Max Rowe (Letters, May 29) is unhappy about the ACT government buying a few hydrogen powered cars.
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Thankfully others, like me, think otherwise. There was a time when the only people that could afford photo voltaic solar cells were government funded remote telephone installers.
Solar cells were expensive but marginally cheaper than the alternative of running a lengthy power line. Without that market, producers of solar cells could not have gradually scaled up their manufacture. For it is mass production that has finally brought the price down to the competitive value where it now sits.
If you know that hydrogen possesses a high calorific value and also turns to water when burnt then you will realise the extraordinary promise hydrogen holds as a future climate-safe fuel.
It needs all the help it can muster from imaginative governments to get its manufacture over the hump into cheap mass production. I applaud the government for taking this tentative step into our future.
We need to taste it, assess it and provide feedback in order to smooth the pathway ahead as this innovation takes hold and ushers us into a carbon free future at last.
Peter Carden, Hughes
Fuel of the future
Max Rowe (Letters, May 28) needs to do a little research before putting to paper his somewhat misguided views on hydrogen powered (greenie) cars. The Shell Company, (certainly not a bunch of "greenies") is currently building 100 hydrogen fuel filling stations in California alone.
Germany is expected to have 400 by 2023. Many of the larger car companies already produce hydrogen vehicles.
As sales volumes increase the price will come down.
As for their supposedly limited range, distances of close to 700 kilometres are being achieved by some small vehicles, using little more than 15 litres of compressed hydrogen.
Do some research Mark.
Rather than being critical of the ACT government, you might commend it for its forward thinking initiative.
Lud Kerec, Forde
Canberra's light rail is costly, unnecessary, inappropriate and outdated. Stage one is just a shiny toy. The agonising over how to take the rail line across the lake is a tragic waste of time and effort.
- Sandy Paine, Griffith
Happy hydrogen fan
In contrast to Max Rowe (Letters, May 29) I am happy the ACT government is leading the way with real emissions reduction actions, including obtaining hydrogen cars and a hydrogen refilling station.
The cars will have a range of 440 kilometres and, with hydrogen fuel created by wind energy, create little or nothing in the way of emissions.
Let's hope that we don't miss out on the jobs and export revenue that we could get from a hydrogen fuel export industry, which has been mooted for Gladstone in Queensland.
We can fall into a trough when coal is no longer wanted or we can be forward thinking and build this industry and reap the benefits.
The ACT government is to be congratulated on the beautiful new light rail, its 100 per cent renewable energy by 2020 target and the zero emissions by 2045 target. Our kids will thank it for it even if Mr Rowe doesn't.
Kathryn Kelly, Chifley
Folau did us wrong
"The treatment of Folau shows free speech and religious freedom do not exist in Australia", according to Bruce Peterson. (Letters, May 27).
Israel Folau breached his employer's code of conduct.
Many people, who supported marriage equality and were working for Christian institutions, were told their employer's code of conduct prevented them from saying so during the referendum debate. Did this deny free speech and religious freedom?
An immigration employee who strongly criticised policy, anonymously, is now before the High Court for breaching the employer's code of conduct. Does this deny free speech? Does this deny religious freedom, if she appeals to religion to justify her opinions, but not otherwise?
Or is it only bigotry dressed up in religious garb that must be free to disregard an employer's code of conduct, while other opinions, however religiously based, or however morally based, may be proscribed?
Balance employer rights against the legitimate interests of employees, by all means. Do so alike for all opinions and their expression.
Christopher Hood, Queanbeyan
Light rail fail stage two
It is hard not to resort to emotional language when commenting on the ACT government's persistence in planning to extend the light rail across Lake Burley Griffin, including the disturbing notion of destroying Commonwealth Avenue Bridge.
Canberra's light rail is costly, unnecessary, inappropriate and outdated. Stage one is just a shiny toy.
The agonising over how to take the rail line across the lake is a tragic waste of time and effort given the whole project has been based on a false premise.
Mr Barr and Ms Fitzharris, you are now forced to continue to run the existing light rail line using the public's money. We can't turn the clock back.
But don't compound the felony by wasting millions of our dollars on the misguided plan to take the rail across the lake.
This scheme is impractical, grossly extravagant, destructive and pointless.
Battery-powered electric buses, already running successfully in China and elsewhere overseas, will avoid these problems.
Sandy Paine, Griffith
How can this be?
According to news reports, the Governor-General on Wednesday swore the new government's front bench into office.
How can that happen when - according to the Australian Electoral Commission's web site - only four out of 151 House of Representatives seats have been officially declared and the Senate vote count is still continuing?
I would have thought until seats are officially declared a person has not been officially elected and so would be ineligible to be sworn in as a minister. Can someone with more constitutional law knowledge than me please enlighten?
