My partner and I go through the process tomorrow finding out if the relatively poor treatment of six weeks of radiation has made a difference. Brain cancer kills more children than any other disease and takes more of our population under 40 than any other.

That the ''economic'' consequences of a disease that takes our young, and is not lifestyle related, receives only 2 per cent of all funding for cancer surely deserves advocacy from our medical community. In particular from an organisation headed by someone who sees the reality first hand, knows the terrible statistics and is aware of the paucity of research and research funding for brain cancer.

I would have thought the opportunity for Associate Professor Owler to advocate for research and treatment ''black holes'' in his own profession would have represented one of his priorities. The vast community of people who have lost children and others battle to raise awareness and funding at a very local level but remain aghast at the lack of attention by politicians and health advocates.

The Canberra Times prints stories of families going through the hell of brain cancer with their children and it elicits help from the community in these individual cases that is well deserved. But all of those who have contributed and all of us that suffer in all ways from this terrible disease need to do more beyond the individual.

J. Nesbitt, Page

The latest IPCC report lends further evidence to the fact that climate change is an urgent and ever threatening issue for everyone on the planet, Australia being one of the more vulnerable countries. The Abbott government in its defiance of this ongoing and compelling science only serves to demonstrate just how it is failing this country. It is not only negligent in addressing the very real problem of climate change, but seems hell bent on hindering jobs growth in a renewable energy sector while further burdening taxpayers as it continues to heavily subsidise a polluting fossil fuel industry.

The government's Direct Action Policy has been heavily criticised by economists and climate scientists alike, who say the scheme will fail to meet Australia's reduction target, as pitiful as that currently stands. What will it take for the federal blinkers to be removed? The window to act is closing fast. This government can and must do so much more, not only for the world's climate but for the economic future of all Australians.

Alison Chapple, Macquarie

I enjoyed Colin Steele's review of the new life of English poet Philip Larkin (''Bringing Larkin in from the cold'', Panorama, November 1, p25). He tells the famous story of the day when Larkin told Peter Shergold, the former head of Prime Minister and Cabinet, exactly where he could go in very explicit language. As Steele rightly says, great writers and artists don't have to be nice people. I was in the same class as artist Brett Whitely at Scots College in the 1950s. I once asked Whitely a trivial question about a classroom matter and his reply was exactly the same as that of Philip Larkin to Peter Shergold. But even then Whitely was beginning to show the genius that made him one of Australia's greatest artists.

Robert Willson, Deakin

Last month it took Australia Post 11 and 13 days respectively to deliver two postcards from Batemans Bay to my grandchildren, at the same address, in inner Melbourne. Granted four of these days were weekend days but as I paid the full rate, 70cents per card, I expect them to be treated as letters and be delivered in a more timely fashion.

More often than not when I simultaneously post, in Canberra, a letter to each of my two grandchildren they get separated in the mail, the second letter arriving in Melbourne one, two or even three days after the first!

Australia Post complains about losing money on its letter service. In my opinion it will lose even more money unless it improves the service it provides.

Gay von Ess, Aranda

I read with interest John Moses' letter of November 3. Further to his contribution, the German hydrographic ship SMS Planet was undertaking hydrographic surveys of German New Guinea and beyond in 1907 which were converted into German Imperial Naval charts of 1911 so the trade routes to and from Australia and New Zealand were under direct threat from the Imperial German East Asian Naval squadron from 1911.

Indeed, the main strategic mission of the squadron was to undertake commerce warfare at the outbreak of a war between Germany and the British Empire.

This mission changed slightly with the arrival of the battlecruiser HMAS Australia on the Australian station in 1913. The first actions of the Royal Australian Navy with the outbreak of war were to silence the German wireless stations at Rabaul and Samoa, which were in place prior to the declaration.

I agree that any analysis which suggests Australia rushed headlong into the Great War is deficient and not supported by the known facts available to any who would care to research them. It is important during the next four years that we are presented with an accurate view of the situation as at 1914.

Rohan Goyne, Evatt

Why was there no memorial service organised in Canberra for Gough Whitlam's death? Given his lifetime of public service, including as PM in Canberra, and the affection in which he was held in this city, surely such an event was needed.

N.J. Grimmond, Calwell

Katy Gallagher's article, ''Light rail affordable, timely'' (Times2, November 3), illustrates how out of touch our Chief Minister is with the situation in Canberra.

