Science scorned in push for roo cull

Yet as far back as 2008 scientists declared the kangaroo No.1 enemy.

Again, in 2013, for example, we had Daniel Iglesias claiming overgrazing by kangaroos threatened the earless dragon habitat (ACT government media release 2013).

Then we find scientists including Dr Melissa Snape declaring, in 2018, lizard numbers were now stable due to kangaroo culling ("Legless lizards and earless dragons show cull is working", canberratimes.com.au, May 18, 2018).

However, barring parts of west Majura and Jerrabomberra Valley, these lizards were not known to exist on the reserves where most of the killings took place.

Nonetheless, the government repeatedly declared that killing thousands of kangaroos was the only way to protect this lizard.

Those who argued against the culling, challenging not only this assertion, have been derided for so-called lack of science, or emotionalism.

I would argue that it is the ACT government that lacks science. It appears to have resorted to propaganda to ensure the killing continues unabated.

Carolyn Drew, Page

About 12 months ago I purchased a DJI "does everything" drone.

It's quiet (sort of) and almost invisible to naked human eyes.

On the odd occasion, I have flown it in Braddon, it has attracted the attention of birdlife like a night light attracts insects.

On each flight attempt, the drone has been attacked by everything with wings. They all seem happy to work together to evict the buzzing newbie from their airspace.

It has been swarmed by cockies, galahs, magpies and currawongs and the call to action across the spectrum of birdlife is seemingly immediate.

This isn't a Braddon-only phenomenon. Out west near Wagga recently I thought "here's a nice spot" and launched the drone only to have a huge swarm of galahs and a handful of magpies materialise from remnant eucalypts hundreds of metres away.

They forced an immediate landing.

The group of people with me thought this was a random bunch of crazy birds, but I know better. Birds hate drones.

So, out of respect for the critters with wings whose company and song I enjoy, I have grounded the drone.

It really has no place in "bird space".

David Shearer, Braddon

The ACT government is seeking feedback on the extension of Canberra's mountain bike trails.

I don't have any objection to the proposal. However, I back on to the Mount Painter Reserve, which is increasingly used by mountain bikes.

It has become hazardous due to some bikers engaging in high-speed pursuits while walkers, children and animals are also using the trails.

Network extensions should not include steep terrain as this is where bikes gain speed and pose the greatest threat.

Trails used extensively by pedestrians should be off-limits to bikes.

Some speed limits on bikes and accountability for riders should also apply to protect pedestrians.

Some riders think they can do whatever they like. Having nearly been run down by them on two occasions, I feel that safety is a key issue and that bikes should not be enabled or encouraged to cohabit walking tracks with pedestrians who simply seek to enjoy them peacefully without unnecessary danger.

The recent moves to effectively abrogate riders from responsibility for their behaviour on the road or elsewhere should not to be applauded.

There should be rules for them as there are for everyone else, and they should be made abide by them.

Ian Shepherd, Cook

I was very interested to read Ron Cerabona's preview of the local production Queers, which opens this week ("Stories of life and love from gay UK", April 1, p20).

One of the actors, Mr Cerabona said, when approached by director Jarrad West to take on one of the gay character roles he hesitated because he was "straight" and not "gay".

He said that "the last thing I wanted to do is to take a role away from a gay actor".

While this actor, who has obviously outed himself as "straight" in a public newspaper, did not intend to be controversial, he might remember there have been many instances of straight actors playing gay roles and that sexuality should not be an issue in any casting.

Examples include Tom Hanks in Philadelphia, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain, Kate Blanchett in Carol, and Robin Williams in The Birdcage.

And in a reverse situation, the "gay" actors in this production continue to play "straight" roles in local theatre.

I am sure there are no concerns about them taking a role away from a straight actor.

Tony Falla, Ngunnawal

Your editorial in support of the ACT Attorney-General's excoriation of Catholic Archbishop Christopher Prowse for deeming the seal of the confessional immune from mandatory reporting of child-sex offences will hopefully not fall on deaf ears ("The Catholic Church is not exempt from the laws of Australia", canberratimes.com.au, April 1).

