“The inadequacy of the dual planning regime was apparent in the approval of the Amberfield retirement village for 55 single-storey villas and 260 apartments on the Cotter Road, an 80 km/h arterial road,” says letter writer MIKE QUIRK.

The Plan for North Curtin Residential Area, released by the National Capital Authority (NCA), identifies some 1200 to 1300 dwellings primarily in six-to eight-storey apartment buildings.

The plan provides site-specific design and planning conditions for the precinct.

The approval did not consider social infrastructure needs or the traffic impacts of the development with the NCA saying such analysis would be undertaken as part of the strategic assessment for the Southern Gateway Corridor and addressed in a later DA undertaken after the land is released by the Suburban Land Agency.

The NCA position highlights the inadequacy of planning processes in the ACT. In a rational planning system the environmental, traffic and social impacts of a development would be considered holistically.

The inadequacy of the dual planning regime was apparent in the approval of the Amberfield retirement village for 55 single-storey villas and 260 apartments on the Cotter Road, an 80 km/h arterial road.

As residents moved in, significant road safety and public transport access issues emerged that were not considered in the DA approved by the NCA.

The issues remain unresolved with the ACT arguing the developer should pay the costs required to remedy the issues.

No land release at North Curtin should occur until a detailed evaluation of the Southern Gateway Corridor, including assessment of a range of residential and employment scenarios, transport strategies and associated infrastructure costs, is undertaken.

Furthermore, the NCA and the ACT Government should agree that in locations where there is a dual responsibility, the assessment should fully consider potential impacts.

Mike Quirk, Garran

Gardening as an act of hope and love

I appreciated Jackie Warburton’s suggestions for preparing our gardens for summer (“Get veggies ready for summer”, CN September 10).

With a hot, dry summer predicted as climate change combines with El Niño conditions, we need to make our gardens as resilient as possible.

Although it is not an indigenous species, the suggestion to use plants like phlomis in hot, dry parts of the garden is an excellent one. In my experience, bees love phlomis, too.

A thriving garden brings joy, but it can also provide shade, support pollinators, offer habitat for wildlife and help us cope with the challenges of a warming climate. I view gardening as an act of hope and love in a challenging world. 

Amy Hiller, Kew, Victoria

Flagging the same old chestnuts 

Surely the Coalition could deliver a far more “important policy for protecting Australia’s way of life” by getting serious about the need for more significant climate change and emissions reduction action at the federal level.

And advocate strongly for this, preferably in multi-partisan ways (“Liberals deny mooted flag burning ban a One Nation ploy”, citynews.com.au September 6). 

But given Angus Taylor’s thoroughly stale and unimaginative approach to policy making so far, will his grab bag of nationalistic and security pronouncements in future include a ballot style conscription call-up to boost the numbers in the ADF, or some other form of national or community service for 18-30 year olds? 

Like the ongoing focus and noise about flags and statues of Captain Cook, such ideas have been kicked around by blinkered conservative politicians when searching for relevance and attention in the past. 

Sue Dyer, Downer

Happy with hospital treatment

I had a need to present at North Canberra Hospital emergency department on September 6.

I cannot speak too highly of the treatment I received. Dr Yasith was determined to find the underlying issues rather than just treat the symptoms. Nurse Sojana could not have done more.

Both were thoroughly professional.

Herman van de Brug, Holt

Come along and make your views known

Michael Moore’s column (“We need more local politicians, and here’s why”, CN August 27) and subsequent letters (CN September 11) discuss options for improving governance in the ACT. 

As Moore’s piece and the letters suggest, this is a contentious and complex matter.

Readers might be interested to know that the Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy and Active Democracy Bean are running an event series: Re-imagining Governance for the ACT.

Events completed looked at reform of the Legislative Assembly’s processes and the role of Community Councils. Coming up is a look at this issue of increasing the number of MLAs (October 19) and whether a Citizens’ Assembly would help (November 16).

Reports for the completed events and details of upcoming events are on the Alliance’s website.

There are pros and cons of all options. The key point, as Moore stresses, is that Canberrans decide.

We invite Canberrans to be part of the conversations. Come along and make your views known.

Peter Tait, convener, Canberra Alliance for Participatory Democracy

The danger we may be inviting home

I refer to Mike Quirk’s letter (“Whose interests is One Nation serving?”, CN September 10).

He questions One Nation’s motives, but Australians should ask: whose safety are we risking by repatriating terrorists and their enablers?

I believe in redemption – but only for those who never chose evil. These women married into ISIS, supported a genocidal ideology, and now expect to return as if their actions had no consequence.

In 2022, Peter Dutton, acting on advice from ASIO, the AFP and Defence, made the right call: they should not come back. The National Security Committee agreed. That decision must stand.

It’s 25 years since 9/11 – a day that still weighs on us all. And now we’re asked to welcome back those aligned with the very terror that caused it?

Yes, the Community Integration Support Program has had limited success, but would you want fanatical extremists in your community? They made their bed.

Real refugees – people who fled ISIS – lost everything: homes burned, families murdered. Where is their priority? Meanwhile, thousands of Australians wait for public housing, with little government empathy. Now we’re to accept returning terrorists, too?

The federal government, Labor, the Greens, and independents voted down One Nation’s Protecting Australians from Foreign Terrorist Fighters Bill 2026. Given our rising crime rates and a justice system that fails the public, what do they know that we don’t?

Do leopards change their spots? Redemption demands accountability – not a free pass. The promise of family reunion must not blind us to the danger we may be inviting home.

Russ Morison, Theodore 

What would One Nation cut and abandon?

Hugh Selby’s portrait of One Nation is amusing (“Whinge, be selfish and put our trust in One Nation”, CN September 3). 

However, the real concerns are what One Nation would cut, dismantle and abandon.

One Nation proposes to slash Commonwealth spending by $90 billion a year. 

Its approach to childcare is particularly revealing. Pauline Hanson has described government childcare spending as “completely out of control”, questioned the need for qualified early-childhood educators and suggested shifting support from childcare centres to parents.

She has also indicated she would consider winding back paid parental leave, while Barnaby Joyce says the party is prepared to cut worker entitlements.

Most alarming is climate policy. One Nation’s website declares “Climate Change is a Hoax”, rejects the scientific evidence underpinning the IPCC’s conclusions, wants to scrap emissions targets, abolish the Renewable Energy Target, withdraw from the Paris Agreement and shut the federal Department of Climate Change.

These are not amusing eccentricities. They would have profound consequences for families, workers, the economy and environment.

One Nation deserves scrutiny not for the colour of its rhetoric, but for the Australia its policies would actually create.

Christine Cook, Essendon, Victoria

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