Just like Kos Samaras, I grew up in a Greek household after my parents immigrated here more than 70 years ago (“Angus Taylor just alienated families like mine – and doomed the Liberal Party”, May 17). Although they became Australian citizens, several of their immigrant friends for whatever reason never chose to and would never have been questioned about it when applying for the then child endowment payment and later the age pension. They had all contributed to the country, working mostly in factories or on construction sites side by side with Australian citizens. Yet under Angus Taylor’s vision, these people wouldn’t even be entitled to a brass razoo just because they never took up Australian citizenship. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know which party their Australian-born children would not vote for. Goodbye to the Coalition. Con Vaitsas, Ashbury
Angus Taylor must have been reading George Orwell’s 1984. Apparently, we are divided between citizens (good) and non-citizens (bad). Non-citizens will automatically become good if they take Australian citizenship, irrespective of any skills they may or may not have. No country can progress without a constant supply of skilled workers, whether they be born here, naturalised citizens or permanent residents. Taylor’s plan to punish permanent residents is thus exposed as a clumsy attempt to appeal to potential One Nation voters. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill
As a child migrant of long-standing (arrived in 1957, naturalised in 1964), I am disgusted by Angus Taylor’s proposal to exclude permanent residents from welfare benefits. While we became citizens fairly quickly after the then mandatory period of five years, those seven years could have been disastrous for us if something had gone wrong. As it happened, my father worked at the Port Kembla steelworks pretty much from day one, and the only welfare we received was child endowment for me and my siblings. And whatever happened to freedom of choice? When I was Mayor of Armidale my most pleasant duty was presiding over citizenship ceremonies for migrants, whether they had been in Australia for only a few years, or in some cases decades. Ironically, the Taylor proposals would lead to migrants applying for citizenship to receive benefits, rather than because they genuinely and freely wanted to become citizens. Herman Beyersdorf, Corrimal
Multicultural leaders are right to criticise the Coalition’s scapegoating policies (“Multicultural leaders decry ‘shameful’ Coalition immigration platform”, May 17). Besides fuelling prejudice, Angus Taylor’s call to limit Medicare to Australian citizens overlooks the dangers of contagious diseases. If you deny subsidised healthcare to a portion of the population, you increase the likelihood of disease in our ranks. Is that what the Coalition wants? Public healthcare should be everyone’s right, or we’ll all suffer. Larry Woldenberg, Forest Lodge
Have a casual stroll around the city or spend the day travelling around Sydney on public transport and you quickly come to the conclusion that the Liberal Party immigration policy must be based on some other mythical society. Australia has been a multicultural society for as long as most people remember and is far better for it. Angus “Rip van Winkle” Taylor needs to get out there and meet modern Australians. Paul McGee, Cranebrook
Climate clock ticking
When will our politicians stop treating climate and energy policy like a football to be booted around for entertainment? It is our future they are playing with — our climate stability, our living costs, our energy security. Angus Taylor and the Liberal Party’s latest proposal to prop up unreliable, expensive and highly polluting coal‑fired power stations defies both scientific evidence and economic common sense (“Coal comfort: Taylor kicks off a third climate war” May 17)? It’s the policy equivalent of reaching for leeches when antibiotics are readily available. The refusal by One Nation, the Nationals and now the Liberal Party to acknowledge and support climate solutions like renewable energy and electric transport is not just outdated, in the context of Nick O’Malley’s predicted “omnicrisis” it is reckless, costly and damaging to the nation’s long‑term wellbeing (“Our fragile world is being hammered by one crisis after another. It’s about to get worse”, May 17). We cannot afford more political games while the climate clock keeps ticking. Isabelle Henry, Ascot Vale (Vic)
