The inevitable spin about how we have been saved from recession sounds like a repeat of a bad movie.
International bodies such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development rely heavily on particular nations for input to their publications and the convergence of the OECD and Rudd Government lines are not surprising.
While we have not plunged to the depths that Spain, the United States, Taiwan, and others have plunged, things are still grim. Underemployment is rising, workforce participation is deteriorating and the buckets of taxpayer money spewing into the economy are not about economic stimulus but election stimulus.
I am increasingly astonished at the level of waste involved in the so-called stimulus package, at the end we will have about $250 per taxpayer a year interest burden (let alone the debt) on the $42billion stimulus, let alone the other items.
The election stimulus is reinforced daily by the blatant pork-barrelling in marginal seats, rather than areas of need. The only redeeming thing was the latest federally taxpayer-funded hospital operating theatres did not have Chairman Kev with his hard hat for a change!
M. Gordon,
Flynn
CRACKS IN THE EGG RATE
So $486 a year is a standard rate for a 40ha rural lease? (''Egg farm pays peanuts for 40ha property'', September 17, p1).
Tell that to the pensioners struggling to feed themselves after paying rent, or the students working two jobs to share an apartment.
Or the shops in Civic that have closed because the rent is not coming down to reflect the lack of foot traffic.
Not to mention the fact that the Pace Farm's lease is secure for 20 years. Residential leases can be increased every 12 months regardless of the length of the lease (not that any landlord is likely to give you more than 12 months). To whom do I apply for one of these secure, cheap, spacious 20-year rural leases?
Mal Briggs,
Hawker
''Both parties rejected the ban [on battery cages] on the grounds Pace Farm would simply move its operation to NSW''.
That's not the point, MLAs! If I saw someone mistreating a dog in my front yard I'd do something about it, not ignore it on the grounds that he'd simply go elsewhere and continue to beat the dog.
The simple fact is that hens are being mistreated in the ACT. As ACT legislators you had the opportunity to do something about it. You didn't; shame on you.
Mike O'Shaughnessy,
Spence
What a gutless bunch of government bureaucrats we have representing our local animal welfare interests in the ACT.
I am so ashamed that the ACT Government has dismissed yet another opportunity to ban battery cage egg production in the ACT.
By not banning this cruel and barbaric practice our Government is essentially saying it is OK to keep chickens in tiny cages for a tenth of their life expectancy before being transported in crates with no food or water to Victoria for slaughter every 12-18 months.
Shame on Stanhope and the rest of his cowardly group of minions.
Karen Vincent,
Holt
FREE GIFT ON TRADE
Emerging economies say (developed) economies are responsible for today's global warming.
(Developed) countries say the problem will only be resolved if the big polluters of tomorrow take on commitments too (''Delegates feel the heat at climate meetings'', September 17, p15). A single text (at Copenhagen) would have to be acceptable to rich and poor nations, democratic and not, left and right, binding them not just for now, but for decades hence (''Last chance to reverse tide'', September 17, p19).
So, the US, already hyper-sensitive about job losses from Chinese imports, is asked to slash emissions, thereby handing to China/India, whose massive, accelerating commitments to coal-burning shows they barely believe climate change rates among their problems, a free gift of massive trade advantage, in the hope they may chip in further down the track. We're screwed. Forget presenting Aussie waffle. Just announce we'll go with whatever the real emitters accept.
Tom Waring,
Ainslie
SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS
While I believe that you are correct in highlighting the need for greater Commonwealth assistance to overcome Canberra's shortage of GPs I am not sure that your suggested solution of pressing the Commonwealth for more money is going to change anything (''ACT health check'', September 17, p18).
The real problem is that there is a national, if not international, shortage of skilled workers across the health spectrum. In this situation one must question the ethics of government using taxpayer funds to effectively poach medical professionals from other parts of the country, or internationally, to meet the needs of the ACT.
What the ACT Government should be doing is to meet with all the states and the Northern Territory to put pressure on the Commonwealth to increase the facilities in our universities to enable them to train more health workers. As far as the shortage of GPs, it might also be helpful if government, in partnership with the medical profession, took action to raise the profile of the GP in the community.
