Letter writer LORRAINE WALTERS says her daughter was in great danger, but “Calvary staff saved her life, as they did with my husband several weeks ago when he contracted severe covid”.

ENOUGH is enough. The Calvary hospital takeover is definitely putting Canberrans in danger of bad health consequences. 

While the Calvary surgeries were closed last year because of a fire, my daughter had to go to Canberra Hospital to deliver her baby. 

She was kept in a waiting room for two hours while in labour, – no gown or clean up. She eventually gave birth and was put into a patient transport ambulance and taken to Calvary. Within a day of this Calvary staff detected a staph infection caused possibly from stitches she was given by a student with no supervision in Canberra Hospital. 

She was in great danger. Calvary staff saved her life, as they did with my husband several weeks ago when he contracted severe covid.

I am disgusted that this ACT government is so pigheaded about the concerns of Canberra people, who by the way elected them to care for us.

Bring on the election. Surely the Liberals can start to fight this Barr bunch.

Lorraine Walters, via email

Value of space lost to cramming and jamming

NOT just a sense of place but also of space (”Greenslabor denies the city its sense of place”, CN May 17). 

The “cramming and jamming” of high-density and poorly sited dormitory development and little else along Northbourne Avenue and nearby inner-suburban ’60s streets, for example, is increasingly unbalanced and unhealthy for both existing and a rapidly growing number of new residents. 

All this is still running years ahead of any consolidated provision of much needed, easily accessible, new and upgraded community-use and recreational facilities, additional and integrated parkland, banks of cooling urban forest and other natural habitat, and more convenient and safe public transport services and active travel routes for use by all age groups, day and night.

More is expected than just tinkering here and there in time for elections, and talking up what should be just normal maintenance over a four or eight-year cycle, including that which often turns out to be fairly superficial and poor lasting “upgrading” of existing, ageing physical and social infrastructure. 

Much has been lost or allowed to degrade for years and years, particularly in older areas. Embarrassing eyesores abound. 

It is time ratepayers in some suburban areas are not taken for granted any more, and that the ACT government commits to making amends and “giving back” in far more substantial, socially inclusive and accessible ways.

Sue Dyer, Downer

Culling with the ‘deepest respect’

ENVIRONMENT Minister Rebecca Vassarotti, has responded to constituents’ concerns about the ACT government’s kangaroo culls by stating: “Most importantly, culling operations are undertaken with the deepest respect to the animal’s welfare and their connection to land.” (April 24, 2023).

On what planet has pointing a loaded rifle at a living creature’s head and pulling the trigger ever been a sign of “deepest respect” for their welfare? And when has bashing their offspring to death with wooden mallets ever been a sign of “deepest respect” for their welfare?

As for their “connection to land” in this context… what? Burying them in it?

Jane Robinson, via email

How slothful this government has become

I RECEIVED in my letterbox this week a flyer from the ACT government requesting that I and others adopt a drain or a tree and keep that area free from debris.

How lazy and slothful has this government become? Along with paying all the rates we pay, they now don’t want to clean the gutters, which I might add are overflowing. 

They also no longer spray the proliferation of weeds growing out of the drains and joints in kerbs and footpaths. Thanks for nothing, Chairman Barr.

Ron Sheargold, Chisholm

Flat out avoiding constituents

On March 22, a tree appeared in my front yard courtesy of Mr Steel’s City Services. No warning or notification. 

As one of his lucky constituents in Murrumbidgee, I’ve contacted his office via email several times and I’ve left many messages on his office’s voicemail seeking a meeting. 

All of my emails and voicemails remain unreturned. On the one occasion I was lucky enough to actually speak to someone in his office, I was informed he was “very busy”. 

Must be a full-time job ignoring one’s constituents.

Ross Jordan, Pearce

On-field sport defends the indefensible

THERE is something so desperately wrong with our society when it seems to condone physical violence in on-field sport, yet is unacceptable in the community and, indeed, the rule of law. 

Players being involved in all-out brawls, unashamedly and repeatedly punching each other in the head, benignly dealt with by a few minutes in the “sin bin”. 

Is it enough for a player to defend his assault as “being there for my team mates”? Imagine that scenario in the real world – police, charges, judicial process, conviction and penalty. 

Although I appreciate there may be a process in the various sporting codes to deal with these assaults, the public never seems to be made aware of any (if, indeed, there ever are) outcomes and consequences. 

And what of the current focus on concussion in sport? Surely repeated punches to the head could have an instant or lasting effect on the brain.

All the progress and investment in this area is rendered nugatory when this type of behaviour is allowed to continue.