The article talks a lot about what is needed in the ACT, but fails to make any believable link between these needs and the $800 million-plus light-rail proposal. The business case provides good reason not to waste any more money on this project. For example, what private company will build and operate the tram line without firm guarantees from the government to cover the losses that are sure to occur? At the end of the day it will be the ACT ratepayers who will be out of pocket for many years to come.

Does Ms Gallagher expect us to believe that a single tram line that starts at Gungahlin and ends in the city will attract viable loads all day, seven days a week and that people will ride it to the city and then catch a bus to work or vice versa?

As for development along Northbourne Avenue, come on. We are not stupid enough to swallow the line that there will be a rush to build the ''Paris'' end of Canberra, and that the trams will be packed with commuters from all over Canberra who have driven or caught a bus to the start or end of the line.

Also, emotional language and overstatements such as ''ripped the heart out of the public service'' are no way to try to justify the waste of $800 million of our money.

Peter Langhorne, Narrabundah

Katy Gallagher's article ''Light rail affordable, timely'' (Times2, November 3) is revealing - of the weakness of her case.

More than half of it isn't about trams at all. ''We do good things. We're doing this. Therefore this is a good thing.'' ''People who never use buses will use light rail.'' What? Why?

Then there is what's missing: the cost-benefit comparisons with other options. Improved bus services, perhaps along Northbourne Avenue only, a dedicated bus lane if that is financially justified, are obvious examples. All this to retain Mr Rattenbury's vote.

Paul Mason, McKellar

Canberra, our national capital, belongs to all Australians. Let's not risk spoiling our wonderful entrance, with all the trees, with an outdated, ineffective light-rail/tram system.

Sydney, Melbourne and Perth have underground railway systems. It's simply an entrance shaft and a tunnel-boring machine. The soil under the lake would be frozen and a tunnel bored, as was done in Paris in 1895 or so. No big deal. The underground Capital Metro would connect Banks with Franklin. At the stops, TAMS-supplied e-bikes, using MyWay cards, allow healthy cycling to workplaces and back. A simple, effective and affordable public transport system.

Colin Kish, chartered engineer, director, ACT Action E-bikes

On November 2, having walked to the top of Red Hill, I visited the public toilet there. A sign on the door said that from February 1, 2015, the toilet would be closed, but that I would be able seek relief at a toilet at the Griffith Shops, among other places.

I wonder whether others are trying to work out what has driven the ACT government to make such a ridiculous proposal.

Is there someone within the ACT government who can enlighten us all about this decision, including how the availability of public toilets several kilometres away will meet the needs of those who arrive on foot?

Jeff Hart, Kingston

A question for Bruce Glossop (Letters, November, 1). ACT road rules say, inter alia: ''The speed limit applying to a driver for a length of road to which a speed-limit sign applies is the number of kilometres per hour indicated by the number on the sign.'' If he is driving at 60km/h on a length of road where a 60km/h speed limit sign applies, is he driving at the speed limit or is he driving at one times over the limit? Whatever his answer, I would be interested in his reasoning, as it is quite legal to drive at up to 60km/h in a 60km/h zone and with a blood alcohol concentration of up to 0.05.

Roger Brown, Rivett

I am glad to see that J.F. Bishop (Letters, October 3) agrees with my assessment of the Museum of Australia, hereafter termed the Monstrosity, as a piece of architecture. But then we read: ''While I am none too happy with our present local [Labor] government, it was the ACT Liberals under Kate Carnell that organised and bungled the destruction of the Royal Canberra Hospital.''

Carnell and Co bungled a demolition set in train by the previous Labor government headed by Rosemary Follett, at the urging of that noted town planner, Paul Keating. But for Follett's mob, we would still have the glorious old Royal Canberra Hospital.

From the National Archives of Australia Research Guide: with the establishment of Woden Valley and Calvary hospitals, the former Royal Canberra Hospital's role was reduced. In April 1995, the Commonwealth and Territory governments agreed on a land exchange, whereby the Commonwealth would acquire the Acton site for national use and the ACT government would acquire Commonwealth land on the Kingston foreshores.

While Carnell unwittingly turned it into a tragic circus, it was the Labor federal government (Keating's) and Labor ACT government (Follett's) that started the process whose end product was the Monstrosity.

