Harbour homes for the wealthy is no fix, premier

Sydney Morning Herald

02-06-2025

Great plan, Chris Minns (' Glebe Island firms as a 'Plan B' for new housing ', June 2). More high rise for the wealthy with sublime harbour views. It is the young, low- to middle-income earners who are crying out for housing they can afford. This plan will provide none of that but it will destroy a working port that has been in operation for decades. When driving on the Anzac Bridge to the city from the western suburbs, the view over the dock to the harbour is so lovely and always reminds me of what a beautiful city we live in. What a terrible shame to take that away. Lynne Egan, Glenbrook
New housing is needed in Sydney. Plan B for new housing at Glebe presents the same issue as building any large development in any area. Has the government considered where children will attend school, and will there be adequate medical facilities? I hope there will be enough tradies to cope with building the major development. So many questions, and at this stage I have heard no answers. Robyn Lewis, Raglan
While I agree the city needs more housing, what's really needed is public/affordable housing, not homes for rich investors, especially international investors. Glebe Island is currently a key element of the working harbour in Sydney, enabling the bulk transportation of the materials needed for the construction industry. Maritime transportation of bulk raw materials is the cheapest and most environmentally sustainable way to bring cement, sand, gypsum and aggregate to Sydney. The Port Authority is currently undertaking the installation of shore-to-ship power at White Bay, with plans to extend its provision to Glebe Island. It also proposes that the power delivered will be from renewable sources. This NSW government instrumentality is leading the way in terms of reducing both carbon emissions and noise, and it is vital that the government supports its endeavours. If Glebe Island is turned into yet another high-rise residential precinct, articulated lorries will continue to grind their way up the Illawarra escarpment from Port Kembla, slowing traffic and belching pollution into the atmosphere. I implore you to reconsider, premier, and focus your efforts on delivering the homes already proposed for BaysWest and on the Pyrmont peninsula, which is currently being rezoned to provide homes for 8300 people and offices for 23,000 new workers. Perhaps, with demand for office space tanking, these targets could be revised to provide housing for low-income families, and the rich, thus negating the need to close the Glebe Island port. Elizabeth Elenius, Pyrmont
While we dither about building houses on racecourses and island ports, we slide perceptibly towards Third World status where housing is concerned. We need to be much more creative. I would suggest we simply build amenity blocks, dump points and camp kitchens to service the growing numbers of our fellow citizens reduced to living in their cars, in parks, under bridges and in abandoned rail cars. This action might induce our political leaders to understand the severity of the problem we face. John Richards, Turramurra
Under the flight path
Queen Street in the heart of St Marys, where huge housing blocks up to 63 metres high and major new infrastructure is to be built, will be overflown by aircraft using the new 24-hour Nancy Bird Walton airport (' St Marys to gain 'civic heart' and 20,000 residents ', June 2). Using the official government flight path tool, when runway 05 is in use, Queen Street will be 200 metres from the flight path and 900 metres when runway 23 is in use. Remembering that this airport will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, I just hope there will be effective noise mitigation included in the new apartment blocks so that residents' sleep is not unduly disturbed, and that Penrith councillor John Thain's hope that express trains will stop at St Marys to pick up passengers from the new airport metro, will be implemented. Lance Dover, Pretty Beach
King/Pope v Trump/Vance
George Brandis, commenting on King Charles' 'provocative' speech at the opening of the new Canadian parliament, and criticism of Donald Trump on social media by the then Cardinal Provost, who is now Pope Leo XIV (' Trump v church and head of state ', June 2), points out the irony that, for the Trump administration, 'two of the most influential voices of restraint may be a king and a pope'. Brandis writes that the new pope's 'potential influence in his homeland could be immense, should he choose to use it'. Unfortunately, however, the record of both Donald Trump and his Catholic vice president J. D. Vance, make this hope pretty unrealistic. It's more likely that this power-loving pair would be rudely dismissive of whatever king or pope had the temerity to question or criticise the new and disturbing political and social order they are trying to create, unimpeded by the constraints of the law and justified by the evangelical right. Far from having influence in this brave new world that is the US, King Charles and Pope Leo are much more likely to find themselves labelled as 'nasty', and their criticisms as 'fake news'. Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown
I'm certain Trump would love nothing more than to be life-long monarch of the US (and more), unfettered by any personal responsibility that constrains the king, the pope and any other head of state worthy of the title. Trump already behaves as if he is sole ruler, bypassing all norms, conventions and processes that get in his way and using (like all thuggish despots) falsehoods, bullying, tantrums and intimidation to do it. I sincerely hope that the two-term, four-years-apiece constitutional limit on the occupation of his self-built throne brings his dangerously madcap reign to a merciful end before he totally trashes the kingdom. And may sanity return to those who put the crown on his head in the first place, and they never do anything like that again. Adrian Connelly, Springwood
George Brandis has written an outstanding essay that should be compulsory reading. The final paragraph of his essay says it all. Marjie Williamson, Blaxland
Retaliation incoming
The planning may well have been18 months in the making but Ukraine's inflicting this humiliating damage on Russia's firepower, particularly as loosely named 'peace' talks are under way, is bound to incite Vladimir Putin to escalate his retaliatory attacks (‴⁣⁣ Absolutely brilliant': Ukraine destroys $11b work of Russian bomber is surprise attack ', smh.com.au, June 2). One thing is certain; Trump won't be happy. Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook
Like the driver that speeds up to avoid the red light as soon as the traffic lights he's approaching turn amber, whether you're Russia or Ukraine, how serious are you about achieving peace? 'Hours before the next round of peace talks' both countries decide to launch surprise attacks on the other, and they will probably go into those talks blaming each other for breaching any ceasefire which may have been agreed. Frederick Jansohn, Rose Bay
Hear my voice
Voices from the backbench should be treated the same way as voices from vested public interests (' Labor's win frees up many voices ', June 2). If they contribute constructively to the debate then they should be listened to and policy modified accordingly. Otherwise, the government should stop trying to appease them in the name of 'unity'. They should just be ignored, and the government should get on with doing what is right. David Rush, Lawson
Necessary tax rises a hard sell
Not only are we 'kidding ourselves', Ross Gittins (' Let's stop kidding ourselves – taxes will have to go up ', June 2), but our politicians are being deceptive, possibly deceitful and definitely dishonest by continuing to increase spending without any hint of increasing revenue to compensate. Of course, the ALP was on the right track at the 2019 election with measures to address negative gearing, capital gains and franking credits that benefit the more well-off, and many ALP members and supporters would welcome any efforts by the Albanese government to revisit these areas requiring reform. Due to neglect and inaction over many years, and the peddling of myths relating to the tax burden, it is well understood how difficult it is for the government to even whisper taxation increases. Ross Butler, Rodd Point
Ross Gittins glosses over the two alternatives to higher taxes. Spending could also go down and productivity could become a priority. The Coalition was onto something, pointing out the blowout in the number of bureaucrats. It's not just wages but all the on-costs and procedure implicit in an expanded public service. On productivity: wage rises have stopped being linked to productivity growth and instead they are linked to to inflation, thereby actually driving inflation. Productivity creates wealth and jobs and those are also taxed. So let's get everything on the table before we mandate higher taxes as the lazy choice over more sustainable alternatives. Peter Comensoli, Mangrove Mountain
It is going to take years to wind back the outrageous tax incentives from the Howard era. Everyone talks about the 50 per cent capital gains tax discount, but the refundable franking credits policy is the one to attack. Sure, allow taxpayers to receive the tax credit from what the company has paid, but to give it back to the shareholder, as a refund, was wrong in 2001 and it makes even less sense today. Time to open our eyes to inequities that rort our tax system. Michael Blissenden, Dural
Resistance is fertile
There seems to be a large gulf between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles in their responses to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth's call to Australia to arc up its military response to China's 'belligerent' attitude in our region ('Albanese resists US pressure on China', June 2). Given Hegseth's performance in his job so far, I wouldn't rush to take everything he says as gospel. I think, despite China being a difficult neighbour to deal with, Albanese and Penny Wong have a good handle on our relationship with it, particularly because we have a strong trade relationship. Ian Adair, Hunters Hill
On the one hand, Donald Trump wants Australia to lift its defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, and on the other hand he wants to impose tariffs of 50 per cent on Australia's aluminium and steel. Thankfully, Anthony Albanese has informally advised him that Australia will make its own decisions on defence spending. I would rather Albanese held friendly discussions with President Xi Jinping than show him how great our military capacity is to fight him. Peter Nelson, Moss Vale
I think Albanese was very wise in not being goaded into additional defence spending by the China-baiting and egregiously incompetent US Defence Secretary Peter Hegseth.
The Trump administration is not known for its sane and thoughtful evaluation of issues and, as we know only too well, wars are easy to start but hellishly difficult to conclude. Things have reached a lamentable state when China these days often sounds like the only adult in the room. Bernard Moylan, Bronte
Win some, choose some
What a timely reminder from Michael Carr-Gregg (' Leave concierge parenting at the door to help children ', June 2) regarding sensible parenting. Parents are too quick to blame schools, teachers and other kids when their precious youngster is always in the right. Disappointment is a fact of life and, as stated, we must teach them to accept disappointment with 'courage and curiosity'. Coming second or second last is not failure, it's life. Deal with it, without looking to blame others. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach
Experiences in life can be out of personal control. Illness, accidents and domestic violence may happen, so you learn to accept you have no control and use problem-solving skills to get by. Teachers try to develop these skills. Parents should, too.
Playing sport engages children in the highs and lows of life. If you break a bone, medical experts try to fix it, but you have to be patient for a long time as the break heals. You use problem-solving to adjust to moving with a limb out of use. Bea Hodgson, Gerringong
Lest we forget
Your correspondents' defence of Margaret Thatcher's Falklands War (Letters, June 2) is silent on the torpedoing of the General Belgrano, outside England's declared exclusion zone, with loss of 323 lives, many of them young conscripts. A memorial listing the dead was located in Plaza Britannica in central Buenos Aires, lest Britain forget. Michael Britt, MacMasters Beach
The teal deal?
If the group known as teals do decide to form a party (' Whips and wisecracks: Who will be Lord of Crossbench? ' , June 2), they could still keep that name. The Elected Australian Legislators. Ann Babington, Thornton
It is interesting that a group of teals wishes to coalesce into a political party. Interesting, because they ran on a platform of anti-party feeling. Pasquale Vartuli, Wahroonga
Heavy thrifting
Unable to get the answer to Saturday's Quick crossword clue (8 down) 'Manages one's resources thriftily', my wife nearly choked on her breakfast porridge when I meekly told her yesterday morning the solution was: 'husbands'. She then reminded me, at length, why I am not entrusted with the household shopping. Thanks for nothing Herald and DS; it's going to be a long week. Paul McShane, Burradoo