If the appropriateness of light rail and better alternatives are not the National Capital Authority’s concern, what are the criteria on which their approval will be based, wonders Prof BEATRICE BODART-BAILEY.

On November 14, I attended the National Capital Authority’s Community Forum 2024 at the National Library. 

The three speeches, the first by Zoom from the Regional Development Minister Kristy McBain; the second by NCA chair Terry Weber and the last by NCA chief executive Karen Doran, all stressed the importance of preserving the uniqueness of our capital, transparency of decision making and the importance of the community’s impact. 

Regarding light rail, the audience heard that the approval of the NCA was still outstanding. 

This encouraged me to ask to ask the following question: Since the light rail would irreversibly change our unique bush capital into one which, like most other capitals, trams were circling around government buildings, why does the NCA not ask for a non-conflicted, expert committee to evaluate the appropriateness of the light rail as public transport to Woden while circling around Parliament House, and compare it with alternatives? 

The chief executive’s answer was that this was not the work of the NCA and had already been done by the ACT government. 

Unfortunately, there was no time to explain that the only comparison with alternate forms of transport, such as bus rapid transit, had been done in 2012, was not transparent since the report was kept secret at the time and, as explained in my October 10 article in CityNews, publicly compared the light rail only with the “do-nothing” scenario. 

Quite apart from the fact that in the interim, 12 years of significant developments in public transport have taken place. 

My follow-up question to the NCA is, if the appropriateness of the light rail and better alternatives are not the NCA’s concern, what are the criteria on which their approval will be based? 

Since in the past, the NCA has been accused of rubber stamping the proposals of the local government, and the new chief executive has previously been the acting chief project officer at the ACT government’s directorate Major Projects Canberra tasked with building the light rail to Woden, a detailed answer to this question would provide transparency and be helpful to the public in understanding the independent decision making of the agency.

Prof Beatrice Bodart-Bailey, via email

Imagine, Canberra was meant to be a tax haven

Tim Walshaw (letters, CN November 14) is correct: Canberra was meant to be a tax haven.

It was designed to be financed by lease rents and rates on the land of the territory, which was deliberately vested in the Commonwealth so that it could run the territory, to take a homely analogy, like a shopping centre with all the amenities paid for by lease rents and rates – and with no call on the taxpayers of the states and no resort to taxes on the residents of Canberra. 

Many of the founding fathers had seen the 1890s land boom and bust, which wrecked “Marvellous Melbourne”, and were keen followers of American economist Henry George across all party lines.

It was Sir Joseph Carruthers, the Liberal Premier of NSW, who in his memoirs recounts meeting George and declares his pride in introducing the 1906 land value rating system (which abolished the taxes on buildings and improvements) as representing the best effort to translate Henry George’s ideas into practical legislation.

Likewise, Sir John Quick and Sir Samuel Griffith as well as Andrew Fisher were keen supporters of the idea that land values should be the basis of public revenue.

They were not stupid. 

There are only three things you can tax – land, labour or capital. Only one of them can’t slack off, demand higher wages, run away, stop breeding, be hidden, rust out, not replaced or shifted offshore.

So, as they say, “go figure!” and you will arrive back at what is now “modern” optimal tax theory – you are standing on it!

Dr Terry Dwyer, via email

No longer able to lead the fray

Shrouded in charges, Alan Jones will no longer be able to lead the fray, control the spotlight or the commentary ( “Alan Jones faces fresh indecent assault charges”, citynews.com.au November 19) .

A tableaux of women on Bondi beach, wrapped in chaff bags, would act to remind more of how years of political and public acceptance of Jones’ misogynistic rhetoric and sprays of easy, nasty contempt for others helped to push this time of reckoning out to the end of 2024 instead of it occurring much earlier.

Sue Dyer, Downer

Fake letter from Donald: step back, Kevin

I don’t care for Donald Trump, but the statements made about him by ambassador Kevin Rudd show nothing more than Rudd’s lack of diplomatic acumen.

On Trump’s behalf, I got ChatGPT to compose a reply: “Wow, the Australian ambassador Rudd really needs to take a step back! He’s out there making comments about me, but let’s not forget, he was once the prime minister of Australia, and we all know how that turned out!

“They say diplomacy is an art, but with his track record, it looks more like finger painting! Maybe he should focus on his own country instead of throwing shade. Australia is great, but it’s no America. Just sayin’!

“Rudd, stick to what you know, and let’s leave the negotiating to the pros. Keep it classy, folks!”

John Franze, via email

This is no time for covid complacency

While columnist Michael Moore is certainly correct in stating that, when it comes to the fight against COVID-19 and future pandemics, “complacency is the greatest concern for the future” (CN November 14), he neglected to say that complacency is also the greatest concern for the present.

COVID-19 should not be spoken of in the past tense – it is still very much with us. It is concerning that case numbers are not being reliably monitored and publicised, precautions are not being taken, and the public is being led to believe that we do not need to think about this any more.

The reality is that highly transmissible variants are now circulating and people are still getting very ill and being hospitalised. From November 8-14, there were 92 ACT cases confirmed from PCR tests (RAT results are no longer required or reported), six people in hospital with covid, and 1 death reported.

