Canberra Times Letters to the Editor: Authorities can't see the forest for the flame-retardant trees

On inquiry they opined that it was "an invasive weed".

Professor Pryor's poplar plot at ANU is now a carpark, I wonder if the trees were saved?

The magnificent, sound, flame retardant grey poplars down by the lake were felled and poisoned by the authorities and the trees at Cotter Plots have been destroyed by horses.

So much for respect for foreign trees in this, a city made liveable by them.

Margot, I collected woodchips the day after the sole Pryor Aspen was destroyed and propagated babies.

You can have some, as I know you will research them sensibly.

P. A. Marshall, Braidwood

Ad-hoc planning

Yet another stumble in the city's planning regime ("Manuka plan quietly shelved", March 27, p1.).

When is our Government going to realise that the stop/start, "thought-bubble", ad-hoc, planning, that Andrew Barr has presided over for far too long, must end?

The Kingston Barton Residents group have every reason to be concerned by the Chief Minister's machinations regarding Manuka, these, on top of the frequent changes being made to the "City to the Lake" project; the extremely questionable land dealings involving both the former LDA and more recently appointed Suburban Land Agency; and the even more questionable Stage 2 tram; all demonstrate the urgent need for an overall Master Plan for Canberra drawn up by a properly established, independent planning body, totally free of political interference.

Canberrans are becoming disillusioned by the deterioration of their City due to ill-considered projects and inadequate infrastructure.

Murray Upton, Belconnen

Coal claims incorrect

Resources Minister Senator Matt Canavan thinks that the coal industry is a wonderful thing ("Minister hails coal as 'great and beautiful"', March 28, p. 11) and that view of the mining boom being over is wrong.

Ever since the mid-19th century, when coal began to be used in increasing amounts as a fuel, it has been also increasingly recognised as something of a bête noir because of the severe health risks that it poses to miners, and the smog, the grime, and the health problems in the wider population that it produces when burnt.

As for Minister Canavan's claim that the "mining boom is not over", the report cited above states that in 2015-2016 the mining industry contracted in all key indicators and that "sales and service income" declined by 11.4 per cent.

Minister Canavan has also previously claimed that Adani's Carmichael coal mine would generate about 10,000 jobs.

Adani's own expert witness, economist Jerome Fahrer testified before the Land Court of Queensland that the total number of jobs created would be 1464.

It seems to me that all of Senator Canavan's claims are entirely incorrect.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Bond in the frame

I'm so bored with people from the UK, the US, Europe and now Australia beating up on Russia about the apparent poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.

There has been no legal proceeding about this. The UK police have laid no charges. Nobody has been arrested.

There seems to be no prospect of a public trial at which evidence can be presented and weighed. In these circumstances, I am just as likely to assume that the UK secret services poisoned the Skripals as I am to assume that the Russians did.

The deaths of Mr Skripal and his daughter might provide a welcome distraction for a UK Government bogged down in what looks increasingly like embarrassing and unsuccessful Brexit negotiations.

That would be at least as good a reason for poisoning them as any reason the Russians might have, and in the absence of any evidence or public proceeding I'm entitled to believe it. So there's my reaction to all the drama — James Bond did it.

Gordon Soames, Curtin

Apology required

On Wednesday, in a televised interview, the Russian Ambassador in Canberra submitted himself to questioning on ABC 24 hours News.

Many of the journalists spoke in a most disparaging manner.

The Ambassador, on the other hand, spoke calmly and with almost paternal dignity, often with a pleasant smile on his face as journalists behaved in a most unprofessional and inappropriate manner.

One of these questions put to him was: "Can you imagine how stupid you sound when....".

He replied: "I never consider myself to be stupid".

That such behaviour would be allowed here is shocking and beyond the bounds of good journalism.

May that person apologise for the insult as most of us as listeners would wish.

I, and I am sure many other people, admire the manner of the gentleman's replies.

Renée Goossens, Turner

Mateship to blame

Ross Gittins just doesn't get it. He writes that cheating is to be expected since Australia has drifted so far from our earlier commitment to, among other things, mateship. ("Cheating part of our ethos", March 28, p.18).

The reverse is the case. Mateship is part of the problem, not the solution. Mateship with its connotations of a dominant form of masculinity, is rife in Australian institutions from religious organisations to sporting clubs.

To get on, one has to be "one of the boys". Take the particular case in point – the scandal is down to three mates who decided to cheat and hang the rest of the team (even though they will most likely bear the consequences, certainly with question marks over their character).

Paul Kringas, Giralang

Joyce's pork roll

By exiling the APVMA to his dispiriting electorate, Barnaby Joyce has managed to pork barrel outrageously, but also predictably to ensure that such an execrable activity — regulation — will be impaired and minimised by huge staff resignations. Bravo!

Alex Mattea, Kingston

We are left diminished

Like millions of Australians waking up last Sunday morning, I listened to with disbelief to the news from Cape Town that Australia's cricket team had been caught cheating trying to alter the state of the ball to gain advantage for its bowlers.

Your correspondent Malcolm Knox's analysis ("Arrogance rewarded just led to more arrogance" CT March 27, p.8-9) rightly places the events in Cape Town into a broader context.

The ball tampering incident did not occur out of the blue. It was a product of an overriding conceited "winner take all" mentality and hubris that has pervaded not just Australian cricket but has infected the game around the world.

A symptom of the malady has been the use of sledging by teams which has developed into a form of bullying, both on and off the field.

The events in Cape Town leave us all diminished — not only the Australian captain, Steve Smith and his team but the game of cricket itself and all those who follow it. Not to mention ourselves as a nation. We can only hope that some good will come of this scandal and a pride in the game, a love of playing it at Test match level and a demonstrated respect for one's opponents will reassert itself.

