If the ANU demolishes Bruce Hall ("Bruce Hall goes in revamp plan", August 13, p10) philanthropist Graham Tuckwell and his wife Louise will be remembered not for funding an incredibly generous $100 million student accommodation project but for funding the destruction of the most successful university college in Australia.
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Bruce Hall alumni are horrified at the ANU's flawed justification for Bruce Hall's demolition. There is no justification. It is a significant heritage building. It was the first undergraduate college in Canberra, and the first in Australia to admit both men and women, 55 years ago. Many Canberrans will remember Bill Packard, who spent 25 years as warden, leading the college to what it is today – an irreplaceable home away from home for generations of students who graduate into an inspirational lifelong alumni community.
There are other sites on campus to build student accommodation. The campus masterplan 2030 states clearly that "Bruce Hall will not be demolished". The university itself recommended in 2012 that the hall be nominated for the Commonwealth Heritage List, and it should pursue this immediately.
Prospective students attending Open Day on August 27 need to be aware of the university's reprehensible approach to its heritage. Hypocritically celebrating ANU's history in its 70th year, the vice-chancellor said the Tuckwell fund is "the new hallmark in the history of philanthropy in Australia". But it must not be at the expense of Canberra's heritage as we have so little of it. This David and Goliath battle has only just begun.
Rebecca Duncan, Former vice-president and sub dean of Bruce Hall
Culture creates risk
It is all very well for students from schools in Canberra to be outraged at the actions of men and boys who posted and encouraged the posting of explicit photos of teenage girls online ("Porn ring targets five schools in the ACT", August 18, p1). But what about also condemning the actions of the teenage girls who allowed explicit photos of themselves to be taken in the first place such that those photos could then be posted online.
For students to claim that the sharing of explicit photos on a website makes girls feel unsafe and uncomfortable, and that it just shouldn't happen, misses the more fundamental point: without the photos, this couldn't have happened.
By all means condemn the men and boys who posted the photos, but action needs to be taken to change culture and to encourage teenage girls not to put themselves in harm's way by posing nude for photos, especially where they have no control over what happens to the photos.
Don Sephton, Greenway
Schools wanting to warn students about online predators could encourage them to read Risk, by Fleur Ferris.
This book whisks readers through a series of terrifying events which show just how fast, efficient and ruthless online predator organisations are.
What could be more understandable than to wish to have someone special in your life? Yet that natural desire is used as a portal to prey upon selected victims. Educators can judge whether young readers can cope with the book while taking into account that, for online predators, there is no age limit if they see a chance to make money.
Rosemary Walters, Palmerston
Criticism well-founded
I can assure Logan McLennan (Letters, August 17) that the criticism made by CanTheTram Inc. of the light rail design for Canberra is well-founded. It won't work. It will be too slow and lack the capacity to cater to population growth.
The squabble over whether the design should be called light rail or tram is irrelevant, because it is hybrid. The track will pass through 23 signalised intersections between Gungahlin and Civic. In order to gain four minutes and reduce the journey time accordingly, this street-level tram will be given priority over cross or turning road traffic. ACT Environment and Planning has indicated a 10 per cent increase in road traffic delays. However the crunch will come in the future when Capital Metro tries to increase the frequency of services to cope with increasing population.
On the other hand if Capital Metro decides to buy longer trams, it has to address all the problems that a long and very heavy vehicle brings, just one of which is to do with lane use and the structure of the Commonwealth Avenue and Kings Avenue bridges. All these problems are addressed in a grade-separated design (no road intersections) which is the strict meaning of the term "light rail".
Dr John L Smith, chairman, CanTheTram Inc.
Logan McLennan gave an interesting definition of light rail. This was that our proposed light rail has exclusive right of way. This is a strange concept as both the newest light rail in Surfers Paradise and Sydney do not. They have to observe traffic lights like the rest of us.
