Fortnightly bin collections are adequate

We are part of the trial area for the once a fortnight garbage and recycling collections with weekly green bin/FoGo collections and I am at a loss as to what rubbish people have in their rubbish bins that leaves them overflowing each fortnight.

I understand that families larger than ours and with small children may have additional garbage including such things as disposable nappies and wipes, and that pet waste may also add to the fortnightly rubbish bin, but most waste can be recycled or reused.

We compost most of our food waste. What is not compostable goes into the green/FoGo bin. We recycle all our paper, cardboard, metal cans, bottles and so on into the recycling bin and soft plastics go to the supermarket recycling bins. Eligible drinking cans and bottles are returned (with the 10 cent refund going to charity).

All that is left is a small bag of contaminated or unrecyclable material per week going into the fortnightly rubbish collection bin.

We are very happy with the trial and are among the usually silent majority who will give the trial a positive review when requested.

It is disappointing to read all of the letters resisting the proposed changes to the waste collection. Many of these also promote disinformation by claiming a reduced service. The reality is that there will be as many bins collected after the change, with the collection of an additional green lid bin replacing the a red lid land fill bin collection. As the green lid bin is larger, this will actually increase the waste collection services.

The complaints also present a "business as usual" approach in the midst of a worsening environmental crisis. No one appears willing to adapt their habits to provide even small assistance in reducing landfill and removing the methane producing waste that is currently ending up in landfill.

As a resident of an area where this pilot program is underway, I applaud the ACT government for this initiative and many of my neighbours have a similar sentiment.

A correspondent speaks of the trials and failure of the once a fortnight rubbish collection (Letters, April 3). This is yet another stupid rule being brought in by the ACT government and their friends the Greens, cutting back even more essential services.

We have two cats living indoors. We clean their litter trays morning and night. How would the authorities suggest we store 14 bags of smelly cat litter, let alone managing to get them into a bin along with all the rest of the rubbish?

How many more critical appointments will be made by this government before the election takes place in approximately a month? Christian Porter made 34 appointments to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, many of them people with Liberal links.

In the latest saga Michaelia Cash has appointed Ms Pru Goward who will be paid between $329,930 and $391,940 annually, while Mr Michael Mischin will receive $496,560.

I'm expecting a number of LNP MPs who can see the writing on the wall to be given cushy little diplomatic postings as ambassadors at the expense of career diplomats.

Some Liberal supporters will suggest all governments do this. No they don't.

Relevant skills and experience aren't even criteria for LNP appointments, it's all about links to the party.

I hope some of these appointments can be reversed. It reminds me of Trump appointing a hard right conservative judge to the Supreme Court weeks before the election, something which breached every protocol.

This government has proven that appointments to organisations such as the Administrative Appeals Tribunal should not be made by government but by an independent body.

I'd like to let Michaelia Cash know that I'm available and I'll work for a discount on the $400,000 a year. I'll even donate my entire salary to help the people of Lismore. I'm sure some of the appointees would be willing to do that given they are already on parliamentary pensions.

As my nanna used to say last century: "Be sure your sins will find you out". Scrutiny seems particularly warranted if someone is perceived to have been a somewhat bombastic motor mouth throughout a career spanning high level national tourism, party political and federal parliamentary positions.

The PM now parades a conga line of personal supporters to back his character and emphatic denials of making targeted racist comments when jousting in a particularly nasty pre-selection battle for Cook in 2007.

All of this is being conducted in work time by an army of very highly paid and taxpayer funded PMO staff who run around holding the large hose required in this situation.

It's interesting that Australians and the Australian government express outrage over the long term detention and secrecy surrounding the trial of "our" journalist Cheng Lei in China when the same injustice occurs in Australia.

In another example of the Coalition's hypocrisy, the persecution of Bernard Collaery continues with "evidence" presented to the court so secret that even Bernard and his defence team are not allowed to hear it.

Yes, free Cheng Lei but stop this travesty of justice and free Bernard immediately.

The Frydenburg budget basks in a $420 tax cut for low and middle income earners but in the usual way that budgets trumpet benefits it fails to acknowledge what happens in the out years of the tax regime for these workers.

