LETTERS
I recall Penny Wong and Kevin Rudd standing in an arid landscape a few years back preaching incorrectly that the drought was caused by climate change. A number of alarmists predicted that this may be the new norm.
According to Professor Tim Flannery, Perth, Sydney and Brisbane should have already run out of water. Bob Brown in a moment of lunacy blamed the coal industry for the Queensland floods. I have lost count of the number of ''tipping points'' - the point at which no amount of effort would prevent catastrophic global warning - have passed only to be reset to another date. I was therefore not surprised to read our Climate Commission has already leapt out of the blocks and linked hurricane Sandy to climate change.
This was supported by Julian Cribb's alarmist piece (''Not even democracy or free speech could weather Sandy'', November 5, p15). Cribb upped the ante with references to Hitler and the now discredited climate-change snake-oil salesman Al Gore. Even the most cursory research reveals that claims hurricane Sandy is largely the result of climate change are very misleading and highly contestable. Is it any wonder so many find difficulty in accepting the so-called ''settled science'' of climate change.
H. Ronald, Jerrabomberra, NSW
Fraser Nelson (''Lesson of storm is human resilience'', Forum, November 3, pB7) asserts that, since carbon emissions are a side effect of poverty, we should not concern ourselves with mitigation but focus on adaptation to climate change since we are so resilient. That means business-as-usual but all such scenarios have us heading for 6 degrees warming by the end of the century and ultimately an ice-free planet.
That means a 7-metre rise in sea level. It means total inundation for Bangladesh apart from Chittagong Hills in the south-east, the Sylhet Hills in the north-east, and highlands in the north and north-west.
Build sea-walls? Forget it.
Nelson says we can adapt to rising sea levels, but what about higher death rates from rising temperatures? Professor Tony McMichael (''Doubters frustrate climate change expert'', November 3, p11) has warned that climate change poses real and significant threats to the health of Australians. Like Nelson, he believes that mankind can rise to the challenge of dealing with climate change but he places more emphasis on mitigation than adaptation.
Mitigation is critical. Should temperatures rise by 5 degrees over pre-industrial levels, numerous reinforcing feedbacks will be set in train and we will go to 10 or even 20 degrees warming with the loss of human civilisation, not to mention most biodiversity.
Jenny Goldie, Michelago, NSW
In Larissa Nicholson's article ''Doubters frustrate climate-change expert'' Professor Tony McMichael is reported saying ''it has been frustrating to see policymakers and even other scientists unable to see the scale and scope of the looming human problem'' . In the same edition Fraser Nelson in ''Lesson of storm is human resilience'' states, 'Hysteria is draining out of the climate change debate - and a new rationalism is taking place. We may not be sure we can make any meaningful difference to its trajectory''.
Regardless of which ''side'' our policymakers come down on, as the poorer countries rise to consume more fossil fuels in their carbon-intensive lives shouldn't we by example be teaching the way forward to sustainable renewable energy? Australia's goal of 20 per cent reliance on renewables by 2020 is achievable and small. It seems the push towards this worthy goal has evaporated along with Tony Abbott's hysteria about the carbon tax/pricing.
Sylvia Miners, Isabella Plains
While walking on Oakey Hill, Weston Creek, recently I noticed that all the grass was waist height. This overgrown grassland covers many hectares, providing a massive fuel load for potential grass fires with the slightest spark. This situation is the same for all grasslands in the Canberra area.
The houses in the surrounding suburbs are in considerable danger. What astounds me is that no attempt has been made to mitigate potential disaster. Occasional property owners mow adjacent to their fences but the rest, including the government, make no attempt to mitigate the fire risk.
Should the ACT government at least be doing something effective in advance? Perhaps publicising the risk? Removing the worst areas of their fuel load? Introducing grazing animals to these areas?
Tim Walshaw, Waramanga
It is four weeks since I left the employ of The Canberra Times, during which time I have observed, with increasing impatience, the continuing lack of consideration for pedestrians trying to cross Barry Drive in Turner.
Soon before my retirement, a spokesman for Territory and Municipal Services said the pedestrian crossing at the Barry Drive-Clunies Ross Street intersection would reopen on October 20, subject to the weather.
Previously the same spokesman had said pedestrian access would be reopened in September. The intersection was effectively closed to pedestrians in March and despite the most favourable weather since the promised reopening in October, pedestrians not wishing to risk crossing Barry Drive by hurdling the barriers must walk 640 metres to the intersection with North Road and McCaughey Street.
