Archives: Letters to the Editor

Commendable as it is, the ‘common good‘ has a poor history in democratic institutions, the strength of which depends on vigorous debate designed to take policy battles off the street. Common good inclinations, encouraging collaborative initiatives described as corporatist, often miss out on this realisation as opponents strive towards agreement around the centre. Catholic political parties, following ‘Quadragesimo Anno’, were ‘common good’ entities, which classically failed to address complex social problems facing global polities at the time. In the US, Congress agreed to an unprecedented suspension of the Constitution to enable President Roosevelt to push through his much-needed New Deal. Thus, the anti-democratic effects of common good politics have become an unfortunate accoutrement of political initiatives that are fundamentally opposed to social aspects of libertarianism that are intrinsically a part of neoliberalism. When the Nazis were elected to power, they soon disbanded all political parties, while the corporatist policies of Mussolini, Franco & Salazar were achieved through military coups rather than democratic elections. Here in Australia, our most prominent common good promoter, Bob Santamaria, initially an immense favourite of Catholics, came to political grief because of his hatred of social liberalism. Much as I like it, it’s not for me!

In 2007 a groundbreaking work by John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt burst onto the world. The Israel Lobby was the book’s title, and for the first time the fact of an overpowering force at work behind the scenes in US foreign policy became mainstream.

Underpinning that force is the moral error of exceptionalism. It means we do not all stand equal before the law. Historically it means we study the Holocaust but memory hole the Nakba. In the present it gives us Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon and Iran. These are war crimes and crimes against humanity, perhaps quaint notions to some but real nonetheless.

Donald Trump gives every appearance of having made a Faustian bargain to gain the Presidency. There are also the Epstein Files hovering in his background. That’s his excuse, Albo. What’s yours?

Inheritance perpetuates financial inequality. With current taxation and policy settings this inequality is set to grow substantially over coming decades. This will encourage social instability as society is divided more permanently into the haves and have-nots.

There are two ways in which this situation can be alleviated.

Firstly, government must remove those taxation benefits designed to benefit those who already have capital wealth – negative gearing and the capital gains tax discount. Had government not foregone taxation revenue through granting those concessions, and invested equivalent amounts directly into social housing instead, our society might look very different today.

Secondly, the government could follow the lead of other developed countries and introduce an inheritance tax. Such a tax need have no financial impact on the asset-owner while they survive, nor on their surviving spouse should they inherit; it would claim funds from inheritors before they have ever received them. This solution could, with minimal disruption, generate funds for social housing to alleviate the financial inequality which is driving us apart. The forthcoming budget presents a golden opportunity to initiate these reforms. This is a challenge to which the Labor Party must rise: it must stand up for the common good.

Australia is at a crossroads of fuel security.

Recent reporting by Isobel Roe shows the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet is considering new levies on gas companies and reforms to resource taxation in response to the Middle East war. While taxing profits may provide short-term relief, it does not address the core issue.

Australia remains dangerously dependent on imported fuel, leaving us exposed to global shocks, price spikes and supply disruptions, as seen in recent surging demand and panic buying.

We have a choice in how we respond. We can look backward and consider rebuilding refineries and subsidising fossil fuels to secure supply. Or we can look forward and move towards reducing our reliance on imported fuels altogether.

Australian politics has become an insular playground game of political personality gangs: jostling individuals angling to retain their seat without any thought of their constituents needs or understanding of their electorates views. Policies have become Trumpian sound bite one liners regurgitated to tamed reporters who won’t question the spin. As far as I can see, the only fully costed policies, displaying any depth or understanding of the issues, emanate from the Greens. Let’s hope they can counter the last two decades of false propaganda from the major parties, and avoid falling victim to the in-house Labor / Liberal preference deals before the next election.

PM Albanese has expressed his strong support for the US and Israel in their illegal war on Iran. Just to refresh his memory here’s what he said about the illegal war on Iraq in 2003.

“Our government is about to redefine us in the eyes of the world as willing backers of US militarism… This is an unjust war without UN backing. Iraq does not represent a threat to Australia. What does that say about the sort of nation that we are? We are a multicultural nation, and yet here we are sending a message, particularly to the Islamic world, that we are a part of the old, white, Anglo-Christian order …” – Anthony Albanese, Adjournment speech on Iraq war, 2003.

To echo Bob Bowker, “After the Iran war, Australia faces tough decisions on the US.” Not to mention the clowns we choose to lead us.

