In isolation tidy up by all means, but hold onto your stuff

Susan Liebke, Stirling

I was recently involved in a dog attack. This was a vicious attack on my dog and I, unprovoked in a public area, and I had to save my five-month-old puppy from a brute of a dog. Both my dog and I sustained multiple injuries, including me breaking my wrist. If it wasn't for some passers-by this dog would have caused me serious injury and I was in fear initially of my puppy's life and mine. I had to ask one person to muzzle the dog with tape so that the dog could be safely managed, whereas I thought the police could have some tools to do this as they were first on scene.

Further, I would expect that the owner would be brought to court and fined and a court order issued to compensate me for my medical and vet fees, which are over $1000 and growing. But it seems this might not be the case. I would like to know what the Minister is going to do about registered and non-aggressive breeds in the territory, as I find the situation in Canberra is getting worse. Does someone have to be seriously maimed or lose their life before we have laws to protect the community?

Well spoken, John Minns ('Are we really all in this together?', April 8) and John Warhurst ('Australians first, foreigners second', April 9). "Togetherness" is a hypocritical sham if we wipe 2.2 million people off the rescue agenda and out of our sight. It's not COVID-19 that's sickening me to my stomach right at the moment. It's the disgusting, cruel and self-congratulatory "us first"/"they don't count" rhetoric and policy now in place.

Further to recent criticism of the tram stage 2, I draw attention to the light rail network plan that "will underpin our modern public transport system" (Canberra Transport). This shows five network links connecting one network line in each of the towns and the airport to Civic. Thus, Civic must inevitably become the major public transport interchange hub for the whole of Canberra and its projected 500,000 population.

Given the policy of the City Renewal Authority to remove grade-separated intersections (for example, London Circuit and Commonwealth Avenue) because they "inhibit pedestrian activity and retain an inferior urban design", what form can we expect this major transport interchange hub to take?

I cannot envisage any street-level network implementation that wouldn't produce an almighty shemozzle of road traffic and pedestrian movements during peak hour. Even for those in favour of light rail, surely it is obvious that the current planning destines Canberra to become another urban transport disaster.

Nicholas Stuart is almost correct in his analysis of our political fortunes, blessed by "Scotty from Marketing". ("Labor may as well pack its bags and go home", CT, Wednesday, April 8, p23).What he overlooked is the fact that this government can only focus on one issue at a time. For years it has stumbled along as a government without any policy, always scrambling to meet any issue in any area that popped up.

The single dominating issue, until the fires, was engineering a surplus, getting us "back in the black", at the expense of those most in need in the community. They've been easily distracted by any issues cropping up, but the fires caught them really short and they scrambled awkwardly to gain traction in the their race to try to win public approval. Over the top of the fires they were struggling against the wave of public pressure to come clean ab out the "sports rorts" scandal. But they didn't 'fess up; they passed the problem off to another royal commission.

They have recognised their opportunity to take advantage of this crisis by adjourning Parliament for five months, meeting only to force new laws through to the advantage of the employers. It is very difficult to criticise the government when it is absent. We still can't see policies they may be hiding in the background because they are apparently all busy fighting the virus, managing the crisis.

An invisible, single-issue government. We should be concerned.

Given the COVID-19 crisis, it has come to my attention that the Family Court has gone so far as to prohibit family interactions rather than support interactions between families. No amount of reassurances or mitigation strategies appear to be being considered, given that access is limited to children given social distancing requirements.

Why is the Family Court now in the business of tearing families apart rather than keeping their relationships intact? A parent may not see their child for weeks, or months, as the court is unwilling to accept the reality in which we live.

Last week Giralang residents were given nine days to comment on a development concept that will use public green space for a private business.

That time includes the Easter break and is during the COVID-19 crisis. Details of the concept for Chabad School show a six-foot security fence that will pass within five metres of the front of Giralang Primary School, blighting the school entrance.

After 15 years and still no shops being delivered, this is another blow. It seems that its fair sport to kick Giralang residents when they are down. Who will Suzanne Orr and her government side with, the Giralang residents or a private business owner?

