Iran shows how events that implicate fossil fuels like oil far from our shores can send petrol prices soaring and leave us wrestling with inflationary pressures beyond our control (“Sydney motorists brace for bowser pain as Middle East conflict rages on”, March 3). Not only are pump prices rising but Climate and Energy Minister Chris Bowen has confirmed that Australia holds only 34 days of diesel, 36 days of petrol and 32 days of jet fuel in reserve, well below the International Energy Agency’s 90‑day benchmark. The potential disruption to food distribution, emergency services and infrastructure maintenance in the event of a global supply shock is obvious, as are the impacts of the fuel price spikes we are already experiencing. As a nation we are far too exposed to external supply risks. Electrifying transport and powering it with homegrown renewable energy seems the most credible path to address cost-of-living concerns and provide us with long‑term energy security. Investing in clean technology is more important than ever. Amy Hiller, Kew (Vic)
During the 2019 Australian federal election Senator Michaelia Cash, then minister for small and family business, campaigned heavily on the slogan “we are going to stand by our tradies and we are going to save their utes”. She claimed Labor’s electric vehicle targets would “destroy the weekend” and force tradespeople to abandon their vehicles. Since then the Coalition has derided and obstructed attempts to decarbonise our transport fleet. Now the chickens are coming home to roost and our dependency on oil in a time of war will threaten our economy, forcing up inflation and interest rates. It’s pretty obvious that had the Coalition not done their culture war act on climate change and supported electrification, Australia would be in a better position to weather the storm now. Peter Hull, Katoomba
All indications are that Australia’s dependence on oil is increasingly bad business. The Iran conflict reminds us that reliance on foreign supply leaves us exposed to shocks beyond our control. What is within our control is the Albanese government further accelerating the shift to renewable energy. This is not just an environmental argument; it is a commercial one. Australia leads the world in rooftop solar uptake. With supportive policy settings, home battery installations have surged, and electric vehicle sales have tripled in the past three years. The lesson from yet another bout of oil‑driven volatility is clear: long‑term resilience comes from energy independence. Investment in renewables is investment in economic security – and in a safer, more stable future for our children. Karen Lamb, Geelong
The crisis in the Middle East demonstrates yet again how dependent we are on imported oil, and how much better off we would be if we hastened the rollout of EVs. A fully electrified vehicle fleet would render us immune to global price shocks and supply disruptions, reduce air and noise pollution in our cities and dramatically cut our carbon emissions. It would also improve our national security and render us less reliant, an increasingly unreliable ally for defence. And now that the price of EVs is nearing that of petrol vehicles, it’s hard to think of a single downside to such a move. Ken Enderby, Concord
Designs on Glebe Island
An international design competition will take place for Glebe Island (“Revealed: Sydney’s newest suburb in walking distance of the CBD”, March 3). Good. I hope this time they will actually implement the winning design and not ignore it as they did with Barangaroo. No so-called “unsolicited proposals” and therefore no Packer’s Pecker monstrosities, please. Tim Douglas, Hurlstone Park
I was not surprised that the slightly rose-coloured, high-level images of the Glebe Island proposed development do not show the planned towers of apartments that are to come on the old fish markets site. They will probably not be as aesthetically pleasing as the distant Sydney Opera House, which is included in the images. Evan Bailey, Glebe
I expect the proposed high-speed rail plans for a station at the Multifunction Polis. Brett Tarlinton, West Ryde
Explain the rules
Vivienne Parsons wonders about the meaning of “rules-based” world order (Letters, March 3). This term, which emerged after the devastation of WWII, refers to the agreed framework of rules, norms and institutions that are meant to guide state behaviour. Malcolm Turnbull saying Trump’s disregard for international law is “troubling” is the understatement of the year. It is horrifying, and Trump’s continual threats against Iran, with actions both by him and Netanyahu, seem to be seeking the label of “starters of WWIII”. Marjie Williamson, Blaxland
Trump hails the US military personnel killed in his ill-considered attack on Iran as “heroes”. Didn’t he once call those killed in earlier US conflicts “losers”? What has changed? Gordon Lambert, Kiama Downs
What a mistake it was not to give the boy-child his Nobel Prize. Now he is really throwing all his toys out of the pram. John Connell, Bronte
Schools of thought
Since 1970s public education has been promoting gifted education, creating policies and programs for talented children (Letters, March 3). These programs mostly died, unable to be supported. If that were not the case, they would now be solidly in place. Unfortunately it seems no amount of public school gifted programs will deter parents from the private school option, while clearly there is evidence of wonderful advantages and facilities, good discipline policies and student uniforms, which speak volumes about cohesion, school pride and happy belonging. That people are pleased to pay large sums for private schooling says a lot about what is lacking in public schools. Susan Webb, Valentine
As a former teacher I always found that those students labelled as “gifted and talented” were rarely gifted or talented except in the eyes of their parents. Jonathan Kilpatrick, Karoola (TAS)
Women’s writes
Lynne Poleson, your clarion call for more representation from female contributors is heard (Letters, March 3). However, in a world saturated with war, death, corruption and unfathomable greed and abuse, I’m at a loss to meaningfully add to the conversations. Maybe that speaks for itself. June Scott, Terrigal
Hopefully your ladies hear you, Lynne Poleson, but let me state that one Rosemary O’Brien gets more than a dozen old roosters pulling their feathers out in vexation, peevishness and botheration! Wolf Kempa, Lithgow
Your correspondent decries the imbalance in the letters section as having a clear male preponderance. Fear not. To even things up, just turn to the weekly book reviews in Saturday’s paper. During the past month they have reviewed 22 books by female authors and only 12 by males and, I can assure you, this is a constant trend, suggesting women are more avid book writers than letter writers. Perhaps us blokes are limited to writing a paragraph at a time. Ross MacPherson, Seaforth
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