This is letter writer DAVE JEFFREY’s sad tale about the lack of service or care by Australia Post. 

A PARCEL that was sent to me from China arrived in Canberra on November 2. Unfortunately, the parcel did not contain my house number in the address, so when it reached the Mawson post office, the driver lacked the initiative, or perhaps time, to check if someone with my name lived in the street. 

Aust Post documentation has both my mobile number and email address, AND I am in the current phone book. 

The parcel was transferred to Fyshwick PDC notated return to sender. A query through the Aust Post national phone number put me in touch with a delightful lady, who promised she would try and intercept the parcel. No joy, apparently, because after further enquiries with Aust Post, it seems my parcel was being returned to the sender. 

A few small minutes of effort would have discovered my house address – where I have lived for 23 years – and the parcel would have safely travelled the last kilometre. 

On Thursday, November 17, I received a text from Aust Post informing that my parcel had been delivered – to Botany NSW. A few minutes later, I received an email from Aust Post informing that it had been delivered to ACT 2607! 

Further enquiries at the post office further confused me as the manager could not understand what was happening. He did tell me that it was not the post office’s job to ascertain any further details of an addressee, and they were too busy!

I believe that Aust Post has lost the habit of service to the customers. All they are interested in is shopfront matters that make money; eg, shop items, banking and bill paying.

A further call to Aust Post national number, eventually discovered my parcel was in a transfer depot in Botany, and instructions have been issued for it to be forwarded to the complete address. I will wait with bated breath. Bah, humbug!

Dave Jeffrey, Farrer

How many voters read Hansard?

AS a result of a Canberra Liberals’ question on notice, more information came to light regarding the parlous state of our social housing and this is great. However, how many voters read Hansard? 

I would like to see the database showing the listed 463 houses currently empty, ACT government-owned, with the details of when last tenanted, plans for their future, are apartments going to replace them etcetera. 

Some time ago I read Hansard and noted that there were some excellent probing questions asked of the health minister about Canberra’s dreadful “Third World” health system. However the questions and answers never appeared in any sort of format that the ordinary Canberra voter would see. 

In this situation, if I was a current government minister, I would not care what questions were asked of me as I could relax in the knowledge that 99 per cent of Canberra voters would not get to see the questions or answers.

As a voter who will vote for anyone but Greenslabor next election, I would like to see information like this in publications like “City News”.

Regular articles by a variety of shadow ministers would enhance the excellent work already being done by Paul Costigan, Jon Stanhope, Khalid Ahmed and Michael Moore in bringing to light the dreadful policies and arrogant actions of the current government.

Bob Collins, via email 

Historically, a Labor voter, enough is enough!

REFERRING to Ian Meikle’s column (“Seven Days, November 17) about his radio chat with Senator David Pocock about fielding a team of independent candidates for the next ACT government election is such a welcome suggestion. 

Given the ACT’s electoral system, individual independents face an impossible battle to gain a quota. I voted independent in the last election and was disappointed. So, an independent party (Teals?) has got to be in there with a big chance to remove the stranglehold that Labor and the Greens have over the Territory.

Temptation to vote Liberal, as I did in 2016 as a tram protest, is likely doomed if the right-wing conservatives control the party machine behind the scene. Historically, a Labor voter, enough is enough!

Claudia Bottrill, Watson

Resources better spent elsewhere

The ACT Government’s business case for Stage 2A of light rail estimates that each dollar spent on Stage 2 as a whole would return only 60 cents worth of benefits. 

Noel Baxendell (Letters, CN November 8) claims that: “Leaving rail unfinished would result in a massive waste of public resources.” 

His claim ignores the evidence that leaving light rail “unfinished” would actually result in a massive saving of public resources that could be better spent elsewhere.

Leon Arundell, Downer

Cannabis expo ad says it all

THE advertisement in “The Canberra Times” advertising the cannabis expo and mentioning Canberra is the only legislature in Australia where cannabis is “legalised”, not “decriminalised” as the local government maintains, says it all. 

