“The ACT Government can break the law, give false information, not listen to the community and all’s good.” Letter writer PENNY HUGHES challenged a government minister.  

I attended the Woden Valley Council meeting on July 1 and asked a question of the Labor MLA for Murrumbidgee and government minister, Dr Marisa Paterson, about the Phillip Pool contract.

I asked if the ACT Integrity Commission reported that due process hadn’t been followed with regard to changing the territory plan from a 50-metre pool to a 25-metre pool would the ACT Government go back to the drawing board. The answer was a resounding NO.

So this would mean the ACT Government can break the law, give false information, not listen to the community and all’s good.

What sort of democracy do we call this?!

I await with interest the findings.

Penny Moyes, Hughes

An opportunity to learn from best is lost

Thank you, Lauchlan McIntosh (“Put the community safety grants back on the road!“, CN July 2). You have made an important contribution to road safety policy in the ACT.

In addition to the pause of the road safety grants program, the ACT has recently declined opportunities to work with external road safety stakeholders on at least two occasions: firstly, to hold a forum into the enforcement of e-devices and secondly to support holding Australasia’s major road safety conference in Canberra.

It is pleasing to see in the media that there is now a focus on enforcement around e-devices although this is apparently more in response to desecration of playing fields than a concern for safety.

The hosting of the Australasian Road Safety Conference would be an opportunity to learn from best practice and to stimulate the local economy through hosting the largest road safety conference in the southern hemisphere. Disappointing!

Rod Katz, via citynews.com.au

Revealed: what light rail is really costing us 

Smart Canberra Transport has updated its independent cost estimates for ACT light rail Stages 1, 2A and 2B, prompted by an announcement by Chief Minister Andrew Barr “to rein-in capital expenditure on infrastructure” and that a decision to progress Stage 2B to Woden would not be taken until after the 2028 ACT election.

This decision followed the Eslake review in 2026 of ACT finances, commissioned by the ACT Legislative Assembly, which, among other things, criticised the funds being spent on infrastructure instead of on more important projects for the community.

The report estimates the whole-of-life costs – construction plus 20 years of Operations & Maintenance (O&M) – expressed in 2026 dollars for: Stage 1 (Gungahlin-Civic), $1.9 billion; Stage 2A (Civic-Regatta Point) $2.285 billion; Stage 2B (Regatta Point-Woden) $6.893 billion; Stage 2A+2B $9.178 billion; and all three stages $11.078 billion.

Of particular concern is the extent of interest payable on the capital cost of Stages 1 and 2A, which has never been made public by the government.

These have been estimated as follows, paid for over the 20-year O&M phases: for Stage 1, $546 million; for Stage 2A, $289 million; a commitment for both of $835 million (2026 prices).

Note that interest on capital input by the contractor for each stage is recoverable through periodic contractual payments, as amortised over the 20-year O&M phases. But for Stage 1, the government made a capital contribution of $375 million in 2019, which was not amortised and attracts an annual interest of $15 million ($375M x assumed 4% pa), so incurring a cost of $300 million over 20 years, paid for by additional ACT debt forever.

Although a decision to proceed on Stage 2B is now postponed until after the 2028 election, it is still edifying for ACT taxpayers to know the probable, huge cost of this stage and the impact it could have on ACT finances, especially given that all of light rail costs, for all stages are and would be financed by ACT debt, which is already at a serious level.

The report may be read on alogstudycentre.com.au

Max Flint, co-ordinator, Smart Canberra Transport, and principal, Australian Logistics Study Centre

Hanson a calculated merchant of division

Letter writer Sue Dyer’s call for new episodes of Kath and Kim to explain some Hansonisms and One Nation “policies” is insightful (“Kath and Kim needed to explain policy”, CN, July 2).

With her unique way of “explaining” things, Hanson is a natural for a major role. The image of Kath imploring Hanson to “Look at moy! Pauline look at mooyyy” when trying to explain the meaning of “monoculchure” would be priceless. And even Kim would get the need to reduce emissions, although there may be some confusion with the bodily sort.

