If we’re in search of an elder statesman to characterize Australia, we couldn’t go additional than Senator Patrick Dodson. A statesman for all of us. Pleasure Paterson, Mount Annan

Naval gazing

Your correspondent (Letters, September 23) appears to have missed the actual fact not all of the naval scores hauling the gun carriage at her majesty’s funeral had been males; not that I dispute his maths. Ladies additionally pull their weight within the providers. Jennifer Briggs, Kilaben Bay

If the British royal household actually needed to be recognized for his or her espousal of environmental causes, then a substitute for a 300kg coffin may have made an enormous state assertion. Cornelius van der Weyden, Balmain East

Has anybody checked what number of of those options on making a republic come from monarchists simply making an attempt to confuse republicans? Jock Brodie, Port Macquarie

The loss of life of a king or queen prompts one-off occasions reminiscent of Thursday’s public vacation. How about we commemorate the altering of the monarch by releasing all these in immigration detention and giving them work visas? Lesley McBurney, Wavell Heights (Qld)

What a disgrace the time, cash and preparation spent honouring the useless all happen after the occasion – unknown to these straight involved. Personally, I’d far desire that any tributes be paid and displayed face-to-face – not with my face up when laying in a coffin, or buried. Edward Loong, Milsons Level

Ditch development taxes to make housing reasonably priced

Everyone seems to be right in saying that reasonably priced housing is an issue (Letters, September 23) however nobody provides an answer. The issue will not be with builders who present the constructed product however with the provision chain and value of latest housing. It may possibly take years to achieve approvals from native councils after which take years to assemble. The price of new homes is about 40 per cent tax after which you will have holding prices and growing rates of interest. Casting off incentives reminiscent of unfavorable gearing will solely scale back the provision by traders and put extra strain on rents. Housing is the highest-taxed commodity, my suggestion is to take away all of the taxes on housing in order that it may be produced at value plus a margin. However I can’t see that occuring, and till it does, the issue will stay. Peter Icklow, Pymble

Since Labor tried and failed in 2019 to handle the issue of an unfair benefit for traders, we have now had nearly insanely low rates of interest, which propelled property values to the stratosphere. Rents have additionally spiralled on account of a scarcity of lodging, and monetary impacts on landlords on account of growing bills reminiscent of insurance coverage and charges, growing mortgage funds and rapacious state authorities land tax. So as to add gas to the fireplace, the federal government intends to draw a whole bunch of hundreds of momentary and everlasting migrants a 12 months, all of whom want housing. The one resolution appears to be to considerably enhance the provision of cheaper housing, however ideally near public transport and providers. State governments and councils ought to think about rigorously any doable choice to rezone residential areas for higher-density housing. Geoff Harding, Chatswood

After the tip of WWII, rents had been excessive and constructing supplies couldn’t be had for love or cash, so my mom turned a part of her dwelling right into a small flat so my sister and her returned soldier fiance may get married. Mum and my sister had been each quarrelsome ladies, so there have been some issues, however at the very least the younger couple may begin married life. Has it come to this once more? Will younger {couples} be pressured to dwell with dad and mom in an effort to save for a house? Have we gone again to the Nineteen Forties? Coral Button, North Epping

As somebody who at present has tenants within the dwelling through which I’ll dwell once I retire, might I provide one other perspective? Throughout the first COVID lockdown I decreased the hire and have left it there, resisting options from my agent to do in any other case. Some property house owners are honest and cheap. I wish to suppose I’m a responsive and accountable “landlady”, offering safe, first rate, well-maintained housing for a household once they want it and whereas I’m in a position. Meredith Williams, Northmead

With the necessity for extreme budgetary constraints and a interval of rising rates of interest, may there be a greater time to remove new unfavorable gearing concessions? Trevor Taylor, Port Macquarie

Enterprise as typical

Your correspondent (Letters, September 23) thought of the “damaging financial impact of yesterday’s public vacation” to honour Queen Elizabeth II. I’m positive the retailers and cafe house owners at my native giant buying centre weren’t crying over their losses – the place was filled with households having fun with a day of retail remedy and meals. There was no recognition of the Queen’s 70 years of service with a silent pause at 11am. It handed with out discover by the crowds.Christine Tiley, Albany Creek (Qld)