Until such time, we cannot use the term "it's not cricket" to express our disapproval of misconduct in sport or in other fields of endeavour.

Jonathan Hayes, Hughes

Raise the standard

We need to live by the standard of Adam Gilchrist who walked when he knew he was out.

That the cricket hierarchy doesn't appreciate the implications of cheating and didn't know what to do instantly, shows what the culture in Australia has become.

External forces need to ban Australia from all international cricket for a year; but at least we can say a man wasn't killed by playing the man instead of the Game, that an unsportsmanlike bouncer wasn't bowled on this occasion and downed a man.

This is the moment when Australia needs to take a hard look at itself: we have become a nation when cheating is fine if you win and profit; that to bump an injured player on a footy field is considered clever and part of the game.

Off the field the poor standard set by those on the field becomes the example and standard, in business.

We need to play the Game as we like to think of ourselves as Australians: the Game Standard for Australia must become that of sportsmen like Gilchrist, and Olympian John Landy who stopped to help a fallen runner, Ron Clarke in 1956: a finer thing than winning at anything.

Mr Smith deserves some respect for volunteering the truth and taking some blame.

John Dobinson, Herston, Qld

Time for reflection

Rudyard Kipling's poem, If, is interspersed with pearls of wisdom. Our deposed cricket captain, Steve Smith, could well take heed of the poem's last two stanzas:

"If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With 60 seconds' worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,

And—which is more—you'll be a Man, my son!"

Adrian van Leest, Campbell

Not the darkest of days

The moral panic and, dare I say it, gross overreaction to a young sportsman scratching a cricket ball has me scratching what remains of my hair.

In a world where real tragedies are occurring — West Papua, Syria, South Sudan, Yemen, South Africa, the list goes on — it is strange that so much attention, so much over the top blame game and media attention has been given to a minor infringement of the rules, an act of gamesmanship that has been common in the sport in question since the sports' earliest days. To call this storm in a cricket cup the darkest day in Australian sport is nonsense — have people forgotten the day ridiculous and false charges were laid against Essendon Football Club?

The events of that day led to a miscarriage of justice that has yet to be righted!

Dr Bill Anderson, Surrey Hills, Vic

Chance for redemption

On Good Friday there were two Passion "plays" proclaimed throughout the world: The Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ According to John, and The Passion of Our Lauded Cricket Captain According to Us.

One just hopes that the baying mob doesn't do to our captain what it did to the young Jewish carpenter.

Mr Smith has made a terrible mistake and must accept the consequences of his actions, but let us not crucify him.

Indeed, hopefully this second Passion "play" will also have a good ending: the redemption of an inherently decent young man from a dark place.

Fr Peter Day, Queanbeyan, NSW

Regular income required

I read "On-demand workers key for APS" (canberratimes.com.au, March 27) and was left flabbergasted.

According to Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd it is a misconception "that contingent work is neither desired nor beneficial".

There's already plenty of non-full time work around. Most people do not want it. There are no contingent mortgages, leases or HECS repayments. People need predictable regular income. I am sure that you have a permanent position with generous superannuation, sick leave and annual holiday leave, not to mention a salary at least 10 times as much as average weekly earnings. I doubt whether you would trade your current conditions for those you aim to impose on others. Or perhaps you are so out of touch that you cannot understand the tragic implications of what you propose.

Pauline Westwood, Dickson

TO THE POINT

DUE A DOWNGRADE?

When Steve Smith was sent home as an ex-captain and probably ex-player did he fly first class or cattle class?

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill, Vic

TALE OF THE TAPE

Let's hope that the Australian cricketers get their just desserts: sticky-tape pudding, perhaps. When they return should they receive a ticker-tape, or a sticky-tape, parade?

David Hunt, Watson

AIDING THE SWINGERS

After viewing the footage of Cameron Bancroft with his hands down his jocks, there is absolutely no doubt that there was ball tampering going on. The question is, which one?

Alex Wallensky, Broulee, NSW

THINK OF THE END GAME

In my navy days I used to caution my young officers to think twice before making decisions outside the rules; I asked them if they would still make that decision if they might find themselves being court-martialed six months later?

Norman Lee, Weston

POLISH UP THE RULES

The issue of ball tampering has been around for a long time. Easy solution. The ball must be returned to the bowler without any action on the ball by any other player . The bowler can then shine or do whatever is legally allowed to the ball. Might delay the game a little, but will certainly improve the integrity of the game. Over to you the ICC, but not expecting any action in my lifetime.

Bruce Phillips, Watson

ABBOTT'S NEW LOW

Abbott launches Hanson's book, he really has hit rock bottom. Perhaps a splinter party is in the offing, One Notion.

Linus Cole, Palmerston

PM NEEDS REVERSE

With opinion polls putting the Prime Minister at close to 30 not out, he needs to polish them up and hope they'll swing the other way.

Philip Telford, Tarago, NSW

BE A DUTCH DOUBLE

Want to get more Canberrans cycling? Look to the Amsterdam model, where all major thoroughfares have separated bike lanes. Cyclists want the fastest route — like all commuters — and don't want to be hit by a car in the process.

Danny Corvini, Deakin

JUSTICE FOR ALL

This is the eighth time since 2009 I have protested against those accused of rape being publicly named before conviction. Come on MLAs where is your sense of justice?

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

INTERESTING TIMES

Not happy with making the country stand still as the cricket storm in a teacup took centre stage, we now have Pauline Hanson approaching Tony Abbott to launch her book. What will happen next?

D. J. Fraser, Currumbin, Qld

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