But in hindsight, Kath and Kim were funny and made us laugh at the bogan within us. Hanson is definitely not funny and is way beyond simple boganism. She is a real threat to a rational and cohesive society, a calculated merchant of division. Our task is not to parody her politics, but to confront it with evidence, clarity, and civic seriousness. We owe it to our democracy.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria

Anti-Hanson brigade rattled by One Nation rise

William Gin in his letter “Australians want a government that listens” (CN July 2) is correct to question columnist Andrew Hughes, who dismisses One Nation because they don’t possess the organisational machinery that Labor and the Liberals possess.

Ginn also rightly says history shows that new parties can rapidly get organised. In 1944 Menzies rapidly organised fractured conservative parties that were smashed in the 1943 election and formed the Liberal Party.

It only took five years for the new Liberal Party in coalition with the Country Party to win government and serve for 23 years.

It is clear that the anti-Hanson brigade are rattled by the rise of ON, as it emerges as a real threat to the establishment.

CN letter writers Ray Peck with his limericks and Sue Dyer’s analogy with Kath and Kim attempt to satirise a political shift across Australia that does not suit their view of what is the accepted norm.

Paul Temby, via email

Looking forward to the next analysis

Letter writer Mike Rendall rambled on endlessly about the word “divisive” as used by Pauline Hanson (CN July 2).

I look forward to his analysis of the other phrase he quoted from Pauline’s speech: “This beautiful country belongs to all Australians born here and those who have come to join us”.

Vili Kemenes, Cook

White fragility rather than white racism?

Gwyn Rees presented an argument that the tragic death of the young Englishman, Henry Nowak was directedly as a result of white racism (“How the ‘race card’ threatens fairness“, CN June 25).

It is possible that Mr Rees has thoroughly investigated the circumstances around this case, which leads him to no other conclusion. However, he did not mention the tragedy of this case is that the police arrested the young man based on a complaint and failed to respond to his pleas for medical attention.

Unfortunately, this is a situation that has occurred on many occasions to people in custody including in the AMC. 

Mr Rees quotes the sentence given to the complainant who was later revealed to be the attacker and the comments from the judge at his trial. None of this was known by the police at the time of the arrest and it was a mistake that tragically cost a life.

It was, however, a mistake, not a vexatious attack by police on a white man because he was white, unlike, for instance, the Rodney King attack in Los Angeles in 1992. 

He was beaten to death like so many black Americans, because he was black. The police officer who killed Floyd was convicted of murder.

Riots ensued as a result of Mr Nowak’s death, despite calls from his father that his son’s death not be used to create further division, hatred or tension within the community and he condemned the violence.

Mr Rees has clearly been offended by the comments made by Australia’s Race Discrimination Commissioner and his article seems to ironically display a grievance against a perceived loss of white privilege. His distortion of the situation comes across more as white fragility than white racism (the book, White Fragility, by Robin Di Angelo will explain this concept in detail).

Tricia Richardson, Duffy

Warming comes from carbon, Anthony

Anthony Hordern makes the common mistake of assuming that because life on Earth is “carbon-based” more carbon dioxide (CO2) is beneficial (“Ignoring physics, biology and engineering”, letters, CN June 25).

He accuses others of ignoring physics, but ignores it himself.

Simply put, CO2 molecules trap heat. The excess CO2 we have dumped into the atmosphere and oceans since the beginning of the industrial revolution means the planet is warming faster than it has for thousands of years.

It’s fine that he is not worried, but it would be good if he stopped arguing against the findings of all the major scientific bodies in the world who have unequivocally accepted that the CO2 from burning fossil fuels is the primary cause of the unprecedented global warming we are experiencing.

Anne O’Hara, Wanniassa

Wildlife cull causes community distress

Canberra’s natural spaces provide for an ecological interconnectedness between its human and native wildlife inhabitants.

But right now, kangaroos, wallabies and their joeys are being shot and killed every night, practically in our own backyards.

This is normalising violence towards our native wildlife and sends the message that they are essentially disposable, and cruelty against them acceptable.

Kangaroos play a fundamental role in maintaining the health of Australian ecosystems by shaping vegetation structure, dispersing seeds, and creating microhabitats.

