My wife is slowly dying in the Canberra hospital. I have been with her all through almost every night of the 12 weeks that she has been lovingly cared for there over the past year by the fantastic nursing staff. I see many clusters of relatives watching lives slowly ebbing away or loved ones in pain. But where can you park if you need more time than the car park permits?
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In a year of driving around the multistorey car park looking for a space I had never seen the "All Day Parking" section. I would willingly have sought it out if I could find it but decided it was a myth.
So I always seek out a space in the six-hour section.
Last week, after a gruelling few days of seeing the worst brain cancer can inflict on a loved one I needed to spend a weekend with my five school-aged children who are coping without either parent. When I got to my car I had a ticket.
After asking the poor staff at the reception desk where I was supposed to park I burst into tears. They sympathised and were also unsure where "All Day Parking" was permitted. I pulled myself together and set out to see whether it really was a myth.
The one-hour, two-hour, four-hour and six-hour sections are all clearly labelled with a sign on each pillar facing the traffic so it is clear what you are committing to. Finally on one side of one lane on the highest floor accessible by the public I found a section that has no signs on the pillars.
Further investigation found a single small sign perpendicular to the traffic that indicates this is the "All Day Parking" section.
Does this lack of signage assist in car park revenue collection?
This is not acceptable.
There is a system for asking wards to ring through an exemption but this is not made known to visitors or many staff on wards.
Can we please have some compassion and clarity to address this issue?
Matthew Farran, Bendoc, Vic
Fears for West Basin
No matter how many well-intentioned academics say that the redevelopment of south-facing West Basin can be done sensitively, the property developers of this town, and the sellers of the subject ACT land, will stuff it up.
We will be left with the dross in the form of overly dense, sunless, serried ranks of poorly built flats; stealing the public domain, and ruining the national significance of the place ("2000 apartments slated for lake", January 9, p1).
Leave the fine, heritage-important Parkes Way and City Hill alone (the concept of "city to the lake" has always been questionable). The City Renewal Authority should be concentrating on getting Northbourne Avenue right.
On a related matter, it's time for the "archbishop's house" on the south-east corner of Parkes Way and Commonwealth Avenue to become a public facility, now that the once-mooted cathedral will never be be built there (it's in Manuka).
Jack Kershaw, Kambah
Speaking as a peasant ...
Jack Palmer's dismissal of concerns regarding light rail as mere protests from the peasantry (Letters, February 12) cannot stand unchallenged.
We should do more than design a transport system as an adornment to but one city entrance. Light rail should actually work as a transport system.
The increased residential population density along Northbourne, itself a revenue raiser for the ACT government and an offset against the high financial cost of light rail, will likely result in more vehicular congestion on that route than ever before.
I hardly think a traffic jam would be regarded as a bold proclamation of our sophistication, although perhaps I'm a peasant and the beauty escapes me.
Because there is no third rail along Stage One, or sufficient rolling stock capacity at either end of that route, the inability of light rail vehicles to overtake contiguous services along Northbourne necessitates an "all stops" timetable.
This is a step backwards from existing bus services in my opinion, although perhaps I am too much of a peasant to see the beauty.
If the high population density business model required for Stage One were replicated along other routes, our bush capital's beloved town centre arrangements would be forever swept away, although perhaps I'm just a peasant who fails to see any beauty in that.
If Mr Palmer is himself a satirist then what a beauty!
Matt Watts, Belconnen
Premise flawed
Jack Palmer's letter (Letters, February 12) which said that Northbourne Avenue as an avenue of trees plus tram "proclaims our contemporary status in a sophisticated manner" gave me a laugh, especially when his next paragraph talks about "the protests of the peasantry".
Anyone who disagrees with him is a peasant.
He is right when he says that it is regrettable that many cities pulled up their tram tracks in the 1960s and there are many cases where newly built light rail systems work extremely well.
The key point is that, where a light rail system is implemented after proper studies have been done which show that it is the best option, then it is likely to work.
We got ours because Kate Gallagher needed Green support to form government in 2012.