If King Charles visits, can we have now a nationwide public vacation? Or maybe we may have one each time a member of the the Aristocracy, main or minor, dies? Say, earls and up? Yesterday’s vacation was actually good. It was marred solely by a garbled request in my native grocery store at 10.58 for a minute’s silence. Nobody close to me stopped buying. We had been having fun with ourselves an excessive amount of. David Neilson, Finke (NT)

Fantastic floodwater fools

With one other La Nina summer time looming, the inevitable warnings about not driving by floodwaters are simply as definitely going to be ignored. For a very long time now we’ve had Complete Fireplace Bans to scale back bushfire danger. Certainly it’s time to introduce fines for individuals who endanger their lives and the lives of the SES and police by persevering with to disregard the warnings about driving by floodwater? We’ve heard these warnings numerous occasions and those that proceed to do it are both egocentric or silly. Fines of $5000 plus, or paying for the price of their rescue, will hopefully change behaviour. I’m positive our rescue providers have higher issues to do. Matt Horne, Forster

Pomp it up

Years in the past, the Herald hosted a operate on the Opera Home in a pastoral attain to its correspondents (Letters, September 23). These attending included Con Vaitsas, Edward Loong and Vicky Marquis. King Charles III has the nice style to share my daughter’s birthday, on November 14. Each ceremonies shall be duly honoured with equal pomp and pageantry. Mike Fogarty, Weston (ACT)

Select humanity

Mark Dreyfus has the chance to differentiate the Albanese authorities as a considerate, caring and thoughtful authorities, in stark distinction to its predecessor, by offering a quintessential consequence for Darko Desic and his supporters (“Free Dougie: mates rally to save lots of jailed fugitive”, September 23). Divorce your choice from politics and resolve primarily based on details, compassion and the desire of the folks. Bob Cameron, Coffs Harbour

Title deed

There was a lot dialogue (Letters, September 23) concerning the potential of reducing the apron strings with (not so Nice any extra) Britain after the loss of life of the Queen and options of what title the nominated individual shall be. One title that’s missed is Head of Nation. It provides honours and recognition to our Indigenous sisters and brothers, in addition to righting the wrongs of historical past. My nomination can be Adam Goodes, a person of dignity and a very good function mannequin for all. Llieda Wild, Eastwood

Let’s go along with The Wizard of Oz or perhaps The Huge Banksia Man (I’ll exclude the “unhealthy”). Heather Johnson, West Pennant Hills

High Bloke. Or if the opposite facet will get in, High Sheila. Brian Everingham, Engadine

It’s apparent: the top of state must be Outdated Mate. Philip Jirman, Wallabi Level

Certainly it’s BOSS (Bloody Excellent Supervisor Type). George Zivkovic, Northmead

I’m positive our wealthy and mellifluous Indigenous languages can present an acceptable time period. Andrew Taubman, Queens Park

Boss Cocky. Michael Pursche, Gordon

Postscript

The Queen figured strongly on the Letters pages once more this week, as we labored our method by the funeral and the discussions afterwards. The funeral was both a positive and fantastic factor, or a dreadful waste of money and time, though typically the opinion was beneficial. The ″⁣professional″⁣ letter writers had been impressed by the outfits, the jewels, the horses, the general pomp and the stamina of the royal marchers. They apprehensive concerning the well being and welfare of the younger sailors pulling the gun carriage and the pallbearers. The ″⁣con″⁣ writers had been disapproving of the entire field and cube, from the start to the limitless postmortems, preferring to modify off the TV and do one thing helpful as a substitute.
Speak of the Queen segued properly into additional consideration of a doable Australian republic. Opinion right here was for a republic, regardless of the survey this week that confirmed decreasing help for a republic, with just a few folks grimly hanging on to the monarchy. Writers then turned to a spirited dialogue about what a brand new head of state may very well be known as. Opinions vary from ″⁣president″⁣ (actually not well-liked, because it turned out) to purely Australian titles reminiscent of ″⁣the ringer″⁣ or ″⁣the Boss Cocky″⁣. Is there actually any level in having a referendum about this? The Herald letters writers appear to have it sorted, together with so many different issues in life.
Away from this, topics ranged over the persevering with housing issues for would-be house owners and renters, the privatisation of Sydney buses, taxation (up or down?), whether or not any extra locations must be named for a royal personage and, again once more, who or what to placed on new banknotes with the change of monarch.
Harriet Veitch, performing letters editor

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