comment,

We are now approaching D-Day for West Basin and it is time to set the record straight. Walter Burley Griffin designed a lake surrounded by park lands that was finally constructed in the 1960s by Menzies' NCDC. The construction retained the Griffins' well-balanced arrangement of three central basins but adjusted the lake's delineation in several areas, including all three basins, to respect natural contours and have decent water flow. Sections of the lake and parklands were reserved for public recreation while the central basin captured the monumentality of the national capital. Landscape and vistas were critical in all of the 20th century Canberra planning until ACT self-government. Following the formation of the ACT Territory Government a development push erupted that turned the heads of both Federal and ACT politicians. Government planners followed the instructions of their politicians to sell and develop over Canberra's best and most beautifully designed lake-landscape asset. Yes Minister-style bureaucrats distorted the historic planning by the Griffins' and the NCDC, and continually besmirch heritage values with exaggerated spin. West Basin's distinctive horseshoe shape is to be changed to something akin to a fat tadpole half the size of east basin. Vistas will be lost, as well as public parkland. Lake Burley Griffin, and its parklands, have national significance. They should be protected for future generations. Yet our present governments have triumphantly accepted lake destruction in exchange for dollars in the kitty. There is now no end to this unfortunate future for the lake and the parklands. Recent reports indicate the Fyshwick Recycling Centre will accept mixed waste of unknown content and unknown origin. Apparently, after sorting and separating, the residual 80 per cent of the waste received goes to Veolia Woodlawn landfill 70km away in NSW. This is at the cost of Mugga Lane, established ACT recycling facilities, and all ACT ratepayers. The transfer terminal has the capacity to handle 400,000 tonnes of waste per year, most probably sourced from across the border. Waste to Energy incineration at Ipswich St is to be the second Environmental Impact Statement to come, as was noted in the application to government for this first one. The new Australian Made symbol, supposedly wattle with AU in the middle is not a decent representation for the country. The image looks nothing like wattle (it has been compared to a coronavirus) and AU could mean Australia or Austria. And apparently it took years and millions of dollars to come up with this unrealistic image. The stylised kangaroo used on products is known worldwide and is easily recognised as being Australian. There is no need to include "AU". The flying kangaroo on Qantas jets identifies them as Australian. If the symbol needed to be changed, which it didn't, the community should have been consulted, a competition run, and businesses that already use the stylised kangaroo asked for input. The kangaroo is Australian as they come, leave it alone. Re: "Poor uptake of government's affordable housing" (June 27, p 4). This is not at all surprising given that most of the one and two-bedroom dwellings have not been any more affordable than similar dwellings available commercially. Why on earth would you bother with the government's scheme? The best thing the government could do would be to make land more affordable than is currently the case. The prices are ridiculous in the Molonglo Valley. Families particularly are looking for three and four-bedroom homes. If land prices were more reasonable a lot of families would be using the Federal government's $25,000 and building a house. Re: "No Corona virus detected in Canberra sewage for the month of May" (canberratimes.com.au, July 6). "While June's sewage results are still pending, Dr Lal said researchers had a high degree of confidence no coronavirus would be present in samples". What great news. But is Dr Lal saying it will not detect the known case of COVID-19 in a foreign diplomat who flew into Canberra early June and was allowed to quarantine at his home in Weston Creek? If the testing picks up on this known case I will have much more confidence in this type of community virus detection. Until then I remain cautiously optimistic. Note to ACT MLAs: When you have finished bickering about what you may, and may not, put on your social media ("Liberal MLA suspended over TikTok video gaffe", July 3, p3) you might like to remind yourselves that the taxpayers of the ACT pay you handsomely to do meaningful work. An MLA's base salary is $168,492, about twice average weekly earnings. If you are short of meaningful work, on any day you have more than enough reason to repeal the unit-title surcharges and refund the moneys wrongly taken through their application. When you are finished with that there are serious problems identified in the 2012 Quinlan report on ACT taxes that remain unaddressed or have been made worse. A big thank you to the wonderful people who helped me on Monday when I smashed my head on the pavement as I fell at Hughes shops. Despite the bitter cold, people covered me with their jackets and