Canberra's master plans strategically placed government departments in the town centres, and were Immigration to move out of Belconnen, many of its businesses would suffer. I'm sure Minister for Immigration and Border Control Peter Dutton would not do that to the City of Strathpine in his electorate. Toowoomba, Albury/Wodonga, Cairns and Darwin are of similar size; would he contemplate that?

There are no suburbs close by the airport, and Immigration staff have settled in the area near their workplace in Belconnen. All such airport experiments around the world have failed, and are expensive.

The traffic around the airport is horrendous now without an extra 5000 workers.

The ABS building over the road from Immigration is now half empty. It fits the bill of having the excess staff 400 metres from those in Immigration.

This move would be happening right at the time of the election ... not a good look for a government already in trouble.

Roz Lambert, Belconnen

I wholeheartedly agree with Fraser MP Andrew Leigh ("Immigration's plans must be settled: MP", March 28, p1) when he states that the Abbott government must end the prolonged and anxious wait by 4000 Belconnen Immigration employees regarding their future job location. It is cruel and unnecessary treatment, since 75per cent of Immigration employees live in the Belconnen region.

The managers of Belconnen Mall have estimated that if these employees are relocated away from the Belconnen area, 60per cent of businesses there will struggle to survive.

I ask Immigration Minister Peter Dutton to make the federal government's intentions known sooner rather than later.

Linda Reaby, Belconnen

A victory against the implementation of a needle exchange at the ACT jail ("Jail needle exchanges put on ice in pay bargain", April 2, p3)? I hope so.

CPSU national president Alistair Waters says most staff are opposed to the scheme. The prisoner advocate expressed concerns over the scheme. Health professionals Michael Moore, John Didlick, and Helen Tyrrell seem to think that prison staff do not have the right to veto working conditions in which staff could be at needless risk. What arrogance.

Whether it is public or private sector, all staff have a right to safe working conditions. Perhaps these three individuals should spend some extended time at the coalface, like I did, just to see the reality of their ill-thought-out proposals, and face the day-to-day dangers prison staff face.

Let it go, Shane Rattenbury.

Ian Jannaway, Monash

The answer to the prison overcrowding problem is to take all non-violent criminals out of jail and make them pay restitution to their victims ("Overcrowding crisis at jail", April 9, p1). However, this will not happen, because there is a lot of money on the line and the humanist philosophy of rehabilitation is widespread.

The criminal does not owe a debt to society. He owes a debt to his victim.

The entire prison, parole and probation system is designed to recycle offenders through the judicial and rehabilitation system. The prison overcrowding problem will not go away.

Victor Diskordia, McKellar

I agree with N.Bailey (Letters, April 8) that it is time Bill Shorten and the ALP put forward policies formulated to manage the budget and the economy in a fair and just manner, even though opposition leaders never do so this far out from an election. Although a strong lead given by the ALP would assist Australia, it would also help the Abbott government. Once adopted, the government can claim it as a bipartisan gesture and start placing the country on a proper course and possibly regain some lost trust over broken election promises.

The cry for help to Bill Shorten is timely, as the deficit has significantly increased and revenue has decreased.

The Coalition is clearly searching for help and needs every assistance in trying to understand what is fair and just. N.Bailey is correct we are operating in a vacuum. What we are all seeking is a clear, predictable and balanced vision. Come on, Mr Shorten, help the government out.

John Malouf, Hawker

Congratulations to John Warhurst ("Bully Jones – not a role model", Times2, April 9, p1). I've never before seen him take such a strong stand against anyone or anything. Alan Jones must have stirred him unbearably. His observation that Jones could be treated just as an unfortunate side-show or a boil on the backside of democracy is perfect.

Jones is a sad case of talent gone awry and those listeners who attend to him are equally sad cases. We must remember that people like Jones, Hadley and Bolt et al are not there for their good looks – heaven forbid – they are there because enough Australians with small enough minds take them seriously.

Clive Banson, O'Connor

Congratulations to John Warhurst for his criticism of the unconscionable bullies Hadley and Jones. Bullies should never be allowed to get away with it, otherwise their bullying only gets worse.

Both Warhurst and Jones are Officers of the Order of Australia; but Rolf Harris was recently stripped of his AO, and I think it is time Jones was, too.

Michael McCarthy, Deakin

I support a royal commission into the abuse allegations in the Nauru detention centre.

I also feel that the employees that have spoken out in defence of these poor victims should be protected. They should have the right to speak out against such criminal behaviour, and the Abbott government should not be allowing this to continue and have been aware of this issue for more than a year.