Ian MacDougall, Farrer

L.F. Bishop (Letters, November 3) draws attention to the ''bungled destruction of the Royal Canberra Hospital''. The history of the decision to close the hospital is interesting. On December 22, 1989, the ACT Minister for Health in the Kaine Alliance government, Gary Humphries, announced enough money had been found to keep Canberra and Woden Valley hospitals open, then in 1990, the Alliance government announced Royal Canberra Hospital would be closed. On June 6, 1990, the Labor opposition introduced a bill in the ACT Legislative Assembly to keep it open.

On a policy of keeping it open, Labor was elected to power in January 1991. The Minister for Health, Wayne Berry, ordered the ACT Health Authority to conduct a study into the feasibility of keeping it open. In August 1991, he announced it would be closed in three months, and it was.

Dr Peter D. Hughes, Curtin

In his letter about the Branson space project (November 4) Frank Duggan has wrongly stated that the Luftwaffe had explosive fuel problems with the Me-262.

This was a twin jet which used mainly diesel or synthetic fuel made from coal extracts.

The rocket plane with the problems was the Me-163 Komet. I think the AWM has one at Mitchell. It used hydrazine hydrate fuel - nasty stuff which had a habit of leaving residues which would explode with the shock of a landing. I doubt the Branson craft uses this stuff!

Juergen Voss, Scullin

Perhaps Mr Duggan got sensory overload during his time at the Memorial. There is an Me-262 (Schwalbe) at the AWM; it was the first practical jet (not rocket) fighter to see service in WWII, and was powered by two somewhat unreliable Junkers Jumo turbojets.

The Me-163 (Komet) is a very different horse from a very different stable. Originally designed as a Lippisch tailless glider it graduated through a propeller-driven prototype to its final form of being a rocket propelled interceptor.

Certainly faster than anything it was going to intercept it suffered from the problem of being too fast to be effective. It is generally accepted that they only accounted for nine allied aircraft. Because of accidents in handling the aircraft and with the dangers posed by the hypergolic fuels (C-stoff and T-stoff) Luftwaffe deaths far exceeded those of allied personnel.

The fact that the Schwalbe and the Komet both were assigned Messerschmitt designations does not and should not link them in any way.

Some years ago I took an old friend to visit the AWM. He was an ex-515 squadron Mosquito pilot. On viewing the 163 he remarked that he had once been passed by one climbing at about 50m/sec. ''I never saw it again.''

Fredrik Limacher, Kambah

STANDARDS DIFFER

Why is it that a Mr Fluffy house must be encapsulated by a tent for the removal of asbestos from the ceiling cavity, but for demolition purposes, a spray of water is apparently sufficient to contain clumps of loose fibres that may be elsewhere in the structure?

Chris Morgan, Evatt

MISGUIDED CHOICE

Glenn Maxwell may be a great parkland cricketer, but if he and his cavalier tactics are the best option we have at No.3 in Test cricket, then our entire structure from selection to game plan to team leadership needs urgent work.

Charles Smith, Nicholls

COAL PARADOX

No doubt the miners are pleased with Team Australia's skills at turning a potential liability into an asset. It is still a little concerning that we need to destroy the planet to save it. Can smokers now look forward to the removal of tobacco taxes and a payment to those who quit or reduce their consumption?

Andrew Roberts, Kambah

CASE EXPERTLY MADE

George Brandis made out his case clearly, expertly and patiently on Q&A on Monday evening, despite a self-pitying, biased audience and prodding by moderator Tony Jones siding with them against him.

Hugh Jorgahan, Lyons

PRODUCTIVITY LOST

In the alleged quest for productivity improvements, how much productivity is lost across the APS in attempts to negotiate enterprise agreements in an unnegotiable environment?

J. Coleman, Chisholm

FORM A UNION

I have a few suggestions for Defence Force personnel. Form a union. Go on strike for real pay increases. Join the rest of us in the fight against the 1 per cent and their politicians.

John Passant, Kambah

NEW CONFUSION

So ACTEW Water is to change its name to ICON Water to reduce confusion (''ACTEW plans rebrand after years of confusion'', November 1, p1). Great. Now we can confuse it with the Department of Finance's communications arm, ICON.

Phillip Jewell, Symonston

SNOUTS OUT

Sir Peter Cosgrove is definitely a man of the people and a great Governor-General (''Strictly business this time'', Times2, November 4, p4). It is time all our elected representatives followed his lead and stopped putting their snouts in the trough.

Shirley Good, Macgregor

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