Bad policy has led to NSW housing and skills shortage

NSW Premier Chris Minns clearly sees a link between the housing shortage and problems such as skilled labour shortages (“Minns’ warning to councils on housing”, October 20). However, it’s a shame that neither his government nor the federal government acknowledge the contribution of neoliberalism. Housing has become an investment vehicle rather than a means of providing people somewhere to live. No one is tackling this pernicious investment culture that puts profits ahead of a healthy, functioning society. Nor has our skilled labour shortage been helped by governments making trade courses unaffordable for many. During my stint in TAFE NSW, it seemed the primary focus was raking in money from overseas students to “grow the business”. The skilled labour shortage has been a disaster in the making for decades as governments turned education into a business, rather than an investment in a healthy society. And, of course, no one in any government will dare broach the issue of what is a sustainable level of population. It’s all about growth: populate until there is standing room only. Meanwhile, with Minns’ push for rapid housing development (if he can find the builders and tradespeople), how many more shoddy, unsafe developments will be approved? Peter Thompson, Grenfell

If Minns and Planning Minister Paul Scully had come up with something better than drawing a 400-metre circle around rail and metro stations, councils would not be standing in his way. The Transport Oriented Development was not a plan; it was a threat. Minns should not be bullying councils that have chosen to consult communities and engage proper planners. We are his constituents and our suburbs are the focus of our domestic life. They need to be treated with respect. And if this is such a desperate and fundamental issue, as Minns says, why is the focus so narrow, restricted to a small number of suburbs? In the inner west, it was focused around Dulwich Hill, Marrickville and Ashfield stations, then the council spread around these suburbs a bit, considering heritage. But what about the rest of the inner west? It’s a big area. Minns does not play fair. He targets a small group to take the load, then tries to run roughshod over them when they complain, blaming them for getting in the way when they simply ask for it to be done with consideration for community and heritage. That is the very definition of a bully. James Manche, Dulwich Hill

I remember when the Housing Commission built thousands of houses in the 1970s. Admittedly, the social planning was naive and consigned the economically disadvantaged to outer suburbs, which magnified the social disadvantage. But at least the state government added to the housing stock. Since it became reliant on private developers to do the building, their profit has been at the expense of the would-be tenants and owners. No wonder the dearth of housing options ripples all the way up the housing food chain. Don’t blame councils, Mr Minns, get moving on a state-based initiative. Eric Scott, Bondi Junction

The housing crisis is largely of the government’s making. What do you expect if you tax new housing to 50 per cent of its cost, thus removing the incentive to build, and then complain that there is not enough being built? That’s what happens when you tax the goose that lays the golden egg. Stop blaming everyone else. Peter Icklow, Pymble

Once again, no mention of housing bought as an investment and left vacant. Once again, no discussion around the generous size of homes being built. The adverse impact on families and community of this crisis is not in dispute, but solutions are nuanced and must include creative discussions about what is being built – and who is buying. Andrew FitzSimons, Wattamolla

While councils are a creation of the state parliament, they are also democratically elected bodies, and local government is recognised in the state constitution. The premier’s arrogant dismissal of local government under the guise of a housing crisis simply reflects the carping of the development industry. The reality is that elected councillors have had no decision-making powers over development applications for many years. Government-appointed bodies largely determine applications. What the premier is actually proposing is to remove residents’ rights to have a say in their local community. The premier would be well advised to remember that these residents are also voters. Paul Pearce, Bronte

There are at least four houses in my street of about 30 that are obviously permanently unoccupied. I mean without occupants for years. The capital gains are so good these supposed holiday homes don’t even need to be rented out. We rarely see any holidaymakers or indeed any sign of life, except for the lawn mower man. There is something very wrong with a tax arrangement that encourages this greed and waste. Forget all other factors: the bottom line is negative gearing. Sue Dellit, Austinmer

If we just build reasonably sized houses, and not McMansions, we could double the output. Does every house need a double garage, a home theatre, three bathrooms and a pool? Tim Schroder, Gordon