Why is this government ignoring and breaching the Universal Declaration of Human Rights? As Australians, we should all speak out about the lack of action by this government and how they are ignoring such a deplorable situation.

I am an independent woman and a mother. These things I can say with pride. Please support a royal commission into this issue and have these people saved, so we can all say we are proud to be Australians.

Robyn Colless, Banks

The handsome young man who appears in the portraiture of William Bligh ("A picture of tyranny to come", Gang-gang, April 1, p12) may seem to be "new" to many who have only seen him as the older and fatter Charles Laughton image courtesy of Hollywood's fictional Captain Bligh.

But the real man, aged only 32 when taking command of the Bounty (among 15 other ships), remains much of a historical mystery because movies and novelists have continued to character-assassinate him with over-smear.

The real Vice-Admiral William Bligh, RN, FRS (1754-1817), to give him his accredited title, was not "around 25" when the portrait was painted circa 1776, but specifically aged 21 prior to sailing aboard Captain Cook's ship HMS Resolution. Australia's long time-respect for Governor William Bligh, who set the embryo nation on the road to democracy by taking on the tyrants of the 'Rum Corps' and their civilian criminal associates, is a great tribute to the multitalented fellow of the Royal Society scientist, navigator, explorer, discoverer, botanist, linguist, battle-honoured hero and a father-of-eight family man, among whose descendants there are now seventh and eighth-generation Australians.

Admiral Bligh would be proud to know that he's still not forgotten by a bonza country in the South Seas he helped to put on the world map.

Maurice Bligh, (great-great-great grandson), Sittingbourne, Kent, England

Like Andrew Kite (Letters, April 9), I agree with the suggested Floriade move. I also agree that the gardens should be spread throughout the city. I was in Istanbul for their tulip festival two years ago and that festival is sprinkled all over the city. One would turn a corner into a back street and see a pocket-sized garden aglow with beautiful blooms. Little surprises greeted you all over the city.

The Commonwealth Gardens are a sad sight for many months of the year as I ride my bike through the upturned heaps of dirt and plastic piping. And for the few weeks of Floriade pleasure, the cycle path is curtailed in that part of the garden, surrounded as it is at such times by those awful ugly metal fences. Let's breathe some new life into the festival. Perhaps we could even introduce a more sustainable and resource-friendly angle.

Glenda James, Narrabundah

In discussion of rising electricity costs, what is never addressed is the importance of making building regulations reflect the needs of the inhabitants.

In Britain, it is required that all windows in new or refurbished houses have double-glazed windows to reduce the heating costs in winter. They are equally effective in reducing cooling costs in the summer, which is an excellent reason for mandating their installation in new buildings.

When will governments insist on double-glazing in all building in areas of temperature extremes; for example, Canberra?

The initial cost will be wiped out in lower energy bills in a very short time, because in summer the cost of cooling is negligible and in winter the heating requirements are much lower.

Margaret Lee, Hawker

RICHIE BEATS THE DUKE

RIP Richie Benaud – a legendary cricketer and broadcaster whose impact on the game was immense. The concept of a knighthood is an anachronism, but Richie was certainly way ahead of the Duke of Edinburgh in the queue.

Peter Crossing, Curtin

CONCERN JUST A FACADE

H. Ronald (Letters, April 6) would know as well as anyone that the basis for the government's policy on asylum seekers is not concern for drownings at sea but John Howard's "We shall determine who comes to this country and the manner in which they come". Concern for drownings at sea is merely a facade for a racist and anti-Muslim policy. This is evidenced by the government's inhumane treatment of asylum-seekers on Nauru and Manus Island.

D. O'Connor, Gordon

FUNDING SCEPTICISM

Christopher Pyne (Letters, April 9) claims "the government is meeting all its obligations and promises" regarding funding for the disabled. One word: Gonski?

Michael Barry, Torrens

JUST TO BE MALE IS ENOUGH

Cameron McDonald (Letters, April 9) makes many reasonable points about Jenna Price's piece "Men should engage their brains before talking to women" (Times2, March 31, p5). But they will not change Ms Price's approach; all you have to do to attract her ire these days is to be a man.

John Robbins, Farrer

ARTICLE SAYS IT ALL

I have read many articles on the challenges facing humanity but Ian Dunlop's article "Rushing towards our doom" (Times2, April 7, p4), best sums up the problems and even gives some solutions. If only every politcian and business executive could read it and act on on it.

Joan Harrison, Gordon

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