We have been transfixed by the cave rescue in Thailand that miraculously resulted in saving the lives of 12 boys and their young soccer coach, four of them stateless through no fault of their own.
The extraordinary leadership and co-ordination of highly skilled people, essential resources and support services in a huge operation where every person, no matter what their role, has clearly worked with absolute dedication and precision has left us awestruck with admiration.
There are clearly many people to be thanked for their efforts, including our Australian experts and others in the international group of rescuers.
Sadly, one retired Thai Navy SEAL sacrificed his life. The reward for this amazing effort is seeing the beautiful smiles of those who have been saved.
Now that the boys are close to resuming their normal lives, it is time to contemplate their longer-term futures.
After all that has been done to rescue the boys and their coach, it is unthinkable that the futures of those who are stateless could be compromised by this misfortune.
Like others, we would hope that the king of Thailand and the Thai government will find a way to grant them citizenship.
Our next request is for the education of the group to be assured. Adul Sam-on, the multi-lingual boy who communicated with British rescuers who discovered the group, clearly has marvellous potential. He is just one.
All of the boys and their caring coach were brave and resilient. They all deserve assured futures.
One approach is for the Thai government, assisted by benefactors, to establish a trust to enable each young man to achieve his potential.
Dianne Peacock and Donald McMiken, Isaacs
Potential for the reef
Dr Daniel Harrison of the University of Sydney is developing a promising technology to add more water vapour to the atmosphere and seed existing clouds with tiny particles of salt (‘‘Researcher’s bright idea to save the reef’’, July 16, p4 and p5). The effect of the seeding would be to make the existing clouds brighter (when viewed from above) and better able to deflect solar radiation back into space.
Dr Harrison’s project is part of the Reef Restoration and Adaption Program, led by the Australian Institute of Marine Science, and its aim is to use the ‘‘brightening’’ technology to reduce surface-water temperatures in the Great Barrier Reef.
Dr Harrison has stressed that, if we don’t act now (and, presumably, on a sufficiently large scale), the reef can be lost during the lifetime of the current generation. He describes the situation as ‘‘really scary’’.
In the meantime, the article ‘‘Cherry-picked charity to pocket $22m in funding’’ (July 16, p5) points out that, on top of the $444 million granted without tender to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, that organisation will be given a further $22.5 million to cover ‘‘administration costs’’. It will also pocket the interest, ‘‘which could run into the tens of millions of dollars’’, from the $444 million.
The foundation would probably do the reef a big favour if it invested some of its riches in Dr Harrison’s project.
Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin
Flu irresponsibility
Having read all that is published as a answer to this question, I still cannot understand why any parent who loves their children would refuse to allow the child to be vaccinated against influenza, a disease that can and does kill.
I wonder if a parent who refused vaccination to a child who dies of the disease ought to be officially charged with being responsible for the child’s death?
Can there actually be a acceptable reason to refuse the vaccination?
Geoff Cass, Tewantin, Qld
Live shipment lure
The strongest argument against live sheep exports actually comes from the WA exporters themselves. They want to rush though the next shipment of 60,000 animals in the heat of the northern summer so they arrive in Kuwait in time for the Islamic Festival of Sacrifice.
None of the usual weasel words about best practice, supply chains, etc. The exporters know these animals are destined to be onsold, reshipped and privately sold again to be inexpertly and brutally hacked to death in alleys and backyards. This trade is a disgrace to the nation.
Gaynor Morgan, Braddon
Wilkie is a fine example
Full marks to Senator Andrew Wilkie for his agitation for a Federal Police investigation into the ‘‘bugging’’ activity in East Timor by Australian government spies.
The fact that such a request has come from an independent senator should make all Canberrans realise that their votes should be supporting such people who truly represent the public viewpoint, whether it be this disgraceful matter or the crimes against Palestine, the lapdog status of Australia to the USA or any other matter that makes our country such a disappointment and so worthless as an international voice.
Rex Williams, Springwood, NSW
Parents at fault
Eric Hunter (Letters, July 12) talks obliquely of dumbed-down young viewers preferring commercial TV channels.
He hits the nail on the head.
