PGA golf in the rough over LIV marriage of convenience

I know little about the game, but I know that Saudi Arabia now own golf (“The sport probably needed a shake-up. this has been more like a shake-down”, June 8). Jane Armitage, Mosman

The treachery of the PGA knows no bounds. Golf will never be able to look at itself in the mirror again. Money provided by real bogey men. Mike Keene, Stanwell Park

The inevitable reconciliation of golf’s warring factions has come to pass, albeit a lot swifter than most people thought. The big winners are those who took the “dirty” money, lots of it, and now return to the fold, much richer and with few or any consequences, leaving egg on the faces of luminaries like Rory McIlroy and PGA commissioner Jay Monahan. Greg Norman, despite receiving widespread criticism, finally achieves the World Golf Tour he has advocated over many years. It appears that despite initial protests, World Golf is happy to wrap itself in the Saudi flag, making it clear that sheer volume of money triumphs. Max Redmayne, Drummoyne

The PGA Tour-LIV golf merger may be bad news for the Great White Shark (“Accord may spell end for Norman”, June 8), but it will also probably lead to the demise of the PGA commissioner who previously would not countenance doing a deal with the Saudi backed rebel tour. Golfers such as Rory McElroy who stayed true to the traditional tours have received a brutal reality check in business. They must feel they have been proverbially stabbed in the back. Riley Brown, Bondi Beach

This is no different to other high-profile sports. Money has always been the determining factor. Otherwise, why would successful coaches and players look for more lucrative opportunities beyond their current contracts? Loyalty is rarely a factor in their decision-making. Denis Suttling, Newport Beach

Shakespeare best sums up what Peter FitzSimons persuasively argues about the shock and hypocrisy of the merging of LIV golf with the major tours: “fair is foul and foul is fair; hover through the fog and filthy air” (“PGA chiefs behind shameful merger will never LIV this down”, June 8). Clearly, money mattered the most. The prime losers are the golfers loyal to their tours; the winners, those who defected out of greed. That the sport will eventually be unified cannot justify that, through its Public Investment Fund, Saudi Arabia has used sports-washed billions to buy and control world golf. There is widely felt abhorrence in golf circles about the filthy air and fog characterising this unforeseen marriage of convenience. Ron Sinclair, Windradyne

Time to fast-forward the worldwide switch to electric vehicles. This scenario will leave the Saudis with a redundant resource and those greedy LIV golfers with worthless contracts. That really would be some hole in one. Tony Denzel, Bonny Hills

The once lauded game of golf has become indicative of the sad and empty game many of us have made of life on this planet today. Hard hitting, calculating and mercenary. Anything for big bucks and bugger the dopes who aim for any semblance of a more ethical and meaningful path. Judy Finch, Taree

Rules must be changed if housing is to fairer

Thank you, David Hayward (“Your lovely beach house is killing us”, June 8). It’s time to rethink our taxation policy in regard to housing. Right now, big banks and real estate agents are making obscene profits; and the members of a “small, privileged group” collect multiple properties for their own financial gain. These players all do this because they can. Current government policies encourage their behaviour.

Meanwhile, average Australians are struggling to survive and afford a place to live, whether it be owned or rented. And their struggle is compounded by the cruel and crude methods of a central bank which disgracefully places the burden of fixing our general economic woes on those with the least ability to turn things around. It’s time for the federal government to act before things get worse. In the interests of a more humane and fairer society, it’s time to scale back polices which put property and profits in the hands of a few, while severely damaging the well-being of our broader Australian population. Pam Timms, Suffolk Park

Amid a housing shortage, rental crisis, relentless rise in the cost of dwellings and loss of the dream of homeownership for so many, some people can still own two, three or more houses. Is this gluttony, obscenity, madness? On top of this, the RBA raises interest rates again; the price of basic food, energy and transport increases. Not only are we in Australia teetering on the brink of recession, now a slowing of the global economy is anticipated. Perhaps this will be a good thing. Spending at the altar of consumption and worshipping the myth of perpetual growth on a finite planet will not save us from the current climate and economic crises. Those of us in the so-called developed countries must take less, consume less, travel less, trample and destroy less, pull our collective heads in, prioritise our environment and care more for the most vulnerable people in our midst. Maybe then we can rescue our species from the brink of destruction. Meredith Williams, Northmead

