Letters
Letters to
the editor
Hockey’s happy place
Many thanks to Jason Koutsoukis for confirming my long-held opinion of Joe Hockey (“The Liberal lobbyists making their fortunes in Trump’s America”, October 18-24). It is quite obvious Hockey now operates in his natural environment – the Trump-era United States. Hockey is a failed federal treasurer who plays golf. That says it all really.
– Mark Bennett, Manifold Heights, Vic
Numbers game
Karen Barlow’s article (“The Burke interview: ‘A tinderbox for the angriest voice’ ”, October 18-24) contends there are two positions in the immigration debate. Either you recognise the benefits multiculturalism has undoubtedly brought to Australia or you are a loud angry voice, presumably a racist. This contention is misleading and mischievous. Many Australians would both value multiculturalism and have legitimate concerns about our rapid population growth and its implications for the environment, housing affordability, hospital waiting lists, climate change and many other issues. We need to be debating Australia’s population, not immigration.
– Barry Hadaway, Budgee Budgee, NSW
Go to the experts
Politicians never hold an inquiry unless they already know the outcome. This would also apply to coal and gas producers (Mike Seccombe, “How the fossil fuel lobby captured a landmark Labor policy”, October 18-24). Knowing the conclusions can be simple, if you’re setting the terms of an investigation. This can lead to “data washing”, misleading information based on allegedly independent analysis. If EY holds different positions on the use of fossil fuels in different reports, either EY is fibbing or the scope of the studies is not the same in each case. Certainly any ordinary person would be “flummoxed”. Surely the government should set up a scientific body to do independent research? This would benefit industry and the community, without data washing. Its scope would include complex issues like climate resilience. Of course, Australia does already have such a body – the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO).
– John Hughes, Mentone, Vic
Lousy with lobbyists
Climate Integrity has exposed that the EY report “The future role of natural gas in Australia and the region”, commissioned by fossil fuel lobby group Australian Energy Producers, directly shaped Labor’s Future Gas Strategy. The F-List 2025, from Comms Declare and Clean Creatives, shows nearly a quarter of all 468 federally registered lobbyists represent fossil fuel clients. Senator David Pocock has observed that “since 2001, almost every federal resources minister has gone to work in the fossil fuels sector shortly after leaving parliament” (“The lobbyists who control Canberra”, August 30–September 5). Layer in the political donations from the energy sector and the picture is unmistakable: policy is being written by the industry it is meant to regulate. Labor’s gas strategy exposes the reality of Canberra’s capture – where lobbyists, not voters, dictate the nation’s energy future. Voters revolt!
– Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Vic
Housing fix
Saul Eslake addressed the problem of potential long-term rental homes being made unavailable because they are being used for short-stay accommodation (“To be or not to Airbnb”, October 18-24). One solution, proposed by housing advocacy organisation Everybody’s Home, would be to phase out negative gearing and the 50 per cent capital gains tax for investors who use their properties for short-stay accommodation rather than long-term rentals. What a good idea. Eslake also addressed the problem of demand, including “the rapid increase in population driven by the post-pandemic surge in immigration”. Perhaps the government could address that as well.
– Jenny Goldie, Cooma, NSW
Super headline
Huge kudos to the genius who came up with the headline for Paul Bongiorno this week (“Super cap a fragile leap, inequity’s atrocious”, October 18-24), and to the editorial writer who in the same issue managed to be so succinct and yet so powerful in summation of the dreadful Brittany Higgins saga. Just normal quality for The Saturday Paper.
– Louise Fenley, Chiswick, NSW
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This article was first published in the print edition of The Saturday Paper on October 25, 2025.
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