The circumstances surrounding the arrest, trial and punishment of Witness J raise very serious questions for civil liberties and freedom in Australia.
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![Protestors demonstrating in support of Witness K and Bernard Collaery outside the Law Courts of the ACT. Picture: Karleen Minney Protestors demonstrating in support of Witness K and Bernard Collaery outside the Law Courts of the ACT. Picture: Karleen Minney](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/fdcx/doc76jeme0td1e1gn3q492l.jpg/r0_74_5568_3217_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
That fact that we have had a person sent to prison without the knowledge of the general public has a terrifying resonance within the military dictatorship of Chile by Pinochet.
Our legal system has enabled a person to be put through the trauma of arrest, court and prison and sentenced to a lifetime security order, without public knowledge. This is a dreadful reflection on our political system.
The laws that enabled this to happen were not the brainchild of the likes of Mike Pezzullo and others of the omnibus "make-work" program of Home Affairs.
Even if they were, they have no power to make them happen. While such professionals may wish to put such things to the Parliament, they do not have the power to make them happen. The words which make up the laws that allowed the police, the courts and the staff of Alexander Maconochie Centre to process Witness J were generated, approved and put into legislation by the elected members of our Parliament.
The concocted trials of Witness K and Bernard Collaery are enabled by similar aspects of our terrorist legislation. We have no information whatsoever as to whether any of these cases was justified because the rationale behind them is a political secret.
From this time forward, no Australian will ever be able to tell if an arrest made under the Home Affairs brand has actually been made to protect us, or is it just another piece of political expedience. More than any time in our history we desperately need a Bill of Rights!
Gerry Gillespie, Queanbeyan, NSW
Increase Newstart
As we roll towards another raft of well-intentioned New Year resolutions let's call out one of the greatest self-serving "commitments" made by those occupying some of the best paid positions in the land.
Step one is for the high and mighty to look at the poorest in the land and say: "Look at how the cost of living has gone up: we must pay you more, how about an extra $100 a week? Aren't we good, helping the poor with an extra 10 per cent a week!".
Step two (after a break of a week or two), in the name of equity everyone should get a 10 per cent pay rise. Surprise, surprise, who benefits most? Let's cut through all the patronising selfishness and give every wage and salary earner and every pensioner a flat extra $100 a week and say that's it for 2020.
Roger Dace, Reid
Time to cull?
Your editorial about water ("It's time to get real about our most precious resource", canberratimes.com.au, December 22) was spot on, especially now with the prolonged drought and severe bushfires in the vicinity.
Liebig's Law states that carrying capacity is determined by the resource in least supply. In the case of the ACT, it is probably water. It would seem advisable, therefore, to determine what the carrying capacity of the region is, based on the amount of water available and taking into account climate change.
In figures just released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the ACT grew by 6300 people in the year ending June 30, 2019.
Its population then was 426,700. If it continues to grow at this rate, the ACT will reach half a million in less than 12 years. Yet, the combined dams for the ACT are 49 per cent full and will no doubt decline over coming weeks, even months, until decent rain falls again.
Even if the ACT government determines what the carrying capacity is, it cannot necessarily keep the population within those limits. It cannot control immigration nor the birth rate, but it can have an influence by educating residents about the need to keep within limits, and help through provision of family planning services. It can also influence the federal government on immigration and social policy.
What it must not do, however, is promote unending growth that will result in the region exceeding resource limits.
Jenny Goldie, Cooma, NSW
School signs confusing
Are there different rules for government and non-government schools regarding closing speed reduction signs during vacation periods? If so, this is confusing especially when schools are adjacent to each other where the government school sign is closed and the non-government school sign is open and shows 40 km/h, as happens in a number of suburbs.
If the signs should be closed can all schools be requested to comply to avoid confusion?
Barry Peffer, Nicholls
Trump a shocker
As a US citizen, I was shocked and dismayed at Donald Trump's election. Like Nancy Pelosi and most other Democrats, however, I accepted the result that despite losing the popular vote, Mr Trump had won the largest number of electoral college votes. Like most Democrats, I was against impeachment until the evidence that he violated his oath of office became too strong to ignore.
This impeachment is no attempt to "undo" the 2016 election; even if that happened, a Republican would still be in office. The Democrats who impeached Mr Trump did so in the full knowledge that this might improve the President's standing in the polls.
Impeachment became unavoidable when a failure to do anything would have resulted in an unacceptable lowering of the bar for presidential behaviour.
The near unanimity of the Democrats in this vote, given the possibility of bad short-term political consequences, is striking in a system where there is no "party line" that members of Congress are required to follow.
In a time when the reputation of politicians is so low, I am encouraged by the fact that some Democrats in Trump-leaning electorates voted for impeachment, despite knowing that they would probably not be re-elected because of this.
These people will have no trouble explaining to their grandchildren why they voted as they did.
