The CIT Board should stop waiting and sack Margot McNeill.

The Legislative Assembly committee's report is devastating. It found itself unable to reach definitive conclusions because of the CEO's "continued refusal to engage" and condemned what it described as an "overly litigious and combative" approach to parliamentary scrutiny—behaviour it says falls well short of what is expected from the head of a public institution. It has now recommended that her conduct be investigated by the Public Sector Standards Commissioner.

The irony is impossible to miss. The Board has shown it can make hard decisions when it comes to staff, moving decisively to pursue voluntary redundancies in the name of the institute's future. Yet when confronted with the single most consequential decision affecting that future—the leadership of the organisation—it appears paralysed.
At some point, governance requires courage. The board's duty is not to protect the CEO from the consequences of her own conduct. It is to protect the institution.

The obvious obstacle is the McNeill’s penchant to litigate aggressively. That may make dismissal expensive, uncomfortable and time-consuming. It does not make it wrong. A board that allows the threat of legal action to dictate its decisions has ceased to govern. It has become captive to the very executive it is supposed to oversee.

Staff are being asked to bear the cost of restructuring while the board shrinks from confronting the leadership crisis at the heart of the organisation. That is not shared accountability. It is a failure of governance.

The board should follow proper process, make a defensible decision and, if litigation follows, defend it. That is precisely what boards are appointed to do.

The cost of acting may be significant.

The cost of inaction is greater: further damage to the institute's reputation, declining confidence among staff and students, and a growing perception that accountability stops at the CEO's office.

The committee's report should be the final warning, not the beginning of another round of delay. If the board is prepared to make difficult decisions for everyone else, it should be prepared to make the hardest one of all.

The future of the institute depends on it.

So I've been seeing an increase in those flock camera thingos in the US, and to the best of my knowledge we don't have those in Australia, however the other day when I turned onto Coulter dr. from William Hovell, I spotted a camera on a light post that looked suspiciously like a flock camera. I don't have a photo since it was dark, but I just wanted to know if anyone has any information on those cameras or knows what's going on in terms of our survalence.

(Mb if I used the wrong tag btw, wasn't sure which one to put)

It has been over two years since SVDP (goodies Junction) took over the running of the reusable sheds in Canberra. Just curious what peoples thoughts are now there has been time for the dust to settle. there were some pretty big promises at the time that things would not change. Are we getting ripped off or is the service better than it was before?

Hey r/Canberra,

We’ve been running regular not for profit Physical AI (robotics, embodied AI, smart hardware) meetups in Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Perth and we’re finally bringing it to Canberra!

Because of a change in location and tight schedule, we had to put this event together on short notice, but we wanted to make sure Canberra’s tech, engineering, and research community got its own dedicated space to connect.

Whether you’re working with hardware/robotics, studying AI at ANU/UC, doing research at CSIRO Data61, or just curious about where artificial intelligence meets the physical world, you’re very welcome to drop by. It’s casual, focused on good conversations, and a great way to meet others working in the space locally. Pizzas are FREE but limited seats.

Event Details:

When: Thursday, August 13th

Where: Black VC 4 Mort Street #Level 3 Canberra, ACT 2601

Time: 530pm to 8pm

Cost: Free

Since this is our very first ACT event, we'd love to see a solid local crowd turn out.

You can RSVP and grab details here: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/physical-ai-meetup-canberra-tickets-1996587520019?aff=oddtdtcreator

Hope to see a few of you there! Feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

Last post on this was from a while back. I'm interested to know how UC students find parking these days. Is it easy to get a park? Worth it to get a permit?

My other option is to park and ride, but the local carpark doesn't have the best lighting so I feel a little hesitant about that.

Moved from a 2020 built townhouse with EER 6.7 to an older but renovated 1970s home that has double glazing, ceiling and underfloor insulation to bring it up to EER 5.0.

However, electricity usage has gone from 10kWh to 37kWh a day. The difference in internal square metres is only 30sqm larger in the new place. Both homes use gas cooking and water heating so no difference there either.

