“To get dangerous, dead trees removed by our local government requires the ‘patience of saints’,” says letter writer ERWIN WEGNER of Giralang.
What a paradox: the ACT government is spending a significant sum of taxpayers’ money on repair of (un)damaged roads (and footpaths).
However, to get dangerous, dead trees removed by our local government requires the “patience of saints”.
Along Chuculba Circuit, Girlang, you can notice a number of them.
I have already reported them to the relevant authority, but only one was removed sometime ago. The rest are waiting for a storm to drop a branch or two on an unsuspecting taxpayer.
When I enquired, cost, cost and cost was mentioned to me. Is it possible that the unwanted tram is consuming all the budget?
Well, our jail is overflowing with a significant number of able bodies who would gladly do something useful and safe for society (for change).
Why not invest in training and, under strict supervision, use these freshly discovered talents for the removal of dangerous, dead trees.
Yes, there will be a cost, however, in comparison with the cost for each unproductive inmate, this program would be actually cost positive.
Erwin Wegner, Giralang
Why Marches for Australia fill a political vacuum
Columnist Robert Macklin is right to say that Deep Time is a great show (“Three rousing cheers for the iconic ABC”, CN October 30).
But he’s presumptuous in thinking that it “fills the void”, as regards contemporary immigration policy.
Albanese Labor has pushed net-migration to levels never previously envisaged, growing our “Big Australia” to “Huge Australia”. Their first-term (2022-25) tally of around 1.3 million smashes the egregious Rudd record by 70 per cent and more.
Now they boast of “cutting immigration” by 40 per cent, rather omitting to add, that this would still leave a stratospheric intake of well over 300,000 annually, nigh on four times the historical average.
Where does this leave hapless voters? According to Mr Macklin, there are “protesters for and against [mass migration] on racial or religious grounds”.
Actually Robert, it’s like this: from covid onwards, every reliable poll finds that voters want lower or much lower migration. In a couple of the more recent polls, there is a majority favouring net-zero migration or zero population growth.
Why did the Marches for Australia arise, and why do they continue to happen? It’s not because voters are “racists” or “neo-Nazi” dupes, as the government and its allies snarl.
No, MfA is simply filling a political vacuum. Voters can see that our all-time crisis of rental and housing unaffordability is actually a self-inflicted crisis of way more immigration than we can adequately absorb year on year.
And see equally clearly, that LiberalLaborGreenTeal has no interest in responding to their concerns. Instead, the house-trained Liberal leader prefers to argue the toss over the Labor leader’s boomer T-shirt.
Stephen Saunders, O’Connor
Has Hanson forgotten the briefings?
Liberal MLA Jeremy Hanson fails to acknowledge extensive briefings (over many years) he has received about the harms of alcohol and other drugs (AOD).
Columnist Michael Moore’s excellent article (“Is Hanson right to decry the drug ‘experiment’?”, CN October 30) reiterates the importance of evidence about AOD and harm reduction sectors’ cost effectiveness and impact.
For every $1 invested in AOD treatment, $5.40 is returned in benefit to the community. Also, every $1 invested in harm-reduction programs, such as needle and syringe programs, $27 is returned in community benefit.
David Templeman, former president, Public Health Australia
Trust lost to parties’ poor transparency
The Scanlan Foundation Research Institute’s 2024 social cohesion survey found only a third of Australians trust federal or state governments, at least most of the time. This was a decline from 44 per cent in 2021.
The dissatisfaction was found to be strongly related to economic and financial pressures with those renting, struggling financially and/or living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods being the least trusting.
It would not surprise if trust in government remained low or declined further given Robodebt, the failure to genuinely address the housing crisis (including taxation reform) and associated growing inequality; climate change and the increasing reluctance of governments to explain to the community the basis of decisions.
Failure to competently and transparently address such concerns is likely to lead to further decline in support for Labor and the Coalition, an increase in support for independents and populist (and ignorant) parties such as One Nation; and provide a playground for an increase in extremism.
Mike Quirk, Garran
Tragedy of living in a ‘progressive’ Labor town
Had a look at the history of your land rates lately? I tracked mine from 2001 to the present day. Not surprised at the results – particularly from the time Barr took over the reins of the treasury – from $46.08 a month to the present day $261.40 a month, a factor of 5.6 increase.
And Chris Steel has us in his sights for further increases. He has already attempted to get us to pay an additional $200 in our rates to finance the health debt only to be knocked back to $100 by an angry set of ratepayers.
What a tragedy that we live in a “progressive” Labor town. The rusted-on Labor voters allowed a Labor government to be formed with 34 per cent of the vote.
What’s “progressive” about a government that has had its financial rating lowered twice? As a result we pay huge amounts of interest on the state borrowings resulting in fewer teachers, nurses and police employed.
This indebtedness must be paid. Guess who will pay and how much we will pay; $261.40 a month will appear a dream figure in due course. More likely twice that amount will be required. So look at what you are paying now and double it because there is ample evidence that a huge figure will be required.
John Quinn, Spence
There are miners and mynahs, Melanie
Melanie Glover (letters, CN November 6) may have confused grey native Australian Noisy Miners with brown Indian Mynahs (“Bill’s petition to spark action on myna bird pests,” CN July 19, 2023).
