The current boom in home prices is a direct result of the Morrison government's stimulus of making grants of $25,000 to new home buyers together with the state Coalition rebate of stamp duty of $31,305 on a home of $800,000. This led to an immediate rise by developers of around $100,000 on the new estates. This was followed by bigger rises in older homes as vendors followed this rise in new home prices.

The Morrison stimulus was on top of an already stretched building industry and because it had time limits it brought forward some four years of building plans that are now being played out with rising bankruptcies of builders unable to build because of lack of materials and staff leading to buyers losing their deposits.

Prior to my retirement I was involved in every boom and bust in the housing industry since the 1950s and in every one government interference has led to price inflation. The only section of the building industry that needed any stimulus was building for social housing but the Morrison ignored this desperate need only to inflict those new homebuyers, often financed by the bank of mum and dad, to get in early only to now be sorry they inflicted their kids with $700,000 mortgages now with rising interest.

In typical Morrison style he is blaming state and local governments for not releasing land for building but he should know that his major donor friends, the major developers, are sitting on land banks on average for 12 years.

One major developer boasted in its annual report to the Exchange that it sold 6900 lots, making in excess of $2 billion profit as it sat on a land bank of over 80,000 lots. All the other major developers recorded similar land banks but they have no interest in bringing more land to market as it may deflate the prices.

As to older people selling their homes, they need the funds to pay for aged care as Morrison says his aged care system is world class but the Royal Commission said it was riddled with abuse and neglect.

WITH so much turmoil in society today, the future can seem daunting.

Progress has brought enormous comfort, wealth and an addictiveness to the latest new phenomenon. Having children (usually) equates with one of the highest desires for most human beings. Childcare has become a family and political football with the decision about who is eligible, and who pays for it?

In a recent interview with a young mother and her mother on ABC TV, the young mother compared childcare to the cost and necessity of electricity and rates. One of the interviewees' opinions was "you would think it was a luxury".

It is an absolute necessity that childcare be provided for single parents, parents of children with a disability, parents with a disability etc.

However, I am reminded of work by Steve Biddulph's (psychologist, author of many books including Raising Babies - Should Under 3s go to Nursery?) that states when childcare is used "too much, too early, too long", it damages babies' brain chemistry and affects their social and emotional development.

Recent reports by the government suggest that investing in childcare is good for the economy. What is the criteria for examining whether it's good for the children (whatever that means) in the long term because they attended childcare?

It is impossible to gauge considering one's life expectancy is 70-plus years. When these people reach old- age they will be expecting "aged care". Well, that's a whole other story. Society must decide how they expect taxpayers' money to be spent.

When couples are considering having children do they expect the public purse to pay for childcare because they want to continue their career?

Modern day living has become accustomed to "immediate gratification". Money and the "economy" are driving a wedge between what were once "happy families".

The question arises "is this what we want"? Is it the right of parents who both work full time, to expect society to pay this, at the expense of children's well-being, even if it's good for the economy? Is money more important than our babies' well-being?

The sense of "entitlement" within society today is causing great friction.

ON being questioned of what was his most fascinating discovery about the Universe, Einstein quipped "compound interest".

I am afraid the last-minute desperate election pitch to allow access to a young person's superannuation in the promise of home ownership is as cruel as it is frivolous. The individual would lose the capacity of their superannuation to accrue by compounding through time. The value allowed would hardly cover state stamp duty alone.

There are many factors that could improve housing affordability. Remove the ability of corporations to own residential property, cease foreign ownership, overturn Hawke's failed enterprise bargaining system and Howard's system of individual contracts and return to an award system for all employees, not just traditional "workers", rewrite industrial and taxation law to create a fairer system.

It is said many are "doing it tough" and young people are unable to afford housing. Look around. Great opulence exists. The system created since the 80s and 90s, and including the flawed functionality of the GST this century, has created this dual economy where the poor subsidise the wealthy. "Trickle up" economics.

IT can be assumed that taxpayer assistance will be expected to help finance the solar-powered hydrogen hub proposal for the Hunter Valley.

It should also be expected that any taxpayer assistance to be used, should first help build the solar farm before the hydrogen hub, as a solar farm can be used for other purposes.

This will gauge the capacity of this solar farm over a trial period of both summer and winter, against the power required for a hydrogen hub.

This is the only way the taxpayer has nothing to lose, if sufficient solar power is available to power a hydrogen hub, continually as expected, then consideration can be given to further investment, commonly called "trying before buying".

To expect assistance from rooftop solar, coming from the grid, I suggest as power prices will continue to rise and domestic solar storage batteries become more affordable, there will be far less solar power going to the grid. As for using fossil-fuelled power stations, one must assume they will no longer exist.

AUSTRALIA is afraid of being colonised by China. After all, look at how we still treat (colonised) Australia's First Nations. In truth, no one wants to be treated that way - deaths in custody; stolen generation; Terra Nullius. The first step is acknowledge, then apologise, then very importantly guarantee non-recurrence, and finally ask for forgiveness. Then Treaty and a Bill of Rights, and we will be ready for the Chinese, as conqueror, trade partner, or friend. We set the example of how we would like to be treated.

DARRYL Tuckwell, (Short Takes, 13/5), hopes that Australian voters have honed their skills and don't take as long to figure out Scott Morrison as they did with John Howard so they can give him the same treatment. I reckon he should hope they haven't honed their skills or they would realise that an opposition leader who doesn't have a clue what the unemployment rate is in this country, is completely out of his grade and applying for the wrong job.

BEFORE I would even consider a vote for the Greens at the next election I'd expect a commitment, that they won't take the side, as they have in the past, of Pauline Hanson, or Craig Bundy.

I'M wondering if the police will ever crack down on the many adults who ride their push bikes on the footpath. Some of them go quite fast and you can't walk on a footpath anywhere without being in danger of getting hit by these inconsiderate riders. A man apologised to me after nearly hitting me in Hamilton a few days ago. I asked him why he didn't ride on the road and he replied that he liked breaking the law.

WHY is the Labor Party slamming the Prime Minister for his "not my job" comment. I was working in heavy industry in Newcastle when demarcation was the order of the day. There was never a chance of doing another person's job. I guess it's just another Albo blue. He needs to brush up on union history before making stupid ads.

ALAN Hamilton, (Short Takes, 17/5), the only thing being ripped out is the truth. Pre-train departure viewing narrow external camera angles, multiple panes on a single small monitor from an enclosed cab is not safe. Drivers want a small change. Control their door separately to see and "hear" the length of the train and platform. Drivers have never held green flags.

BULLDOGS coach, Trent Barrett resigned after his team lost to the lowly Knights 16-6 over the weekend. Maybe the Knights can get a few more coaches to resign over the coming weeks and avoid the wooden spoon.