“The Barr government has, alone amongst other states, decided not to enact anti-consorting laws to effectively control OMCG activities,” says letter writer RON EDGECOMBE, of Evatt. 

The Barr-Rattenbury government has manifestly failed the ACT community on law-and-order issues. This failure places law-abiding citizens at increasing risk.

That is not to demean or criticise the highly professional ACT police force, which performs to the highest standards possible given the extreme resourcing and legal constraints that the Barr government has seen fit to impose on it.

The ACT has been playing host to 150 so Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang members. Last year there was a similar gathering of these people thumbing their noses at ACT authorities and the broader law-abiding citizens. And why is this?

The Barr government has, alone amongst other states, decided not to enact anti-consorting laws to effectively control OMCG activities. Attorney-General Shane Rattenbury has ignorantly stated that such laws do not work and Police Minister Mick Gentleman has claimed that such laws disadvantage minority groups. Really?

Other pressing law-and-order issues include the devious way the Barr government has chosen to fund the ACT police force, the parlous level of funding for maintenance of police facilities and the dumbing down of some ACT police services.

Unlike any other state, the Barr government deliberately diverts funds to ACT police through the fire, emergency services and police levy on residents’ annual rates. 

As previously indicated by columnists Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed, the Barr government has added police to this levy. 

The lamentable recent experiences of various ACT police precincts being forced to work in run down and dangerous conditions will be well known by readers. 

And the dumbing down of police responses to ACT residents who are now unfortunately the victim of home robberies further exacerbate risks to our law-abiding citizens.

At the election in October, the Barr government by any measure deserves to be gifted the strong censure of the ACT community based on these law-and-order issues.

Ron Edgecombe, Evatt

Government has run out of fresh ideas

Some years ago before the tram was installed on Northbourne Avenue, we got the tape measure out. 

We concluded it was possible to reduce the size of the green belt (where the tram now runs along Northbourne Ave), add another lane each way and have the tram run in a T-lane next to the kerb. They threw the idea out.

Are these people stupid or not? A no brainer yet they failed the public. Yes, Andrew Barr, you should run away to Melbourne. Your mob doesn’t fix anything and has run out of fresh ideas.

Secondly, while out walking, I came upon an elderly gent who had fallen on his backside near the Tuggeranong Health Centre. 

He lost his balance probably due to the pavers and uneven walkway. He needed three of us to pick him up. I hope he writes to the ACT government.

Labor-Greens are all talk and no action, and put people’s lives at risk. The sooner they’re gone, the better.

Russ Morison, Theodore 

Nuclear power is just a distraction

The current undermining of effective climate change action by the criticism of solar and wind initiatives has echoes of the Morrison government’s bagging of electric vehicles. Remember the end of the long weekend?

Nuclear power is a distraction as it is unlikely to be available for at least 10 to 15 years and will increase rather than decrease energy prices.

Mike Quirk, Garran

I’m not a threat to democracy!

In responding to my August 22 letter, Peter Horton and Eric Hunter (letters, CN September 5) jumped to the conclusion that I oppose freedom of speech and thus pose a threat to democracy. That is not true. What I oppose is the publication of letters that contain misinformation or, worse, disinformation. Most of us know very little about most things and fortunately we have experts. 

Vi Evans’ letter on indigenous Australians dredged the falsities that primary children, including me, learnt in the ’60s. It’s now common knowledge that there were dozens of indigenous nations that occupied nearly every environment on the Australian continent before the European invasion. Their ways of life were very different, being dictated by those environments. 

My main gripe was with CityNews for publishing something that was factually incorrect and offensive to indigenous Australians. You won’t be surprised that I feel the same way about those denying climate change, who have managed to delay action for decades. 

Now, there’s a subject, with a myriad disciplines, the understanding of each is a lifetime’s work. Like most things, I feel relieved to listen to the experts.

Ian Wallis, O’Connor 

What about the replacement of the Civic pool?

At the launch of the Canberra Liberals’ plan to build a national convention centre on the Civic pool site, Elizabeth Lee reportedly also indicated that, when in government, they too would explore options for a new Civic pool in Commonwealth Park (“Libs pledge to quickly build convention centre”, citynews.com.au, September 7). 

Regrettably for current and future pool users, including the very large number of new residents planned for central Canberra and the inner north over the next decade or so, the Liberals’ new election policy statement on the convention centre and their media release only mention the word “pool” once, when describing where building would begin in 2026-27. 