However, roadworks between McCaughey and Boldrewood Streets, originally promised by TAMS to be completed by August, show no sign of ending. So, having crossed Barry Drive, pedestrians are directed along an uneven, circuitous route into Turner.
On Friday even that route was closed. I thank the workers who allowed me to cross the site on my homeward journey. They admitted they had no idea when pedestrians would again have uninhibited access to either of these intersections.
Now that we have a government, perhaps someone will take responsibility for giving pedestrians reasonable access to both intersections.
Graham Downie, O'Connor
John Gorman (Letters, November 2) wants the rugby union penalty goal to be worth one point. He is obviously a retired fancy pants three-quarter, inured to being frozen out of the action. I think a union penalty should be worth 10 points. That would lead to the demise of the rather snobbish rah-rahs and allow rugby league, a working-class game for a working-class country, to complete its process of commercialisation. Down Mexico way the Irish can kick and catch to their hearts' content.
Roger Marchant, Reid
It is good news that Stirling Ridge has been saved from development because of its ''ecological conservation value'' (''No room for new Lodge on ridge'', November 3, p1), but what about the rest of Stirling Park?
In the valley below the ridge on the eastern side is the site of an undeveloped road, which cuts across the park to connect Empire Circuit and Marina Place. And the area opposite Lotus Bay (former Bl 3, Section 128) has been further subdivided for national use?
There is no reference to the archaeological importance of the parkland that was once home to 700 construction workers and their families, who lived under canvas and in temporary unlined timber dwellings.
The men who lived in the park (former Westlake) worked on the construction of the provisional Parliament House, the sewer and the pollies' accommodation, the Hotel Canberra. The park should remain as bushland for all to enjoy and not be parcelled up into smaller blocks for the accommodation of a few.
Ann Gugler, Mawson
I think it is a bit rich for politicians to put the onus for reducing red tape on public servants (''Abbott red-tape plan'', November 3, p6).
My take on things is that, in an election year, politicians attempt to ''bribe'' the electorate. The implementation of those bribes requires legislation, and that new legislation makes red tape more complicated.
Between elections, governments try to claw back money to pay for the bribes. These savings measures require new legislation, again making red tape more complicated.
For various reasons (frequently political), existing legislation is often not replaced but, rather, is added to, thereby compounding the complexity of red tape.
Over time, the volumes of legislation initiated, and passed, by politicians has become mind-boggling, and the amount of red tape has therefore also become befuddling.
Privacy legislation often means that information cannot be used for multiple purposes. This means that individuals and businesses have to keep supplying the same information to government again, and again, and again.
Hence, every time I hear a politician charge bureaucrats with the task of reducing red tape (as if politicians have had no hand in it!) I feel like smacking a bean bag!
Gordon Fyfe, Kambah
So the ACT Ombudsman finds that evicting ''deadbeat'' tenants from public housing can be a lengthy and ''intractable'' process due to bureaucracy (''… meanwhile, on the other side of town'', November 2, p1). No problems were envisaged when, only recently, MLA Joy Birch announced the upcoming evictions of full rent paying non-deadbeat model tenants, who were declared unsuitable because of their financial status. Madness is alive and well in ACT public service.
Tom Jones, Calwell
Ian Warden is generous in his review of Paul Daley's recently published book Canberra (''Capital appreciation'', Panorama, November 3, p23), but Daley has done little to help understand the Canberra psyche.
There is too much about Canberra's history beyond a basic orientation and little on the major changes in the last 50 years. Only passing references are made to a number of community issues including our social fabric and peculiar demographics; planning, development and ''liveability''; the 2003 bushfires and their aftermath; sporting and cultural achievements; affordable housing and homelessness in this affluent city; Canberra's supposed lack of a ''soul''; climate and water as well as tensions between the ACT and the Commonwealth.
I appreciate that the books on Australian cities, of which this is a part, are not intended to be sociological, town planning or economic treatises, but they should not be devoid of such references. In addition, in this book there are few human interest stories or new insights and little to raise our consciousness of Canberra. Significant Canberrans are missing from the list he interviewed. There are factual errors such as the statement that Cuppacumbalong is near the border at Hall. Daley also confuses Cockington Green and George Harcourt Inn.
I agree with Warden that it would be good if all Canberrans read the book but we deserve something more substantial to explain Canberra to ourselves and to others.
