'Tramspotting' expedition raised some serious questions

I approached the tram station from the front of the tram in full view of the driver. As I neared the front of the tram the doors closed. I expected the tram to move off. Not so.

I walked along the platform and looked at the ticketing equipment, read the instructions and the tram stayed there with the doors closed.

I walked along the platform and around to the other side and looked to see what was there. the tram stayed there with the doors closed.

I walked back to the tram and noticed the bike signage and looked into the tram to see what facilities there were for bikes. I also noticed the passengers all with their heads down looking at their mobile phones. The tram stayed there with the doors closed.

I started to walk back to the front of the tram and a bell rang. I thought the tram would move off. Not so. The tram stayed there with the doors closed.

I walked back to the building and, as I neared the doors, the bell rang again. I looked back expecting the tram to move off. Not so. It stayed there with the doors closed .

A lady about to walk across the tram tracks stopped also expecting the tram to move off. The tram stayed there with the doors closed. A little later, without any warning, the tram started moving.

It would have been about three minutes from the doors closing to when the tram moved off. If I was wishing to board the tram I would have been very annoyed.

I have seen the videos off people walking in front of the tram and could not believe why they would do so, however after my experience at Gungahlin I can understand why.

There are no lights or other signage to indicate if a person can cross safely or not. It appears you must take your chances.

Greens spokeswoman Caroline Le Couteur has called public transport users living in the areas from Gungahlin to Civic "privileged". In fact, it ain't roses up here either.

I'm in a Gungahlin suburb one removed from the rail line. Like Peter of Belconnen (Letters, August 13), I'm making the change from lifetime bus commuting to a gas-guzzling, congestion-increasing private car. It's against my values, but the dysfunctional bus plus rail system has broken me. I'm lighting a candle for my environmentalist sensibilities.

My public transport commute has gone from 35 to 45 minutes before light rail to 60 to 90 minutes. The line "Gungahlin to Civic in 19 minutes" ignores the rather elaborate process of getting to and from the train via a bus "connection" that rarely connects.

A bad trip might comprise half an hour on the train, half an hour butt-freezing at a bus stop waiting in hope for a connection that does not arrive at the advertised time, and another 15-20-minute bus trip.

Unless northerners in the "privileged" corridor live within walking distance of a light rail stop their lives have probably been complicated by the bus route changes as much as everyone else.

Does that mean the real privileged class are the people living right along the train line itself? Well, no. Arguably they're not doing so great either.

There are no longer any buses from the outer Gungahlin suburbs to Civic; all the buses channel us onto the train. Everyone who wants to take public transport to Civic is getting on that one train line. Do the maths. The train leaves the terminus each and every day with standing room only (including well before and after peak hour), and everyone downstream has to pack in like little sardines.

This can be fixed. Reverse the bus route changes, or go back to the drawing board and try again. Allow public transport commuters in outer suburbs a real choice between direct bus and bus plus rail to the centre. The light rail could then comfortably service those in its natural high-density catchment area along the corridor, and I can go back to being a bleeding heart, pro-public-transport leftie.

The Hawker Primary school community was not consulted about the installation of two temporary classrooms and yet the ACT government has a made an unequivocal commitment to engage and consult with the community on changes that effect the community.

How does a government that clearly prides itself on community consultation and engagement fail to do what it commits to? Is it just a mistake?

Did the Minister just forget to consult or is this a deliberate choice not to engage?

The government cannot have it both ways. There are only two options, withdraw the commitment to engage the community or stop the installation of the two temporary classrooms and start consulting with the community.

It is encouraging to read that the ACT Attorney-General is examining a proposal to make elder abuse a crime (CT, 31/8 p.7). In the same report Legal Aid Chief, Dr Joel Boersig, provides evidence of a four-fold increase in calls on their elder abuse hotline. Further, Council on the Ageing ACT welcomes the move, explaining that the abuse can be physical, emotional or financial and often occurring within the family.

How ironic then that there has long existed a Bill, prepared by ACT Greens and supported largely by Labor MLAs, to legalise voluntary euthanasia if the ACT were to have that power.

Such reckless optimism that under pressure from relatives as aged-care costs rise or already suffering abuse in these facilities, many old vulnerable people will be able to resist requesting "voluntary" euthanasia.

