Integrity probe into Campbell High contract must proceed

Without the commission's sterling and fearlessly independent scrutiny and The Canberra Times' diligent reporting we would know nothing about either the botched tender process which has apparently short changed the school by about $800,000 or the allegations of political interference by the ACT government and unions.

The commission's long-overdue final report will give parents and the wider community an opportunity to know the truth about what happened and who will be held accountable.

It's typical of the Education Minister that, having had carriage of the portfolio during this shameful mess, she knows nothing about an attempt by her most senior officer to stop further scrutiny into the matter.

Fortunately, we've already had public hearings and witness testimony to prove the old saying that sunlight is a great disinfectant.

The ancient Greeks realised the importance of good education in a thriving democracy.

The governments of Australia should take heed of this. They are ignoring the issue of experienced teachers having to work excessive hours, under stress, for insufficient pay.

Experienced teachers are leaving in droves.

Look at what has happened to the USA. What was a well-educated country 70 years ago now has difficulty in separating fact from political spin. That's why Trump could actually be voted back in.

The news that the Albanese government is still not acting on its electoral promise to develop a National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) is disturbing to say the least.

Epidemiologists have been urging such a development since 1987. This is based on the ongoing success of the American initiative in this field and the continuing certainty of the emergence of new pandemics.

In her 2022 book Dark Winter, An Insiders Guide to Pandemics and Biosecurity Sydney epidemiologist Professor Raina Macintyre presents her own experience of the need for ongoing research and development in this field.

We must develop a NCDC urgently, and strengthen our capacity to respond to the next pandemic.

I am exercising all the self-control I can muster after yet again experiencing the recidivist and irresponsible behaviour of cyclists on our roads.

At a time of intense and seemingly intractable "geo-political" tension between cyclists, motorists and pedestrians over safe and lawful road and path use, it beggars belief that at dusk or at night cyclists continue to wear dark clothing and often have inadequate (or non-existent) front and rear lights.

This makes them almost invisible. It is a fatality just waiting to happen. Much has recently been said about the legal requirement for cyclists to have and use a bell when riding a bike.

High visibility clothing and proper working lights should also be mandated. As vehicle use and motorists are so highly regulated; it is high time that cyclists and their bikes are as well.

Douglas Mackenzie (Letters, May 22) and the Treasurer Chalmers erroneously believe that just because its more practical and cheaper to administer the $300 electricity subsidy uniformly its the right thing to do.

I disagree. So do many others.

Regrettably at the end of the day it is invariably the long suffering taxpayers that end up footing the bill. This means successive governments will continue to make absurd decisions - and get away with it.

I'm not sure the argument for retaining tax breaks for new investor homes is as clear cut as Peter Martin makes out ("Restricted tax breaks for landlords", May 22), unless the concern is vacant land lying idle because no-one can afford to build on it.

"No one objects to investors who build new homes"; well, I might if investors' tax breaks make it harder for me to buy a block to build my family home on.

If the market doesn't deliver enough new builds then why not subsidise targeted construction directly (or State governments to build public housing), rather than accepting the arbitrary outcome from allowing investors to immediately deduct expenses they incurred with a view to making a capital gain and then ultimately taxing an amount less than the real (inflation-adjusted) capital gain.

I was intrigued by Peter Martin's article "Restrict tax breaks for landlords" (May 22).

He described the similarity between the policies of the different parties.

It seems to me that this is an opportunity for Labor to campaign the way I recall Kevin Rudd did years ago.

When commenting on LNP promises he said, "yes, we'll do that, and furthermore we'll better it by ... ". If Labor repolishes old promises it has made in the past it could have an advantage.

Neil Cooper (Letters, May 22) counters questioning of the value of prescribed burns by apparently describing the authors (Phil Zylstra and David Lindenmayer, May 17) as part of "a fringe minority of researchers that push their views."

David Lindenmayer AO, FAA is a distinguished professor at the ANU, and among the world's most productive and most highly-cited scientists, particularly in forest ecology and conservation biology.

