Parnell Palme McGuinness should return to her Utopian Nirvana

Parnell Palme McGuinness says: “It was the wrong policy, introduced in the wrong way, at the wrong time, by the wrong people” (“The dog ate this trio’s homework”, November 8). The real estate affordability bubble was always going to burst, so better to try to deflate it carefully. It was the other mob who created the problem of unaffordable housing over the past 25 years, so they won’t or can’t fix it. The only time to do anything radical is the first budget after the very short three-year federal term. The last election result was a landslide rejecting the other mob, so the only people to do it are the current incumbents, no one else has the authority. Good leaders take advice broadly but eventually make decisions and bear the political consequences at the next election. The other mob only specialise in policy paralysis, including energy, climate, minimum wage fairness and submarines. The Japanese submarines favoured by Abbott would by now have all arrived. The list is long when one thinks back. Parnell offers no solutions, she just critiques those trying to fix the problems created by her ideological bedfellows. She needs to go back to her Utopian Nirvana, that only exists in her imagination, while the rest of us live in the imperfect, real world. Peter Kamenyitzky, Copacabana

Parnell Palme McGuinness hits the nail on the head – it is the wrong policy at the wrong time. Despite vast criticism from economists and the numerous subsequent backflips and carve-outs introduced in an attempt to rectify the consequences of a lack of prior industry consultation, Albanese, Chalmers and Gallagher continue to spruik their ill-conceived May budget as a win for intergenerational fairness. Blind Freddy can see that it is failing. We don’t expect politicians to always get it right, but doubling down and hiding behind excuses shows a pathetic lack of fortitude. Albanese needs to take a leaf out of Chris Minns’ book and have the humility to admit that, in this case, “we were wrong”. He should shelve the proposed budget tax changes and use the time between now and the next election to develop a considered, properly consulted policy that actually achieves its stated aim, i.e. getting more first home buyers into houses. Col Burns, Lugarno

Student housing blame game

It’s pretty clear that at the core of this is poor planning by governments, particularly planning for housing supply (“International students put off by fees, aggression”, November 8). The Coalition, when in power from 2013 to 2022, built no social housing and heavily promoted Australian universities to overseas students. The pressures on housing supply then really ramped up after COVID-19 when those international workers and students who Morrison had sent home started returning. So we ended up with a housing shortage, and now the international students and workers are blamed for it via the lightweights Pauline Hanson and Angus Taylor. They’ve managed to wind up the mob with their screeching while they were as culpable as anyone for the poor planning. And the blame game continues with no thought again for the victims who might well decide that Australia is not welcoming and will desert our education system in droves. Well done, Pauline and Angus. With politicians like you, we don’t need enemies.
Ian Ferrier, Long Jetty

GPS solution for e-bike clutter

The City of Sydney’s proposal to cap fleet sizes at 7000 is a backward step in our attempts to improve commuting efficiency (“Revealed: The plan to strip 5000 e-bikes from Sydney’s streets”, November 8). While it is right to address cluttered footpaths, we should not restrict popular transport options when technology can solve the management problem without council interference. Sydney does not need expensive physical docking stations such as those in Paris and other European cities. The solution to fix e-bike clutter is already in every bike and every renter’s pocket: geolocation. Council should paint designated parking areas next to bus stops, sized to match passenger volume – a few spots at a quiet neighbourhood stop, and many at a busy interchange – with an app displaying in real time where parking bays are full and, obviously, where bikes are available. The rules could be simple: a trip is not over and billing does not stop unless the bike is within a designated bus stop zone with available space. If a parking area is full, the renter must take the bike to the next one. This is how it worked in Paris when I was there two years ago. Because accurate GPS technology can record where every trip ends, a renter who dumps a bike outside the rules pays a hefty fee automatically, with no council ranger required. Enforcement is the key, not caps.
John Kempler, Rose Bay

There’s been a Lime e-bike sitting untouched in the Hunters Hill shopping centre for a week. At least it shows we’re honest.
Ian Adair, Hunters Hill

Ban this so-called sport

What an appalling spectacle, shown in repeated TV news reports, was the one-round “boxing” match between Nelson Asofa-Solomona and Paul Gallen. Adrian Proszenko summed it up bluntly and accurately: “four vicious uppercuts … the final blows were superfluous … It was sickening to witness … the lines between sanctioned violence and assault were blurred” (“Unanswered upper cuts before things took a nasty turn”, November 8). And the event was held at the “Entertainment Centre”? Entertainment? This so-called “sport” should be banned.
Rob Phillips, North Epping

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