Unfortunately our current crop of economic masters are blinded by the zeal of neo-liberal economics and seem to have forgotten about concepts like points of diminishing returns and sigmoid growth dynamics. Indeed they seize on unscientific metrics to show that we're all better off. My disposable income has been shrinking for many years and I don't believe a word of it.

Whilst all economic metrics are suspect, a sensible one is the concept of the Genuine Progress Index which was developed by Herman Daly. Australia's GPI peaked in 1974 when the population was around 14 million. If this is the optimum population then the carrying capacity at 1974 levels of consumption would be 28million. The sustainable population would be a few million less than that.

We should remember that the rest of the world is surviving by expending natural capital and the population has overshot the sustainable level by at least 2billion. Human capital will soon become a stranded asset. In the interesting times ahead towards the end of the century Australia would be much better placed with a modest population.

Nick Ware, O'Connor

Catholic and other independent schools have called for the retention of dedicated school buses. It is not beyond the realms of the imagination that those who potentially might have to share their regular service with the "little darlings" (apologies to Horace Rumpole) might also want to see school buses retained.

Solution 1: retain school buses but require passengers to pay 33-50 per cent of the actual cost of the service. Presently, every "boarding" – some journeys include multiple boardings – costs ACTION about $8. Yet ACTION only raises about 10per cent of its annual budget in fares. You can guess who pays the rest.

Solution 2: ditch the government-provided school buses and let "independent" schools be serviced by "independent" bus operators. The latter could tender for any service they want to run at market rates but would be subsidised by government to the tune of around 33-50per cent of the cost. I understand this is regarded as a fair public contribution elsewhere. ACTION even might want to tender at those rates.

Any savings could either be returned to the 80 per cent or so of Canberra households that rarely if ever use ACTION or else to help fund extra peak hour services.

The latter presently suffer from there being barely enough buses to go round.

Bob Bennett, Wanniassa

So at long last that pious pest Tim Soutphommasane concludes his five-year term as Race Discrimination Commissioner this month. ("Political seeds that still bear bitter fruit", August 6, p19).

A man of exquisite sensitivities, who spoke disparagingly of something called "casual racism", which could involve asking a person of colour where they came from, a man who reportedly solicited someone who may have been offended by a Bill Leak cartoon, a man who said little or nothing when a couple of QUT students were put through the financial wringers when they rightly called a computer room only open to Indigenese students "segregation", a man who made no comment when his Human Rights boss lamented that people can say what they like around the kitchen table, yet a Race Discrimination Commissioner whose silence is deafening when one race drafts a manifesto referring to the "torment" of their "powerlessness" yet has access to jobs, grants and education funding not available to others.

It's unfortunate he couldn't be around, in the bad old days of the early '60s, before we had racial discrimination laws.

If he had, by now he would be completely unmoved if in a Queensland pub favoured by cane cutters he heard someone say "'ow yer goin' Jacko, you old black bastard," and the speaker received a reply in kind and without rancour.

But he wasn't, and after five years of giving this writer the impression that, like any ambitious public servant, he has been trying to extend his remit, if only by drawing attention to tremendous trivialities, I doubt that many will miss him.

Bill Deane, Chapman

I write to clarify some observations made in a letter from Bill Deane (Letters, August 8) about public access to reports provided by two Assembly members who undertook study travel in 2014 [during the eighth assembly].

Mr Deane observes that his attempts to find a copy of the study travel reports were unsuccessful and that he was told that neither was available to the public.

It is unclear who told Mr Deane this but I want to clarify that all the reports lodged by members for study travel undertaken up until the time that this entitlement was abolished in July 2014 are certainly available to the public.

For such travel undertaken in the seventh and eighth Assemblies [2008-2016] (the entitlement was abolished during the eighth Assembly), they are available via hyperlink from the respective travel reports published on the Assembly's website.

Reports prior to this date [2008] were not published online but are available by contacting the Office of the Legislative Assembly.

