“The Barr government has been abjectly lazy in revenue raising policy, deliberately choosing to rely on residential and commercial rates and land taxes, fees, charges, fines etcetera,” says letter writer RON EDGECOMBE, of Evatt.  

The ACT electorate is arguably considered to be the most highly educated and intelligent electorate in Australia. 

Well, consider this: under the leadership of Andrew Barr and his coalition partner Shane Rattenbury, the ACT since 2011-12 has increasingly suffered worsening outcomes across all key service areas, in particular health, education, public transport, housing including, in particular, public, social and community housing, planning and law and order. These outcomes are clearly outlined in the annual Productivity Commission Reports on Government Services.

Of particular concern also is much less of a focus on traditional local government issues such as local roads, footpaths, nature strips, city and suburban streetscapes, which in many cases are little more than what one might expect in a third-world country.

As treasurer from 2011-12, Mr Barr has presided over (per capita and capacity to raise revenue) the ACT becoming the most indebted jurisdiction in Australia, with debt approaching $12.4 billion (as reported by Jon Stanhope and Khalid Ahmed in this publication).

The Barr government has been abjectly lazy in revenue raising policy, deliberately choosing to rely on residential and commercial rates and land taxes, fees, charges, fines etcetera. 

It has not sought to enlarge the revenue base through innovative and creative private sector, business or commercial and entrepreneurial initiatives.

Given the ACT’s lack of primary and secondary manufacturing resources, this policy choice is deeply flawed.

As astute readers of this publication may also have observed, the Barr government has also presided over a growing and concerning perception of maladministration in some areas of the ACT public sector. Prime examples of this include the Campbell school tender, the failed $75 million IT program under Minister Steel, the increasingly dysfunctional planning directorate, the CIT consultancy debacle, the dysfunction in the former Director of Public Prosecutions Office, the numerous personnel-related issues in the the health and hospital areas and the seeming compliance of Treasury officials (who one would expect to be frank and fearless in providing advice) to run the government spin on critical financial and budgetary matters.

The ACT auditor-general who, aside from Legislative Assembly committees, is the only real independent source of review, has had numerous of his authoritative reports on these issues and another critical infrastructure project light rail Phase 1, 2A, 2B, ignored or dismissed by the Barr government. 

This growing maladministration in the ACT public sector is a damning indictment on the Barr government and the cabinet.

The Westminster system of government relies on continual change and renewal to be effective. It is deleterious for any democratically elected government to be in power for decades as they become increasingly inward looking, hubristic and arrogant. The Barr government demonstrates all these tendencies.

Ron Edgecombe, Evatt 

Bush Capital to the Concrete Capital 

Recently the ACT government replaced the timber decking around part of Lake Tuggeranong. What could have been a grand opportunity to extend the boardwalk around the lake was reduced to just regular maintenance and the government wants us to thank them and think they really care about anything south of Lake Burley Griffin, just like the recent work on Sulwood Drive. 

If you go over the border to Queanbeyan the parks and gardens are well maintained and they have regular street sweepers, parts of Canberra now resemble an overgrown jungle under this “progressive” government. 

With the upcoming election the rusted on Labor voters will no doubt keep voting for the same mediocrity, very progressive indeed. They have let the Bush Capital become the Concrete Capital with ugly high-rise apartments dotting the once pristine landscape. 

These buildings and surrounds have become heat seekers, yet the progressive greenies keep voting for this, 

Probably the same people that believe the lie that Canberra is powered by 100 per cent renewable power. Is this what the federal government is trying to stamp out with its misinformation bill? 

They call themselves “progressive” but have presided over a government that has shut down just about every community health and sporting facility in the Phillip precinct, next to go is the beautiful outdoor 50-metre pool. In its place, you guessed it, more ugly concrete high-rise apartments, but aren’t we meant to be becoming fatter and unhealthy as a population, surely we should be keeping public sporting facilities. Call that “progressive”?

Ian Pilsner, Weston

‘War on wildlife’ includes wallabies 

Not content with killing over 30,000 Eastern Grey Kangaroos and bashing to death hundreds of kangaroo joeys, it seems the ACT government’s war on wildlife also extends to Red Neck Wallabies and Swamp Wallabies.

A recent freedom of information request revealed that 157 Red Neck Wallabies and 53 Swamp Wallabies were killed at Mulligans Flat as part of the ACT government’s annual cull of Eastern Grey Kangaroos. Mulligans Flat is a sanctuary where all wildlife is supposed to be able to live in peace and safety, free from fear and violence. 

While the world hurtles towards a mass extinction crisis, it seems in the ACT we have both feet on the accelerator.

Rebecca Marks, Palmerston

Oval news is good news

Your report that the Canberra Liberals would support handing back Boomanulla Oval and the Ngunnawal Bush Healing Farm to Aboriginal community control is good news.

It means that all the major parties and most of the minor parties support this objective.

They all deserve to be recognised for this!

Hopefully this means that whoever wins government will deliver on these two high priorities for the local First Nations community, and whoever is in opposition or on the crossbench will hold them accountable to do so.

It now remains for the local First Nations community to organise themselves to take on these responsibilities which they have waited for so long.

Janet Hunt, via email

Time the sex market was more regulated

What matters most to me this ACT election? The ACT has good environmental credentials but what of our social environment? 

