Readers react to the housing shortage and the opposition leader’s vision for Australia as stated in his budget reply.
What passes for a housing policy in Peter Dutton’s budget reply confirms my long-held conviction that the essence of conservative politics is to do nothing until they absolutely must do something. Thus, Dutton’s solution is to cut immigration .
We are laggards on broader performance measures. While there are some logistical excuses, there is no excuse for our inadequate foreign aid budget, or shameful treatment of detained refugees.Given complaints in recent times about Australia’s crises in housing, cost of living, access to affordable childcare, traffic gridlock, health and the environment, all exacerbated by sky-rocketing population growth, Peter Dutton’s call to reduce immigration is both reasonable and sensible.
By all means focus on a single conflict, on the other side of the world, and sympathise with Palestinians, and criticise Israel, if you feel that way. But if you ally yourself with the sort of pro-Palestinian protests our leaders are tolerating, you are a force for violence, not peace.On Sunday I attended a peaceful Free Palestine rally, as I have on many occasions.
My gold-standard reference point for protest is the 100,000 people who marched peacefully against the Vietnam War in 1970. Numbers, not mayhem.It is good that Australia has taken in 2000 Palestinians fleeing the Gaza war on temporary visitor visas, but it is very disappointing that they are not allowed to work or access Medicare . The work restriction makes the Palestinians’ experience in Australia unnecessarily difficult, and adds to the demands on hard-pressed charities.
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