Letters to the Editor: A sick and ailing state of affairs

This flies in the face of the fact that the hospital risks losing it's accreditation shortly unless it lifts its game.

The Canberra Hospital lurches from crisis to crises, with the government running interference and spinning stories for users of the services.

It's time that a wide-ranging independent inquiry shone a bright light on the administration of the Canberra Hospital, from the Minister down.

The people of Canberra and their carers deserve better than this.

Bruce Tunks, Kambah

False economy

Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison is so confident that he will deliver a budget surplus in 2020-21 that he has started giving away money in anticipation ("Turnbull Government to scrap $8billion Medicare levy increase", April 26, page 1).

It's a bit like a family rushing out to buy a new BMW because they hope to pay off their mortgage in a few years' time. I think I've heard this tune before.

God advised Joseph to put aside surplus grain in the seven fat years to prepare for the seven lean years. Howard/Costello had a different plan. They thought the mining boom-fuelled prosperity of the noughties would last forever and locked Australia into unsustainable giveaways to real estate speculators and superannuation rorters.

When the post-GST lean years arrived there was no grain in the silo.

Budget repair became Abbott/Hockey's by-word with the promised surplus deferred from "our first term", to 2017-18, and currently 2020-21.

Now, it appears, budget repair is out of fashion and spending like a drunken sailor is back in style. Turnbull/Morrison should pay off the mortgage and make sure the house is in good order before buying that BMW.

Mike Reddy, Curtin

The war on animals

This week Australians reflected with sadness on the deaths of the 8709 Aussie soldiers who were killed at Gallipoli in 1915.

Thankfully, that war came to an end – but there is another war that seems to be never ending. At this moment a ship is headed to Turkey with 82,000 Australian sheep and cattle on board.

Unlike the Aussies who fought in Turkey, none will escape alive. Their deaths will be brutal, agonising and terrifying.

These animals have done absolutely nothing to deserve this cruel fate. But neither have any of the animals we routinely slaughter in our own killing factories.

As far back as 500 BC the renowned Greek philosopher Pythagoras famously said,"As long as man continues to be the ruthless destroyer of lower living beings, he will never know health or peace. For as long as men massacre animals, they will kill each other. Indeed, he who sows the seed of murder and pain cannot reap joy and love."

Isn't it time we ended our war on animals?

Jenny Moxham, Monbulk, Vic

Help vets, not AWM

Defence personnel, dressed in full uniform, were raising funds for the under-funded non-profit, Soldier On in our shopping centres this past week.

It is a shameful disgrace that we have the likes of Brendan Nelson asking for $500million to expand his War Memorial, when the very people it is supposed to honour and pay tribute to are forced to beg in public for funds to help support those we have asked to risk their lives overseas and in vain.

It would seem sensible that $50million of federal funds a year donated to Soldier On would create a worthy living tribute rather than Brendan's bricks and mortar memorial to political ineptitude.

Gerry Gillespie, Queanbeyan

City being stifled

Oh that's just great. Stick a bunch of dull economists in a room and the best they can come up with is to pump the economy with immigration ("Treasury Home Affairs analysis shows immigration benefits" canberratimes.com.au, April 17).

Too bad they didn't ask us because we're watching our cities submerging under hideous concrete boxes, towering vertical slums and the landscape plastered with roads. Meanwhile hospitals, schools and other public services are struggling to keep up. Awesome.

I'm not that old but in my lifetime I've seen Canberra bloat from a large country town into yet another overstuffed city with traffic lights and apartment blocks.

Watch the graphs guys, it's called compound interest. Exponential growth sucking the life out of a finite system. Fail, resubmit.

A. R. Taylor, Giralang

US not our saviour

In response to Michael Collins "US our World War II Saviour" (Letters, April 12) can l say speaking Japanese would be better than what we do now – which is speak American.

And we would not have got involved in wars (some illegal) that had nothing to with us, and the Japanese at least would know where we are.

And we would not be chasing Americans as the fattest people in the world.

How did the US help us in World War II?

When the Japanese came very close to our border on the Kokoda Track not one American ever put foot on the track.

Australians did it all themselves.

Geoff Barker, Flynn

Flight to obsolescence

With the latest delay in delivery of the RAAF J-35 Strike Fighter it will be obsolete by the time we get it.

I question, like Canada, why in 2018 we are investing in a manned fighter when drones and missiles can now defend Australia better from the air and cheaply too.

Sure we need aircrew for cargo and troop carrying aeroplanes and helicopters still.

One hundred and fifty years ago the Royal Navy thought steam would not replace sail, while 100 years ago some said tanks would not replace horse cavalry.

The "Col Blimps" in the RAAF and the civilians in suits in Canberra need to move into the 21st century.

Adrian Jackson, Infantry Officer 1972-95, Middle Park, Vic

Forget Bean, honour Cunningham

Instead of "Bean" for the name of the new ACT electorate I propose "Andy Cunningham" as a far more authentic personification of the district.

C. E. W. Bean, Bathurst-born, Oxford-educated, lived at Tuggeranong homestead for only five and a half years (from 1919 to 1925).

While there he began work on his 12-volume Official History of Australia In the War of 1914-1918 and initiated the campaign for the establishment of the Australian War Memorial.

These books, and the AWM, stand as acknowledged to both their primary subject and to the man himself.

By contrast, the unmemorialised Andrew Twynham Cunningham was born in Queanbeyan in 1891.

Apart from time away at school and university and four years of spectacularly decorated service in World War I at Gallipoli and in the desert, where he won the Military Cross in 1917, he spent his entire life in what is now the southern ACT.

He embodied the unexpurgated version of Bean's idealised Aussie bush soldier.

