The ACT State of the Environment Report 2023 includes eastern grey kangaroos as an "invasive species". Kangaroos have inhabited this continent - and no other - for millions of years. It is not they who are the "invasive species". For politicians and scientists to claim this indicates a profound lack of understanding of the term "invasive species". Primary school children would be embarrassed to get this wrong.
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Enough of this nonsense. The ACT needs a new government and a few new bureaucrats.
Jane Robinson, Mount Fairy, NSW
Humans are invasive; roos aren't
The ACT State of Environment 2023 report was recently tabled in the ACT Legislative Assembly. I am not sure if it was typo or if perhaps the ACT government, and its agencies, really do love to hate eastern grey kangaroos (EGK), but it had the EGK listed as an invasive species. By very definition an invasive species is a non-native that colonises an area and causes harm. I am not sure that an eastern grey kangaroo that has lived on this land for millions of years, and is an important part of Australia's ecosystem fits that category. One glaringly obvious species they were reluctant to include in this list was humans. Perhaps this one was missed in the drafting.
Aisha Bottrill, Monash
Invasive species debacle
I write this letter with a mixture of incredulity and fury.
In the recently released ACT State of the Environment summary the ACT government and its own ecologists have brazenly and completely incorrectly deemed native local kangaroos as an invasive species, in the same paragraph as rabbits and foxes.
This deliberate attempt to further alienate ACT residents against our native roos, leaves the Labor-Greens government to slaughter thousands yearly, gradually removing them from our landscape.
We are the invasive species and we continue to allow Barr and his cronies unfettered control of land development without any concern about the long-term ecological health - including our own.
The audacity and complete unprofessionalism of classing kangaroos as an invasive species speaks to a much broader, increasingly obvious issue - the lies and manipulation of thinking the Labor-Greens coalition practice to control our decisions and the information we are fed.
Time to vote these people out, Canberra, and stop the lies and manipulation.
Gwenda Griffiths, Hughes
It's just more gender madness
The decision to allow 14-year-olds to apply to change their gender without their parents' permission is just the next gear in the grinder of cultural Marxism. First, the kids are taught in school to hyperfocus on and magnify what are just ordinary negative emotions. Then they're encouraged to see an over-educated shrink who over-diagnoses the problem and encourages a different gender. And then there are the governments who help things along. These poor kids are like lambs to the slaughter.
Vasily Martin, Queanbeyan
A law 14-year-olds may regret
Under new law the age for gender change has been dropped to 14, and no parental consent needed! The age to get a tattoo, I believe, is 18, or we could call it body modification as well if you like.
The human brain is not fully formed until around the age of 24. So how the hell do we expect 14-year-olds to be so self-aware as to make informed decisions, especially ones that many later regret?
Might as well give them a vote at the same time and reduce parental responsibility to 14 as well. Kick them out of home at 14, too, that won't cause any problems, will it?!
No wonder we have so many problems with teenagers when adults are failing them. Shame on you, Andrew Barr, and your hidden agenda! A pox on the house of this government!
Ian Jannaway, Monash
Use existing cycle paths
The call for dedicated cycle paths in the wake of the tragic death of Alicia Jauregui are well-made.
But it needs to be clear that in this case, a full, well-maintained cycle path system exists that parallels all of Lady Denman Drive and has for decades. When I lived in Cook I used this almost every day for several years to commute to ANU, which meaning I hardly needed to be on shared roads at all.
I often see cyclists riding alongside heavy traffic when I know there are adjacent cycle paths - which I have ridden on - which are markedly safer. Better infrastructure is not a solution if people do not use it.
Stephen Mugford, Weston
Urban sprawl standards slip
Frank Bergerson (Letters, March 18) makes some excellent points regarding Canberra's relentless growth direction. Urban sprawl with its treeless, large house on a small block design and town centres congested with high-rise apartments defies any idea of proper planning. Urban green spaces are disappearing and as they morph into slap-up, multi-level heat blocks, our streets have become carparks and our suburbs are noisy.
What is the advantage of an increased population if this is the ACT government's continued modus operandi? And how will Canberra's water and existing resources sustain the government's large growth forecasts in the years ahead? Has it considered a large population in the context of climate change and future droughts?
Canberra used to have the National Capital Development Commission who employed intelligent thinkers with a genuine interest in good planning and an attractive environmental amenity for a growing population. The ACT government and Canberra's developers today are a far cry from this once high standard.
Their insatiable pursuit of population and economic growth at all costs is straining a city and environment that was never designed for the relentless and mediocre "clear, build and grow" model that is evident today. If future development continues like the present, Canberra will just disappear under its own congestion and urban sprawl and our precious environment will be compromised even further. The creaks of the city's growing pains are already heard today. These will become a roar if short-sighted planners continue to stretch our capital to its limits.
