Christopher Pyne's potpourri for higher education, far from being "dried, naturally fragrant plant material", stinks.
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It is a thinly disguised cash grab by the government and most vice-chancellors. Its claimed value to students is unproven and simplistic ("Public good gets short shrift", Times2, March 18, p4). Its conflicting objectives must be teased apart. Is it in Australia's interest to have graduates start work mortgaged to the hilt? No. Do the universities need a more appropriate level of public support (not that of a Third World country)? Yes. Could the universities do better with existing resources? You betcha.
How? By massive debureaucratisation. It is claimed that two thirds of taxpayer funding for higher education and research is now spent on bureaucracy – a three-fold increase over the past three decades. There is no evidence this is essential for good teaching or research.
Universities should be given their head and their cash, but with an annual "efficiency dividend", that is restored or reversed if student charges are decreased, if the proportion of funds spent on bureaucracy is decreased, and if the number of students trained is increased.
Let the universities compete for the students, let the students compete for the funded places, and let the politicians and bureaucrats get stuffed.
Adrian Gibbs, Yarralumla
Magnificent trees
Commendable as it seems that vacant land on the University of Canberra campus is being divvied up for ACT government public hospital use, may I remind the vice-chancellor of his proclaimed role as "stakeholder" and guardian of the former cow paddocks and urge that he resolutely defends the university's reputation in the fields of environmental sustainability and landscape architecture by ensuring that the existing stand of some 200 magnificent mature trees are retained for posterity, the environment and joy of passers-by and nearby residents?
To otherwise annex them to the ACT government will herald a similar fate as awaits Northbourne Avenue and another blow to heritage.
Kingsley Herbert, Belconnen
Failings obvious
The important thing about the debt and deficit debate is that it reminds the Australian public there are no viable solutions offered by the Abbott government ("Nothing to see here: PM says May will reveal less exhilarating offering", March 19, p5) Here are thee obvious facts that destroy just about everything the Coalition is saying about debt and deficit. Obvious fact #1: Any Coalition member of Parliament who has championed a balanced budget but lamented the difficult road ahead and voted to increase the debt ceiling is obviously insincere.
Obvious fact #2: The Coalition will continue to kick the can down the road. According to the the Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), government spending is forecast to increase from $422billion in 2014-15 to $436.5billion in 2015-16.
Obvious fact #3: There is no indication Prime Minister Tony Abbott or any other member of the Coalition are in any way opposed to the expansion of the welfare state. Conservatives are not about to challenge social security? Medicare? Public education?
The Abbott government is now trapped by its own public relations deception. The promised return to surplus in its first term was a charade. It was a charade to fool the voters.
Victor Diskordia, McKellar
Tough choices
It's probably the biggest social issue at the moment. What "lifestyle choices" should the Australian taxpayer fund? Should remote communities be financially supported. After all, it's those individuals' choice to live in remote communities.
And, of course, the choice (by this logic) of those who choose to live in areas where there is no employment, is made by the individual, and the individual should bear the consequences, not the Australian taxpayer, big business, the corporate elite or the average family household.
Surely then, I suppose by the same line of "individual choice reasoning", all farmers who choose to live on semi-arid land or flood plains need to go it alone and not expect any form of social generosity.
Realistically, those who choose to live in a region that is regularly hit by cyclonic winds or floods are making a lifestyle choice to live there. So perhaps , if living in harsh, hard, unpredictable or difficultly remote regions is going to be an individual's choice, they should be first advised that they will bear all financial costs and expenses. Social grief and dysfunction is ultimately something an individual chooses.
Let's face it, if the total national wealth (all wealth created, including profits) was actually added up to the final dollar, I'm sure it would clearly show that staggering number simply doesn't cover financially the daily existence of 90 per cent of the Australian population (especially those expensive older folk). Thus we certainly can't afford the luxury of helping ... whoops ... carrying our fellow Australians financially.
Mark Dullow, Watson
Raising revenue
I agree with Jim Gralton (Letters, March 19) that we should raise revenue to maintain our quality of life in Australia.
I wonder if this federal government has other priorities. Liberal politicians went to America to canvass for donations, suggesting that they rely heavily on big multinational companies. The Coalition is secretive about the Trans Pacific "Partnership", which seems to advantage the big companies at our expense. This government has often tried to disadvantage the poor, rather than get the rich to pay taxes for the significant benefits of doing business in our stable economy.
Are they looking after Coalition coffers instead of ours? We cannot know. Thank-you to those politicians who have protected us from the unfairness of this government.
