However, never have I seen an offer as awful as that being pushed by today's Department of Human Services Management. I can't see how staff could be better off in accepting, and it is certainly worse than fighting for a better offer. The list of attacks on conditions is far too long to go into here, and while some, such as reductions in leave entitlements would have immediate effects, others are more insidious, and far-reaching, such as reducing key conditions to policy, which could be changed by management at any time.

If I were a member of DHS today, I would certainly vote no! Indeed, I would be outraged at the "offer" and at the manner in which it is being pushed.

Hang in there, guys.

N. Hardy, Downer

Both of us just saw the tragic images of the little boy washed up on that beach in Europe. His family was fleeing from the terrible situation in Syria. That little boy and his parents were like thousands of others, leaving Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, to find a safer life and existence. Are we, the Australian people, partly to blame?

Our government's "stop the boats" policy may just have redirected our "problem" to another part of the globe. The image of that little boy lying face down on the beach was as haunting as it was powerful.

Let's hope it causes our government to rethink "stopping the boats".

Margaret and Valdis Juskevics, Flynn

As I watched German Chancellor Angela Merkel on television this week, explaining why it was important for Germany to support the almost 1million asylum seekers that had arrived in Germany in the past 12 months, I felt the deepest sense of shame I have ever experienced as an Australian and as a member of the Australian Labor Party.

Why does Australia not have any leaders like Angela Merkel?

Jon Stanhope, Bruce

I despair at the mediocrity of the current Abbott government. The Opposition doesn't instil me with much confidence either. Having said that, the current electoral cycle is not doing us any favours.

Whatever visions the elected government has, it seems these are set in train in year 1 of the electoral cycle and then the next two years are focused on getting re-elected.

Surely, if we had a four-year cycle, then maybe we get a chance of two years of the visionary "stuff" which actually might lead to some strategic decisions being made.

Kim Fitzgerald, Deakin

My late uncle boarded at Geelong Grammar School during the war years. Quite recently, my mother revealed to me that he had suffered sustained abuse, not from staff, but from senior boarders, who seemed to delight in making life a misery for their juniors. This included deprivation of sleep, pointless chores and sexual abuse.

All involved understood that this had to be endured, as resistance or complaint would result in sustained retribution. In due course these dominant students went on to university, married and moved up into the highest levels of the public service and the private sector.

Chris Smith, Kingston

My wife, referring to Pope's cartoon of Peter Dutton pulling a rabbit out of a hat (Times2, September 2, p1) , asked me what Paul Keating had to do with Border Protection. Glancing at the cartoon I tend to agree. I think Pope should avoid drawing Dutton as the possible misdirected conflation of the two images could lead one to believe that the similarity extended beyond appearances, instead of the fact that Keating is politically, and intellectually mildly superior to Dutton by, perhaps, 10,000 per cent.

George Beaton, Greenway

Elizabeth Farrelly ("It's in the vision, Paleo man", Times2, September 3, p4)was paraphrasing Socrates when she reminded us that "the unexamined culture is not worth having. Or not, at least, capable of taking us where we need to go".

Judging by recent letters to the editor, the ACT government's "vision" which relies on the innovation of light rail is not universally popular. Graham Downie (Letters, September 2) doubts whether "people will be willing to walk a kilometre to catch it".

In examining this cultural change further, I would like to ask, 'Why is that?' and turn again to this paper where I read Alexandra Black and Katie Burgess' comment ("Inner-city oasis needs tobe safe and clean", September 3, p3) that "there's little happening in Civic at the moment".

Could it be that the unwillingness of Canberra citizens to walk along their streets for any length of time is that there is not much happening along the way? I don't mind walking down the street at Braddon because there are enterprising things to look at.

Part of the "light rail" vision needs to be that streets leading to the places where it stops will become more interesting. Suburban houses and gardens whose owners both work full time work are not interesting because they are not there to talk to and cannot put time into gardening.

This is perhaps why we will need to focus on the development of medium-density housing peppered with innovative enterprises and attractive walkways, bike paths and special trees, unfettered by busy through-streets.

Jill Sutton, Watson

Seventeen of the decrepit Northbourne Ave units to remain ("Northbourne compromise", September 4, p1)! That's 17 too many. There is heritage that needs to be preserved and there is rubbish. Northbourne flats are the latter. Demolish the lot and revitalise this sadly degraded area.

I never thought I would support a Labor government – just shows my flexibility.

