While not a complete measure, waiting times (and call abandonment figures) are a key indicator of most people's experience of dealing with them.

I recently tried to call Access Canberra to inquire about a street light at the end of a dark walkway that had still not been repaired two months after being reported. My first call was for 15minutes and I gave up in disgust. For my second call I waited for 35minutes on the repeated false promise that I was the next caller to be answered, and then abandoned the call!

To arrive at quoted average waiting times of 129 and 71 seconds respectively for January and February there must be a lot of very quick responses by Canberra Connect to offset my 900 and 2100-second waits.

Let's face it, Access Canberra and the government would be embarrassed by the call waiting time statistics and so don't want us to see them.

John Baker, Griffith

Seems that the old inconsiderate smokers – those that thought they had the right to smoke wherever and whenever they wanted to – have been replaced by the inconsiderate dog owners who think they can take their dogs wherever they please.

Dogs are great pets and companions, and love to be out and about in parks and leash-free areas. But at large public gatherings? I don't think so.

This weekend just gone, we had to ring security at Canberra Hospital as there was a poor dog locked in a car in the hospital car park on the hottest September day on record. What a cruel act by its owner. On Sunday, we had the pleasure of visiting Tulip Top and there were just so many dogs there with their "loving owners" – it was a very daunting experience for our grandson, being pushed around in a pram to suddenly come face to face with a dog. And then to see one loving family take their dog into a cafe area was just irresponsible, beside being illegal.

If dog owners wish to get their dogs out and about, take them to a large, open park where there is a leash-free area and do not subject them to large crowds.

Just show some consideration for others, as I have seen dogs get involved in fights and even trip a person over as they darted off and their lead crossed the path of a dog-free person.

Errol Grace, Fountaindale

It surprises me that in a democratic society, traditional practices are under fire yet again to satisfy the demands of the minority.

In his article suggesting the ending of parliamentary prayer procedures, George Williams ("Is it time to end parliamentary prayer?" September25, p.19) has admitted recent census data has shown an increase in "no religion" to 30.1per cent.

Whether this means they are atheists or have no belief in a higher power is debatable.

The Lord's Prayer, although attributed to Jesus, mentions Christ nowhere. Likewise, the opening prayer mentions only Almighty God.

Surely, the 8.2per cent of non-Christians can pray to their own god at this point and those who believe in God but not organised religion can likewise acknowledge God's guidance through use of the Lord's Prayer.

The statement that this is a Protestant prayer is misleading. This is the traditional version of the Lord's Prayer still promoted today, mainly by the Catholic Church. The Reformed Church or Anglican Church uses an updated version. This traditional version is still used in inter-church gatherings.

Reference to the Church of England in the constitution should be reserved for a discussion on monarchy or republic rather than the questions at hand here.

Surely, at times like the present, removing prayers intended for guidance from a Christian God of love should not be removed.

Reverend Rob Donald, Cootamundra

The Barr government is clearly assuming the good burghers of Belconnen are locked-on Labor supporters. How else can we explain last week's kick to the guts? Barr brings in the tram for his mates in Gungahlin and sells off Northbourne Avenue to fund part of the cost, including the Dickson rego station and the shopfront.

No alternative plans are forthcoming and the fee-paying citizens of the old inner north flock to Belconnen. Last Friday at 11.30am, the Belconnen shopfront was packed with 50 customers – standing room only. At 4.30pm, same story. A wait of 45minutes to pay a rego renewal by eftpos. Doors closed at 5pm. People still waiting at 5.30pm.

It' s not the fault of the staff, they tried their best, while the punters watch a slowly moving numbers screen, ironically located alongside a TV screen with a beaming Barr extolling the virtues of his government.

But the Belconnen bashing also goes on elsewhere. Barr has reduced the Parkwood recycling depot to cardboard and glass recycling only – oil or battery collection is no longer available.

The answer, from this so-called environmentally friendly government is to drive 22kilometres to Mitchell, polluting the environment with my car.

W. Brown, Holt

Kathryn Kelly (Letters, September27) says the US has "invaded" North Korea before. It doesn't read that way in most Western history books. At dawn on June25, 1950, the North Koreans launched a surprise attack across the 38th parallel.

A. Dent, Gungahlin

I have read the editorial in The Canberra Times of September 27 and agree that finding a long-term solution to energy problems as well as dealing with the immediate difficulties should be a matter of urgency for the federal and state governments.

The following is what was endured by my family as the result of severe electricity shortages (caused by a coal miners' strike and other supply problems) in the early 1950s.

