“The rationale or ideology that promotes abortion up to birth has no tenable case to offer in respect of a living human person being left to die without care,” says letter writer JOHN KENNEDY.

ACT Right to Life is deeply concerned that there are children born alive after a failed abortion and left to die without care in the ACT. 

I have written to the Minister of Health, the Coroner’s Court and the chief police officer for the ACT seeking an understanding of any rights for these children in regards to appropriate levels of care due to any human person.

I have received no replies so far.

Surely members of the act community would expect that these children would be afforded humane care. In the ACT abortion is legal up to birth. Many members of the community find this intolerable. Babies actually born alive cannot be identified as other than human.

The rationale or ideology that promotes abortion up to birth has no tenable case to offer in respect of a living human person being left to die without care.

John Kennedy, president, ACT Right to Life Association

Why the shock and outrage over trump?

While we cannot condone the attempted assassination of former president Trump, I do not understand how much we are all shocked and outraged.

Donald J Trump is a convicted felon, he has practised dirty politics and dirty business and has already hinted, if re-elected, at a split from NATO, withdrawing US support for Ukraine and sinking the AUKUS deal.

Trump and his Republican Party have encouraged and proliferated violence and violent rhetoric and have supported gun laws that have made getting an assault rifle, as easy as ordering a “cheeseburger ‘n’ fries”.

More concerning, Trump, and his sycophantic supporters, believe that his escape from death was an act of God, who has now anointed Trump, one of the most divisive actors in US politics, to unify America?

The real victims were the rally attendees, Corey Comperatore who was fatally wounded, Trump supporters David Dutch and James Copenhaver, who both sustained injuries and the shooter himself, Thomas Matthew Crooks – bullied and ostracised in school, his obvious mental health issues ignored, empowered by lax, gun laws that allows almost anyone, irrespective of their mental health status, to acquire a high-powered gun or rifle.

“The Right to Bear Arms”, indeed?

Declan Mcgrath, via email

Believers know who to turn to

We are aware from his column that Robert Macklin does not believe in God (“Where the heavenly call centre works overtime”, CN July 25). 

To his credit Mr Macklin acknowledged many of us do. In a rather troubled world, where the world order and democracy are being challenged, and populists and so-called “experts” are gaining more credibility, it is of great comfort to many of us to know that there is a God – a God who cares for us deeply.

It is interesting when disaster strikes, many more of us turn to God. The day after planes struck the Twin Towers in New York, at a prayer meet in Narrabundah I used to attend, those gathered there increased from the usual two or three to about 80 people. When covid first struck, the number of people tuning into the online Mass at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney increased from the usual 600 people to about 1500. Believers know who to turn to.

Herman van de Brug, Holt

Cost not a consideration with community safety

There has been much talk about the introduction of electronic ankle bracelets for alleged offenders on bail orders.

I note that ankle bracelets are widely used, on both a national and international basis, with proven success in reducing recidivism, and essentially saving lives of potential victims.

A current parolee and I recently provided evidence to the Legislative Assembly Standing Committee involved in the inquiry into the administration of bail in the ACT. 

We both strongly recommended the use of electronic monitoring; not only for alleged offenders on bail, but also for particular offenders on community-based orders.

While I don’t believe ankle bracelets are suited to all types of offenders, I can see a benefit for community safety when the offences include domestic/family violence, sex offences, dangerous drivers and certain repeat offenders. 

The bracelets could serve as an active deterrent for such people, as well as providing an immediate response from police if a breach occurs.

So far as the financial feasibility of such a program being rolled out goes, I believe it would be a cost-effective mechanism to keep people out of the remand facility at the Alexander Maconochie Centre. 

I would think that empirical data could be accessed quite readily, without unnecessary monetary implications, and in a timely manner. Essentially, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

However, cost should not be a consideration when it comes to the safety of our community. Simple.

Janine Haskins, Cook

Serious corrupt conduct corrodes

Unbending and unrepentant, former NSW premier Gladys Berejiklian has managed to cast aside any of her remaining role-model leadership qualities, while clinging to her oft-repeated claims about having worked her hardest for the people of NSW ( “Berejiklian stays defiant despite corrupt finding loss”, citynews.com.au July 26). 

Yet many more on much lower pay scales exhibit the ability to work very hard on a daily basis and show good awareness and honesty about avoiding workplace conflicts of interest and the dangers of not doing so. 

Surely now even a biased future Liberal prime minister would not dare to consider Ms Berejiklian for a senior ambassadorship position, let alone that of governor-general.

Sue Dyer, Downer 

Average Unimproved Value is the key to rises

Michael Delaney (letters, CN August 1), what happens to the Unimproved Value (UV) is not important for the calculation of rates and land tax. It is based on the Average Unimproved Value (AUV). 

As the average is over five years, it is almost certain your AUV has increased substantially since 2023-24 to get a 34 per cent increase in land tax because no component of the tax rates has increased by anywhere near that amount.

Those rates are published in the Budget Papers and on government web pages.

The fixed charge has increased by 5 per cent, the valuation based marginal rates up to $275,000 AUV have not changed (so properties up to that value have increases as low as 2.4 per cent for a constant AUV). Marginal rates above that have increased by up to 11.6 per cent, but the theoretical maximum increase for a property with a constant AUV is 10.5 per cent, it is 10 per cent at an AUV of $2 million.

Peter Bradbury, via email

Complacent spendthrifts, they’ve got to go

In his column “How the independents are coming to the party” (CN July 31), Andrew Hughes mentions possible independent candidates for the October 19 ACT election including Thomas Emerson and Fiona Carrick. 

All seem well qualified and eminently suitable to form a basis for a new ACT government.

In my opinion, the performance of the Barr government has been poor – almost scandalously so – complacent and spendthrift (light rail).

I could not possibly vote for Andrew Barr’s Labor or Shane Rattenbury’s Greens. The Belco Party with a resurrected Bill Stefaniak is out of the question. That leaves the independents.

I admire the honesty and effectiveness of ACT Senator David Pocock and hope that such qualities can be found in the potential ACT independents named by Dr Hughes when the territory election campaign begins. If so, that’s where my vote will go.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

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