Christmas is usually a time of joy and festivity. However, the spirit of Christmas this year is marred not only by COVID-19, but also by memories of last summer's devastating bushfires.
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There have been several newspaper articles in the recent weeks highlighting recovery in our bushfire-affected regions. As communities begin to rebuild their lives and livelihoods, it needs to be recognised that the risk of bushfires recurring in their areas has not been abated.
This is because the threat of climate change still threatens to undermine everything that we take for granted, from clean air and water, sufficient food supply and livelihoods. This issue has not been addressed adequately in our country.
This Christmas, I do not want more material gifts. What I wish for is more essential than that; for there to be effective governmental climate policies that will help safeguard Australia's families and our futures.
Anne O'Hara, Wanniassa
A Christmas prayer
What a wonderful opportunity for the new Immigration Minister, Alex Hawke, to flex his authority. The timing couldn't be better for him to also demonstrate his Christian credentials of virtue and compassion.
All he has to do is put his signature to a piece of paper releasing the Tamil family from nearly three years of detention trauma, including on remote Christmas Island (how ironic) and returning them to Biloela where they would be assured of a warm Queensland welcome home, a job, and a good education for the little girls among kids of their own age.
Granting them all full citizenship would be a generous layer of icing on the cake. Can we dare hope for such a Christmas present?
Jenny Hunter, Cook
Let them go
Thank you Jenna Price for highlighting the plight of the Tamil family from Biloela, Queensland, who are facing their third Christmas in immigration detention ("Where is Dutton's Christmas Spirit", canberratimes.com.au, December 18).
The shameful persecution of this family will forever be seen as a very low point in our history. Our government is quick to call out human rights abuses in other countries but don't they see the hypocrisy of that given what Australia has done to people who have come here to seek refuge, not to mention the dreadful treatment of our Indigenous people.
Stop the psychological torture of the Biloela family and restore them to the community that has been lobbying for their release since March 2018. Perhaps it could be a real Christmas miracle.
Barbara Godfrey, Lyneham
Democracy denied
As we each seek to digest the possible implications of Donald Trump's brazen assault on the democratic traditions of the United States, Australia is confronted by its own disdain for democracy.
Just over a week ago the Australian government suspended the Norfolk Island Regional Council. The regional council, established under the NSW Local Government Act was imposed on Norfolk Island after the Federal Parliament, in its wisdom, abolished self-government and disbanded the Norfolk Island Legislative Assembly. Norfolk Island is currently governed by commonwealth public servants based, presumably, in Canberra.
The regional council model foisted on the residents of Norfolk Island was the brain child of the Australian government. The decision to abolish self-government received tri-partisan support in the House of Representatives and the Senate. That this new, unwelcome and essentially undemocratic form of governance has failed so spectacularly in a few short years is an indictment of every one who voted for it and the rest of us for not caring.
Jon Stanhope, Bruce
Heritage concerns
The action of listing the West Portal Cafeteria on the Commonwealth Heritage List as noted in The Canberra Times of December 21 is commendable but draws attention to absence of any heritage listing for our most famous designed landscape heritage item - Lake Burley Griffin.
The lake and its associated landscape was assessed by experts in 2009 and nominated to the Commonwealth Heritage List in 2011 including the two bridges and Scrivener Dam. Due to no action on this iconic heritage feature, the international heritage body (ICOMOS) wrote to the Commonwealth and ACT Government politicians in 2018 advising listing of the entire lake and foreshore landscape on the National Heritage List.
The failure of the lake to achieve a Commonwealth heritage listing let alone a national heritage listing is clearly to ensure development of Lake Burley Griffin's waters and parklands by the ACT government proceeds without being fettered by heritage protection.
The National Capital Authority and City Renewal Authority should be thoroughly shamed for blatantly ignoring the heritage management of the Lake Burley Griffin and kowtowing to the ACT government's development agenda that continues to incrementally damage the iconic national heritage of the lake waters and peoples' parklands.
Juliet Ramsay, Moruya, NSW
An ACT HSC? Really?
The author of the article "ACT year 12 students show grit in 2020" (canberratimes.com.au, December 19) appears to know something the rest of us involved in senior secondary education do not.
The article repeatedly refers to ACT schools having HSC results (NSW system) and also refers to ATARs as percentages and scores. All of these references serve to spread misinformation about the ACT senior secondary system unless, as I said, the writer knows something the rest of us do not.
Gerard Barrett, Latham
Tale of two leaders
As 2020 draws to an end and the new year awaits the opportunist, will Morrison from marketing manoeuvre through the mine field of his mistakes and manufacture another federal election victory? Or will Albanese from the ALP adopt an approach which will appeal to the Australian electorate? Alas, I fear both are apples from the bottom of the barrel.