In contrast with Neil Cooper, Zylstra and Lindenmayer state that there are now some within agencies in the ACT government who are recognising that widespread prescribed burning might be counterproductive. In fact, people are far more likely to die from smoke-related respiratory problems than in a wildfire.

The time for improved fire management practices in Australia is now overdue, and we should be listening to world-class expert researchers like David Lindenmayer.

I was disturbed to read (Letters, May 22) Neil Cooper, former ACT Parks and Conservation senior director, suggest prescribed burns conducted by the ACTPCS should not be questioned.

Canberrans expect matters of policy to be based on the best possible evidence. If that evidence, gathered by leading scientists, increasingly indicates that prescribed burns are counterproductive, it should not be ignored.

I don't believe David McBride should have been jailed for leaking documents exposing special forces war crimes in Afghanistan.

Nevertheless McBride isn't one of the good guys in this whole unsavoury issue. The outcome of the leaks, unintended by McBride, was to reveal to the Australian people by way of an ABC investigation the extent of allegations against special forces personnel.

McBride's motivation, as stated in his defence during the trial process, was his opposition to the Australian Defence Force's "excessive" investigation of special forces soldiers in Afghanistan. In other words, he wanted the investigations shut down.

We should be grateful to McBride for bringing the truth to the attention of the Australian public, but he shouldn't be put on a pedestal as a martyr for his deeds.

Jailing him, however, will only serve to discourage genuine whistleblowers and I guess that was the reason for two governments pursuing, with vigour, his prosecution.

The US talks about the international order and how it works to maintain truth, justice and freedom, not to mention the American way. But it glosses over the times when it supports repressive regimes and breaches international conventions. It is skilful in selling the sizzle but doesn't really want people to closely examine the sausage.

Politicians wanting to be seen doing something about social media are calling for under 16-year-olds to be banned from using it. In most jurisdictions children as young as 12 are considered criminally responsible. This seems disturbingly wrong-headed.

Sue Wareham wouldn't vote for Acting Inspector Richardson because of his blunt assessment of the lout contingent at the Summernats as a "subspecies" (Letters, May 22). She would have the full backing of the ACT government. The last thing they want in the Assembly is a politician who speaks the unvarnished truth.

Sue Wareham (Letters, May 22) won't vote for anyone who calls hoons a subspecies. Sorry Ms Wareham, the cop that said that has a very keen understanding of how society actually is. She would feel differently when the underclass are breaking down our doors because no one had the guts to stand up to them.

Unlike Sue Wareham, I place more importance on stopping people in cars killing others than I do on the risk of democracy collapsing because they were called a "subspecies".

The latest CSIRO and Australian Market Energy Operator GenCost report again shows nuclear reactors to be the most expensive, and time-consuming, future power generating option for Australia. This exposes the opposition's lack of technical knowledge and debunks their claims to be better economic managers.

With the CSIRO finding nuclear energy is a highly expensive option for Australia, with estimated delivery as late as 2040, the Coalition should now review energy and emission reduction options with an open mind.

When is the Australian government going to insist Julian Assange be removed from the maximum security prison while awaiting further legal processes. Surely he is really "on remand" and warrants greater access to the outside world.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is right. There is "no Israel-Hamas equivalence". Hamas killed 1200 Israelis; Israel has killed 35,000 Palestinians and rising.

Sadly for you, Peter McLoughlin (Letters, May 16), Jim Chalmers, whether he writes his own speeches or not, has no economic qualifications. When it comes to Labor budgets you reap what you sow.

I'm still chuckling over Karen Hardy's review of The Idea of You in Saturday's Panorama. Brilliant journalism. Karen, I forgive you for your comments on dogs, now.

The Salvation Army's eviction of a 74-year-old Vietnam war veteran from an apartment in their Narrabundah apartment complex so that the complex can be turned into youth housing smacks of ageism to me.