Kangaroo warning signs must be put up before someone gets killed

We all know there is a drought, and this means kangaroos are moving closer into urban areas. But until the roo situation is worked out, what about some signage to warn drivers and ask them to slow down?

On Tuesday night at peak hour, I witnessed a kangaroo getting hit by a car on Kent Street, behind Alfred Deakin High.

Luckily, a ranger turned up shortly after to put the roo out of its misery. A couple of weeks ago, a massive male roo stood on the kerb of Adelaide Avenue, near the playing grounds at The Mint where its mob was grazing.

Had it decided to jump out, there would definitely have been a multi-car pile-up — it was peak hour, dark and cars were travelling at 80 km/h.

I pulled over and shooed it back onto the playing grounds.

So what about some temporary roo signage, before someone gets killed?

Samantha McDonough, Curtin

The voodoo economics of some letter writers never ceases to amaze me.

First, contrary to what Kevin Cox (Letters, July 19) says, only business and the self-employed can claim a tax deduction for car travel and public servants do not qualify.

Second, the six million trips a year attributed to the future tram are not by current car travellers who are presumed to gladly start travelling by tram, but current passengers from the rapid bus routes to be shunted by the tram.

Third, capital cost cannot be simply ignored. The $707 million capital for construction of stage one (including the $375 million capital contribution), has to be paid for by a combination of interest, return on equity and the bond rate on government borrowings.

Fourth,that "the significant cost of debt need not be a cost to the community as it can be an internal redistribution of money rather than a loss to the community", whatever that means.

Fifth, "If the government went to the citizens ... for infrastructure, the citizens would willingly provide the money if they received the same return on investment as governments now give to the private parties of public private partnership agreements".

What return on investment? For light rail, the government will be repaying the PPP contractor its capital borrowings plus interest cost and profit including the profit margin on the interest incurred; hardly a bargain when the government could borrow the capital at some 2.5 per cent per annum cheaper than a PPP contractor.

M. Flint, Erindale

Kevin Cox's letter (Letters, July 19) was a gem.

By a contorted exercise in misleading figures he attempted to establish that a light-rail service from Gungahlin to Civic that replaced a more efficient bus service and will cost in the long term near to $2 billion, was a bargain.

I especially liked his assertion that light rail would do six million trips per year. From ACTION figures, the present bus service does under three million trips per year.

Light rail which, with 10 trams per hour on the circuit carrying 2000 people at peak hours, and far, far less during the remaining 20 hours, would be lucky to equal that. Kevin, it is time to face up to real life and realise you are flogging a dead horse.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

The continuing efforts of conservatives to persuade us that Donald Trump is a good thing remind me of that old line from the Goon Show — usually Grytpype-Thynne to Moriarty: "Show them a life-size photograph; they'll never know the difference." Unfortunately, Trump is not even a good look.

S. W. Davey, Torrens

Nicholas Stuart's article "Why are we now talking our way to war?" (July 4, p17) is a question we need real answers to.

The military contest and trade war between the US and China is one that we shouldn't be drawn into, but our military and psychological dependence on the US has drawn Australia into wars in every decade since World War II (with the possible exception of the '80s).

Many Australians have the perception that the ANZUS alliance protects us from war, but the opposite is the case.

We have been almost continually at war, although most Australians' perception would probably be that we have been at peace since WWII because the casualties have mostly been elsewhere.

The perception is also that we need to be part of the alliance so that we receive intelligence, when the reality is that American intelligence has been wrong on numerous occasions.

We have also been refused intelligence; for example, on the Chinese invasion of Vietnam in 1979, when it was clearly in our interests to have that intelligence.

It's time to look at neutrality for Australia. It wouldn't be simple to get there, but we're in a geographically ideal location, with no real enemies.

If Sweden can do it, with Russia nearby, surely we can too. It would be a huge step forward for peace in the region and respect for Australia in the world.