Domestic violence affects the ACT as elsewhere and, of course, the federal government is fixing it with ads about sex with consent. But is it time that the sex market was more regulated?

We can’t return to the old days, but there has to be a way forward. The much maligned socially conservative candidates are thinking about our need to care for the social environment and to rebuild social capital lost from the 1960s sex revolution. That is where my vote will go. 

Much suffering is avoided when there is demonstrated commitment before consent.

Arthur Connor, Weston 

Which side of Liberals will indies choose?

We (the Canberra voters) need to know, loud and clear, which side of the Liberal Party will get the support of each of the independents.

Polling suggests that the Liberals will get the highest count followed by a mixed bag of independents. Middle-of-the-road is what Canberra wants and needs.

Time is short. The idiot in the Liberal T-shirt at Chisholm shops who tried to prevaricate recently came close to causing me to vote against the woman who’s name was on his T-shirt.

Canberra does not need an overdue-for-retirement gentleman, a tram that serves five per cent of the population or a Greens party that manages to lose evidence of Canberra’s pollution of the Murrumbidgee/Murray system.

Brian Wilson, Gowrie 

Bunker politics insults voters

Canberrans for a Good Death recently conducted a candidates survey on voluntary assisted dying (VAD) and related end-of-life reform matters that are of critical concern to many older voters. Only one of 24 ACT Liberal candidates responded.

The Liberals’ retreat to the bunker on VAD is also reflected in associated policy statements, which include lacklustre offerings for older Canberrans. The latter comprise scraps of lightweight action about a “learn, cook and eat” program, some more funding for the annual Seniors Expo and a tiny bit more free travel on public transport.

The Liberals have chosen to ignore what a well-educated and politically savvy electorate is looking for from the next Assembly. The Liberals are still unwilling, for example, to commit to working to provide more humane end-of-life options that do not require a dying person to first get to the stage of having to endure intolerable suffering.

In contrast, candidates standing as Independents for Canberra showed much more willingness to positively reply to the survey questions on VAD, and support eligibility reform that would assist more who wish to consider VAD, especially older women. 

Voters can only assume that the Liberals will continue to refuse to recognise and respect their constituents’ personal wishes and decision making. 

At the end of the October 8 ABC ACT Election Leaders’ Debate, and in relation to her vision for the next four years, Opposition Leader Elizabeth Lee enthusiastically claimed that “I have listened and I have heard”, and “what matters to you, matters to me”. But, as Aristotle deduced: “One swallow does not a summer make”. Voters should remember that four of the seven Liberal MLAs standing for re-election voted against the VAD bill back in June. 

Sue Dyer, Downer

They’ll have to do better to win this vote

Beatrice Bodart-Bailey (“When it comes to green, the ACT Greens aren’t”, CN October 10) is critical of the “ridiculous” cost of the Barr-Rattenbury government’s 1.7-kilometre light rail stage 2A from Civic to the lake. 

The last estimate for the projected cost of which I am aware is $1.47 billion, and the stage is already running late. 

How much would the 10-kilometre stage 2B to Woden cost, and how long would it take? No wonder Mr Barr is now proposing a “staged” construction of 2B.

Honorary Professor Bodart-Bailey also raised the issues of electric buses, which would have the advantages of being fully route-flexible, and far lower capital cost; and urban infill, with its lack of green space and tree canopies, and the attendant risks of heat stress.

Apart from the removal of cooling trees, the Canberra Liberals’ proposal for a new suburb in Kowen forest would necessitate the provision of water supply and electricity, sewerage, drainage, and both internal and access roads for a satellite “dormitory” suburb. The cost would be mind-boggling.

Both Labor-Greens and the Liberals will have to do a lot better to win my vote on October 19.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Community sport and recreation first

The “give them bread and circuses” strategy is strong in the lead-up to the ACT election. But forget the bread (ie cost of living). 

Hundreds of millions for a new stadium and millions each year for a new Big Bash League Cricket team. Bring the circuses to town; they have a great economic impact. Or do they? 

Some candidate has to stand up and say we can’t afford these things; there are other priorities.

What about money for affordable housing or community sport?

There are 170,000 Canberrans participating and volunteering in community level sports. Community sports infrastructure is languishing despite the well-known benefits of participating. We can’t afford more stadiums or another national team. It’s about priorities and it should be community sport and recreation first. 

I wonder which of our representatives have community sport facilities as a high priority for this election?

Maybe reprioritising the $8 million annual grant to ACT horseracing would be a start. That’s $80 million over 10 years. Maybe a chunk of this money could get the Throsby Home of Football going, or go to better basketball facilities or go to public swimming pools or to mountain bike tracks.

Being socially active is better than sitting around and watching.

Ian Hubbard, via email

Two billion dollars goes a long way

Two billion dollars could buy 2000 homes, to provide homes for most of the 3000 people on the public housing waiting list.

There would be more than enough money left over to extend Adelaide Avenue’s transit lanes to Civic and to Woden. Those transit lanes would have enough capacity – even in 2046 – to allow buses (and cars with three or more occupants) to travel between Civic and Woden in 17 minutes.

Labor and the Greens want to pay a private consortium more than $2 billion to operate and have monopoly ownership of the Woden-Civic public transport route, using vehicles that will take more than 27 minutes to travel between Civic and Woden.

Leon Arundell, Downer