Boomers now ready to forgo tax benefits

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HOUSING

Bill Kelty, a respected elder of the Labor Party, has called for major tax reform (“A ’terrible system for the young‴⁣⁣, 24/2). Bill Shorten took tax reform to the so-called unloseable election in 2019. He was defeated, in part, by a scare campaign run by the Coalition aimed at middle-income Australians fearing for their retirement incomes.
A lot has changed since then, and we now have a full blown housing affordability crisis. Older Australians are watching their children and grandchildren carrying HECS debts and unable to buy a home unless they have some funding from their families.
These people are more likely to support change than they were in 2019. Kelty points out our system shouldn’t reward wealth more than it does work. He is also concerned our young support fringe parties because they see the established system is not working for them.
The Albanese government has been given a sizeable mandate, and it is to be hoped that it uses it to enable our young people to get a leg up and address the growing wealth inequality in our society.
Jan Downing, Hawthorn East

Rental with right to buy scheme needed
As Bill Kelty identified, tinkering with CGT and negative gearing will not address the underlining problem of housing affordability. Nor will deposit security or other housing subsidies because they result in increased house prices.
The solution is for the federal government to get serious and itself construct social housing and accommodation for essential workers in locations close to their places of employment.
These should be at reduced rent compared to the private market, as was done by the Victorian Housing Commission in the 1950s and 1960s and included a right to purchase over time. Such an approach now would reduce pressure on the private market whilst addressing the key issue of social and affordable housing for essential workers.
Ian Pitt, Brighton

Population rises but deaths decrease it
Blame is not the right word to attribute to the victims of housing supply and demand problems (Letters, ″⁣Migrants not to blame″⁣, 24/2) but it is important to investigate accurately factors contributing to the serious problem of housing our population.
Your correspondent counts births in Australia as though they represent natural increase in population. Deaths need to be taken into account in order not to completely distort the picture and not to draw the wrong conclusions. The total natural increase in Australia’s population over the last 25 years was 3,356,200, not 7.25million, as claimed.
Subtract this from the total population growth figure quoted of 8.6million over the same period and the remainder is 5,243800 which is the contribution of net migration. The author of the original letter (23/2) was correct in saying migration was the primary driver of the 27 percent increase in population over the past 25 years.
Jill Quirk, Malvern East

Tax system too easily exploited
If only the ever-cautious Anthony Albanese would heed the cut-through wisdom of Labor icon, Bill Kelty? As Shane Wright notes, in ″⁣Tax reform architect urges change to help nation’s young cohort″⁣ (24/2).
It’s so true that ″⁣It’s a terrible system for young people″⁣, with so many taxes favouring older, wealthy people to the direct detriment of younger people.
There are too many overly generous concessions in our tax system that are easily exploited, especially in superannuation and property investments.
Fossil fuel subsidies should be quickly phased out. Even One Nation and the Greens want the Minerals Resource Tax substantially increased so that overseas-owned mining businesses contribute far more for the privilege of exploiting our natural resources.
Kevin Burke, Sandringham

More tax for wealthy
Those discussing tax reform seem to be missing the main point (″⁣Tax reform architect urges change to help nation’s young cohort”, 24/2). It is the extraordinary concentration of mega wealth that is fuelling the surge in the price of all assets.
During the Covid years (a tough time for most people), Australian billionaires more than doubled their wealth according to an Oxfam report last month. Multimillionaires made similar gains.
The report points out that now Australia’s 48 billionaires own more than the bottom 40 per cent of the population.
Bill Kelty seems to ignore this completely, as do most other tax reform commentators. Yet, it’s clearly our current tax arrangements that is facilitating this ever-increasing trend.
Obviously, we need a serious wealth tax and far less tax on wages and housing.
Oxfam suggests a modest five per cent tax on net wealth individuals with more than $10 million would raise around $30 billion annually.
Tim Mahar, Fitzroy North

