MY father and his family emigrated from war-torn Europe some time after the end of the second World War. Ukrainian by birth, my grandparents were lucky to have survived the Holodomor. The Great Famine of 1932 to 1933, a manmade famine responsible for the deaths of millions of ethnic Ukrainians and arguably an act of genocide by the Soviet government against its own people. They then had to deal with the Nazi invasion and were lucky to survive a two year journey on foot, ultimately settling in Regensburg in Germany.
It was from here that they embarked on another journey to Australia and eventually settled in Newcastle. My dad doesn't really discuss much about his history, his memories of Ukraine, Poland, Germany or his eventual journey to Australia. Every now and then he does volunteer a small piece of information about his early life, war-torn Europe or being a refugee in Australia in the 50s.
The current Russian invasion of Ukraine must trigger some horrific memories in all refugees who have left their homeland to escape persecution. The Ukrainian people have a resilience, a resilience derived from many years of suffering and trauma. This resilience will help them survive this current genocide perpetrated by a man and a system that has been responsible for many millions of deaths over many generations.
Nicholas Mursa, Cooks Hill
Courage needed for reform
IF Anthony Albanese becomes our next PM will he have the bottle to do what needs to be done regarding housing affordability?
The recent Morrison-Frydenberg budget offered nothing to young renters. It did not even increase rental assistance for low income earners. Our PM's only 'assistance' to renters was to advise them to buy a home. Unfortunately, the budget offers no financial assistance for them to do this.
Both the Coalition and Labor recognise that, in order to make housing more affordable, negative gearing and CGT tax breaks to home investors should be phased out. But neither side has the political courage to do this.
In 1993, the then federal Opposition leader, ex-economics professor John Hewson, tried to introduce a GST under his 'Fightback!' policy. Hewson, his Coalition colleagues, and his Labor opponents all knew that the case for the introduction of a GST was a no-brainer. A GST would be more efficient: simpler and cheaper to administer, harder to avoid since taxpayers reported on each other via their BASs, and would replace sales tax and a plethora of small state taxes.
But the GST and John Hewson were roundly rejected by voters in the 1993 election, as Labor cynically campaigned against a GST.
Subsequently, John Howard was elected in 1995 on a promise to 'never, ever' introduce a GST. 'Honest John' went back on his promise. He introduced the GST in 2000 with the support of states who were in danger of losing taxing powers following a High Court decision.
Unfortunately, the electorate is selfish and unreasonable. Their votes are based on their hip pockets and not on what is good for all Australians. In my opinion, investment housing reform should be introduced. The older generation should be made to redress generational inequality and redirect Australia's investment stream away from unproductive housing stock, and into more productive things such as green energy, flood mitigation and medical research.
If Labor's Anthony Albanese is elected as our next PM, will he have the courage, temerity and deviousness to do what John Howard did? Will he introduce tax reform in respect of housing, just as Howard introduced the GST?
Geoff Black, Caves Beach
Alarm bells in the Pacific
SO Prime Minister Morrison, Foreign Minister Payne and a host of their colleagues are suddenly worried about China's influence in the Pacific. The PM is contacting Pacific leaders in the hope they will persuade the Solomon Islands to refrain from accepting assistance from China.
Maybe these same Pacific leaders will remember the shameful behaviour of Morrison, Dutton and Abbott at the Pacific Islands Forum in 2015 when their jokes about our neighbours' capabilities were picked up by microphone. They might also open their eyes and look at other Pacific nations such as Vanuatu. Driving around the main island of Efate is now facilitated by a new road and nine bridges, and you guessed it, these were constructed by the Chinese. And this road goes past one of the best harbours in the region, Havana Harbour. Perhaps another Chinese base in the Pacific, while our government is asleep.