John Sandilands, Garran
Explanation needed
How appalling are the media accounts of police strip searching children as young as 10? Not many reports of public outrage are there?
Imagine if a teacher or social worker strip searched a child in their care. The community would erupt in fury. Some burly members of the constabulary (the ones permitted to strip search children) would march the offender off for a lengthy stay at Her Majesty's pleasure.
And rightly so. But is there something incongruous here? Surely our society can do better.
G Williams, Gowrie
Unsure and uncertain
I never ceased to be amused at the "unsure" responses to The Canberra Times's weekly readers panel questions.
For example, two per cent responded unsure to a question about whether they had finished their Christmas present shopping. Really.
The high percentage of unsure responses to some questions each week suggest that many readers are quite uninformed and/or have no opinion on many issues. That's a sad reflection on Canberran society.
Don Sephton, Greenway
Congress decides
It is up to the 117th Congress, as dictated by the 12th Amendment to the Constitution to decide who is president on January 6. Lawmakers certify the electoral results in a Joint Session of Congress.
Even though the Electoral College has officially voted that vote has not yet been officially certified. Congress, has the final authority, and Vice President Mike Pence could end up choosing not to accept electors from states that are determined to have engaged in election fraud.
Legally, no one is president-elect until Congress certifies a majority of the electoral college for that person.
What could end up culminating is a "duel slate" election scenario in which an alternative slate of electors votes for President Trump, potentially propelling him to the needed 270 electoral votes. This last happened in 1876.
G J May, Forestdale
The Teflon state
It's remarkable how all the media focus on the responsibility for the Victorian hotel quarantine private security decision. Nobody is crucifying anyone in NSW for surreally not having had in place stringent protocols for foreign aircrews; especially from the Americas. Unsupervised foreign flight crew stays - what were they thinking? Have we so much as heard a profound apology from ministers Hazzard, Berejiklian, and Chant? You'd think that after the Ruby Princess they might have developed a conscience. Let's introduce a new, apposite NSW car plate logo - NSW, the Teflon State.
Alex Mattea, Sydney
TO THE POINT
WELL DONE NSW
It appears, given almost a week has passed, the assertions NSW has a "gold standard" contact tracing and case management system for COVID-19 are well founded. What a pity other states and territories don't have the same faith in their own systems.
P McCracken, Braidwood, NSW
ANU'S BIZARRE STRATEGY
Facing a decline in international students, the ANU's marketing strategy to attract the class of 2021 is to tell prospective students they know their assessments will be subject to devastating mark reductions if they don't take personal responsibility for policing 300 fellow students. Good luck with that.
John Howarth, Weston
FRIENDS IN NEED
Thank you Selwa Nandan for acknowledging Australia and New Zealand are "always the first" to come to the help of the Fijian people in their hour of need following cyclone devastations. I hope next time there is a coup in Fiji the perpetrators remember that and refrain from bad mouthing their good neighbours and sending their representatives packing.
Rajend Naidu, Sydney, NSW
LET IT BE
The AWM should be left as a memorial and not changed to become a military museum. Why are there apparently plans to display an F-111 in the new extension? Sussan Ley please revisit your decision.
Gail McAlpine, Griffith
THE LUCKIEST COUNTRY
Is Australia the lucky country? You betcha. We came horribly close to having Bill Shorten as PM, and heaven forbid, even closer with Peter Dutton. Enough said, Australia is indeed the lucky country.
Mario Stivala, Belconnen
DANGEROUS PLAY
Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin advises that PM Morrison should phone China's President Xi to de-escalate hostilities between China and the USA (Letters, December 21). Considering the damage Morrison has done to the relationship, would anyone in Beijing pick up the phone if he did?
Yuri Shukhost, Isabella Plains
MISGUIDED IDEA
To the Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin (Letters, December 21) and others sharing his views on Morrison's handling of the Chinese relationships; what are you advocating? That the PM should simply roll over, take whatever the Chinese want to inflict, with the proviso that they "be gentle with us"?
Alex Wallensky, Broulee, NSW
A CLEVER PLOY
I recently spotted a black Honda on the Monaro Highway at about 9.30am and later a very new looking black BMW on Ankatel Street in Tuggeranong without plates. Have number plates suddenly become in short supply? No hope of them getting caught by the speeding cameras, that's for sure!
Mandy Cox, Isabella Plains
WHAT A CON
Trump raised $200m from false election claims. I wonder how anyone gave him money for a lost cause? He is acting exactly like a cult leader.
Mokhles k Sidden, Strathfield, NSW
MANY A TRUE WORD
I heard Anthony Albanese say everybody in his office had been tested and found to be negative. I could have told him that without the need for a test.
N Ellis, Belconnen
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