Caught between the economic pincers of a federal government determined to boost Immigration with its associated infrastructure demands and the stress on interest rates mandating balanced budgets and a AAA credit rating, Daniel Mookhey is surely teetering on the trapeze in his first state budget. (“Heading for a slow debt”, DT, Sept 20). He is duly worthy of acclaim for focusing on cost-of-living issues and refusing to mimic Canberra’s esoteric “Alice in Wonderland” diatribe where issues of the Voice or gender equality distract parliament from our real life daily challenges. It will be a skilful policymaker who can traverse the Catch 22 challenges of an increased population boosting GDP, profits and company tax while simultaneously increasing demand for more infrastructure and services. A loss of AAA certification with higher interest costs and natural disaster relief might leave Mookhey regretful about his dams’ cost cutting. With such complexity, it is surely banal for the opposition to fire pot shots when the measurable outcomes are yet to be analysed. Collectively, we must hope the treasurer is successful. Alan Sexton, North Parramatta. 21Sep2023.