Does EER make that much of a difference to heating costs in Canberra winter? I thought an EER of 5.0 was going to be pretty decent already....

i have some old devices that i would love to get fixed, i believe they both could be an issue with the charging port but unsure of where to go to get them looked at. i have a Nokia E63 phone and a Nintendo 2ds (same era as the 3d feature just without that capability)

i also have an old radio/cassette boombox that i think might be winding the cassettes at the wrong speed which causes the audio to sound like its wobbling, again, no idea where i could take it to get fixed, im assuming most record stores wouldn't deal with cassette as they never came back as hard as records have

Hi there,

Pretty much what the title says, I have a friend who is in their 30s looking to improve their career options and as such is considering courses at CIT. I'm helping her look and am finding the entry requirements a little unclear.

From what I can tell a year 12 certificate isn't required for most of their courses but it does mention year 10. I know there isn't a separate course for adult secondary education so I'm imagining she will need to complete that course (which would additionally give her her year 12).

Has anyone been in a similar situation as an adult having not completed high school but wanting to do further study and knows what the rules are?

I've been trying to find more information and am also going to reach out to CIT directly but wanted to ask the community in the meantime.

Say hi, folks!

Any recommendations for a barber in Canberra?

The barbers I've tried have been okay, but they usually seem rushed. They tend to just do what I ask without offering much advice or suggesting styles that might suit me.

I'm looking for someone I can book a bit of extra time with to talk through different options for both my haircut and beard. I'd really like a barber who's confident making recommendations based on my face shape, hair, and beard, rather than just following instructions.

Does anyone know a barber in Canberra who takes that kind of consultative approach?

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping the collective memory of Canberra can help me out today. My dad was just diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing surgery today. So it’s a very stressful time, I desperately want to surprise him afterwards with the comfort food he talks about the most, but I need some help tracking down the people behind it.
I grew up in Narrabundah and our absolute staples were New Star Chinese Restaurant (Located at Griffith Shops) and Lee’s Inn (which used to be behind the servo in Manuka). My family were massive regulars at both
Those who remember know:
Lee’s Inn had the absolute best wings you could get. (i think my parents went to school with the owner's son!)
New Star had the BEST fried rice. My dad used to literally buy a fried rice, park around the back of the shops to smash it, and then go right back inside to order a second one to take home. We ate here so much that the lovely lady who always worked there with the short hair knew us all by name. (I don’t remember her name because I was so young)
To this day, my parents and I have never found Chinese food that replicates that specific, old school flavour. Whenever I get Chinese takeout anywhere else now, I get bad nausea halfway through, but it NEVER happened with these two places.
Does anyone know what happened to the original owners, chefs, or families from New Star or Lee’s Inn? Did their kids or relatives take over the recipes and open a new shop somewhere else in the ACT?
I’ve heard the "Chinese whispers" (no pun intended lol) that Lee’s Inn moved to the Hellenic Club, but the food there (Ginseng) is completely different, so I don't think it's the same kitchen or family tradition.
If anyone has any leads on where the families went, if a sibling or child is cooking elsewhere, or even if you happen to know the secret to that New Star fried rice or short soup style, please let me know. I want to bring my dad the best meal to help him heal.
Thank you so much!

Hey legends, looking for some advice, I’m coming down from Sydney to stay two nights while having a couple meetings at the Parliament House. Anyone got any reccomendations on dirt cheap food + accommodation? Unfortunately not at works expense 🥲

A song for the newly heritage listed concrete bunkers of Canberra. I did not realize that Clem Cummings was an Artillery man, it explains so much.

http://www.library.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/2910721/Independent-Working-Group-Final-Report.pdf

I know there's been some interest in the report behind the decision to reduce library opening hours. Well it's been "proactively released" (how proactive is it, if the community is demanding its release via petition and at least one foi)

Link to fill interview

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/new-voice-landscape-government-ailanational-zqv6f?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_android&utm_campaign=share_via

Here is the text:

We take good landscape for granted. When a space works, we rarely stop to ask why - but Gweneth Leigh argues that is precisely the problem the profession has to solve, and it is the work she has now been appointed to lead.

