The Opposition’s hard line on immigration is just so divisive

It’s quaint that the Liberals only want people who think like them to come here (“Top Liberals disavow contribution to Ley’s hardline migration policy”, February 17). The older of the two Bondi shooters came to Australia in the 1990s, so it would that appear you can come here and then become ideologically brainwashed. Do people really believe that our Labor government does not vet the people who come here? Do you really believe that the government has no control over how many people come here? Does anyone remember COVID and how no migration took place for two years? And that the huge influx of people we experienced after COVID were legitimate migrants unable to come because of COVID? Do you know that there are approximately 50 million refugees in the world? The government has capped the number of migrants coming to Australia and the Liberals know it. I deplore the division they will create with their “bad migration” attack. Claudia Drevikovsky, Croydon

Just when you thought the Liberal Party could not sink lower, we are presented with Sussan Ley’s immigration “solution”. Mobile phone inspection at entry ports and a ban on immigration from “Islamic terrorist-controlled countries”. Brilliant! Donald Trump 2.0. Why would anyone be foolish enough to bring a phone carrying incriminating material? Why would you automatically exclude those seeking escape and freedom from areas governed by lunatic extremists? Massive additional expenditure for no return. This isn’t intelligent policy, it’s dog whistling – but this time the Libs are hoping it’s the ears of PHON supporters that hear the call. How can we even consider the Coalition to be an alternative government when the best they can offer is to out-grub PHON? Coalition government oversaw a massive increase in migrant numbers; the current government is radically reducing those numbers. If this is a foretaste of Liberal policy, the outlook for intelligent opposition at federal level is bleak. George Williams, North Balgowlah

Why do the Liberals insist on pressing ancient primate fear buttons regarding immigrants when so many of our community neighbours have varying levels of skin melanin, have a faith which is not the one true faith of Animism and speak a language which is not one of at least 200 Indigenous Australian languages? Could they be misdirecting to fear and discord because of their complete failures in housing policy, infrastructure and educational assistance for working-class aspirational people? Greg Thompson, Bega

A leaked Liberal Party policy would ban migrants from Gaza, Somalia and the Philippines, deemed “terrorist-controlled”, from entering Australia. Where do our leaders find their advisers? Collective punishment hasn’t worked in Israel or the US. And why target countries such as the Philippines, where many Australians have found love and romance. Why bring more depression to our stranded souls? Mokhles Sidden, South Strathfield

I wonder what Australians would feel if New Zealand decided not to let Australians migrate there because of the mass shooting in 2019, by an Australian, of Muslims in Christchurch at the Al Noor Mosque and 10 minutes later at the Linwood Islamic Centre. Trish Richardson, Paddington

The cost of CGT reform

Shane Wright shows how difficult it would be for any government to cut outlays on health, age pension etc (“Voters want spending cuts – but immunity as well”, February 17). And so we have opposition leader Angus Taylor hitting the ground running with talk of slashing spending. So when the government floats the idea of cutting a tax expenditure – the Capital Gains Tax Discount – he automatically opposes it, even before an actual proposal is put forward. This expenditure is both inefficient and increases inequality, so you would think it would be worth having a look at. You can guess that Taylor will probably oppose any look at tax expenditures (in theory, around $200 billion a year). So his focus when he talks of a spending spree, and the need therefore for cuts, will have to be on outlays in areas such as health, education, welfare, infrastructure; areas that benefit everyday Australians. Tim Field, Red Hill (ACT)

Tax cuts revisited, again

Why is it always tax cuts (“Backing for capital gains, negative gearing shift”, February 17)? This line of political thinking means there is less support for health, education and other community needs. Of course, those who approve want it all privately run, with appropriate profit margins for their investments in areas of health and housing. What about housing investment? Labor should have been prepared, after a year in office, to sort out housing investment taxes when the party was installed again, rather than drag the situation out. Anyone staying at an Airbnb in Australia, as against Britain and Europe, where it is more likely a genuine personal home or property, will often discover that the owner of a unit or flat lives a storey or two up, and owns a couple of rental places in the same building. Australians and visitors are being used to crowd out those who need permanent shelter. There is nothing wrong with investment, but it should not be harming people’s requirement for secure habitation or their health. A glance at the selfish system in the US would confirm this. In Europe (although possibly not France) they have been known to vote for extra taxes when they see a benefit for the whole country. Donald Hawes, Peel

Angus Taylor’s desire to reduce our housing problem to simple economics is laudable – however, price is a function of supply and demand, not supply alone. And reducing investor demand by reducing the CGT discount and negative gearing would materially reduce demand. Michael Britt, MacMasters Beach

Nuclear charged

Peter Hartcher (“US will not save us from nuke attack”, February 17) explodes the myth that Australia is safe under America’s nuclear umbrella, especially as the Trump administration has pledged to give far greater strategic priority to the defence of the American homeland. Central to Hartcher’s argument is the sheer impossibility of expecting the US to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike upon an adversary that has first attacked Australia. The adversary would then launch its own retaliatory strike on the US, killing countless millions of Americans. More concerning is that, unlike during the Cold War, the US now faces two near-peer nuclear competitors, Russia and China, which raises the nuclear stakes to an unprecedented level. Hence, Hartcher suggests the following solution for Australia and all other US allies: “a country at risk needs the deterrent power of nuclear arms even if it has no intention of launching a nuclear war”. But if our survival becomes solely dependent upon a weapon of such highly destructive capacity, how is this not the most damning indictment upon the moral conscience of humanity? Rev Vincent Zankin, Rivett (ACT)