Kathryn Kelly, Chifley

Last week saw the 49th anniversary of Apollo 11 and "man on the moon".

Imagine NASA attempting that awe-inspiring mission for the first time in 2018. How would gender and equality considerations influence the profile of a modern mission?

An exclusively female crew, perhaps? If not, I can imagine the outrage if Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin left a "Michelle" Collins in lunar orbit while the boys descended to play on the moon and write their names in the history of life on Earth.

Gender equality dictates that Neil and an "Edwina" Aldrin would simultaneously place their first human feet on the moon.

But 384,000 kilometres beyond political correctness, these lady and gentleman officers and engineers of the United States Air Force might behave differently. Edwina would graciously allow Neil to "hand her down" from their space carriage and defer the honour to her — put simply, ladies first.

In 1969, when the people of Earth gazed up at the moon or looked at "Earthrise" images of our blue and fragile planet, there were no undignified gender, race, creed or nationality squabbles — just the profound and disturbing realisation that we are all individually responsible for this planet. Well worth remembering.

Ronald Elliott, Sandringham, Vic

To coin a phrase, Archbishop Wilson: "It's time!"

N. Ellis, Belconnen

I never thought I'd be defending Craig Kelly in any way over anything. But the hypocrisy that subtends the pretexts under which we now ever more, and ever more politically correctly, crusade against Russia deserves challenge.

It's all right, of course, for Australia and its English-speaking global clique to wage and afterwards be unaccountable for apocalyptic wars ravaging civilian populations, like mostly recently in Iraq, on the basis of frank lies that are later dismissed unapologetically as mistakes.

The US military has at least once downed a civilian plane without serious contrition — Iran Air 655 in 1988, for which the US did not admit legal liability or formally apologise to Iran. The recognised bombers of downed Cubana de Aviación flight 455 in 1976 were CIA-linked anti-Castro Cuban exiles, and the US was instrumental in allowing them to evade arrest for the 73 deaths.

And what about the joyriding USAF pilots who broke all laws and their own regulations in flying very low and cutting the cableway cable in the Italian Alps in 1998, killing 20 holidaymakers?

The dearth of criticism of America for these and other incidents indicates that deadly mistakes are routinely forgiven when they come from excellent friends.

And the hypocrisy isn't just over military events. Russian Church Orthodoxy is indeed objectionable, but of course only in Russia is it outrageous for a blasphemous punk group desecrating a holiest cathedral to be punished to the full extent of the law.

Why, we'd welcome those Pussy Rioters any day for impromptu performances at St John's and St Christopher's here.

It's time to acknowledge how much obtuse political prejudice and opportunism, massive ignorance and dearth of perspective underlies the facile Coalition-led, naturally ALP-parroted, politically correct contemporary crusade against Russia.

Alex Mattea, Kingston

Senator Andrew Wilkie's agitation regarding "bugging" in Timor is a good example of the benefits of electing (quality) independent senators.

Independents are not constrained by the position of a party — which, particularly in the case of the major parties, effectively precludes voting contrary to their party's position. This is particularly relevant for the ACT, where we elect only two senators (versus 12 in each of the states).

If Canberrans want representatives who, in practice, can vote for the things we support, we should look carefully at independent candidates.

Bruce Paine, Red Hill

Yet another Trump confusion about Russian election tampering, yet another child needing medical attention in Nauru and prevented from aid in Australia, and yet another revelation about Australian businesses underpaying their staff.

These political and social failings are inevitably followed by the soft back-pedalling of their backers — people who seem to come up with inexhaustible excuses and platitudes about bad behaviour.

Peter Dutton stares reporters down and tells us that human compassion is a danger to national security, and all his supporters meekly nod and tut-tut about dangerous refugees (over their Thai food).

I'd ask those people who have been excusing these retro-active permission slips to be up-front. Tell us now what would change your mind. What behaviour would cross your internal line? What would you never allow from your government, or from the media, or from Australian companies?

