Trams cost me more

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This was published 8 years ago

Trams cost me more

Updated

John Simsons (Letters, August 4) says property owners living within 400 metres of the tram line will have to call on the generosity of other Canberrans to support their gains from the expected increase in land values. He's got his sums wrong.

My reward for living near the line will be increased rates. That's a cost to me, not a benefit. I can't so much as break even unless or until additional market value from the tram, not land value, exceeds the sum of the accumulating extra rates, plus my costs of selling, moving and buying elsewhere. Factor in that at some point between now and the distant date I will become a part-age pensioner, and that I'll lose that pension when I downsize, and it is clear I can't win.

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Over the next 10 years the direct cost of this tram to my pocket cannot be less than $100,000 and is likely to exceed $200,000. No mechanism exists for other Canberrans to compensate me for this loss. Indeed, other Canberrans will have losses of their own, although probably not on the same scale as those of us unfortunate enough to live near the route. The only winners are the ACT government and their developer mates.

We'll all be very generously supporting them.

John Trueman, Downer

Uber should pay tax

One of the tests for whether a person is a contractor or an employee is whether they file GST returns. If Uber argues that drivers are contractors, then they should pay GST like other taxi drivers. If they do not pay GST and do not issue invoices it is likely, under the Fair Work Laws, that Uber drivers should be treated as employees of Uber and Uber should pay the GST.

One way to solve the problem is to ban Uber from operating in Australia unless they pay Australian tax and they pay GST on the fares collected. To not disadvantage Uber drivers, the government could fund an Australian company, who is willing to obey the Australian tax laws, to set up an alternative ride-sharing service.

We do not want companies operating in Australia which do not pay their fair share of tax.

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Kevin Cox, Ngunnawal

Don't feed lies to kids

It's great to see the next generation showing concern and empathy for animals as Darcy Flanagan did (Letters, August 3). Sadly, though, she has already been fed the fallacy that we need to kill animals "because we need to eat". Of course we need to eat but we don't need those foods derived from killing millions of our fellow sentient beings every day (not counting fish). We can thrive and lead healthier lives while avoiding meat, dairy and eggs. We should stop feeding lies to our kids.

Mike O'Shaughnessy, Spence

ABC not on any team

H. Ronald (Letters, August 3) may like to restrict ABC news and current affairs to a narrow centralist perspective in order to achieve the writer's version of utopia. I believe that a publicly funded broadcaster, free of political interference and commercial forces, which has complete editorial independence, is a cornerstone of democracy.

Thankfully the ABC has a charter which compels and protects the organisation in the role of broadcasting programs that inform, educate and entertain.

To meet the charter and truly inform its audience, the ABC must do more than just impart information and relay events from the centre. The ABC is obliged to critically cover them from a wide range of perspectives through robust reporting and insightful commentary. That both Labor and Liberal governments have accused the ABC of bias demonstrates it is not on anyone's team and rightly holding politicians on both sides to account. Having one's favoured team criticised can be confronting. However, that is no reason to neuter the critic.

Tim Herne, Calwell

Indeed, it is the role of the ABC to provide an alternative to commercial media. Commercial media are potentially biased by the advertising dollar and the political leanings of their owners. It is the role of the ABC to provide alternative, objective, independent reporting, which it does fairly well (but to my mind, a strong small-C conservative approach). I recall no complaints of left-wing bias at the ABC during the Labor governments of 2007-13, when the ABC held them to account just as they hold the current government to account now. The implications of that are obvious.

Peter Marshall, Captains Flat, NSW

All-electric is solution

Wal Pywell (Letters, August 3) was shocked by his gas heating bill, and asks what form of renewable energy can warm (and cool) his house. The best way (after installing good insulation) is reverse cycle airconditioning and a heat pump for water heating, both run from electricity. They are cheaper than gas, even before looming gas price rises.

The greenhouse impact of this kind of water and space heating is now lower than from natural gas, and is falling quickly because renewables are "greening" the electricity supply. Wind, hydro and photovoltaic solar energy will provide 24 per cent of Australia's electricity by 2020, and this proportion will continue to rapidly increase. The ACT has a 90 per cent renewable electricity target for 2020, which will easily be met. The all-electric home, including a PV roof system, an electric car and a high national renewable energy target, is the best way forward.

Professor Andrew Blakers, director, Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems, ANU

Open day, open mind

The man I now affectionately refer to as "Battling Bill Arnold" believes I am something of a devotee of anti-Semitic tropes (Letters, August 1); and that would be putting it mildly!

