Tenants get the short straw in political Toy Town

For example, by filling in almost three hectares of Lake Burley Griffin to make room for more second rate apartments.

Just a note of comfort for those who like Tim Hardy (letters, CT November 4) find climate change so hard to take. Here goes. Climate change has always been with us, even though we live in the Goldilocks Zone.

The bulk of climate change is so fundamental that only the Almighty could do something to change it, and She hasn't uttered a peep. Read the Smithsonian Institute report.

Bushfire is a national problem. It affects all of us. Some politicians are behaving like school children and trying to make some political advantage out of it. It should be condemned.

I write in appreciation of some of the thought bubbles of Simon Cobcroft (CT November 13) about the treatment of Tenants Union ACT. As a landlady, or should it be "lessor" given Simon's dislike of the landlord term, I am most grateful to Tenants ACT for their professional advice and support to tenants.

I have often used their online advice and documents to inform me and my tenants. I appreciate their efforts to clearly set out the rights and responsibilities of both both lessors and tenants under the ACT Legislative provisions. In fact the government requires lessors to make the tenants' union renter's handbook available to tenants. Thank you Tenants Union ACT.

The thought bubble of Simon's I like best is the rebranding to the acronynm TACT. I disagree with his reference to contributions to coffers. I fear it is more insidious than that. We are told it is time to test the market with respect to Tenant Union ACT services. That is obviously driven by the neo-liberals ensconced in the unelected ACT Treasury.

It follows the same philosophy as those who tried to tender out a lease for the Albert Hall or leased, then sold, our municipal Phillip Pool for 99 years. Tenants Union ACT Website sets out in detail the issues with the government's actions and its costs and services. The focus on cost rather than effective social benefit, is not in keeping with the principles I expect of a Labor government.

In the aftermath of a gun massacre in the United States, the gun lobby says 'now is not the time to talk about gun control'. Of course, for the gun lobby, there is no good time to talk about gun control.

When there are bushfire disasters in Australia, climate change skeptics and deniers, especially those in the federal coalition government say 'now is not the time to talk about climate change'. For people like Deputy PM Michael McCormack and his predecessor Barnaby Joyce, there is no 'good time' to talk about climate change.

In recognition of the essential service voluntary bush firefighters provide surly governments at all levels can afford to give financial recompense to these outstanding Australians.

If not payments what about discounts on property rates and land taxes at a local government level, reduced costs of drivers licences and vehicle registration fees at a state level and a substantial reduction of income tax at a federal level. Such a policy would begin to compensate and be viewed by all as a fair response by politicians. But why stop with bush fire fighters? Volunteers of all persuasions should be recognised and considered as essential service providers.

Over to you politicians.

How the mighty have fallen!

As Downer's harangue at the National Press Club demonstrated, hell hath no fury like a political hack/lobbyist suffering relevance deprivation, especially a scion of a silver-tail dynasty, who firmly believe they alone are deigned, by Divine mandate, to rule over all (Corbyn 'hostile' to Western interests: Downer, CT, November 13).

Downer's intemperance in advocating on behalf of a Boris Johnson victory, hence sidling up to Trump, whose mates are salivating at prospects of profiteering from privatizing the NHS, represents ignoble crassness in one who was Australia's top diplomat and longest serving foreign minister.

It is exceedingly indiscreet of a high-profile Australian to castigate China on issues of human rights when asylum seekers' rights are ignored, government has enacted 75 laws since 9/11 curbing personal freedoms, whistle-blowers are unprotected, media and journalists are state targets

Listening to a person who was protagonist in some of Australia's most recent nefarious (mis)adventures - AWB, Iraq's WMD, children-overboard, Timor Leste spying - inveigling a "holier than thou" stance, represents intellectual dissembling.

It would not need a (former) diplomat of Downer's intellect acumen(?) to accept that Australia's boast of 29 years of "uninterrupted growth" - only of profits and wealth accumulation - would not have been possible without China being prepared to support, taxpayer subsidized, basic extractive raw material.

Downer, in his speech, presented a tatty image of a very generously superannuated fat-cat, whose public profile will not be enhanced by his selective patronage and accusatory pronouncements.

Former Woodside Consultant, Alexander Downer, has been engaging in considerable self-promotion and political posturing since returning from his 'job-for-the-boys' role as Australia's Ambassador to London.

