Floods provide a wake-up call on Kippax development push

Our Green-Labor government commissioned two flood reports (one in 2015 and one in 2020) by local, expert hydrologists on the well-known Kippax Brook flood plain (the Kippax playing fields). Both reports were damning and recommended considerable and expensive flood mitigation work from Higgins to Latham to safe-guard residents, visitors and properties.

Sadly, our Coalition is not concerned by "its duty" to constituents and has done nothing - except to propose selling the flood-prone floodplain land for roads, shops and 80 three-storey townhouses.

How, in light of the Australia's deadly flooding and recommendations to mitigate Kippax flooding (even if building is not approved) can it not take heed of previous, more responsible governments' "no building on the Kippax playing fields" policy (both ACT and federal)?

Sadly, we note from interviews with flood-prone area residents that even though they can procure flood insurance they cannot afford it ($100,000 per annum, apparently).

Understandably, many are not insured. If Kippax is developed, will the ACT government assist with flood insurance? Just as it should be doing for fire insurance in its own bushfire-prone Ginninderry development.

NATO justifies its non-intervention to support Ukraine on the grounds that Ukraine is not a member of NATO.

In 1999 NATO forces, led by the United States (under President Bill Clinton), bombed Yugoslavia, killing hundreds of its civilians and devastating its infrastructure.

A NATO spokesman justified the bombardment as "humanitarian intervention" aimed at halting the "ethnic cleansing" of Albanian Muslims in Kosovo. This they said, rendered external assistance necessary.

The operation was not sanctioned by the United Nations.

So it seems it's irrelevant if you are a member of NATO or not.

Aren't the actions of NATO in the former Yugoslavia a precedent for NATO, including the US, to intervene immediately to help the Ukrainian people?

David Cummins asks readers to consider the lack of outrage over what has been happening to the people caught up in the conflict in Donetsk and Luhansk (Letters, March 6).

By that, I take it he means the Russian separatists who have been trying to steal Ukrainian territory.

I think Australians made up their minds about those people after the separatists shot down Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 in 2014, killing 27 Australians and 80 children on board.

In Bradley Perrett's dishonest article "China faces an awakened world" (March 5, p26) he stated "ask yourself: how do you feel this week about appeasing aggressors? Are the leaders of the US, Japan, Germany, Britain and France likely to feel any different?"

Well, the US feels different about aggression than other nations do, because so often it is the aggressor. Since 1945 It has initiated aggression against many countries, including Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan and China.

Yes, China! In 1971 the UN agreed that Taiwan was part of China. Until that time the US had also agreed on that, but when the UN very sensibly agreed that the Chinese Communist Party was the legitimate government of China, the US changed its mind and unilaterally declared (informally, and "ambiguously") that Taiwan was no longer part of China and that the US would take military action against the then weak China if China attempted to govern Taiwan.

Now Bradley is asserting that if the no-longer weak China (which over the past 20 years has shown itself exceptionally capable of governing for the benefit of its people) attempts to rule all of China, as the UN has agreed for 50 years that it is entitled to do, then China rather than the US would be the aggressor.

So, returning to Perrett's question: how do you feel about appeasing the aggressor, the US, which still threatens military action against China?

Your contributor Bradley Perrett revels in giving The Canberra Times readers unsolicited lectures on world history despite what appear to be some intriguing gaps in his own knowledge.

To wit, he wrote: "This column [recently] pointed out that the Chinese-Russian partnership announced a month ago looked so much like the 1939 pact between Germany and the Soviet Union - a deal that gave the Nazis cover to attack Poland, initiating World War II (China faces an awakened world, March 05, p26)."

Mr Perrett, like too many other commentators - including some academics who should certainly know better - is either ignorant of, or chooses to disregard, the fact Poland was attacked on two fronts by Germany and Russia in September 1939 and then dismembered.

The German attack occurred on September 1, the day after the signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact to which Mr Perrett refers. The Red Army attacked from the east on September 17, effectively engaging Polish forces which had retired to more defensible positions.

This stab in the back meant the Poles had no hope of being able to hold out until aid from the west could belatedly arrive.

