Canberra

Inspired by me watching the long queues of people turning Iron Knob St into a parking lot leading back to Newcastle St while the other entrances to the area remain much less trafficked.

Twelve people were rescued on Sunday afternoon after the boat they were on sank on Lake Burley Griffin in Canberra.

Police said they received a call about 12:30pm to say the boat was taking on water in an area of the lake near Yarralumla, in the city's inner-south.

Canberra's maritime police responded and the passengers were all taken safely to a nearby embankment.

Nobody was injured.

The New Year will again start with a bang, with the ACT Government reinstating the midnight fireworks display over Lake Burley Griffin.

Last year, the late-night pyrotechnics was scrapped in favour of a bigger bang at the family-friendly hour of 9 pm, with the show lasting 15 minutes.

But this year, the traditional format resumes with a 9 pm display and one as the clock strikes midnight.

From Tuesday 26/11 Canberra's bus and light rail services will begin charging fares again as they introduce a new ticketing system.

The new system allows users to tap on and off at a validator with a new MyWay+ transport card or certain contactless bank cards.

It also allows users to pay using their digital wallet or through a new app, but there is some set up involved in those payment methods.

The system includes a real-time journey planner through the Transport Canberra website and the MyWay+ app, which is available for both Apple and Android.

To mark its 3rd year in Canberra, Toolbox members and volunteers will celebrate this Saturday, 23 November, with DIY experts on hand to give advice and demonstrate the safe use of Toolbox equipment – with kitchen equipment used to cook up goodies for the guests. There will also be guided tours of the Toolbox.

Plans to replace Phillip Pool and Ice Skating Centre with a multi-tower Geocon residential development have been unveiled to the public.

They will include a pool, but it will be indoors and half the length of the existing facility's.

The developer has lodged 200 planning documents with the territory's planning authority as part of its development application which is currently open for feedback.

Major Projects Canberra is gearing up for the start of work early next year to build the next stage of light rail.

New site compounds will be established over the next few months to support Canberra Metro’s construction of Stage 2A from Alinga Street to Commonwealth Park via City West.

The RSPCA ACT will slash its pet adoption prices this weekend to get its animals into loving new homes, as its shelter is continuing to face a difficult year.

The shelter has been over capacity for the past year and a successful adoption push will free up space and resources to allow staff and volunteers to help more animals in need in the community.

The adoption drive will be held this Friday and Saturday (25-26 October), during which adoption fees will be $50 for adult dogs and cats while rabbits will be $20.

Estimated Assembly build up is
10 Labour
10 Libs
3 Greens
1 IFC (Thomas Emmerson, seems to be left leaning)
1 Ind (Fiona Carrick, Nimby)

I'm not happy that greens lost three seats, but at the end of the day Lab/Greens coalition one so I'm okay

If you're not going to be around on the 19th or want to get in before the day and (hopefully) avoid big crowds early voting is now open at a variety of places across town - see the link for details.

It's the time of year again for buying books (and supporting Lifeline) if you feel like a run up to EPIC.

The car remains most Canberrans' preferred mode of travel, and according to the Climate Council, the city has the lowest use of shared transport of any Australian capital.

The Climate Council attributes low shared transport usage to a lack of services in Canberra's spread-out suburbs.

Some experts conclude the only proven solution to congestion is charging people a fee to drive into the centre of the city, as seen in London and New York.

The ACT Government will not renew Beam Mobility’s e-scooter permit after an investigation raised concerns about the operator’s compliance with the permit conditions.

It means that all of Beam’s e-scooters in Canberra will need to be deactivated by midnight on Sunday 8 September 2024. All of their e-scooters will need to be removed from public areas by 4pm Friday 13 September.

The decision to revoke the company’s permit comes after Beam admitted to installing more scooters in certain areas than it was licensed for, resulting in the company paying lower fees than required.

An ACT government pilot collecting food and garden organic waste to be recycled into compost has been extended to include more than 1,100 units in Belconnen and Tuggeranong.

The Food Organics and Garden Organics (FOGO) program was expected to be rolled out city-wide in 2026, but construction of an appropriate processing facility has taken a back seat to replacing the ACT's recycling centre.

The government says despite delays it remains committed to delivering the FOGO collection service to all of Canberra.

Asking here, as, let's face it, this would make up a large portion of those who subscribed here.

I'm ex APS and my super offering when I joined was public sector superannuation accumulation plan (PSSap). - edited due to doing the unsavoury assumption that people know the APS-centric initialism, but figured only pubes would answer

The returns are shit, and the fees are high. I don't have consistent income these days but I do contribute to my super as much as I can. But it's pretty dispiriting to see what I do add getting chewed up by fees.

Any recommendations for a move? Bonus points for ethical investments.

I've tried my hand at researching better options but my brain and numbers aren't friends and I end up getting frustrated and not getting very far.

Should add, I'm in my late 30s so retirement is a fair way off.

I welcome any recommendations or must-avoids.

Unseasonably warm weather means flowers have bloomed a month before Canberra's Floriade festival begins.

ANU climatologist Janette Lindesay says winter is getting shorter and spring is starting earlier, and commercial horticulturalists like Paul De Jong are having to adapt to the changing weather.

Floriade organisers are not planing to bring forward the opening and are confident the flowers will look vibrant throughout the month-long festival.

Experts from the Canberra Pollen Monitoring Centre are warning we could be in for an above average season for grass pollen.

Pollen can increase symptoms of hayfever and asthma, and scientists say increased growth in vegetation could mean more will be in the air this Spring.

Grass pollen season usually starts at the end of September or early October and runs until late December.

The ACT government has brought in sweeping changes to noise restrictions in the city in a bid to boost live music and entertainment.

It has also made a range of regulatory changes including reducing liquor licensing fees in some circumstances.

Further changes, including parking permits for musicians, will come into effect in the coming weeks before the government hopes to replicate the entertainment precinct in other town centres.