Letter writer SUE DYER, of Downer, believes Labor should be worried if the plan is to have the current treasurer, planning and transport minister Chris Steel take on full parliamentary party and government leadership duties any time soon. 

Political commentator Andrew Hughes both tantalises and perplexes readers when he writes that the chief minister “saw off Chris Steel before the election, so rumour has it” (“Andrew sets high ‘Barr’ in year’s political games”, CN December 19). 

Yet alert residents commented before the October election that compared to other candidates, senior minister Steel was hardly seen campaigning in his Murrumbidgee electorate.

His usual brief, public set-pieces were few and far between too, despite being responsible for two influential, high people-impact portfolios that still entrench operational and outcome deficiencies in the public domain. 

No leadership appeared on much needed, well-co-ordinated social and community-use infrastructure planning matters. Nor were there clear responses to public concerns and expectations about meeting needs associated with well-known ageing public facilities like pools.

Increased use demands from rising populations in many parts of the ACT, including in the minister’s own electorate, were not acknowledged. Worryingly, FOI insights into planning machinations at a high level recently helped to explain why Woden is bereft of adequate replacement social infrastructure and facilities let alone additional ones.

Likewise, no solid, detailed public transport commitments and timeframes were offered to significantly improve local bus servicing across seven days and nights of the week, reduce connection wait times and, finally, address still deteriorating levels of comfort and safety at interchanges. 

As a well-informed local MLA, Mr Steel has also failed to explain to his constituents how the 2019 “broken journey” template for light rail/bus operations will badly affect so many in the suburbs adjacent to the Stage 2b light rail route, or how those who will be lucky enough to be able to walk to a light rail stop will still have to wait many years after Stage 2b commences for upgraded paths and improved lighting.

All the above should also “worry Labor” if the ACT ALP party machine is still aiming to have the current treasurer, planning and transport minister take on full parliamentary party and government leadership duties in either the short or medium term. 

Sue Dyer, Downer

Abandon tram extensions… like yesterday!

Light rail has some benefits, but there are many more downsides. Financials aside, the aim of any public transport system is to move travellers quickly to their destinations.

Canberra has never been able to do that. Even replacing buses with light rail will not improve travel time. 

I’ve compared travel time now to 20 years ago and travel times have not improved in that time – that’s why only seven per cent of the travelling public use it. Hardly marketable is it?

We could have a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) like Brisbane Metro, which is a light rail lookalike. Using its own busway, it was faster than a car by the same route. It is spacious, comfortable and will take 170 passengers.

Its 21-kilometre route cost was $1.55 billion as compared to Stage 2a’s 1.7 kilometres for $1.32 billion and we expect the route to Woden to cost no less than $4 billion.

I believe 2a and 2b should be abandoned like yesterday. It is too expensive, does nothing to kill emissions, diverts much-needed funds from other significant needs in favour of BRT or electric buses with dedicated busways.

Investing in projects that make money eg a convention centre will earn $4 for every $1 invested, compared to our tram which earns 49 cents for every dollar invested, makes sense. High-capacity electric buses or BRT could be delivered quickly with little disruption.

Russ Morison, co-author of 21st Century Public Transport Solutions for Canberra

Hokey pokey’s what it’s all about

Happy New Year to all, even to those who fail to recognise my innate profundity. Speaking of which, columnist Clive Williams (CN, January 2), is becoming even more whimsically profound as we move into 2025.

His entertaining list really stimulated my memories and intellectual juices.

Starting in my comics period, I too puzzled over why no one recognised Clark Kent was Superman with glasses (not even in the movies). Then came puberty and I began searching for the tiniest hint of whiskery growth, but never connected it with the puzzle of why Tarzan never had a beard despite being a jungle dweller. Still, the answer was obvious: Tarzan’s alter ego would never have missed his daily scrape when he visited his English roots as the sartorially immaculate Viscount Greystoke.

But please don’t mention Barbie. As a young father with three daughters, not only did I have to buy separate sets of Barbie’s friends for each of them, but they insisted I shell out for the most expensive accessory of the time – a Barbie campervan. Thank heavens they settled for just one into which they jammed the entire Barbie/mates menagerie.

Finally, the answer to whether the hokey cokey really is what it’s all about is dead easy. For us dinkum Aussies it ain’t; only the Poms are “cokeyed” up. In our love of all things septic tank, we’ve always known that the US-based hokey pokey (sic) is definitely what it’s all about. End of discussion.

Eric Hunter, Cook

The forgotten inquiry into nuclear power

In the debate on nuclear versus renewables it seems to be being forgotten that the Labor government in October launched a parliamentary inquiry into nuclear power, to report by April 30, and this was supported by the Opposition. 

If this is inconclusive, or if there happens to be a federal election in the meantime, obviously we would all vote no to nuclear (and Dutton) as we would not know.

Richard Johnston, Kingston

Opposition ‘insanity’, four years wasted

Thanks to Robert Macklin for his thoughtful piece to start the new year (Now for the main bout where truth versus fantasy, CN January 2). 

One paragraph caught my eye: “And here’s the thing. Once you reject reason and accept the fantasy on ‘faith’, you have lost your moral compass and opened the door to every other crackpot conman. Thus Donald Trump. Thus the ‘hoax’ of climate change.” 

