Decision to cancel Jolt EV charger contract doesn't make sense

I own an EV and have used Jolt's charging infrastructure in Adelaide. Whilst the Jolt business model includes on-site advertising, their model also includes beautifying streetscapes by building over ugly street-side electricity transformers.

Jolt also aims to provide handy, short-stay charging at sites such as shopping centres which no other provider has in their business model.

I've looked around Canberra streets and all I can see is advertising and visual clutter. It's on bus shelters (and on buses), on sandwich boards outside businesses and on the outside of shopping centres.

Added to these signs are real estate signs, school enrolment boards and sporting team recruitment corflutes dotted about the place.

The reason given to cancel the contract just doesn't stack up, especially when another part of the ACT government is trying to encourage EV uptake.

Along with Christine Gifford (Letters, April 11) I too need to give a big shout out for the amazing care I received at Canberra Hospital.

All the treatment received from Accident and Emergency, to the x-ray department, surgical procedures, post-operative care and then treatment at the fracture clinic was delivered in a very caring and most professional way.

Possible treatments, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of each option were presented clearly.

All my concerns were addressed with clarity and professionalism. This information enabled me to confidently decide on the best treatment option to pursue.

I am so appreciative of the caring doctors, nurses and ancillary staff at Canberra Hospital who deliver fantastic health care.

I think I have discovered the reason behind a recent drop in numbers of COVID cases officially reported in the ACT. Last week, I tried to report a positive RAT test.

The online form said, "The submit button will only appear once all required fields are completed". I completed all of the visible fields but the submit button still did not appear.

Deputy opposition leader Sussan Ley is off on a whirlwind tour of 16 electorates in the hope of attracting more back into the Liberal fold after the party lost in so many electorates almost a year ago.

If she avoids meeting and greeting the ACT populace, she will continue to wrongly assume that without the Zed and Morrison factors in 2025, it will be a shoo-in for any Liberal Senate candidate who emerges with the backing of the almost moribund local party structure.

Many in the ACT would be pleased to respond to Ms Ley's current quest and would even be prepared to provide useful feedback on the Liberal party's stance on the Voice referendum .

I am just about fed up to the back teeth with died-in-the-wool leftist pundits like Crispin Hull ("Shameful hypocrisy is revealed", canberratimes.com.au, April 4) abusing the leader of the opposition because he dares to oppose the Voice.

Do they not realise that they are also indirectly criticising almost half the electorate?

Hull and others like him should forget their political allegiances and think about what is good for the country.

Drop the emotion and think hard about the ramifications of a "yes" vote succeeding.

Hull and others like him are insulting almost half of the voters - and who may yet be a majority.

Mr Dutton has shown more courage than pundits like Hull could ever muster.

It's great after years of Coalition inaction Federal Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek has doubled the number of approvals for renewable energy projects.

These approvals will accelerate the transition to cleaner energy, which we urgently need to cut pollution levels.

However, surely leaving the door open to new fossil fuel projects will undo all this good work?

Only last month, Plibersek ticked off a Queensland gas project by Santos, set to operate for decades to come.

At the state level, incoming NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe did a backflip by approving the Narrabri gas project before even being sworn into office.

The latest IPCC report clearly states we must not approve new fossil fuel projects if we are to keep global warming below already dangerous levels.

Continuing to approve fossil fuel projects is unacceptable given the science and Labor's promise to take strong action on climate when they came to power.

John Purcell ("Impact on the public service" Letters, April 8) misses the point.

If officials develop policy or advice relevant to First Nations peoples without consulting them, they are failing in their duty - and on the evidence will too often get it wrong.

Worse, if the Voice cannot speak until the issue reaches the Parliament it risks thereupon derailing and delaying processes of government while it belatedly adopts or responds to Voice advice.

It would also exclude the Voice from those relevant matters of governance, such a ministerial decisions, that do not require parliamentary action.

Vote Yes.

Greg Cornwell (Letters, April 12) seems to think apartment developments must be limited to the reach of the local fire services ladders.