Noisy Miners seem to have filled the ecological gap that was opened by declining numbers of Indian Mynahs.
Leon Arundell, Downer
So, June, how’s your world history?
Some months ago I had a letter published in City News suggesting that uni students be careful about participating in illegal demonstrations and posting critical comments that could be misunderstood on social media as its could affect their employment prospects.
Letter writer June Kirvan criticised my comments in rather nasty terms, but I did not respond as everyone is entitled to criticise.
My concerns were justified early last month when a survey of companies revealed that new research showed 77 per cent of recruiters review social media accounts, 97 per cent of them said they would reject someone based upon what they posted and that 27 per cent of Gen Z had been rejected because of social media comment. The results of the survey were published in mainstream media.
However, one of the things I object to when I see it in the media is someone attributing things to a person they know nothing about.
June Kirvan commented that, and I quote: “Imagine someone holding a position who has no knowledge of world history”.
For the information of Ms Kirvan and your readers who might have been influenced by her, my ANU degree in economics and politics included a major in international relations, I worked for several years in the Trade Commissioner Branch here and overseas, I was a trade promotions officer in the Department of Trade and Industry (which included overseas stints), was a desk officer in the International Trade Relations Division responsible for Papua/New Guinea, NZ and the Pacific Islands. I also worked on CHOGM, APEC and ASEAN and various other International bodies.
So June Kirvan, I have a wealth of experience in world history. How about you?
Ric Hingee, Duffy
A role for religion in the Middle East?
Little has been written about the possible role of religion in reducing tensions in the Middle East.
I hope that the Gaza peace plan will ultimately be fully implemented and that peace can be sustained with input from the inherent religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, all of which originate in the Middle East. The people of Gaza deserve nothing less.
These faiths are known as the Abrahamic religions, each espousing the same God and coming from the common pedigree of Abraham.
They could meet regularly and determine how to best co-exist and live peacefully alongside each other, in the same way as Pope Leo and King Charles have tried to reduce tensions between their respective faiths.
They could set up a mechanism whereby each is consulted in an effort to reduce emerging conflicts.
In meeting together, they will also come to the realisation they have more in common than they may realise and that conflict in the Middle East reflects poorly on them and the promotion of God and religion. It could result in a win-win situation.
This will not happen overnight – the Leo-Charles meeting took place after an interval of 500 years.
However, in a region as volatile as the Middle East, with patience and the right intentions, the idea is worth exploring so that neighbourly respect, love and peace can prevail, especially important in areas like the Al-Aqsa Mosque and other shared sites.
Herman van de Brug, Holt
Opposition did well opposing net-zero
Sue Dyer (letters, CN October 30) dismisses Barnaby Joyce’s stance against climate change action and net zero as highly misleading and out of touch and suggests that he is doing nothing to help the coalition from gaining broad electoral support.
Ms Dyer is under the misapprehension, as are countless commentators of the left, that by supporting the government’s climate policy, the coalition would gain electoral support.
In fact, it is quite the opposite. The coalition won three elections in 2013, 2016 and 2019 opposing climate change action and net-zero.
Tony Abbott won the 2013 landslide when he famously said “climate change is absolute crap”.
Sue Dyer also says Joyce would be tempted by a six-year Senate term, possibly with One Nation. This is unlikely because he served as Senator for Queensland (2005-2013), before being elected as the popular member for New England and increasing his margin in the May 3 poll.
Paul Temby, via email
Doing nothing about electricity costs
Letter writer Sue Dyer (CN October 30) accuses Barnaby Joyce of misleading anti-climate action and net-zero rants.
Recently, it was revealed that climate minister Chris Bowen had been hiding the real cost of net zero and Labor’s reckless renewable nightmare.
Power bills have risen dramatically even after the incumbent Labor party promised a reduction of $275 due to their renewable rollout.
Planned wind farms have been canned and the promise of hydrogen gas has, well, exploded. Experts and scientists have told us that even if we stopped using fossil fuels it would have little impact on the climate. Yet the Labor Party and their followers persist in their renewable energy scam.
It seems that the highly misleading climate action and net-zero zealots will do nothing to reduce the cost of electricity bills or firm up our energy needs for the future.
Ian Pilsner, Weston
Big-poppy syndrome is alive and doing well
In law, we are all innocent until proven guilty and the big-poppy syndrome is alive and doing very well in the case of Prince Andrew. Whatever this man has done; he has not been charged, tried and proven guilty of any offence in court of law.
All “evidence” that I have seen is of old photographs, personal statements (some by those that have been proven to be of doubtful character and the like).
The underlying message is really for Prince Andrew to be charged, answer to a court of law and be found guilty for whatever the charge(s) is/are.
It’s not for all the knockers to continue with all this ridiculous nonsense of stripping him of this and stripping him of that or wanting street names changed and all the other ridiculous unproven action.
However, some facts cannot be changed regardless, for instance: he has been born into royalty and like it or not, he is still a prince. He also fought in the Falklands War where many knockers did not and he earned his medals (they were not just given to him and they cannot just be taken away).
He may not be squeaky clean but give the man a fair go… either put up or shut up.
Graeme Edwards, via email
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