I once took classes day after day for absent colleagues and my high school once actually ran out of chalk. Yet under such difficulties we all came out tops.
Multiply funding ten thousandfold and today we are less, not better, educated!
Blame social media and vast social changes but parental lack of interest is most at fault. They leave manners, driving, sex education and so much else to overburdened teachers – who also contend with an interfering bureaucracy – that our classrooms are under- productive. If it ain’t glitzy, it ain’t got a chance.
Barrie Smillie, Duffy
‘Congratulate’ Trump
I refer to Latika Bourke’s article ‘‘Trump lands in the UK, unleashes assault on Theresa May’’ (July 13).
One should not be surprised at the blatant intrusion of the United States into the domestic affairs of a sovereign state. At times, this has occurred at the point of a gun (Dominican Republic 1965; Iraq 2003). At other times, it has been achieved by armed proxies (Cuba 1961; Nicaragua 1985). More commonly, it has been achieved opaquely, by means of subversion.
In the 1940s and ’50s, the US quietly dispensed largesse to favoured interests in Italy and France; I remain to be convinced that Australia has been spared comparable attention.
The above list is merely illustrative, and far from exhaustive.
President Trump, in this most recent case, may deserve congratulations. At least he has acted with utmost transparency.
Peter Grabosky, Forrest
Life or death question
I recently watched the ABC’s Foreign Correspondent program on assisted suicide and the right of the individual to terminate his or her own life in prescribed circumstances.
The subject of the report was an Australian academic, aged 104 years, who had (by all accounts) lived a full and active life but now wanted to terminate his life.
He cited failing eyesight and reduced mobility, rather than terminal illness, for his decision.
He engaged the services of a Swiss enterprise that provides facilities necessary to terminate life and, apparently, is now deceased.
As I understand it, one can proceed, in certain countries (including Switzerland but not Australia) to terminate one’s life: however there are a number of procedures to be followed before this can be effected.
These includes conclusive evidence the person is suffering a terminal illness, is experiencing unbearable pain and discomfort and has virtually no prospect for recovery or even improvement.
I am 72 years old and suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. I am confined to a wheelchair and a walking frame. I am unable to walk long distances or play sport or even drive a motor vehicle.
As such, given the regressive and debilitating nature of the disease and the absence of a cure, would not I, or anyone else in my position, be entitled to similar treatment? Why could not my situation be regarded as ‘‘terminal’’?
While these questions are essentially rhetorical [in my case] the situation could be seen as setting an undesirable precedent.
Legal euthanasia has been debated for some time. It has traditionally been the subject of much emotive controversy and concern.
It needs to be further considered by the politicians, the public and the Parliament.
Andrew Rowe, Florey
Planning opportunity
Re Commentary by Jack Waterford (‘Land deals glow in the dark’, Forum, p1, July 14), Toni Hassan (‘Evidence should lead planning, not a rush for higher density’, July 14, p11) and the Auditor-General’s report on the assembly of rural land all reflect the absence of a strong planning agency.
The planning of the territory has increasingly been influenced by developers, the light rail fanaticism of the Greens and the short-term and limited perspectives of Treasury and the Economic Development Directorate.
It is hard not to agree with Mr Waterford that the ALP has created a second-rate, public administration in its own image.
The review of the planning strategy, being managed by the planning agency, will identify a plan to guide the development of the city, including assessment of alternative greenfield settlement areas. It provides the government an opportunity to demonstrate it is committed to evidence-based planning and that it has learnt from its mistakes.
To adequately undertake its spatial planning responsibilities the planning agency should be responsible for transport planning, preparing assessments of housing, commercial and community needs to inform the land release program; and preparing a 10- to 20-year infrastructure plan indicating when and where development is to occur, the planning and environment studies to be undertaken and the cost of infrastructure required.
The depleted strategic planning and design resources of the planning agency need to be increased if it is to effectively manage planning in the Territory.
Mike Quirk, Garran
Light rail savings
There are many ways of calculating the economics of the Gungahlin light rail. An approach is to compare the cost of using light rail to using cars. There will be 6 million trips per year for light rail, and on average each journey is 10 km. The ATO allows car owners to claim 66 cents per kilometre and for trips along the light rail route we can expect 1.4 people per car.
