Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

Having to listen to the cynical, self-righteous and hypocritical bleatings of our political class lecturing Indonesia on the evils of the death penalty is grotesque ("DFAT lodges complaint about treatment of Bali nine pair Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran", canberratimes.com.au, March 6). If Australia really believes the death penalty is so abhorrent, where is its voice when more than 20 countries around the world routinely commit "judicial murder", including Saudi Arabia (80 victims), our "special friends" China (1000), the US (40), Japan (7) and our "trainee democracy" Iraq (140)? Supporting or opposing the death penalty is a black-and-white issue, not just another self-serving opportunity for our politicians to once again demonstrate their immoral capacity to be all things to all people.

John Richardson Wallagoot, NSW

Treasurer Joe Hockey says we have to work longer. At the moment, we have a better educated generation than we ever have had. At the moment, the youth unemployment rate is over 12per cent. For every person who keeps on working past the present retirement age, a young person is denied their job. Hockeynomics is an irrational reaction to a rational fact: if you deny the young a future, the cost outweighs any benefit you might achieve by keeping older people working.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

I wouldn't put too much credence on the intergenerational report's budget outcome forecasts. I worked for over 30 years in the budgeting areas of government departments, and we never got the forward estimates out-years right. In fact, we rarely got the next year's estimates right – that's why there are additional estimates and the Treasurer's advance.

Brian Bell, Bonython

Governments current and past have ignored the rorting of federally funded job-placement programs – exposed most recently by ABC TV's Four Corners. What is Employment Minister Eric Abetz doing to make sure that system can no longer be rorted by private job agencies? What legislative changes will there be, if any? What is being done for the unemployed who have been treated like cash cows by cynical job agencies? And what is being done to recoup the money for the taxpayers? Senator Abetz urgently needs to make amends to the unemployed and the taxpayer for this systematic fraud.

Miss Sofia Rita Belmonte, Griffith

So, the Tax Office is on track to collect an extra $1billion ("ATO confident it can recoup $1b revenue from companies", February 27, p11). This is more spin from the neoliberals currently destroying the Australian Tax Office and undermining its capacity to police the big business tax avoiders. That figure, $1billlion, is a pittance compared with what the rich and powerful are getting away with. The current commissioner's spin detracts from the real story, namely that, as deputy commissioner, he told us in 2011 or 2012, 40per cent of big business between 2005 and 2008 paid no income tax. The figure after the global financial crisis is likely to be higher, but we no longer hear these sorts of revelations from the ATO. The United Voice/Tax Justice Network report, Who Pays for Our Common Wealth? reinforces the message. Many big businesses pay little or no tax in Australia. One reason among many for this is the lack of resources the ATO devotes to the task, a lack of resources I and other senior officers in the ATO were pointing out in relation to international tax in the mid-2000s. The destruction of the ATO's capacity to properly police the rich and powerful is not an aberration. It is the logic of neoliberalism. Appointing neoliberals to the leading positions in the ATO and now Treasury is but one aspect of that logic. Regulatory capture is the phrase we should be using.

John Passant, Kambah

Our federal Treasurer's emphatic signature tune to world leaders at the November 1914 Brisbane G20 Summit was to implement reforms to tackle tax avoidance by multinational companies. However, without fanfare and trumpets, the federal government has covertly "dead, buried and cremated" such plans. The proposed tax avoidance reform (Section 25-90) was scrapped on page 117 of the MYEFO Statement with little explanation except that "stakeholders" (notably the Business Council of Australia) were not happy. Presumably, it will be up to other "stakeholders" – ordinary taxpayers – to unfairly pick up the slack.

P. R. Temple, Macquarie

In his lucid article ("Can we really win in Iraq" Times2, March 4, p1), Jack Waterford points the finger at the Shiite government of Iraq for failing to extend the hand of peace to the Sunni sect, thus causing the fracture of a nation. This sectarian hatred remains deep throughout the region, with Iran leading the Shiite, and Saudi Arabia the Sunni. Sadly, this chasm plays nicely into the hands of Islamic State. If these countries do not put aside their differences and form a solid wall to defeat IS, the return to the region of something approaching normality will never attained. Surely, it is the duty of these countries to bring peace to their region, and not the duty of foreign powers who are clearly unsure of how to tackle this local problem.