E.L. Fisher,
Kambah
CHILLING MESSAGE ON CRIME
Noel Towell's article, ''Case against thieves collapses'' (September 17, p3) has sent a chilling message to a long-suffering community: it appears that like-minded juveniles have now been given a green light to commit serious and ongoing property offences with relative impunity.
This in turn has the potential to generate lucrative business opportunities for those who provide illicit drugs to the same juveniles in exchange for stolen goods which are then sold elsewhere.
With law enforcement now effectively sidelined in this particular area of Canberra's alternative economy, one can anticipate ongoing fortification of suburban homes and the increased privatisation of personal security.
All of this and more because of one well-intentioned provision in the Children and Young People Act 2008?
Mark Fernandez,
Narrabundah
SO MUCH BARK AND YAP
Is it possible that the poor unfortunate dogs featured on today's front page (''Cruel and unusual: cold killers strike family pets'', September 17, p1) were of the kind that gets routinely locked outside by its caring owner to bark and yap at the sky for hours on end?
Only asking. Cruelty can take many forms, after all.
Julian Taylor,
Yarralumla
GLORY IN MARY'S SONGS
The sad death of Mary Travers, of Peter, Paul and Mary folk-singing fame, is a reminder of hope for the world that came out of the 1960s. At a time when the world was obsessed with materialism and racial problems, Mary Travers sang of the hammer of justice, the bell of freedom and a song of love between brothers and sisters all over this land.
To those of us who were teenagers in that era, Peter, Paul and Mary were the voices of protest wrapped in an atmosphere of goodwill. They sent a message that resonated with good-hearted people everywhere. Mary Travers helped make the world a better place. She will be sadly missed by the baby boomer generation.
John Bell,
Lyneham
HOWARD TO IRAQ?
With the ambassadorial appointments of Kim Beazley and Brendan Nelson, why not John Howard as ambassador to Iraq?
Dennis Hale,
Beecroft, NSW
PALLIATIVE CARE CHOICE
Tom Waring (Letters, September 16) is getting too excited about the ACT Hospice being sold to religious organisations.
It is important for him to remember that patients must elect palliative care. It is not automatically given to all of the dying. The best place to die is at home. Visiting nurses can give patients self-administered doses of morphine with the strict caution not to overdose themselves.
If one is without friends or sympathetic relatives, hospital will do.
Patients can lawfully decline treatment. Instruct your nurse to write ''DNR'' on your card. They will argue, but ensure you sign the required form and the nurses will follow your instructions Do Not Resuscitate!
Frank Boddy,
Lyons
THOSE NOISY RESTAURANTS
My enjoyment in eating out in restaurants is rapidly being spoilt by the noise levels which make conversation impossible.
This is partly due to a natural increase in sound from competition between tables, but mainly because those who ''design'' restaurant interiors pay no regard to sound-reduction methods. Hard, reflective surfaces predominate and absorbent surfaces are usually absent.
I (and several of my friends) no longer enjoy dining out, so restauranteurs should heed the warning that their patronage is likely to drop in future if they don't install some absorbent treatments on their walls and ceilings. The restaurant which advertises ''quietness prevails'' will get some grateful custom from an increasing number of customers.
Derek Wrigley,
Retired architect, Mawson
ANGER ON ASIO BUILDING
The inappropriate placing of the new ASIO headquarters in a prime position near the Lake Burley Griffin foreshore seems to have achieved a rare feat in creating a unanimity of opposition to the current siting across political and professional lines and among the wider community.
Surely, such a broad consensus of view demands an immediate response from government. Would it not be possible for the National Capital Authority to call a moratorium on construction work on the building while a federal parliamentary committee, be it a Senate select committee, a committee of both Houses or another body, investigates the matter and reports back to the Parliament and ACT community on issues such as alternative sites for the ASIO building as soon as possible?
Such a response would also show that Federal Parliament and the NCA can indeed act as a responsive democratic institutions when there is a strong case for them to do so.
David Turbayne,
Watson