Jill Loorham, Castlemaine
I write as an almost-70 years voter who has never voted for either of the two major political parties in this country. That may change if either Labor or Liberal adopt some new state management plans as follows:
1. Remove state stamp duty on the purchase of a house, when that house is the only house a person owns.
2. Remove the ‘right’ of minerals exploration companies to get licences to mine on other people’s land.
3. Introduce full state funding for replacement, upgrade or full maintenance costs for rail, bus and tram infrastructure – and stop funding more freeways and large road-building projects.
Having paid three separate stamp duty payments over a period of 20 years, with no hope of putting that money back into my bank account, I can currently only worry some more, as I, yet again, contemplate selling my home. This tax is ‘money for jam’ – a rort – for successive state governments.
Regarding public transport, the state government had better get on with upgrading, maintaining and fixing the system as soon, it will be financially impossible for many, if not most, people to own and drive a private motor vehicle.
And a question: Why do current laws allow anyone the right to mine another person’s land?
Lastly, good luck to the Nationals if they genuinely intend to ‘revolutionise Victorian’s passenger rail network’, but note the words, ‘if re-elected’. It’s a wonderful wish, but the reality is the Nationals will never hold the balance of power and without an equal promise from the Liberals, it is a false and misleading statement.
