Farmers’ fuel shortage reveals the true cost of oil

I sympathise with our farmers, whose livelihoods are threatened by fuel shortages arising from the bombing of Iran (“Farmers warning fuels more price fears”, March 17). The good news is that electric farm vehicles are beginning to replace traditional heavy agricultural machinery, which could protect them from such fuel crises in the future. It could also ease demand for diesel and lower fuel and maintenance costs. Government incentives are available to buy electric farm equipment. Apart from farming, it’s now also possible for the trucking industry to reduce its reliance on diesel. Volvo already manufactures heavy duty electric trucks in Queensland and Linfox has had an electric fleet running for three years. The only lasting solution to the oil shortage is to reduce our dependence on the stuff, as recent events have clearly shown. Anne O’Hara, Wanniassa (ACT)

With fuel prices rocketing, the 103,269 buyers of electric vehicles in Australia last year must be very happy with their decision. If only we didn’t spend nearly a decade under the previous Coalition with our heads in the sand. Imagine a fleet of electric trucks running up the highways delivering food and goods right now. And farms worked by electric tractors powered by solar and batteries. We are now paying the price of failing to progress. Andrew Moffat, Bermagui

Dear Michaelia Cash, I was thinking of you this morning as I plugged my EV into my solar array for a free battery top-up. Having owned an EV for six years and having enjoyed 100,000km of almost free driving, apart from paying for a new set of tyres and a capped annual service fee of $120, I couldn’t be happier. Now, as the world faces more insecurity and with Australia in the perilous situation of having less than 30 days of onshore petroleum reserves, I often think of your ridiculous scare campaign and negative assertions against the take-up of EVs during your time in government. Ian Landon-Smith, Wahroonga

I note there is talk of rationing petrol again. Back in the ’70s was easy – odd or even number plate. I wonder how are they going to call it now with our current number plate system? Carolyn Goodson, North Ryde

Fuel to the fire

America’s undeclared war on Iran, uncertain in purpose and direction, tops a continuing parade of hostile international adventurism, begun by its current president with contemptuous disregard for established systems of law and order. His exercise of power, backed by ignorant acolytes and enabled by a supine Congress, is taking the world towards a chaotic abyss. Trump plays his cards as a gangster. Who could trust him? Isn’t it about time that the nations, who profess compliance with the rules and conventions allowing trade and commerce to function and peoples to live in peace, face up to the realities of current world disorder? The US, at one time champion of the world, acts now as a rogue state among the nations it once called friends and allies. Which nation today could reasonably place trust or confidence in the US as a friend or ally, in war or peace? Australia has placed a lot of money and trust in the hopeful cause known as AUKUS. Our government might show its concern about the behaviour and reliability of its supposed great ally and protector before it’s too late. Frank Riley, Burradoo

Every day we find ourselves more threatened by an unhinged and irrational White House occupant, raging, forgetting and saying things such as “the war will be over when I feel it in my bones” or “Israel will never use a nuclear weapon in Iran” – divulging the open secret that Israel possesses such weapons. He is constantly falling asleep, acting erratically and unpredictably, rambling incoherently and is now threatening Nato. If the 25th Amendment for removing a president from office cannot be invoked for someone like Donald Trump, to whom does it apply? Bernard Moylan, Bronte

How ironic – climate change denier/oil and gas advocate Donald Trump is giving solar, wind and water power a mighty boost. EV sales soaring; tick. Public transport use up: tick. Solar panel and battery installation booming: tick. Understanding of the strategic dangers of relying on long and inherently complex supply chains has never been stronger: tick. Even if the bombing stops tomorrow months of disruption will follow. It seems unlikely that things will ever go back to “normal”. Good. Andrew FitzSimons, Wattamolla

US no longer reliable

Peter Hartcher puts an interesting spin on the situation in the Middle East (“Who’s winning the war? Not Trump”, March 17)? Is it Russia, is it China? It’s almost certainly not America, despite Donald Trump’s daily claims of success. The longer this war continues the more Trump is alienating long-term allies and helping potential adversaries. It must stop now. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

