OK, so they aren’t actually rioting. More issuing stern denunciations.
The ABC reports that the Tobacco Control Amendment Bill is coming in for cursory debate this week. It will outlaw, eventually, counter displays of cigarettes.
Action on Smoking and Health (ASH – oh my aching sides) chief executive Anne Jones is angry though; because retailers will now [...]

Just a quick reminder that once again Dr Phillip Spradbery who runs the European wasp and insect identification hotline is in need of a live European wasp nest to continue his vital experimentation to find a means of controlling their spread in Australia.
Anyone finding one (rare this time of year) is urged to contact him [...]

With the imminent disappearance of warm old-fashioned light bulbs upon us the ACT Government has noticed that there are health issues surrounding the universal adoption of compact fluorescent lights. Particularly relating to the poisonous mercury they can release when broken.
To that end John Hargreaves has announced that the Mugga Lane and Mitchell tips are going [...]

I cannot believe some people.
I have witnessed this on a number of occasions recently on the roads, but the trend of biffing your half smoked ticket to lung cancer ouf of the car window is definetly back in fashion.
Is it because people think that its too cold for a fire to catch ?
Are people just [...]

Building dams is usually a tricky thing. People get touchy about flooding a valley and wonder where all the cute little animals will go.
Detailed inspection finds all sorts of endangered species which would probably also be found in the next valleys over if anyone was building a dam in them.
So expanding the existing Cotter Dam [...]

I was watching the telly last night, and the ad for ACTEWAGL came on, talking about the need to increase the dam size. It takes a while to sink in with me, and I have watched this ad several times, but it only just made it through the “switch off – its an ad…”
Where will [...]

Angry Duckling reckons it’s snowing and the ABC concurs.
Can’t see any here myself. Send in your pictures to images@the-riotact.com

Images are in, slideshow below. Keep them coming. Thanks to Lux, Dragonflygal and Melon Head.

In September last year, as a result of a concerted campaign by Free Range Canberra supported by the Human Battery Cage project and the tabling of a Bill to ban battery cages in the ACT by Greens MLA Dr Deb Foskey, the ACT Government announced three measures “designed to phase out battery egg production in [...]

In our ongoing series of things which are better in the ACT than in NSW I present ice. As in frozen water.
Yes I realise the surrounding regions of NSW also get it occurring naturally. And what of Deniliquin I hear you ask? What of it? I reply.
90% of the population of NSW never see it [...]

Mr. Stanhope is rather pleased with himself. The fastest law in the west is going to make “Green Vehicles” stamp duty free.
The Scheme would encourage people to buy low emissions vehicles by rewarding them with a stamp duty discount based on the environmental performance of the vehicle. Vehicles that score the highest environmental rating would [...]

Chief Minister Stanhope has announced the release of the ACT State of the Environment Report 2007/08.
Apparently the biggest problem with our local environment is that you’re not finishing your dinner:
“The report shows that the ACT’s most pressing environmental issue is our very high consumption of natural resources. Each of us spends an average $1475 each [...]

The last Stateline programme had a segment on replacing street trees.
The beautiful older streets with a green canopy overhead will be chopped down when the healthy trees are deemed to have reached their safe life limit,
The transcript’s here.
The beautiful older streets with a green canopy overhead will be a lot more open and hotter in Summer [...]

Andrew Barr’s having a busy day. He’s just announced that the ACT government is going to start pumping stormwater into aquifers for use watering ovals.
The Government will tomorrow release a draft variation to the Territory Plan which will allow for storm water to be stored in aquifers and recovered for irrigation use when required.
Members of [...]

The Chief Minister has proudly announced that he and the Japanese ambassador have planted the first of 320 cherry trees in his shiny arboretum.
Today, we embark upon the planting of a grove of 320 Yoshino Cherry trees, to mark the 15th anniversary of our sister-city relationship with Nara, the ancient capital of Japan,” Mr Stanhope [...]

I’ve walked in a little late to the great power station imbroglio. But I believe I have a solution to the problem.
We should build the gas fired power station on Ainslie’s Keith Tournier oval.
No wait, bear with me here.
First on the subject of dirty power…
The more vocal critics are opposing building a power station [...]

Odd story in the Canberra Times fretting about huge packs of super-dingos maruading out of Namadgi National Park to wreak havoc upon the good honest farming folk who border the park.
Because farmers have never exaggerated to justify an eradication program?
Oh no! Never!