scarves until an ambulance arrived. The hospital too, took very good care of me. Lots of tests. Head, heart and hips. All okay. I was discharged at 4pm. Thank you everybody. I hope that all states and territories are busy drafting clear communications and translating them into dozens of languages in anticipation of the many possible scenarios that this epidemic may throw up. As COVID-19 cuts a swathe through our normal lives, we cannot add to the misery of people by not communicating with them in an appropriate and timely manner. It does not surprise me that the planning authority took 503 days to make a wrong decision ("Fight, you might win," Letters, 8 July). Eight years ago it amended the Territory Plan. It claimed that it did not need to consult with the minister because it had "merely relocated provisions". The authority apparently did not realise that Ben Ponton had already placed on record, in Notifiable Instrument 2012-622, that the amendment also created new codes, and added 127 new "precinct maps". For over six years it has maintained its cover-up, consistently refusing to correct its false claim. Greg Cornwell (Letters, July 9), was shocked at pictures of the 3000-population high-rise public housing "ghettos" in Melbourne. The problems stem from a chronic under-funding of public housing over the last 50 years which has resulted in public housing progressively become welfare housing. Consideration should be given to redirecting the capital gains tax and negative gearing concessions, effectively middle-class welfare, to the construction of social housing. We have just received the latest (June 2020) edition of "Our CBR" that includes the usual "message from the Chief Minister". In it, Mr Barr states that there has been support for households which included a $150 rates rebate and the freezing of a range of Government fees and charges, which is on top of failing electricity prices due to the Government's investments in renewables. Is this the same as the failing petrol price watch in the ACT that our Chief Minister promised months ago, or were they both just "typos"? Rory McElligott (Letters, July 9, asks what has happened to the subs that were supposed to be built locally . Someone must have seen the light, as our previous experience in building the Collins class subs here proved to be an unmitigated disaster, and we ended up with submersible white elephants. Subs are the last thing Australia needs, but if we have to have them we should at least ensure that they are fit for purpose using proven technology. Once bitten, twice shy. As an older Canberran, and one whose father and grandfather were both policemen, I hope the AFP will now be permitted to scrutinize self isolation and general public compliance to the level that should have been taken. So far I have felt that the police have been muzzled by an unseen "body". I was astonished to hear Queensland police are concerned Victorian holiday makers may be smuggled across the border in the backs of trucks. Then I realised, that's where Peter Dutton lives and then it all made sense. Stop the trucks. Mate against mate, State against State. How quickly we all turn on each other during a crisis. People who think they may have COVID-19 get tested. Then they go travelling interstate anyway. Why? Come on everyone, use your commonsense. I'm looking at you, Victorians. While I have despaired about the way our Chief Minister has encouraged the systematic destruction of the ethos of our city since he came to power, I can only applaud the way he has stubbornly protected the health of the ACT community during the COVID-19 crisis. He has my full support for the way he puts the health of our citizens above all other priorities. Politicians behave too badly in Parliament to be considered essential workers. Don't let them into the ACT from Victoria. They can Zoom instead. We might get less posturing, Dorothy Dixers, and other time wasting and facetious "debate". The world is different now. Let's hope they get the memo and stay home. Since early on Wednesday morning a handsome young kangaroo, sadly deceased, lay undisturbed in a park quite near where I live. Who says the bush capital no longer exists? Where will the world find solace in the present pandemic if it loses the security blanket of being able to claim the Spanish flu outbreak was worse? The number of people expressing surprise, and complaining about lack of notice about lockdown actions, suggests many Australians must live under a stone. John Mellors (Letters, July 7) asks: "Will today's ACT Liberals ever wake up to what it takes to win an election in the ACT?" Not while the hard right, led by Senator Zed Seselja controls the party in Canberra. The government's priorities are with the wealthy. The mooted GST increase will impact food, health and education costs. The stamp duty reduction is apparently tax relief for the wealthy funded by the strugglers. Who votes for these people. Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attachment. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610. Keep your letter to 250 or fewer words. References to The Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).