It’s the same challenge here in Australia with the climate wars newly rekindled with calls from the Coalition for abolition of emissions targets and unwinding of emission reducing climate policies in the electricity, transport and agricultural sectors. 

This is insanity and wastes four years of progress. The last nine years have been the hottest on record, renewable energy and electric vehicles can reduce the cost of living, and Australians want to move forward. Let’s no longer accept misinformation, myth and cheap point scoring. Let’s seek out the fact checkers instead. AAP FactCheck allows citizen submissions. As voters we deserve the truth but we will have to be more proactive to find it.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria

‘Frightening scenario’ already becoming reality

Robert Macklin (CN, January 2) wrote “once you reject reason and accept the fantasy on ‘faith’ you have lost your moral compass and opened the door to every other crackpot conman. Thus Donald Trump (and) the ‘hoax’ of climate change”.

This frightening scenario is already becoming reality. Donald Trump has vowed to withdraw the US from the 2015 Paris Agreement. He has exhorted US-based gas and oil industries to “drill, baby, drill”, and has set his sights on the huge potential of Arctic oil and gas fields.

Climate scientists have repeatedly warned that Earth stands at a dangerous tipping point: there may be no turning back from a hellish world of extreme climate events such as unbearable heatwaves, increasingly destructive cyclones, tornadoes, rainstorms and catastrophic floods.

World leaders must be persuaded to unite and at least try to divert Trump from this doomsday path.

Dr Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

It takes a brave man to admit he was wrong

Robert Macklin cannot resist having a go at Christianity (Now for the main bout where truth versus fantasy, CN January 2). 

He has similar qualities to Peter Dutton who, although he has heard many arguments against his nuclear power policy, doggedly persists in promoting it.

Both men are likely to blindly persist in their follies. It takes a brave man to admit he was wrong or even to tweak his main arguments.

Bill Shorten would’ve won the 2019 election if he had modified Labor’s negative gearing and franking credits policy in light of information gained during the election campaign. It also would’ve shown he was listening to the electorate.

Herman van de Brug, Holt 

Keep CityNews and The Canberra Times!

Bill Brown believes that the Canberra Times is on a “journey of obliteration” (letters, December 19). 

I for one hope he is not right. I need my local newspaper. If the support of businesses that operate in the ACT is necessary to keep the paper financially viable, which I understand to be the case from what has been published in the CT over recent years, then we should thank those businesses for their ongoing support. I imagine the same can be said for CityNews! We have the choice not to read the advertisements.

I have been a loyal supporter of The Canberra Times since I arrived in Canberra nearly 60 years ago. Certainly, it is not the paper it used to be, in particular with significantly less local news than used to be the case. 

I am not interested in relying on my phone or computer to read about what is happening in our local area. 

I also look forward to the weekly edition of CityNews to provide valuable and interesting alternative commentary on issues relevant to the ACT. There is a place for both papers. 

I should add that I have no personal interest in either publication and that I will send a copy of this letter to the Canberra Times, as Mr Brown says he did.

Peter Forster, Curtin

Three flags at the same time is nonsensical

I agree with Opposition Leader Peter Dutton that flying three flags at the same time is nonsensical, one national flag is sufficient and, whether we like it or not, that is the Australian flag, which has been in use since 1901. 

The Australian Aboriginal and Torres Straight Islander flags were only recognised in 1995. They have only been displayed together with the Australian flag mainly at special events since the Albanese government was elected in 2022, which I believe was done for purely crass political reasons and nothing else. 

Less than a handful of other countries worldwide display more than one flag simultaneously. It has nothing to do with divisiveness, racism and

intolerance as we are led to believe. It’s just plain common sense.

Mario Stivala, Belconnen

In the world of government, blunder on

We are in a ditch and it’s impossible to conclude otherwise when you seriously review the economic performance of our ACT government and are confronted with the mess of crippling debt, loss of our AAA credit rating and last-gasp exploitation of battered rate/tax payers.

In the real world when an organization is lurching this way there are serious consequences – the entity is expected to consult a registered liquidator, an appropriately qualified insolvency accountant or lawyer for financial advice about its situation as soon as it suspects strife is on the horizon.

In the artificial world of government though, one just needs to keep blundering on sticking it in the neck to defenseless rate/tax payers. Happy Days are here again, wonderful Hare-Clark!

John Lawrence, via email

Brilliant Hudson would have opted for nuclear

I noticed recently, via a short biography of Sir William Hudson (1896–1978) by Eric Sparke that last August was the 75th anniversary of his appointment as commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Authority.

Hudson was a brilliant engineer who is credited through his 18 years of leadership of the Authority with the successful construction of the biggest engineering project ever undertaken in Australia.

It is worth noting that Hudson was largely given the freedom of private enterprise, without political interference to undertake his task. If he were in charge of the transitioning of our electricity system today, I am sure that without evidence of a large cost imbalance he would have chosen the nuclear option for one reason – simplicity.

Hudson would have avoided the complexities of an expansive transmission network, accepted the advantages of implicit synchronism and security of a system with large turbine generators and the smaller number of generator complexes, and avoided the problem of replacing and recycling batteries, solar panels and wind turbines with their relatively short life cycle.

John L Smith, Farrer