That is about the worst possible reason for spending a billion dollars.
Stan Marks, Hawker
Loss of trees 'mockery'
Plans to remove 30 majestic heritage-listed trees around Downer square, along Melba and Bradfield streets make a mockery of heritage protection, and community consultation. This action will degrade the amenity of the suburb for 25-30 years until replacement saplings mature.
The statement that these trees are at the end of their lives is simply developer-speak for "we are going to cut them down" despite repeated feedback from community consultation that these mature trees are central to the life of the suburb.
Developers should be required to compensate the ACT government for this loss of amenity. Why not charge them $1000 for each year of a tree's life?
Mike Smith, Downer
Nothing's changed
The "dark history" of brumby management referred to by Colleen Krestensen (Letters, February 12) originated with the uncaring setting free of horses that were no longer wanted. It was cheaper than euthanasia.
These unfortunate animals provided the sport of "brumby running", which recaptured some, though in insufficient numbers.
The increasing remainder were left to eventual death in the low temperature, their corpses polluting our water supply.
This careless attitude necessitated a humane total cull, not only to preserve our water supply and native vegetation, but to end the slow death of these domestic animals in an inhospitable environment.
Jack Palmer, Watson
Franking change unfair
Superannuation in Australia changed dramatically in the early 1980s with the introduction of productivity super, followed by the superannuation guarantee arrangements.
Dividend imputation was introduced in 1987, to avoid double taxation of dividends in the hands of shareholders. The resulting franking credits became fully refundable almost 20 years ago.
For decades successive Australian governments have encouraged all Australians to plan and prepare for their financial security in retirement, principally through superannuation, which was preserved (could only be accessed in rare circumstances) until retirement age.
Many of those Australians have now retired and their income is either partly or completely provided by their superannuation, as encouraged by successive governments. Having left the workforce, most retirees would now find it impossible to resume paid employment, so their income is extremely reliant on plans made in decades past, based on the laws of the time and active government encouragement.
To change the law regarding dividend imputation would inevitably reduce the income of hundreds of thousands of retired Australians, when they are mostly unable to rearrange their affairs to make up for that loss.
That would have the same impact as retrospective legislation, which the major political parties have always avoided, for very good reasons.
It is also likely such a change would mean an increase in retirees claiming the age pension, because of their reduced income.
If a future Australian government feels that a full refund of franking credits is no longer desirable, that's fine.
But if the law is to be changed, it should be grandfathered to protect those who have no room to move and have done absolutely nothing wrong.
Fred Barnes, Watson
Not so super
There have been a number of writers accusing critics of Labor's franking policy as simply being greedy.
I find Peter Martin's position that cash refunds of excess imputation credit effectively means some company profits are untaxed, is a more convincing argument.
However none of the many pieces on this topic seem to have addressed the situation that I and many retirees in this town would face.
The Labor policy seems to treat one's superannuation account (self managed, wrap or otherwise) as completely independent of the retiree's tax affairs outside super (eg taxable Comsuper pensions).
I believe Labor's policy will mean excess imputation credits in my super wrap account will be lost to me while I continue to pay PAYG tax.
This is quite contrary to Labor's credo of fairness.
Bill Blair, McKellar
In the public interest
Chris Ansted (Letters, February 9) puts his finger on the central problem with Ken Henry's statements to the Hayne inquiry– his emphasis on shareholder value.
But basing capitalism on shareholder value is not the only model. Currently and historically, capitalism has taken many forms. We need better designed institutions – laws, regulations, enforcement regimes and norms of behaviour. These are what determine how capitalism works in our jurisdiction and in others.
We need stronger emphasis on the public interest generally – on the interests of customers, suppliers, contractors, employees and the environment, not just on owners and executives.
For example, we could legislate for panels of public interest trustees monitoring each large firm. We could have public interest audits to supplement the financial ones. We could appoint non-voting directors to report on public interest matters. Or we could establish a large Corporate Ombudsman's Office, of broad remit, and fund it through a small corporate tax levy.
No doubt there are other possible ways of reforming our laws and nudging business behaviours in a positive direction.
