The blinding brightness of exterior vehicle light indicator and headlight design, whether electric vehicles or just the ordinary sedan or SUV, adds to what is already a volatile driving experience on Canberra roads, writes ANGELA KUETER-LUKS. 

As we strive for technological, engineering and innovative superiority in our car design and performance, I think we have lost all sense of perspective in aligning these with reason and safety.

In particular, exterior vehicle light indicator and headlight design and function. Whether electric vehicles or just the ordinary sedan or SUV, their blinding brightness and colour, ridiculous linear display and operation adds to what is already a volatile driving experience on Canberra roads with its multitude of speeding and other traffic signs and lights to compete with.

As manufacturers attempt to outdo each other for populist market dominance with these so-called innovative designs, they clearly have no regard for how they will operate in the real world, rather than the showroom.

Angela Kueter-Luks, via email

Spending money like it’s going out of fashion

Here we go again, the Barr government spending money like it was going out of fashion, even though we are already up to our eyes in debt. This month’s Our CBR is all about spend, spend, spend.

Funding for students between $400 and $750 depending on age, $50 rebate on electricity, gas and water, a $250 one-off payment for about 5700 apprentices, various promises to do with Canberra’s health, improvements to paths across Belconnen, stamp duty concession of homes on the first $1 million, upgrade on the Canberra Theatre Centre and cameras for road safety.

A lot, or most of these things should have been done years ago, so why now? Oh, yes, there is an election coming up. Watch this space to see if they get done.

Vi Evans, via email

The government is here for all Australians 

I applaud the prime minister for suspending WA senator Fatima Payman from Labor caucus meetings for her Pro-Palestinian stand.

Senator Payman is, like many “Free Palestine” supporters, somewhat naïve or perhaps just arrogant in thinking that her grandstanding on Palestine in the Australian parliament will make any difference to the current war.

The only thing that Palestinians need to free from is their own repressive terrorist government – Hamas.

Senator Payman might also want to note that the Australian Government is here for all Australians – irrespective of doctrine.

“Freedom of speech” is not any justification for Payman’s actions or for the pro-Palestinian graffiti that has taken place in most cities around the country – it’s less “freedom of speech” and more blatant, ignorant vandalism.

Hamas has been attacking Israel for almost 20 years with rockets, and suicide bombers, culminating in the brutal attacks on October 7 in which almost 1400 Israelis, children included, were brutally tortured, raped, mutilated, burned alive and shot, and 250 kidnapped – some still in captivity, their fate unknown.

Repeated use of vacuous slogans, senseless acts of graffiti and violent antisemitic protests here in Australia will have no effect whatsoever on a conflict that originated more than a century ago, when the Middle East was carved by the British and the French.

The solution can only come from the Middle East itself and those countries that have some real sway in the region.

Australia, Ms Payman, is not one of them.

Declan Mcgrath, via email

Difficult to reform the party from outside

For crossing the floor, Senator Fatima Payman deserved no more than a reprimand.

Resigning from the Labor Party was a mistake. She will find it difficult to reform the party from outside.

Eight years ago I made the same mistake. I resigned from the board of the Conservation Council ACT Region in protest at what I believed was unconstitutional behaviour by office-bearers.

Last year the council’s president personally decided that I should not be a member of the council’s Transport Working Group, nor contact members of any Conservation Council working group, nor attend the Conservation Council office. 

In June the Magistrates Court dismissed the council’s application for a court order to prohibit me from being within 10 metres of the Conservation Council office, from contacting staff or board members at the office, from calling the office, from sending physical post to the office, from emailing any Conservation Council email address, and writing about the Conservation Council in the media, on social media or on my personal blog.

Leon Arundell, Downer

Gigantic construction site, no thanks!

In response to Jon Stanhope’s letter on the ACT government plans to build 4000 homes adjacent to Straithnairn (CN July 4), I am astounded at such plans. 

It has been established that this area is the site of significant Aboriginal artefacts. 

For the above reason, and the beautiful vista Jon Stanhope refers to, what needs to be planned is a nature reserve.

When will the ACT government walk the talk? “Gigantic construction site”, no thanks!

Merrilyn Fahey, Reid

Eric misunderstands my point

Eric Hunter’s letter “Pause before hitting the blame button, (CN July 4) July) confuses or misunderstands the things I wrote in my letter on Palestine demonstrations. 

Nowhere did I suggest that students did not have a right to demonstrate peacefully. I have demonstrated similarly in respect to the People’s Republic of China, workplace laws, family violence, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the like. 

My criticism was of those who are violent, refuse to obey lawful orders, engage in graffiting offices and monuments, or barricade electoral offices. I suggested that such criminal behaviour would be a career-limiting move, especially if one were studying law. Others have mentioned the same problem for students that break the law. 

Ric Hingee, Duffy