Howard Carew, Isaacs
Census lacks option
The census question on transport to work was inadequate. Every weekday, hundreds of people are parking in suburbs on the fringe of Civic and completing their journey to Civic by walking or cycling. The question allowed two answers but if you selected "car", the "walk" option was disabled. You could select "other" but there was no free text field to describe what "other" was. Based on answers to this question the ACT government would not be able to deduce the need for parking in these fringe suburbs to satisfy demand for this dual method of getting to work. Memo to ABS: for the next census please think more laterally regarding mixed modes of transport for people getting to work.
R. Moulis, Hackett
Coalition needs to get own house in order if it wants Labor's help
Barnaby Joyce, Julie Bishop and Kelly O'Dwyer are all smiles.
In the article "Coalition was wrong on pairing: Joyce" (August 18, p7) Revenue and Financial Services Minister Kelly O'Dwyer said Australians wanted Parliament to focus on the national interest and not play political games.
The article also detailed deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce's admission that the Coalition was wrong to deny a Labor backbencher a pair to be with her sick child and another instance of the bloody-minded arrogance of Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and his henchmen who wanted to trash the minority government of Julia Gillard and form a conservative government without having any (strategic) idea of what would be the consequences of their petty, pairing actions.
To develop a strategic approach to the future and being aware that our economy and its management is an evolving and dynamic part of our contribution to the world's future it is time the Coalition reviewed its philosophy (and the turbulent Abbott years) and began to contribute constructively to dealing with the economic problems we now face.
Les Brennan, Sunshine Bay, NSW
Veteran's gratitude
I attended Thursday's Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Service marking the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan in Canberra on Thursday as just one of many veterans.
To the organisers (particularly Pete Ryan) I say congratulations for a great event that was well managed. I was particularly pleased that where I was sitting I was clearly within the perimeter of a hearing induction loop which meant I heard everything for a change. The AWM should take note.
Beside me there was a young lady who I think may have been there with her grandfather. Not only did she give me her program (I had missed out) but whenever we were called upon to stand she was assiduous in making sure I didn't overbalance on the rather springy "bleachers". I want everyone to know how much I appreciated her help and concern.
J.F. Bishop, Flynn
OK, prove it then
I heartily commend your editorial cartoon of August 17 (Comment, p19). It concerned the brave call of Senator Malcolm Roberts for a royal commission into the laws of physics, and featured Brian somebody who my wife – for reasons known only to herself — refers to as Sex-on-Legs.
Attorney-General George Brandis is an obvious choice to head such a commission, with climate-denying illuminaries Tony Abbott, Greg Hunt, Malcolm Roberts, Adani Coal and their good mate, CSIRO's Larry Marshall, as key advisors.
Brandis' chums would be accompanied by full symphonic orchestration, while our scientists in opposition would be the ANU's Brian Schmidt, David Attenborough and Brian Sex-on-Legs, all of them harmonising with reality.
Under such extreme circumstances Clause 18C of the Vilification Act will have to be rescinded for the duration. And since governments never call a royal commission without knowing the outcome, they will enjoy delivering yet another crushing blow to science, sanity, reason and reality.
Dr Donald McMiken, Isaacs
Hot and bothered
J. McKerral (Letters, August 18) tells us that global temperatures have been stable for 20 years according to the most accurate time series, the RSS (Remote Sensing Satellite) and UAH (University of Alabama in Huntsville) lower atmosphere temperatures published by John Christy and Roy Spencer. The data series McKerral is referring to are old, and indeed did appear to show insignificant warming of the lower atmosphere, in contrast to all other measures of global temperature.
But it was acknowledged 10 years ago in a report entitled "Temperature Trends in the Lower Atmosphere" and co-authored by John Christy that: "the previously reported discrepancies between the amount of warming near the surface and higher in the atmosphere ... no longer exist because errors in the satellite and radiosonde data have been identified and corrected".
