Crematorium an environmental issue

Canberrans might not be aware that the ACT Government has recently approved a crematorium to be built on the corner of Mugga and Narrabundah Lanes (opposite Domestic Dog Services), Symonston.

Crematoria have been identified as sources of various environmental pollutants. Cremation releases harmful gases like mercury and dioxin. And the energy needed for one single cremation is the equivalent of the power an average person uses for an entire month.

Nevertheless, the people who live in the surrounding suburbs can rest easy because ACT Health has raised no concerns about the bad odour of smoke that will be emitted from the furnace.

In addition to the environmental issues, 15 trees used for foraging by the Swift Parrot may be removed or damaged during construction. As well as this, the development will further fragment the habitat of the wildlife who live in Callum Brae, Mt Mugga Mugga and Isaacs Ridge Nature Reserves.

Can Canberrans really accept the assurances of the ACT Government when they state, “the development is not considered to impact on the climate to warrant refusal …”.

• Robyn Soxsmith, Kambah

World Kangaroo Day 

Australians should be proud to celebrate World Kangaroo Day on Tuesday 24 October. The Kangaroo has inhabited the Australian continent for over 20 million years and has always been an integral part of our unique ecosystem.

Kangaroos are often referred to as Australia’s gardeners as they have co-evolved with our native flora and fauna. Their light weighted bodies and sharp nails turn over the soil, keeping it aerated, while dispersing the seeds of native grasses and fertilising the land. Kangaroos help maintain open pastures, increase biodiversity and reduce fuel for fires. 

On World Kangaroo Day, I for one will be toasting this precious and invaluable native Australian animal.  

• Peter Johnson, Kingston 

Price for PM a fanciful idea

Bill Stefaniak congratulates “the No organisers” for the decisive defeat of the Yes case in the Voice to Parliament referendum (CW19 October). He then proceeds to praise the “basically civilised campaign” and acknowledge that we need to listen to the concerns and ideas of First Nations people on how to improve their lot. So far so good.

Mr Stefaniak then spoils it all by also praising Senator Jacinta Namapijinta Price, who showed that she was determined that the Voice will never be heard. He goes on to opine that the Senator “can go right to the top”, a fanciful idea if ever there was.

Can any readers of Canberra Weekly see Jacinta Namapijinta Price as Australia’s prime minister?

• Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Renewables not so good

Douglas Mackenzie (CW letters, 19 October) should have looked a bit longer and harder when he googled timeline of nuclear reactors. The first site he may have seen was the one he referred to when he paraphrased the line that modern plants last for 40 to 60 years. I know he will be disappointed but the next site to come up was the Department of Energy that stated 88 of America’s 92 reactors have received approval of their first 20-year extension. 

Twenty reactors, representing more than a fifth of the nation’s fleet, are planning to operate up to 80 years. More are expected to in the future. According to recent figures, the average human lifespan is around 80 years. This is an average “lifetime”. America has the largest fleet of reactors in the world and nuclear makes up more than half of the nation’s clean energy. It operates at full power more than 92 per cent of the time which is a lot more than I can say for renewables such as solar and wind that operate at around 30 per cent.

With his statement that more birds are killed flying into vehicles and glass walled buildings, I am not sure what that has to do with his energy argument as the last time I checked these structures don’t produce any energy – kind of similar to those giant bird-killing structures he likes, wind turbines.

Maybe Mr MacKenzie can come down off his high horse and check his several errors of fact.

• Ian Pilsner, Weston

No peace in Middle East

Eric Hunter (CW letters, 19 October) is showcasing his lack of knowledge about the Middle East and its inhabitants. “Might is right” is their motto; that’s why there will never be peace in that part of the world. Some of the Arab States, when they are not ganging up against Israel, are kept busy fighting among themselves. As Israel is surrounded by its enemies, what other options do the Israelites have except to resort to retaliation in spades? How would Eric like to live in Tel Aviv or any of the settlements with rockets raining down on him on a daily basis without any provocation? As compromises and negotiations have to date failed miserably, what other steps are there left when you are dealing with Hamas, a murderous, fanatical, Islamic militant movement who are not interested in peace negotiations, as it is not in their interests to do so? As someone who has experienced living in that part of the world, I will echo the French President Emanuel Macron by saying, “I don’t think, I know”.

• Mario Stivala, Belconnen

No comment

Ian Pilsner (CW letters, 19 October) asks me to name “any conservative journalist” at the Canberra Times. First, by “journalists” I assume the writer means the authors of newspaper comment columns because that’s where most contention lies. Mostly, they aren’t journalists; some may be retired and experienced senior journalists of long standing (like Waterford and Hull) but more often they’re experts in the fields they comment on. They are expected to be accurate in setting out the facts of an issue, but it is their varied, across-the-spectrum judgments that may come in for criticism. There is also the long tradition of newspapers to publish a corporate view (editorials) on issues of public interest. These may be written by senior staff journalists, but not always.

That said, your correspondent very selectively takes the phrase “… impartial and never prejudiced” completely out of its ironic anecdotal context where I had it applying not to the media, but to the public’s self-perceptions. Your correspondent then confirms the irony by referring pejoratively to Waterford and Hull as “[spewing] out their “far left views”(sic). I’ll be looking out for a similar complaint across the Murdoch letter pages about its journalists “spewing out their far right views”.

Finally, I’m surprised your correspondent seems not to have noticed the regular and long standing Canberra Times columns of two conservative columnists. They are former Liberal Cabinet Minister, Amanda Vanstone, and Simon Cowan, Research Director at the Liberal-leaning Centre of Independent Studies. Cowan may be regarded as a moderate conservative; on the other hand, it’s ‘nuff said about Vanstone.

• Eric Hunter, Cook

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