It's fair to debate the merits of light rail, but could it please be more honest?
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First, both Labor and the Greens were clear at the last election about their intent to begin work on light rail by 2016. I voted in the full knowledge of that policy and in support of it. Presumably those who are now bleating about "no mandate" or "we weren't warned" simply failed to exercise due diligence before voting and now want to blame someone else (unless, of course, they voted Liberal and refuse to accept the outcome of the election).
Secondly, childish three-word slogans and Dr Seuss-referenced claims that light rail is negative environmentally don't bear even the most basic rational scrutiny. It will run on increasingly renewable electricity (thanks to responsible government action to transform our generation infrastructure). It encourages efficient transit-oriented development. It will reduce car usage. Its environmental impact-to-outcome ratio is excellent.
There is obviously the minor short-term trade-off that some trees will be lost – but trees will be replanted along Northbourne and in other places.
Finally, neither the government's cost-benefit analysis nor alternative analyses advanced by opponents are conclusive.
Cost-benefit analyses are useful but can never be perfectly objective: they can inform decisions but not make them for you. One can always advance alternative analyses based on different parameters and estimates of impacts. To claim that the government's analysis shows inadequate benefit is really just to advance alternative parameters rather than indisputable facts.
Felix MacNeill, Dickson
Voter involvement
Crispin Hull ("Cash for your kidney", Forum, May 9, p2) is right to point to the distorting effects of a multitude of safe House of Representatives seats on campaigning effort and to draw attention to some of the constitutional obstacles facing anyone attracted to the New Zealand approach of having just over half single-member constituency seats but determining party entitlements (and the actual size of the parliament in particular circumstances) on the basis of a nationwide party-list vote.
The best way to encourage serious competition over policies and candidates everywhere is to maximise voter involvement in who actually gets elected. Our Hare-Clark approach requires local campaigning for Legislative Assembly seats to convince electors about who most deserves their largely-effective vote, while placing an up-front limit on wasted votes. The use of Robson Rotation within party and group columns not only strengthens the hand of electors vis-a-vis small groups of preselectors but also stops larger parties from minimising their representation levels by insisting on having candidates elected with full quotas at the start of a scrutiny.
We don't have lotteries for final places and neither does Tasmania.
Bogey Musidlak, convenor, Proportional Representation Society of Australia (ACT Branch)
Campbell farce
While Canberrans may be expressing an interest in buying in the new Campbell 5 development ("Campbell 5 units fly off the plan", May 2, p2), for existing Campbell residents the "reverse Robin Hood" perpetrated by the ACT government has been nothing less than a farce. In exchange for the $64 million they got for the site, current Campbell residents have got nothing but diversions, delays and inconvenience.
For a start, the section of Constitution Avenue in front of the site has been incomprehensibly closed, obstructed or diverted for over two years now. It's an obstacle course of cones, traffic barriers and construction staff.
The pedestrian access across the front of the site is achingly close to completion, with barrier fences causing major headaches for thousands of people attending this year's Anzac Day services. The space for the footpaths promised for the back of the site in September 2013 hasn't even had the grass mowed. Some footpaths have been built so that construction workers have somewhere to park on one side of the site, but on other parts workers ironically park under the "No Parking" signs which they themselves installed.
Unfortunately, the government snubbing of current Campbell residents isn't limited to this site. The streets of our suburb are choking with illegally parked cars all day, to avoid paid parking at Russell Offices, while the roads themselves have more grass and potholes in them than is likely safe. Motorists travel most Campbell streets with high beam lights due to the appalling street lighting.
There are a number of petitions circulating through Campbell at the moment, which represent the underlying anger of residents, visitors and businesses about the suburb being used as a cash-cow with nothing in return. Don't be surprised if they land with a thud around the time of the next ACT election.
M.T. Rollins, Campbell
Open debate on obesity
In response to Helen Kinmonth's comments (Letters, May 11) I would like to emphasise the importance of discussing the prevalence of obesity and physical inactivity in Australia.
The Heart Foundation's analysis of the Australian Health Survey revealed the toll physical inactivity is inflicting on our community.
Physical inactivity contributes almost 24 per cent of the burden of heart disease in Australia, causing an estimated 14,000 deaths, costing the health budget an estimated $1.5 billion annually.
Two out of three Australians aged over 15 are either sedentary or do very little exercise. Alarmingly, eight out of 10 children do not meet minimum national guidelines of 60 minutes physical activity per day.
