Opinions are free, but facts are sacred

DEAR News Of The Area,

I WRITE in response to the published letter from Peter Williams (NOTA, 03/07/2026). There are a number of factual errors in Mr Williams’ letter which I believe should not go uncorrected.

1. There is NO Teals, Greens, Labor, socialist alliance in Federal parliament. The Labor government governs in the House of representatives solely on its numbers – 94 to 56.

The senate has 29 Labor members as against 27 LNP, 10 Green, 6 independent and 4 One Nation. Greens and independents vote according to the merits of proposed legislation, but there is no agreement on what they will do.

2.a. Housing crisis – courtesy of Howard and Costello’s introduction of halving the former capital gains tax and the introduction and furthering of negative gearing

1. Inflation crisis – the RBA does not see a crisis, and the current increase is accepted to be the result of Trump’s war against Iran. Every nation in the world suffers from it. Australia’s inflation rate in 2022 was 0.7 per cent, the highest since 1990. A parting gift from the Morrison government.
2. Rental crisis – decades in the making, due mainly to Howard and Costellos’ wealthfare policies (see point b.)
3. Electricity – affordability governments of both stripes sold off power plants because they were rapidly becoming obsolete through aging In the case of the Victorian brown coal plants – too polluting as well.
4. Fuel crisis. There never was a supply crisis, but prices due to Trump’s war shutting down the Strait of Hormuz.
5. Productivity crisis – Increased productivity benefits went straight into the pockets of the corporations and the big bosses.
6. Cost of living – see points b. and e.
7. “At just below 60 per cent, the Australian Government gross debt to GDP ratio is less than half that of the US, and less than a quarter that of Japan.

Australian Government gross debt increased from $534.4 billion in March 2019 to $885.5 billion in April 2022.

“The Australian federal government debt is currently around $767 billion, which is about 43.8 per cent of the country’s GDP of $2.7 trillion, according to live debt trackers and government statistics.”

I suspect that I have close to exceeded my potential publishing space, but I can, given the space, refute ALL of the untrue assertions made in Mr Williams letter, and would encourage him to take on board the journalists’ dictum – opinions are free, but facts are sacred.

Regards,

Bill Robinson,

Nambucca Valley.