McKerral's most accurate time series now shows that the global climate trend since 1978 is +0.12° C per decade (see Earth Systems Science Centre, UAH). That is, the empirical evidence from satellite data shows global temperature rise has continued unabated, though with ups and downs, just as land-based measurements show.
Tony Eggleton, Belconnen
The good old ways
I was clearing out the car recently, and came across a Sydney Morning Herald, dated Friday June 27, 1980. (Any observations about my standards of housekeeping are most likely to be both unhelpful and unoriginal.) Anyway, the gist of the article is that a ship in the Royal Australian Navy came across a boat full of refugees, and decided to bring them on board because of concerns for their safety. The Australian government was then to make arrangements for their resettlement, and the (then) minister of immigration subsequently announced that Australia would accept responsibility for the refugees.
I wonder if we'll ever see such an article again.
Gordon Fyfe, Kambah
Wear it, Leyonhjelm
I have great difficulty understanding how Senator Leyonhjelm claims being called "angry white male" violates RDA 18C.
I don't see how "angry white male" is "reasonably likely" (ie, as determined by the standards of an ordinary reasonable member of the Australian community) and "in all the circumstances" to offend, etc. [18C (1)(a)] Last I checked, Leyonhjelm is "white" and "male." Objective statements. In many of the photos I've seen of him, his facial expression exhibits all the hallmarks of being "angry." Interpretation.
In writing this letter, I re-read some of Andrew Bolt's writing. I have no Aboriginal ancestry; I found his words disgusting and reasonably likely to vilify (ie, incite hatred) and intimidate (ie, cause fear of physical harm) others. Similar sorts of items were published prior to November 1938, in Germany, ensuring that Kristallnacht would have its desired effect. An excellent, and tragic example of vilification and intimidation.
I hope the HRC bounces Leyonhjelm's claim for being frivolous.
Judy Bamberger, O'Connor
TO THE POINT
The Canberra Times wants to hear from you in short bursts. Email views in 50 words or fewer to letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au
RESPECT OTHER BELIEFS
The daily platform provided by The Canberra Times letters pages for some correspondents to ridicule, berate and insult other's beliefs is very unseemly.
Respect for others beliefs should go without saying. It's not a matter of free speech (or Section 18C of the RDA), just common decency, respect and good manners.
John Mungoven, Stirling
CROWN SLIPPING
With China strangling the flow of dirty money flowing into Macau, effectively depriving the Crown casino there of its life-blood of high-rollers, its strategists intend preying on the "mass market", that is, pauperised mug gamblers ("Crown posts drop in profit over Macau casino woes", BusinessDay, August 18, p21).
Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW,
SHAMEFUL SPECTACLE
B52 bombers over Canberra to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Long Tan ("11,000km missions delivers two warbirds to blue skies above the capital", August 19, p4). What a shocking, shameful and tasteless spectacle. The use of B52s in the Christmas bombings of North Vietnam was barbaric and indeed useless as judged by the war's final outcome.
J. Ellis, Weetangera
CHRISTIAN HERITAGE
I was moved to hear that the Vietnam commemorative service included the singing of the hymn Amazing Grace, written by John Newton, an 18th century Anglican priest who was a converted slave trader. The Amazing Grace referred to in the words is the grace or love of God for us. It is yet another reminder of the way in which, even in our supposedly secular or atheist society, the Christian heritage permeates our language and our culture.
Robert Willson, Deakin
GRANTING A PAIR
David Pope needs to add another chicken come home to roost in his editorial cartoon last week (Forum, August 13, p1). It's called "granting a pair".
Jeff Bradley, Isaacs
'DEFAMED' DUTTON
Peter Dutton claims he is just another "victim" of public opprobrium by those determined to "trivialise" the federal government's treatment of asylum-seekers (" 'I won't be defamed': Peter Dutton launches assault on the media", canberratimes.com.au, August 19).
Poor, put-upon Peter: "defamed" by the fact that he and his ilk aren't capable of discerning the difference between the "public interest" and self-righteous "self-interest".
John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW
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