The difference between the protagonists debating the housing crisis and its causes are remarkable. On the one hand we have the NIMBYs (Not In My Backyard) representing those of us who are fortunate enough to have one but are threatened with losing it, the hugely wealthy eponymous group I will call the “NIMBY Twos” (Not in MY Bonus Years) representing those who fiercely strive to ensure that their seam of gold from housing developments never runs out, and now, the MMOOYBYs, those who “Make Money Out Of Your Backyards”.

The result, mainly through the activities of groups two and three in a vulnerable political system, is a rolling planning disaster which is permanently ending the formerly egalitarian society we once enjoyed. Many people are aware of this rolling disaster but are powerless to stop it. “Poor fellow my country”. Norman Carter, Roseville Chase

I am a baby boomer. I believed the hype 20 years ago to purchase a rental property (at the top of a boom) and I really wonder if the cost has been worth it, although as it turns out we can now assist our disabled daughter with accommodation, a saving to the taxpayer via NDIS. We cannot sustain the present situation where our younger citizens have no hope of purchasing a home or even a decent rental. Our son works for a not-for-profit company and is one of these young people. As a community, we need to look to the society we want to live in and how each member of it can live a dignified life with a secure roof over their heads. It is time for real action, and we can play a part by supporting political parties who are prepared to make hard decisions. Wendy Howard, Quakers Hill

I am far from convinced that there would be a material benefit in people not owning a second home, or beach house. This year more hundreds of thousands of migrants will arrive in Australia and you can be sure they will want to reside and work in the big cities. The comparatively few beach houses, if unbridled, would make little difference to the overall shortage of housing and rent rises, and certainly not in the big cities.

Let’s not forget that those beach house owners do pay taxes, often add to the local building economy and short-term rental, as controversial as that is. I am all for appropriate taxes to ensure sustainable public housing along with tax breaks and incentives for first home buyers. And I don’t own a beach house. Bruce Hall, Avalon

Lowe needs to give wiser advice

Philip Lowe’s advice to struggling families is to cut spending and work longer hours (“Recession fears rise as rates bite household savings, retail figures”, June 8). Families are already struggling with increased prices for basic household expenses and most breadwinners are not being paid overtime for extra hours worked. In future, could Lowe please provide more meaningful advice? Our advice to him is to pause interest rate rises for a few months. A town hall meeting with Lowe and some Reserve Board members will be very useful. Peng Ee, Castle Cove

There’s no doubt that Lowe is in dire need of a powerful PR adviser armed with plenty of masking tape, and an absorbent flak catcher. How such a senior public position can be expected to function without these two essentials is incomprehensible.

However, the mob now baying for his blood could with advantage spend a minute looking at his job description, and think about who else might have a key job in this economic management story, including the banks, the government, our retail oligopoly and our bloated consumerist society. Tom Mangan, Woy Woy Bay

People before profit

Enlarged corporate profits have pushed up inflation according to an OECD report (“Corporate profits heat inflation: OECD”, June 8). If corporate Australia put a larger proportion of profits to improving productivity by investing in staff and efficient machinery instead of high shareholder returns and thence higher bonuses, we would all be better off. Peter Fuller, Narrabeen

Take control

PwC’s commitment to integrity may have risked our tax base, but KPMG would have done better and they’ve already proposed solutions including ASIC oversight (“PwC tax scandal disturbing and unacceptable, says KPMG boss”, June 8). I’m not sure if this is an unsolicited proposal, if they’ve been offered the job by our regulators to fix this mess, or if they have a sincerely held belief they’re in the best position to provide disinterested solutions in the national interest. Depressingly, I feel the need to remind the public service they are running the show, and are under no obligation to work with KPMG within these narrow confines. Indeed, please feel free to come up with your own reforms, up to and including breaking up these inherently conflicted firms. The people you need to consult in the first instance don’t work in the Big Four, but get legal advice to be sure you can share information with them – some are other public servants in different departments. Kim O’Grady, Denistone