Warwick Williams, Nicholls
N. Bailey (Letters, November 4) seems to be upset with the result of the incoming ACT government. All it demonstrates is the Canberra Libs (or Canberra Fibs?) were very successful with their illegally placed election materials that linked the Greens with Labor in the same misleading catch phrase. The fact remains, that the primary agenda for the Canberra Liberals was a one dimensional scare campaign and a rejection of the tax reform agenda for the ACT.
I am comfortable with the Greens retaining the balance of power and look forward to the 2016 election. Time is the true test as to whether the dire prediction of the Canberra Liberals comes to fruition.
Chris Doyle, Gordon
Dave Roberts (Letters, October 30) makes an excellent point about government costs being based on a user pays principle rather than fixed charges. Good examples he states include rates and vehicle registration. Since the government has successfully adopted the GST for most goods and services the system should indeed be logically extended to vehicle registration, fuel and rates. Why do we pay GST on most goods and services yet we pay an excise on fuel? Why do we pay registration on cars which sit in the garage at home when we catch a bus?
By paying for registration at the fuel pump we would have control over how much we pay, and this would influence our choice of catching public transport or using the car. No doubt it would encourage better public transport use in Canberra, as there would be more incentive to use public transport. Fuel, water, gas and electricity are essentially user pays, so why not rates and rego?
I wrote to Zed Seselja before the election and suggested he pursue an inspiring campaign based on such issues rather than negativity and character assassination.
I did receive a response saying there were some good points but nothing to the effect that he would act on them. Needless to say, politicians are not interested in strong, positive inspiring leadership - only vote grabbing.
Dave Comfort, Nicholls
The federal government's preoccupation in its white paper on Asia is to have a stockpile of bilinguals at its disposal. What it does not realise is that the raw material for this is at hand in the form of youngsters speaking two languages at home. The government is deluded in thinking experts will emerge from the largely play-way approach to school language learning - songs, origami, lederhosen.
Recent financing of languages has sensibly gone to ''language maintenance,'' so children of migrants can formalise the study of a home language. We need to extend this to tertiary level, to produce trained bilinguals in English and another language who would complete units in interpreting, translating, international law and trade. We should still, of course, broaden the minds of our less academic children with the present 30 minutes a week of play-way.
Barrie Smillie, Duffy
EXPECT A LABOR GST RISE
So, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has ruled out any increase in the GST, stating that ''We won't be raising the rate of the GST'' and ''We won't be broadening the base of the GST'' (''No GST rise'', November 4, p6).
Based on past performance I guess that means we probably will have a GST increase if Labor wins the next election.
Dennis Dale, Monash
SESELJA'S IN FANTASY LAND
When is Opposition Leader Zed Seselja going to stop trying to give the impression the increase in Liberal Party votes was a massive endorsement of him and his party. It was a grand total of 41 votes more than Labor, so please, no more. I would have thought Mr Seselja would be too busy organising his challenge on Senator Gary Humphries for his Senate seat, which I understand will take place when candidates for the 2013 federal election are decided by the Libs.
Vic Adams, Reid
Congratulations, Zed Seselja, and the ACT Liberals on an outstanding result in the recent election. Mr Seselja has demonstrated that he is a man of honesty, integrity and honour in that he did not sell his soul to Mr Rattenbury and the Greens in an attempt to become Chief Minister, a position he deserves and electorally won.
N. Bailey, Nicholls
LIMITED LIBERALS
Ever notice how the Liberals in government or in opposition trot out the hoary old chestnut of ''too much regulation'', as Abbott did on Friday, or wrap themselves in the Australian flag and daub khaki about their person or, at state level, bang on about ''law and order'' when they have nothing else to say? This, to them, is their ''new'' policy agenda.
Graeme Rankin, Holder
ENGLISH AS SHE IS BROKEN
Crispin Hull expressed the view that non-English speakers learning English ''have a fairly easy language to learn enough to get by with'' (''This looks like a cash grab, in any language'', Forum, November 3, p2). I believe that English is one of the most irregular of languages; for example, witness the pronunciations of ''bough'', ''bought'', ''cough'', ''dough'' and ''rough''.
Dave Harding, Guerilla Bay, NSW
BE PUZZLED NO MORE
Arno Wynd (Letters, November 5) is puzzled about the clue in October 31's Gemini Crossword referring to a priest in church demonstrating a holy memento. I think the answer is ''relic'' the priest is ''Eli'', and he's surrounded by ''R'' and ''C'' (short for the Roman Catholic Church).
Frank Marris, Forrest
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