Peter Starford, Williamstown Too much off the table for mature debate Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey claim they want a "mature debate over tax reform" (or is that tax change?). However, it is difficult to have a proper debate when vested interests have caused the Coalition to remove so many things from the discussion table – negative gearing, superannuation concessions, family trusts and so on. In fact, it appears the "mature debate" involves only one thing, the GST. And how can you believe that a mature debate is even possible with people who made an art form out of scare campaigns and now claim they don't like scare campaigns but immediately respond to Labor's ETS with, you guessed it, an hysterical scare campaign. Poor fellow, my country. Ross Hudson, Camberwell What sort of future do we want?

We hear endless talk from politicians and "talking heads" about tax reform. They seem to think we are here to serve the economy. It is time, rather, to debate what we want Australia to look like in the future. How do we see equality, care for children, care for the disadvantaged (physically, intellectually and socially), quality services and, of course, our precious, unique environment? Only after that can we see what we need in terms of total tax take and how we might best achieve that total in a way the community has agreed to. Michael Langford, Ivanhoe Use pokies money to feed retail beast While Gerry Harvey and big retailers bleat about the GST on overseas purchases (and have managed to nicely lobby Tony Abbott and co into the deal they were after) (The Age, 23/7), why doesn't anyone in government or retail ever look at the astronomical amount of money people spend on the pokies? Seriously, $2.5 billion (The Age, 27/7)? Even if we put aside the questions about getting into debt, and paying food, housing and power bills, why isn't anyone questioning how the economy would bloom if we took the money from ordinary people sucked up by poker machines and fed it into the retail sector in Victoria? Such a waste; such devastation of our community. Once upon a time I would have said "there's nothing wrong with a flutter on the pokies" but the amount of money lost every year is an icy wake-up slap. However, the pokie lobby undoubtedly has its profits firmly invested in supporting politicians who in turn support the pokie giants. Seems like The Age has all the bases covered this week. Sherryl Clark, Altona North

Snuggling up tight Does the Andrews government realise how fatuous it sounds when it behaves exactly the same way as the previous government regarding the release (or not) of information on privatised road projects, this time the Western Distributor (The Age, 28/7). The public in our "democratic" state has been shunted to the sidelines, with no role beyond that of the bill payer. Government and big business snuggle ever closer, making corrupt conduct more and more likely. John McPherson, Collingwood Democracy slowly dies The report "Cash, politics and pokies" (27/7) gives a clear example of how political donations corrupt decision-making and kill democracy by a thousand cuts. Politicians can find a hundred explanations to convince sceptics that donations have no influence. It is happening in all democracies in the West. The Western media call this bribery and corruption when it happens in the developing world. The US used to be the bastion of democracy and freedom but it is fast moving into an oligarchy of rich corporations and individuals. In the 2014 mid-term Congress elections, a lion's share of the $4billion donations to election funds came from 42 individuals, corporations and lobbies.

Bill Mathew, Parkville Don't mess with funds I am very concerned about the Coalition's proposed changes to industry super funds. Its draft bill requires super funds to ensure one-third of board directors are independent. The government is also removing the requirement to have any board representation from employers and unions. I am a 71-year-old retiree. In the early years of my retirement I enlisted the services of an "independent" financial counsellor. He recommended I invest my just-adequate super into a retail fund's allocated pension, which I did. I soon became concerned about the amount of my money going into fees and commissions. After years of stress, and doing my own research, I switched to an allocated pension with my current industry fund. The advantages for me have been substantial – financially and emotionally. Why mess with the current, well-functioning balance of commercial and industry representation on boards of industry super funds? Sandra Peeters, Ventnor

Desperate ... for votes The rhetoric of "concern" for "deaths at sea" accompanying the "stop/turn back the boats" policy being stated ad nauseam by the major parties does not seem to extend to the "slower death" from mental illness of those living in the dreadful uncertainty and prison-like conditions of island detention. Furthermore, large numbers of now-recognised refugees on these islands still cannot get on with their lives, having already risked their lives escaping wars and persecution. Where are the passionate voices among our leaders calling for the issue – a massive, global humanitarian disaster – to be taken out of the populist arena of partisan politics and placed squarely in bipartisan, regional and global dialogue so that the health and wellbeing of desperate people is no longer tied to the "desperation" of those who wish to be re-elected? Alison Langmead, Spotswood We will never know

I have an Indonesian friend who had a relative high up in the Indonesian bureaucracy who says 63 boats have been turned back in the past 12 months and that 1200 people have perished at sea as a result. Am I making that up? We'll never know, will we? Jeff Langdon, Smythesdale Not much of sweetener Is the commitment by Bill Shorten to increase the refugee quota to 27,000 by 2025 such a sweetener? In 2012-13, the refugee intake under Labor was 20,000, a figure the Coalition cut to 13,750. On December 4, Parliament amended the migration and maritime powers legislation, specifying annual increments in the quota until 2018-19. With an agreed increase of 2500 refugees from 2017-18 to 2018-19, the total intake will reach 18,750 in that year. If that trend continues (and why wouldn't it, with the escalating refugee numbers), Labor's promise of 27,000 will already have been reached by 2021-22. Jennifer Wills, Portarlington

