Views on the news from Canberra’s top columnists
"Few affordable townhouses, terraces and low-rise apartments (missing middle housing) have been constructed. Less than 10 per cent of land identified for medium-density dwellings has been developed," writes MIKE QUIRK.
"I am cognisant that 'flexible' fare options are subject to availability of seats on the buses, however I also thought 'flexible' meant exactly that," writes JANINE HASKINS.
The cost of living crisis doesn't stop at Easter, says cartoonist PAUL DORIN.
“The 'Orange Clown' is not a moron. His staff, entourage, and hangers on are not morons either. They are educated carpetbaggers, seeking any and every opportunity, at home and abroad, to garner loot, power and influence," writes HUGH SELBY.
"There’s a news picture I’d love to see: gambling lobbyists crying. That’s so much better than the misfortunes that flow throughout our community from their unchecked success in peddling misery," writes HUGH SELBY.
"Prime Minister Albanese’s address to the nation at 7pm on Wednesday, blanket broadcast across all networks, left me wondering what I had just watched and why," writes ROBERT McMAHON.
CLIVE WILLIAMS' Whimsy column runs every two weeks. Sometimes his trademark joke at the end is lost to space limitations. To make amends, he's written a column for this 'in between' week – and it's ALL anecdotes!
This article, by HUGH SELBY, is about a recent, all too clear instance of police thuggery in Canberra and the failure of AFP management to respond appropriately.
Brace yourself as KEEPING UP THE ACT presents a whole new look at Canberra through the eyes of TRAMSFORMERS.
There is fake news on everything from whales to wind farms: Australia is flooded with climate misinformation, says CHRISTIAN DOWNIE.
Australians are being urged to switch to E10 fuel as the US-Iran conflict continues to put pressure on diesel and petrol supplies, writes ZACHARY AMAN.
The Federal and the ACT governments will be looking to cut unnecessary expenditure. In this context, light rail stage 2B should not proceed and Stage 2A repurposed as a busway," says letter writer MIKE QUIRK.
"The decision to close our natural gas network doesn’t make sense. It diminishes household energy and heating security by effectively forcing residents to throw all their energy eggs into one basket with electricity," writes JOE PREVEDELLO.
Closing the Afghan embassy in Canberra would put many vulnerable Afghans at significant risk, writes SUSAN HUTCHINSON.
Since July 2022, Canberrans have filled more than 5.3 million cheaper PBS scripts as a result of renewed co-payment policies. The estimated patient savings total almost $46 million, say EMMA McBRIDE & ANDREW LEIGH.
"Even if we're outraged at his crimes, and willing to condone the unnecessary police violence as just deserts, Tayler Hazell has a good legal claim." But, says HUGH SELBY, it's unlikely to take him far as he faces nine years in the AMC.
"In common usage, when context alone determines the meaning, we’re usually talking about polysemous words (words with multiple related or unrelated meanings)." Columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS returns to the endlessly fascinating English language.
"Every book, every film, every anything has a parent. It is somebody’s pride and joy. Even if it's bloody awful, there’s somebody out there who has it as their all-time favourite piece of art," writes Kindness columnist ANTONIO DI DIO.
Riding an e-bike comes with its downsides, says cartoonist PAUL DORIN.
