Community amenities being neglected by Barr govt

My wife and I visited Cotter Reserve on Easter Monday. The place was crowded but to our dismay only half of the barbecues were working.

This is typical of our local government and their minions. Common sense should have prevailed when long range weather forecasts predicted a fine and warm Easter. It was obvious people would descend on our parks and reserves in large numbers.

Surely those responsible for such things could have checked to see the barbecues were in good order and ready for use.

People who plan outings to these areas often rely on the barbecues being in working order. When they are not people's plans are disrupted and they are left disappointed.

I urge the government to prioritise the upkeep of these amenities thus safeguarding the quality of our outdoor recreational spaces for present and future generations.

The potential shortage of cash is a concern for many people, especially some of the older ones but what about retailers?

There are a number of small shops, mostly food outlets, that have cash only signs and one very good local coffee supplier that also only accepts hard cash. What will they eventually do?

Accurate electronic records will lead to accurate tax payments, some of which might not currently be so accurate.

Cash has always been king but it looks like the new coins and notes featuring King Charles III will soon start to disappear (as might the monarchy itself).

On Good Friday we went to our storage unit in southern Canberra and found it had been burgled. Amongst the items nicked were our passports.

A quick check of the passport office website made it clear that we should report the loss ASAP or suffer penalties, so I rang their hotline.

I was greeted by a recorded message by what sounded like some Gen Z who was delighted to tell me that the office was closed for the holiday and that I should ring back on the next business day. Which was Tuesday.

As I waited to do that I was tempted to ring Border Force at Mascot and ask if I've left the country.

Mirk Quirk (Letters, March 31) summed up the federal opposition unflatteringly and correctly. He asked for whom the opposition intends to govern. I'll answer his question.

Opposition members would govern (in this priority order): first, in their own interest, secondly, in the interest of their party and thirdly, in the national interest.

Governing the first two is the powerful influence of political donors, prime among them not only the fossil fuel industry but also the gambling "industry", the mining industry and so on.

Corporate and other major donors expect a return on their "investment". The paid lobbyists in Canberra outnumber the politicians.

All of this is overlaid with a pervasive desire to avoid "transparency" (an odd term - it really should be "visibility") and accountability. These are loudly demanded by an opposition which, on becoming a government, quickly changes its tune.

What makes things worse is that all of the above are what drives the Labor government as well. Add to that its mortal fear of being wedged and its general timidity.

Strong fuel efficiency standards, anyone? The vehicle industry has had decades of notice. The government's cruel refugee policy and continuing approvals of fossil fuel projects are just Liberal-lite.

It is no wonder that, as Mark Kenny spells out in his article on March 31, voters are increasingly attracted to the Greens and to progressive independents. They are tending to reject the major parties.

Minority governments can be expected to be the norm.

I stood transfixed as the huge vehicle came towards me. Truly, it was attempting a U-turn in the Kippax car park with the aid of the vacant spot beside my neat little Honda. He clipped a curb but achieved his goal of a disabled space closer to the shops. Yes, he had the appropriate disabled card.

Our government, having decided that SUVs are okay, even cost-privileged, should surely enact lower and upper age limits, height, skill and fitness qualifications for special licences for these clumpy SUVs.

Pay attention politicians, these are not ordinary vehicles.

It's great to see so many Canberrans using public transport to get around on the weekend ("Weekend public transit demand grows", March 31).

We need more frequent weekend services to match this increased demand.

On Saturday evening, as I was catching an R6 back home, I passed an R2 heading from Fyshwick towards the city and Belconnen which was displaying the dreaded "bus full" message.

In my experience it's not uncommon for weekend evening R2 services to the city to be full to the brim of Fyshwick workers heading home.

I hope that as the election gets nearer, the Liberals will move beyond their fairly silly criticisms of light rail and put forward some thoughtful ideas about how we can address the issues in our bus system that the government has struggled to fix.

When can we expect our ambassador in Washington, Kevin Rudd, to be recalled by the Albanese government or posted elsewhere?

His comments about former president Donald Trump surely disqualify him from (effectively) representing our national interests in the USA.

That will certainly be the case when - not if - Trump wins the upcoming US election.

It's a pity Anne Willenborg (Letters, March 27) didn't educate herself about the current system of driver training before sounding off. We oldies often like to think things were better back in our youth but in this case it's simply not true.

While it's true that "mums and dads and whoever else train the next generation" it has ever been thus. The system now, however, is no less rigorous and may be even tougher than when I first obtained my licence.

Back then you took a written test, got your L-plates and, once you were 17 or older, booked an on road test. No driving lessons were mandated with qualified instructors and if you did well enough on the test you got your licence. One driver I know of didn't even have to reverse parallel park and so to this day still hasn't.

These days the written test is still the starting point. After that the learning process is time and competency based.

In Canberra the time element can be with any licenced driver and is an honesty based log book system. Time spent with approved instructors, however, counts for more towards the minimum hours required behind the wheel than that with "mum, dad or whoever else".

The competencies required to get a licence can only be checked off by an approved instructor, however, so new drivers have to prove their skills. And there's still a final practical test.

The problem of speeding drivers on our roads, be they L- or P-platers, or qualified drivers, is not the result of an easier passage to gaining a licence.

It is common to read that children as young as 10 are committing offences regularly in the belief that the law is not able to punish them. It seems as though the judicial system feels more sorry for the perpetrators than the victims.

During a recent trip through the Northern Territory and Western Australia, I experienced young kids (and young adults) hanging around in the streets in gangs and terrorising locals and visitors.

I was pretty worried about going to shops or restaurants after dark, even in large towns.

It is time to start making the parents of criminal children accountable for the actions of their offspring.

This could involve having the parents and offending kids attend "victims of crime" seminars conducted by local councils or police.

Another option would be for the parent to be fined. An even more dramatic response would be to out the parent and the kid in a jail cell for a couple of days to show juveniles where they will end up.

Something has to be done, and it should happen now. Not just when there is an election coming up.

Easter Sunday saw a sunrise church service at Lake Ginninderra. A lovely setting. Chocolate Easter eggs were scattered by trees and along the rear fence lines and at the gates of the dog parks. Okay you say? But chocolate is deadly to dogs. Did anyone check carefully that all of the eggs were removed before leaving?

I have always considered the use of foul language as an indicator of a poor upbringing and parenting, poor education and low intelligence. Women swearing is a real turn off for me. There I said it.

Ian Jannaway, Monash

Politicians taking two separate jets (20 minutes apart) to go to the same venue is not only a not good look, it is tantamount to an abuse of public funds. It's what you would expect from the rogue leaders of a Third-World banana republic.

Yes, we should be making solar panels in Australia. While others may be cheaper we know what can happen when you run with the low cost option. We should be aiming to make "made in Australia" a badge of pride.

Introducing floating saunas to Lake Burley Griffin represents conspicuous consumption's apogee, a phenomenon not compatible with "mother nature".

Someone needs to explain to Albo that if Australia were "the greatest country on Earth" we would've voted "yes" for the Voice.

Albert M White (Letters, April 2) is right to urge church leaders to demand our leaders fix the urgent problems facing many Australians. That said, religious leaders should be asking their God why he allows innocent believers to suffer horrifically and unnecessarily. Why is this happening, often in his name, in Ukraine, Gaza, Israel and other parts of our allegedly devout world.

I don't think it would be mean-spirited to strip Mike Pezzullo of his AO (Letters, April 2). Just because his misdemeanours were not unprecedented is not a valid excuse.

The good news for Labor's Barr is that kangaroos don't get a vote. The really bad news for kangaroos is that even if they did, come October there won't be enough of them around to make a difference. That'll show them who's in charge.

The Canberra Times stretched credibility to the limit in its attempts to plant April Fools' Day stories on readers. You didn't fool me with outlandish reports the ACT government will improve weekend bus services, has forward thinking plans for the Molonglo region, and has implemented effective new planning laws that will help build more public housing.