Canberra Times Letters to the Editor: Walk a mile in my shoes? And the minister agreed to a tour of Holt

To my surprise, and delight, the minister accepted my challenge. We undertook our walk on February 24.

I was most appreciative as earlier dealings with Shane Rattenbury and Katy Gallagher, about Spofforth Street speed humps, had proven to be less than satisfactory!

The minister expressed an interest in the matters I pointed out and was also interested in when I thought the maintenance issues had started to worsen.

She stated a concern about the "look" of the city but, understandably, said the issue was a balancing act.

I am more than happy the minister was prepared to listen, and appreciated my concerns and suggestions about how some matters could be improved.

While I do not expect any instantaneous improvement, the fact I was able to show the issues and explain my concerns has, I think, had an effect.

Realistically, the process of improvement will be slow, given the government commitments for big ticket items which are siphoning off much of the available money.

Nontheless, full marks to the minister for being prepared to talk with ordinary people.

Phillip Harris, Holt

Compared to the ubiquitous "developer's fiefdom" model, savings of around 20 per cent can reportedly be made on the price of new multi-unit housing via the "deliberative" method.

It involves a group of committed owner-occupiers, in say, company-title formation, purchasing land, and commissioning the design and construction of a multi-unit development for themselves.

Those savings are in addition to higher quality of design, construction, and sustainability inherent in the deliberative method.

Studies show that up to 80 per cent of new flats here are purchased by investors, and first home buyers wanting a small flat for interim occupancy before on-selling as they move up the property ladder.

That makes those developments mostly of a business or speculative nature, and probably explains their reportedly low quality levels.

Theoretically, there's no limit to the number of units in a deliberative development, but they're more likely to be of a manageable number, say 15, in a range of formats, even the very desirable one flat per floor.

Professional facilitation (possibly, by an architect) may be required for deliberative developments.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

There was a serious crash on Commonwealth Avenue Bridge on about November 25 and the driver suffered serious injuries.

While not detracting from the driver's awful situation, I have noted that three months later the apparent only damage to the bridge approach — a bent railing has not been fixed.

Understandably the right lane nearest to the damage has been blocked.

This creates a road jamming situation at peak hour and a safety issue for drivers at any time with merging traffic. I presume the NCA is responsible for repair, but three months and counting to repair minor damage on Canberra's main bridge — amazing!

Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

Let me add to the spate of complaints about ActewAGL billing mistakes.

My January bill this year, always well under $100 came in at $1080.

Once a year an "actual" reading of the meter happens, the other three bills are "guesstimates".

Trying to rectify this mistake is Orwellian, Kafkaesque, or now Alice in Wonderland, (letters, February 21).

ACAT, ActewAGL and its accounts, assist, retail, and complaints departments are all useless.

No explanation, just an offer of an extension of time to pay an overcharge of $1000 down.

The Minister for Energy may have an explanation.

ActewAGL so far has not.

P. K. Beckwith, Bruce

I congratulate Fairfax Media for withholding the name of the property owner of the Carwoola fire on February 21 but I'm very disappointed editors chose to identify an ACT Policing officer who was carrying out his duties in a police pursuit in September, 2015, in the same edition. Nothing was gained by quoting the accusations against an officer when the fault, if any, should have been directed to the ACT Policing rules on pursuits.

As an ACT ratepayer, I accept a shared duty of care to all front line responders, whether police, fire, ambulance or emergency services whom we rely on for assistance.

They and their families, in turn, should be able to rely on us to show respect when they perform their duties.

M. J. Coulson, Gilmore

The West Basin boardwalk on which work has just begun has been 27 years in gestation.

On August 18, 1990, I wrote in The Canberra Times of a review being undertaken by the then National Capital Planning Authority and Interim Territory Planning Authority.

Possibilities being considered "include residential and small-scale commercial development round the shores of West Basin ... A boardwalk atmosphere could be created, linking Civic with Lake Burley Griffin."

Peter Harrison, then retired after a career which included having been a driving force for the establishment of National Capital Development Commission, to which he was appointed as its first chief planner, wrote of the proposal, "Boardwalk? Bored walk, more like."

Bruce Wright, Latham

I was advised at the local Parkinson's ACT meeting that the SHOUT (Self Help Organisations United Together) office will be closing at the end of March due to a lack of funding.

The federal government just spent $950 million on an Audit of Aged Care Services for Indigenous People.

Surely local or federal government can come up with a mere $200,000 to keep a worthwhile organisation up and running.

Di Hollis, Mawson

This week my six-year-old brought home an offensive and shocking home reader from her public primary school called Mum's Diet. I sent the teacher a note asking her to not only remove all copies of the book, but to destroy them.

However, this is not just a Canberra school issue. In June 2013 Kasey Edwards published an online article "The outdated school book that's teaching body hatred to our kids", about the same book, brought to her attention by a mother in Perth.

According to the article, "Mum's Diet was published by Sunshine Books in 1987 and it's not the first time the book has sparked controversy.

"In response to an article last year, the Victorian Department of Education instructed schools in Victoria to remove the title from their collections. Other states would do well to follow this example."

Why is it that the ACT Education system is using books that are 30 years old, and that are totally out of step with our society?