Basically, just come along, experiment with this dangerous drug and become a regular user.

It is appalling that our local representatives allow such an event to take place, let alone introduce their soft-on-drugs policy, which will result in more illicit drug use, brain damage particularly to younger members of the Canberra community and lots of other ill health as a result of their irresponsibility.

Dr Alan Shroot, president, Canberra ASH

Can we keep looking away?

FOUR thousand, three hundred and two pouch joeys have been clubbed to death with wooden mallets in the last five years during the ACT kangaroo culls in Canberra nature reserves. 

Their numbers are not included in data published by the ACT government, but have been provided under Freedom of Information.

Many of these joeys would not have survived to adulthood. Some estimates are that kangaroo joeys have a 70 per cent mortality rate, but this does not erase the need to examine the role of humans in slaughtering these kangaroo joeys. These are not humane deaths.

Questions must be asked: What makes some humans capable of repeatedly treating defenceless baby animals this way? What effect do these cruel acts have on their emotional and mental state? And what might the ramifications be for our society if such behaviour is clearly condoned by government? 

Morally and ethically, should we as ratepayers be funding these cruel acts? Is animal cruelty an acceptable response to alleged claims about conservation values of the grassy woodlands? Would Canberrans treat puppies or kittens this way?

Can we keep looking away?

Jane Robinson, Evatt 

Just fix it before there’s a fatality!

THE road condition on Tillyard Drive, Flynn, opposite house number 138 is a death trap waiting to happen. 

Three sections of the road close to each other have risen about 38 centimetres. This road has increased traffic coming off the Barton Highway and from Gungahlin and Dunlop all using Tillyard to travel to Belconnen, the city, Woden and elsewhere.

There is no doubt in my mind that an unsuspecting motorbike rider or car driver will find themselves in strife, then in a body bag, on this deadly patch of road surface. 

I am so alarmed, I have voiced my concerns to the Australian Federal Police because my earlier reporting under “Fix My Street” has gone ignored. 

To be blunt, if you cannot fix it you’d better park the coroner’s vehicle there full-time and work out exactly how you are going to smokescreen the response when this tragedy occurs. It’s not rocket science – just bloody fix it before a fatality occurs.

John Lawrence, Flynn 

Making ‘food waste’ a thing of the past

CONGRATULATIONS to Olympia Yarger, insect farmer and ACT Australian of the Year (“Insect farmer takes the top ACT title”, CN November 17). 

Using maggots to process food waste is timely. The 2021 National Food Waste Strategy Feasibility Study found that Australians create 7.6 million tonnes of food waste each year or 312 kilograms per person. And food waste costs the Australian economy a staggering $36.6 billion a year with almost all food waste from households, hospitality and institutions going to landfill. 

Fortunately, the ACT is piloting the popular Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) collection service, which has the potential to divert 30-40 per cent of waste from landfill and turn it into compost. 

Let’s hope that between schemes such as FOGO and Olympia’s insect farming the term “food waste” becomes a thing of the past.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria

Making a mockery of energy ratings 

IN her letter (CN November 24), Sue Dyer made some very good points about current trends in urban design. These include an over-abundance of heat-absorbing surfaces and a lack of green spaces, especially trees.

This amounts to the creation of heat islands and, in summer, large sums being spent on air conditioning. Examples can be seen in most of Canberra’s newest and developing suburbs.

There are other factors that make a mockery of energy efficiency ratings (EERs): the size, or footprint, of single dwellings and the proximity to adjacent houses. In most cases, this results in windows on two sides of a house being overshadowed by its neighbour – and large sums being spent on heating during winter.

Even a six or seven star EER is effectively meaningless.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Pushing the same old barrows

WHERE are “CityNews” writers of letters to the editor? Each week it’s the same old serial “Canberra Times” letter writers – usually pushing the same old barrows.

Russell Wenholz, Holt 

(We’re an inclusive paper, Russell. All barrows are welcome here – Ed.)

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