Liberal leader Angus Taylor is beating that tired old Howard drum of “we will decide who comes to this country” (“Taylor: let migrants be judged on values”, April 14). Successive Liberal leaders have tried to make us fear our fellow human beings by “othering” them. Taylor wraps his speech in the flag and trots out the values trope. The intrinsic racism in his words belie the true Australian values of inclusivity, honour and respect. Drumming up division in a bid for power may be in the political playbook, but it is a real threat to the cohesion of civil society. Beverley Fine, Pagewood
Taylor’s attempt to woo One Nation voters is all too obvious but, with more than 30 per cent of our population born overseas, his harsh rhetoric is unlikely to be generally well received. Taylor could take a valuable lesson from history. In 1987 John Howard proposed cutting the intake of Asian immigrants, which became a factor in his election loss that year. In 2020 Scott Morrison banned Australian citizens, residents and students from returning from India because of COVID-19. This would also have been a factor in the Coalition’s big election defeat in 2022. And last year Peter Dutton’s divisive agenda styled on Donald Trump played a leading role in his disastrous loss at the polls. Tony Simons, Balmain
Taylor’s proposed immigration policy will only cause fear and division. His requirement that immigrants must have the “correct” Australian values ignores the fact that immigrants are already subject to an Australian values test, along with security checks. His proposal to have a Trumpian ICE-type operation in Australia, with the terror it will cause, is alarming. Taylor’s unsubstantiated statement that the 1300 Gazan refugees pose “a clear and present danger” is nothing but fearmongering and lacks any empathy for people whose lives and homes have been torn apart. Leo Sorbello, Leichhardt
Immigration policy needs regular review. It is a shame that the Coalition is using it to fight a culture war, rather than addressing the overall impact of migration on the wellbeing of the country. Research shows that crime and incarceration rates for migrants are well below those for Australian-born citizens. Angus Taylor says some migrants “don’t believe in equal rights for men and women, the rule of law, and freedom of speech, association and religion”. Ironically, this statement describes many Australian-born citizens. Australia already has one of the most robust visa systems in the world, of which values and respect for the law are key components. Surely the electorate should be presented with responses to more important migration issues, as well as concrete economic, environmental and social policies. David Hind, North Sydney
What a fallacy for Angus Taylor to say that migrants to this country are “self-serving”. This is straight from Pauline Hanson’s and Donald Trump’s handbook. Is it not a normal human condition to be self-serving? Migrants come here for a better life, and willingly roll up their sleeves for the benefit of their families. It’s called hard work. My father was a builder for 40 years, and postwar migrants made up the majority of his workforce. They were prompt and hard-working and in striving for prosperity benefited not only themselves but the whole country. My dad took me to the site of the Sydney Opera House while it was under construction and the entire workforce seemed to be Italian and Greek labourers. Their tireless days of hard work to get the job done were the “values” they brought to our country. The same manpower built the Snowy Mountains Scheme. Call it “self-serving”, Mr Taylor, but it is a joy to have them as part of our culture. Greg Vale, Kiama
Taylor should not ridicule new migrants and politicise the immigration issue just to win votes. The vast majority of the lowly paid recent migrants contribute to our economy through their hard work, and pay their taxes. On the other hand, some “self-serving” migrants whose families have been here for generations remain citizens of their mother countries and swear allegiance to foreign kings and queens. Many live on ancestral wealth, including some politicians, and have no idea what hard work is like. You are the Liberal Party’s leader, Mr Taylor, not One Nation’s. Paul Lau, Dolls Point
The Coalition leader has declared as part of his immigration policy that compliance with “Australian values” is a compulsory visa condition. Could he explain how these values are different from Italian values, or Greek, French, Swedish, British, Ukrainian or any other nation’s? He seems to think Australian values are somehow of a higher order. Matt Kaarma, North Nowra
On the grounds that they are unlikely to subscribe to “Australian values” (undefined), the Liberal Party proposes to screen migrants carefully if they are coming from countries ruled by “fundamentalists, extremists and dictators”. That rules out Americans, then. Bill Forbes, Medowie
Taylor’s statement that too many self-serving migrants are draining the nation was probably exactly what occurred to Indigenous observers 200 years ago. Trump mini-me Angus Taylor should know better and act like he belongs to the Liberal Party, not One Nation. Boy, are those guys in trouble. Steve McCann, Lane Cove
Planet America
Surely the image Donald Trump posted on Truth Social portraying himself as a benevolent healing Christ, accompanied by adoring followers and floating ethereal, militaristic images, was designed to be viewed as the ludicrous kitsch that it is (“Trump deletes post of himself as Jesus, claims it showed him ‘as a doctor’”, April 14). Surely? As America sleepwalks towards total autocracy, the president speaks and the world erupts in bemused laughter. Geoff Stennett, Darlington
Trump’s verbal assault on Pope Leo while posting a picture of himself as Jesus should disgust all Christians (“Trump tells Pope to ‘get his act together’ – and exposes his own God complex”, April 14). The picture was nothing less than blasphemy and is a further indication of just how unhinged Trump has become, yet no one among his inner circle is willing to challenge him. While Trump rants, the Pope responds thoughtfully and carefully and proclaims a gospel message of peace and reconciliation. Both Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Vice President JD Vance are Catholics. Now is the time for them to decide whether their faith is more important to them than their own political aspirations. Neil Ormerod, Kingsgrove