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We are now approaching D-Day for West Basin and it is time to set the record straight.

Walter Burley Griffin designed a lake surrounded by park lands that was finally constructed in the 1960s by Menzies' NCDC.

The construction retained the Griffins' well-balanced arrangement of three central basins but adjusted the lake's delineation in several areas, including all three basins, to respect natural contours and have decent water flow.

Sections of the lake and parklands were reserved for public recreation while the central basin captured the monumentality of the national capital.

Landscape and vistas were critical in all of the 20th century Canberra planning until ACT self-government.

Following the formation of the ACT Territory Government a development push erupted that turned the heads of both Federal and ACT politicians.

Government planners followed the instructions of their politicians to sell and develop over Canberra's best and most beautifully designed lake-landscape asset.

Yes Minister-style bureaucrats distorted the historic planning by the Griffins' and the NCDC, and continually besmirch heritage values with exaggerated spin.

West Basin's distinctive horseshoe shape is to be changed to something akin to a fat tadpole half the size of east basin. Vistas will be lost, as well as public parkland.

Lake Burley Griffin, and its parklands, have national significance. They should be protected for future generations.

Yet our present governments have triumphantly accepted lake destruction in exchange for dollars in the kitty.

There is now no end to this unfortunate future for the lake and the parklands.

Juliet Ramsay, Moruya, NSW

Recent reports indicate the Fyshwick Recycling Centre will accept mixed waste of unknown content and unknown origin.

Apparently, after sorting and separating, the residual 80 per cent of the waste received goes to Veolia Woodlawn landfill 70km away in NSW.

This is at the cost of Mugga Lane, established ACT recycling facilities, and all ACT ratepayers.

The transfer terminal has the capacity to handle 400,000 tonnes of waste per year, most probably sourced from across the border.

Waste to Energy incineration at Ipswich St is to be the second Environmental Impact Statement to come, as was noted in the application to government for this first one.

The new Australian Made symbol, supposedly wattle with AU in the middle is not a decent representation for the country.

The image looks nothing like wattle (it has been compared to a coronavirus) and AU could mean Australia or Austria. And apparently it took years and millions of dollars to come up with this unrealistic image.

The stylised kangaroo used on products is known worldwide and is easily recognised as being Australian.

There is no need to include "AU".

The flying kangaroo on Qantas jets identifies them as Australian.

If the symbol needed to be changed, which it didn't, the community should have been consulted, a competition run, and businesses that already use the stylised kangaroo asked for input.

The kangaroo is Australian as they come, leave it alone.

Alan Leitch, Austins Ferry

Re: "Poor uptake of government's affordable housing" (June 27, p 4). This is not at all surprising given that most of the one and two-bedroom dwellings have not been any more affordable than similar dwellings available commercially. Why on earth would you bother with the government's scheme? The best thing the government could do would be to make land more affordable than is currently the case. The prices are ridiculous in the Molonglo Valley. Families particularly are looking for three and four-bedroom homes. If land prices were more reasonable a lot of families would be using the Federal government's $25,000 and building a house.

Re: "No Corona virus detected in Canberra sewage for the month of May" (canberratimes.com.au, July 6). "While June's sewage results are still pending, Dr Lal said researchers had a high degree of confidence no coronavirus would be present in samples".

What great news. But is Dr Lal saying it will not detect the known case of COVID-19 in a foreign diplomat who flew into Canberra early June and was allowed to quarantine at his home in Weston Creek?

If the testing picks up on this known case I will have much more confidence in this type of community virus detection. Until then I remain cautiously optimistic.

Note to ACT MLAs: When you have finished bickering about what you may, and may not, put on your social media ("Liberal MLA suspended over TikTok video gaffe", July 3, p3) you might like to remind yourselves that the taxpayers of the ACT pay you handsomely to do meaningful work.

An MLA's base salary is $168,492, about twice average weekly earnings.

If you are short of meaningful work, on any day you have more than enough reason to repeal the unit-title surcharges and refund the moneys wrongly taken through their application. When you are finished with that there are serious problems identified in the 2012 Quinlan report on ACT taxes that remain unaddressed or have been made worse.

A big thank you to the wonderful people who helped me on Monday when I smashed my head on the pavement as I fell at Hughes shops. Despite the bitter cold, people covered me with their jackets and scarves until an ambulance arrived.

The hospital too, took very good care of me. Lots of tests. Head, heart and hips. All okay. I was discharged at 4pm. Thank you everybody.

