Good morning Canberra!
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It's Wednesday, probably no-one's favourite day of the week. And not helping its case for city dwellers, it will be a cloudy day with a 60 per cent chance of rain, according to the weather bureau. A top of 25 degrees sounds good, though.
What's making news in the ACT this morning? We'll begin with what the Liberals are likening to the "fees-for-no-service" scandal.
Vow to fix 'unintended consequences' of vacancy tax
A long bow, perhaps? Or a fair comparison? Opposition leader Alistair Coe says a consequence of a tax aimed at property owners leaving their properties vacant is akin to one of the headline banking scandals emerging from the recent royal commission.
The good news is off-the-plan buyers wrongly hit with bills for hundreds of dollars due to the new tax will be reimbursed, after the Barr government acknowledged an "unintended consequence".
Empty properties in Canberra began to incur land tax from July 1 last year, but the extension of the tax has led to unforeseen complications.
Nature park is for remembrance, not cars: advocates
The nature park at the base of Mount Ainslie, where the popular walking track starts, is gaining some vocal defenders calling for a stop to plans to build a car park there.
After the Australian War Memorial revealed its $498.7 million expansion would involve building temporary construction facilities and a permanent car park on Remembrance Nature Park, the son of two campaigners who helped win protection for the land is speaking out.
Richard Thwaites says expansion plans threaten land where visitors reflect on wars, and where the natural environment gives context to the conflicts.
The ACT plans its next move once anti-algae fund runs dry
What's the next step when the ACT's treatment program for blue-green algae ends?
The territory government will look at new technologies to fix the worsening problem.
While the $93 million ACT Healthy Waterways program has directed money at creating a fully-fledged natural filtration systems by about 2021, the government was reliant on university research and extra funding to stop the plan from going stagnant.
Cassandra Morgan with this report.
How yoga helps the Brumbies be fearless
The Brumbies are reaching beyond the physical and deep into the mental side of fitness with yoga, meditation and breathing exercises helping them bury bad performances this year.
Brumbies coach Dan McKellar has put a major emphasis on mental wellbeing this season, adding psychologist Jeff Bond to the staff and organising weekly yoga sessions for the players.
It's all part of an attitude readjustment for the squad, in which players are told to embrace a bold attacking strategy where mistakes are encouraged rather than condemned.
Five things to do in Canberra this weekend
Looking for weekend fun without leaving the city? Or some engaging, thought-provoking discussion? You're covered.
Head to the lawns of Old Parliament House to see 30 colourful, and sometimes quirky, hot air balloons drift into the sky in the annual Balloon Spectacular. Celebrate International Women’s Day at All About Women, a festival to open the conversation about gender, equality, and justice.
There's even a festival for little ones in Canberra this weekend.
Serena Coady has more on these events.