In my opinion, she has done an excellent job managing the Fluffy homes fiasco. I was a bank manager in the Woden area for 12 years in the 1970s-80s and had a lot of contact with Fluffy home owners. I considered the problem unsolvable.

I think the Chief Minister has come up with an excellent solution, although it will, no doubt, put pressure on the territory's finances for a few years. What surprises me is the number of owners who seem to be dissatisfied. Some are even considering legal action and I know who will be the big winners if that happens.

Some owners don't seem to realise they have an unhealthy home which is virtually unsaleable (generally through no fault of their own). They should be grateful the local government is offering them a lifeline with little or no cost to themselves.

Rod Frazer, Garran

In his article "Tram may be political killer" (Times2, December5, p1) Gary Humphries asserts "I believe Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has an escape plan should the sales job prove too much for her government". How prescient of you, Gary.

Why am I reminded of rats (nothing personal, Katy) and a sinking ship? I can think of a number of adjectives to describe the "business case" for the tram, but "stolid" ("calm, dependable, showing little emotion")?

As for "a workmanlike government", I suppose there are no problems within the ACT Health service, no drug problems at the Symonston jail, no problem having the same-sex Marriage Act squashed flat by the High Court, no problems with ACTION still losing over $100million each year?

If – more likely when – the plug is pulled on the tram, at the next election we will remember who tried to burden us with it.

Paul E. Bowler, Holder

The steady stream of articles and letters regarding Mr Fluffy lead to only one conclusion: a lot of innocent people will be harmed by negligence and incompetence of governments. There may be a few winners, but they will be in the real estate, demolition and construction industries. What seems to be understated is that the ACT government will add to the harm. The ACT government's solution will generate extra revenue at the direct expense of property owners.

Compulsory acquisition (or voluntary sale under threat) at less than full replacement value will financially disadvantage affected home owners. Sale of rezoned remediated land will push up local land values, resulting in increased rates. Compulsory acquisition and demolition over a short time-frame will increase pressure on rental and for-sale markets, leading to increased rating valuations and rates. And all this is without considering the social costs of forced relocation from leafy (and, in some cases, spacious) older suburbs to some of the newer "live like a battery hen" suburbs.

Ms Gallagher and Mr Barr must be rubbing their hands with glee at the prospect of extra revenue, particularly in light of the projected budget deficit ("Compulsory acquisition: Fluffy owners warned", November29, p1).

Even though Mr Fluffy operated under a predecessor administration, it is entirely proper that today's administration should tidy up the mess, but that does not give the government licence to ride roughshod over victims. The ACT government, which wrongly portrays itself as a victim, also wrongly sees the whole business as crisis management. Rather, it is management by crisis: that is, decisions with entirely predictable outcomes leading to a crisis. Only when politicians and others in public administration are held financially responsible for their actions will we avoid similar debacles in future.

James Elsbury, Campbell

I am completely with (although not related to) Patrick Robertson (Letters, December3) on the traffic hazards introduced on Streeton Drive in the name of safety. The only "safe" right turn out of Streeton Drive now is into the cul-de-sac to the sporting grounds. The two right turns into Bangalay Crescent and Fremantle Drive (and their associated left turns) are now rear-end accidents waiting to happen.

Both these intersections carry large volumes of traffic and any car now turning right out of Streeton Drive will endanger both themselves and others by being obliged to remain stationary in the through lane until they can complete their turn, a practice sensible road engineers have worked hard to eliminate for many years now. As the cul-de-sac example demonstrates, Streeton Drive is wide enough to allow marked right-turn lanes to be employed, and before the new markings, motorists safely managed to create their own lanes at these two hazardous turns. Now all we have is irritation, confusion and associated danger. The ACT Director of Roads should have been able to do better.

Malcolm Robertson, Chapman

I note, with amusement, the ACCC has finally figured out we pay more for fuel in the ACT than the five largest cities in Australia ("It's official: we pay more for petrol", December 4, p6). We in Gungahlin could have told them that years ago.

What we have is a duopoly in the ACT that artificially inflates retail prices to cover shopper dockets. Caltex at Majura Park (Woolworths) sells diesel at 149.9c without a docket, Caltex at Gungahlin (Woolworths) sells diesel at 157.9c without a docket. I recently travelled from the ACT through NSW to South Australia and back again via central Victoria. Fuel prices vary significantly from town to town, but basically are similar in all four states and territory.