To effectively respond to this epidemic of inactivity, it is important to acknowledge both government and individuals have roles to play.
The Heart Foundation is calling on both the federal and ACT governments to implement a Physical Activity Strategy.
We campaign for easy access to public transport, separated bike and walking paths, healthy workplace policies, healthy design of built environments and education programs like LiveLighter. It is also important that individuals are aware of how lifestyle choices they make may impact on their health.
The Heart Foundation seeks to stimulate public debate about the facts and to encourage Australians to make more informed decisions as a result.
The health of Australians may depend on it.
Tony Stubbs, chief executive officer, Heart Foundation (ACT)
'Double-dipping' simply result of poor LNP policy from the outset
The fraudulent and self-interested blood of the federal Coalition is evident in its recent reneging on the "signature" policy piece of Prime Minister Tony Abbott. If the LNP was genuine in its concern for families, as expressed repeatedly in the selling of this policy, why is this universal scheme now deemed to be "double-dipping" for a large proportion of the intended beneficiaries?
Surely in the development of this policy, if there was any hint of double-dipping, it would have been removed from the outset. The whole policy smacks of an ill-conceived captain's choice, that the LNP realises was a vote loser and that the Prime Minister has finally given up on, solely to preserve his own leadership. This is typical LNP politicking, of failing to admit its own poor policy and once again shifting the blame to others, in this case to the "double-dippers", who the LNP itself created and who they now cast as the wicked defrauders of taxpayer money.
Who are the real fraudsters here?
Stephen Hood, Fraser
Surplus spent
Listening to federal Treasurer Joe Hockey delivering the Budget Speech, one sentence stuck in my mind. Speaking of the massive Australian deficit he said: "It was not of our making." How true.
The simple fact is that when John Howard left office the Budget was in surplus to the tune of billions of dollars.
Under six years of Labor administration all that surplus was spent and billions were borrowed. It is true that the worldwide economic collapse in 2007-08 had a serious impact but that does not excuse the massive waste of money under Labor.
This budget is an attempt by the Abbott government to return the country to prosperity after years of profligate spending. We can only hope it will succeed.
Robert Willson, Deakin
Who's spending now?
Borrow and spend to save the economy – that is the message from our "conservative" (Tory) government. The adults are back in charge.
I wouldn't trust the Tories to take care of my budgie for a week but at least you can trust them with the family finances; unlike Labor whom "you can't trust with money". The "conservatives" know all about it – it's in their DNA.
Hold on. "A borrow-and-spend government", isn't that the accusation they always throw at Labor?
A. Moore, Melba
A moving parable
Ollie Redmond's moving letter (May 12) is a contemporary version of the Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son.
An important part of that story is the father's assurance to his elder son that he is with him always and that, though there is joy over the repentant sinner, both are equally loved and equally valued.
I am sure Mr Redmond's wife's passion, inspiration, caring and selflessness will transcend any media focus on recent events for those who knew her or read his letter. But I believe that real repentance (for whatever reason) can also inspire.
Mark Westcott, Farrer
Defence spending
At around 1.93 per cent of GDP, investment in national defence infrastructure is finally beginning to restore inter-generational equity.
For too long middle-class welfare and complacency about future strategic risk has meant us not paying our fair share of the sustained defence investment needed over coming decades.
We have been selfishly inflicting both greater strategic risk and inevitably high catch-up costs on our children and grandchildren.
Even now, though, defence investment still lags well behind national spending on each of debt interest, social security, health and education in both absolute terms and rate of increase.
Neil James, executive director, Australia Defence Association
Assets testing
I agree with the thoughts of Viktor Diskordia and Marilyn Chapple (Letters, May 13) regarding the new assets test for the aged pension.
The assets test includes all worldly belongings including cars, caravans, furniture, works of art and family heirlooms. A million dollars sounds impressive but when all the above mentioned items are included the actual cash component is considerably reduced.
With interest rates at a record low many self-funded retirees who have not had the luxury of superannuation will be living on less than the full aged pension.
Robyn Lewis, Raglan, NSW
Outcome inevitable
I have enjoyed reading the confected outrage from the right wing occasional defenders of free speech about the eventual rejection by the University of WA of Bjørn Lomborg's misnamed consensus centre and of his politics dressed up as "research".
Evidently to these squawking reactionaries, academia is a bastion of inquiry and freedom to put unpopular ideas, as long as the unpopular ideas are those they hold.
