High cost of population growth

True, immigration provides 60per cent of Australia's population growth, and without immigration, the government predicts that labour force growth will almost cease within the next decade. As Salmond suggests, the circular argument is that we need more people to provide the things that more people need.

The Australia Institute has estimated every extra 400,000 Australians require an additional 61 public primary schools, two public hospitals, 25 residential aged-care homes, and 145,000 homes.

The argument from those such as Chris Richardson from Deloitte Access Economics is more people, including skilled migrants, will drive jobs and prosperity at a national level. At a local level, there are those, including pro-"big Canberra" politicians, who argue a larger local population is necessary to support more environmentally sustainable infrastructure. These claims should be questioned, for reasons which go beyond issues of immigration.

The perils of unfettered economic growth were highlighted 40 years ago by The Club of Rome (Limits to Growth) and by British economist E. F. Schumacher (Small Is Beautiful: A Study of Economics As If People Mattered). Both were critical of the "more is better" philosophy and warned that the pursuit of unlimited growth in population, material goods, etc. would impose significant costs on the Earth's resources, eco-systems and economic systems. Schumacher proposed that, rather than measuring well-being by gross national product, we should try to achieve the maximum well-being with the minimum consumption. The simple fact is that an expanding population, whether due to natural increases or immigration, creates more pressures on resources and the environment. And greater use of resources often results in more problems whose solutions demand more services and infrastructure (for example, obesity related to the increased availability of high-kilojoule foods).

Population growth is unsustainable and we should question the self-important and profit-seeking claims by politicians and the property industry about the need for larger cities – cities where quality of life will be defined by an economy driven by more people who consume more "stuff" whose production requires the use of more and more resources, whose storage requires larger and larger houses and whose disposal requires more energy use and landfill.

Karina Morris, Weetangera

Timoshenko Aslanides (Letters, December 24) knocked me off my seat re "Arts ACT programs foster conformity".

Being one of those full-time artists who is a "maverick" and has been unable to get support in regard to being "hung" in a regional/public gallery, I so applaud your well articulated letter. It is only because of generous people who believe in my ability that I have my own gallery.

It is an isolated local artist who is fortunate enough to receive any support from ACT government which appear to struggle with the historical "tyranny of distance" legacy and have little understanding of what the public really enjoy as "artistic interpretation".

Is it not time for regional galleries Australia-wide to be taken to account for their declining public attendances due to the belief that if the general public appreciates it, it is not "real art"?

Margaret Hadfield, Phillip

D.J.Fraser (Letters, December 27) asks "why the threat of an imminent act of terrorism on our soil has reared its ugly head now" and intimates that it is as a result of conservatives being at the helm. In this he is probably right. The ALP has adopted policies of denial particularly where the horrendous budget debt and deficit are concerned and for which the current ALP opposition accepts no responsibility. The Coalition aim is to be open and frank and thus is making people aware of the threat and particularly that which might be initiated by lone wolves such as Man Hiron Manis. For this we should thank the current government and be more alert rather than complacent.

N.Bailey, Nicholls

Calling feminists male-bashers is nothing new for those in denial of the reality of violence against women. What I would like is for the two men, Gary J Wilson and Paul Remington (Letters, December 27), to reflect on why they are so defensive and angry about Jenna Price's article. Is it because men's responsibility about violence against women is something they prefer to ignore, and thus creating a distraction with the line "women are violent too"? Or is it because they are genuinely confusing the issue of men and women's capacity for violence, with the issue of violence against women?

If so, Wilson and Remington would do well with some proper research and educate themselves with actual facts and figures before launching into misinformed tirades.

Joyce Wu, Lyneham

Whilst JWS Research has concluded that Prime Minister Tony Abbott has a "women problem", others could equally conclude that women in this country are just far more perceptive than men, whilst possessing higher standards and having greater expectations of our political leaders than their gender opposites ("Women rate Tony Abbott poorly on all fronts", December 28). Given that most of the problems confronting our country have been caused by men, perhaps the most valuable insight from the research is that the real problem is them?

John Richardson, Wallagoot

Crispin Hull's thoughtful article "Public grief is good for us" (Forum, December 27) recalls his own beautiful recollection of 30 years ago: "She climbed every mountain", in memory of his late wife. That was a perfect example of the cathartic effect that he advocates. Thank you Crispin.