As luck would have it, the Australian Security Leaders Climate Group’s recent open letter linking climate change and “fossil fuel use and subsidies” appeared the day after The Australia Institute’s latest report on these subsidies.

AI found that in 2025-26 our governments handed $16.3 billion to “some of the biggest, most profitable companies in Australia at a time when ordinary Australians are struggling with surging petrol and electricity prices”.

Meanwhile, a significant majority of voters of all persuasions are calling for a 25 per cent gas export levy. A levy on big polluters – to pay for the damage their products inflict on governments and communities – is also extremely popular.

As for the diesel subsidies the ASLCG referenced; Andrew Forrest, a significant beneficiary of the current system, has been lobbying for years to see it changed. Five years ago he even wrote an open letter on the subject.

Let’s hope this latest open letter, and the changed social and geopolitical situations, see our governments respond and finally respect the will of the people on at least one of these ideas.

References

subsidies https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/australian-fossil-fuel-subsidies-growing-faster-than-ndis-hitting-16-3-billion-in-2025-26/

gas levy support https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/one-nation-and-greens-voters-strongly-support-25-gas-export-tax-poll/

62% support polluter pays levy https://actionaid.org.au/resources/make-big-polluters-pay-australians-think-coal-oil-and-gas-corporations-should-pay-for-climate-pollution-damage/

Forrest’s open letter https://www.acf.org.au/news/time-to-phase-out-counterproductive-diesel-subsidy

At last, an Australian, Paul Heywood Smith, has been brave enough to describe Hezbollah and Hamas for what they are – resistance groups AND a media organisation has been brave enough to publish!

Israeli-American activist Miko Peled, author of The General’s Son similarly refers to Hamas as ‘freedom fighters.’

The authors of this piece can’t understand why there is so much opposition to and complacency about their dire warnings.

Well, look at their three suggestions.

• The first will be read as “Establish another bureaucratic body with jobs and status for our mates”
• The second as “Produce a document for politicians to read”
• And the third as “Create more jobs for our mates to produce more alarmist reports – that will not be acted upon so we’ll need more bureaucratic bodies and more reports”

Nothing about mitigating risks (Clive Hamilton style) with, for example, specific targets to plant and maintain xxx million trees of specific varieties in these localities by this date.

Nothing about reducing energy consumption.

Nothing about ceasing immigration and incoming tourists till we have an economy and an environment that are not harmed by that immigration and tourism.

We need concrete, specific, employment-creating projects and programs that Australians can understand, rally around and participate in.

I heartily agree with Stewart Sweeney when he advocates for taxation “… according to income, wealth and capacity to pay, irrespective of age, and use that revenue to build a better society for all.” Can he be persuaded to write about HOW to build that better society?

To me, his first step would need to be arguing against the Liberal “small government” mantra. What has privatisation brought us besides poor, fractured services and “private provider” shysters who are adept at ripping off government and taxpayers?

Could/Would Sweeney advocate for bringing essential services back under government control ‘and’ operation, ie become not-for-profit enterprises again? I would hope so.

We have to return essential services to “fit for purpose” standards. We should be subsidising public transport so it doesn’t cost a fortune to get to work or visit a major city from rural areas. We need to provide essential services that are not currently provided – dental care and mental health care. I include mental health care because so very little is provided as to be useless to most. And we need to fund programs to keep people out of jail and, if incarcerated, provide truly effective rehabilitation programmes. Just for starters.

I agree that “the real divide is wealth, not generations” because the concentration of assets concentrates political power to undermine our democracy. It is a dimension neglected by economists around the world.

It is neglected because on page 353 of his 2017 book, Picketty could not explain how “through most of human history, the inescapable fact is that the rate of return on capital was always at least 10 to 20 times greater the rate of growth output (and income).” Asset inequality explains how the Oxfam Press Release of 2017 could report “eight men own more assets than half the poorest individuals on the planet.”

Allegra Spender, like Picketty, want to tax assets, but no politically acceptable tax can stop a growth rate of “at least 10 to 20 times”. What is required is a counter intuitive self-funding tax incentive for ownership sharing.

An incentive for corporations to issue free shares to voters would obtain the support from all politicians. Even the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia who launched my 1975 book on Democratising the wealth of Nations.

It makes sense: “belittling existential climate threat is a misguided strategy”, especially in regional Australia where farmers and others see first-hand the effects of rising temperatures and unpredictable extreme weather. However it is also a mistake to assume that any debate about energy policy is rational, or honest.

