Parnell Palme McGuinness says: “It was the wrong policy, introduced in the wrong way, at the wrong time, by the wrong people” (“The dog ate this trio’s homework”, November 8).
asserted
dog → say → homework
The real estate affordability bubble was always going to burst, so better to try to deflate it carefully.
asserted
bubble → go → it
It was the other mob who created the problem of unaffordable housing over the past 25 years, so they won’t or can’t fix it.
asserted
they → create → it
The only time to do anything radical is the first budget after the very short three-year federal term.
asserted
time → do → term
The last election result was a landslide rejecting the other mob, so the only people to do it are the current incumbents, no one else has the authority.
asserted
one → reject → authority
Good leaders take advice broadly but eventually make decisions and bear the political consequences at the next election.
asserted
leaders → take → election
The other mob only specialise in policy paralysis, including energy, climate, minimum wage fairness and submarines.
asserted
mob → specialise → energy
The Japanese submarines favoured by Abbott would by now have all arrived.
asserted
submarines → favour → Abbott
The list is long when one thinks back.
asserted
one → think → ?
Parnell offers no solutions, she just critiques those trying to fix the problems created by her ideological bedfellows.
asserted
she → offer → bedfellows
She needs to go back to her Utopian Nirvana, that only exists in her imagination, while the rest of us live in the imperfect, real world.
asserted
rest → need → world
Parnell Palme McGuinness hits the nail on the head – it is the wrong policy at the wrong time.
asserted
it → hit → time
Blind Freddy can see that it is failing.
asserted
it → see → ?
We don’t expect politicians to always get it right, but doubling down and hiding behind excuses shows a pathetic lack of fortitude.
asserted
doubling → expect → fortitude
Albanese needs to take a leaf out of Chris Minns’ book and have the humility to admit that, in this case, “we were wrong”.
asserted
we → need → case
He should shelve the proposed budget tax changes and use the time between now and the next election to develop a considered, properly consulted policy that actually achieves its stated aim, i.e. getting more first home buyers into houses.
asserted
that → shelve → houses
Col Burns, Lugarno
Student housing blame game
It’s pretty clear that at the core of this is poor planning by governments, particularly planning for housing supply (“International students put off by fees, aggression”, November 8).
asserted
students → ’ → fees
The Coalition, when in power from 2013 to 2022, built no social housing and heavily promoted Australian universities to overseas students.
asserted
Coalition → build → students
The pressures on housing supply then really ramped up after COVID-19 when those international workers and students who Morrison had sent home started returning.
asserted
Morrison → ramp → who
So we ended up with a housing shortage, and now the international students and workers are blamed for it via the lightweights Pauline Hanson and Angus Taylor.
asserted
students → end → lightweights
They’ve managed to wind up the mob with their screeching while they were as culpable as anyone for the poor planning.
asserted
they → manage → planning
And the blame game continues with no thought again for the victims who might well decide that Australia is not welcoming and will desert our education system in droves.
uncertain
Australia → continue → droves
With politicians like you, we don’t need enemies.
asserted
we → need → enemies
Ian Ferrier, Long Jetty
GPS solution for e-bike clutter
The City of Sydney’s proposal to cap fleet sizes at 7000 is a backward step in our attempts to improve commuting efficiency (“Revealed: The plan to strip 5000 e-bikes from Sydney’s streets”, November 8).
asserted
proposal → cap → streets
While it is right to address cluttered footpaths, we should not restrict popular transport options when technology can solve the management problem without council interference.
asserted
technology → address → interference
Sydney does not need expensive physical docking stations such as those in Paris and other European cities.
asserted
Sydney → need → Paris
The solution to fix e-bike clutter is already in every bike and every renter’s pocket: geolocation.
asserted
solution → fix → bike
Council should paint designated parking areas next to bus stops, sized to match passenger volume – a few spots at a quiet neighbourhood stop, and many at a busy interchange – with an app displaying in real time where parking bays are full and, obviously, where bikes are available.
asserted
bikes → paint → time
The rules could be simple: a trip is not over and billing does not stop unless the bike is within a designated bus stop zone with available space.
uncertain
bike → stop → space
If a parking area is full, the renter must take the bike to the next one.
asserted
renter → take → one
This is how it worked in Paris when I was there two years ago.
asserted
I → work → Paris
Because accurate GPS technology can record where every trip ends, a renter who dumps a bike outside the rules pays a hefty fee automatically, with no council ranger required.
asserted
ranger → record → fee
John Kempler, Rose Bay
There’s been a Lime e-bike sitting untouched in the Hunters Hill shopping centre for a week.
asserted
Kempler → sit → week
At least it shows we’re honest.
asserted
we → show → ?
Adrian Proszenko summed it up bluntly and accurately: “four vicious uppercuts … the final blows were superfluous …
asserted
blows → sum → uppercuts
It was sickening to witness … the lines between sanctioned violence and assault were blurred” (“Unanswered upper cuts before things took a nasty turn”, November 8).
asserted
things → witness → turn
And the event was held at the “Entertainment Centre”?
asserted
event → hold → Centre
This so-called “sport” should be banned.
asserted
sport → call → ?
- The Opinion newsletter is a weekly wrap of views that will challenge, champion and inform.
asserted
that → challenge → views
The Aporia