The cheapest price for diesel was in Seaford, South Australia, at 135.9c a litre and the dearest in Victor Harbor at 159.9c. The average price in SA was 147.9c, while the average price in Victoria was 154.9c. In far western NSW it was a 152.9c at Balranald and 146.9c at Darlington Point.

In Penrith on Wednesday at 7-Eleven it was 135.9c and at Sutton Forest (Coles/Shell) 142.9c before the discount. In the ACT, Coles and Woolworths in Gungahlin sell diesel at 157.9c a litre; at a United Service Station two kilometres away it is 147.8c.

The sooner COSTCO opens its fuel outlet at Majura Park the better; the competition will be terrific.

W.G.Priestley, Amaroo

So, Prime Minister Tony Abbott thinks voters are feeling "dismayed, disappointed and occasionally even surprised" at his government's performance and its litany of broken promises ("Prime Minister Tony Abbott in for the long haul despite popularity slump", canberratimes. com.au, December4).

Whilst many would see the Prime Minister's comment as the understatement of the year, many others less polite would see it as further evidence that he is simply incapable of speaking the truth.

When will our politicians understand that their biggest problem is not in breaking promises, regardless of whether they are "core", "non-core" or even "hard core", but in taking the electorate for fools when they dishonestly insist that they haven't?

John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW

The decision to reverse reductions to defence force allowances and leave entitlements is welcome, but several structural inequities remain.

The ADF is now the only major part of the national workforce still wholly subject to centralised wage fixing but not permitted, by law, to negotiate outcomes or take other industrial action collectively. Using the ADF wage case as a bargaining strategy in negotiations with public sector unions may have seemed clever politics to some at the time, but they ignored long-standing imperatives against politicising the ADF and picking on those forbidden to defend the rights all other Australians enjoy.

No matter whether the remaining below-inflation wage deal is unfair or fiscally necessary or not, four fundamental problems remain. First, no chief of the defence force can properly represent both the employer and those employed. Nor is it either ethical or good leadership in such a two-way-loyalty-based force, subject to statutory discipline, to put them in this situation. Second, the Defence Force Remuneration Tribunal needs to be resourced and made independent enough to reject or amend inadequate or otherwise unfair government pay offers. Third, members of our defence force should not be continually expected to subsidise under-investment by the whole national community in overall defence capabilities, particularly by sacrificing the income their families depend on. Fourth, we need to revise the flawed methods of measuring and reaping so-called "productivity savings" in a defence force, especially where this results in proven compensatory entitlements being abolished arbitrarily.

Neil James, executive director, Australia Defence Association

Jack Waterford's article "Time to massage the message" (Times 2, December3, p1), was excellent regarding the Coalition government's one-eyed approach to government. Isaw Mr Abbott unwittingly acknowledge his duplicity prior to the 2013 election, with his red face, writhing and squirming and looking like he wished the floor of the chamber would open up and swallow him whilst listening to Mr Hockey presenting the 2014-15 federal budget to the Parliament.

Les Brennan, Sunshine Bay, NSW

Trevor Wilson (Letters, December3) appears troubled by my concerns about the White House doing what it likes without attaching appropriate weighting to friendly governments' sensitivities.

My letter (November28), was about US legations being ignored for partisan purposes and where zealous White House functionaries pander to a president.

The circumstances surrounding President Obama's speech to the University of Queensland typically were preceded by proper communication between DFAT, which was supported by its own careful listening to other government entities.

Collectively, there was a profound interest in our Barrier Reef. The US embassy was fully apprised of broad Australian but particularly Queensland sensitivities, and the US Department of State was briefed on this. The White House simply wasn't interested in diplomatic processes. Nothing new here. If Mr Wilson remains unconvinced, he is urged to read the Times article (November29, p22) where the US President had sent out mixed signals on defence issues while simultaneously concentrating power within the White House itself.

What precipitated my letter, of course, was the content of President Obama's foray into a very touchy area of Australian politics. This is not a value judgment, although Mr Wilson's track record tells us that he wants it to be. He has form, and he has conveniently overlooked the Congress's angry reaction to the US/China smoke-and-mirrors "agreement" on climate change strategies.

Patrick Jones, Griffith

Scorching earth

Sean Carson, senior meteorologist at the Bureau of Meteorology Canberra, quoted in the article "Scorching summer tipped to break the records" (December2, p3) said: "In all the records we've ever kept in Canberra, we've only seen 14 days above 40 degrees. Eleven of these have occurred in the last seven summers, and three in the last summer."