The Gina Rinehart-backed Liontown lithium mine in Western Australia is 80 per cent powered by one of Australia’s largest off-grid wind farms, and also has extensive solar and battery storage. In its reporting, the Murdoch press lauded Gina’s foresight in the midst of oil shortages. The mine is already at a huge advantage and will continue to reap the benefits of renewables as shortages continue. Ms Rinehart, One Nation, Mr Canavan et al have been bitterly opposed to renewable energy (except when it comes to receiving rebates for installing solar panels on their own houses). Is it a case of opposing renewables on principal because it has been made into a ‘left’ agenda, and therefore political capital can be garnered, but in private take every advantage of the cheapest, most efficient energy source available?

You have to wonder: why is Ms Rinehart so opposed to the nation having what she’s having?

Peter Slezak has nailed it. The correlation between antisemitism and the appalling genocidal Israeli behaviour is crystal clear. It can only be hoped that the Royal Commission will note his comments and his comprehensive quotations.

Our community is being played by the zionists with new hate laws and right to protest restrictions that we simply did not need. Excessive police brutality has been an early outcome. Who demanded these regulations and laws?

Zionists.

As Peter says, we have lived in harmony with our Jewish community since the Second World War.

How utterly ironic that the rules based system established after WWII is now largely in tatters as a direct result of Israeli actions.

An excellent summary by Jack of the lack of the skepticism and doubt that should be a hallmark of a body designed to root out corruption in this report. It reflects back on the motives of the politicians on both sides of the Parliament. The idea was to create an anti-corruption body designed to create the impression in the public mind that something important was being done to counter the corruption at both political and bureaucratic levels.
These problems had become so obvious to the public during the Abbott and Morrison periods of government that public outrage needed to be seen to be addressed. But the overwhelming need for both sides of politics was to avoid the public spectacle of the responsible politicians being exposed and made accountable. That job was fulfilled perfectly.

The body that resulted gave the public impression of action whilst constraining the body by rules that ensured as far as humanly possible that no politician could really be held accountable.

Jack has cleverly revealed in his analysis the failure of the body in the largest case of political and bureaucratic malfeasance that those responsible will never be held accountable!!!

Jack Waterford’s article sits as the pile of evidence beneath the immortal words of Sir Humphrey:

“Minister, two basic rules of government: Never look into anything you don’t have to. And never set up an inquiry unless you know in advance what its findings will be.”

Absolutely everything that has proceeded from the establishment of the NACC creates cascading levels of utter disbelief in the veracity, competence and honesty of the NACC. The only mitigating factor has been the finding that the Commissioner, Paul Brereton, failed to discharge his responsibilities properly.

If the Albanese government is content to pass this continual pantomime noire through to the keeper without demanding that all concerned go back and do it again – this time properly – it is to its utter discredit.

And considering the discoveries, I believe that there may be a case for questions to be asked of the Brereton-led ‘investigation’ of the alleged war crimes committed by the SAS in Afghanistan that has, still after so many years, found only one person complicit in illegality.

Australia seems to be in a quagmire of high-level tolerance of miscreant behaviour at senior levels of administration and government. Not good enough.

Years ago, Barbara Tuchman, an American historian, wrote a book called The March of Folly. In it she detailed a number of examples where governments had under taken a particular scheme knowing that or should have known it was going to fail. Yet they persisted until the program totally and completely failed. Hence a complete folly right from the beginning.

In Australia we do not call such a program Folly, we call it Robodebt.

Or perhaps you may prefer the name, Black Swan. Another book, this time written by Nassim Nicholas Taleb called Black Swan in which he defines a Black Swan event as “it is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was”.

In Australia we call this “Black Swan” event, Robodebt.

I had thought of writing some long essay and unloading every failure of Robodebt from the beginning to the latest report from NACC. But I am just not up to it. The whole thing makes me sick. The final impact, just DON’T Vote. When you “destroy trust” that is the impact of this “Folly”.

John Menadue’s article is an excellent summary describing Albanese’s lack of leadership, right wing populism and his cowardice. Albanese is the best Liberal leader since John Howard.

Michael Keating – and many other well-informed sources – still seem perplexed about the motive for the US-Iran war.

The core aim of the Trump War against Iran has been in plain sight since well before its start. It is the acquisition of $15 trillion worth of Iranian oil reserves. This was made clear by the US National Energy Dominance Council months ago (Sept 2025).