Using these numbers, light rail saves the community around $30 million a year in car costs. If we add in parking, the direct savings are around $40 million each year. If the yearly operating expenses, ignoring capital costs, of light rail are less $40million each year, the community is ahead.
I have ignored the capital cost because at the end of each year the capital value is the same as the cost to build.
Light rail tracks and right of way last a long time, and new carriages and equipment are a capital cost. The significant cost of debt need not be a cost to the community as it can be an internal redistribution of money rather than a loss to the community.
Critics say that building the light rail means we have no money to build hospitals and schools. That is wrong.
If the government went to the citizens of Canberra for infrastructure finance, the citizens would willingly provide the money if they received the same return on investment as governments now give to the private parties of public private partnership agreements.
Kevin Cox, Ngunnawal
Geocon Canyon awaits
Dale Welsby claims (Letters, July 16) the haters [of the tram] seem unable ‘‘to accept any of the positive transformational effects that having a light rail network has had on all the cities ... lucky enough to get one’’.
The Auditor-General observed, in commenting on these so-called transformational effects, that the wider economic benefits alleged to flow from the tram might or might not happen and, if they do, they might or might not be due to the tram.
In fact, the only transformation we are likely to see is the transformation of Northbourne Avenue from a pleasant avenue to Geocon Canyon and who wants that?
Stan Marks, Hawker
Many not so lucky
Kevin Cox (Letters, July 16) is one lucky commuter who can walk, cycle, car share or park and ride as well as make convenient link ups with local buses and rapid routes. Those restricted by age, disability or not having a car will be obliged to travel further to join public transport under some proposed timetables.
Unlucky too is the population of Canberra who, in the astounding words of Mr Cox, can expect ‘‘lower costs to the community that come from an integrated transport plan’’ if it includes light rail.
Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla
TO THE POINT
DONALD TRUMP-ED
So the Donald ‘‘misspoke’’, explaining his Putin blunder as ‘‘a sort of (sic) double negative’’. As American actor Will Rogers put it: ‘‘There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.’’
Eric Hunter, Cook
INSULT TO BALLOON
I’m an ex-Pom, but I disagree with Patricia M Smith (Letters, July 18). I think the president of the United States is a insult to the balloon.
John Howarth, Canberra
PRESIDENT’S REASONS
Mr Trump’s nominally bewildering performance at the news conference with Mr Putin is readily explained: the springboards are his ambitions for favourable terms on Trump debt to Russian lenders and for the building of Trump hotels in Russia.
Warwick Davis, Isaacs
FOREIGN AGENT?
Isn’t it a crime to fail to register as a ‘‘foreign agent’’ in the US? Has a certain elected US politician acted like a Russian agent? Is that an impeachable crime?
Charles Foley, Queanbeyan, NSW
CORRECT MOVE
The US and Russia have the biggest nuclear arsenals on earth. Donald Trump is correct to try and keep good relations with Vladimir Putin, unlike other American hotheads.
Rod Matthews, Melbourne, Vic
BUS CHANGES
The new bus network isn’t much of an improvement. Most peoples’ entry point into the system will still be via their local route. These services are as infrequent as they always were. The only change to my local route (down Officer Crescent) is it no longer goes past Civic to Woden, and it has acquired yet another route number (the seventh since 1975)
David Walker, Ainslie
ADMITTING DEFEAT
It’s sad to see supporters of light rail (Dale Welsby, Letters, July 16) refer to critics as ‘haters’. Does he not realise that ad hominem attacks on people as ‘haters’ admits defeat on the policy matter in question?
M. Flint, Erindale
TAX-ING ISSUE
The ATO’s vigorous audit pursuit of small business and workers, diametrically contrasts with its pussy-footing, clandestine deals, ‘‘negotiated’’ with large corporations, ably ‘‘facilitated’’ by ‘‘big four’’ accounting firms. The fact one third of corporations pay no tax is ignored.
Albert M. White, Queanbeyan
HAND BITING
A public servant is dismissed for criticising her employer (the government) on Twitter. What’s so unjust about that? It never pays to bite the hand that feeds you.
M. Moore, Bonython
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