Well, Bill, can I tell you a little story and ask you a bigger question?

A few years back I attended an ACT Jewish community open day, in Forrest if memory serves. I strolled about, thumbing information, buying second-hand books on Judaism, and struck up the odd conversation with members of the local Jewish community (the Canberra Times was a topic of conversation I overheard more than once, to my wry amusement). Eventually I donned a yarmulke and listened to a presentation on the Torah.

Now if I said the food on the day was great, but thought (as I did) that it should have been cheaper – or even free given the purpose of the day – what does that make me? I say, it just makes me a cheapskate.

And, by the way, at the next Jewish community open day I may just ask if "Battling Bill" is somewhere about, that I might shake his hand.

Ross Kelly, Monash

Problems with politics could be solved by changing the system

Julian Cribb does not go far enough in suggesting that, if we stopped voting for political parties and voted for decent people, this would overcome the problems with politics ("Decency: that gets my vote", Times2, August 3, p1). Everybody complains about the current mess, not only the processes but the behaviour of politicians, but nothing happens.

A basic contributor is the adversarial, combative, gladiatorial, testosterone-fuelled, Westminster system focusing on one side winning at all costs, obtaining and staying in power, defeating and humiliating the other sides, ignoring that these other sides together represent large numbers of voters (and, in some cases, the majority).

Is it too much for voters to demand that governance of the country be for the greater good of the nation beyond promotion of political party and other self-interest and the emphasis be on co-operation, negotiation and consensus among the representatives elected by the people?

An alternative form of governance exists now, common in the public and private sectors such as boards of directors and councils of varying kinds, which function to resolve often strong, divergent differences, work through problems and reach consensus on matters before them. It is basic conflict resolution stuff.

Why can't this simple concept be applied and developed for the governance of our nation, perhaps through proportional representation in the Cabinet? There are huge practical and other issues, perhaps even constitutional. Not the least is questioning the blind faith in the sacrosanct Westminster system, which is clearly not working in our democracy in the early 21st century.

Warwick Williams, Nicholls

I agree with Julian Cribb's suggestion to vote only for decent political candidates. But are there any? Surely, being a politician for more than 30 seconds is evidence against decency. So, to be on the safe side, I always write in Malcolm Norman Meninga for the Legislative Assembly, Donald Duck for the House of Representatives, and Mickey Mouse for the Senate.

Mike Dallwitz, Giralang

Role of government

I always look forward to Ross Gittins' articles. His latest ("Economists save us from stupidity", BusinessDay, August 3, p10) is no exception. In making the point that a natural role for governments is the provision of "public goods", he cites infrastructure, defence, education, the system of law and the currency as examples.

An important addition to this list is the work done by government agencies in the creation of new knowledge. These include the national geological surveys which carry out primary investigations and research to form the basis for land-use decisions by companies and local governments. There are many other examples, including CSIRO, the Bureau of Meteorology, the maritime institutes, etc, which, along with the universities, produce much of the fundamental knowledge that underpins society.

Governments should not forget this when making their periodical funding decisions.

Sandy Paine, Griffith

The spoken message

While I understand where Michael McCarthy (Letters, July 31) is coming from in his criticism of my views of Bill Shorten's lack of gravitas, it is important to recognise the significance of each component in the delivery of the spoken message.

It has long been understood that the most significant component is tone and intonation which accounts for around 60percent, body language 30percent, and the words spoken about 10percent.

Accordingly, if you haven't captured your audience's attention with your tone and body language, there is little chance they will be moved by your words.

It's not what you say, it's the way that you say it!

Ian De Landelles, Hawker

Asylum refuges

William Maley (Letters, August 03) presented no argument to disprove the comments I made in my letter published on July 31. What it did do was prove that Maley has extremely poor reasoning ability.

After accusing me of making a "sweeping generalisation", he implied that a single incident (the murder of Reza Barati), for which two staff have been arrested, proves that Australian asylum refuges are "abuse factories", ie institutions set up to deliberately abuse asylum seekers. This is a slur on not just the Australian government, and the Opposition, but also most Australian citizens.

He then argued that a massacre of Hazaras 17 years ago, in a single incident in a single location, proves that "most asylum seekers [in Australian refuges] come from countries where most people of their culture are in great danger of being murdered or enslaved".

Bob Salmond, Melba

Cost of commuting

On Thursday night, ANU is hosting a dinner for Jack Waterford at University House. One of the special guests will be Max Moore Wilton, former head of the Prime Minister's Department.

