Humanity will rise or fall together; it's up to all of us to act

While wealthy nations, including our own, have donated coronavirus vaccines to poorer countries there is considerable debate over whether we have done enough or acted soon enough.

We are also seeing disunity and point-scoring on climate change. We only have this one Earth which is shared by all. A united approach is vital. Many governments are still giving in to pressures from big business and not doing enough to arrest global warming.

Meanwhile, in the wake of western colonialism, many Asian, African and South American countries are in a state of economic crisis. As a result Latin Americans try to reach the USA, Africans are trying to enter Europe and people from central and southern Asia are desperate to come to Australia and New Zealand.

If we wish to live in peace we need to improve the living conditions in these countries. If the G-20 countries cut their annual military spending - estimated at more than $2 trillion a year - by 2.5 per cent a year for the next 25 years and donated that to the economic development of poor countries through the UN programs it would make a huge difference to the lives of billions.

History has shown that people will revolt if they are forced to live in poverty while surrounded by the wealth of others. The best way to guarantee our own peace and prosperity is to ensure our neighbours on this fragile planet are not living with poverty, misery and disease. Let us pray for a good, prosperous and happy 2022.

A little over 100 years ago on the Western Front in December 1914 hundreds of opposing soldiers held an unofficial truce in "no man's land".

Silent Night was sung, followed by an exchange of Christmas greetings and food, and the comparing of family photographs; a spontaneous game of soccer was even played.

Poignantly, when the respective military superiors became aware of the unauthorised commemoration, there was an immediate command to resume hostilities.

This endearing historical event though reminds us of how potently transforming is the celebration of the birth of Prince of Peace.

After two tumultuous years in our civil history, the humble nativity story still speaks afresh to the questioning human heart. Quite simply, the incarnation reminds us each year that, far from God remaining distant and mysterious, we humble human beings have not been left stranded.

As the great Wesleyan carol Hark! The Herald Angels Sing expresses so succinctly: "Pleased as man with man to dwell, Jesus our Immanuel."

P O'Keeffe's suggestion that the timing of Kim Rubenstein's announcement of her decision to run as an Independent doesn't sit with her statement that the Jenkins report was influential in her decision (Letters, December 22) is plainly mischievous.

Regular readers of The Canberra Times will remember Professor Rubenstein's The Canberra Times opinion piece back in December 2020 calling on the government to support Sex Discrimination Commissioner Jenkins to undertake a review of Parliament.

Her article, and the government's decision to do so in early 2021, both preceded her announcement she was standing as an independent candidate for the Senate.

I can think of no better ACT representative in the Senate than Kim Rubenstein to champion making Parliament a safe and equal workplace for all.

Various states and territories are closing borders and only allowing visitors from Canberra to enter if they have cleared themselves with a test in the ACT.

Healthy Canberrans are clogging up local test centres for their travel tests and making it more difficult for unwell people with COVID-19 symptoms to get their tests.

Why are Tasmanian, Western Australian, Northern Territory and Queensland travel restrictions allowed to clog ACT testing centres at ACT ratepayer expense, making it more difficult for sick people to have their tests? There has to be a better way.

Maria Greene (Letters, December 21) is spot on in her criticism of Shane Rattenbury as having a hide to boast how the Greens have improved public transport.

That is not the only thing he boasts about in the article. He implied the 2012 election was a win for the Greens, when they actually lost three of their four seats.

The only reason why the Greens are in a position of power is because Labor sold its soul after that election to stay in government. Ever since, Greens ideology has been imposed on Labor at great cost to all Canberrans.

His claim of 100 per cent renewable energy in ACT is pure fiction; they may have bought 100 per cent renewable electricity locally and interstate but, in reality, 63 per cent of electricity consumed in Canberra is generated from fossil fuels.

By any economic standard, light rail is a financial disaster for taxpayers, while ruining an Action bus network that actually worked well for commuters. His subsidies for EV buyers are financially and socially absurd, in subsidising those who can afford them and with zero effect on global warming; a pure waste of taxpayers' funds.

I challenge Mr Rattenbury and any of his followers to show how any of their emission-reduction subsidising policies foisted on Canberrans have had or ever will have any effect on global warming let alone permanent climate change.

That said, I regret to add that Canberra today is Greens' heaven.

Senator Zed Seselja's attempted to clear out David Pocock from the federal election before the electoral ruck had even formed showed abundant old-school technique but very little appreciation of how the majority of us in the ACT want to see the game played.

While Seselja clearly has the ball he is opposed by a scrum of independent and Green candidates. The independents will tackle him legally and fairly, with no sign of foul play. Seselja will hold the ball too long after the electoral ruck is formed, and hopefully we, the referees, will penalise him accordingly at the ballot box. Put Zed last.

Paul O'Connor (Letters, December 14) asks a question about whether people using workplace EV chargers will need to duck out from work to move their car off the charger. This illustrates how different charging speeds are appropriate for different locations.

For the price of one expensive and fast DC charger, one could install a long bank of relatively cheap and slow AC chargers. The latter would have much more utility in locations such as workplace or "park and ride" carparks where it would not matter if it took all day to charge from (say) 30 per cent to 80 per cent. Their lower, more continuous electrical loads would be better at soaking up local rooftop solar exports and easier to integrate into the local electricity network.

On the other hand, a scattering of fast DC chargers in key locations across the city is highly desirable and it would be reasonable to charge a premium for that faster charging. Fast DC is also ideal in country town and highway locations where people take short breaks during long trips.

It is worth noting that public charging, fast and slow, will never need to support as many vehicle kilometres as petrol stations do now because many people can support most of their driving with trickle charging at home, often from their own solar generation.

I mostly use an ordinary power point at home with our car set to pause its charging during the evening peak.

Australia leads the current Test series against England two to nil but hindsight and "what if" could very well have made enough difference for the score line to be two to nil in England's favour.

If the English selectors had played Anderson and Broad in Brisbane and the English captain Joe Root sent Australia in to bat an Australian first innings collapse would not have been beyond the bounds of possibility.

If Root had won the toss in Adelaide and opted for England to bat first even with mediocre batting they might have posted a reasonable score and been bowling at Australia in the tricky evening conditions.

But hindsight and "what if" are the stuff of dreamers and excuse-makers.

Australia goes to Melbourne knowing they're doing most things right. Well done Australia. Just don't get carried away with your success this far.

It could have been very different.