The federal budget: Proud to pay tax for the greater good of society

Moving a person out of homelessness is complex, but it us not rocket science. Further, surviving on a meagre Newstart allowance of $39 a day makes it very difficult for people to seek work and get a foothold on a decent life. These lauded tax cuts mean nothing to these people. One bright spot is a lift for mental health services and extra money to increase the number of home care places to 14,000 over four years. Independence and social inclusion are central to positive health and wellbeing outcomes.

Mark Dohrmann, Sacred Heart Mission, St Kilda

We need to provide services that benefit all

As I read comments about the budget, I see two types of people: those who have worked hard to enjoy the benefits of higher income are scared of their earnings being taken away, and those who are working hard but still struggling are scared they will never benefit from their hard work.

Next year I will, very luckily, be earning one of the nicer, graduate salaries. However, I will still be spending the same amount of time on the train, drinking the same water, visiting the same camping sites on weekends as my lower-earning fellow graduates (who worked just as hard as I did). Our quality of life is largely due to the infrastructure and environment around us, which rely on government spending. I would rather pay tax into services which benefit everyone, rather than be bribed with the promise of half a car's registration worth of tax back.

Meg Turner, Kyneton

The critical, but overlooked, elephants in the room

The budget fails to address the two most pressing issues facing Australia: climate change and unsustainable population growth. Nothing has been allocated towards reducing our ever-increasing greenhouse gas emissions, despite Australia signing the 2016 Paris agreement. In fact, the budget is dependent upon continuing population growth, which is now at record levels. It is socially and environmentally irresponsible, with the usual short-sighted goal of winning the next election based on tax bribes. We need and deserve better.

Vicki Swinbank, Northcote

Following in the path of Howard and Costello

During the mining boom, rather than improve health and education or develop infrastructure, John Howard and Peter Costello squandered, as tax cuts, the record funds which were collected. Not to be outdone and with an election due, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison will deploy billions of dollars of the recent windfall to buy votes rather than pay down the deficit. The more things change, the more the stay the same.

Roger East, Balwyn North

THE FORUM

Who's afraid of our ABC?

Another $84million to be cut from the ABC in coming years. Why this vendetta by the Coalition against it? This continuous starving the ABC of funds has forced it to cut back on programs, put on hold any new programs and sack staff.

What is the government afraid of? That the ABC's informative programs, such as Q&A and 7.30 Report, might cause people to think, question and be informed? What a disaster that would be. People might then learn how morally corrupt, non-caring and conservative this government has become.

Gloria Meltzer, Chewton

Driven by self-interest

With the starting salary for federal politicians at about $200,000, it does not surprise me that the 32.5per cent tax will now apply to them, and then of course there is the negative gearing benefits for their property investments. If they are astute, they will probably avoid paying tax at all. Am I a cynic? Yes.

The politics of self-interest is what is wrong, yet remains the driving motive of our political system. We need better health care and aged support, and compassion towards our fellow citizens and the suffering refugees incarcerated by self-interested politicians.

John Seal, Hamlyn Heights

A matter of age and wealth

Economist Saul Eslake has found "there has been a substantial redistribution of both income and wealth in favour of older households over the past two decades", writes Matt Wade (Comment, 9/5). Also, "even though the number of households aged 65 and over is growing, the average share of income tax paid by that group fell by about 1 percentage point between 2004 and 2016".

However, most people in that group have worked most of their lives and are of retiring age. Most tax is paid during one's working life, not in retirement when incomes are drastically lower. How is this different from decades gone by? The older people have more wealth because they have had more time to accumulate it. When they were young, they also struggled and had far less than their parents. I know we must understand why the young are struggling but surely the situation is more complicated.

Marian Pollock, Brighton East

Richness of diversity

In a country with a rich migrant history, we are excluding a huge portion of the population having their right to shape our nation. As a result, we have a stereotypical male, pale and stale Parliament that does not reflect the beautiful diversity of our country. I maintain my dual citizenship because I am proud of my roots, not because I wish to collude with Italy. Also, I work in recruitment in professional services, and my experience is that diversity leads to creativity and innovation in workplaces.

When Australia wakes up, could someone call me and I will re-engage in our society.

Jessica Bartolotta, Footscray

Dangerous interpretations

The High Court ruling has inadvertently opened the door to more foreign interference in our elections. If the processing of citizenship renunciation forms can take three days or three months, a rogue government could easily delay processing for three years to prevent a candidate standing for our Parliament. Black-letter law interpretations of our 120-year old constitution do not serve the needs of a modern Australia. Alas, the solution of a referendum to allow dual citizens to be elected would probably fail in "modern" Australia.

Mark Hibberd, Aspendale

Once bitten, never again

Let this be a lesson to me. I thought I had logged onto the State Theatre website to purchase tickets for Ballet Revolucion. I bought tickets for the stalls, and the stated price was $112. I was rushed through with the flashing signs saying "Last tickets left". (Fool, I hear you say.)

However, my tickets had no seat numbers. And the two tickets cost $136, plus a $12 delivery fee for registered postage (no online tickets to print), plus GST, plus an $86 booking fee. In total, it came to $370.24. The company name, Viagogo, was cleverly hidden.

I went to the State Theatre and was told there was nothing they could do, but that this was a common occurrence with Viagogo (a company I had never heard of). I have no way of knowing whether I actually have two seats until I go to the concert.

Heather Frith, Essendon

Teaching young men...

Clementine Ford (Online, 8/5) rightly implores parents to educate their sons regarding appropriate sexual conduct. However, she is wrong to say: "As a society, we have to ask ourselves why it is that we refuse to educate boys about this behaviour".