So-called voluntary euthanasia is dangerous for all vulnerable persons - the aged, the sick and frail, the demented, the disabled and even "troubled teens", the last deemed by Dr Nitschke of Exit International as eligible to make this choice.

The surge in deaths from overdosing on prescription medications shows drug law enforcement to be a spider's web that catches chronic pain sufferers who have become dependent on opiates like Endone ("ACT overdose deaths triple in decade", August 27, p 8).

The 113 ACT overdose deaths between 2013 and 2017 show law enforcement to be more a killer than a protector.

With real time prescription monitoring, more and more chronic pain sufferers are seeking relief from black-market sources of drugs, including Benzodiazepine tranquillisers. They need appropriate treatment that is presently unavailable. Instead, they can now be hunted by the police.

Their dependency is no different to that of the stereotypical drug user so, as a recent ABC 7.30 Report told us, their medical adviser may recommend stigmatised treatments like methadone. The shame associated with that and other pharmacotherapies is another lethal barrier erected by drug law enforcement.

The criminal law should have no part in "helping" those with a medical condition just as it shouldn't be allowed to drive festival goers away from testing for highly lethal party pills and effective counselling. The ACT budget directs twice as much funding to the criminal justice system for alcohol and other drug services than to health services.

America has asked Australia to help protect shipping through the Straits of Hormuz. I suggest that the Australian Government take note of history.

Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Iran in 1980, initiating a war that lasted eight years, The USA provided political, economic, and logistic support to Iraq.

When Iran increased its harassment of shipping the USA moved to protect oil tankers in the Gulf in their own national interest.

In July 1988 the USS Vincennes chasing Iranian fast speed boats entered Iranian territorial waters (against international law). Concurrently Iran Air 655 a civilian airliner took off from Banda Abbas on a scheduled flight to Dubai. The USS Vincennes detected the aircraft, assumed it was hostile and destroyed the aircraft in Iran's airspace, killing 290 people including 66 children.

The aircraft had actually changed course and was climbing away from the Vincennes. The US has never apologised. They misrepresented the incident and blamed Iran.

Australia has committed a warship, surveillance aircraft, and troops to de-escalate the situation in Australia's national interest. If Iranian patrol boats are close to an oil tanker will we sink them to de-escalate the situation?

Being a pedestrian in this crazy city is already dangerous enough without the ACT government choosing to add E-scooters to the mix. Give us a break.

Those who watched the coverage of two terrified girls watching their parents being harassed by Border Force staff would have been sickened.

Race, religion, refugees, visa breaches, or born wherever; it matters not. Whatever reason this government gives, terrifying children is not Australian.

Our government's cruelty knows no bounds ("Tamil asylum seeker children 'constantly crying' on Christmas Island", canberratimes.com.au, August 31).

It's a pity the family aren't French au pairs.

With the Tamil family it is, with all due respect, not about children crying and scenes of chaos. There are legitimate questions about criteria, procedures and the rule of law.

It is not just up to public opinion. I thank God I am not in Mr Dutton's shoes. He has a big burden.

Morrison should hang his head in shame. He is only refusing to allow the Tamil family to remain in Australia to save Dutton's face. Surely the PM should wake up to the dangers of racism. He should definitely stop allowing so much power to fall into Lord Voldemort's hands.

Fragmentising of vehicles in the open air 800 metres from the Fyshwick fresh food markets (Letters, August 31) is hardly compatible with the specific food related objectives for West Fyshwick contained in the Territory Plan.

All politicians are afraid of people like Julian Assange. They try to stay away from them and keep them out from public life.

Unisex toilets seem the obvious solution to the issues arising at the Prime Minister's department and elsewhere in public areas. But what to do about the toilet seat and the direction of the paper roll ?

If the people working in our public service do not know whether to stand up or sit down when taking a leak we are in serious trouble.

When I worked in the public service we had toilets. Cleanliness was valued but bathing takes time and we were expected to bathe at home.

As a taxpayer I am pleased to see that Mr Morrison has raised concerns about his department providing bathrooms for staff.

Water Minister Littleproud has slammed states for "doing three-fifths of bugger all" on building dams in response to the record drought. A succession of LNP governments has done five-fifths of bugger all to address the cause of these record droughts; climate change. If it doesn't rain dams won't make a difference.

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