Stop blaming others
Recent letters supporting Millie Muroi article that blames investors for the price of housing are full of emotional indignation but short on reality (″⁣Blaming immigrants for high house prices? Look at the other ‘I’ word″⁣, 20/2).
House prices are influenced by demand. It is nonsensical to point the finger at one area and announce “it is their fault”.
With our national average wage now estimated to be about $105,000, this gives each working person’s purchasing power $533,000. A couple wants to buy a house? Their combined incomes easily reach the $1 million borrowing mark without raising a sweat.
Our recent experience of selling our house saw eight registered bidders and five of them were first home buyers. The successful bidder fell into this category. The price? More than $1 million.
It’s never been easy to buy a house regardless of the generation you fall into. Understanding and accepting what you can afford instead of blaming others for your situation is a great starting point.
Penny Iddon, Eaglemont

Invest, no dirty word
It seems that you can no longer use the word “migrant” in the same conversation as housing shortage or increase prices without being accused of being anti-migration or even racist.
Without doubt, migrants have and still do contribute greatly to Australia, however the claim that the migrant intake does not contribute to the housing problems is naive.
Surely, the acute shortage of housing is exacerbated by migration. Migrants need housing, whether they buy or rent so will take some of the available housing. This must add to the shortage and push rents and housing prices up - albeit not the only cause.
Also, the word “investor” seems to be a dirty word, the with do-gooders outraged and even stating that people should invest in something that contributes to society. So, how is providing accommodation to renters not contributing to society?
The Victorian government has been steadily making it harder for investors by imposing huge land tax and anti-landlord legislation, causing many investors to leave the market.
Mike Mack, Kew

THE FORUM

Women’s medical records
The ABC 4 Corners program (23/2) and reporting in The Age relating to the surgery performed for the doubtful diagnoses of endometriosis by a prominent surgeon at a private hospital in Melbourne raises many concerns and issues.
The enormous information imbalance between medical professionals and their clients is an important issue. The women repeatedly spoke of the profound trust they held in the judgment of the surgeon as he claimed his diagnosis was on the basis of pathology results (unseen by the women at the time).
A client’s GP is the important and crucial person who can provide the information lacking in this information imbalance.
If the results of pathology tests ordered by specialists and GPs are always shared, then patients have the reassurance that a discussion of any variance between pathology results and diagnosis can occur.
Jenny Callaghan, Hawthorn

Suicide prevention truth
After 40 years as an emergency physician in Melbourne and Hobart hospitals, difficult decisions concern sending suicide-risk patients home, or discharging them too early from wards, where there is mounting pressure for access (″⁣Grieving families sue hospitals over suicide deaths of loved ones″⁣, 23/3).
Suicidal people may be held in emergency for days, pending a bed. Here, liberty, autonomy and dignity are lost. Suicide is tragically common, yet individually unpredictable.
Clinicians use risk-assessment tools to grade people to low, moderate, and high risk, based on half-a-dozen well-tested criteria, however, no formula has been shown to reliably predict who will complete suicide.
Involuntary hospitalisation is used when a person lacks decision-making capacity, refuses necessary treatment, or poses a serious risk. Any extension of these criteria may overwhelm psychiatric facilities, further traumatise patients, erode civil liberties and discourage others from seeking help.
The uncomfortable truth is that suicide prevention lies more with better community care, housing stability, addiction treatment, social connection and family support, not involuntary hospitalisation, the last resort.
Zero suicides may be a community aspiration, but medicine cannot deliver it. We manage risk but cannot eliminate it.
Dr Bryan Walpole, Sandy Bay, Tas

Pollution isn’t clean
If a court can decide that Santos — a major fossil gas polluter — is entitled to portray itself as a “clean energy company”, then our legal system is failing to protect the public from blatant greenwashing (″⁣Federal Court dismisses historic ‘greenwashing’ case against Santos″⁣ , 24/2).
Santos ranked fourth on the Climate Council’s “dirty dozen” climate polluters list.
A Santos-linked Darwin LNG tank has also been leaking methane, one of the most destructive greenhouse gases.
Calling this company’s activities “clean” is an insult to genuine climate action. No ruling should legitimise such a fiction.
Sarah Brennan, Hawthorn