There are quite a few moderates in the Liberals who, in their collective wisdom, do not align themselves with the hard-right direction Angus Taylor is taking their party in. A sensible move would be for them to join the teals and form a new party based on the ideals of their mentor, Sir Robert Menzies, who governed from the centre. Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads
Irrefutable logic
Opinion piece of the year so far must go to Natalie Kyriacou’s hard-hitting article, with its irrefutable logic, about the collective stupidity of humans – including us – for wrecking the social and natural environments on which we all rely (“Humanity’s endangered, so let’s take a tip from the penguins”, May 16). Twenty-first century humans have the terrifying capacity to destroy all life on our planet, and not just our own species, but also the penguins, bees, elephants and others that she cites. It seems we are sleepwalking into (or wilfully accepting, as inevitable) the values and unknowable trajectory of the AI-obsessed billionaires who are “monetising misery, vanity and emotional instability”, coupled with the insatiable greed for money and power of a relatively small cohort of world political and corporate leaders. As she concludes: “The world doesn’t have to be this way … We made it this way. We tolerate it. We endorse it. And now we must unmake it.” Rob Firth, Red Hill (ACT)
Love of the dog
Just how much more cruel can a religious sect be (“Brethren orders members to purge pets, sparking fears of global cull”, May 16)? Members of the Exclusive Brethren must shun their brothers or sisters, their parents or even husbands and wives for disobeying the statutes handed down by their leader, and now adherents are expected to get rid of their pets. A pastoral leader who denies members the comfort they might draw from their animals, and even their support animals, so that they can devote more time to god, must suffer from serious psychosis. I believe in the love of my dog, not in a vengeful god. Brian O’Donnell, Burradoo
It seems the Exclusive Brethren have ordered its members to rid themselves of all pets. Many people, being unwilling or unable to pay vet fees for euthanising their pets, will just dump them away from their home. This will lead to untold suffering for those pets, as well as a tsunami of feral animals. This order is cruel and unthinking. Marjie Williamson, Blaxland
In one episode of the TV classic Twilight Zone, an old man drowns trying to save his dog. They both find themselves walking along a peaceful backwoods road, approaching a gate. A man guarding the gate of heaven welcomes the old man. The dog is wary and the old man is told that the dog can’t enter. The old man decides to walk on with the dog. Later, he finds another gate and is told that the first one was, in fact, the gate to hell. Man and dog are both then welcomed to heaven. I thought of this episode when reading about the Exclusive Brethren’s pronouncement on getting rid of pets. I wonder why? Thomas Gough, Casula
Fees fund fix-ups
I wonder if those protesting that Randwick Council’s plan to charge for beach parking have ever thought who pays for the beach upkeep (“Row erupts over Sydney council’s paid parking plan”, May 17). The council is responsible for cleaning the amenities and removing rubbish. This is financed by the ratepayers. In fact, many local ratepayers cannot park at their beach because all spaces are taken by non-residents. They should be thankful they do not live in Europe, where some places charge just to step onto the beach. The remark about free parking for residents in other beaches is misleading. Northern Beaches council ratepayers get two parking stickers and they can buy extras. If we follow the rationale of the protesters, then there would be no paid parking stations in Sydney’s CBD and free parking would be at the cost of all the shops and offices. Gavin Williamson, Wheeler Heights
Best deal ever
US President Donald Trump said he and Chinese President Xi Jinping had made “some fantastic trade deals”. Let me sum up the trip. No action on Iran, no action on Taiwan, China says it will buy 200 Boeings when most expected 500, vague talk of future trade deals, no mention of rare earths or supercomputer chips, and a few free meals. This must be one of the greatest, no, the greatest deal-making sessions in the history of the universe, and only the most brilliant dealmaker of all time could have pulled it off. Everybody knows that. Neville Turbit, Russell Lea
Questions on notice
I have questions for the federal attorney-general. They arise from concerns that some citizens are experiencing very different legal processes. On their return to their country, several citizens, collectively labelled as “ISIS brides”, were arrested, presumably over questions concerning their actions while overseas. A number of citizens have also returned after serving in the Gaza Strip with the IDF. Considering the massacre in Gaza, my questions are simple: Were those who served in the IDF investigated for potential criminal acts? If not, why not? George Williams, North Balgowlah
Back to basics
I live in the electorate of Greenway and I know the key to winning western Sydney is to keep delivering tangible services (“Can One Nation actually win in western Sydney?”, May 16). One glaring example of where this fails is the neighbourhood buses. I see little value in using them for my weekday commute as their frequency is once every 20 minutes, plus usually a 10-minute delay. Why can I not have the same convenience as those living close to the city, where buses arrive very frequently during peak hours? These frustrations over the bare basics will eat away at the sizeable margins Labor currently enjoys across western Sydney. Naosheyrvaan Nasir, Quakers Hill
Money transfer
As a dreaded Boomer, I can assure you it won’t be that long before all of us are dead. Our homes will mostly go to our Gen X and Millennial children. They can then, sorry guys, be resented by the Gen Zs and Alphas. When those generations die, their houses will mostly go to their children, aka “the Embryos”, and the pattern will continue. All the generations will eventually take their turn at being disparaged for purportedly having the most accumulated wealth. What goes around comes around, ad nauseam. Carol Baker, Beaconsfield
Betting on shares
I can’t agree with Bruce Hyland (Letters, May 16). There is no similarity between investing in shares and betting on horse racing. The former is based on company results, extensive public information and interviews with the principals. As to the latter, I have never heard anything come straight from the horse’s mouth. John Christie, Oatley
NDIS no-brainer
Opponents of Labor’s efforts to reform the NDIS are living in denial (“Fresh NDIS data shows costs of the scheme ballooning”, May 16). Unless costs are reined in, the scheme will become unsustainable. However, I suggest changes to the scheme should be done in a stepwise manner. Rorting and overfunding of non-essential services should be addressed before removing current recipients from the NDIS. When those stages have been completed, the pathway forward would be much clearer. If the government proceeded this way, I suspect the public would be more understanding and less resistant to the proposed changes. Graham Lum, North Rocks
Why so secret?
What is it about whistleblowers that scares governments and management so much? Premier Chris Minns and his Chief of Staff James Cullen are taking the government (themselves) to court to prevent the government examining the leaking of confidential minutes, all at taxpayer expense (“The premier’s man started a fight that went to the high court. Taxpayers get the bill”, May 16). Are they afraid of what could be exposed? Other whistleblowers like David McBride have gone to jail for exposing war crimes. Richard Boyle, who blew the whistle on the tax office, is now being pursued in court. Farm Transparency Project, which filmed inside a Victorian slaughterhouse alleging animal cruelty, has been taken to court by the owner. It doesn’t make sense. What are they trying to hide? Why aren’t whistleblowers, if found to be correct about whatever they’re exposing, given medals rather than jail sentences? Janine Burdeu, Mona Vale
The right note
Congratulations to Bulgaria on its Eurovision win (“Bulgaria wins Eurovision, Delta Goodrem ‘stoked’ as Australia comes fourth”, May 17). But respect, admiration and every possible accolade to those principled countries (Spain, Ireland, Netherlands, Slovenia and Iceland) that withdrew from the contest in protest at Israel’s inclusion, and its continued killings in Palestine. These countries are the true winners and I’m ashamed Australia did not stand with them. Jody Ellis, Thornbury (Vic)
Tap into gas
It is good to see that Jim Chalmers’ courage is being recognised (“At last, reform finds its pulse”, May 16). This will hopefully embolden him to go further and tax the windfall profits of the gas producers. Andrew Macintosh, Cromer
Sinking feeling
In more than 70 years of reading the Herald, I do not recall an editorial ending in the words “God help us.” Perhaps the UK situation is another reason to ditch AUKUS (“The UK’s leadership circus has huge implications for Australia”, May 16). Robert Coughlin, Cherrybrook
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