Combining a better form of capitalism with appropriate social safety nets and a strong public sector could give us a pluralist economy that delivered for all – not just the greedy.
Kevin Bryant, Aranda
Ways to help
In response to Col Whittaker (Letters, February 12), who suggests that the "greedy" banks should pass some of their profit to their customers who are badly affected by drought and floods, I wonder how many of those customers are also shareholders in those banks and thereby receiving dividends out of the profits the banks make.
Aid or dividends?
Not necessarily mutually exclusive, but I'm not so sure that the many millions of bank shareholders – while sympathetic to the plight of drought and/or flood-affected farmers – would be willing to sacrifice their dividends which, for many, make up a significant proportion of their retirement income.
Don Sephton, Greenway
Prophetic words
With respect to the current debate on the banking sector in Australia, my cousin Walter E. Spradbery, a well-known poster artist and pacifist, wrote in his biography: "Lessons have gone unlearnt, greed, fraudulence, ineptitude and corruption is as relevant as ever in the world of banking, presenting a state of distrust and despair like never before; this brought on inevitably by the invention and introduction of every conceivable device and contraption to allow humans every chance of temptation, dishonesty, deception and corruption."
He wrote this nearly 90 years ago.
Philip Spradbery, Yarralumla
Government disgrace
There should be a special place in hell for politicians who oppose a bill designed to take the politics out of transferring sick refugees from Manus and Nauru.
Morrison's suggestion that it would provide a green light for a new invasion of boat people is equivalent to Trump's suggestion that building a wall would stop the flow of drugs and terrorists into the US.
The biggest danger to our national security is the desperate, climate change-denying, government.
Mike Quirk, Garran
TO THE POINT
SHORTEN'S ELECTION GIFT
The government's "historic defeat" is not humiliating, rather it is manna from heaven. Shorten has handed the Coalition an electoral gift.
Owen Reid, Dunlop
PM IS ALL AT SEA
Scomo's prayer: "Find me a boat! Please."
Howard Styles, Kingston
FOOLISH SCARE TACTICS
Nobody was fooled by Morrison impersonating Trump's scare tactics.
Bill Gillespie, Wamboin, NSW
WOUNDED IN BATTLE
Losing a Lower House vote 75 to 74 on the first sitting day.
It's only a flesh wound. (With apologies to Monty Python.)
John Howarth, Weston, ACT
WELCOMING THE BOATS
Who's to say the government, while shouting it's 'strong on border security message', hasn't reduced the number of patrols at sea in the hope of a pre-election boat arrival?
Jeff Bradley, Isaacs
VICTIMS OF TECHNOLOGY
The onslaught of automation is illustrated by the NAB's now well advanced, pre-royal commission, plan to sack 6000 staff and replace them with 2000 technology recruits.
Rod Matthews, Fairfield, Vic
PETROL PUMP BOYCOTT
If a large majority of ACT motorists boycotted Coles petrol outlets how long would their "highest prices" continue?
Marion O'Hara, Chisholm
CAMPUS COFFEE BREAK
Will the new ANU Cultural Centre have a cafe/coffee shop open on the weekends? The campus is a lovely place to walk through on a weekend and a cafe would enhance the pleasure.
Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor
FOSTER IS A STATESMAN
How about Craig Foster for Prime Minister. What a great speech he just gave [on Tuesday] about real Australian values. What a contrast with the right-wing scare-mongering about refugees.
John Walker, Bonny Hills, NSW
NO MEANS NO AT WODEN
It was refreshing to see the ACT Planning and Land Authority has refused a developer's attempted second bite of the cherry ("Bid to upsize Woden project rejected", February 12, p.6). Congratulations to the Woden Valley Community Council and ACTPLA.
Richard Johnston, Kingston
MONEY FOR NOTHING
Some people pay no tax and want more from the public purse. In contrast, age pensioners are taxed 50 per cent on dividends and 50 per cent on imputation refunds by Centrelink once their income exceeds $175 a fortnight. Conscience does not seem to exist.
John Simsons, Holt
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