As we have faced the freefall void of the virus crisis this Easter, we are beginning to detect a new landscape around us. At first, it was terrifyingly blurry. We felt lost, without a Google map, but I am starting to see it more clearly.

It steadies as I validate the networks of people with whom I associate. Each time I begin to participate, in some new post-virus way, with a network of workmates, old friends, family, spiritual observers, front-liners at the shopping centre, newly discovered street neighbourhoods or a U3A group, my giddiness subsides a little.

I owe this insight to our suddenly enforced physical solitude. This clarifying landscape is also being agreeably matched, at the political level, by an affirmation of new networks, for instance between our union, business, science and welfare leaders, and between our state and federal governments. Australian citizens are perhaps showing their satisfaction with these strengthening links in the rising popularity of our PM.

One can only hope that such reinvigoration of networks continues to grow at a global level. It is gratifying to have seen it already in the international co-operation over the development of a COVID-19 vaccine.

An April 19 Canberra Times report that I received by email is headed "Data reveals which Canberra areas have the most corona virus cases". It identifies Tuggeranong as the district with the largest number of cases. While that is an accepted fact, it is a statistic of little meaning, because it takes no account of the relative population size of the areas listed in the article. If we do that, we get the real picture.

The following are the incidences of COVID-19 per 1000 people, using the number of cases given in the article and the official population figures published by the ACT government in January 2019: Tuggeranong 0.27; South Canberra 0.59; Gungahlin 0.20; Belconnen 0.13; North Canberra 0.22; Woden Valley 0.33; Weston Creek 0.30; Canberra East 3.24; Molonglo 0.87; Uriarra-Namadgi 8.25.

Clearly, it is South Canberra, Canberra East, Molonglo and Uriarra-Namadgi that are the coronavirus "hotspots", if that is a term we can use, given the comparatively low number of cases overall ... so far.

Congratulations on an excellent Public Sector Informant, published last Tuesday. There I read expert analysis of important current public policies, policy formulation processes and governance, particularly but not only regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. Also there is important material on what the future might or should hold in these regards. There is little current discussion of that on the wider scene, given the understandable preoccupation with present challenges.

The Informant is compulsory reading for all involved in any area of public policy and administration, especially (but not only) politicians.

Snap back? I would prefer snap forward. After all, we are always in this together.

In this time of "do not go anywhere ", how did George Pell spirit his way from Melbourne to Sydney?

The government doesn't need to resort to self congratulatory "Trumpalism" when talking about its response to the economic crisis. We get it.

Margaret Lee (Letters, April 9) is partly correct in saying that "until all public toilets and school toilets provide cleansing products and means of drying our hands nothing will change". Since I raised the issue with relevant ministers, the ACT government has started installing handwash dispensers in public toilets. Living Streets Canberra is providing soap for some public toilets that don't yet have handwash dispensers.

Sir Richard Branson is a major shareholder in Virgin Australia, so instead of the airline asking the federal government to put up $1 billion to save the airline due to the COVID-19 crisis, he should put up the money. He is spending billions on space flight; another billion to help out VA would be in his back pocket.

The Canberra Times' managing editor, John-Paul Moloney, shared with subscribers that one of his experiences of working from home was that he had to relearn long division. We know that COVID-19 can multiply quickly, but isolating ourselves from calculators may be a little over the top.

Maybe Jon Stanhope should join with Bill Stefaniak in the formation of a new middle-of-the-road party to rid us of the awful Barr government that is turning Canberra into a concrete jungle. Hardly a green and pleasant city any longer. A Jon and Bill party would certainly get my vote.

The untimely push by the NRL to be exempted from coronavirus restrictions may leave it known as the National Ruby League.

Usually I am not a great supporter of Mr Barr, but the attacks on him for deciding to cancel Floriade are totally incorrect and unworthy of the attackers. Canberra normally hosts hundreds of thousands from outside the ACT, and his action has protected me and all his other constituents.

Why are our federal parliamentarians getting a paid holiday until August, while other public servants continue to work from home? In this technological age surely they should be able to work from their electoral offices via video conferencing to debate and pass legislation and conduct the daily business of the Parliament.

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