Jack Palmer, Watson

I note that over the Christmas break Education Minister Christopher Pyne intends to read The Narrow Road to the Deep North.

Might I suggest that he, and the electorate, would be better served if he read The Student Loan Mess. How good intentions created a trillion-dollar debt.

The book is published by the University of California Press and I am certain it could be purchased for Mr Pyne at taxpayer expense.

C. Johnston, Duffy

Brian Hatch is wrong to say that "15 months into a new government there are no children in detention". As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald on December 21, 2014, the majority of children shifted from Christmas Island have not been released from detention, but are being held in a detention centre near Darwin. And of course, Mr Hatch has followed Mr Abbott (and Pontius Pilate) by washing his hands of the hundreds of children left to rot on Nauru.

When political leaders and their apologists argue that treating people abominably (think of Reza Barati and Hamid Kehazaei) is really driven by "love" because it can save lives at sea, it pays to be cynical.

Exclusion at the border is not a mechanism for saving lives, but for ensuring that those fleeing persecution die somewhere else.

And according to a United States diplomatic cable in November 2009, a "key Liberal Party strategist" remarked that the flow of boats was "fantastic" for the then opposition, and that "the more boats that come the better".

When bigots' votes are up for grabs, "love" takes a back seat to politics. Nonetheless, we should all be grateful to Mr Hatch. He has offered us a new reading of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke, 10: 29-37). From his point of view, the heroes are the Priest and the Levite who declined to help the wounded man. The "Good" Samaritan, by coming to his aid, simply encouraged other people to continue to travel on what was obviously a dangerous road from Jerusalem to Jericho. No love in that.

Dr William Maley, Reid

It is disappointing that Greg Cornwall chose to take a cheap shot at Australia's overseas aid program by conflating it with the response to the tsunami emergency. (Letters, December 24). There have been a number of thoughtful reports and comments made on the tenth anniversary of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated so many countries. Most of them are positive and reflect benefits to the affected communities. The province of Aceh seems to have been lacking in proper governance, resulting in corruption and unfinished projects, but it is dishonest to make this a reason for overall cuts to Australia's aid program.

A moment's reflection should show the difference between a huge influx of money to regions ill-equipped for its administration, and targeted aid directed at specific needs in our region. Assistance for better maternal and child care, for health services for epidemics of HIV Aids and multi-resistant TB are examples of targeted assistance delivered, supervised and evaluated for effectiveness by the Australian government.

Mr Cornwall may subscribe to Margaret Thatcher's philosophy that there is no such thing as society, only individuals. It follows that we therefore have no obligation to help our neighbours even as a form of enlightened self interest.

Our Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is more farsighted, and I hope will prevail in maintaining a program which is of mutual benefit to Australia and our regional neighbours.

Kathleen Calvert, Downer

While accurate in declaring the revolutionary nature of the faith, Elizabeth Farrelly ("Christianity is a revolution", December 26, Times 2, p1) is woefully inadequate in explaining its intricacies and therefore unable to validly claim the Church to be an "abject failure". In trying to cram into her article all the "buzz words" of our day – ecology, feminism, and earth-based spirituality (that last one is particularly nauseating), the real, bottom line, cut-to-the-chase message of Christianity is quite radical, quite un-boring, and quite ancient. It is so ancient it spins its thread through both the Old and New Testaments and nowhere near the roots of paganism that she claims give rise to Christianity.

The message is one of repentance. These are the first recorded words of Jesus in the scriptures and in our moralistic, therapeutic deity believing world, it is still the most revolutionary, mind-changing, world-altering concept and we eschew at our everlasting peril.

Katherine Powers, Campbell

Elizabeth Farrelly's brave heresies ("Christianity is a revolution", December 26, Times 2, p1) challenge the hypocrisies which dominate the modern world. The prevailing realities include: the primacy of churchianity over Christianity; of consumerism over spiritual belief: "Spend, spend, spend over Christmas" says Joe Hockey, to rescue the economy; "the conquest" of man (sic) over nature, including all other living organisms, in contrast to the Aboriginal conviction that we belong to the land rather than the other way round; the glorification of the euphemism "defence capability", disguising the highly organised mass homicide and distress of tribal disputes and warfare; political, religious and economic hierarchies being dominated by males, despite the manifest equalities and often superiority in real terms of women in these fields; over-emphasis on competition rather than co-operation; and lack of effective action against domestic and institutional violence, including child abuse.