It is the biggest planned theft in human history, with the proceeds going to favoured US oil companies and the Trump crime family. Its main disadvantage is that it is very difficult to accomplish militarily, without wrecking the resource itself. But they will have no problem spending vast number of US and Iranian lives to attempt it.

However, if they pull it off, the Trumps will control the planet for the rest of the century. They will spend the loot taking out their other foes (Denmark, Canada etc) one by one.

The shame is that our grovelling Albanese thinks it is Ok for Australia to be a part of this criminal mission. As no doubt do the LNP and One Nation.
Australia is a vassal state, not of a nation, but of a crime syndicate.

Albanese has shamefully appropriated the harsh asylum seeker policies of Howard, Abbott and Morrison. Now he has passed legislation to block Iranians from landing in Australia. A big change from 2001 when he publicly protested against Howard. Why is Albanese fixated on not being wedged while Labor is certain to win the 2028 election and likely to win 2031? The Labor government is now Coalition lite.

Sue Wareham’s article makes some good points. However I hope our government is genuinely trying to stay out of an offensive war against Iran. Whether one is pro-Zionism or not, there is no denying that it has led to a new war with flow on effects throughout the world. Among others, every Australian now knows the personal cost of that. Family debt strains are about to threaten “soco”. Some of the about 70 per cent of Jewish Australians shown in two Monash University surveys to support Zionism won’t be immune. Turning to the human side of the bloodletting since the October 7 uprising, let us remember how it affects the innocent. Eight year old Anila Alidarani was killed in Isfahan in January by Irani security forces, six year Hind Rajab was killed in Gaza in early 2024 by the IDF, and young Matilda was killed at Bondi in December. Food, fuel and housing security are important, but crucially, our government needs to engage with likeminded countries to collectively demand of all three sides an immediate end to the war and its looming catastrophic flow-on effects both here and worldwide.

Can I here add my name and wholehearted support to Doug Cameron and the campaign he is co-authoring against the swindle of AUKUS imposed upon us by that Dodgy Brother Scott Morrison and now supported by a supine Labor government.

If we can kill this financial dissimulation and fraud it will enable scarce resources to be committed to things that will benefit the Australian population rather than the US and UK failing military-industrial complexes. Hundreds of schools, hospitals, universities and further education institutions so badly needed in an under-educated Australia, high-speed rail networks, power networks and generation (green) and other vital community infrastructure.

Rather than pumping probably eventually a trillion dollars of taxpayers money into a bunch of useless attack submarines that will not defend Australia, but will assist the US to attempt fruitlessly to invade China, let’s think strategically as a nation. Surely this is preferable than responding like Pavlov’s dogs to the insane fear mongering of the political and military classes and their mainstream media acolytes!

I am grateful to Eugene Doyle for spelling out the details of the coming energy shock arising from the effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz. It’s a case of batten down the hatches, though I’m not sure the Albanese government fully understands the gravity of the crisis at hand.
Energy analyst Matt Mushalik wrote to his local federal MP Jerome Laxale recommending or noting the following:
(1) Reduce or stop permanent migration. Every migrant will increase the
length of petrol lines and demand for goods in shopping centres.
(2) Diesel is most important. Government must think of priorities.
Agriculture, transport of food to cities is #1 priority. Diesel for
export coal mines and trains should come last.
(3) Do not waste any more funds on the 2nd Sydney Airport and the Metro
going there.
(4) Abandon your permanent growth narrative.
(5) Do not start any big projects like High-Speed Rail. The solution is
electric night trains between capitals but that should have started
under Howard and Rudd
(6) Prepare to bail out Transurban as traffic will go backwards. There
might be a credit crunch.
(7) NSW may have to restrict usage of Opal cards if motorists switch to
rail.

The comment by Paul Dibb that: “The joint US–Australia intelligence facility at Pine Gap near Alice Springs will be by far China’s most important and time-urgent nuclear target.” should send an ice-spike of fear down Albanese’s backbone, if indeed he has such a thing.

Many years ago, I was a student at ANU of what is now known as geopolitics and Des Ball was one of my tutors. I have written of this before but it needs repetition.

Pine Gap is unquestionably a highly prime target for any entity involved in combat with the USA that has the capability to strike at this distance.

And if that entity can strike Pine Gap, it will almost certainly also try to take out the back-up communications facility for Pine Gap. Which is the ‘Defence Installation’ you can easily discover on Google maps at Kent Street Deakin – about 3 kilometres blast radius from Parliament House.

It gives me no satisfaction to realise that The Lodge is about 500 metres closer to the potential point zero.