Rosemary Walters, Palmerston
Grandeur lacking
Penleigh Boyd (Letters, March 18) states that "If we can't match the design quality of the US capital, then we should hang our heads in shame". Those who share that sentiment should look at the design proposals for the development in Yarralumla. In order to maximise on the return to the government, to help pay for the tram, the national interest is ignored.
If implemented, the drive taken by prime ministers, ministers and every visiting international dignitary from Parliament House to Government House will be devoid of any grandeur. It will be lined with high-rise apartments and a shortened Dunrossil Drive entered from behind the houses. All natural features will be removed and the whole area flattened for the houses. There will then be no opportunity to improve the entrance to the Government House driveway.
I am surprised that the NCA and the relevant parliamentary committee have not intervened before this over the current design proposal. The ACT government should be far more sensitive to the national interest in this ceremonial route, which is orders of magnitude more significant to the nation than Northbourne Avenue.
Steve Thomas, Yarralumla
Plumbers' design
One wonders whether in the plan for Yarralumla the Land Development Agency and consultants SMEC took their inspiration, if it can be called inspiration, from Isaiah 40:4: "Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain."
Many years ago, as a town planning student in the UK, this planning and design approach was irreverently known as plumbers' architecture: flatten or gently slope the topography as far as possible and grid it out.
Ken Taylor, Aranda
Scrap the scheme
A very significant amount of public and expert opinion seems to be against the government's light rail scheme, of which Gungahlin to Civic is stage one. The government's broader Civic-centric, radiating tram system will undoubtedly endanger Canberra's successful dispersed town-centre arrangement, and, contrary to the National Capital Plan, irreparably diminish the national significance of the landscaped Central National Area through the resultant visual dominance of a denser, grosser Civic.
The current scheme should be scrapped. A tram system for the Central National Area (CNA) should be seriously considered. It could significantly and profitably enhance amenity there for working visitors, tourists, local businesses, workers, students, and residents. A CNA tram system should take in the parliamentary zone, Acton Peninsula, the ANU, Civic, our Civic-sited high-speed rail station, Constitution Avenue, the War Memorial, Russell Hill, Kingston, Barton, and maybe the airport.
Appropriately designed lake crossings should be on Griffin's missing ones — on the important Causeway axis from Russell to Kingston on a trestle (for minimum impact on a small corner of the Jerrabomberra swampland), and from Flynn Place up and over to Acton Peninsula on a gently rising arch (high enough for yachts to pass under).
Interestingly, there's been a recent suggestion to augment the government's above stage one with a Civic-to-Russell section along Constitution Avenue. It should become stage one of the suggested CNA system.
Jack Kershaw, Kambah
Israel's real fears
Colin Rubenstein ("US on a fool's errand over Iran nuclear deal", Times2, March 18, p5) put forward some cogent reasons for the Netanyahu government's opposition to an American arrangement with Iran, but skirted around the main cause of Israeli fears. Put simply, any rapprochement between the US and Iran stands to complicate Israel's status as America's essential friend in the Middle East, and thus loosen Israel's grip on US policy-making. The Islamic Republic of Iran will soften sooner or later, and sensible policymakers in the West will be positioning themselves to take advantage of that change.
Peter Fuller, Chifley
EXTRAORDINARY PYNE
The amazing Christopher Pyne now wants to fine universities if their graduates don't pay student debts. As the Paris police commissioner remarked about Inspector Clouseau, he's an extraordinary person.
Thos Puckett, Ashgrove, Qld
POT AND KETTLE
I am almost rendered speechless by Tony Abbott labelling the Senate as "feral" ("Coalition explored early 'double D' election within months", March 19, p1). May I suggest the following string of words: pot, kettle, black, calling.
E.R. Moffat, Weston
SPECTRE OF NAZIS
Tony Abbott's comment in Parliament on Thursday is proof of Godwin's Law. "As a discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches".
John Karbowiak, Acton
SOUR ATTITUDE
It's a bit unfair of H. Ronald (Letters, March 18) to blame his wife's dietary preferences for his own lemon-lipped attitudes.
Eric Hunter, Cook
LONG TRIP FOR CHERRIES
I bought some preserved cherries from a well-known supermarket chain. A product of Hungary. It's a long way from Young.
John Milne, Chapman
A CAPITAL OFFENCE
I admit to being a supporter of capital punishment under certain circumstances – one being when politicians get resettlement payouts when they're plainly between jobs ("Gallagher's $30,600 resettlement payout first of its kind", March 16, p2).
I believe those responsible for determining the pay and allowances of ACT politicians, that is, the Remuneration Tribunal, should be quietly led away and shot.
R. Manning-Smith, Lyneham
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