Alison Gerrard, Macquarie
Building on the past
The opposition parties cling to their medieval mindsets about allowing organised global religions to practice discrimination and exert social control and power over a country's citizens in ways that are abhorrent to believers in, and upholders of, a modern rights-based secular society.
Religious organisations and their close political allies are guaranteed to ratchet up the noise levels and build on centuries of strident scare tactics to obtain and retain exclusive treatment, and the opportunity to influence others, preferably with taxpayer support.
Sue Dyer, Downer
Common sense at last over tram
As one of the legion of contributors to the CT Letters page who have criticised the white elephant that is Canberra's tram system, it's good to see our common sense arguments being verified by "former executive director of the International Association Of Public Transport (Australia/NZ)" Peter Moore (Letters, March 22). Perhaps his voice will go some way towards halting this madness before the ACT government bankrupts us.
Lee Welling, Nicholls
Cars a bigger issue than wildlife
Gang gang cockatoos and kangaroos are not the only problems facing the proposed Federal Golf Club development (Letters, March 23).
The proposed retirement village will consist of 77 single-storey houses and 48 apartments.
A conservative estimate would be one car per house and one car for every third apartment: a total of 93 cars.
The single access road for the village will inevitably become very busy, with the attendant risks of congestion and collision.
I imagine the residents of affected suburbs of Hughes, Deakin and Forrest would be unhappy with such a situation.
Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Get it right over Snow Concert Hall
Margaret Lee has missed her mark, in attacking the privately-endowed Snow Concert Hall at Canberra Grammar (not CGGS). People with inside knowledge of funding arrangements will no doubt comment on whether or not the concert hall has to be self-supporting or provides the school with extra income.
This beautifully-designed venue and appointment of Ana de la Vega as artistic director has already enriched our musical lives and brought visitors to Canberra to hear performers like Wynton Marsalis, the King's Singers and other celebrated musicians. Well done, Canberra Grammar, for fitting these performances into school life and thanks to Mr Snow!
M. Lee needs to pick another target.
Susan Marshall, Chifley
To the point
LET'S HELP OUT WITH THE TRAMS
Far be it from me to tell you what to do with your hard-earned, Anne Willenborg.
But if you are feeling charitable you could donate your $56 of electricity savings to another 0.17mm of tram track.
Every little helps.
John Howarth, Weston
SALVAGING ISRAEL'S REPUTATION
Israel is in danger of becoming the most hated nation on Earth.
Perhaps its reputation could be (slightly) salvaged by offering expert and compassionate care to all of the 80,000 or so people it has injured in Gaza?
Can't do much about the 31,000 or so dead. But wouldn't it be a nice gesture?
Robert James, Watson
CONTRIBUTING TO HEAT EFFECT
So, in spruiking the supposed benefits of urban infill and residential density, did the ACT State of the Environment Report conveniently forget to point out how these strategies contribute to the heat island effect and therefore to the very climate change emergency that the report seeks to highlight?
Karina Morris, Weetangera
ADDLED CLIMATE BRAINS
Has climate change gotten so bad already that it's inside ecologists' now hot-headed brains to declare the kangaroo an invasive species?
Because they eat grass?
Is anyone buying this? Because this is like a truly bad episode of Utopia.
Alex Kucharska, Griffith
ANIMALS, PLANTS ... AND PEOPLE
Jennifer Macdougall (Letters, March 23) writes: "It is time this government was removed to allow more considered planning in this city that takes account of the needs of all our native species, flora and fauna."
Agree, but would add "and all our people".
Ed Highley, Kambah
A GOOD SPEND? REALLY?
Nearly $5 billion to British industry for nuclear subs, as well as $3 billion (and counting) to US industry?
Our "friends" sure saw us coming.
But what better way to spend Australian money in a world beset by climate and multiple other problems than on war against China?
Sue Wareham, Cook
RUN, RABBIT, RUN
So, Jack Wighton took less money than what was on offer from the Raiders to join the Rabbitohs because he thought they would be a better chance of winning a premiership.
Instead, the Rabbitohs are likely to be dead last for the first time in 14 years, and winless to boot at the end of round 3.
Danke schoen for the schadenfreude, Hare Wighton.
Yuri Shukost, Isabella Plains
NUMBERS MATTER
The Canberra Times continues to abbreviate kilometres per hour as "kmh".
This is lazy and wrong.
Australia has been a metric/SI nation for almost 50 years.
The correct abbreviation is "km/h", where of course the slash means "per".
The notation used for physical units matters.
Writing "kmh" implies kilometres times hours, which is meaningless. Even "kph", analogous to "mph", would be better than "kmh".
The Times needs to lift its game.
Peter Lyons, Kaleen
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