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Sydney Morning Herald

Tax reform in pursuit of equality is the fix we need

Here's how to fix our democracy ', April 23) elaborates on institutional changes that can improve the effectiveness of our elected government. The need to improve process, procedure, oversight and accountability are pretty well accepted, albeit rarely acted upon, when government has to implement. Unfortunately, he treats the most pressing issue (after climate change) lightly, implying meaningful tax reform at both ends of the earnings scale is unrealistic. The conundrum of not being electable for proposing what is recognised as an obvious solution is an indictment of the politicians and the electorate. Those who support a more equitable income redistribution say aye. Those who wish to continue slow decline say no. The no vote prevails. Robert Caraian, Crows Nest Ross Gittins suggests that our federal government should be examining the ideas for improving our democracy as described in the Susan McKinnon Foundation report, which should certainly be done. However, no one has a monopoly on good ideas, and the report the federal government put out last year (Strengthening Australian democracy) and the Australia Institute report (A Blueprint for Democratic Reform) would surely help improve our democracy. To ensure these are not one-off improvements, we really need to have in place procedures for a systematic improvement of our democracy, otherwise we become reliant on occasional reports about the problems that arise. Peter Nash, Fairlight Ross Gittins is right again: 'Four-year fixed terms in NSW came in 1991 as part of the bargaining with four independents after Nick Greiner's Coalition government fell short of numbers at an election. Political miracles do sometimes happen.' The same could and should happen federally. While a fixed four-year term is the ideal, that requires a referendum – Gittins says a fixed three-year term only requires government legislation. This could be the first bill passed by the next minority government at the same time as the new election funding laws are also scrapped as they overly favour the two major parties. I am already looking forward to the next federal election, in May 2028, with no election date manoeuvring by the prime minister, whoever it is. These two issues would be the most important reform for the next parliament. Peter Kamenyitzky, Castle Hill Perhaps, to help us stop electing the wrong pollies to govern us, it would be prudent to keep in mind that pollies 'who promise by the cartload deliver in spades'. Just saying. Steve Ngeow, Chatswood How about special classes (especially in ethics) also for aspiring politicians? After all, as Robert Louis Stevenson once observed, 'Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary'. Edward Loong, Milsons Point There is a glaring omission from the Ross Gittins list of fixes to our 'democratic' system. Until we tackle the huge lobbying industry, we will never get decision-making that puts Australian people first. As long as we allow hundreds of lobbyists to have free and unrecorded access to the corridors of power in Canberra, we will continue to get decisions that favour sectional interests. Everything else is just tinkering. Greg Baker, Fitzroy Falls The call for independent advisory bodies and a more independent public service could be actioned this year. A fully detailed 'ending jobs for mates' private member's bill already sits in Hansard. It was presented to parliament in March 2023 by Mackellar independent Dr Sophie Scamps and includes the creation of a public appointments commissioner who would be charged with ensuring that politicians are at arm's length during recruitment and appointment processes. A hung parliament offers a remarkable opportunity for this long-overdue, giant leap towards integrity that neither major party would ever be likely to embrace. Graeme Stewart, Avalon Beach Dutton dilemmas Not only do Peter Dutton's policies change by the hour but he's now refusing to say where his cuts would be made ('Dutton heeds Trump call with defence spend pledge', April 23). The promises as they currently stand are very short on detail and proper costings. He can blame Labor for an alleged 'scare' campaign but the truth is, to more and more people he appears as unpredictable as Donald Trump. Denis Goodwin, Dee Why Peter Dutton has said he takes inspiration from John Howard. As a public servant at the time of the 1996 election, I recall Howard promising in the lead-up to voting that public service cuts would be no more than 2500 jobs and would be achieved by natural attrition alone. After the election he sacked 30,000 public servants. This produced boom times for consultants but reduced services provided to the public. William Kennedy, Jordan Springs There are those who, through understandable adversity, see little option but to return the Coalition parties to federal government. There are many cautions, both current and historic, but the disgrace of Robo-debt alone should be sufficient to disqualify any former minister associated with that appalling predatory policy from ever holding such high office again. John Constable, Balmain According to the prime minister in the Channel Nine debate, low-income people such as seniors and pensioners cannot be given any cost-of-living support, however modest, as they must pay for salary increases in aged care. This is even though most of them are not in aged care and are no more likely to be than anyone else. On the other hand, extrapolating from the budget, high-income earners such as the prime minister, treasurer, politicians and wealthy retirees need the additional support of tax cuts to help with the cost of living. Jobseekers who got no assistance were not mentioned. Perhaps they also need to pay the salaries of aged care workers, or maybe they are paying for childcare workers? Frances McMahon, Mosman Nuclear fallout Your correspondent claims, without a hint of irony, that 'renewables investors are terrified of nuclear energy' due to the 'potential loss of government subsidies' (Letters, April 23). That's so ironic, because Dutton's nuclear 'plan' cannot survive without its 100 per cent taxpayer subsidy, while the vast majority of the renewable rollout has been funded by private enterprise with minimal subsidy. And once a renewable project is completed in Australia, it operates on a purely commercial basis. If a nuclear power station were ever constructed, its operation would continue to be subsidised by taxpayers for its life because it would be unable to compete with lower-cost electricity from wind and solar. Brendan Jones, Annandale Like any other pro-nuclear proselytiser, your