Tom Duncan, Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, ACT

It has become apparent who is governing the ACT. It is not Andrew Barr.

The Greens under Shane Rattenbury rule the roost.

The Greens will produce any argument to shut down further coal-fired power stations and increase renewables.

This will cause further unreliability in sustainable power supply with detrimental effects on living standards, productivity and employment.

We all witnessed the disaster experienced in South Australia through the ill-fated experiment of the Weatherall ALP government.

We have no wish for that to be replicated in the ACT, particularly during the current cold snap or during the predicted forthcoming hot summer.

N.Bailey, Nicholls

Re: "Tigers vow not to let Cleary join Panthers" (August8, p.39). Andrew Webster comments on NRL credibility regarding the Ivan Cleary coaching saga. He tried to deflect criticism from the NRL by referring to another code when he said: "This isn't under-10 soccer". Well he was partly right it is "under-10 rugby league".

R. Brown, Belconnen

A former rugby league great was recently quoted in the media as suggesting that the issue of forward passes should continue to be left in the hands of the on-field officials and not the bunker staff. This followed hot on the heels of an earlier game between the Penrith Panthers and the Canberra Raiders which resulted in a narrow win to the Panthers, largely by virtue of a last-minute try which, to most at the ground (other than the match officials) was forward, and should not therefore have been allowed.

The ex-player considered that the issue of whether the bunker should be empowered to rule on blatant forward passes (appears it cannot do this at present) would lead to legitimate passes being penalised.

The answer to this is obvious. If a system can be successfully developed and engineered to identify forward passes during a game, then of course it should be considered and, if feasible, adopted.

Cricket's decision review system (DRS) was introduced to help avoid contentious decisions and bad feelings among players through access to a technology-based system designed to allow a third person to review, and assess each and every dispute and to make a response on the issue. Why can't we have something along these lines not only for rugby league but also other codes of football as well. And of course we could also re-adopt the "captains review" stem trialled in the under-20s competition a couple of years ago.

We need to move on this as the situation is becoming embarrassing. Bunk em or Bunkum?

Andrew Rowe, Florey

With Ms Michaela Banerji sacked and up before the High Court for a discreet opinion, it's rather ironic to have the ex-APS chief encouraging public service leaders ("APS chief laments 'do-gooders"', August 7, p1) "to express views and pursue ideas that may challenge accepted opinions".

More strength to her.

Lawry Herron, O'Connor

Commonwealth Merit Protection Commissioner Mark Davidson declined to investigate misconduct allegations against Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd, on the grounds that it would be more appropriate for those claims to be investigated independently rather than by someone in the Public Service Commission (John Lloyd faces inquiry into second complaint about conduct, canberratimes.com.au, July 26).

Two ACT government officials were accused of breaching the ACT Public Service Code of Conduct, by failing to correct the claim that Technical Amendment 2012-06 "simply relocated existing provisions in the Territory Plan into precinct codes". Notwithstanding the obvious conflict of interest, minister Gentleman asked one of the accused officials to investigate. That official intimidated the accuser with a threat to "consider taking further action in response" if he should publicly repeat "unwarranted allegations of misleading conduct against [any] officer in relation to this matter".

The ACT Public Sector Management Act says that public servants must "take all reasonable steps to avoid a conflict of interest" and must not "intimidate anyone". The minister ignored those provisions, concluding that, "I am satisfied that all Environment and Planning Directorate officials have acted in accordance with the ACT [sic] Code of Conduct in relation to the issues you have raised".

Life would be much easier for John Lloyd if he was in the ACT Public Service.

Leon Arundell, Downer

The daily news brings reports of unprecedented drought and wildfires across northern Europe and America, which are being attributed, at least in part, to climate change.

A Dutch scientist asked about the adequacy of the commitments agreed to in the Paris Accord said that they were quite inadequate and would never prevent atmospheric warming rising beyond 2 degrees C – and warned that even a 2-degree rise would result in a very uncomfortable world.