I hope that all states and territories are busy drafting clear communications and translating them into dozens of languages in anticipation of the many possible scenarios that this epidemic may throw up.

As COVID-19 cuts a swathe through our normal lives, we cannot add to the misery of people by not communicating with them in an appropriate and timely manner.

Beatrice Barnett, Ainslie

It does not surprise me that the planning authority took 503 days to make a wrong decision ("Fight, you might win," Letters, 8 July).

Eight years ago it amended the Territory Plan. It claimed that it did not need to consult with the minister because it had "merely relocated provisions". The authority apparently did not realise that Ben Ponton had already placed on record, in Notifiable Instrument 2012-622, that the amendment also created new codes, and added 127 new "precinct maps". For over six years it has maintained its cover-up, consistently refusing to correct its false claim.

Greg Cornwell (Letters, July 9), was shocked at pictures of the 3000-population high-rise public housing "ghettos" in Melbourne. The problems stem from a chronic under-funding of public housing over the last 50 years which has resulted in public housing progressively become welfare housing.

Consideration should be given to redirecting the capital gains tax and negative gearing concessions, effectively middle-class welfare, to the construction of social housing.

We have just received the latest (June 2020) edition of "Our CBR" that includes the usual "message from the Chief Minister". In it, Mr Barr states that there has been support for households which included a $150 rates rebate and the freezing of a range of Government fees and charges, which is on top of failing electricity prices due to the Government's investments in renewables.

Is this the same as the failing petrol price watch in the ACT that our Chief Minister promised months ago, or were they both just "typos"?

Rory McElligott (Letters, July 9, asks what has happened to the subs that were supposed to be built locally . Someone must have seen the light, as our previous experience in building the Collins class subs here proved to be an unmitigated disaster, and we ended up with submersible white elephants. Subs are the last thing Australia needs, but if we have to have them we should at least ensure that they are fit for purpose using proven technology. Once bitten, twice shy.

Mario Stivala,Belconnen

As an older Canberran, and one whose father and grandfather were both policemen, I hope the AFP will now be permitted to scrutinize self isolation and general public compliance to the level that should have been taken. So far I have felt that the police have been muzzled by an unseen "body".

I was astonished to hear Queensland police are concerned Victorian holiday makers may be smuggled across the border in the backs of trucks. Then I realised, that's where Peter Dutton lives and then it all made sense. Stop the trucks. Mate against mate, State against State. How quickly we all turn on each other during a crisis.

John Panneman, Jerrabomberra, NSW

People who think they may have COVID-19 get tested. Then they go travelling interstate anyway. Why? Come on everyone, use your commonsense. I'm looking at you, Victorians.

While I have despaired about the way our Chief Minister has encouraged the systematic destruction of the ethos of our city since he came to power, I can only applaud the way he has stubbornly protected the health of the ACT community during the COVID-19 crisis. He has my full support for the way he puts the health of our citizens above all other priorities.

Politicians behave too badly in Parliament to be considered essential workers. Don't let them into the ACT from Victoria. They can Zoom instead. We might get less posturing, Dorothy Dixers, and other time wasting and facetious "debate". The world is different now. Let's hope they get the memo and stay home.

Stella Stevens, Belconnen

Since early on Wednesday morning a handsome young kangaroo, sadly deceased, lay undisturbed in a park quite near where I live. Who says the bush capital no longer exists?

Where will the world find solace in the present pandemic if it loses the security blanket of being able to claim the Spanish flu outbreak was worse?

M. F. Horton, Adelaide, SA

The number of people expressing surprise, and complaining about lack of notice about lockdown actions, suggests many Australians must live under a stone.

Roger Quarterman, Campbell

John Mellors (Letters, July 7) asks: "Will today's ACT Liberals ever wake up to what it takes to win an election in the ACT?" Not while the hard right, led by Senator Zed Seselja controls the party in Canberra.

The government's priorities are with the wealthy. The mooted GST increase will impact food, health and education costs. The stamp duty reduction is apparently tax relief for the wealthy funded by the strugglers. Who votes for these people.

Laurelle Atkinson, St Helens, Tas

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attachment. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 or fewer words. References to The Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).

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The end is now in sight for the fight to preserve west basin - The Canberra Times