Don Sephton, Greenway
Grant has a point
I don't usually agree with Stan Grant but his article "Give voice to quietest Australians (canberratimes.com.au, May 27) showed a balance in his views of Australia's history.
Whilst some people continue to lay blame on the British for modernising this country over 200 years ago, Grant they also brought good values like modern liberalism and a tolerant, cohesive, democratic society that is the envy of many around the world.
He also mentioned that virtue signalling factors, such as changing the national flag, is a side issue and would do little to change the plight of Aboriginals.
Ian Pilsner, Weston
Unconvinced on 'voice'
I have very carefully read the articles by Stan Grant ("Give voice to quietest Australians", May 27) and by Professor Anne Twomey ("Indigenous voice won't be a third chamber of Parliament", May 28) advocating the Indigenous Voice to Parliament.
I am not convinced by them.
Professor Twomey likens the proposed institution to the Law Reform Commission, the Productivity Commission, Human Rights Commission and the Auditor General.
She says that the government of the day would accept or ignore its advice as it chooses.
But she also says that the government will "give it respect if it is sensible, well-reasoned and wise", as it can do with advice from the Auditor General.
This is disingenuous.
None of the bodies she names are referred to in the Constitution and there are dozens, if not hundreds, of recommendations from all of those bodies which governments have chosen not to heed.
When governments make that choice, those bodies have no further role.
It would be irrational to expect an elective constitutional body would be in the same position if its advice was ignored or rejected.
The political implications would be entirely different.
Stan Grant refers to the many changes that have affected Indigenous communities in Australia since Europeans first arrived with many fine sentiments, concluding that the proposal "blends the ancient sovereignty of First Peoples with the lived reality of the political sovereignty of the Commonwealth".
What can those words possibly mean in practical terms? If advocates wish to convert sceptics like me they must answer these questions:
What would Indigenous Australians be able to say to government through a constitutional body they can't say now?
Why would it be an improvement of our constitution to insert a provision based on racial identification when we have spent the past half-century doing our best to remove distinctions based on race?
How would the scope of this body, defined as matters affecting Indigenous communities, be kept within those bounds?
Ric Innes, Weetangera
WRONG, WRONG AND WRONG
Bill Shorten got it wrong. Labor got it wrong. The polls, the ABC and the media (mostly) got it wrong. Best of all, the people smugglers got it wrong. Thank you ScoMo.
Christina Faulk, Swinger Hill
ANOTHER BAD HAIR DAY
About two years ago (Letters, June 14, 2017) I wrote "If Boris Johnson gets to be Britain's next prime minister, we'll have our two closest allies leaders with the worst hairstyles in the history of the free world". Trump's already there, so it's a chance again.
Brian Bell, Isabella Plains
BUNNIES RUN RAMPANT
Am I the only person noticing the rabbits on City Hill and the nature strip between the Northbourne Avenue lanes? Every time I come into the city there are more of them.
Janet Thompson, Garran
TRAM TO THE TOP
Photos of the absolutely crazy mass of climbers trying to reach the top of Mt Everest are the perfect example of a business case for the ACT government of where light rail would be at its most effective. I'm sure it would be an absolute revenue winner.
Wayne Grant, Swinger Hill
CAUSE FOR HOPE
I am optimistic about our political future. I don't think ScoMo and Albo are greasy pole climbers like some.
In my workplace we have people with different political, religious and cultural backgrounds beliefs.
We all work together for the common good. I reckon ScoMo and Albo can teach our parliament how to behave in a more productive manner.
Geoff Masters, Kambah
APOCALYPTIC COALITION
Pope's cartoon of Wednesday, May 29, depicting Arthur Sinodinos's prospective ambassadorship was a cracker.
One Coalition voice of reason was shown being bundled off as diplomatic baggage to Washington by two of the Horsemen of the Apocalypse; Matt "Ole King Coal" Canavan and Angus "Flood Water" Taylor.
Ann Darbyshire, Hughes
OFF TO THE TOWER
Boris Johnson is to face court over alleged Brexit lies. I think he should spend some time in jail. He was instrumental in causing the Brexit mess for selfish reasons and personal glory only.
Mokhles k sidden, Strathfield, NSW
LET IT SNOW, LET IT SNOW
Some ski resorts have decided to open a week early. If current population trends continue to contribute to global warming we may eventually see the resorts opening up in early May. Imagine how excited our grand-kids will be about that.
Jeff Day, Greenway
HEAVY WEATHER AHEAD
With a below average rainfall forecast, dams at low levels and water restrictions looming those who voted against meaningful climate change action might have to drink their beloved tax cuts.
T Puckett, Ashgrove, Qld
WOE IS THEM
Woe is me yet again from the bleating Liberal Opposition about what the ACT government hasn't done with our health and hospital system.
We are yet to hear what they, the Liberal opposition, would do if they were ever elected.
Graeme Rankin, Holder
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