The ACT Government’s kangaroo culling is inhumane, ecologically flawed and causes widespread community distress.

We must stop treating our native wildlife as disposable and restore local nature reserves to the genuine sanctuaries they were meant to be.

Blanca Furze, via email

Salute to the standout writers

I continue to be impressed by the enormous talent pool of writers around the ACT.

In your CityNews edition of June 25 alone, among those who contribute or are mentioned and stand out are Andrew Hughes, Michael Moore, Clive Williams, Anthony Hordern and Helen Musa. 

The Overalls, John L Smith, Leon Arundel, Jack Kershaw, Phil Potterton, Mike Quirk, the late Robert Macklin and Janine Haskins also come to mind.

Regular readers will know the important contributions these people make and have made to the debates we need to have and to the local community. 

I particularly enjoy Andrew Hughes’ insightful columns. All parliamentarians, especially local, should read them.

Herman van de Brug, Holt

Shouldn’t hospitals offer healthy food?

The Emergency Department at North Canberra Hospital lacks an overnight cafeteria.

While vending machines are available 24/7, the food and drinks on offer are of limited nutritional value.

Since diet and health are fundamentally linked, we would expect hospitals to sell only highly nutritious food and drinks around the clock.

The cost of keeping a cafeteria always open while selling highly nutritious food and drinks (preferably at cost) should be totally justified by having healthier patients, visitors and staff.

While dietician-recommended food is not a cure-all, optimally-fed people tend to require less expensive medical interventions.

Importantly, the dictum attributed to Hippocrates (460-370 BCE), “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, is still valid and worth upholding and implementing.

George Gapella, Kaleen 

It’s land that’s crippling affordability

An analysis of house prices in new estates reveals that it’s the retail land component that’s crippling affordability.

Profits are massive. Blocks are family-unfriendly. Trees and soil profiles go. Local authorities won’t challenge the situation, because rates are their main income source.

“Up-zoning” existing suburbs is not about precipitating housing affordability, but the latest form of rates maximisation. Land developers and local governments chant “it’s the market” – theirs.

Time for the Commonwealth to comprehensively nationalise the (compulsory if necessary) acquisition, and responsible planning and development of new suburban and satellite-town land, to maintain supply, to sell good-sized blocks only to bona fide owner-occupiers at the verifiable cost plus a small margin reflecting the block’s characteristics, to provide assistance to proven negative equity sufferers for a time, and to replace rates with a modest GST increase, with distribution extended to local governments. 

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

Are we plunging down a sinkhole?

My fear is we have become disconnected from continual improvement and better government. Our poor financial balance sheet, destroyed AAA credit rating and embarrassing economic record seems to support this concern.

As do CityNews’ excellent opinion pieces of Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed and many other competent people who have looked closely and reported on the Barr government’s stumbling and our lost, ineffective opposition.

Are we plunging down a sinkhole?

John Lawrence via email

The slippery slope warning not heeded

Early in my role as president of ACT Right to Life, I presented a submission to the Select Committee on Voluntary Assisted Dying Bill 2023.

I gained an early impression that the level of openness might be low and it was possibly a fait accompli that the Bill would pass possibly with some modifications. 

As I look back at what happened with the introduction of VAD (euthanasia), I wonder what the government really researched or listened to.

The warning about the “slippery slope” in a thorough submission from the Australian Care Alliance was not heeded.

The Catholic Church presented the clear moral position from a Christian

perspective opposing the further expansion of “a culture of death”. 

Culture is built upon the foundation of morality and this was clearly once

the case. It has been replaced by a fluid and uncertain substitute that now includes the offer of death as a solution to suffering. It often appeals to a false sense of mercy in good people.

Humans grow until death and this includes embracing the mysterious journey of suffering. The best is discovered in the part that loved ones offer as they accompany them through this process ensuring that the best care is provided including an enduring love.

Eugenics have no legitimate part in our society. Every life is of value and

has intrinsic dignity which as a society we should protect.

John Kennedy, president, ACT Right to Life

News all day, every day at CityNewsQBN.com.au.