In the wash-up of the entertaining, if somewhat lopsided, Test against Sri Lanka, Cricket Australia will no doubt use the "disappointing" crowd figures to avoid sending another Test our way.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Before blaming a lack of interest by Canberra cricket fans, perhaps Cricket Australia could reflect on how it staged the event. In the spirit of co-operation, I suggest it start with the following:
- lower the ticket prices: given the costs of staging the match are largely fixed irrespective of the crowd size, would Cricket Australia rather have one person buying a ticket at $60 (the going rate for a silver ticket) or two people at $40?
- facilitate interaction with the players: despite repeated claims on the big screens that this was our game, Cricket Australia ensured no interaction between players and fans by erecting a ring of electronic advertising boards between the boundary and the fence. A long line of kids formed to obtain autographs only to find that the players could not get to them. Nathan Lyon deserves credit for signing and returning the barrage of items thrown at him by hopeful young fans.
- the Australian team needs to lighten up. If Chamika Karunaratne could engage in a few jokes with fans, why not members of the winning team?
- improve food and beverage options: it is nothing short of un-Australian to force thirsty cricket fans to drink XXXX.
Stephen Jones, Bonython
Let's lose the Manuka
While I can understand why the editor is getting so excited about the future possibilities for Test cricket in Canberra (Editorial, February 4, page 16), I cannot understand why he persists in excluding the word "Canberra" from the name of the ground which should be the main venue.
To make matters worse he persists with the use of the word "manuka", which is the name of a common New Zealand shrub. The Kiwis across the ditch will have a field day on that!
Horticulturist Charles Weston originally called the area "Blandfordia Recreation Reserve", but the word "Manuka" came from Walter Griffin's planning. Is Griffin's planning that relevant in this situation?
Dr John Gray, Mawson
Rates deception
On receiving my rates notice I thought the new form was another example of the ACT government's design incompetence, a bit like the GDE at Aranda. But no, apparently they really did design the form to deceive ratepayers into thinking instalments were no longer an option.
Of course, the people most likely to be conned by this cynical attempt are the vision impaired, the elderly, time-poor carers and busy parents juggling jobs and childcare who can least afford a massive upfront payment.
Our bureaucrats should know better. Behavioural insights may have a place in improving the efficiency of public administration but not in tricking citizens into foregoing their rights. Doesn't the ACT government realise that public trust in governments is already at an all-time low?
And don't they know that we put them there to serve us?
Chief Minister, please put those sorts of "insights" to rest and focus more on rehabilitating Canberra's sick hospital system and delivering transport projects on time.
Cathy Hales, Aranda
Bus route puzzle
Could somebody please explain the reason for changes to the Route 4 bus travelling through Red Hill?
Whoever is tasked to decimate "our" bus network is clearly doing an excellent job, if part of the criteria is to stop people using "their" services.
Not only have we lost a bus that once enabled us to travel to Woden, the forces that be decided to re-route the service so we have lost four stops and now pick up one.
I worked in the transport industry for 28 years and along with every bus driver on this route cannot explain to passengers the reason they have been inconvenienced by this seemingly senseless change. I should, however, congratulate whoever was responsible for this debacle for being cunning enough to make the four stops we have lost into school services only. That should surely fool a few of us. These are the same people who wanted our school children to catch normal route services.
I have talked to quite a few elderly people who are very disappointed to lose the Woden end of this service. Now, thanks to someone who clearly does not use the buses, they either need to catch the No.4 bus to Manuka, cross Capt. Cook Cres to get a service back the way they came or walk to Dalrymple St, which for most is out of the question.
Well done Transport Canberra. Your dastardly plan to turn people away from public transport appears to be working.
Joseph Italiano, Red Hill
Australia Day lessons
I was extremely disappointed to hear the Opposition Leader's views on Australia Day. Like others who hold similar views, I get the impression he hasn't read anything about the beginnings of this country. I suggest Bruce Pascoe's book Dark Emu as a starting point.
How can any country hold its head up high when its National Day celebrates the day invaders from overseas stole the land from its inhabitants, killing many of them in the process?
The state of the descendants of these inhabitants today, and the gap between them and the descendants of later arrivals, indicates an ongoing discrimination.
