This Federal Coalition government loves spending taxpayer money on consultants and commissioners.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
We've got $4 milion for consultants to deliver a report that will say that coal fired power stations are uneconomic and costly, and now we've got the "practical" Bushfires Royal Commission, which can spend more money to put its report beside the many others over the last 30 years.
The terms of reference have been conveniently chosen to ignore the government's inaction on climate change. It will studiously avoid asking why the Prime Minister ignored repeated requests from fire chiefs in the latter half of last year. It will turn a blind eye to the Prime Minister refusing to fund water bombers until it was way too late.
Instead, it will eventually tell us the "practical" measures we already know work from all those other reports - like prevention.
This is just a marketing campaign to try and distract us from the problems caused by this government's addiction to coal lobbying money.
- Paul Wayper, Cook
Scientists have been telling governments for the last 40 years that continued burning of fossil fuels will cause hotter, drier summers which in turn bring larger fires and more destruction. Another report isn't going to change that.
This is just a marketing campaign to try and distract us from the problems caused by this government's addiction to coal lobbying money.
Paul Wayper, Cook
Check it out
I believe that if Mark Sproat (Letters, February 21) checks the court cases involving the Biloela family he will find they were virtually all concerned with whether correct process was followed when assessments and decisions were made. This is a very different matter from whether the assessments and decisions were correct.
Mark Westcott, Farrer
Suggestion premature
I'm not an anti-vaxxer, Adrian Sever (Letters, February 21).
I have my flu shot every year now I'm over 65.
But I don't think I'd be taunting the anti-vaxxers over COVID-19 until we actually have a vaccination for it.
Phil Jackson, Kambah
Molan not elected
Ian Dillon (Letters, February 21) asks how we can be sure our elected representatives are capable of making decisions that are in the nation's best interest.
In Senator Molan's case, he wasn't elected.
Juha Turunen, Queanbeyan
Questions for Albo
If Anthony Albanese hopes to be PM he will have to answer three climate related questions.
How much will it cost to achieve the zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 he has promised?
What good will it do when major emitters like China and India, who together produce of a third of human carbon dioxide, have no such reduction plans?
And, why is it okay to sell 400 million tonnes of coal each year to countries like China and India to burn for electricity production but not okay to burn some here to give us cheap, reliable power?
Without answers, his plans will be seen as the unachievable and pointless virtue signalling nonsense they are.
Doug Hurst, Chapman
Freedom from religion
The ACT Chief Minister, Andrew Barr, has said: "I have no problem with people following whichever religious faith that they wish to. My concern is when people seek to impose their faith and those views on others. And that is what this legislation would enable".
This, too, is my understanding, and why I oppose the religious freedom bill.
"When a law of a State is inconsistent with a law of the Commonwealth, the latter shall prevail, and the former shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be invalid." [Australian Constitution, Chapter 5, Section 109]
This seems to be inconsistent with Attorney-General Porter's views: " ... this bill will operate side-by-side with territory laws ...".
I'm a religious practitioner, and I don't impose my religious views on anyone or anything. Nor do I want anybody else to impose their views on me. I respect, honour, and join in celebrations of others' religions; and others share mine with me.
All our religions preach love and understanding. Let's use common sense and communicate honourably and respectfully as our religions advise. And let's remember not everybody embraces a religion ... and that's okay.
The proposed "religious freedom bill" would be "un"-freedom for me and many Australians. Let's set it aside now.
Judy Bamberger, O'Connor
Help Assange
I am not an admirer of Julian Assange but I wish to raise a few points concerning his extradition proceedings in London.
The US charges are essentially political matters. Extradition in such circumstances may well be unlawful, and would in any event be improper. Secondly, there are serious grounds for thinking his health is at serious risk, given the overly rigorous conditions in which he is confined (even though he is no longer a serving prisoner).
Assange remains an Australian citizen. It is a matter of concern that the Australian government appears to be doing very little to safeguard his rights and interests.
Alvin Hopper, Dickson
Light rail issues
Jack Kershaw (Letters, February 17), identifies the many deficiencies of the route for light rail Stage 2. There also remains the fundamental question, which the Barr government is reluctant to answer, of whether light rail is the appropriate technology for use on the route.
It has not analysed the feasibility of high capacity electric buses, including the trackless tram, nor explored opportunities to reduce travel demand such as encouraging working from home and strategies to influence employment location.
It needs to establish the relative costs and benefits of alternatives. Its blind commitment to light rail is alarming given the deteriorating budget situation and the under-funding of health, social housing and city maintenance.
Michael Quirk, Garran
Follow Britain's lead
The British Government knows how to respond to climate change. There's the ban on the sale new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars from 2035.
Now there's the world's most powerful supercomputer for its Met Office ("Billions for climate computer", CT, Feb 18, page 13).
How will our government respond? By cutting the staffing levels and funds for our Bureau of Meteorology?
What a great job the BOM has been doing for the last six months, despite constraints, when it's even needed to invent a new icon for smoke haze and add two more dark colours for mapping extreme heat.
Ann Smith, Curtin
Dark days ahead
We are sailing close to a dangerous wind when a police force is seen to be doing the dirty work of a political party.
There is no other rationale for the dropping of enquiries into the Angus Taylor counterfeit document affair, the intimidation of the ABC by the Federal Police and charges laid against Bernard Collaery and witness K. The AFP have been forced into the Department of Home Affairs, the agency responsible for dirty deeds ranging from running detention centres and terrorising whistleblowers.
The AFP must immediately be reinstated as an independent agency, reporting only to its Minister and the Parliament. It must also be told to stay out of politics!
Gerry Gillespie, Queanbeyan
Back off, ScoMo
Morrison is being a bit rich slamming GM for the demise of Holden. He was a member of the Abbott Cabinet that stopped the Federal subsidy to GM.
I don't agree with tax payer funded support for the private sector but it seems that, under the Coalition in particular, rural workers do better than city workers with taxpayer subsidies for drought relief, diesels and mining.
A more viable car industry could have been fostered if the Federal Government had promoted use of electric cars. Labor's policy on this was mocked by the Coalition before the 2019 election.
Rod Holesgrove, Crace
A tough call
The Federal Court's decision in favour of the AFP's raid on the ABC presents a real dilemma for the national broadcaster.
Does it appeal and risk another loss, or does it accept the decision quietly and increase the probability that ABC journalists may be jailed for simply doing their job. As well, the AFP can now trawl through the hundreds of documents seized during the raid, exposing sources as well as other information that journalists have gathered in the course of their work?
Then there's the financial cost to the ABC. It now has to pay the AFP's costs following the Court's decision. If it appeals and again loses further costs would be sought.
Given the government keeps cutting the ABC's budget, any additional outlays make it even more difficult for the ABC to continue doing its job.
Eric Hunter, Cook
Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attachment. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.
Keep your letter to 250 or fewer words. References to The Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).
To send a letter via the online form, click or touch here.