Pollution solution

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard makes an invalid comparison (“Mr Bean, you are a climate hero”, June 8). When we come to replace our car, the choice is between an EV or a new ICE-powered car. The article compares an EV with not having a new car. There is a difficult choice for those who want to reduce their CO2 emissions in a meaningful manner. An EV does not make much difference in emissions if it is recharged with electricity from coal- or gas-powered generators, for example. Much better to use rooftop solar, which is not available to all. Alan Kesby, Casula

Reality cheque

How many times has it been announced that cheques are to be phased out (“The demise of cheque-book journalism starts here”, June 8)? Will it once again not come to pass? I suspect so. There will always be a place for cheques, and the fact that their usage has lessened markedly doesn’t mean they are unnecessary. If you live in a place where there is no internet service, or don’t possess a credit card, or avoid online payments for fear of hacking, the cheque is a necessary option. And what about the traditional wedding gift cheque? Why is there this obsession with telling us how to organise our affairs? Will the next step be to remove cash because many no longer bother with it? Christine Perrott, Armidale

Dystopian revival

Perhaps it’s my individual reaction, or perhaps it’s a collision of timing, but Wednesday night’s viewing of the remarkable cast of Utopia brilliantly doing their thing left me feeling more angry than amused (“Five series in, Rob Sitch still can’t escape Utopia”, smh.com.au, June 1). The minister assisting was all too real and too close to some major political stories in current and recent news, so it was depressing. Does this mean that sceptical comedy is a thing of the past and for followers of the political world the “send up” has passed its shock factor? Jane Burns, Randwick

Life lessons

My experience was different to your correspondent’s (Letters, June 8). I gave up paid work at age 29 to raise four kids, three dogs and various stray kittens. My husband’s work was demanding and involved long hours and I did all the tasks that would have had to be done by him on the weekend: I mowed lawns, washed cars, cleaned the pool, attended to the garden and fetched and even cut wood for the fireplace. Like your correspondent’s father, my mother disputed the need for tertiary education for my three daughters, saying they’d only “get married and not use it”. I disregarded her. When the kids had left home, at the age of 54 I returned to full-time paid work. If you think that was easy after 25 years, you should try it some time. Coral Button, North Epping

It was not just rich fathers who offered their daughters higher education but the religious sisters such as the Sisters of Mercy and Charity (and many others) who recognised the potential of their working-class female pupils and encouraged them to continue with learning. These remarkable women were often highly educated themselves and provided excellent role models. They were able to override the objections of many of the reluctant fathers. Many of my cohort from the ’60s hence benefitted. All of this in an era of sectarianism. Maureen Casey, Breakfast Point

Generational gift

I just slip in as a Boomer (“I’m a Gen Z. So who cares if I need regular compliments?”, June 8). When I was in my 20s I had a manager who encouraged me, complimented me on my work, saw attributes in me that I hadn’t been aware of, which led to an increase in my confidence and self-esteem in the workplace. Such a manager can have an amazing impact on a young person’s life and that person tends to then pay it forward to other young workers who are starting out. Lisa Clarke, Watsons Bay

If the penalty fits

Should errant drivers of oversize trucks incur the same penalty as climate activist protesters who cause traffic disruption (“Sticking point: Trucks face squeeze after tunnel chaos”, June 8). Alan Johnson, Seaforth

All those trucks stuck in Sydney tunnels: the tunnels obviously increase in diameter according to the time of day. Surely they aren’t getting stuck because of incompetence or profit motive. They could be subject to the same penalties and outrage as peaceful protesters. Keith Platt, Narrabeen

Two of a pair

If there is a pair, your correspondent needs only remember one (Letters, June 8). The other is – er – the other! Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi

The digital view

Online comment from one of the stories that attracted the most reader feedback yesterday on smh.com.au
Australia’s reputation has been hit. We need more than Sarah Snook for success
From James B: ″⁣Our reputation for being a racist nation is alive and well when I speak with friends and family overseas. Good to hold a mirror up to ourselves. We must do better. I will be voting Yes in the referendum. If not now, then when?″⁣

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