The tallest global residential apartment building is 472 metres high.

Australia's is around 320 metres.

There are no ladders that even get close to those heights.

I remember seeing the Minister for Indigenous Australians standing at the shoulder of the then-prime minister Scott Morrison talking to the media on issues concerning his portfolio.

The profoundly sad expression on Ken Wyatt's face made me think his must be the worst job in Federal Parliament.

Now an even more distressing job is vacant. I have sympathy for whoever is given the job of shadow minister for Indigenous Australians under Peter Dutton.

Charles Gascoigne, (Letters, April 5) advocates a city of medium-density dwellings and an end to suburbia to make cities less carbon intensive.

The approach ignores the housing preferences of many for a detached dwelling and the accessibility provided by the car. It also fails to consider how travel patterns are changing because of the ability for many to work from home.

Furthermore, the energy and water savings from more intense development have not been established.

What is known is redevelopment in Canberra is not well managed. Many developments result in poor privacy, poor solar access, increased congestion, loss of tree canopy and parking blight.

A major deficiency has been the failure of the ACT government to evaluate the merits of alternative development strategies.

It has adopted simplistic light rail and infill strategies in the absence of evidence they are the best way to manage growth.

The community deserves better governance than that currently provided.

Richard Manderson (Letters, April 9) is on the right track regarding (presumably) nuclear-powered submarines.

In fact, the "new technologies (that) will be able to locate submarines and render then sitting ducks" are already here.

Nuclear-powered submarines are very large and easily detected by traditional methods such as sonar when at shallower depths.

At greater depths, they can be detected by the plume of heated water expelled from their reactors' cooling systems.

For much less than the $368 billion cost of eight easily detected nuclear subs, Australians could have a fleet of many thousands of remotely-controlled drones, armed or otherwise, to patrol our coastline and the shipping lanes.

The Federal Treasurer's drip feeding of snippets of budget drafts is conjuring an ill wind that will blow nobody any good.

Nice of The Canberra Times to acknowledge William Leben ("The realities driving our need for subs", canberratimes.com.au, April 14) is "a senior research officer at the National Security College at the ANU". In the interests of objectivity, the acknowledgement should have also included Mr Leben's work at ASPI and his army service.

Incessantly absurd and fatuous aphorisms, ever full of irrelevancy and resentment, should be thrown out of the letters pages of every newspaper in Australia.

I agree with Frank Clarke (Letters, April 14). Armchair warriors abound. Only the veteran knows the truth. Don't screw over the man who shot the man trying to kill him, and who would kill you in the blink of an eye if he had the chance.

Frank Clarke is half right (Letters, April 14). I say if we don't know, we shouldn't go. We proclaim we do follow all the rules. We condemn those who don't. Russians in Ukraine can't tell friend from foe yet we condemn their war crimes. Let's stop our hypocrisy about the glorious rules and fighting in other people's wars.

Having digested the incisive comments from Mr Pilsner on Jack Waterford ("Albo gets a free pass", Letters, Friday 14) I recommend he replace your patently biased columnist feature writer and becomes a guest contributor.

Ian Pilsner's letter (Albo gets a free pass, April 14) reads like a resume for a job application with Sky After Dark.

When Peter Dutton called out the appalling level of abuse that is occurring in the Northern Territory, the responsible minister called it a "dog act". Wouldn't it be better if she got on with her job of protecting women and children?

How does Ian Pilsner arrive at the conclusion the Voice may cost "billions"? How does he know how effective the NIAA is or how different it is from the Voice? And can he tell us what Senator Jacinta Price achieved during her year as deputy mayor of Alice Springs? Did the problems in the Alice only start after her stint ended in 2021?

The prosecution of whistleblower David McBride is clearly wrong. He has obviously been taken to court to deter other whistleblowers and journalists from pursuing the truth. The fact an Australian soldier has been charged with murder while in Afghanistan vindicates McBride's courageous actions.

Needless tariffs imposed by Beijing are to be "reviewed". Beijing is toying with Australia like a cat with a mouse.