It needs to be drastically reduced to avoid serious injuries and deaths.

Given the number and speed of cyclists now using shared paths it is time to require bikes to be registered and display identification such as a number plate.

Martha Kinsman, Kaleen

RE: Polite ringing only, (Terry George, Letters, December 6).

Terry's letter gives the impression he is an arrogant cyclist who doesn't have the slightest understanding of why he should use a bell before overtaking a pedestrian.

Hardly ever do I need to ring my bell to "remind" someone to move to the left; most walkers already keep to the left.

I use my bell to inform walkers I am approaching.

This prevents them from being startled, and warns them not to stray to the right during the next few seconds. About half of the walkers provide thanks for this warning.

Ring your bell, Terry. It might even improve the reputation of cyclists in general.

Robert James, Melba

Amanda Vanstone is being extremely harsh and unsympathetic to protesters ('The narcissism of the left', December 5, Comment, p14). It doesn't surprise me, given her political career, I expect nothing less.

It doesn't surprise me either that she characterises protesters as well fed, young, students, lefties with nothing better to do but to seek attention to themselves.

I am 67 years old. I have worked my guts out to carve myself a future in the country that welcomed me when I was only 19.

I also had time to attend anti-Vietnam war demos. I still join demos and support non-violent actions (even when they involve unusual initiatives like gluing oneself to something or other, say the railings at the visitors' gallery in Parliament House). In this "highly competitive" world of the mass media, it is becoming compulsory to come up with ever more exotic ways of protest.

One doesn't have to be a young narcissistic student to protest. One just needs to feel strongly about injustices, inequalities, corruption, inaction and hypocrisy.

John Rodriguez, Florey

Amanda Vanstone lambasts the recent protesters at Parliament House for not caring about "civilised discourse".

She's entitled to her opinions and, because she's a Fairfax Media columnist, obviously has the opportunity to air them. But to call the process that was disrupted — Question Time — "civilised discourse" is surely a leap into fantasy.

If, as she professes, she is an advocate for democracy, she'd be devoting her column inches to criticising the incessant kindergarten antics of her fellow politicians on the floor instead of taking aim at the occasional outburst from the public gallery.

Bronis Dudek, Calwell

Amanda Vanstone hits the nail on the head in her comment piece (4 December).

The narcissistic left is focused on refugees languishing in conditions amounting to torture. It completely ignores the nylon string digging uncomfortably into her hands.

Narcissism is presumably defined as making an issue about something other than Amanda Vanstone.

Daniel Cotton, Jerrabomberra

Shane Rattenbury is correct to recommend moving quickly to align with NSW in implementing a container deposit scheme from 1 July 2017.

The scheme in NSW plans to have only a limited number of depots. This means any town missing out on a depot, will suffer economically as people and groups will travel to receive the refund, then spend money outside of their home town, more so than they would previously have done.

I have recommended NSW councils to lobby for every local government area to be given the opportunity to establish a container refund depot.

Matt Ford, Crookwell

Mr Turnbull's "American solution" for Manus and Nauru will re-start the boats just as much as bringing the detainees to Australia would have done.

But the "American solution" will not be fair. It will leave in the lurch the detainees not prioritised for resettlement in the US, namely single young men.

Why not bring to Australia all the detainees who will not get to America?

That would not give any encouragement to boat arrivals more than the American solution already gives.

John Kilcullen, Cook

This federal government never fails to enrage. The latest two actions are the axing of the Green Army, saving three and a half times more than what they are giving to Landcare, and secondly the promise to give $1billion to Adani to build its rail line from the proposed Carmichael coal mine to the Great Barrier Reef should the company raise the rest of the money.

Michelago Landcare had a Green Army team plant trees and weed another area recently.

They were good kids, doing something worthwhile, learning the discipline of work.

Some had no family support, coping on their own from their mid-teens.

Perhaps the federal government is not up with the facts on climate change.

Jenny Goldie, Michelago

At the end of last week our government managed to salvage itself from the wreck of Joe's backpacker debacle. Only took 18 months to sort out, well done boys. And I mean boys.

Certainly not accountants or financial wizards by any stretch of the imagination.

Flush with the success of another couple of million dollars over the next four years, the geniuses have decided that there is a spare $1billion to throw at Adani mining.

Robert Bruce, Fadden

The Independent Competition and Regulatory Commission (ICRC) held a public hearing on December 6on water tariffs.

About 30 people showed up.

About 40 minutes was taken up by an introduction by Joe Dimasi, senior commissioner, and set piece presentations from vested interests.

Mr Dimasi's statement that this stage was not about pricing of water, but a framework, is nonsense.

One cannot separate one from the other.

The reason given by the ICRC for the "reform" — a weasel word for change — is "economic bypass".

High users are evading using Icon water because of its excessive charges.

The ICRC genius solution is to raise the annual supply charge substantially, while having a single lower per kilolitre charge for usage.

This is a regressive tax which will hit poorest users hardest.

Does the Commonwealth pay for water in its facilities? Do the embassies? Who doesn't pay their fair share? Let the ICRC ask these questions.

There is no recognition Canberra is a garden city and high charges for water will result in the destruction of gardens.

No one is accountable for raising water costs. ICRC says it is following its legislation. The government says it is the responsibility of Icon. [Icon] says it is the ICRC which sets the rates.

