Rabbits in Canberra: Rabbits are breeding like rabbits in the ACT

In socialist O'Connor, such are their biblical numbers, they almost distract from approved topics of climate-change and net-zero.

Why, it's almost as if the government preserves a special nursery for them, aka Nobby's Farm.

For maximum community impact, this unrivalled legacy hacienda is carefully placed adjacent to Alivio Tourist Park, Bruce Ridge, O'Connor Ridge, the Centenary Trail, and a fetid swamp.

Can one but see through the head-high thistles and brambles, one discerns whole bunny families gambolling across the paddocks. Skittishly, they dart in front of cyclists and joggers. Less nimble ones linger on the path itself, in the form of ravaged torsos.

Look, I'm sure this matter is well in hand, let's check the Territorial Rabbit Control Program. Fantastic, a new virus will be unleashed on "two" ACT rabbit populations in "March 2017".

You can see where I'm heading. Local kangaroo (or koala) populations would be in seventh heaven, at such benign neglect. I guess they lack the First Fleet pedigree that's more esteemed in a British colony.

Your excellent editorial "Environmental vandalism must stop" (January 30, p26) notes that Indigenous people have lived on this continent "for up to 60,000 years" (other estimates range up to at least 65,000 years).

In any case, Indigenous, or first nation's people lived in harmony with their environment for many millennia. Their successors must be aghast at what we, the "invaders", have done to this country in a mere 230 years.

Much of the life-giving forests have been destroyed, many of the animals with which the first nation's people coexisted sustainably have either been decimated or driven to extinction, and buildings and roads cover huge areas of food-producing land. Our record in caring for this country is certainly nothing to be proud of.

Good editorial ("Environmental vandalism must stop", canberratimes.com.au, January 30) on the catastrophic loss of Australia's unique wildlife.

Having spent many years in the federal Environment Department and related bodies it has been tragic to see this occur and to follow the ineffectual national and state and territory level efforts to stem the loss.

One despairs at such sentiments as Andrew Barr's flippant dismissal of the fire in Namadgi where a number of precious ecosystems will never recover. One thing that is clear in my view, and this is contrary to the approach in the Samuel's report, is that the federal government must retain direct responsibility for matters of national environmental concern.

Australia should also join the 50 other countries including the US that have signed up to protect 30 per cent of their land and sea for conservation at, and following, this month's international One Planet Summit.

Thank you for your important editorial outlining the need to preserve what is left of Australia's unique ecosystems and natural environment ("Environmental vandalism must stop' January 30, page 26).

It is disconcerting to read about the loss of so many of Australia's unique flora and fauna since white settlement. The diversity of Australia's natural environment makes this country a popular travel destination for overseas visitors and domestically.

Notwithstanding the setbacks of the pandemic, tourism is a major industry in Australia.

Economically it makes sense to protect our natural assets. More importantly, we cannot put a dollar value on the wonder and beauty of the natural world. That would indeed leave future generations impoverished. Yet according to the report by Graeme Samuels (former competition watchdog) urgent action is needed to stem extinction rates in this country.

This means tightening controls on environmental protections in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Act, soon to go to Senate vote. Sussan Ley, please act on Graeme Samuel's recommendations and legislate to protect our precious natural heritage!

Re "The Woden floods are the natural disaster few Canberrans properly remember" (January 24, pps 6-7).

I was teenager living in the new suburb of Curtin at the time and I still remember that fateful evening on January 26, 1971 when all those people perished in the Woden floods.

Your story failed to mention that all three of the Smith children are resting together at the Woden cemetery, as is Mr Cumberland. Having visited my father's grave nearby recently I was glad to see that all four are not forgotten.

A fresh bouquet of flowers was placed on all the grave sites. A lovely and loving gesture indeed.

I'd be cautious about pronouncing inflation, fuelled by cash handouts, as a measure of Australia's dinky-di all-conquering economic irrepressibility.

Thanks to opportunists like Australia Post the cost of sending a small parcel to Europe has doubled since March; $46 for a non-express priority post, 470g weight. It still took six weeks recently.