Millions of Australian parents have taught their sons to respect women. Almost every young man would be appalled at the behaviour of the male in the case she describes. The exceptions are unacceptable. Even one such incident is too many, and the many, many manifestations of male privilege in our communities require huge amounts of ongoing education. But to suggest that our society ignores or accepts this behaviour is untrue.

Dave Jackson, Kew

...respect for women

Yes, "an enthusiastic yes" from women is important. However, the deeper issue is the pervasive porn culture. This, and its misogynistic portrayal of women, shapes young men's beliefs that rape is "hot", normal, legal or that a woman would want that. Triumphing about this to friends mirrors the porn culture's treatment of women as objects to be violent with.

The reason we need laws for "an enthusiastic yes" is because porn is educating our boys to think violent sex is normal and that they should treat women as sexual rag dolls.

Elizabeth Fritzlaff, Launching Place

Importance of kindness

The system designed to support young people with mental illness, and in distress, is broken (The Age, 7/5). As a GP of many years experience, I am usually able to manage these young people, with the assistance of my practice colleagues and wonderful local psychologists.

Recently I had reason to call headspace after many years of not using the "system". I was surprised and disappointed to learn there was a three-week wait for triage, an eight-week wait for first appointment, and the various headspace offices' waiting lists were not joined up. I had to ring a few different sites to hear the same information.

In desperation I contacted the Centre Against Sexual Assault, and the the staff were most kind and responsive. They spoke with the young person in my consulting room, and arranged immediate telephone follow-up and a face-to-face appointment within one to two weeks. Brick walls for young people in distress will continue to result in their attendance to acute services, including emergency departments. The system needs more kindness and less "criteria".

Dr Debra Wilson, Brunswick West

Lure of the mighty dollar

Greg Baum states that, in sport, "nothing is above commercial exploitation" (Sport, 5/5). This week is the AFL's Indigenous Week. A number of club jumpers were displayed on AFL 360 in support of the concept. All were designed by Indigenous community artists/designers and were beautifully crafted. When they were turned around for viewers to see the back, an ad for a private health insurance company was prominently displayed. Point well made, Greg Baum.

Barry Block, Blairgowrie

Time to toughen up

In response to Malcolm Cameron's comment about there being a 90per cent chance of rain and a minimum temperature of 6 degrees for tonight's AFL match (Letters, 9/5): imagine being an English footballer. Those conditions would be a good day for them – and with climate change brining so much variability in weather conditions, Aussie rules players had better get used to it.

Sue King, Camberwell

It's very welcome rain

I heard a radio presenter repeatedly talk about how horrible and depressing the wet weather would be this week. Many of his listeners, such as myself, have family and friends in the country who are doing it tough.

I wish the presenter, and others, would spare a thought for our primary producers in Victoria and NSW who have received less than 20millimetres of rain since February. They are putting food on our plates, and this rain might reduce the chance of failed crops, starving livestock and loss of a year's income. It is very welcome.

Lorelle McMonigle, Reservoir

Our highly skilled staff

I dispute Peter Hannam's assertions that the Murray–Darling Basin Authority is "nominally independent", "cheerleading changes that will trigger reductions in environmental flows" and that it has "threatened" staff about "talking to outsiders" (Comment, 9/5). It is an independent, expertise-based statutory authority that is responsible for making decisions about water resource planning in the interests of the whole Basin.

The changes to the southern and northern Basin water recovery targets were agreed by all states and mean the environment will receive more water than it currently has. The authority's best resource is its highly skilled and dedicated staff. I reject Hannam's assertion that it has threatened staff. Our staff, have a responsibility to comply with the Australian Public Service's Values and Code of Conduct. It is entirely appropriate for the agency to remind our people of these obligations from time to time.

Neil Andrew, Murray-Darling Basin Authority

Our capital, our state

A reminder to candidates and voters in the City of Melbourne election: decisions made, by voters and those voted in, will have repercussions beyond the CBD and metropolitan boundary. Be mindful of this when you vote and in future council deliberations.

Anne Mennell, Tenby Point

AND ANOTHER THING

Life matters

A new definition of stupidity: autumn plus wind plus leaf blowers.

John Higgins, Hawthorn

Has Dermott Brereton been cloned as James Sicily? (Letters, 9/5). Hopefully.

Jenni King, Camberwell

Budget

Cuts to foreign aid spell disaster for our humanitarian and strategic place in the world.

David Baker, Parkdale

I'm not worried about our foreign aid being frozen. The Chinese will be happy to pick up the slack.

Barry Lizmore, Ocean Grove

Promises, promises. Is Morrison doing a Swan on us?

Richard Yoell, Golden Square

Book of the month: The Blundering Budgeteers and Their Quest for the Golden Voter.

Brian Rock, Beechworth

Does ABC stand for "A Budget Cut"?

Beverley McIntyre, Camberwell

And the sword of Damocles hangs ever closer ...

Emily Spiller, Carlton

Surprise, surprise. The flat-earthers have come up with a flat tax.

Denny Meadows, Hawthorn

Have the conservatives declared "Labor's debt truck" unroadworthy? Has a new, shiny model displaced it?

Roger Willsher, The Patch

Politics

Politicians don't need to keep repeating: "Let me be quite clear". We can see straight through them.

Gerry Lonergan, Reservoir

Congratulations to Malaysia for becoming a genuine democracy.

Rod Matthews, Fairfield

The dual-citizenship fiasco is a waste of time and money. Change the constitution.

Katriona Fahey, Alphington

Shorten's "rigorous process" has come up short. Sadly, taxpayers will foot the full Bill.

Mark Brooks, Benalla

Shorten's statement about Labor's thorough vetting process is a pathetic parallel to his economics.

Mal Alexander, Vermont