A system of charging all users on a scale of usage should be implemented.

In the meantime, householders should get a tank or three! Those who have installed tanks should get a discount on their water bills.

Dr Kristine Klugman, Fisher

As Bruce Paine points out (Letters, December 7) at those times when renewables are not generating sufficient electricity to meet the ACT's needs, the gap must, fairly obviously, still be filled by non-renewable generation.

Equally obviously, when the renewables we have commissioned are generating more electricity than needed for the territory's immediate use, that excess goes into the grid. As the atmosphere is an indivisible whole, it doesn't matter where and when the emissions-free renewable electricity is generated.

What matters is the quantum of electricity needed to power the ACT is generated by renewables – thereby displacing the same amount of emissions-intensive generation.

The arrangement has locked in very competitive long-term prices for all of us.

It seems it is Bruce Paine, not Shane Rattenbury, who is misleading.

Felix MacNeill, Dickson

A US Trump administration and a Turnbull government left sitting on their climate change hands, will be in very deep water if the Chinese and EU go ahead and develop effective emissions markets.

Such a market excluding Australia and the US would devastate our trading potential.

Gerry Gillespie, Queanbeyan

Wow! I've thought previously Gerry Murphy (Letters, 6/12) was a nasty piece of work but he's outdone himself with his silly description of the noisy, inconveniencing but peaceful protest in the Parliament House last week andhis outrageous advocating of the use of rubber bullets.

Really, in a confined space, with other people around?

A paper published in The British Journal of Surgery assessing the injuries in 90 patients caused by rubber bullets found they had caused one death and left 17 people with permanent disabilities or deformities.

David Jenkins, Casey

In his Forum article "ABCC's costly deliverance" on December 3, Jack Waterford levels thinly veiled criticism at the Xenophon Team for acting as states' rights senators, ahead of the national interest.

Jack needs to remember that Senator Xenophon and his team were elected as senators for South Australia, and so it is entirely appropriate that their first priority is to act in SA's interests.

All other senators should take the lead from Senator Xenophon and remember they have been elected to represent their particular state/territory, not the political party to which they also happen to be a member.

The Senate is not only a house of review, but also – and primarily – the states' house.

Don Sephton, Greenway

Fredrik Limacher letter "Credit to Castro", canberratimes.com.au 2/12/2016 seems to forget a couple of minor points.

Castro single handedly attempted to start WW3 when he sent a message to the Russians requesting a nuclear strike claiming (lying) he had intelligence America intended to strike in the next 24 to 72 hours.

He went on to say the strike was justified as Russia would be acting in self-defence.

Castro was later quoted as saying he attributed his success in the revolution to propaganda and the American press.

Only 30 Cubans are reported as having died during the actual revolution; Batista just gave up after American military aid to his regime was stopped.

Once in power Castro ruled by force for himself and the elite at the cost of the majority.

It is estimated by some that 100,000 Cubans died under the Castro regime, either directly or trying to flee to America.

Damon Fraser, Weetangera

Interesting to hear the CSIRO are recommending a carbon tax. Is this not back to the future? Kevin Rudd's policy would have been reaping rewards towards budget repair. Alas, again, the government is eight years too late.

Wally Reynolds, Tasmania

DUMB AND DUMBER

Wouldn't it be more dignified for Malcolm Turnbull to cease being a political worm on a daily basis and just hand the leadership to Cory Bernardi or Barnaby Joyce? They evidently dictate all policy decisions.

Alex Mattea, Kingston

Cory Bernardi describes Turnbull's latest efforts to introduce a carbon trading scheme as one of the "dumbest things I have ever heard".' (CT, December6). All he has to do is record and play back his own speeches and his choice for "dumbest things I have ever heard" is endless.

E.R. Moffat, Weston

A MODEST PROPOSAL

Imagine a public school where an active and moderately affluent Parents and Friends group subsidises amenities and activities by $150.00 per student for the year. Why shouldn't funding for that school be reduced by that amount for the next year?

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

WORDS OF THE YEAR

With the Oxford Dictionary's word of the year for 2016 declared to be "post-truth", may I propose a couple of contenders for 2017?

Bribeocracy (noun): A government evolving from democracy, where bribes (aka political donations) are accepted in exchange for politicalfavours.

Pedalestrians: (noun): Walkers, joggers and cyclists using recreation/cycle paths.

Michael Adler, Gungahlin

IODINE SOLUTION

In answer to Jack Palmer's letter (CT, December7, p13), iodine works well. Growing up in the 1930s, my mother knitted socks. One day she left them on the couch. I sat down and was pierced by a needle. Mum turned me upside down and poured the iodine in; never to be forgotten!

Evelyn Bean, Ainslie

RENT A RIOT

Now that the Greens have endorsed the Question Time riot and no charges have been laid, street gangs will be on the lookout for similar rallies being organised so that they can join in the fun.

However, they will not limit themselves to screeching.

Ed Dobson, Hughes

TECH GURU'S MISTAKE

It is obvious why the erstwhile Digital Transformation Office chief had to go ("Commonwealth government spending on IT contractors is 'eye-watering', according to the public service's outgoing tech guru", CT, December6, p16). He made the mistake of accurately identifying the primary cause of most of the government's IT problems.

C. McKenzie, Lyneham

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