After reading Peter Hartcher I got the impression that Donald Trump’s preferred strategy is to have neither plan nor purpose. That makes it extremely difficult for his enemies to know what he’s going to do next. Unfortunately, nobody else does either. Mark Porter, New Lambton

Peter Hartcher’s perceptive article shows what a dangerous world we live in and that we can no longer rely on Trump’s US. Our best course is to join Canadian PM Mark Carney’s alliance of middle powers and become as independent as possible. Andrew Macintosh, Cromer

Rates pressure

Changing interest rates is an effective way of managing demand because it reduces the amount of money available for you to spend (“Reserve Bank raises interest rates to 4.1 per cent”, March 17). However, first during COVID and now with the oil shortage, we find it is shortages in supply, not excessive demand, that are pushing up prices. So families find that many things are more expensive because petrol prices have leapt up – even commuting is now much dearer. The official response? OK, you are having to pay more for everything because of a petrol shortage, so we will increase your mortgage repayments as well. Well done. Michael McMullan, Avoca Beach

The rising price of fuel is a supply issue. Please tell me how an interest rate increase will change this. Jim Chalmers and co. need to intervene with measures to fight inflation instead of standing back and putting it all on the RBA. Jenny Greenwood, Hunters Hill

Population balance

Laura Ferracioli somewhat exaggerates the demographic problem of low birthrates (“Solving depopulation needs more than baby steps”, March 17). The global population is still increasing and is not expected to stabilise until the 2080s. Developing countries cannot cope with the population numbers they have now, so Australia can benefit from migration programs that target people from these overpopulated countries. We will run into economic problems only if voters listen to Pauline Hanson and her anti-immigration rhetoric and cut themselves off from the obvious solution to maintaining population numbers. This will give us 50 years of breathing space to consider the socio-economic changes that will be necessary when the populations of developing countries stabilise. Admittedly, our record of 50 years of head-in-the-sand treatment of climate change doesn’t bode well for a rational long-term population policy, but we can live in hope. Bruce Hyland, Woy Woy

Memo to Matt Canavan: caution is advised. The accepted wisdom around replacing an ageing population may need a rethink. Yes, making babies here and now (black, white or brown) promises they will be on deck when the economy might need them, but that whole “growth” narrative is predicated on business as usual. Instead, uncertainty qualifies every projection and prognostication. What sort of world are we ushering them into? Will there be enough jobs (AI willing) and homes to go around? Rewarding livelihoods, at every stage of their lives? Our social contract is already showing signs of fraying. If people are already deciding to delay/limit parenthood, pollies cooing over prams aren’t going to persuade them otherwise. And risk-averse governments are unlikely to embrace other approaches to social engineering, especially if they have significant budget implications. Margaret Johnston, Paddington

If I may respond to Laura Ferracioli – Australia has pretty much got “depopulation” licked, if not via local bundles of joy. World-beating immigration levels have juiced our population 45 per cent since 2000, from 19 million past 27 million. Overruling pretty much every voter poll taken since COVID, the Treasurer and the Treasury are still gunning for 40 million. It would take much more than an Iran war, maybe World War III, to get the Treasury boffins to back off from their ivory-tower population crusade. Stephen Saunders, O’Connor

Private privilege

Sorry, Vivienne Parsons, I pay my taxes like everyone else but if I want to buy a Rolls-Royce I need to pay for it myself (Letters, March 17). I don’t expect taxpayers’ money to subsidise my expensive purchase. By the same token, if you want to send your kids to a private school, you should pay for it without taxpayers’ money. Therese Schier, Casino

What Vivienne Parsons fails to notice is that the federal government funds private schools generously. Private should be private, without government assistance. If the government redirected its funding entirely to public schools, those schools could operate with smaller classes, better resources and better outcomes for their students. Tom Meakin, Port Macquarie