It will be a night to reminisce, and unfortunately I can't be there to share my own memories of life in the ACT. But I hope that someone, perhaps Jack himself, will ask Max a particularly topical question.

If someone in, say, Sydney, is offered and accepts a government job in Canberra (is not elected to Parliament, in other words), then does he or she have to move to Canberra? Or will he or she be allowed to commute by air at public expense, Bronwyn Bishop-style?

I would like to know what Max has to say about this. After all, in 1999 he publicly declared that ministers and departments "owe it to the community to establish public trust that we work with integrity and put public interest ahead of personal gain. Ensuring the transparency of our processes can focus our minds on the need for each individual decision we take to be justifiable in terms of strict propriety."

Everyone has to pass the pub test, it seems. I did. When I accepted my Canberra government job in August 1996, under the Howard government, I had to move down from Sydney. I never, ever could have commuted by air at public expense. I look forward to Max's answer.

G.T.W. Agnew, Coopers Plains, Qld

I hold the controller but not the control

When I come home exhausted from school, I just want to get away from it all. I go to my room and turn on my console. But when I turn it off, it doesn't take long for me to feel drawn back to it. Do video games satisfy what I think I need, or do they make me think I need them?

They give me a quick fix for a short time, but they slowly take away something big inside me. They replace my imagination. The controller in my hands makes me feel like I'm in control – steering, speeding, shooting – but in fact the controller is controlling me. When I'm plugged into that console and hooked onto the screen, my own power is being sapped from me. As a 13-year-old, video games have become my teenage dummy, tricking me into believing that I don't need to engage with the world. Like a dummy, I'm being sucked in, while my imagination is being sucked out, bit by bit.

These consoles pretend to give us something, but they take it away instead. It's time to spit the dummy and face the real enemy that's succeeding in rewiring our brains. Teens need to shake the habit and come out of the virtual world into the ordinary, everyday chaos of the real world. I think it really needs us in it.

William Lindesay, Dalyston, Vic

Correspondentitis

Tony May (Letters, August 4), declares he is becoming "sick and tired of the Adam Goodes furore", but adds no fewer than 259 words to the already over-bloated saga. The other, still not dead, furore concerns Bronwyn Bishop, being alluded to in nine letters of the August 4 edition of the Canberra Times. Are Goodes and Bishop-related letters allowed to crowd out letters concerning weightier issues, such as ones about same-sex marriage, and the relentless persecution of Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere?

Henk Verhoeven, Beacon Hill, NSW

TO THE POINT

THE ECONOMISER

If Liberal MLA Vicki Dunne is willing to fly economy class on official travel ("Speaker rejected official's warning", August 5, p1) why doesn't she do so every time she travels?

Graham Hannaford, Ainslie

BISHOP JUST A PAWN

Social media reports that the Australian Federal Police is holding off investigating Bronwyn Bishop for possible criminal fraud until after the Finance Department has completed its investigation of Bishop's travel and allowance claims history.

Since when does a credible police force delegate or abrogate its responsibilities to a civilian organisation?

Peter Moran, Watson

TARDIS REQUIRED

Is it true Tony Abbott tried to organise a meeting of Bronwyn Bishop supporters but couldn't find a public phone booth that was unoccupied?

Ted Tregillgas, Flynn

The Abbott government's vindictive persecution of former Liberal MP Peter Slipper and its (temporary) protection of born-to-rule Liberal Bronwyn Bishop is hypocrisy writlarge.

Frederika E. Steen, Chapel Hill, Qld

It seems that Bronny adopted the old adage in regard to entitlements: "If in doubt, take the money". During my time in the public service it was titled TA and we had to present a detailed statement to claim it, but it was peanuts in comparison to the MPs expenses these days.

David Sykes, Holt

TPP GETS A PERFECT 10

My heartfelt gratitude to Thomas Faunce for telling it like it is ("Trade deal for corporate feudalism not public good", Times2, August 3, p5). The Abbott government's pursuit of the Trans Pacific Partnership, which would affect Australia's sovereignty and democracy on a par with the recent Speaker's impact on the proper functioning of our House of Representatives, rates a 10 out of 10 for consistency!

Pauline Westwood, Dickson

RAIL TALKS THE WALK

Capital Metro say in their latest newsletter that light rail will make Canberrans healthier because they will need to walk further. A much cheaper solution would be to eliminate three out of every four bus stops.

Chris Emery, Reid

SUB PLOT

If I was a betting man, I'd wager that Japan will get the first prize of 12 submarines and South Australia will receive the consolation prize of one frigate every five years.

Phillip Owen, Forde

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).

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