To be taken seriously at the community level, the Liberals need to explain how they would have a replacement pool facility up and running, in or right next to the city centre, before they close the current one in 2026-27, which is their clearly stated construction start time on their chosen site.

All the political parties, authorities and lobbyists who climb over each other to announce yet another slant on infill options there should commit to making a large, modern, and easily accessible public pool facility an integral part of the planning and approval of radical change in this central area, with continuity of public pool use prioritised and delivered from the outset.

The public is left with yet another superficial and inadequately concocted announcement on a major and complex planning matter that requires up-front recognition of a range of existing and future “people” needs, as well as pledges by our representatives to meet them in well-timed, fair and equitable ways. 

Sue Dyer, Downer 

The first vinous casualty of climate change?

In his regular wine column, Richard Calver wrote of the increasing need to either plant new vineyards at higher altitude, such as in the Hilltops region near Young, NSW (“High-country wines with altitude and attitude”, CN September 12) or to switch to grape varieties that are better suited to warmer climates. 

Some varieties, such as Sangiovese, Primitivo and Negroamaro (Italy); and Tempranillo (Spain), which have been grown successfully for winemaking over many decades, if not centuries, spring to mind.

Mr Calver’s mention of altitude, and therefore temperature, also brought to mind the Beaujolais region of central France.

A warming climate, driven by accelerating global heating, is making the task of producing those famed, ethereal light red wines very difficult, if not impossible. The grapes become too ripe, too dark-coloured and too sugar-rich (hence too high in alcohol) for their wines to be labelled “Beaujolais”: that famed name will soon disappear from wine lists.

Alas, Beaujolais is probably just the first vinous casualty of climate change.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

As humans exist, so will racism and sexism

“Why do we hate them so?” questions columnist Robert Macklin (“I’ve never met an Aboriginal I didn’t like”, CN September 5).

And at the outset, he can forget about including me in his “we”. This letter poses my question “why could I hate them so?”

I am a 52 -year-old white female. Let’s look at the first word, “white”.

I have been called a “white bitch” and much, much worse. I have been spat at and spat on.

Less offensive is an indigenous woman who attends the same community meeting as I, who has had nothing but a cold and unfriendly disposition toward me from day one for the last 10 or more years and further, can’t (or won’t) bring herself to sit anywhere near me. Given the lack of interaction, I can only assume it is because I’m white.

Second word, “female”. I have been groped, felt-up and most traumatically sexually assaulted. Working in a male-dominated industry during the ’90s, I was asked to leave a client’s site because “you shouldn’t be doing that (installing a drive in a computer). I think you should leave, little missy”. I did leave, in tears.

As long as human beings exist, so to will racism, sexism, gender-based violence, pedophilia, rape, murder, child abuse, people-trafficking, animal cruelty ad infinitum. Politicians and community leaders who spruik an “end” to, for example, gender-based violence? Not going to happen. EVER.

What I’m saying is that racism is a two-sided street. It’s not just a “white” thing. It’s a white, black, brown, Asian, European etcetera thing.

And, perhaps I could be forgiven if I were a man-hating racist given some of the foul experiences I’ve had in my life with men and indigenous people. But I’m not.

I treat each person I meet with civility and respect, until I’m given cause to re-think. If I can, I just walk away and leave them be because I don’t need more toxicity in my life. 

Some people are just mean-spirited, to put it mildly. Why? I dunno. You’d have to ask them because I’m certainly not going to. Their ethnicity, sex, age, gender-preference, status etcetera is irrelevant. 

Their personality and strength of character is the sum total of what I need to make any judgement or opinion of an individual.

Bec Henson, Hughes

Albanese is digging his own grave 

PM Albanese is digging his own grave, firstly by stubbornly refusing to amend the Voice legislation, instead insisting that it had to be “his way, or no way “.

He has now managed to get the union movement offside by installing an administrator at the CFMEU in a highly insensitive manner, resulting in the CFMEU and the ETU refusing to donate campaign funds for the upcoming election. As the donation for the 2022 election amounted to $2 million, this will badly hurt the campaign funding.

The former CFMEU officials have started legal action against the government. Aside from an unwanted distraction, it will cost the taxpayers dearly and take up valuable time, which is not an auspicious way to start campaigning.

The CPSU is up in arms about Albo’s decision to only add a single question on sexuality into the next census. How many more people will Albo upset before he realises that being politically correct and keeping a low profile is just not working, as people are hurting over the high interest rates and the high cost of living, both requiring urgent remedial action?

Mario Stivala, Belconnen