I despair

MIGHTY Fig Tree Drops off the List (Herald, February 15) mentions nothing of the value of a large shady tree in central Fremantle streets: only a litany of woes about it doing its fig tree thing in an urban squeeze. 

I despair.

Jane Hutchison
via fremantleherald.com

Bzzzzzzzzz…

ON my morning amble I admire the glorious Moreton Bay Fig Tree on High Street.

Most days Pamela Cattalini, a fabulous Freophile, is working away, sweeping and clearing up the debris. 

I thought it was a labour of love but having read the Herald (“Mighty fig tree drops off the list”, February 17, 2024) find after 60 years, Pamela wants to sell, and no-one gives a fig.

Whilst perambulating past Fremantle Tech in South Terrace very early one morning, there were electric saws, axes, mulching machines, and blokes hanging from the tremendous tree, which was almost as tall as the building, right on the edge of South Terrace.

Prendiville’s are doing a brilliant restoration but the shady tree, especially on 43 degree days, must have been surplus to requirements. 

So Pamela… an early morning Prendiville, before anyone notices. 

Now you see it, now you don’t.

As Joyce Kilmer wrote, ‘I think that I shall never see, a poem lovely as a tree’. Nor me!

Suzanne John
Fremantle

My bid

IN “10 Ways to Fix Rental Crisis” (Herald, February 17, 2024) Hayden Groves of the REIWA argues that negative gearing is the best thing since sliced bread and that The Greens are misguided to think otherwise. 

However, I think negative gearing is a very contested space. 

His 10 Ways to help tenants make some sense, but are so full of words like ‘examine, coordinate, develop incentives’ that I’m not sure they’d come to much.

I’d like to offer an alternative 10 Ways to help tenants: 

1. Ban rent bidding. 

2. Enact decent minimum health and safety standards for rental properties. 

3. Allow tenants to have pets (even encourage them). 

4. Tenants should have a legal right to make modifications, such as garden landscaping and putting up pictures. 

5. Longer and more secure tenure (eg: strong restrictions on “no-grounds evictions”). 

6. Restrict annual rent rises to cost of living plus10 per cent (as in the ACT). 

7. Only allow negative gearing on new homes and one per landlord (currently 80 per cent of negatively geared properties are on existing houses, so do little to increase supply and lots to drive up house prices).

8. End the 50 per cent capital gains discount, as it only encourages speculative housing investment. 

9. The approximately $22 billion annual savings from scrapping these two tax dodges should be used by the government to build 550,000 low-cost housing units in the next 10 years.

10. Remind MPs that housing policy should aim to provide a decent affordable home for everyone – rather than exaggerated wealth-creation opportunities for the already wealthy.

These are fair, sensible, evidence-based and happen in stacks of other countries – which is why The Greens have them.

Rob Delves
Beaconsfield