Higher education tested

The university sector is under siege (“Criminal syndicates make millions from uni cheating”, February 17). International students are targeted for contract assignment cheating, and domestic students are drawn into the AI net and used inappropriately for their assessment tasks. And the result is that most get away with it. University management needs to toughen up; make students return to on-site written exams (mid-semester and/or end semester) and where that is not possible, online oral exams. Education is too important to allow this to be an easy cash cow business model. Michael Blissenden, Dural

MacLeod’s journey a time to reflect

Thank you, Andrew MacLeod, for your wonderful article (“What I’ve learnt from all nations”, February 17). Your journey in visiting every country in the world has not been part of a “bucket list” but one of purpose involving humanitarian values and desire to make a difference. People like you have made a huge difference in my life; my childhood started in former Yugoslavia before and during the war, then two different refugee camps from 1944 to 1949 in Austria until settling in Australia. I was fortunate that at age 15, where at Penrith, I had wonderful teachers who saw some potential and spent additional time and effort to help me matriculate in my third language, leading to scholarships and a teaching career. I absolutely admire and support your conclusions. We all want a better future for our children not in terms of wealth, but in the privilege of being able to help others. As for safety and vigilance, I believe our future is enhanced and assured by our multicultural population and trade links rather than belligerence and more powerful weapons. Ferdo Mathews, Robina (Qld)

Andrew MacLeod says one lesson he draws from visiting every country in the world is that “one should never feel guilty about one’s privilege. Only feel guilty if you do nothing with it.” Australia is a privileged country on many measures, such as the Human Development Index, where we rank seventh in the world. Yet, we also read that 53 per cent of Australians polled want to see cuts to our foreign aid in the upcoming budget (“Voters want spending cuts – but immunity as well”, February 17). However, Australia’s official development assistance has already been severely reduced, to just 0.19 per cent of gross national income in 2024 compared to 0.29 per cent in 2015, which has dropped our ranking from 15th to 28th globally. With the US and many other countries slashing their foreign aid, now is the time for Australia to use its privileged position to do more, not less, for the world’s poor. Clay O’Brien, Mosman

What an amazing life Andrew MacLeod has had and how precious are the lessons that he has learned while helping in so many crisis situations around the world. As we strive for a better world, it is important to remember how privileged we are in Australia. We should never take that for granted and should be willing and ready to use the benefits we enjoy to help others – both near and far. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

All those who are influential in deciding the future of both Australia and our planet need to pay attention to what Professor Andrew MacLeod tells us that he has learned from visiting every country on earth, namely, that all families in the world are linked by wanting a better future for their children, the privileged should use their position for the betterment of others, and we need to guard our values of tolerance and multiculturalism. Principles based on these observations should underlie the policy platform of every Australian political party, and those that lack any of them are too narrow and shallow in their thinking and attitudes to warrant having any of their members as representatives in our country’s parliament. Paul Casey, Callala Bay

A timely reminder from Andrew MacLeod that if we want to continue to protect what makes our country such a wonderful place, then tolerance and multiculturalism must be at the heart of our being.Josephine Piper, Miranda

We must indeed be vigilant to protect the tolerance and multiculturalism that make Australia great. Ramadan Mubarak, Happy Ramadan, to all Muslim Australians. Christine McNeil, Ballina

Beware AI tsunami

At last. Some unease about the imminent AI tsunami (Letters, February 17). It signals “the end of human history”, according to historian Yuval Noah Harari. And who could dispute that? No room in a letter to the editor for many details but check out the wave of domestic and industrial humanoid robots about to break over us. A few years and they’ll be like phones and cars; we’ll all want one. And how about algorithmic governance (AI-mediated law and policy, rule by optimisation etc). Sounds like fun. Now combine this with the extraordinary acceleration in bioengineering. Artificial wombs, designer babies etc. And is anyone keeping up with the surge in post-death avatars? It really is time we talked about all this. Millennia of philosophy and religion now face irrelevance. Brian Haisman, Winmalee

I’ve been fearful of AI for several years, since hearing one of the foremost experts in the field describe how it might determine the best solution to tough problems, in a dispassionate and efficient way. If asked what would be the quickest and most effective way to deal with climate change and global warming, the answer could well be to eliminate all human beings. Connect it to automated weapons systems, and The Terminator scenario may not be fantasy after all. Alan Marel, North Curl Curl

Force discounts

If the courts establish that Coles is guilty of creating spurious discounts that in fact result in higher prices for products (“ACCC flags up ‘half-truths’ in prices as Coles hearing begins”, February 17), and the penalty is $50 million per breach, then Coles should be made to pay that by offering $50 million worth of genuine discounts across its stores nationwide for every breach. That would be fair compensation to the public and might go a little way in helping meet the cost of living pressures. Leo Sorbello, Leichhardt

Up in smoke

The trouble with an “independent” retail grocery store calling for the excise on cigarettes (legal tobacco) be cut (“Cut smokes tax to undermine criminals, says retailer”, February 17) to stop illegal sales is that they have a vested interest to sell more cigarettes. The government should just make smoking illegal, but that means losing income and a fight with the tobacco industry. Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill

Mogul malaise

I’ve had to make an urgent appointment with my physiotherapist. After watching the mogul skiing at the Olympics, my hips and knees are shot. Michael Deeth, Como West

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