He was a natural soldier who spent time as a captain under Michelago's General Ryrie, a sportsman, fighter, lover, gambler, drunk, brawler, racist, poor land manager and light-plane daredevil.

He was, in short, the real deal, ticking all the boxes, good and bad.

In preferring "Andy Cunningham" (in the manner of Gungahlin Street names such as Clarrie Hermes Drive and Joy Cummings Place over "Bean" we would be celebrating the true mongrel nature of the southern ACT.

Chris Bettle, Campbell

Monash not a 'hero'

Shields and Crowe (Letters, April 18) state Monash was "one of Australia's greatest war heroes". A war hero is someone recognised for outstanding bravery on the field of battle. In his rise through the ranks Monash was Mentioned in Dispatches. There were many recipients of higher bravery awards. Monash was not a significant military hero. Let's not debase the English language further.

John Maclean, Weetangera

RSL failed veterans

Having attended the Canberra Anzac Day March on April 25 I make the following comments on the first-class disorganisation which placed veterans as second-class citizens:

1. Veterans were instructed to form up on Anzac Parade at 10am for a march due to commence at 10.30am. Veterans complied. We were then forced to wait for more than an hour before there was any semblance of a march commencing.

There was no information provided as to the reason for the delay. There were no programs issued to advise the format. There was no water provided to those waiting patiently in the heat. In effect, we were a nuisance in the larger scheme of things.

2. The highlight of the Anzac Day remembrance was to be a reflection by an original Rat of Tobruk, Robert Semple, of his experiences, delivered to veterans. Unfortunately, the veterans were denied the privilege of hearing Mr Semple. We were kept well away while he addressed the VIPs and guests. Extraordinary.

3. Once the march was completed, the veterans were ushered to seating that was impossibly close together and structured in such a way as to deny veterans the view of the proceedings.

The temperature rose which made the squashed veterans most uncomfortable. There was, again, no water available (unlike other years) until well after the commemorative address by Kim Beazley.

4. It was impossible for those viewing the parade from the grassy banks to understand what was being said due to a lack of volume and "feedback" issues from the PA system.

In all my years of attending the Anzac march, I have not experienced such chaos, resulting in ignominy and lack of respect to veterans.

The RSL exists to support and represent veterans. This year, the RSL failed its mission.

Brian Hewitt, Vietnam 1969-70; Rhodesia 1979-80, Weetangera

Lack of consideration

I would like to make some comments regarding the Anzac Day march here in Canberra.

Seating was plentiful and well positioned. Indeed, my seat, directly behind the VIPs could not have been better, and the War Memorial organisation and staff were, as always, professional and well organised.

However, the organisation of the march itself and the overall event can best be described as lacking in professionalism and, at worst, shambolic.

My comments in no way reflect on the marchers who conducted themselves with decorum and pride, even though there were some who seemed to be unsure what line to take when approaching the saluting dais.

This may have been due to poor marshalling or possibly the effects of having stood around from "10.30 form-up for a 10.50 march off" until almost 11.30 before the march moved off.

Perhaps next year the RSL can arrange for a march commentator who can either read his script properly or actually has some knowledge of the ADF and its units.

This year's commentator seemed to have considerable trouble in this regard.

While the rest of Australia may have been celebrating women in the forces, and there were a number of excellent contingents in the Canberra march, their presence garnered barely a mention in the commentary.

The order of ceremony also left something to be desired. I'm sure that many of the Diggers would have appreciated both the didgeridoo playing of Wing Commander Lilley and the reflections of Robert Semple, and not simply because it would have avoided them standing around waiting to march on for so long.

I could go on but I just feel that, given the position of eminence the RSL hierarchy place themselves in regarding the welfare of returned servicemen and their families, the importance we all place upon Anzac Day itself as a day of remembrance and contemplation, and the heartfelt contemplations on the theme of Anzac by all the speakers, the effort in Canberra was marred by a lack of consideration of all those central to the day.

Penny Bowen, Chisholm

Changed conditions a classic fail

The changed conditions for the 10.30 service at the Australian War Memorial were a classic fail: the seating for the marchers was such that only the front rows would have an uninterrupted view of the proceedings.

I was towards the rear of the marchers' seats and about in the centre of the row but I was not able to see anything. The television screens were only visible when the persons blocking my view moved. The amplification was woeful; Kerry Stokes' reading of the Creed could not be heard.

I realise that the previous tiered seating was unstable so, perhaps, the Memorial should consider grassed terraces for the marchers' seats.

Ken McPhan, Spence

TO THE POINT

MORE PAY ANYONE?

Back to the Howard/Costello method for relieving the pain of stagnant wages; tax cuts and middle class welfare.

I take it as an admission that the Coalition isn't anticipating any positive wage movement any time soon.

S. W. Davey, Torrens

STRONG REMINDER

How sad and degrading it was to see the incumbent Liberal/National party being dragged kicking and screaming to the correct decision of calling for a royal commission into banks and financial institutions. Given the outcome to date it is a strong reminder to all politicians to remember they are elected to work for the good of the whole nation and to honestly represent their electorate & the citizens of Australia. There was a glimmer of hope for Australians to see that at least one had the guts to openly admit that he was wrong, thanks Barnaby, any others out there?

Martin Ryan, Duffy

REMEMBERING THE FALLEN

Thank-you Gavin O'Brien for your letter published on 27 April about why you marched on Anzac Day. Very poignant and beautifully written, capturing the essence of why – and what – we all should remember on Anzac Day. It is a real shame that so much of today's Anzac Day commemorations have been hijacked and have little to do with remembering the fallen.

Don Sephton, Greenway

CALLING TRUMPS

Who gets the credit if peace breaks out in Korea? I'm sure we'll all be Trumped on this one.

N. Ellis, Belconnen

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