Given Lomborg's research is nothing of the sort but is propaganda that panders to the hysteria of the conservative right, it was inevitable that the government's favourite climate change denier, sorry climate change prioritiser, found his centre shafted.
Having said that, universities aren't some grand playground of difference and debate. They aren't indoctrination centres for communism or socialism. They train some of the next generation of workers and middle managers. So any debate and difference has to be within a narrow range acceptable to capital and its paid parliamentary popinjays (on both sides).
My own experience in tax teaching and research shows an academy scared to challenge the status quo and accepting of the neoliberal prescriptions that laughingly pass as tax reform. The debates are over the detail of neoliberal tax reform not over grand alternative visions.
I am sure if you scratched the surface of academia you'd find an often cowed workforce afraid to speak out and working long, long hours on narrow but system acceptable research just to survive the rapacious demands senior management make on them.
John Passant, Kambah
Stuart needs to give McCrone a chance
Pleasingly, Ricky Stuart has shown he has improved as a coach; that is, starting with Paul Vaughan and Frank-Paul Nuuausala, for example, and better bench rotation.
With the unfortunate illness of Sam Williams surely it is now time for Stuart to do what he should have done from the off – give Josh McCrone his much deserved and long overdue chance to play half inside Blake Austin. McCrone will give Austin another yard to a yard-and-a-half to perform his magic. He is also better in defence than both Williams and Mitch Cornish.
I implore Stuart to take note of comments by his former mentor Phil Gould and immortal Andrew Johns who said of McCrone: "Let me tell you about this young man. Whether he is playing half, five-eight or dummy half there are tries in him, there is always creativity around Josh McCrone. He is a player that does prize the opposition open. He has got really good vision.
"Yeah, the way I like to describe Josh McCrone is he is very quick across the ground with his feet. He is very fast on the outside and the outside defenders get very nervous. He has got very soft slow hands. You watch him when he gets out of dummy half or if he plays first receiver; he gets across fast and makes the outside defenders nervous. And he has a beautiful pass on him."
Peter Duffy, Wanniassa
Different rules
Birdsville, with a population of 120, is apparently viable enough to receive the NBN we are told today. It also has air services, a post office, medical clinic, fuel and auto services, and a police station.
Meanwhile Aboriginal communities in remote Western Australia even larger than this have fewer services and are threatened with closure. It's about being different, not viability, obviously.
Janet Hunt, Dickson
TO THE POINT
SURPLUS A FANTASY
"We are still on a credible trajectory back to surplus" trumpeted our born-again Treasurer, Joe Hockey, before bringing down this year's budget. Well, yes, but only if we believe in the tooth fairy and Santa Claus. Oh yes, and the Easter Bunny.
Bronis Dudek, Calwell
KEEP ACT OUT OF NSW
Bob Salmond (Letters, May 12) puts forward once again the proposition that the ACT should be folded back into NSW. Will this lead to more accessible, accountable and democratic government in the ACT? Will this result over time in improved government services and increased investment in the ACT?
If he thinks the answer to both questions is an unequivocal yes, then I can only quote Darryl Kerrigan: "Tell him he's dreaming."
Doug Hynd, Stirling
PART OF COMMONWEALTH
Bob Salmond (Letters, May 12) says Canberra is governed in a manner different from that applying to "all other Australians", but that is true ofevery Australian city and town.
Salmond also asserts that "no part of Canberra needs to be part of a Commonwealth territory".
The constitution says otherwise, section 125 requiring the seat of government to be within Commonwealth territory.
Frank Marris, Forrest
LISTEN TO COMMUNITIES
It seems, H. Ronald (Letters, May 11), that we have experimented with every approach to Indigenous disadvantage except one that is known to work: namely, genuinely listening to communities and assisting them to implement programs they have suggested andover which they have ownership and control.
Patricia Saunders, Chapman
MISTAKE REPEATED
A few months ago, Tim the Yowie Man described Tuggeranong Homestead as being located in the suburb of Calwell. This mistake has been repeated again in the article "Homestead flourishes thanks to its many MOTHS" (Food & Wine, May 13, p4). As Johnson Drive is the border separating these two suburbs, it clearly shows that Tuggeranong Homestead is within the suburb ofRichardson, not Calwell.
Frank Longhurst, Batemans Bay, NSW
SALARY THE LIMIT
Please note that the new assets (aka "life savings") limit for "wealthy" single pensioners in the budget is only fractionally more than Anthony John Abbott's annual salary of half amillion dollars.
David Walker, Ainslie
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