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Canberra Today 14°/17° | Friday, March 29, 2024 | Digital Edition | Crossword & Sudoku

Letters / Alcohol ban a ‘disgrace’

THE organisers of this year’s multicultural festival, in their wisdom, decided to limit alcohol sales to people who already had a full liquor licence.

The small ethnic groups that usually provide food and alcohol from their regions have been told that they can’t provide alcohol.

Apparently, it’s to curb the problems of excess alcohol consumption. This surprises me, as three arrests last year out of a crowd of 280,000 visitors isn’t exactly a riot.

The poor volunteers who slave to raise funds for their cultural activities have wondered for some time how decisions are made by the organisers. There’s little transparency about the allocation of booths etcetera. This year is worse than most. The Tongans were asked to provide dance displays, but were refused permission to have a food stall. The ACT government is doing nothing, as usual. The whole thing is a disgrace!

Maria Greene, via email

Hands off Australia Day!

WHY do we Australians all seem so intent on everlasting divisiveness whether it be for political, cultural or personal reasons? Why are we so intent on dwelling on the past for dissention – irrespective of wrongs done or denying great achievement? Why do we ad infinitum try to rewrite history instead of accepting facts, build on advancements, learn for the future and, with vision and goodwill, atone for failures and wrongs done?

Unless we prefer to remain personally or ideologically blinkered, we have so much to celebrate for the nation Australia has become.

This constant bickering about Australia Day on January 26 does nothing but continue to divide and cloud the real need for togetherness – which is the responsibility of all Australians – irrespective of background, grievance, ideology or vested interest.

The Australian nation will never be cohesive unless and until we have the desire and the vision to harness goodwill over friction, accept success and failures and, instead of lamenting the past, get down and forge the future. And that will never happen until we all take responsibility that must accompany rights.

Hands off Australia Day – cast off dissention, join the majority, get positive, knuckle down, accept what has been, cast off inequalities and injustice by capturing some vision – and look to the future.

Len Goodman, Belconnen

Time to move on, Max

IN response to Max McGregor’s letter, using the same flawed logic, the No “vote” was only 30.4% (80% X 38%).

Time to move on.

Russell Noble, Hackett

Horrified by ‘hanging trees’

I WAS appalled by the idea of “hanging trees” described in the article by Heike Hahner (“Cruel horrors behind the grisly ‘hanging trees’”, CN, January 11) .

I understand that foxes are a problem for farmers even though they are beautiful creatures. But to hang them out in the trees is not only archaic but sick.

I don’t believe it will deter other foxes. Is it just to show (boast?) how many were killed? But do we really need to know?

Vi Evans via email

Villains have more rights

HEIKE Hahner’s article on “hanging trees” in “CityNews” is the greatest load of myopic drivel I have read in a long time.

As is typical with left-leaning writers, the villains have more rights than the victims, this time feral animals over the farmers.

Hahner writes: “It allows severe animal rights and welfare abuses.”

I thought she was writing about foxes that kill baby lambs or crows that peck the eyes out of the same.

What about the rights of the lamb to enjoy its short life without being maimed or blinded?

All the animals she writes about having a right of protection are FERAL animals that live by the survival of the fittest and have done so since long before animal husbandry came into vogue.

As for hunting pigs with pig dogs; I suggest history has shown us that, despite modern technology, it is the best way to reduce their menace.
I would also suggest using pig dogs is a more target-focused method than the randomness of using 1080 baiting on other vermin.

Mal Elliott, via email

We need more police

WITH a flood of media messages about the increased presence of police on our roads filling my mind, I drove recently the Canberra/Sydney/Canberra route.

Ever alert for roadside cops, I completed the 600 kilometres without seeing one ACT or NSW police car or motorcycle, even when especially alert for those parked inauspiciously.

I am convinced governments, for economic reasons, are slowly installing more cameras and roadside warnings about double demerit points etcetera to virtually replace what was a deterrent police presence.

An often heard complaint in our cities is there are not enough cops to be seen on our streets. It has now spread to our motorways. Clearly our communities need more police.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

 

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