How lies become truth Alan Jones appeared on Q & A last week and repeated false information he read in the Murdoch press, which inflated the cost of renewable energy by a factor of 1000. Jones later admitted his error and apologised, unlike the Murdoch press, but unless you watched Media Watch (27/7), you would still be thinking Jones got it right. Obviously Ron Boswell on Monday night's Q & A was still operating on Jones' uncorrected information when he gave false figures on the cost of renewables. It is typical of the Coalition government and the conservative media. Tell a lie often enough and loud enough in the hope that enough people will believe it to get the Coalition re-elected. Rob Martin, South Oakleigh Left to look ridiculous

Surely the Abbott government is starting to realise that having only de facto conservative representation on the widely viewed Q& A seriously limits its ability to get the Coalition's message out. The confused, rambling contribution by the former Nationals senator Ron Boswell did not advance the conservative cause of debunking the advantages of renewables. On the contrary, it made their position look quite ridiculous. Phyllis Vespucci, Reservoir Storage in abundance Sorry, John Blake (Letters, 27/7), an industrial-scale storage system for electricity has been in operation for more than 30 years. Some hydro stations "pump up" water to re-use later – like Shoalhaven (240MW), Wivenhoe (500MW), and Tumut 3 (600MW) – at very little extra capital cost. On King Island, an advanced lead-acid battery stores 1.6MWh of usable energy, smoothing the peaks from their renewable sources. Stored solar-salt generation already provides base-load solar and the prices are comparable with new, fossil-fuelled generating stations. A lack of commitment from government and large-scale uptake is holding it back. Not price. Rowan Wigmore, Lismore, NSW

Halve your bills Most businesses operate during daylight hours, meaning that power "storage" for night-time use is irrelevant. I recently installed solar panels and by using the dishwasher, washing machine and other appliances during the day, I've halved my electricity bill. Kim Smith, Ormond We've sold out to China Why don't we just hand our economy over to China? We've already "sold the family farm" to it. The Chinese already own the entire supply chain of the lucrative live beef exports, from farm through to shipping to abattoirs in China. And I bet they've got their hand out for farm assistance and tax breaks. Now they own the entire development industry supply chain.

They can buy our land, their state-owned construction companies can build the apartments and, thanks to the secretly negotiated free trade agreement, they can bring in their own labour force. Wealthy Chinese investors buy the apartments – and the profits go overseas. We get zilch from it. When will we get a federal government that really puts the national interest first? Kel Dummett, Brunswick East Jail rates lamentable Nationally, the rate of Indigenous Australians in prison compared with non-Indigenous continues to rise. Western Australia "leads" this lamentable state of affairs with a ratio of 20:1. This is the social context in which occurred the sustained booing at the weekend in Perth of exemplary Indigenous sportsman and Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes, also the 2014 Australian of the Year. We need to ask ourselves what is the relationship in WA between these prison rates, wider social attitudes towards our Indigenous citizens, and the appalling behaviours demonstrated by sections of football spectators at AFL matches.

Michael Faulkner, Toora Walk away from game Perhaps there is nothing more sickening than the boos when Adam Goodes played football on the weekend. Perhaps. The players on both sides and the umpires continued to play as if they were all deaf or as if they didn't care. Perhaps they were shocked, as we all are when the brutality and stupidity of racism kicks us in the guts. Perhaps, if there is a next time, everyone at the game will walk out at the first racist booing. Players, umpires, fans; all walking quietly away. Game over for racism. Kristina Olsen, Brunswick Lack of humility?

West Coast Eagles have produced some of the greatest indigenous players the AFL has seen. They were never booed. Nic Natanui will never be booed. Is there another reason for the booing of Goodes? Perhaps a perceived lack of humility? Kevin Firkins, Claremont, WA AND ANOTHER THING ... Politics

Australia's not open for business; our politicians are open for business. Alan Williams, Port Melbourne It's time for a separation of business and state. Colin Patterson, Nuggety Australia was once accused of lecturing Asian governments on matters of good governance. The lecturer now needs a good lecture.

Gary Sayer, Warrnambool Hypocrisy in spades, Premier Daniel Andrews (The Age, 28/7). What happened to honest and open government? Alan Inchley, Frankston A new political slogan: in the job to keep the job; not in the job to do the job. Jacqui Futcher, Brighton

Just a simple misunderstanding. Tony told Bronwyn the Speakership was hers for the taking. Tony Lenten, Glen Waverley Lifters and leaners: airlift the loot, lean on (Gillian) Triggs. David Geryga, Beechworth Labor's conference has boosted the ranks of ABAAS (anyone but Abbott and Shorten).

Vincent O'Donnell, Ascot Vale For the Coalition and Labor, the mean justify their ends. Cameron Wright, Dromana Joe Hockey has adopted his leader's habit of saying things twice. Once is more than enough. Ros Levy, Elsternwick

Good on you Mr Abbott for banning ministers from Q & A. Now you're represented by ex-senator Ron Boswell. An exhilarating spokesman. Dennis Richards, Cockatoo If we accept the Turnbull definition of a tax then the Abbott government's subsidies to the coal industry are a great big tax on consumers. Jan Simpson, Bendigo Hey, Al Gore, most Australians are also puzzled by our government's irrational, myopic view on climate action.

Barbara Fraser, Burwood Click here to submit your letter to the editor