Although I believe in natural rather than supernatural phenomena, I think that the ethics-based wise teachings of Jesus, including his parables, offer a benign, sustainable and hopeful (if difficult) compass to guide humanity, as do many messages in Jewish, Muslim, Confucian, Daosit and Buddhist texts.

Farrelly's final paraphrasing of Genesis in her article "We might yet learn to love the Earth and every living thing that moveth upon it" has relevance to humans of all religions or none".

Bryan Furnass, Hughes

The article "Department of Human Services spends $500, 000 on legal fees fighting $6000 child support dispute" (canberratimes.com.au, December 21) is yet is another example of the ever failing Department of Human Services.

Since the merger of the Child Support Agency and Medicare under the Centrelink-centric banner of Human Services, the child support program has been largely ignored because it spoils the alleged benevolent image that Centrelink loves to portray.

Centrelink would much rather be known as the great defender of justice in pursuit of all those bad "dole bludgers" rather than dealing with the harsh reality of administering the child support program and dealing with the complications of family law.

In pursuit of retaining this squeaky clean image Centrelink will go to any lengths, including wasting vast amounts of taxpayer's money, to hide the bad news stories that are the reality of child support.

If all else fails, there is always the "old chestnut", privacy and secrecy" provisions!

Declan McGrath, Gordon

If, as Andrew Carr stated ("Abbott still calls the shots", Times2, December 23, p4) when referring to the appointment of Kevin Andrews as Defence Minister, "make no mistake, Abbott is still new Defence Minister", it augurs poorly for our Defence future. Andrews is a non-entity when it comes to having any interest in Defence and Abbott by his record of mistakes and poor judgments over 15 months, is no better. Treating the Defence responsibility as just another portfolio is a big mistake.

Rhys Stanley, via Hall, NSW

CHILD'S LAW

Once a child is back on the mainland it can make out a strong legal case for being reunited with its mother and father, grandparents, sisters, cousins and aunts, many of them elderly and in need of expensive health care. Well done, feds!

Freesia Orlzov, Flynn

'GET TOUGH' TOUGH

Finance Minister Cormann needn't worry about collecting tax from plutocrats, because revenue shortfalls will be squeezed from shiftless welfare recipients – disabled, unemployed – through Mr Morrison's "get tough" approach in his new portfolio.

Albert White, Queanbeyan

SUBSIDISED JOBS

Andrew Leigh focused on the immediate benefits of maintaining a high renewable energy target ("Boom for renewable energy", Dec 26). That's 18,000 new jobs over the next six years. As shadow assistant treasurer he should be able to provide a funding model for these jobs which are entirely dependent on government subsidies.

Gary Wilson, MacGregor

APOLOGY UNNECESSARY

Jan Gulliver (letters, Dec 26) has got hold of the wrong end of the stick. All governments use royal commissions for their own political motivation. Julia Gillard got a fair hearing from the royal commission and she must accept its decisions instead of asking her accusers to apologise.

Mario Stivala, Spence

REMEMBER PEREZ

A famous man's death was missed ("2014 in review: famous names who bowed out" p18, 26/12). Shimon Perez, who died on July 24, was a leading Israeli politician and world statesman. He received the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize.

Brian Hatch, Red Hill

SOLAR LEVIES

Your story ("Solar take-up through the roof", December 27) quotes Liberal MLA Nicole Lawder. She claims Canberrans on low incomes are subsidising the feed-in scheme. That's wrong. ActewAGL does not apply the solar levy to low-income people. Instead, it gives bill concessions to Centrelink and Veterans Affairs clients.

Graham Macafee

TAX WHERE TAX IS DUE

I refer to Latika Bourke's article ("New push to hit online buys with GST", December 27, page 1). In a letter in July 2011, I suggested that any transaction that starts in Australia and finishes in Australia should attract GST. I am glad that idea has resurfaced.

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee,Evatt

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