If the answer really is "nothing", then you really are permitting anything in the name of your cause. When the ends always justify the means, you've really thrown morals and ethics to the wind.

But if there is some line that you wouldn't cross, then be up-front about it and then stick to it. Don't allow yourself to retroactively excuse that behaviour later just because it's from a cause you otherwise support.

We know it's easier to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. It seems it's also easier to forgive your own cause than to change your own mind.

Paul Wayper, Cook

I would like to add my protestations to your editorial about yet another government mismanagement of information related to citizens in Australia.

The idea has always appealed to me that there could be a database related to important medical information about individual Australians, especially related to their current medications, allergies and illnesses (and blood group too if you like, but this is always checked), but the present proposal, which opens the door to ambulance-chasing lawyers and who knows what other third parties, is nothing short of a disaster in the making.

Information about people should be in the hands of their family doctors, and accessible only to other doctors or emergency personnel such as ambulance officers and emergency nurses.

I make a policy of always carrying several copies of my own medical background, and I advise others to do likewise.

Details of a person's health care need constant updates, which need to be done promptly and by one central person. If many people become involved the whole thing descends into a game of Chinese Whispers.

Other agencies like government, lawyers, or insurers should definitely be denied access.

Stewart Bath, Isabella Plains

The next royal commission should be into electricity providers and electricity pricing.

My account shows $100 plus for poles and wires.

Kilowatt hours from the grid is 24c per kilowatt hour. For the power from my solar array to the grid I get 9c per kilowatt hour.

For eight hours a day I supply power to the grid. I use power from the grid at night for lighting etc.

Maybe some clever person can explain the difference between the kilowatt hours I provided to the grid, and the kilowatt hours I take from the grid?

Clive Broomfield, Googong, NSW

GREATER EXPOSURE

This week's Canberra Symphony Orchestra concert (Brahms, Beethoven and Elgar) showed again the high standard the orchestra has reached. It is a travesty that its performances are not aired on ABC Classic FM. I understand this is because the ABC has no proper recording facilities in Canberra for this. The orchestra's role in the musical life of this city and beyond deserves greater public exposure through the ABC and recordings.

David Purnell, Florey

COMIC RELIEF

The Three Amigos: Trump, Putin and Kelly.

Bob Gardiner, Isabella Plains

HIRING KEY TO SALES

So David Jones laments the "challenging conditions" the department store is facing, resulting in poor sales. Here is a suggestion that might improve things a bit: hire more staff. How many times have I walked out of a David Jones store after looking for someone to assist me because I couldn't find what I was looking for. More helpful staff might attract more customers. Just a thought.

Anne Willenborg, Royalla, NSW

CHOOSE YOUR WARS

The people conducting the ABC war on waste are, ironically, the sort of people who rubbish the war on drugs and war on terrorism.

Rod Matthews, Fairfield, Vic

TISSUE OF LIES

Aside from ethical issues, one obvious rationale for not telling lies is that one has to remember absolutely everything one has previously said and an ordinary mortal will eventually slip up and get caught out. With Trump's recent rash of contradictory pronouncements, he seems blissfully unaware that his duplicity is on full view for the whole world to see.

Phyllis Vespucci, Reservoir, Vic

SELF-DETERMINATION

By passing the "Jewish Nation-State" law Israel has finally passed a law to declare that only Jews have the right of self-determination in the country. What a disgrace. A new and illegal apartheid state.

Rex Williams, Springwood, NSW

TRAM POWER

Kent Fitch (Letters, July 18) points out the new generation of trackless trams in China. Another advantage is that they are powered by roof-mounted lithium batteries that can be recharged in 30 seconds when the tram reaches a terminal.

John Hutchison, Canberra

SLOW DOWN

Again, lives lost, families, friends and the broader community faced with the stark reality that life will never be the same, surely it's not too much to ask everyone to slow down and consider others ("Young boy sole survivor of fiery two-car collision", July 20, p2).

Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW

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