Vanessa Dangerfield, Narrabundah

John Collett quotes Stephen Anthony of Industry Super Australia as claiming self-managed super funds smaller than $2 million "are not viable retirement savings vehicles" ("Super and Funds", February 22, p.26).

This is rubbish.

Anthony's argument relies on data over seven years to mid-2015. Based on average returns for DIY funds, it seems that only those with assets over $2 million have outperformed the average returns of industry and retail funds, and smaller DIY funds have, on average, done much worse.

Anthony reportedly attributes the generally poor performance of smaller DIY funds to a lack of diversification, as they typically rely on one or two investments in property or cash.

He uses this as a platform to attack "selling" by advisers and accountants, targeting younger people, which has led to a growth in DIY funds. All of this is probably true. However, it is not necessary for a DIY super fund to be massive in order to achieve diversification and good returns.

A fund that simply invested in Australia's two largest Listed Investment Companies over the time frame used by Anthony would have achieved plenty of diversification, and ended up with better average annual returns than either industry or retail funds, based on share price rises and franked dividends over the period.

These returns require no fees to financial advisers, and low-cost providers of fund administration services can easily be found.

Paul Feldman, Macquarie

A pause for thought is indicated by the news, "77 Australians who earned more than $1 million paid no income tax" ("Labor Left push for Buffett tax", February 22, p8).

Directing private capital by tax incentives to investment in preferred industries deemed economically beneficial has been a valid mechanism for some decades but seems to have been out of vogue for some time.

The latest media data indicates that most current tax minimisation schemes are only marginally legitimate practices based on legislative loopholes. These loopholes need to be closed.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

My family treasurer informs me that Medibank Private considers us unfinancial for three days every fortnight as our payments are through direct debit at the Commonwealth Bank, which has a three-day withholding period.

We are therefore uninsured for three days [or more over weekends] out of 14, when I thought the whole point of direct debit was consistent payment for ongoing costs.

I take this to be direct theft of about 21 per cent of my private medical insurance.

Colin Pardoe, Turner

I notice with interest that the interminable boondoggle of rebuilding an intersection in Mugga Lane has been part of civil works for the Mugga II Quarry.

I don't recall any public consultation about this but suppose all the usual suspects have given it their ticks of approval.

I do wonder if residents of Red Hill, Isaacs and O'Malley are aware that blasting at the old Mugga Quarry (Mugga I?) caused damage to houses as far away as Forrest and Griffith.

But, of course, Mugga II will provide a new dimension to our "vibrant" city.

Stephen Brown, Forrest

Ninety per cent urban Australia has its OECD-busting bipartisan policy of high population growth and its OECD-busting capital-city house prices. Sydney's median is now an exhilarating $1m while Melbourne has topped $0.75m. There couldn't possibly be any connection, Dick Smith ("Immigrants to blame for high house prices", canberratimes.com.au, February 21). Even if there were, the RBA has just said the peasants are still doing fine.

Stephen Saunders, O'Connor

Stan Marks (letters, February 23), advocates that consultants be replaced by public servants because they are cheaper. Maybe so in the short term, but certainly not in the long term .

Public servants are entitled to paid holiday leave and superannuation. Consultants are not and their employment can be readily terminated. To sack a public servant means compensation has to be made. Superannuation is for the lifetime of a public servant.

Mario Stivala, Spence

We have a mule on ABC TV! Lateline — Catalyst. The hybrid is sterile!

Keith Hammond, Watson

LOST OPPORTUNITY

Paul Barratt and Sue Wareham ("Australia's unprecedented decision to snub nuclear talks is irresponsible", canberratimes.com.au, February 23) are absolutely correct. Not to participate in these vital talks is a sycophantic sellout to the American alliance at the very time when we need to show some national capacity to speak for ourselves and our children's future.

Bob Douglas, Bruce

RED CARDED

Angela Plant (letters, February 22) suggested that the new Canberra travel card should be "half red for the light rail and half blue for the buses". More appropriate colours would be red for the buses and deep red for light rail.

Mike Dallwitz, Giralang

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Lee Berry (letters, February 22) suggests Sherrill Nixon "chill out" re cricket equipment sizes and tell her daughter that Small Boys means Small Child.

How about labelling the equipment Small Girls and see how many boys then buy equipment?

Dallas Stow, Canberra

ROYAL TIMING

Of all the marvels of Versailles ("Spectacular Way to mark Versailles", February 23, p.3) none can match the digital watch worn in the photo by Louis XVI (aka Brendan Cameron). Even the rooster and duck look impressed.

Geof Murray, Ngunnawal

COMPASSION LOST

Anne Prendergast (Letters, February 22) is unable to feel anything for suffering refugees. I congratulate her for joining the illustrious company of the clean handed, along with Pontius Pilate.

Bob Gardiner, Isabella Plains

EGO BOOST

The problem, Eric Hunter (Letters, February 23), is that by merely acknowledging Lyle Shelton's existence you give his inexplicably large ego a boost and encourage him to spew more self-righteous garbage at us all.

James Allan, Narrabundah

FOREIGN ADDRESS

The Prime Minister of Israel won't be invited to speak to the Commonwealth Parliament as Parliament is not sitting this week. I don't believe any foreign leader should be invited to speak to Parliament.

The people who speak should only be the Queen or the Governor-General.

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, Vic

STRESS TEST

Is stress leave the new "RSI"?

Michael Warrington, Garran

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