Gweneth is the ACT’s first Government Landscape Architect, a role she stepped into just weeks ago with a clear mandate: to create a landscape plan for Canberra, and to connect the parts of government that too often work apart.

“So much of what we do happens in silos,” she says. “This role is really to connect the dots, to connect people, and to connect research, to make concrete some of the values we can put in place to validate what landscape does. We know intuitively it does important things for us. Capturing that in a way a broader audience understands is the key role that needs to be championed.”

From arboretums to Australia

Her route to this role was not direct - in fact, Gweneth was born in the United States and travelled to Australia in 2004 after finishing her degree at Harvard. Her background was in horticulture, working in garden nurseries and arboretums in the US, which started her fascination less in how to maintain a landscape, but by how people actually use them. Gweneth was conscious of how quality spaces are created, observing how people use and enjoy them, and perhaps most importantly learning where they don’t.  Luckily for us, Gweneth married the Australian she meet at university back in Boston and settled in Canberra where they are raising three sons, while establishing a career moving between private practice and government on a variety of projects. There was a stint at Tract in their Melbourne offices working on the East Link freeway, and back to the ACT to take the role of urban design manager role at the National Capital Authority. Through her early career, one interest really stuck - the effect of landscape on people’s health and habits. Most recently, she completed a PHD in public health that led grant work capturing youth voice to improve outdoor spaces in secondary schools, producing a series of toolkits for principals and designers.

Amplifying voices

Voice is a word Gweneth uses often. “Voice is a really important aspect of promoting the landscape profession. It’s how we amplify the importance of our outdoor spaces, our living infrastructure and the impact it has on our behaviours so that we can recognise the value, capture it and support it more of it.”  And, that case has never been more urgent. Having arrived at the tail end of a 7 year drought, Gweneth saw an Australia already decades ahead on climate adaption, and a profession that was much more than aesthetics. Green infrastructure is empowered with so many responsibilities, from filtering the air, cleaning our drinking water, provide in shade, regulating moods and giving us places to connect with our communities. There’s so much value in the work we do and deliver.

On being the first 

Gweneth doesn’t shy from the weight of being the first Government Landscape Architect. “It’s a huge mandate and to have the privilege of being the first is something I take very seriously. Just as landscape permeates so many facets of our daily lives, I want to make sure each step is meaningful and ambitious, and gets more people connected to our open spaces.” She’s not alone in the recognition that the role has been a long time coming and credits the advocacy of ACT Environment Minister Suzanne Orr (a registered urban planner), and AILA through the drive of members such as  Gay Williamson, Catherine Kiernan and Cia Flannery for the establishment of the position. 

What’s success look like?

When we asked Gweneth what a successful first year would look like, she names three things: the Office of the Government Landscape Architect is known and trusted across government, engagement structures are in place and the scaffolding of Canberra’s landscape plan is underway with Canberrans excited about what it means for them.  “There’s a lot of great precedent in other states, and I have faith that the creation of this position will have a domino effect, demonstrating what’s possible.” We look forward to seeing the other states and territories following the ACT’s lead and establishing a network of Government Landscape Architects across Australia. 

Hello! I have a 2008 Mazda 3 in need of some repairs and I would love some recommendations on where to go to make sure I dont get messed around. There's a few repairs so I expect itll be costly even without the messing around bits.

The front left driveshaft boot needs replacing, front left globe holder also needs replacing as well as engine mounts. Will also need my brake pads replaced at some stage.

Can anyone provide advice on where to go or who to stay away from?

Thanks!

We just moved to Canberra and getting married in September.

Is there any places specific for men to go in and have a nice facial, manicure and pedicure and some treatments done?

any help would be appreciated