Greens’ Candidate Shane Rattenbury is in fine form and channelling Trotsky declaring that if enough Greens are elected they will have the proposed Monash Drive removed from the maps and an end made to major road building through nature reserves:
“The era of building roads through our Nature Parks should be consigned to the dustbin of [...]

The Chief Minister has announced that rather than taking BP to court for a petrol spill in Chisolm last January (2007), the ACT Government will take $150,000 for the ACT Environment Grants Program and $50,000 in BP solar products.
BP’s also promising to fully remediate the site, and has already pulled a pile of oil out [...]

One of the more striking things about moving back to Canberra is the roadside signage letting drivers know how the city as a whole is doing with keeping water usage at manageable levels.
Good community service? Or statist propaganda the Vietnamese Communists would be proud of?
And what other messages could we have with these signs? Electrical [...]

The Chief Minister has just announced the lucky recipients of a slice of $100,000 in government money for community based environmentalism.
We seem to be seeing a lot of $100,000 chunks sloshing around.
Anyway the winners are:

Desexing to Avoid Feral Cats – RSPCA (ACT) Inc. This project seeks to reduce unwanted and feral cats in the Bush [...]

In a welcome move, Planning Minister Andrew Barr has launched a discussion paper on ways to improve the energy efficiency of housing.
During the submission processes for the new Territory Plan, Gungahlin Community Council made numerous representations and suggestions about ways to improve this area of planning – see our submission to the draft plan.
Among [...]

Canberra House has put together a list of the top 20 houses in Canberra from the perspective of modernist architecture.
You can see a slideshow of them or just have a look at the pictures with explanations.
Thoughts real estate mavens? And does anyone have any views on what these modernist masterpieces are like to live [...]

I’ve just been looking through the 62 page development application for Westfield Belconnen, and can’t believe it hasn’t attracted more attention in the mainstream media.
For those unaware of the background, Westfield agreed to construct a new look ACTION bus interchange on it’s land in return for approval to redevelop unused land and parking areas around [...]

The Legislative Assembly finally got around to passing Mick Gentlemans Solar Power Feed in Tariff last night after numerous delays. ABC has the story here on what the Australian Conservation Council thinks and here is what the Comrade has released.
Now to start selling some power back to ActewAGL.

The Canberra Times is reporting that, even though four people a day are leaving the ACT, a baby boom and an influx of immigrants boosted the capital’s population by almost 4500 last year. The population now stands at 340,800.
The biggest increase to Canberra’s population came from births. A record 4750 babies were born in [...]

Has anyone else noticed that ActewAGL may be getting a teensy bit paranoid about the gas station proposal? They keep wanting to have ‘little chats’ with, for example, the Canberra Times here and the Planning Institute here (CT letter from ActewAGL CEO, John Mackay).
I guess it’s not easy getting people to agree that [...]

we’ve had lots of threads and posts about what to do or what to see in canberra, but wafting about between appointments in a cab today, and out at lunch kicking a footy yesterday, i was reminded about how much i particularly like canberra in winter – the fresh quality the air has, the stillness [...]

It has been reported on radio and on ABC News online (but of course not the Canberra Times…) that Defence are considering what to do with several thousand ‘roos at the Majura training grounds. They want to review the Belconnen cull first before making a decision on what what should be done.
Deb Foskey puts her [...]

For those that didn’t know, this Thursday 5 June 2008 is World Environment Day and there will be a bunch of different activities and presentations on around Canberra to raise awareness.
See below for a list of events.
If I’ve missed any please post them in.

CIT Celebrates World Environment Day
Thursday 5th June, 12-2pm
Bruce [...]

A project which is not going ahead. Is it as simple as the company deciding that the site wasn’t perfect, or were they scared off by the sound of nimbys wielding bananas?
ABC News
Molonglo Landscape Guardians
Acciona Energy MEDIA RELEASE
So, I have two issues to discuss with this post;
1: “It’s just too close to people’s homes…..
Exactly [...]

The NCA and the ACT Government still want to build the so called Immigration Bridge from Lennox Gardens to the museum on Acton Peninsula.
The bridge will alienate a third of the area  of West Basin from yachts and create a navigational hazard for other lake users such as rowers and kayakers.
It will destroy the vista [...]

I remember coming to Canberra in the early 1990s and it was colder and we had this thing called ‘ski fields’ just up the road.  What’shappened?  Has global warming wiped out cold weather?  Is May warmer than it should be?
Canberra just doesn’t seem to be as cold as it used to be.