Angela Kueter-Luks, via email

Light rail Stage 2, $3.45b and counting…

GIVEN the complexities of Stage 2 of light rail, Smart Canberra Transport has revised its estimates for Stages 1, 2A, 2B and for the mooted extension to Mawson.  

Estimates for each stage are for construction, financing and for 20 years of operations and maintenance, in 2023 prices.  

The most probable, minimum cost of Stage 2 is $3.1 billion, comprising $0.580 billion for Stage 2A and $2.520 billion for Stage 2B.  

The mooted extension from Woden to Mawson would add a further $0.350 billion, for a potential cost of $3.45 billion for an extended Stage 2.

Readers may recall that, in March, the Canberra Liberals announced that they would formally oppose light rail Stage 2, citing a cost of $3 billion for the project (excluding a Mawson extension).

With the certain knowledge that such major projects virtually always blow-out, who knows what the final cost might be.

The full analysis may be read on the website logstudycentre.com.au/lightrail  

Max Flint, co-ordinator, Smart Canberra Transport

Liberal Party’s descent into irrelevance

MICHELLE Grattan’s assessment of Peter Dutton (citynews.com.au, May 12) is pertinent.

His response to the budget confirms the Liberal Party’s descent, begun by Tony Abbott, into irrelevance.

A continuation could accelerate the adoption by the Albanese government of policies necessary for the transition to a low-carbon economy and that address housing inequality and the needs of the disabled, the aged, the sick, refugees and the indigenous.

Peter, keep up the populist and near-brainless approach.

“Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head

And pretend that he just doesn’t see?…

And how many ears must one man have

Before he can hear people cry?”

–Bob Dylan

Mike Quirk, Garran 

Light rail’s final coup de grâce

THE article by Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed “The tram was a ‘solution’ looking for a problem” (CN May 11) is a forensic statistical analysis of the “justification” for spending billions of dollars on light rail after the decision to go ahead had already been made.

Mr Stanhope and Dr Ahmed’s analysis could well be a final coup de grâce.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

THE VOICE

It’s the pot calling the kettle out

TRUE to form, Eric Hunter (Letters, CN May 11) erroneously accuses

the anti-Voicers of not providing the “facts”, yet its the pro-Voicers and Eric himself that are the guilty ones, that’s akin to the pot calling the kettle black! 

To name just one, where are the “facts” regarding how the Voice will enhance the indigenous peoples’ way of life? 

He goes on to say the estimated costs just to hold the referendum are “largely speculative”, even though the Budget papers reveal a total of $364.6 million has been allocated to be spent on the Voice over the next three years.

Mario Stivala, Belconnen

I listen and I read about the Voice

Re “Unspecified claims and no specifics” from Eric Hunter (Letters, CN May 11).

I do not know where Frank Reade and Mario Stivala got their information regarding the Voice. For me, it was not Google, I got my information from listening-to and reading material from various leading legal minds such as barristers and solicitors, noted and non-noted Aboriginals being interviewed.

I doubt that noted legal professionals that say they support the Voice would be saying publicly on television that it is a “legal minefield”. The general consensus is, any legislation that the government comes up with that relates to the Aboriginals will have to go through the Voice for approval. 

It may be legislation that affects all Australians, not just Aboriginals, but the Voice can block it and force it to the High Court, thus, holding up any legislation. This has not been disputed by the federal government. The rest of Australians do not have this right.

Vi Evans, via email

Asked to ‘buy a pig in a poke’

THE paucity of reasonably balanced information on what is probably the most significant change to the Australian Constitution has prompted a personal investigation of the Voice.

I feel I am being asked to “buy a pig in a poke” and feel that the simple referendum question without also inserting the proposed new Chapter IX wording is disingenuous. 

I am guessing the omission of Section IX (which is very brief) is because it appears to be politically contentious from the point of view of governance.

If the referendum asked our constitution to respectfully acknowledge previous indigenous occupancy without any undisclosed undertones it would have overwhelming support, including mine.

Brian O’Connell, via email

It’s only fair to be consulted first

MYRIAM Amar (Letters, CN May18) has totally misconstrued my letter of May 4 as meaning I don’t support the Voice. 

My letter was challenging Jeremy Hanson to provide details of how his state-level-only Voice would work because his federal leader, Peter Dutton, was pressing PM Anthony Albanese to provide details of how the federal-level Voice would work. 

For the record, I support the Voice and will vote “yes” in the referendum. 

While the constitution permits a government to impose special treatment on members of a race, be it beneficial or detrimental, it is only fair that members have a right to be consulted first.

Bill Bowron, via email