Suck that up, Albo, or maybe, just maybe – get some balls to protect Toto and Jodie, if you won’t act to save the rest of us.

Thank you to Peter Sainsbury for shining a light on Australia’s LNG exporters, who are reaping windfall profits from conflict in the Middle East. Companies such as Santos and Woodside have played a major role in making Australia the second‑largest exporter of climate pollution globally. The resulting climate impacts – intensifying floods, fires and heatwaves – are hitting communities hard, yet the public receives very little benefit from the gas being extracted. Senator David Pocock has revealed that the beer excise brings in more revenue than the petroleum resource rent tax. This is deeply unfair. When the Albanese government curb the power of polluting, profiteering gas companies and ensure everyday Australians get a fair go?

Tax: Beer drinkers vs gas companies

The club of Australian doom forecasters that come out of the woodwork every so often to predict the end of civilisation as we know it, can always be relied upon to do their acts on cue for their masters in the MSPO (Main stream propaganda organs) and the MIC (Military-Industrial complex) when orders for new military hardware and are not doing so well and when the Murdoch and SMH/Age sewers want to frighten the bejesus out of the “bewildered herd” to boost their readership and to control the public mind. But like Chicken Little they have done it so often that they more resemble Pinocchio with their patronage sensitive snouts growing apace.
Not to be taken seriously!

In his inimitable combative style Keating disembowels the pompous and self-aggrandising scribbler Hartcher. It really is a tribute to the incapacity of the new ownership of the SMH and The Age to cope with the role of the Fourth Estate, to hold power to account and to report honestly and without bias. Paul eviscerates them forensically!!

Three years since ‘Red Alert‘ marks the third anniversary of my consigning mainstream newspapers (as they once were) to oblivion. Yes, I still read bits, so I know what others are talking about, and almost always readers’ letters for a (biased) selection of community views. Free-to-air TV news is no better. (I won’t mention S**.) So for factual content, expanded context, informed commentary, as little bias as possible (because we’re all biased to some degree), then I choose alternative news media, all online.

For me, Pearls and Irritations leads the pack. There are a few others I read more often than not, while I appreciate friends alerting me to articles from sources I don’t usually read … There are only so many hours in the day after all.

We recently thanked John Menadue as he handed over the baton (thankfully ‘without’ disappearing). On what I think of as the anniversary day of the terminal diagnosis for the legacy press, thanks to John bear repeating for his foresight and outstanding contribution to keeping us informed in a way we haven’t been for a very long time. And thanks too, to so many willing contributors. Champions all!

Re Donald Rothwell’s article:
Rubio said that the US launched an armed attack on Iran because Israel was going to. After Penny Wong’s initial hosedown, we find Australian sailors embedded in a US submarine, and our military in Bahrain involved. They are committed to Trump and Hegseth-rules war without any say from us, because (Richard Marles) we weren’t warned in advance. So we couldn’t say no. The submarine sinks an Iranian vessel inside Sri Lanka’s EEZ, communications with the submarine going through Harold Holt station at Exmouth, WA run by our government’s CASG. Not even the murder of 160 schoolgirls in Minab, Iran, causes Australia to pull out or back a ceasefire. The PM spouts probable furphies about nuclear WMD in Iran, channelling John Howard about Iraq. Unlike in the US Congress, there is no urgent parliamentary discussion of whether we should continue the war. We are now war combatants with no say in it. The third Gulf War, in an area that for the PM varies in far-away-ness, has made us less secure, and will reduce “soco” here. US military people are embedded in our defence structure who have to answer to an erratic leader. War powers reform please!

I made a submission to the Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion with an emphasis on the inadequacy of the limits of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and suggested that the Royal Commission should examine, instead, the alternative Jerusalem Declaration which has an equal focus on antisemitism and free speech. Apparently the Commissioner has already declared and decided that the controversial IHRA definition is not controversial – indicating the Commission has already decided to join the campaign of Zionists and Labor government to censor free speech about Israel’s apartheid, ethnic cleansing and genocide.

I wonder about the lack of respect we seem to be developing with differing opinions others hold. It was even highlighted in parliament the other day. There is also the amount of litter and rubbish that is now spreading across the land. I also have seen a lot of information on how indoctrination takes hold. So I have thought why not begin our country’s own indoctrination?

I’d love people’s ideas – I have tried not to make it to complex.

Hand on heart
We Australians believe that all of us have the right to live in harmony, respecting the land and others, no matter their colour, race, creed, beliefs, mental or physical disabilities.