In 2024, the Productivity Commission recommended abolishing the tax-deductible status of private school building funds, as they found these funds did not meet the criteria for charitable activity and benefited a wealthy minority. However, the Labor government did not support the recommendation, and the building frenzy has continued unabated, the most recent monstrosity being a baronial castle which houses a school library. This taxpayer-funded scheme costs a staggering amount of money and continues to contribute to the inequality in Australia’s education system. How much better it would be if the money were spent on the underfunded and under-resourced public school system? The Treasury is in the process of preparing this year’s budget, which apparently will be prioritising intergenerational inequalities and tax reform. So this is your moment, Jim Chalmers: can you change things for the better, or will you allow our education system to become even more fragmented? Margaret McDonald, Deakin (ACT)

I also agree that parents should be able to choose the type of school for their children to attend. What I also feel strongly about is that governments should stop throwing obscene amounts of taxpayers’ money at rich private schools to enable them to build empires, while public schools cannot afford even basic activities such as swimming lessons or excursions to Canberra. It seems that no party is willing to open up this debate and level the playing field. After all, public school parents have the same voting rights as those using private schools? Margaret Grove, Concord

Protest voters

It seems many people, including your correspondents, are worried about the rise of One Nation in the polls and potentially the next state and federal elections (Letters, March 17). I suspect that much of the shift stems from a rejection of the major parties. If One Nation does well at the next election, it could well be because voters hope that a good kicking might get the major parties to wake up to themselves and put ordinary Australians first. Bill Irvine, Goulburn

Yeah, Hanson’s mob smacked the Coalition in the latest poll. But there’s still two years to go before a federal election, which is plenty of time for Hanson et al, especially Barnaby Joyce, to shoot themselves in the feet. James Mahoney, McKellar (ACT)

More than a high

We need to understand that cannabis is not a drug with a single psychoactive component; there are many, and more are being discovered as research continues (“Cannabis of little help for mental health: study”, March 17). The two chemicals that occur in the highest concentrations are THC and CBD. Virtually all cannabis sold illegally has high levels of THC – up to 30 per cent – because this is the component that gives people the “high” they seek. Sadly, much of the cannabis available through phone prescription is also THC dominant, with CBD virtually non-detectable. For people with mental health conditions, their symptoms can be exacerbated by high-THC cannabis. One can obtain cannabis that is “balanced”, with a higher CBD component and a lesser concentration of THC, generally about 8 per cent THC and 10 per cent CBD, from GPs licensed to prescribe this drug. CBD has been shown to be effective against anxiety. As we learn more about this plant, I believe other components will also prove medicinally useful. Gerianne Rudd, Toowong (Qld)

Police sparked fear

I was an inadvertent witness to the “moment that sparked a riot” (“CCTV reveals true start of Town Hall protest chaos”, March 16). After leaving a peaceful rally, I was at the wall in front of the Town Hall about to exit towards Druitt St when that young man was pushed face-down into the stone top of the wall next to me by several policemen. People said he had stupidly thrown a bottle. He did not resist and, after being searched and cuffed, was led off. There was no “riot” or trouble at that point. Suddenly, without warning, the police between me and Druitt St closed ranks and surged forward, surrounding me. They trapped me against the wall, injuring my arm then tripping me up as I attempted to stop myself falling. As a witness to the moment the rally turned violent, I have no hesitation in saying that it was the actions of the riot squad and police who turned the rally into what it became, blocking all exits and boxing people into a smaller and smaller space. Frankly, it was terrifying. Lesley Walker, Ashbury

Dare to end CGT

Negative gearing is an incentive to investors with one or more houses to compete in the market and buy more houses. Capital gains tax is a disincentive for investors to sell the house or houses they already have. Reducing the capital gains tax discount will only give investors more reason not to sell – if the treasurer wants to increase housing supply for young people, he should not fiddle with the level of discount, but completely remove the CGT on houses. He should double up – totally remove both negative gearing and the capital gains tax. Jack Bedson, Armidale

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