The same cannot be said for the Republicans who voted against impeachment for a betrayal of the constitution that they would have found completely intolerable in a Democrat president.
Cynthia Allen, Hackett
Money for jam
I note that increased prize money has been announced for next month's Australian Open at Melbourne Park, with the total prize pool now a staggering $71 million.
And if that is not bad enough, players losing in the first round of the main draw will now be paid an obscene $90,000.
It was bad enough when a disinterested (and that is putting it kindly) Bernard Tomic was paid a first round losers' fee of $75,000 at the French Open earlier this year. Now any player just turning up and "tanking" in the first round of the Australian Open will get $90,000. What a joke.
Don Sephton, Greenway
Trackless trams please
Why, when other jurisdictions are investigating the suitability of high capacity electric buses (the trackless tram), is the ACT government refusing to consider its use on the inter-town public transport route?
Andrew Constance, the NSW Transport Minister, has stated there will be significant advances in trackless tram technology over the next five years which will mean Sydney's new CBD light rail line is unlikely to be expanded. The technology is also being investigated by Liverpool Council to connect its city centre to the new Western Sydney Airport.
Professor Peter Newman, says the technology can replicate the light rail experience for a fraction of the cost. It would be irresponsible for the government to proceed with the Civic to Woden light rail if the task could be performed by trackless trams for far less.
The need for the extension is not urgent with the R4 bus providing a fast and frequent service. The government should defer the extension and undertake a trial of the trackless tram. This would also enable major design challenges on the route to be investigated.
Light rail funds could be diverted to immediate needs including health, social housing, improving the bus network and city maintenance.
M Quirk, Garran
Whose fault is it?
It is remarkable, given the high proportion of serving and current public servants in the ACT population, that so many of your correspondents blame "the guvmint" (either local or federal or both) for all the ills they are experiencing. Some of them must have been the authors of their own (and our) misfortunes.
N Ellis, Belconnen
Out-of-touch tirade
Time for a big rewrite, Barnaby.
As we see in the new year with persistent heat, drought, severe fire warnings and heavily polluted air, Barnaby Joyce's rambling climate policy communications last week seem more facile than "tactile".
Sue Dyer, Downer
TO THE POINT
THE AUTO APOCALYPSE
We are now in the period of immunity regarding motor vehicle noise levels. Mufflers are being removed and enforcement of noise limits abandoned. We normally arrange to be away for this dreadful time but the bushfires have kept us in Canberra.
Chris Emery, Reid
RIGHT CALL WAS MADE
Congratulations to the ACT government in showing leadership by cancelling fireworks. Pity other jurisdictions are slow to arrive at the same sensible decision.
Jeff Bradley, Isaacs
WAS RAY WRONG?
Ray Hadley (2GB) said that Scott Morrison will never be PM. Was he right or are there two losers?
Pat Kelly, Monash
PAGING PETER
Is history about to repeat itself? Whose arm are we going to see supporting the PM?
Murray Upton, Belconnen
SAINT GRETA
Scott Morrison and other climate change deniers are very critical of Greta Thunberg. I feel that Greta is a modern day Saint Joan. Like Joan, she is only a teenager, but she has an inspired determination to fight for her cause. Joan was burnt to death, but ultimately her cause was successful. I am confident with Greta's leadership reason will win in the climate change debate.
Katherine McCarthy, Deakin
A CASE STUDY
We are told that Australia's emissions are so small globally that any cuts we could make would be insignificant.
A single fire crew tackling a fire with a 50 kilometre front is insignificant.
Yet there they are.
Chris Pratt, O'Malley
STRIKE AN ACCORD
In 1984 Bob Hawke and Paul Keating made an agreement with the unions to keep wages down.
Our current government could use the same strategy to slowly increase wages. We need creative thinking to get us out of the current economic malaise.
We can't leave most of the heavy lifting to the Reserve Bank.
Herman van de Brug, Kaleen
MOO FOR YES
While sending out Christmas cards I discovered some 10c stamps with a cow on them. Perhaps Coles, Woolworths and Aldi could sponsor a stamp with Friesian or Jersey cow. Then people could remember what an Australian milking cow looked like.
Dave Grierson, Ngunnawal
WHAT DO YOU WANT?
It seems that diehard Labor and Greens supporters face a difficult decision. Do they want ScoMo to embrace renewables, and be renewed at the next election? Or maybe not....
Peter Baskett, Murrumbateman
KINDNESS UNLIKELY
Re: Robyn Lewis (Letters, December 24). Whatever makes Robyn Lewis think ScoMo would extend kindness to anyone but himself?
Merle Coutts, Flynn
HOMELESS DILEMMA
If ACT rates and land taxes weren't so high the plight of our homeless ("Homeless despair at bureaucratic delay", December 23, p3) would not be so dire.
Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla
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