It's time we had a day to remember the first invaders and a separate day to celebrate what Australia is today.
Perhaps recognising this difference might help to close the gap. It is time we took education, and lifelong learning, into account when choosing who will govern us.
Audrey Guy, Ngunnawal
Tell me it's a hoax
"Teachers are known as learning coaches..." at the new Margaret Hendry School in Canberra's north ("This isn't the old factory model any more", February 4, page 1). Tell me it's a hoax, please.
"Teach" goes back to Middle English of around 1100-1500, according to the Macquarie dictionary. If it was good enough for Geoffrey Chaucer in the 1400s it should be good enough for a brand-new primary school in Canberra today.
By the way, teaching a mix of youngsters in a group without strict regard to year levels sounds remarkably like the approach my teacher had 70 years ago in his one-room bush school with primary age kids 6-12 years.
Geof Murray, Ngunnawal
Food for thought
Given that February 5 is the start of the Chinese Year of the Pig, it seems like a fitting time to reflect on the tragic lives of the millions of pigs permanently incarcerated inside our grim, cramped factory farms.
Why not help to make the Year of the Pig the best year ever for them by getting pork off your fork?
Jenny Moxham, Monbulk, VIC
Voice of Doctor Dolittle
Listening to the Treasurer commit to addressing the recommendations of the royal commission the feeling that would have come over to many is that the Coalition is more interested in doing as little as they safely can.
He spoke of preserving competition between the big four banks. There is no meaningful competition on interest rates, service or anything of importance between the big four. To those of us who can remember, the privatising of the Commonwealth Bank was the end of competition in the banking sector.
I would suggest that a new Australia Bank, equipped with money from the Futures Fund and running on transparent, trustworthy principles is the only way to provide genuine competition.
Without that the fraudulent four will slip back into their thieving ways. It might take 20 years, but they will get there.
Howard Carew, Isaacs
Fault lies elsewhere
While the financial sector was undoubtedly responsible for some reprehensible actions, as evidenced during the Hayne royal commission, your paper could surely have found better case studies than one of the two stories covered in your reporting of the findings ("Lending to the 'naive"', February 5, p6).
We read that a young woman applied for and was given a personal loan by a bank, and that she subsequently fell behind in her payments and had to be bailed out by her parents – yet somehow this is the fault of the bank and their exploitation of her naivety.
This woman was an adult in the eyes of the law, able to sign contracts, join the military and even vote for our government. Yet she claims to have not understood the principles of simple borrowing.
At what stage does personal responsibility become an issue? If this person can't manage that, then I suggest she should not be voting in the next election as the issues would be far too complex.
By all means criticise the banks and financial institutions for their failures, but surely we can focus on those cases where the banks are blatantly failing.
Kym MacMillan, O'Malley
A damning betrayal
Canberra's extreme weather is an unwelcome foretaste of our future climate. Meanwhile, our national government is in climate change denial.
Most attention in this regard focuses on Australia's inadequate ambition in abating greenhouse gas emissions.
But the government's most damning betrayal is in not acting on the fact Australia is one of the world's nations most vulnerable, environmentally and economically, to climate change.
Our foremost national priorities should be not only adequate climate change mitigation and adaptation but working hard to increase other nations' global greenhouse gas abatement.
When your companions in a lifeboat are not rowing hard enough, your response should not be to ease off but to lead by example.
Jonathan Miller, Steady State ACT, Curtin
On track to second rate
Your news item "If it's not a tram, why are there T-lights at Canberra's intersections?" (canberratimes.com.au, February 4) highlights deficiencies in the so-called light rail that were addressed several years ago by CanTheTram.
You can talk about a "dedicated corridor" but the Gungahlin-Civic corridor passes through more than 20 road intersections.
T-light priority to trams at these intersections will deliver overall travel time advantages while the service interval of the trams is restricted to six minutes.
However, as the city grows and there is a need to increase the frequency of services, giving priority to trams will be highly problematic.
I understand that tram priority has already been precluded at the Federal Highway-Barton Highway intersection.