In Trump’s America the separation of judiciary, church and state has become increasingly blurred. In his first term, Trump made it clear he wanted to control the Supreme Court by appointing jurists he expected and now demands should bend to his will. His intimidating presence at a recent Supreme Court hearing, the first by a sitting president, culminated in a petulant walk-out when he wasn’t getting his own way. Today, we have the sickening sight of a Jesus-like Trump ministering to the sick, and a tirade of abuse against Pope Leo in which he suggested he only got the job because of him. His God complex is not only a threat to American democracy but, as we are seeing events unfold in the Middle East, an existential threat to world order. Gordon Lambert, Kiama Downs
Trump’s depiction of “myself as Jesus Christ” demonstrates the bottomless depths of his narcissism. How American Christian evangelicals can continue to support him is hard to fathom. Americans need to wake up to themselves and impeach their abominable president before he leads them and the rest of us into a nuclear holocaust. Ian Ferrier, Paddington
I know the world is in turmoil, but I can’t help chuckling at Trump’s season two comedy show. Idiotic late night posts, often laced with obscenities, upsetting all those righteous MAGA Christians, ordering Macca’s and tipping the “Door Dash Granny” a C-note. You couldn’t write this stuff. Mark Paskal, Austinmer
He might be able to fool half of Americans, but does Donald Trump really think the rest of them, and the world, is so stupid that they think (the now-deleted) AI image represents him as a doctor and not some sort of Jesus-like messiah? It will be interesting to see who comes out on top when King Charles III, the Defender of the Faith, meets Donald Trump, the wannabe Messiah, on the King’s forthcoming state visit to the US. Patrick St George, Goulburn
Many in the world would be grateful if Donald of Nazareth could manage some time off from healing the halt and lame and raising the dead to focus on the miracle of making oil flow again through the Strait of Hormuz. Tony Judge, Woolgoolga
Growing apart
Peter Hartcher raises the idea that Donald Trump was dragged into the war by Israel (“Trump and Netanyahu started the war together. Only one is determined to keep fighting”, April 14). Israel’s ambassador to the US, Yechiel Leiter, said the two were “in lockstep from the beginning”. That’s more plausible than the captive president theory. Trump has talked tough on Iran for years. The alignment looks genuine, not manufactured. The relationship is clearly not one-way though. Trump forced through the Gaza ceasefire by announcing it before the details were agreed on, leaving Netanyahu no choice but to sign. More recently, he told the media Israel would be “scaling back” in Lebanon. The picture that emerges is two leaders who started out wanting the same thing, but whose political interests now point in opposite directions. A majority of Americans oppose the war, and it’s weighing on Trump’s midterm prospects. In Israel, about 80 per cent still support it and Netanyahu faces an election in October. One leader needs to wind it down. The other can’t afford to. John Kempler, Rose Bay
Back to business
Nick Toscano reports that if President Trump’s strategy of blockading the Strait of Hormuz is successful, it will result in negotiations that will lead to it being reopened, restoring the supply of oil and bringing down the cost of fuel (“No relief at the pump yet as peace talks stall”, April 14). Hang on, isn’t that exactly how it was before the Israel and the USA attacked Iran? John Bailey, Canterbury
Developing story
Your editorial claims that extending builders’ working hours to Sunday will have wider benefits (“Putting builders’ rest day on temporary hold may create homes faster”, April 14). I would suggest that the developer’s request to extend working hours at the apartment/hotel site in Crows’ Nest is more about profit than tackling Sydney’s housing crisis. Describing the site at Falcon Street and Pacific Highway as “hardly a quiet suburban avenue” is dismissive of those who have borne the brunt of the massive transformation of Crows’ Nest to a high-density, mixed-use, transport-oriented development precinct. Such a transformation requires stricter consideration of the amenity for residents, not less. Catherine Turner, Cremorne
NDIS drift
Your report about a crackdown on NDIS providers misses the underlying issue: the scheme has drifted from its original purpose (“Coalition backs crackdown on NDIS providers as Butler prepares to reveal savings plan”, April 14). It was designed as an insurance model for people with serious and permanent disability. That clarity mattered – insurance only works when boundaries are defined and consistently applied. Today the debate focuses on providers, fraud and cost control. This risks normalising that drift rather than addressing the cause. The core problem is that the scope of what the NDIS is expected to fund has expanded beyond its original intent around catastrophic need. Rising costs have inevitably followed. At about $130 million a day, the question is no longer whether reform is needed but how the scheme is brought back to a sustainable footing for those who need it most. Steve Ingram, Glenmore Park
Wake in freight
It is surprising that during this fuel shortage there has been very little, if any, discussion about the potential of rail freight to alleviate the burden of high diesel costs. Freight trains are three times more efficient than road haulage. Moreover, because railways can be easily electrified, unlike roads, they could radically reduce the nation’s demand for diesel. Electric haulage of freight trains is currently employed in central Queensland and was previously used in NSW until freight services were privatised in 2002. Rail freight used to meet 90 per cent of the state’s transport requirements. If this was still the case, the fuel crisis would be far less serious. Sadly, rail freight’s market share has been eroded by poorly aligned railways, high access fees, the introduction of B-doubles and dual-lane expressways. Stephen Miller, Rutherford
Ride it out
Note to Ron Field, who faces an arduous, multi-leg trip on public transport from Bermagui to Sydney airport (Letters, April 14). There is a daily bus service that goes all the way from Bermi to both domestic and international terminals. Look it up. Don Leayr, Albury
The boys are back
My boy (71) is going on a boys’ trip tomorrow. It will involve golf and fishing, but no lap dancing – too many knee replacements for that. The upside is that I get the house to myself for five days (“It’s time to rebrand the boys trip as a booster for men’s mental health”, April 14). Angie Miller, Bondi Junction
Over and dunny
Graham Russel asked what happened to the toilet on board Artemis II (Letters, April 13)? I think the astronauts took one small step and a giant leak for mankind. Judy Archer, Nelson Bay
I’m not surprised the Artemis II returned with its broken toilet. I can only imagine the plumber’s call-out fee was astronomical. Jeremy Brender, West Richmond (SA)
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