This is the archbishop who joined with anti-abortion protesters outside an ACT government-sanctioned abortion clinic to intimidate and shame women who had made the most heart-wrenching and difficult decision of their lives.

Such actions rendered them entirely bereft of compassion. This is also the archbishop, who in 2016 failed to attend a healing ceremony at Marist College for sexual abuse survivors.

Although he later offered a written apology by asking for forgiveness, it was seen as yet another instance of the church seeking to exonerate itself under the guise of sacerdotal piety.

And this is the archbishop who now wants to prolong this same institutional cover-up in the confessional.

It shows contempt for the rule of law and contempt for the truth, which, according to Christ, is the only thing that can truly set us free.

Reverend Dr Vincent Zankin, Rivett

Labor's policy on electric cars is too ambitious.

We all recall "no Australian child would live in poverty" and "every student from years nine to 12 will be given a laptop".

I have not admired one of Mr Shorten's policies so far.

Mokhles K. Sidden, Strathfield, NSW

Rohan Goyne's letter (Letters, March 30) about the 1969 Apollo mission to the moon is timely.

I cringe when I hear from sceptics that it never happened.

I sat in a Melbourne pub with my friend Neal Fraser in that year, close to Melbourne Uni, where I was completing my degrees, and was just married (Dec 1968).

We watched the event together, and I shall never forget that iconic moment, at around 1pm.

It takes about three days to get to the moon, using the then fancy Saturn V rocket – give or take 10 per cent – according to the time of year of take-off, apogee or perigee.

Rohan's calculations on the probability of success for that mission seem correct, but are expressed in negative terms.

I think his 1 per cent success rate is highly overrated. I think it was more like a factor of 100 less than that.

Secondly, four million parts to a Saturn V aside, many are not independent statistically. One part going will lead to others failing in the system, raising the odds of a major failure.

And there have been failures in the US space missions, but fortunately very few. I did not see any parts failing on the Apollo 11 mission.

We all know Neil Armstrong (who died at 82 years) announced that "the Eagle has landed" and a small time later that: "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind."

Rohan's last sentence says it all. In the spirit of the great John F Kennedy, humans are capable of anything they set their mind to.

More of us should aspire to just that, especially given the atrocities of late.

Greg Jackson, Kambah

There are lies, damned lies, and statistics. Proof is provided by The Canberra Times' editorial of March 29: "Almost half [of Australia's population increase] comes from overseas."

The statistics are correct, but misleading because all of the growth (I emphasise "all") is due to migration. The Australian Bureau of Statistics is misleading Australians, possibly deliberately.

The ABS advises that this year about 60 per cent of population growth is due to immigration intake, and 40 per cent is due to natural increase.

What it doesn't say, but definitely should, is that all of the "natural increase" is also due to immigration, albeit a delayed effect of previous years' immigration.

Australian births can be separated into two groups: babies who are at least third-generation Australians, and those who are not.

The natural increase associated with the first group is about zero because ancestors of those babies are dying in Australia at about the same rate as the babies are being born, and the two figures cancel out.

However, for the second group, hardly any of the babies' ancestors are dying in Australia, so the group's misnamed "natural increase" is about the same as the number of births.

When determining the total effect of migration on population growth the second (delayed) "natural increase" should be added to the current immigration intake, not to the first (or genuine) (zero) natural increase.

Because of the delayed effect of immigration, the population will continue to increase at an enormous rate for about two generations even if immigration ceases.

Net immigration should, therefore, cease immediately.

R. Salmond, Melba

The reported proposed government response to the banking royal commission is very worrying.

Commissioner Hayne exposed serious ethical issues in the banking sector, including the third-party payment of mortgage broker commissions and trailing commissions.

The borrower is not even advised of the true cost being imposed.

So what is wrong with such an arrangement? Nothing apparently, according to our Federal Treasurer.