The simple fact is they will face an effective tax increase of $1500 when the low and middle income tax offset cuts out. Meanwhile those in higher income brackets can look to future tax cuts in the out years.

Claire Ibrahim and Pradeep Philip present some good arguments and suggestions for adapting to climate change ("The other half of the climate change debate - adaption", April 5, p28). However, adaption has its limits.

As the global temperatures and sea levels rise to unlivable levels, the only realistic means of adaption is to move populations, towns or even entire cities to higher, cooler ground, or to move them towards the south pole (in the southern hemisphere) or north pole (in the northern hemisphere).

The cost of air conditioning a whole city to bearable temperatures would be totally prohibitive, even if it were possible. The only realistic solution is to defeat global heating and climate change by slashing greenhouse gas emissions to zero.

We do not segregate sports based on chromosomes (Letters, April 5) because sex is determined by many more factors than chromosomes, and this designation would exclude a surprising number of people.

The Olympics actually used to use this method but it was too inconclusive. I recall someone discussing their undergraduate biology class where they used to make the students do their own chromosome analysis.

They had to stop because too many students were discovering they were not in fact XX or XY and having to deal with the subsequent upset. Hormone levels provide a reasonable and less invasive guideline (though do they too often exclude women of African descent).

Peter Crott (Letters, April 3) is dismayed that the Wentworth Avenue road surface is to be the same as the noisy and uncomfortable coarse chip surface used on Gungahlin Drive.

He should instead look at the positive side. A coarse surface gives a better grip, particularly in wet, oily and icy conditions.

Peter had better get used to coarse road surfaces as the ACT government does not appear to believe in repairing potholes. Those that are repaired soon reappear.

Unless this situation changes our roads will soon resemble tank testing grounds.

Scott Morrison has expressed willingness to sign a statutory declaration to refute claims he used race and religion as a means to undermine an opponent, Michael Towke in the Liberal Party preselection for the seat of Cook. Morrison was successful after Towke's earlier convincing win was undermined.

The stakes regarding Morrison's credibility are very high. He should not delay making his declaration and also making it immediately public. A mere offer can be construed as a deflection. If the statutory declaration is not made public how can we trust that it actually addresses the accusations?

I'm a 62-year-old with a chronic health condition that puts me into the high risk category from COVID. I inquired about the fourth jab at a local pharmacy on Monday. They told me that while they were sure I qualified they couldn't give me the vaccine without a certificate from my specialist. If the authorities want people to get the jab why do they make it so difficult?

Dear ACT government please can you introduce fortnightly garbage collection in our area. We have one compost system, one recycling bin, one garden waste bin, soft plastic recycling at our local supermarket, Lids for Kids, a household of two, and an ice cream container's worth of landfill rubbish every week.

S W Davey (Letters, April 4) is sceptical about the PM's numerous big plans. I say look out for more big announcements on massive increases in immigration and population. That'll fix all our problems - not.

Re your "Canberra's spending on ads" article (canberratimes.com.au, April 3). Canberra did not spend big on ads. The federal government, elected by all Australians did that. Shame on The Canberra Times for blaming Canberrans for the misdeeds of the federal government.

Mokhles k Sidden (Letters, April 4) expresses the wish that after this dreadful war Ukraine should change its name to the "land of heroes". I suspect the international community already believes that in all languages "Ukraine" translates to "land of heroes". Slava Ukraini!

It is absurdly naive to run articles asking "Is Australian politics about to have it's independents day in the 2022" when all such independents have policies identical to the Greens.

If the killing of Ukrainian citizens is genocide and a war crime, what was the bombing of citizens in Germany and Japan in World War II, particularly Dresden, Hiroshima and Nagasaki?

Mark Kenny ("Politics and personalities collide" April 3, p15) says "Scot Morrison would cravenly abstain from a marriage equality vote despite his own electorate approving it (55 per cent to 45 per cent)". Disagreeing with one's electorate is hardly being craven Mr Kenny. As Edmund Burke put it to his electorate: " Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement, and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion".

Despite the dire warnings of climate scientists about increased numbers and severity, the latest cyclone season has produced only three category two cyclones (just a bit windy) that impacted Australia's mainland with no loss of life and minimal damage. Perhaps Greta could explain?