One would think his time would be better spent in preparing his legal defence for his part in the unlawful bugging of the East Timorese Parliament and his conflict of interest in subsequently working for the company running the disputed oil fields in the Timor Sea as a direct consequence.

He, Woodside and the Australian Government, were active participants in what has now been recognised in the Hague International Court as the immoral acquisition of enormous wealth from one of the most impoverished countries in Asia. Once Attorney General, Christian Porter's smoke and mirrors attempt to crucify whistle blowers Witness K and Bernard Collaery falls apart in the courts, many will be after you, Alexander.

The Morrison government's pack of cards will collapse and Downer will be seen for the sociopathic, pompous charade he truly is.

Most in this city would agree with Alison Chapple and Catherine Moore (November 13) that it was excessive for the deputy PM to refer to supporters of climate change as 'inner city raving lunatics' but the matter needs to be seen in a balanced light.

Adam Bandt's statement, which went to air live on ABC TV a few days ago, in which he went close to implying that climate change alone was responsible for the current fires, was also ridiculous but it has attracted little criticism although the Deputy PM's statement may have been in direct response to it.

It is probably not correct to say that our current fires are 'just' part of Australia's bushfire history, as Chapple points out but leave out the word 'just' and the statement is correct; they are typical of what has gone before.

No one would argue that the horrendous fires of 1939 in Victoria were the product of climate change or, for that matter, the many others earlier. Climate change is a trend, which is leading us inexorably to a place where we do not want to be but it is superimposed on the pattern of 'droughts and flooding rain' that has been with us for a very long time. Both are factors in the present situation.

The founding fathers, Stormy Daniels and hunter Biden have a lot to answer for. Praise the Lord, we can take comfort in our Scomo being on the same page as The Donald.

An early nomination for Australian of the Year for the emergency services and fire-fighter crews battling the inferno engulfing the Eastern seaboard. Brave men of action deployed to contain the epidemic of bush fires, forging a mantle of safety while suffering extreme heat, dehydration and prescient threats to their safety. They're the epitome of not fiddling as Rome burns.

Keith Hill (CT Letters, 11 Nov) makes an interesting point in his query about Australian responsibility for pollution in India, but perhaps not the point he intended.

Mr Hill may not realise that the bulk of the coal burnt today in India's 120 coal-fired power stations is either locally mined or imported from Indonesia - in both cases low quality and heavily polluting.

Given that India plans to double its coal-fired power output over the next 20 years, perhaps the best we can hope for is that Adani proceeds and that India uses even more of the cleaner Australian coal.

Perhaps that was what Mr Hill was suggesting - if coal is going to be burnt anyway, it may as well be our cleaner coal.

David Pope picked up the wrong paint colour, it should have been fire retardant pink, dropped from above, dousing the flames of contempt and division fanned by two so called leaders (Editorial cartoon, CT, November 13).

It's interesting to see the Prime Minister telling people that it's "not the right time to be talking about climate change".

It sounds an awful lot like the NRA telling people that it's "too soon to be talking about gun control". That's not a flattering comparison. Shaming the victims is never a good look.

The failure of all batsmen in the much touted bat-off for test positions by members of the Australia A line up against Pakistan in Perth has opened the door for yet another return by Shaun Marsh following his mega star form in early shield games for the Sandgropers. How sad.

After reading Nicholas Stuart's perceptive November 13 opinion piece "Morrison the key to Labor's revival - When will voters lose faith in the Prime Minister?", I think it is about time that Nicholas himself moved into politics, or became a political adviser.

He's obviously very much attuned to the national political scene and the aspirations of the wider Australian community, has a good memory - and makes his points clearly.

Onya, Kim Fitzgerald (CT November 13). Cashed-up non-citizen 'investors' drive up prices and lock locals out of the market. Only investors from countries that allow freehold purchase of land by Aussies should be permitted to buy in Australia.

Either that or full reciprocality: lease for lease, rent only for rent only, etc.

L Kramer (Letters, November 14) mistakenly links King Canute with Nero and others as "deluded, self-important failures" (unfortunately, a common misinterpretation). Even a cursory check of the facts shows that Canute was just the opposite.

His "stopping the tide" demonstration was to show his over-adulating courtiers that they shouldn't compared him with God.

History records Canute as a wise and generally good ruler.

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