On the nose

As summer approaches, it is good to see that the northern beaches are the cleanest of Sydney’s many beaches (“City’s cleanest and dirtiest beaches ranked”, October 20). University of Sydney professor Stuart Khan cites the construction of the deep-water ocean outfalls in the early 1990s as the reason for improved water quality at ocean beaches. I just wish that were true for our Central Coast beaches, which haven’t been mentioned in the survey. All I know is that when it rains heavily, our beautiful Killcare beach is unswimmable for many days as it and other beaches up here cop all the muck and debris that is discharged into the Hawkesbury/Nepean River from untreated storm water and inadequate sewerage systems. All this vile stuff discharges into the ocean between Barrenjoey and Box Head, for the whales and other sea creatures to enjoy. While Chris Minns is happy to thrash councils into submission with his “build baby build” mantra, our antiquated waste water systems are being choked to death and our once pristine coastal ocean environments are being trashed as a by-product of Sydney’s rapacious overdevelopment and the underfunding of vital infrastructure. Lance Dover, Pretty Beach

Save Wenty from the dogs

Congratulations to the City of Sydney Council on its proposed redevelopment of Wentworth Park (“How this inner-Sydney park would look without a greyhound track”, October 20). It’s time for the greyhound/gambling industry to vacate this precious inner-city public land for the enjoyment of the whole community. Thousands of people should be using this space every day, instead of a few dozen spectators who watch and gamble on the races two evenings a week. It’s a no-brainer premier, and a wonderful opportunity to add to much-needed recreational space. Richard Spencer, Glebe

Lord Mayor Clover Moore is right – Wentworth Park is ripe for an overhaul to best cater for the burgeoning inner-city community. Even the so-called richest greyhound race last week struggled to draw a half-decent crowd, despite the lure of a football kicking competition to win a ute. Perhaps the frisson of watching dogs race, collide, fall and possibly die isn’t the crowd-pleaser it was last century. And memo to Greyhound Racing NSW – this isn’t a sport, it’s a wagering industry. Michele Nicholas, St Ives

Right on, Grong Grong

While it is possible for renters and apartment dwellers to set up portable solar systems in their homes, a far easier solution is at hand (“How home renters can plug into the solar battery boom,” October 20). A solar garden is an array of solar panels located on a farm or an industrial rooftop. “Gardeners” buy panels in this array and in exchange, they get credits on their electricity bills, similar to feed-in tariffs from rooftop solar. Both the host and the owners benefit. At present, there is only one large-scale solar garden operating in Australia – the 1.5 megawatt Haystacks project in Grong Grong – but others are in the development stage. Once people cotton on to this idea, it will take off like a rocket ship – one, in this case, powered completely by renewables. Ken Enderby, Concord

Broken democracy

Rob Fraser implies that Donald Trump is democratic because he is delivering what he promised at election time (Letters, October 20). Wrong. He shows that he is actually anti-democratic by: using the courts to punish his detractors; using the National Guard to invade Democrat cities; using ICE agents to arbitrarily arrest and detain any foreign national; using the stacked Supreme Court to give him immunity from any prosecution; trashing the First Amendment of free speech and free press; using his office to enrich himself and his family; and ultimately, through his refusal to accept his 2020 election defeat, his instigation of the riots at Capitol Hill on January 6 and his pardoning of those sentenced for that criminal insurrection. For Trump, the constitution is an optional guideline. That is why King Trump is the greatest threat to democracy in America’s history. Rowan Godwin, Rozelle

Your correspondent misses the point when he reduces democracy to “delivering on promises”. Dictators deliver on promises too – usually with a clenched fist. Real democracy is measured not by how a leader rewards loyalty, but by how they treat those who did not vote for them. The protests against Trump are not about “sour grapes”. They are a refusal to let democracy rot from within – a stand against the thuggery of a man whose words, time and again, incite the very violence he pretends to deplore. Vivien Clark-Ferraino, Duckmaloi

Rob Fraser’s letter about sore losers brings a famous Abraham Lincoln quote to mind: “Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” Simon Staines, Mudgee

Why has the anti-Trump movement in the United States chosen the “no kings” name to rally around? Given Trump’s increasingly authoritarian rule, wouldn’t it be more meaningful to call it “no dictators”? Therese Schier, Casino

Stand up for Australia

Let’s hope our PM stands tall during his meeting with Donald Trump and doesn’t take any abuse (“AUKUS expected to stay intact as Trump touts ‘great relationship’ with Albanese”, October 20). If they treat him badly, he should stand up, and say “I thought our nations were friends” and walk out. I also hope Albanese doesn’t sell out the Australian people on rare earths and insists on a good price. And please, don’t hand over another cheque to the AUKUS bottomless pit, from which there seems to be no escape.