The royal commission identified this arrangement as unethical and recommended it be stopped.

The commissioner could have gone the extra step and noted it further supercharged the housing market price increases because of the incentive for brokers to push clients into higher borrowing (and fatter fees).

The mortgage broking industry, not surprisingly, is lobbying hard against the recommendation.

We should move to a new system under which the client directly pays for the broker's services or the fees and commissions are acknowledged in the loan documentation. It is a given that under such a system any mutual interest between the broker and the lender would have to be declared.

Borrowers would have an incentive to check the quality of the service being provided for the fee. Brokers would be exposed to open fee checking in what would become a more competitive process.

Transparency and competitiveness go hand-in-hand. They are also fundamental to the successful operation of a free market economy.

If the Treasurer has any doubts about this, I suggest he just ask Rod Sims at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

David Butt, Narrabundah

I am dismayed that both the government and the Labor Party support Brendan Nelson's plan to demolish the Australian War Memorial's Anzac Hall ("Greens say no to AWM expansion", March 30).

Dr Nelson's plan is to replace Anzac Hall, which has won an architectural award, with a memorial to Australian involvement in more recent conflicts and to weapons and their manufacturers.

I have heard it said Dr Nelson is "obsessed" with the conflict in Afghanistan and the role of Australia's special forces.

I don't often agree with Richard Di Natale, but I do agree the AWM should "not be used as an advertising platform for global arms exporters".

Almost half-a-billion dollars is a huge price to pay for this backward step.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

What surplus? Australia's national debt stood, as at July 2018, at $341 billion. That is up from $174.5 billion in 2013 when the Coalition took office, an increase of 1.66.5 billion, or 95 per cent, over almost five years.

Renée Goossens, Canberra

UNSAFE AT SPEED

I hope seatbelts are an option on the new trams. They will be needed given the dangerous intersections along Northbourne Avenue. At Flemington Road a dozy driver could crash through into a speeding light rail tram, no matter how skilled the [tram] driver. The proposed train speed is unsafe at these major intersections.

Byron Kaufman, Dickson

MONEY JUGGLE?

I like trams. But is it possible the ACT government has funded trams by reducing its funding for health?

Michael McCarthy, Deakin

LABOR'S CASH OCTOPUS

Felix MacNeill (Letters, March 29) need not worry himself about inheritance tax. Chris Bowen has made it very clear that any money you now have belongs to the soon-to-be-elected (they hope) Labor government. They have already spent it on your behalf with their vote buying and profligate spending promises.

Mark Sproat, Lyons

TIME FOR FAITH LIFT

It's time that religions lost their tax-exempt status.

Rod Matthews, Fairfield, Vic

SEARCH FOR A BRAIN

Eddie McGuire is a leading example of an increasingly prevalent trend among public figures of "shoot from the lip first, apologise – if caught out – later". The better approach would be, of course, to put brain in gear before opening mouth. But that presupposes having a brain in the first place.

Don Sephton, Greenway

WHITHER MY GRAMMAR?

M. Moore (Letters, April 2). For heaven's sake, how can you write "Let he or she". What happened to "let him or her?". What's happening to English grammar? Down the gurgler.

Susan MacDougall, Scullin

GRACELESS STATEMENT

The Federal Liberals used their local senator to make a pre-election health funding splurge announcement alongside Liberal ACT assembly members. I wondered where the ACT Health Minister was. It seems she was not advised or invited. Classless and disrespectful.

Graeme Rankin, Holder

RAIL OF TEARS

I hope the light rail line down Northbourne Avenue will have a safety fence. It is unreasonable to think everybody will only cross at designated crossings. If the cars don't get you, those fast and silent trains certainly will.

Bruce Boyd, Bruce

LEST WE FORGET

Unlike Stuart Walkley (Letters, April 1) who feels the need to focus on the equipment used in wars to remember, I feel just two days is all you need: Anzac Day and Remembrance Day.

Nick Corby, Hawker

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