May 24, 2026 — 8:00pm Photo: BadiucaoTo submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.Like your correspondent (Letters, 23/5) writing about fairness and aspiration, I faced challenges in life. I had to retrain at one point, but I worked hard. During my time I negatively geared a property. Worked out well for me. I could get a tax write-off and when I sell it I will make a big capital gain. While it was good for me, it wasn’t good for the country.I stopped someone getting into housing. It was also not good that I used money in that type of investment. Far better for the country if I bought something like shares. Money in that case goes to a firm that will innovate and make the country more productive and richer. If I had my time again, I would do exactly the same thing. Because it made economic sense. That is why we need to change the system. We need to stop giving tax breaks that divert investment from productive activity towards rent seeking. We need to have housing as a thing people live in rather investing in.Tom Munro, BrunswickA sense of reality is neededIn 2008, we bought an “investment property” as negative gearing in property was so much the norm to do so.I get surprised with the angst over recent taxation changes announced by the federal government as the existing process has been just too good. In effect, the tenant paid for my mortgage and any loss I got from a negative result for the year allowed us to reduce our income tax.While I will have to pay tax on any CPI adjusted profit, I do make on selling. I cannot cry that it’s wrong as basically 100 per cent of the purchase has been paid by the tenant.So for all those crying foul, get a sense of reality and recognise how good it is that those paying you rent paid for the property and any tax is only charged at your marginal tax rate over the CPI price adjusted value, and it’s unlikely to be 47 per cent either. You are pocketing money somebody else paid for you.Keith Hawkins, Point LonsdaleA wealth tax by other meansGiven that even the highest interest rates for bank deposits are barely above the rate of inflation, most of the capital “gain” from interest from bank savings is illusory. Once inflation and tax are taken into account, most often money in term deposits is going backwards. Why should inflation be taken into account for some income sources and not for others?Shouldn’t the taxation rate for bank interest be based on the interest rate minus the inflationary component? Taxing the entire amount is tantamount to a wealth tax that targets frugal savers.James Goding, Princes HillMigration is necessary for functioning societyThose stirring up fear about so-called ″⁣mass migration″⁣ should look around the community we live in. If we slash migrant numbers to satisfy their nativism, who will deliver our fast food and Amazon orders? Who will care for our elderly in nursing homes? Who will drive our taxis and ride share vehicles? Who will staff most hospitals?Who will provide security at the MCG where I am sitting writing this letter? I ask you. Who will?Nick Toovey, BeaumarisA home for all is the goalMy life trajectory has been similar to that of your correspondent’s (Letters, 23/5), but in the 1980s a house cost $79,000, which was three to four times the average salary of $19,000 annually. In 2026, it costs $930,000 on a wage of $104,000 annually, which is nine times the salary.A house is supposed to be a home; not an investment. That is what the government is trying to address. That is all. A home for all will ensure a more equitable community.Maree Williams, KewTHE FORUMThe other tollNeil Mitchell (Comment, 24/5) writing on the road toll is important, however there is something more deadly lurking in Australia. In 2025, 1314 Australians died on our roads. That’s an average of 6.3 people a day. Yet an on average, nine people die by suicide every day, but no one talks about that. (Source, Lifeline Australia and ABS).We recently lost our beloved child after many years of struggling to get them the right help. Navigating the mental health system is a nightmare, especially when symptoms start in childhood. There are few paediatric psychiatrists and even fewer that can assist when there are multiple disorders. We loved our child unconditionally and did the best we could, but now live with both grief and guilt that what we did wasn’t enough. Our mental health system doesn’t cope.As Mitchell said, ″⁣We need an expert panel ... to find out ... what needs changing.