correspondent has ignored the rather large pachyderm on the premises, viz. the safe disposal of the highly radioactive waste products (including the reactor vessel itself when it reaches the end of its economic life). Does s/he really intend to selfishly kick the problem down the road for future generations to solve? Dave Horsfall, North Gosford Bay watch Sorry, what planet are those who have a plan to turn Batemans Bay into a new Gold Coast living on (' Batemans Bay, a 'new Gold Coast'', April 23)? It would be interesting to see the artist's impression factoring in climate change and the predicted rise in sea levels of 0.4 to 0.8 metres and possibly two metres by 2100. Glenn Larner, Freshwater Hail Pope, not archaic Church Pope Francis should rightly be lauded for his compassion and support for the poor, the oppressed and the stateless (' Cardinals converge for Pope's humble farewell ', April 23). However, he was still the representative of a Church whose doctrines are still entrenched in the Middle Ages. Sure, he claimed that homosexuality wasn't a crime, but it was still a sin. He upheld the ban on contraception, endorsing only the natural planning' method. The Philippines, which has more than 80 million Catholics, remains the only country apart from the Vatican to ban divorce. Such is the sway of the Catholic Church over the ruling government. The provision for a marriage to be annulled is pure sophistry – an intrusive process that effectively establishes, at some cost, that the marriage never took place. Abortion is anathema and was described bluntly by Francis as murder. His support for the LGBTQ+ community was also ambivalent. He asserted that God loved them, but there was no place for them in the ministry. Francis allowed Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples but such blessings would not legitimise 'irregular situations' but be a sign that God welcomes all. Michael Bright, Moss Vale Despite knowing about allegations of sexual abuse against Cardinal George Pell, Pope Francis appointed him to a senior position. This would have been a kick in the teeth for alleged victims. More recently he was overheard using an offensive term when referring to gays, which he later retracted. The people's Pope for some, but not all. Julie Robinson, Cardiff Women need not apply I noted the strong beliefs Pope Francis held, and the list of possible candidates for his replacement (' Francis saw the need for women's genius in the church ', April 23). No women. Is there any reason for any church or any society that prides itself on inclusion to exclude women from the top job? Why is this anomaly still in place? Nola Tucker, Kiama Believe it or not It's not surprising that your correspondent (Letters, April 23) quotes GK Chesterton supporting Judeo-Christian beliefs, as he was a most ardent supporter from a time and place where a mixed marriage was between a Protestant and a Catholic. Contrary to GK's flippant opinion, secularism accepts all religious beliefs, favours none, with only one condition: no one, from any religion, is above the law. Hardly a 'risky' proposition for our much-envied multicultural society? Phil Bradshaw, Naremburn Not that musty old G.K. Chesterton 'if people don't believe in God, they'll believe anything' nonsense again. Why is this so frequently put forth as the final, unanswerable argument in defence of Christian belief? Let's look at what Chesterton expected us to believe: About 2000 years ago, an itinerant preacher died and, a couple of days later, came back to life. He was able to achieve this remarkable feat because he was the son of the creator of the universe. Over the ensuing 40 days, he appeared at irregular intervals to his friends before disappearing into a supernatural realm. If we do what he asked of us, we will join him there after our deaths, where we will experience unending joy and bliss. If we ignore his teachings, however, we will be tortured by fire for a post-mortem eternity. This is an extraordinary claim. I'm happy for people to believe in anything that gives them comfort, but it gets tiresome to be told if I don't believe this, I'll believe anything. Len Keating, Balmain East Unholy alliance It seems President Trump wants an American Pope. If that doesn't occur, will he claim the conclave was rigged? Gillian Scoular, Annandale Your contributor (Letters, April 23) suggested that replacing Trump with J.D. Vance would be Hobson's choice. I think Vance is worse. Trump doesn't believe what he says, it's just a means to an end. Vance believes it. Peter Bourke, Rockdale I agree with your correspondent saying Trump's presence at the Pope's funeral is disrespectful. It is perhaps a vain hope that Trump realises it is not about him. Vicky Marquis, Glebe Language barrier Your correspondent may not have realised how lucky he was that his parents even had a dictionary to learn from (Letters, April 23). Being a recently arrived migrant from a non-English-speaking country, all I seemed to get was 'should improve her English mark'. Fine, but a little help with learning the language would have stood me in good stead. Mia David, Wollongong Half-baked plan The $40 million redesign plans for Leichhardt Oval are indeed grand (' First look at $40m redesign proposal for Leichhardt Oval ', April 23). There is no mention, however, of parking facilities. Public transport access is inadequate, the surrounding streets are narrow and the existing car park adjacent to the Leichhardt Park Aquatic Centre is barely adequate. Where are 20,000 football fans supposed to park? Perhaps there is a plan, as yet not revealed, to acquire acres of parkland and cover it with bitumen and white lines. Peter Craig, Dulwich Hill Gas hazards There has been recent media attention around gas industry advertising. To add to the story, we highlight major health risks associated with using gas at home. Gas appliance use causes sickness, suffering, and increased health costs. Gas releases pollutants, nitrogen oxides (NO2), carbon monoxide, formaldehyde and benzene (a potent carcinogen) that linger indoors, damaging health. Evidence reveals children are 30 per cent more likely to become asthmatic in homes using gas, comparable to the effects of cigarette smoke. It also increases asthma and bronchitis risk in adults. Exposure to NO2 has been associated with an increased risk of dementia and cognitive decline. Carbon monoxide exposure causes vague symptoms mimicking flu or food poisoning. It can lead to worsening memory, mood and behaviour changes, and cause deaths or near misses. Increased awareness of the health risks of gas, and an accelerated transition to healthy gas-free electric homes, would benefit everyone, and be lasting. Anthony Hull, Randwick