I don't know which disturbs me more – the clear implications of that statement, or the fact there are people in and outside government who still deny climate change is a very real threat to us all (climate-change sceptics included).

Peter Dark, Queanbeyan, NSW

Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young continues to astound me with her attitudes to the refugee issue. First, she condemns the situation regarding sailors who had to endure the visions of bodies at sea and now she takes the idealistic position of refusing to support temporary protection visas at the expense of an increase of 5000 in the refugee intake and the 30,000 on bridging visas who cannot work.

Hanson-Young needs to learn politics is all about compromise and that her inflexible stance on proposals such as the Malaysian solution resulted in many of the deaths at sea our sailors have had to experience.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

I recently cycled across the country from Denmark, Western Australia, to Canberra and agree we have a problem ("Canberra second-grubbiest place in the country", December3, p3). As a cyclist, one has the time to note the rubbish along the roadside. The order of "cleanliness" by my observation (cleanest to dirtiest) is: South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, western NSW, ACT. There was more road kill on the roads in WA, but less general rubbish; a growth in flotsam and jetsam in eastern Victoria and into NSW; and a disappointing, irritating abundance of all sorts of rubbish in NSW and the ACT, particularly from Yass through into Canberra, but especially from the border into the city.

I didn't really notice the cigarette butts, but the plastic, fast-food packaging, discarded disposable nappies and general litter shows a blatant disrespect for our environment.

The littering problem begins in the home, is reinforced in the schools that don't enforce litter-free policies, and has been embedded by successive governments that fail to educate the community or enforce anti-littering legislation.

The South Australians provide a refund on bottles and that could be a starting point for us, if we want to improve our image.

W. Book, Hackett

It is not surprising Canberra rates low on civic pride, if littering is the criteria . Our government seems to be stuck in Band-Aid schemes. Regular kerbside collections, plus green-waste bins work for Sydney. Our government insists they won't work here. Instead, we have regular collections that don't include green waste, and a "trial", for Centrelink pensioners only, for bulky waste disposal. I have been told that extending this service would be too expensive.

As for cigarette butts, make it an offence worth $300 to discard any butt – smouldering or not.

Jenny Hobson, Spence

CLOWNS STILL IN CHARGE

Isn't in lovely to have the adults like Tony, Chris, Joe, David, Julie and Scottie in charge of the government benches in Federal Parliament. So refreshing after the dysfunction of Kevin, Julia, Wayne, Anthony, Stephen etc.

Graeme Rankin, Holder

CASH FOR VOTES

Thank-you Peter Dahler (Letters, December3) for pointing out the real value of an informal vote. It also means, of course, that every formal vote for a party now jumps from a $2 to $8 donation to the party.

P.M. Button, Cook

THINK QUICK, SHANE

It is self-evident that imposing reduced speed limits will lead to lower average speeds. So Shane Rattenbury telling us this (Letters, December 4) is not useful. What we need to know are the figures for accidents, injuries and deaths before and after the reductions were introduced.

Greg Baker, Giralang

Shane Rattenbury should realise one size does not fit all as far as 40km/h speed limits go. I do not mind traffic legislation, but for the sake of motorists' sanity, tailor it to places where it is needed.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

ENDANGERED ELEPHANT

Canberra needs the light rail project – if only to prove that white elephants are not just a thing of the past.

Vernon Topp, Kaleen

POCOCK A TRUE LEADER

Rugby player David Pocock chained himself to an earthmover along with local farmer Rick Laird and five others in opposition to the Maules Creek coalmine that will pollute water and atmosphere, speed climatic change, and diminish the lives of future generations. Australia may lack formal leaders, but we'll get by without them if we follow examples like these.

Nick Abel, Spence

BUSES ARE DEAD TO ME

In the past three days, I have sat on buses that were stifling hot, with no air-conditioning, had oil spurting from their wheel wells, water pouring from their rear or simply did not show up at all. I quizzed a city interchange inspector recently as to why my bus had not turned up and he said, "it was a dead duck". I think we all know what the dead duck is.

Gordon Edwards, Page

JOHNSTON JEOPARDY

It is good to know Defence Minister and avid canoe fancier David Johnston has the full confidence of the Prime Minister. Then again, as Sir Humphrey Appleby of Yes Minister observed, it is necessary to get behind someone to knife them.

Thos Puckett, Ashgrove, NSW

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