It staggers me to hear Mr Abbott, a committed volunteer bushfire fighter, state on radio that we should pull out of the Paris Accord and keep using coal to provide "cheap, reliable" electricity for the benefit of "the people".

It is clear that with solar, wind, pumped hydro and battery storage, there is an alternative way of providing reliable electricity supplies.

What will it take to convince Mr Abbott that emitting more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere would be the worst thing we could do if we care about those who come after us?

If Queensland's Adani mine goes ahead it will not help the employment situation.

The huge number of coal ships travelling through the Great Barrier Reef will put one of the greatest natural wonders of the world into physical danger through risk of collisions.

Burning the coal will increase global warming and ensuring the death of the reef and of the jobs which depend on it.

Margaret Lee, Hawker

On last Monday's Sunrise show Kochie interviewed Malcolm Turnbull about the drought situation in this country.

Turnbull's response showed what an inept and apathetic individual he is.

He could not give two stuffs about our agricultural producers' present plight.

To add insult to injury, Turnbull stated that the government is stepping in to help (sic).

The likes of Burrumbuttock convoys, ordinary Aussie support and TV stations' campaign to raise money for the producers shamed the government into doing something.

Water should be taken from places like Cobbie, piped or trucked to outback areas at their expense as they pay bugger all tax and are mostly foreign owned.

The government's "something" is two handouts of $6000.

This is an absolute insult to our producers when Julie Bishop has given close to $3 billion in aid to foreign countries to buy a seat on the UN.

We do not have politicians who are loyal to the people or this country and we need to get rid of them.

N. W. H. Timms, Bungundarra, Qld

BOLTON OUT OF LINE

Anyone inclined to believe US National Security Adviser John Bolton’s current claim that the renewed US crusade against Iran is directed towards ‘‘world peace’’, should review his substantial ideological contribution towards peace and stability, again especially in the Middle East, as a key official in the first three-quarters of the George W. Bush administrations in 2001-2006.

He is an insult to international politics. But far-right-American, and so beyond any risk of censure by Australian politicians on either side.

Alex Mattea, Kingston

SUPER BAD MOVE

I seem to recall it’s said you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear (‘‘AustralianSuper blew members’ money’’, CT, p4, August 10).

Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW

TRAM PLAN ‘BROKEN’

A few weeks back one of your correspondents stated that the trams currently purchased will not be able to traverse the Stage 2 route because of the lack of overhead wires in the parliamentary triangle. If this is true it would render the government’s claim that it is creating a ‘‘spine’’ from north to south a bit hollow – a broken spine in need of major surgery. In keeping with all other commentary on the tram there was no response from government.

Mr Barr, come out from hiding.

Chris Mobbs, Torrens

THE NEG PROBLEM

Your NEG editorial (August 9, p14) uncritically accepts the line that the NEG is a workable compromise that can be improved later. A big problem is that the current government refuses to remove or amend impediments to improvement by later federal governments.

Peter Campbell, Cook

LESS IS NOT MORE

ACTION has dropped the ball in the north of Kambah. We currently enjoy direct services to Woden, City and Belconnen at peak hours and a regular reliable service to Woden. Under the ‘‘improved’’ network we lose all that to be replaced by a bus that goes to Weston before terminating at Woden. Why has ACTION decided less is more for Kambah residents?

Paul Bibo, Kambah

SKY FAILS PUB TEST

I’m very pleased I won’t see boring propaganda when I go to work in Melbourne thanks to the ban on Sky News. The pub test for me is would Lee Lin Chin ever appear on Sky News?

Melina Smith, Brighton, Vic

ASIC DISBELIEF

I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read of the plan to embed ASIC enforcement officers in our banks. ASIC does not have the culture or the track record to suggest that, inside the tent, it would develop a spine and teeth.

A. Whiddett, Forrest

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