For years letter writer VANESSA JONES has asked for action on dirty post boxes at Kippax shops.

It’s great to see the new EV charges at Kippax shops, that makes the area look modern.

For years, I’ve asked about the post boxes at Kippax being cleaned. They look filthy.

Maybe new post boxes can be placed outside Woolworths or the Coffee Club, inside the Kippax Mall, so teens/weirdos can’t wreck them.

It makes the area look so bad. I have to post my Christmas mail here, it’s so ugly. 

Vanessa Jones, via email

Developers do what they like, it beggars belief!

While I used to think I was nobody’s fool, I now know differently.

My husband and I put a deposit on an “off-the-plan” apartment in Belconnen. 

Prior to signing on the dotted line, I had asked the sales agent if there were any plans for redevelopment of the area surrounding where our apartment is going to be built. The response was a resounding “no”.

Not long after we paid our deposit, we found out that a development application had been submitted. There will be four towers of apartments, where our view of the lake was going to be.

I spoke to the sales agent, and he said he knew nothing about it; I asked for our deposit back, however, there was no way to get out of the contract.

Now the promised rooftop pool is no more. That pool was one of the main reasons we decided to buy the apartment. It will now be an indoor lap pool for approximately 600 residents! However, there will be four penthouses in the place where the pool was supposed to be.

Next they downgraded our flooring options, so it will cost buyers more to upgrade. What’s next?

Seems that developers can do what they like.

It beggars belief.

Janine Haskins, Cook

Vale, the Liberal Party of Australia, 1944-2025

She’d suffered long enough. A good innings, 81 years, not all of us reach that.

It’s not just me mourning; three eulogies in the same CityNews edition (November 27). 

Michael Moore says that the Liberal illness ran rampant through its state and federal levels. 

Robert Macklin writes of a leader experienced and worldly enough to potentially make a difference – one sadly unable to withstand the tide of other Liberal members whose ambitions exceed their ability, Robert. 

Andrew Hughes points out that Labor has successfully occupied the old Liberal policy space, leaving nowhere for the Libs to go except back to the past. He might even see a faint glimmer of hope – but dead is dead, Andrew.

Why am I mourning? Australia is weaker for its passing. The blue L is not my flavour of politics, but I know that only a viable opposition can hold a government to account. Too much power’s a dangerous thing… just look north-east over the Pacific. London Circuit even.

Dick Bauch, Latham

Let Parton resurrect the Liberals, Jeremy

The longstanding enmity between Jeremy Hanson and Mark Parton is well known.

In its wisdom, the Liberal party room has chosen Mr. Hanson to replace Mr Parton as the Legislative Assembly Speaker.

For the sake of all Canberrans, let us hope this “bad blood” does not spill over, and that Mr Hanson allows Mr Parton to attempt to resurrect the party to be a decent and respected opposition.

Ian De Landelles, Murrays Beach NSW

Clubs make returns to the community

Karina Morris (letters, CN November 20) continues a tired old line against clubs in the ACT and poker machines.

The gaming rules in Canberra are already quite restrictive when compared to other states. Compare the rules to online gambling, which allows bets in the thousands of dollars with little or no monitoring. 

Whereas clubs return to the Canberra community with facilities, sponsorships and employing and training staff, it’s hard to point to anything the bookmakers or online poker machine companies provide back to Canberra.

David Kimorley, Canberra

Thoughts about frontier wars book?

Libraries ACT has added to its collection The Australian Wars, released in November and edited by Rachel Perkins (writer and director of the documentary series of the same title). 

On its website, the publisher, Allen & Unwin, says: “[I]t is estimated up to 100,000 people died in the frontier wars that raged across Australia for more than 150 years. This is equivalent to the combined total of all Australians killed in foreign battles to date. But there are few memorials marking these first, domestic wars.”

Further, endorsements from Tim Winton, Kate Grenville, David Kemp AC, Don Watson, Kim Beazley and Ken Wyatt AC are cited.

At the time of writing this, 18 library members have active reservations. Would it not be interesting to hear from them or other readers about what they learnt from it and if there are any fair criticisms in response?

Mark Rendall, Duffy

Aiding and abetting Russia’s oil income 

When announcing more military support for Ukraine, the defence minister gushed that “Australia is unwavering in its support for Ukraine” (“Aust pledges $95m to support Ukraine’s ‘brave’ effort”, citynews.com.au December 4).

But his words ring hollow while the federal government continues to aid and abet Russia’s key income and military economy support source – oil.

Australia will now be sanctioning an additional 45 “shadow” oil tankers that ship Russian crude oil exports around the world, to help “starve Russia’s war economy of revenue”.

Yet it still refuses to show solidarity with the EU and UK by banning the import of any Russian origin oil through other countries.

Australia surely has had an opportunity to stand up and show real commitment on this at one of the many global fora and negotiating tables attended in recent weeks.

Even an announcement from an event’s sidelines would have boosted the government’s standing and reputation, including at home. 

While still calling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine “immoral and illegal”, our executive and defence czars now choose instead to just push our heads down, while shuffling around and dressing up the handover of some more military supplies and equipment, including old military hardware, to Ukraine. This suggests a handy end-of-year “announceable” that precedes the pouring of Christmas drinks and deflects attention from our so far unexplained timidity and reticence about addressing the continued use of Russian origin oiI. 

In the meantime, another severe winter is descending on a horribly war-ravaged and traumatised country whose invader is still very determined to wrest land and other assets in any way possible, regardless of the cost to its own people. 

Sue Dyer, Downer

Who protests against high-emitting Australians?

Most Australian coal is burned in Japan, China, South Korea, India, Taiwan and Australia.

Of those countries, India has the most need of Australian coal. Its average adult wealth is one thirty-third that of Australia’s. 

The country that needs Australian coal least is Australia. Our average wealth is almost twice that of Taiwan. The Taiwanese are the next wealthiest of those countries. 

India is also the country whose people cause the least emissions – the average Indian causes only 13 per cent of the emissions of the average Australian. 

The country whose people cause the most emissions is Australia. South Korea is the next-highest, at three-fifths of Australia’s per capita emissions. 

Canberrans are among Australia’s worst climate polluters. Our per capita carbon footprint is greater than that of any Australian state. 

ACT Greens MLAs went to Newcastle to protest against supplying coal to poorer people who cause less emissions.

Who protests against supplying coal to wealthy, high-emitting Australians?

Leon Arundell, Downer