Unprincely behaviour
Prime Minister Albanese stands in good company when raising concern about princely misbehaviour.
Queen Victoria said the great object of royal princes was “their steady development in everything that is great, virtuous and useful, and that will render them good sons, brothers, husbands, citizens, and benefactors of mankind”.
But since the succession belongs jointly to the realms, it’s not necessary that Australia merely support any UK resolve. We can propose action to the realms which Britain might well support.
David D’Lima, Sturt, SA

So long, old Blighty
Australia can’t legally stop a citizen from entering their home country, but the UK is doing just that. Britain has long treated its dual citizens as second class citizens – witness the non-indexation of UK entry for UK dual citizens.
Apparently, they are about improving security, but surely this cohort is not a high-risk priority, whichever passport they use. Announcing this significant change with almost no warning is the final insult.
Being ruled by the same King obviously means nothing. I will not be forced to pay for a certificate of entitlement, a new passport, or to renounce my citizenship. I guess I won’t be seeing Blighty again.
Anne Heath Mennell, Tenby Point

Kiwi deportation
Your correspondent excoriates Peter Dutton in particular for deporting New Zealand criminals who ″⁣came to Australia in nappies″⁣ (Letters, ″⁣Unalienable legal right″⁣, 24/2). While I am reluctant to spring to Dutton’s defence, it is only fair to point out that a long line of Australian governments, both Coalition and Labor, were responsible for applying deportation powers for criminal New Zealand citizens and the current Labor government continues to use them.
Peter Price, Southbank

Cats preferable
Antone Martinho-Truswell’s opinion column (″⁣Don’t bell the nation’s cats. Make it illegal to own one″⁣, 22/2) has, as they say, let the cat out the bag.
It is unfortunate that he neglects to lay appropriate blame on owners. There would be no cat ″⁣problem″⁣ if all owners did the responsible thing and had their cats neutered and kept inside.
Once again, as with rabbits, foxes, deer etc. it is humans who cause the problem. Unlike the (wild) rabbits, deer and foxes, at least cats provide human warmth and companionship.
Obviously something must be done to address the issue of feral cats. Perhaps education regarding keeping them indoors and incentives for desexing are the best ways to ensure companion cats are not a wildlife concern.
Vicki Jordan, Lower Plenty

Stawell Gift hope
As our best athlete since Cathy Freeman, Gout Gout should be able to demonstrate that to all in the Stawell Gift on Easter Monday.
However, that will depend on him getting a reasonable handicap with an opportunity to win.
That didn’t occur in 2025 when a harsh mark resulted in him not making the gift final.
Athletics need its stars shining on the biggest of stages, and Stawell has work to do to retain that status.
Tony Delaney, Warrnambool

AND ANOTHER THING

Australian values
If “adhering to Australian values” means leaving 11 Australian women and 23 blameless children in appalling conditions in Syria, please count me out.
Jo Bond, South Melbourne

It’s beginning to look as though the only truly “Australian values” that the Coalition can identify and subscribe to are those with a dollar sign in front.
Jenifer Nicholls, Windsor

Today’s immigrants are tomorrow’s ″⁣Ten Pound Poms″⁣.
Matthew Hamilton, Kew

Scandal
First the Panama Papers, then the Epstein files – secrets we were never meant to know. Finally, we can see people for who they really are.
Russell Kidd, Carnegie

Never mind the Pentagon Papers and the Epstein files, Australia has the clandestine Dutton/Taylor report.
Greg Curtin, Nunawading

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says Australia would strip the former prince Andrew’s right to succeed to the throne Why not strip all of them and go for a republic?
Dick Davies, North Warrandyte

Our royals have always said that if it came to the crunch, they would ″⁣go quietly″⁣. Currently, one among them could make that difficult, indeed.
Tris Raouf, Hadfield

Keep cutting the corroding chain between Britain and Australia, PM. Removing the Andrew link is a great start.
Bruce Dudon, Woodend

Furthermore
World War I lasted 1568 days. Is Putin trying to set a new record with the Ukraine-Russian war by beating it? Has the world learnt nothing from these senseless killings?
Ian Anderson, Ascot Vale

I have to admit that our cat is a roamer. Albeit, only as far as our neighbour’s couch for her daily sleep.
Patrick O’Brien, St Kilda

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