Covid is not just a risk for older people. A family member in his 30s, who has received an annual covid shot and who had covid two years ago, has recently been absolutely knocked out with covid. This is no time for complacency.

Karina Morris, Weetangera

We can all step up on climate change

Columnist Robert Macklin is right to be concerned about the result of the US election (“Trump might be a plus for the good guys”, CN November 14). 

If Trump again removes the US from the Paris Agreement, climate action will be slower. The US is the largest economy and the second largest emitter. Of any nation, it should be leading the fight. 

However, because Jo Biden’s huge package to combat climate change, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) has unleashed an unprecedented wave of investment, ignited a clean manufacturing boom and stimulated more than $450 billion in announced private investment in clean energy manufacturing and deployment, US states, even Republican ones, are keen to keep the money flowing. 

Trump has a dilemma. It’s easy to be a cup half empty at this challenging moment in history, but it’s more important than ever to take stronger steps to combat worsening climate change. Australia can play a leading role. We can all step up.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria

Voice misinformation still flying around

I wonder what services and how many patients have been disrupted by the flying of an Aboriginal flag at Canberra Hospital without an Australian flag also in evidence? 

Surely Vivien Munoz (letters, CN November 14) must have some substantive reason other than attacking, without evidence, the “woke government” for perpetrating “another act of obliterating things British”. 

I don’t blame her for being misled by all the misinformation that caused the Voice to fail (including the poor counter-attempts), and is still obviously flying around. 

It was significant, however, that the ACT was the only state or territory with a majority of whose voters thought carefully enough about the issues involved to favour the Voice.

And it was one of these issues that seemed to become lost in the cloud of politically based misinformation that destroyed the Voice nationally. 

It is the belief expressed by Vivien and still held by some Canberrans, that “all things British” are being “obliterated” (whatever that means). Ironically, the processes of the Voice would have required the application, with all its checks and balances, of the most important British-originated institution we have – the Australian parliament. 

The only way it can be “obliterated” is through Australians being sucked in by self-centred, autocratic-minded leaders who have only their own interests at heart. Given the current international situation, that’s the real problem we must look out for, not the trivial issue of what flags are being flown and where. 

Eric Hunter, Cook

Calling prostate cancer patients

Around 250,000 men in the Australian community have been impacted by prostate cancer, and many of them are on hormone therapy to keep the cancer at bay.

Although it slows disease progression and increases survival, hormone therapy can cause both physical and psychological side effects that severely impact quality of life.

In response, the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia is partnering with UniSQ on a research project that aims to enhance the support men receive while they’re undergoing treatment.

If you or someone you know has started, or are planning to start, hormone therapy after a prostate cancer diagnosis, and would like to take part in the study, please email pcessentials@pcfa.org.au.

Prof Jeff Dunn AO, chief of mission, PCFA

The futility of reliance on solar and wind

As the world realises that it cannot get anywhere near net zero emissions without a dominant role for nuclear power, our government is refusing an invitation to be involved.

A few simple calculations, using the data provided on the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water website for the year 2022-23 show the futility of reliance on solar and wind.

The annual energy consumption by all sectors using fossil fuel was 5200 petajoules, which equates to 1440 TWH, an average consumption rate of 160GW.

The electrical energy generated from solar and wind was 41TWH and 31TWH respectively, which equates to average rates of 4.7GW and 3.5 GW. 

Using a capacity factor of 0.3 this corresponds to installed capacities of 15.7GW and 11.7GW, totalling 27.4 GW. This compares to an installed capacity of 533GW necessary to meet the energy consumption by all sectors, assuming their technology can be reinvented to use electricity directly or green hydrogen.

Given that the life cycle for renewable energy modules is about 20 years the wind and solar inventory would have to be replaced at a rate of 26.7GW per year, and battery resources as well. This compares to the installation rate of 8.1GW per year in the current AEMO Integrated System Plan, which is proving impossible to meet.

However, there is a more serious overriding problem. Mining for rare earths and other metals, embodied energy, critical land use, and the enormous waste disposal makes reliance on solar and wind environmentally unsustainable, even in the Australian microcosm.

John L Smith, Farrer

When will planners stop densification?

Beatrice Bodart-Bailey included in her article “The new human right to challenge heat islands” (CN, November 21) a map of the ACT showing areas that were in February 2017 between three degrees and five degrees (or more) hotter than the 35 degrees mean surface temperature, as measured by NASA’s Landsat 8 satellite. 

Parts of the Molonglo Valley, in particular the newest developments of Denman Prospect and Whitlam, were highlighted in red.Those suburbs have grown considerably since 2017, and would now be even hotter – perhaps shown in deep burgundy. 

Rooftops are almost touching side-to-side, with barely space for fences between neighbouring houses. Other than north-facing windows, there is little or no sunlight access: energy efficiency ratings would therefore be very low.

There is little of the cool green space of older suburbs, and hardly a shady tree to be seen. This is partly due to the growing “footprint” of houses, and partly due to developers striving to cram as many as possible of these monster houses into a given area of land.

The final result will be suburbs where venturing outdoors during a very hot summer – which is becoming the norm – will be a serious health hazard, and staying indoors will result in very high energy bills for air conditioning, and in increased emissions.

When, if ever, will the planners and developers learn that such suburban densification is ill-advised now and is not the way of the future?

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin