Letter writer REBECCA MARKS, of Palmerston, says the ACT Labor leadership is “wilfully ignoring the concerns of its own members” by not acting on a membership direction from last year to hold an independent review into the kangaroo cull. 

I AM deeply concerned about the oppression of democratic processes within ACT Labor and wish to reveal these concerns to Canberrans.

I am a member of the Gungahlin sub-branch of ACT Labor, which passed a motion calling for an independent review into the kangaroo cull in early 2022. 

The motion was presented at the ACT annual conference where it was supported by an overwhelming majority of delegates (over 260 attendees) and became a resolution (Resolution 0124G). 

Myself and other party members have been seeking an update on the progress of the resolution from the ACT Labor leadership since January this year.

This has included referring the matter to the Labor caucus as well as the ACT Labor secretary. 

We have been told since January that an update will be provided, however we are continually being ignored and stonewalled by our own party. 

The ACT Labor leadership is wilfully ignoring the concerns of its own members. 

It appears to be hellbent on killing kangaroos.

Not only are the kangaroos dying, democracy in Canberra is dying also.

Rebecca Marks, Palmerston

Relieved to see hospital cross come down

MY heart fluttered with pure unadulterated joy as I looked at pictures of a crane removing a very large cross attached to the recently taken over Calvary Hospital. 

The sheer relief was unmistakably a sign of progression within Canberra Health Services.

And now, the takeover of the hospice simply compounds my delight.

My sincere hope is that people at the end of their lives will be able to die with dignity and respect on their terms, not on the sanctions of the Catholic Church.

Now, to bring on voluntary assisted dying – Tara Cheyne, you have my back all the way.

Janine Hoskins, Cook

All roads, and rail, lead to Lyneham

DEAR Andrew, good call regarding the stadium for Civic folly. However, you don’t need yet another expensive feasibility study to state the bleeding obvious. 

Give Katy a call, ask her to convince Albo to offload the AIS/Bruce stadium for free on the proviso that you will flog the land off to developers for medium-density housing (some of it to be set aside as “affordable”). 

With the proceeds you can then build a decent stadium in the racecourse/EPIC area, which is easily the most suitable site. The tram might even come in useful for once (or even more than once on game days). 

Forget about creating “buzz” in Bruce, all roads (and rail) lead to Lyneham!

David Jeffery, Cook

Avoid the demolition option for stadium

THE announcement that the Civic Pool site relocation option has been abandoned is overdue.

Refurbishment at AIS has always been pursued since its construction in 1977 to hold the Pacific Conference Games at a cost of $6 million for 8000 spectators in the west stand.

In 1985 World Cup soccer necessitated the removal of the athletics track and capacity was raised to 11500. As a venue for Olympic soccer in 1997, the pitch was lowered by three metres, the east stand

constructed over modified, stepped seating with corporate boxes and the west stand roof projection was increased. Accommodation was increased to today’s 25,000.

Issues with grass pitches in the Canberra climate were exposed during these extensive modifications. Caution in roofing such pitches was demonstrated at the Sydney Football Stadium (now demolished), where a prototype of a proposed Space Dome was erected over the chosen turf to check response to Sydney climate use. 

Chief Minister Andrew Barr is wise to remove the covered option at this early stage to avoid a similar fate as suffered by Kate Carnell on turf performance.

Our progressive government needs to avoid the usual demolition option in dealing with big footprint structures like Bruce Stadium, currently under consideration for engineering heritage, which have shown ability for adaptation.

Ken Murtagh (engineer of record, Bruce Stadium), Hughes

Planet’s biggest land-based slaughter of wildlife

IN response to Myriam Amar (“Kangaroo meat is a profitable enterprise”, Letters, CN JNune 29). While that is certainly what the kangaroo industry would want us to think, it exists mainly for the pet-food industry and those sports brands still using kangaroo leather in the manufacture of soccer boots. 

As for those poor joeys, while its plausible predation from foxes may contribute to mortality rates, more likely is that they are decapitated or have their heads smashed in with the butt of a rifle or swung around by their tail on to the shooters’ truck. 

While some countries have legislated protection of their national animal symbols like NZ (kiwi), the US (Bald Eagle) and China (panda), our colonial past simply encourages the biggest land-based slaughter of wildlife on the planet, night after night, year after year in the name of commercialism or conservation. 

Chris Doyle, Gordon

Coal-flavoured food, anyone?

VI Evans (Letters, CN July 6)really needs to learn a bit about technology before ranting.

How do wind turbines exactly drop “toxins”? Let alone how do they stop people using the fields below?

And most solar farms are now being built in a way to allow the land underneath to effectively be still used for farming purposes.

Yes, there is a clear issue with management of impacts on arable land from renewable energy development, but sprouting made-up nonsense isn’t going to help make a positive change to practices to achieve an appropriate balance.

But I guess some people might prefer coal-flavoured food instead?

Ben Brackhurst, via citynews.com.au

If Voice fails, blame look-at-me Albanese

If the Voice and the referendum fail, and it isn’t looking too good at the moment, I put much of the blame on Albanese. 

He has pushed the issue so hard, and hitched his wagon so firmly to a “Yes” vote, that it politicised the whole issue. 

This is an issue for the people, not politicians, sporting groups, big business, local councils and the like who risk getting people’s backs up at being told what to do. 

Dutton was always going to vote “No” and Albanese’s “look-at-me, look-at- me” approach to not only this, but the visit of the Indian Prime Minister and numerous other appearances at sporting events and high-profile functions, make him an irresistible target for Dutton. 

This could easily result in people voting “No” as a comment on Albanese’s pompousness rather than on the merits of the vote for First Nation People.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Tram costs were clear, but not to the public

COLUMNIST Paul Costigan (“When trust runs dry and tram spinners take over”, CN July 5) says that in 2012 the business case for the tram was not clear.

The business case for the tram was not clear to the public, but it was clear to the government.

The government’s August 2012 submission to Infrastructure Australia included a strong business case for bus rapid transit between Gungahlin and Civic, and a weak case for light rail. Bus rapid transit would cost $249 million, and would deliver net benefits of $243 million. Light rail would cost $524 million, and would deliver only $11 million of net benefits.

The government kept that information from the public until at least June 2013.

Those figures indicate that stage 2A of bus rapid transit would deliver net benefits worth $30 million, and stage 2B of bus rapid transit would deliver net benefits worth $300 million.

The government’s August 2019 “City to Woden Light Rail: Stage 2A City to Commonwealth Park Business Case” estimated that Stage 2A would cost $268 million, but would deliver only $150 million worth of benefits (for a net cost of $118 million). It also estimated that Stage 2B would have net benefits worth $44 million, minus the cost of converting the existing light rail vehicles to dual energy operation, the additional cost of new dual energy LRVs, the cost of the extra LRVs that will be needed because dual energy LRVs will be slower, and the cost of replacing batteries every 10 to 15 years.

The government kept that information from the public until it was released by the Audit Office in September 2021.

Leon Arundell, Downer

Welcome to Canberra, you’re booked!

CANBERRA used to be known for its roundabouts. Now, it’s known by tourists for its speed trap cameras right in the centre of town, bound to catch all-and-sundry, even if they are going just a few kilometres over 40km, with fines around $300. 

I’ve had two interstate visitors in the past week complaining about the very same thing, wondering how it can be? 

Surely there’s no good justification for keeping these speed cameras at this stage when the risk to pedestrians is very, very low as traffic behaviour has changed so much in the past two years, but it sends a very wrong message about Canberra, right in the middle of a cost of living crisis. Not to even mention the financial effect on locals.

Danny Corvini, Turner