″⁣We need to do better.Zoe James, HeathmontShining lightIt was heartwarming to read about Ralph Jackman (″⁣Like his famous brother, Ralph Jackman has had tough roles”, 24/5) and his tough role in working with young inmates at Parkville Youth College, part of the Youth Justice precinct. He faced the toughest crowds in his two years, yet tried to engage with them. His insight into the overly punitive mindset of isolation and solitary confinement contributing to reoffending, and the lack of resources and community understanding of troubled youth, offers the Department of Justice and Community safety an opportunity to improve resources to help in what is often regarded as a helpless situation. Hugh Jackman, his brother is recognised as a superstar, but I think that Ralph Jackman is the real superstar.Julie Ottobre, Brunswick EastA way out of crimeThe “tough on crime” agenda seems popular with some voters. “Adult time for adult crime” and “raising the age” to increase the age at which children can be held cognitively responsible for their crimes hold favour also.It is therefore refreshing to read of another more hopeful way out of crime. It is not new, it is not popular and it is expensive, but it does work.Ralph Jackman worked with inmates at Parkville College. He found if you engaged with the young people in ways that were meaningful to them, it could make a difference by leading to a better life on release. He found his students often had traumatic childhoods, had conditions such as ADHD, which make learning difficult and behaviour unpredictable and had no reliable adults in their lives.The unit responded to bad behaviour with isolation and lockdowns, which exacerbated the problems, including suicide ideation. Jackman had to leave due to stress and burn out.If Youth Corrections had more appropriately trained compassionate teachers and provided more resources there would be a decrease in recidivism, an increase in ex-offenders contribution to society and and an end to the inter-generational nature of crime.Jan Marshall, BrightonHere’s to PendleburyI am a Richmond supporter, and the only thing I think anyone could possibly criticise Scott Pendlebury for is that he plays for Collingwood and not Richmond.He is an ornament to the game, and will always be talked about when the names of the great players are tossed around.Bill Howard, EssendonRemember the peopleFor generations, Victorian football has always been more than entertainment, it is part of our shared culture.It was once assumed that milestone games, the moments tied into the history of the sport, would be available to the public watching together. That assumption no longer holds. Saturday games are increasingly hidden behind paywalls, dividing supporters based on what they can afford.Many fans, including myself, without Foxtel or Kayo were unable to watch Scott Pendlebury’s record-breaking 433rd game, or Harry McKay’s and Zak Butters’ 150th games.The AFL speaks often about community and growing the next generation of supporters. Yet Australia’s anti-siphoning laws, designed to protect public access to nationally significant sport, are beginning to feel outdated as streaming services increasingly dominate viewing habits. If the AFL wants to keep calling itself the people’s game, its biggest moments cannot slowly become exclusive content. As a 17-year-old fan, what feels the most striking is not simply the inconvenience, but the gradual privatisation of experiences that once belonged to everyone. What does it mean for a public game when its defining moments are no longer publicly accessible?Poppy Bambridge, PrahranCall for ceasefireThe Liberals are urged to put aside their differences for six months and give Opposition Leader Jess Wilson a clear run to the November election (“State Liberal chief calls on party to give Wilson a clear run to the poll″⁣, 24/5). After the truce, is it fighting every day?Malcolm Cameron, CamberwellPower to the peopleWhere would the world’s renewable energy and EV markets be without China? (″⁣Chinese electric vehicle giant Geely overtakes BYD to sit in pole position″⁣, 23/5). China has five-year social and economic plans. It’s 15th will span 2026 to 2030. Instead, Australia has a three-year election cycle. At least, the Labor government has developed a 2050 Net Zero Plan with 2035 emission targets for each sector. However, the Coalition and One Nation would tear even these up.It’s time for a citizens’ assembly to come up with a better model.Ray Peck, HawthornAirport’s bad planDitching the kerbside pick-up and drop-off zones at Melbourne Airport is unfair and problematic for the elderly and those with mobility issues. Saying goodbye in a car park is a cold, unemotional farewell. The elderly, those with mobility issues and parents struggling with young children and luggage already have to walk long distances to check in desks and airport departure gates. The new system is ill-conceived.Maria McKinnon, NorthcoteMust be election timeThe free public transport initiative should have been adopted long ago when Metcard disappeared (″⁣Victorian Labor members will press the Allan government to permanently waive public transport fares″⁣, 23/5). Many of us realised this when contemplating the billions that successive myki iterations would gobble up.The environmental benefits in minimising car transport were obvious, yet it takes election year desperation in a framework of various ″⁣crises″⁣ for common sense to prevail.As state debt approaches $200billion, this initiative appears reckless and should be knocked on the head.James Richardson, LangwarrinThe one brush for allAnne Frank, when hiding from the Nazis wrote in her diary, ″⁣What a non-Jew does, is his own responsibility, but what one Jew does is thrown back at all Jews.″⁣ This insight was based on her observations, and although she probably directed it at non-Jews, these days it also applies to Jews.Worldwide, most Jews have a stake in the modern state of Israel. And, irrespective where we Jews live, one can not dissociate us from Israel; that is, what Israel’s criminally deranged, ethnic-cleansing, far-right ministers do, is still thrown back at all Jews. We can rightly argue that it’s wrong, and it shouldn’t be like this, but in the real world, where nothing much makes sense these days, it just is.Henry Herzog, St Kilda EastEyeless on GazaRe your correspondent (Letters, 23/5), it is tragic that the mistreatment of members of the Gaza flotilla was a catalyst in reminding us of the continuing dispossession and suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. Since the US/Israeli war with Iran, Gaza has almost been forgotten. The actions of Itamar Ben-Gvir is a reminder of the violence perpetrated by Jewish settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank. Benjamin Netanyahu has only condemned him because of much world condemnation, not because of his ″⁣long record of extreme actions″⁣, but with the process of an election now in play.Judith Morrison, NunawadingKudos to the ABCThe Age reported (″⁣ABC chair hits back at News Corp over Gaza reporting claim″⁣, 22/5) on criticism of the ABC by Chris Kenny (Sky News & Australian) who accuses the ABC of bias against Israel. As detailed, complaints to the ABC’s independent ombudsman were 50 per cent pro-Palestinian and 45 per cent pro-Israeli. This seems as close as one can practically get to total impartiality. Well done ABC.Des Bleakley, Vermont SouthSimple, profoundWhile strolling in the city of Funchal in Portugal, I stopped at a statue dedicated to Gandhi. In a world with so much war and hatred, his words grabbed my attention: ″⁣There is no way to peace, peace is the way.″⁣ Such simple, but profound, wisdom. If only.Catherine Healy, BrightonNever a trewser wordClothing salespeople often speak of trouser in the singular, possibly in an attempt to clear up the pair puzzle.The garment was originally in two parts – legging style, fastened at the waist – known in Scotland as trews (from the Gaelic triubhas).In many parts of the country, and in my home town, the modern garment is still called a pair of trewsers – as in the song Donald, Where’s Yer …Ken Turnbull, MaldonAND ANOTHER THINGPoliticsBy bringing back Tony Abbott the Liberal Party is signalling it doesn’t believe it has any chance of regaining power.John Walsh, WatsoniaLike it or not, recent polling indicates that One Nation could be the senior partner in a next Coalition government. Buckle-up!James Ogilvie, KewWith new Victorian state president Brian Loughnane asking the Victorian Liberals to stop warring for six months, I guess it goes back to the usual open slather after that (″⁣State Liberal chief calls on party to give Wilson a clear run to poll″⁣, 24/5).Michael McKenna, WarragulFootyWhat a great weekend for footy. My team had a fabulous come-from-behind win and Essendon didn’t.Dorothy Galloway, MentonePerhaps Essendon should revert to the original words of their theme song “Keep Your Sunny-side Up”.Helen Hayward, WonthaggiAs a Melbourne pensioner in the middle of winter, l can watch free-to-air French Open tennis on Saturday nights, but not AFL footy. Puzzling.David Cayzer, Clifton HillI hear the AFL has commissioned a new series – Pendleton!Greg Curtin, NunawadingFurthermoreXi Jinping made 20 deals with Vladimir Putin, 20 more than with Donald Trump. Cuba should be worried. Whenever Trump’s deals flop, he then bullies a soft target.Kevin Burke, SandringhamDeath and taxes the only certainties in life (Letters 22/5)? How about washing up?John Whelen, Box Hill SthFinallyWith the change to Melbourne Airport drop-off areas, I just hope the government and airport have included disabled people access to the airport as some people can’t walk even 100 metres.Jane Spier, SeafordFrom our partners