Let's not miss chance to recognise First Nations people

In the spirit of rejuvenating and reinvigorating this 120-year-old charter, might I suggest that we also consider inclusion of First Nations in our nation's foundational document.

After all, First Nations peoples have been here for tens of thousands of years. To the shame of this nation they have been, at different times, ignored, massacred, abused and subjected to gross attempts to wipe out their culture and their history.

If we are going to have a referendum (as is required to amend s.122) let us not miss the opportunity to take up the challenge posed by these historical (and present) injustices by enshrining Truth, Justice and Treaty for First Nations in the Constitution.

Roderick Holesgrove (Letters, November 19) is being somewhat disingenuous when he advocates that the Murdoch press was partially responsible for creating the disgraceful lynch mob in Melbourne.

Victorian Premier Dan Andrews brought it all upon himself with his dictatorial attitude, also his inability to accept responsibility for his actions when things go awry, eg: the hotel quarantine debacle.

As for his claim that the hypocrisy of the right-wing of politics knows no bounds, the left-wing is equally as guilty. He appears to have conveniently forgotten about the "Mediscare" scandal, and the NMLS (National Media Liaison Service), a Labor Party dirt unit scandalously funded by taxpayers. Politics is a dirty business. Always has been, always will be.

The recent ABC report on burnout among nurses shows that hospitals are operating on borrowed time. The government should considerably improve nurses' wages and conditions in order to replace the exhausted, resigning staff. Free university nursing courses for the next five years might garner new recruits.

If we want workers back from lockdown, they need better pay and conditions. Workers have done a magnificent job of combining working from home and from the workplace. Many are pretty "over it all."

We have just been presented with an unrequested and unwanted baby gum tree which has been planted on our front yard. As far as I can remember, the ACT government never sought our agreement to the planting of the tree on our lawn.

In the spirit of the moment (and to borrow from our PM), it is time for governments to stop imposing themselves on the citizen.

I consider it wasteful, if not absurd, to go planting more trees on a street which is already thriving with all sorts of trees and bushes. Canberra, as a whole, is a valley of "frondosity". The $29 million the government is spending could be more socially and gainfully employed getting the ever-increasing number of homeless into some sort of community funded shelter.

Just putting this out there to the Brains Trust for comment. Has anyone recently tried to contact ACT Policing on its preferred number of 131 444?

I did on November 19 and hung up after being on hold for over 36 minutes. All I wanted to do was report a group of four high-powered 'hot hatches' with interstate registration plates using our residential loop street as a racetrack (literally) at speeds well north of 50km/h.

I hope this isn't yet another sign that we the ratepayers of Canberra, in an environment of year-on-year annual exponential growth in our rates bills, will now have to take more matters into our own hands, similar to mowing grass on public land and reserves. Any views, people?