Brian Collins, Kotara South
Too much better than not enough
WHILE I accept electric cars, trucks and trains will eventually be the majority, if not the only means of transport; and condensed living in the future with electric doors, elevators and industrial air conditioning requiring much more power than now. What I can't accept is that a part-time power supply with storage facilities will be powerful enough to do a better job, that today's full-time power stations would be battling to do. I sincerely hope I am wrong, because once the renewable energy path has been chosen, there will be no turning back over bridges that no longer exist.
Maybe common sense will prevail by having too much power rather than not enough and keeping at least some of our power stations operational, if only as a standby.
For the sake of national security and an expanding economy even the staunchest of renewable energy crusaders would agree too much power is better than not enough.
Carl Stevenson, Dora Creek
Change our diet?
LISTENING to treasurer Josh Frydenberg deliver the budget on Tuesday and the subsequent spin placed by 'Stocky Scott' on its intentions, I found myself thinking about how often political promises never translate to achievement.
This budget has numerous examples of such words-not-deeds in-built. The 'late to the party cash splash' represents a fraudulent misuse of taxpayer money. Seriously, what is the future benefit of short-term, limited assistance to Australians who have been struggling to survive through almost a decade of income stagflation? At best, what has been promised in this budget equates to applying a band-aid to a lacerated aorta. The general consensus among highly credentialed political and economic analysts is that this budget's purpose is to shore-up support in marginal LNP seats.
Boasts made by Frydenburg and Morrison about unemployment falling under their watch requires voters to ignore the reality that many thousands of employed Australians depend upon income from working multiple jobs just to survive. This budget is relying on Jane and John Citizen ignoring the facts and swallowing without question expedient statistics, the calorific value of which is zero! The Labor government in-waiting offers Australians a more substantive menu to select from.
Barry Swan, Balgownie
SHORT TAKES
DAVID Stuart ('No inquiry means no resolution', Letters, 29/3), would these be the same fair-minded people who observed Julie Bishop and Julia Banks leaving parliament and Brittany Higgins's initial silence with an election ensuing? Kimberley Kitching gave no indication of wanting to leave the Senate and remained in her position having made no formal complaint. The bollards surrounding Parliament House are designed to keep people out, not to keep people in.
Marvyn Smith, Heddon Greta
IN response to Darryl Tuckwell ('Who will protect women, children?', Letters, 29/3): Given Albanese and the Labor Party's pathetic attempt to change the subject on the bullying of Kimberly Kitching and Albo's refusal to have an inquiry, I would suggest it will not be the Albanese-led Labor government, I would also note the calls for a federal version of ICAC by the Labor Party have gone quiet. Would that be because some would be in a world of trouble over bullying Kimberly Kitching? Makes you wonder.
Andrew Hirst, Beresfield
THE free world needs to abandon the fantasy that sport, including the Olympic Games, promotes peace. It provides a veneer of respectability to nations that completely disregard human rights. Russia and China declared co-operation without limit. This was the green light for the invasion of Ukraine. China has turned a blind eye to the slaughter of children and even pregnant women. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has turned a blind eye to war crimes as well as the genocide of minority groups such as Uyghurs and Tibetans. The IOC must be dissolved and a new Olympic committee established, which would ban Russia and China. This carnage must stop.
Adam Mikka, Caves Beach
JOHN Beach, to answer your question, the worst is just around the corner.
Steve Barnett, Fingal Bay
WHEN will Labor begin to address the federal government as the Morrison/Joyce government? If it would do so, it would be reminding the electorate that we are being led (allegedly) by two incompetent, dysfunctional and disliked men.
Paul Sutcliffe, Fern Bay
IT has been pleasing to read many positive comments from a range of sources in the media recently, and today from both the Grattan Institute and the Clean Energy Council, indicating that electricity prices have reduced as a result of the increased use of renewables to provide energy. Our federal Coalition government is still spending huge sums of money on fossil fuels to provide energy. Surely it would be far more sensible for the huge funds being spent on fossil fuels to be directed into renewables that could further reduce electricity costs and enhance chances of reaching net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050.