I read with interest Senator Seselja's comments about the "infrastructure bonanza" that is heading Canberra's way ("$137 million to be spent upgrading Commonwealth Avenue bridge", canberratimes.com.au, January 27).

The upgrade, incidentally, does not include money for stage 2A of light rail from Civic to the bridge. That will have to come from local coffers as will stage 2B assuming it ever happens.

Senator Seselja mentions that the bonanza also includes $500 million for the Australian War Memorial expansion that is opposed by many Canberrans.

Seeing as both projects are so on the nose, perhaps the money from both governments could be better spent elsewhere.

I will jump in first with my personal preferences being a new or upgraded stadium along with increased hospital capacities.

I recently received a phone call asking me to give the caller the three digit security number on the back of my credit card.

The pretext was that the "senior's refund" on my electricity bill (Ha! I wish) could not be paid because the security number they had was wrong.

I was a bit confused at first because I had trouble understanding the fellow's very rapid (and heavily accented) speech, but eventually hung up on him. A while later I got another call from someone who spoke more clearly, but I told him to get lost too.

I rang the bank and was told that it definitely was a scam, that I could report it (by e-mail) but that the bank would just file it under "comments" and take no action.

So I'm writing this to warn others. The scammers knew my full name, address, credit card number and its expiry date.

Indeed it is funny how "calls for national unity and giving the new President a chance to succeed only apply when it's your own President" as Kym MacMillan asserts (Letters, January 29).

I'm guessing MacMillan has firmly in mind the eight years of Republican refusal to accept the legitimacy of the Obama presidency. Reminds me of pots and kettles.

I refer to an article that I saw only briefly entitled "Best seven places to swim in Canberra this Summer". I am eternally grateful to the person who wrote this because it is grammatically correct. The reverse phraseology has crept into the language, like "two best tennis players", but there can be only one best.

My thanks to the person who got it right.

To those who still believe that wattle pollen causes their hayfever, such as G. Gillespie (Letters, January 29) be assured that this myth was dispelled scientifically long ago.

According to the peak professional body of clinical immunology/allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand (ASCIA) "wattle trees are frequently blamed for early spring symptoms but tests rarely confirm that wattle pollen is the cause". Wattles are the perfect insect-pollinated plant for a low-allergy garden.

If Alex Wallensky (Letters, February 2) had made his Pelosi comment on Facebook, I would have responded, "nonsense" and asked what it was like living down at the bottom of the garden with the pixies.

When I read Alex Wallensky's letter (Letters, February 2) about "Nancy Pelosi's relentless vendetta against Donald Trump" I had to quickly check the top of the page. Is it April Fools' Day already?

A replacement Commonwealth Avenue Bridge would have most likely destroyed its existing distinctive, bulk-reducing, vista-enabling, bifurcated form, and wrecked the important symmetry with its Kings Avenue counterpart; as would light rail ("$137 million to future proof bridge", January 27, p2).

Bill Deane's letter (January 29) about Indigenous poverty was peculiar. I think he should buy an all-day sucker instead of the usual Chupa Chup!

We are right to recall the evils of the Holocaust.

Can we ask those who preach "no interference in a country's internal affairs" would they have maintained that line in the face of the Nazi's Holocaust?

Those recipients who return their Australian Day awards on the basis people who "discriminate" should not receive an award have done the right thing.

Their own awards are undeserved and should be returned.

So Albo has rearranged the deck chairs on the ALP Titanic. What tactical brilliance will he demonstrate next?

Congratulations Grace Tame, Australian of the Year, for your efforts to reform the law.

However, when a 17-year-old youth who can't be named, out on parole, possibly high on drugs, and in a stolen car kills two pedestrians and an unborn child, there's much more law reform needed.

It's funny to see people who would normally idolise the military establishment suddenly throwing it under a bus in order to have a go at Andrew Barr.

The friend of their friend is their enemy, making their friend their enemy, until the next transactional moment.

Just what we need to improve an ailing economy as long as it doesn't give Canberrans a giant post-COVID hangover ("Canberra's beer-fuelled tourism revival", January 29, p4).

I probably saw the ultimate in stupidity last week: a medical face mask in a recycling bin.