It was all over by October 6 when German and Soviet forces achieved full control of the country. The gallant Poles, for the record, never formally surrendered. The remnants of their army went on to establish the largest resistance movement in occupied Europe.

The ghastly postscript to the Russian invasion was the massacre at Katyn Wood where the Soviets murdered an estimated 22,000 Polish officers, police and prominent civilians in April and May 1940.

In an ironic twist, the mass graves were discovered by the Germans in April 1943 after they had declared war on Russia. Stalin then tried to blame the murders on the Nazis.

A large car park was built behind Campbell High School to accommodate the contractors employed on the massive extension to what we must now, surely, call the Australian War Museum (but that's another story).

This carpark was hugely costly for the taxpayer and very inconvenient for regular Mount Ainslie walkers (and taxpayers). It goes without saying it's an eyesore.

However, some contractors are eschewing the vast, half-empty, well-delineated bitumen car park in favour of the few bits of remaining struggling grassland, presumably to be 50 metres closer to their workplace? It needs to stop.

Two giants of Australian cricket are gone: Rod Marsh and Shane Warne. Warne's death in middle age is a particular tragedy for those who knew him.

His death, however, should not overshadow that of "Marshy". I can remember watching Marsh during the school holidays of 1970-71 when the Illingworth English team toured and for long time after that.

He raised the profile of wicketkeepers and displayed remarkable sportsmanship. He called back Derek Randall when he was wrongly given out for a catch that Marshy had not taken cleanly.

Also, he displayed immediate displeasure at the underarm bowling incident and afterwards personally approached the NZ captain Geoffrey Howarth to apologise.

The recent articles on how to improve truck safety hopefully will have some positive impact on truck crashes. There have also been advertisements highlighting the fact that many trucks have reduced forward and side vision. Trucks have been seen pushing cars along in front of them because the truck driver did not see the car. Surely these trucks which, if they were a car would not be registerable because of restricted vision, should either have forward facing cameras installed retrospectively or these trucks not be registered. There are many alternatives available.

The Canberra Times has published many letters on the unfairness of the 40km/h speed limit in Civic and, until recently, the inadequate signage. The area is very busy with pedestrians during the day. The speed limit is reasonable during business hours but not at 10pm. Why not have a 40km/h maximum from 8am to 6pm with a 60km/h limit at other time? The signs indicating 40 should have flashing lights.

So, Russia has invaded Ukraine after the western debacle in Afghanistan last year indicated that the US was weaker militarily than had previously been thought. Putin's action has now revealed that Russia is weaker militarily than many people, including himself, had thought. What's next? Will China now attack Russia?

If I was a soothsayer I'd advise the PM against going anywhere near the Senate chamber on Tuesday (The ides of March). Both Mr Dutton and Mr Frydenberg have that "lean and hungry look". So does Albo, for that matter.

Why didn't our ambassador in Bangkok and his subordinates have the foresight to assign a Thai-speaking Australian staff member or official to stand guard over the van holding Shane Warne's body to ensure that no one was able to gain access? It's just elementary security.

Many in the media are speaking about "nuclear submarines". That is potentially misleading to those who have not followed the purchase of nuclear-powered submarines. Nuclear, at this stage at least, only refers to their source of engine power, not their weaponry.

I tuned in late on a speech by Scott Morrison last week. He was describing the actions of the emerging "arc of autocracy". Having missed the context I initially thought he was articulating the Liberal Party's manifesto.

It is disgraceful how Labor and Green politicians are using the suffering of so many people to gain votes from the tragedies incurred by fires and now floods. No single bad weather event can be blamed on climate change. We can take precautions but to blame it all on our Prime Minister is a disgraceful political lie.

Well said John Real (Letters, March 9) concerning the ABC's coverage of Shane Warne. And the coverage by the Seven and Nine networks was even more over-the-top.

I have been following the Ben Roberts-Smith case assiduously. After every update I ask myself the same question: What were the ADF doing in Afghanistan in the first place?

All countries responsible for military invasions should immediately have economic sanctions placed on them. Well, not the good guys, of course.

Thank you, Alison Chapple (Letters, March 9) for your perceptive assessment of ACT Housing's failed priorities regarding its tenants. However don't expect an explanation from this ACT Labor-Greens government. Silence is its defence for all mistakes.