Bob Warn, Weston

Good news for all those seniors presently travelling on the good north Canberra bus services, as I do. When the tram operates these services will be terminated along Northbourne Avenue forcing you to wait for and change to the tram on cold or hot windy days, just to improve the tram patronage statistics. With the tram terminating at Alinga Street you will have a longer walk, not under cover to the bus interchange, but you will have a nice tram ride in Northbourne Avenue stripped of its present trees and still full of traffic.

All this simply to keep Rattenbury on side and the Barr minority government in power to ruin a once beautiful city. Corbell is quitting so he won't be here to bear the responsibility. Wake up, Canberra, you are being taken for a ride.

Robert Adams, Ainslie

Recently, I received a camera-detected infringement notice in the mail. I remember the event well. In a moment of auto-pilot, on Launceston street in Lyons, I forgot about the 50km/h rule. When I remembered, I quickly slowed down. But too late, big brother had got me. However, as drivers on auto-pilot tend to do I was driving safely according to the environmental conditions at the time.

But, our token Green, Shane Rattenbury says ("Cameras increase for war on speed", August 31, p1) he wants zero road fatalities, an unrealistic goal in the real world. But in pursuit of his impossible dream he takes our money and uses it to create an environment where he can get more money for his Labor buddies.

If he gave a damn about the safety of Canberrans he would look at the statistics on bicycle fatalities and separate bikes from vehicular traffic. But there is no money in that exercise.

When the next election comes this is another nail in the coffin for the green, mean machine that is our current government.

Judy Ryan, Lyons

For those David Ellery's readers ("Canberra pair are simply the bomb as gifts", Gang-gang, September 1, p8) who might have gained an erroneous impression, the Canberra aircraft at the Temora Aviation Museum is not an ex-RAAF aircraft but was acquired from the RAF who used it for target towing. The aircraft subsequently was painted in the camouflage colours to replicate the paintwork of the No2 Squadron Canberras in Vietnam. Another point, in my 28-plus years in the RAAF, including three years flying Canberras, I at no time heard even a whisper that our aircraft were "nuclear capable".

Ken McPhan, Spence

In the recent flurry of correspondence about the dominant militaristic advertising at Canberra airport, one point seems to have been overlooked. This advertising extravaganza tells the passing visitor that the global arms industry believes that this is a city in which defence equipment selection and procurement decisions can be influenced by such superficial glossy advertising. Our political masters and defence officials are above such influence – aren't they?

Mike Hutchinson, Reid

So, Patricia Watson (Letters, September 2) would have drivers "take the initiative and endeavour to avoid the animal". What would you like us to do, Patricia? Swerve to the left and hit a tree, or, swerve to the right and hit an oncoming car? Speed is not the issue. When a big roo crosses the road, it does so in a hurry, and without warning. You don't have to be a "speeding four-wheeled wildlife" to be unable to avoid a collision.

Nick Stevens, Cook

DO SOMETHING

Is there a chance this federal government might get beyond trying to justify itself and trying to get re-elected, and actually do something that governments are elected to do?

Randy Knispel, Broulee, NSW

SPIRITUAL YEARNING

To enable them to operate out of their "spiritual home" the Raiders want federal government funding ("Raiders keen to start on 'spiritual home', August 31, p1)! Perhaps the PCYC, Menslink and Marymead would get more bang for their buck if taxpayers' funds were invested directly instead of being churned through the Raiders first.

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW

SUNNI AGGRESSION

Bill Arnold (Letters, September 3) is accusing Amin Saikal of becoming a caricature of himself, and claiming Iran was the instigator of Sunni blowback. Where is his evidence? Iran, it should be remembered, was the victim in the Sunni Iraq's aggression – at a cost of a million or more Iranian lives.

Chris Williams, Griffith

DEFINING TERMS

Patrick O'Hara (Letters, September 3) has endorsed Simon Corbell in fulsome terms, and I use the more traditional definition of the word which means, cloying, exaggerated, even sycophantic. I don't recognise Mr Corbell from Mr O'Hara's lyrical efforts so I am bound to ask: has Mr O'Hara neglected to disclose a link?

Eric Hunter, Cook

POLICE STATE FEARS

Lucille Rogers (Letters, September 1) alludes to "the climate of fear", "war-mongering", the "demonising of refugees", and thinks Australia is turning into a police state. Obviously, Lucille has never lived in a police state!

Henk Verhoeven, Beacon Hill, NSW

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