Sam Nona, Burradoo, NSW

Stephen Brown (Letters, February 26) states that "Kirribilli House was bought by the Commonwealth as a residence for distinguished visitors and guests of the government". In fact, it was bought by the government in 1919 in the belief that it could be useful "as a defence against the Russians". After that, it languished, and was used as a boarding house for many years. It was in the 1950s that the government decided it should become a residence for VIP visitors. It was refurbished for that purpose. The prime minister could stay there only if it was not otherwise occupied. Alas, since Menzies' time, its purpose has been changed.

Heather Henderson, Yarralumla

Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss has announced that Australia's new Defence and Civil Air Traffic Control System will be built by the European firm Thales, at a cost of about $600million. Seems like our government and team of "instant experts" will never learn. The previous "circus" known as The Australian Advanced Air Traffic System (TAAATS) is to be replaced by the new One Sky platform. TAAATS came on our radar (pun intended) circa 1991 and was completed late 1999, some five years late and more than $100million over budget ... not including a list of abandoned project costs, the cost of various inquiries into the lack of Australian participation in the tender process; and various litigation costs. TAAATS was awarded to the French Company, Thomson CSF Radar Corp, and the associated charade resulted in massive deskilling within the relevant Australian government business agency. Fifteen years later, and TAAATS is about to be replaced by another hugely expensive system at a cost of $600million (and probably more). I believe this ongoing "circus" warrants a timely inquiry, before the costs get more out of hand.

Graham Bailey, Queanbeyan, NSW

Andrew Leigh's rose-coloured glasses' analysis of growth ("Progressives should love economic growth, too", The Public Sector Informant, March 8, p16 ) is loaded with the sort of selective reporting and false optimism typical of pro-growth articles written by the beneficiaries, not the victims, of his concept of "growth". Yes, the majority profited when we had low populations and high environmental capital, but "growth" has become less and less beneficial as this balance has swung the other way. He speaks of education and technology as the key and yet, increasingly, his "perpetual growth" economy is unable to fund this essential investment in our future, not to mention other vital infrastructure projects as the basic demands of our population continue to swell rapidly. Our current economic "growth" is nothing more than rapid population growth underpinned by rapid resource depletion, environmental degradation, budget deficits, asset sales, infrastructure overload/deficits and declining "quality of life" for an increasing number of Australians. This is the fundamental issue which undermines Dr Leigh's education and technology solutions. Ideas are useless if they can't be funded. Attempting to finance the rapid population growth supported by Andrew Leigh is drawing vital funding from more productive investments, and is the ball and chain holding us back from achieving real growth and the new direction Australia must take.

Martin Tye Broulee, NSW

YOU HAVE TO WONDER ...

Q. Did you hear the one about the National Capital Authority which knocked back the Brodburger van because it did not comply with the National Capital Plan requirement that "developments must show an appropriate quality of architectural design"? A. Three years later they approved the Container Village. Boom tish.

John Howarth, Weston

In regard to the current heritage listing debate, I would like to know what is going to happen to the historic Turner PCYC, and why it is being allowed to deteriorate.

Nancy Tidfy, Chisholm

Strange that the Abbott government believes that any contribution Australia might make to reducing global carbon emissions would be so insignificant as to not warrant the effort, but that sending a few hundred Australian military personnel to train a virtually untrainable Iraqi army is a worthwhile contribution to global security.

Patricia Saunders, Chapman

HOPE IT'S A BETTER PLAN

I haven't seen Bill Shorten's shiny new plan to restore the budget, Sankar Chattergee (Letters, March 4), so help me out. Is it much the same as Wayne Swan's, which collectively fell short by about $200 billion, and were the Greens and PUP consulted and are they on board?

Christopher Smith, Braddon

In answer to questions in The House recently the Prime Minister and the Minister for Health emphasised the need to maximise the value of every health dollar. It would be interesting to know what health outcomes they perceive there to be from the billion dollars a year in profits of health funds such as BUPA, Medibank Private and NIB.

Steve Thomas, Yarralumla

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