Legacy of trauma

Jewish psychotherapist Ilana Laps’ piece on intergenerational trauma is powerful and sobering (“As a Jew I feel less safe than ever, but now we must share Gazans’ agony”, October 20). It brought the poet TS Eliot’s observation to mind that “humankind cannot bear very much reality”. His insight throws into relief the daunting challenge that Laps sets out for her fellow Jews. She issues them a stark warning that the moral horror of “Gaza’s unbearable0 reality” will haunt them unless it is faced with clarity. Neither Hamas’ inhumanity, nor the hostages’ suffering, nor consequent antisemitism justifies “what lies buried in Gaza’s rubble”. Laps may be summoning her own people to bear witness to the horror of the past two years, but can any of us excuse ourselves from this task? Tom Knowles, Parkville (Vic)

Ilana Laps’ article is a disturbing insight into “intergenerational trauma, survivor guilt and a sense of burden”. She is rightly concerned about her children coping with Gaza’s frightful legacy. “The inheritance of guilt” is indeed a dilemma for many generations of children, not just those of Jewish descent. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

Power of One?

Like him or not, Barnaby Joyce has been a maverick most of his political life (“Is One Nation right fit for Barnaby the maverick?”, October 20). Yes, he’s been a member of the Nationals since entering federal politics. However, the maverick in him to speak out on sensitive social issues and economic matters has always been there. If the Coalition leadership is going to muscle Joyce as they did at the federal election earlier this year, then why shouldn’t he join One Nation or go rogue independent? The Coalition is not speaking up like a conservative opposition to Albanese and Labor, leaving it rather to Pauline Hanson and One Nation. Adrian Devlin, Lake Illawarra

Paul Sakkal reports that Barnaby Joyce said One Nation was doing a good job. I wondered what the job was, who was doing it, what the goals were, what the strategies were and how the results were measured? One Nation does not have a single seat in the lower house, and only four in the Senate. Apart from strong views about migrants, refugees and climate change, the manifesto seems a bit light. Joyce’s possible switch to One Nation would appear a better fit for him than the Coalition. Can anyone please enlighten me concerning One Nation’s results and achievements? I’d be grateful. Bob Macfarlane, Mirrabooka

Right gone wrong

It amazes me that many on the right of the political spectrum, remembering the recent electoral loss and back as far as Work Choices, haven’t worked out that policies too far to the right are a turn-off for the Australian electorate. Indeed, they seem to think that the solution to their electoral woes is to go even further to the right. It might work where voting is not compulsory, but not here. Bill Irvine, Goulburn

Good for the heart

Dr Louis Wang wrote such marvellous and encouraging words about the long-term value of grit and determination that I immediately printed it out to hang on the 12-year-old granddaughter’s bedroom door (“I’m a cardiologist and stink at maths. How did I get here?“, October 20). Move over, so-called social media “influencers”. Psst … secretly, it’s for myself. Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi

Shop in peace

I recently found myself in Woolies during “quiet hour” (10.30-11.30am weekdays). It was bliss. Low lighting, no loud music, the most peaceful grocery shop I’ve done. Could Woolies please reverse the schedule and have quiet hour as the default, and keep one hour a day for people who like bright lights and loud noise? It would also be better for the environment and save on electricity bills. Maybe they could pass savings on to shoppers. Camilla Cahill, Manly

Beagle has landed

With the Freshwater-class ferry Narrabeen once again taking its place on the Quay-Manly run (“From scrap heap to a fresh start for large Manly ferries”, October 20), it’s worth recalling another worthy vessel that briefly plied these waters, albeit 190 years ago. In January 1836, the HMS Beagle, with a young Charles Darwin on board, dropped into town on the final legs of its historic circumnavigation of the world. One can imagine that unassuming vessel making its way up the harbour at that time, and worth noting that at 27.5 metres, the Beagle was well less than half the length of the Narrabeen’s 70 metres. Bradley Wynne, Croydon

Quick bloomers

What has happened this year to Sydney’s jacarandas? In the inner west, most trees have gone straight to leaves without the glorious spring purples we are used to. And the few flowers that have appeared seem to drop off quickly. Is this another consequence of our rapidly heating environment? Alan Rosendale, Leichardt

Pythons in the post

Never mind AUKUS: can Donald Trump please simplify the frustrating process of mailing birthday presents to my grandchildren in the US? Finding HS tariff numbers for killer python lollies and other Australiana is scrambling my brain. Gillian Minto, Grays Point

• To submit a letter to the Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.
• The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform. Sign up here.