For light rail "not to get stuck in any road congestion" requires the route to be grade separated from the road system. In their rush to pursue corridor development and gross infill, not only is the Barr-Rattenbury alliance destroying everything that is good about this unique city but what it is delivering is second rate.
John L. Smith, Farrer
Get on the grass
Belconnen already has quite a lot of a sort of native landscaping along some main roads. It is often great but at times not at all. Not so great because there has been little or no maintenance.
An example is Ginninderra Drive on the hill near the T- junction with Mouat Street.
Some areas, particularly on the Lyneham side, have become bare and are now overrun with weeds, a lot of waist high ones that have very prickly stems and are now producing hundreds of very prickly seeds.
The "grass" on the verge is mown but (I presume) it is not the mower's job to consider the weeds beside the verge. Just as (I presume) it is not the mower's job to make sure that glass is not shattered in the "grass".
Mowing in my view is not a "cost effective way ... of ensuring that the city is well presented" ("Replace grass with natives call", February 4, p2).
A more nuanced, informed and varied approach to maintenance is required to ensure that Canberra is well presented.
Philida Sturgiss-Hoy, Downer
Educational shades
I was interested to read the article on the Margaret Hendry School ("No classrooms, year levels or 'teachers"', February 4, p8). I seem to remember that the AME School in Weston had a very similar style of teaching.
Although it operated for some 20 years, closing in 1996, and some students became well known, others who went on to conventional government schools were not up to educational standards. And its lack of structure did not suit all children.
Janet Thompson, Garran
Harsh reality of trade
The IMF has stepped from the wings into the glaring spot of centre stage ("'Risks are rising': IMF sounds economic warning", canberratimes.com.au, January 22).
It announced the reality, "that a range of triggers beyond escalating trade tensions, including a 'no-deal Brexit' that could see the UK bundled out of the EU without clear terms and a slowing Chinese economy could spark a further deterioration."
The trade war, well advanced before the reign of President Trump, is beginning to bite.
Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor
TO THE POINT
COMMISSION FEEDBACK
Just when we thought things were quite normal: The government gets feedback on the royal commission.
Steve Provins, Latham
IT'S EASY: DON'T RIP US OFF
The banks report takes a long time to read so a quick summary of the recommendations or what they should be follows. Don't be scum. Don't rip off your customers, especially the dead ones.
Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill, VIC
HAYNE POINTS WAY
Commissioner Hayne's report amply reveals the gross shonkiness of the major banks. Regulators must now adopt more proactive approaches to enforce the rules.
David Grantham, Melba
TRUMP ON FOOTBALL
Hallelujah, for the first time ever, Mr Trump says something sensible. I hope he just extended his comment to include not only football but boxing.
Mokhles K Sidden, South Strathfield, NSW
BLAME FOR RIVER WOES
The Murray-Darling authority has been slammed for indefensible management. And I believed the Liberals and Nationals when they said the problems were caused by the lack of rain. How silly of me.
Jeff Bradley, Isaacs
LABOUR HAD ITS CHANCE
The Labor Rudd and Gillard governments failed to investigate the banks. Labor must have had an inkling of unethical bank behaviour.
Rod Matthews, Fairfield, VIC
MUSIC, NOT FIREWORKS
Ron Cerbona giving a preview for an evening of music at Braidwood ("Musical theatre in the moonlight", February 4, p20), sounds great except for the fireworks. Not for me, the animals and the fire risks.
Nick Corby, Hawker
MORRISON'S NEW VIEW
Hello Scott. What was that you said about the proposed royal commission into the financial sector?
Hello again Scott. What was that you said in response to the report of the royal commission into the financial sector?
Peter Crossing, Glengowrie, SA
TRICKING RATEPAYERS
So the ACT government had the new rates notice purposely designed so ratepayers were led to believe that they must pay their annual rates in full and not in instalments. What bastardry. With rates going up every year and not much to show for it.
R Stewart, Weston
SUNNY SIDE OF THE STREET
The planners and protesters are back again. Curtin shop square gets winter sun as the north-east aspected buildings are single storey. A proposed tall unit block on the south-west side of the square will block fierce afternoon western summer sun. Sounds almost ideal for community enjoyment.
Gail Allen, Pearce
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 or fewer words. 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).