On any two weekday evenings every week, no supply from about 4.45pm to 7.45pm, and sometimes a third night as well. Every Sunday from about 8.45am to 1.45pm, there was no electricity either. This regime lasted for two years (1950-51) in Sydney.

It was especially hard on a household where there was no reticulated gas in our part of the suburb. Cooking was on a methylated spirits single burner camping stove, and heating was via a kerosene fuelled Fyrside heater.

Lighting was by candles. Hot water for showers was chancy.

Official records state that electricity was carefully rationed for industrial and commercial purposes so as to cause the least disruption, and to cater for essential services such as hospitals.

For domestic supply there was only one blackout scheduled each week for each suburb. However, that was certainly not the case in the suburb where I lived. Would anyone want anything like that in this day and age?

R. Richards, Cook

Given the quality of the debate on same-sex marriage – or should I say, lack of it – I've come to the view that, irrespective of the outcome of the ABS survey, Australia should move to making a clear separation between legal (or civil) marriage and religious marriage as is already the case in many countries, notably in France and Italy.

Legal marriage would be a matter for the state and involve a civil ceremony, however brief, before witnesses and presided over by an authorised state/territory official — or an authorised civil celebrant. There would be no religious connotations at all, and ministers of religion — regardless of faith – would not be authorised to conduct such ceremonies.

Only with such a civil ceremony would the law recognise people as married. After that, people can – or not – have whatever religious ceremony they like, according to the rites of their particular faith. Any such religious ceremony – which should not be the business of the state in any shape or form anyway – would, of course, have no legal effect and there should be no pretence that such a religious ceremony creates the conditions of civil, legal marriage.

Faiths could, if they so wanted, as in Italy, make it a prerequisite of a religious ceremony that there has already been a civil ceremony.

So there would be no conjunction between legal (or civil) marriage and religious marriage, and only those who submit to the civil ceremony would be regarded as legally married.

Don Sephton, Greenway

Christopher Budd's views about marriage (Letters, September 27) are seriously out of whack with the views of mainstream Australia in 2017.

Mr Budd may regard sex outside of marriage as a sin but there is no longer any legal sanction to prevent single women from having children out of wedlock. Likewise, many heterosexual couples in Australia live in de facto (unmarried) relationships and have children.

Although Mr Budd may believe that his God intended sex to be primarily for procreation, many infertile couples get married in circumstances where they can be absolutely certain they will not create any children when they have sex.

Mr Budd's analysis of marriage is so blinkered by his religious views that he seems to regard the statutory institution of marriage under the Marriage Act as synonymous with the religious rite of marriage.

If, as I hope, the postal survey results in a majority "yes" vote, religious institutions will still have a monopoly on religious marriage ceremonies for the 25 per cent of couples who marry by that means. But LGBTI couples will finally secure the statutory right to marry under the Marriage Act.

Bruce Taggart, Aranda

Have just received the rates notice on my townhouse in Cook. Forget the 4 per cent (Liberals) or 7 per cent (ALP) annual rates rises.

My rates are up 34 per cent on last year's amount. Meanwhile the government is collecting $80 million (or 32 per cent) more in stamp duty than it did in 2012. This gives a perverse new meaning to the term "win-win".

Murray May, Cook

Something for potential "no" voters who have not yet voted, to consider.

About four years ago the ACT government legislated to legalise same-sex marriage. Thirty-one couples took that opportunity to seal their love in marriage.

An appeal against that legislation was made to the High Court, which at the end of a week, disallowed that legislation.

The point to ponder is, in what way were the other 24 million of us in any way inconvenienced or disadvantaged or in any way adversely affected during the week that those couples to all intents and purposes were deemed to be in a state of matrimony?

Michael J. Adler, Gungahlin

The PM made a mistake when he pointed to a "comprehensive failure" by some states to develop gas resources, specifying, "both Victoria and New South Wales are not doing enough." ("PM pressures gas companies", September 26, pp1,4).

This is a direct attack on the well-founded fracking bans in place. He was equally wrong to concentrate on producers on the east coast.

A portion of the production in the west must also be protected for home use.

It is retrograde to join the gas producers' concerted manipulations to bully the country into massive new fracking developments.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

So the flu vaccine doesn't work. Make sure you eat your oranges.

C. Campbell, Manuka

GAS HYPOCRISY

Acting Labor Leader, Tanya Plibersek, and her employment spokesman, Brendan O'Connor, have both stated that the Turnbull government should restrict gas exports to ease the shortage for domestic users. What hypocrisy. A few years ago I asked Andrew Leigh if gas should be retained for domestic use but apparently it wasn't a good idea to interfere in the markets.

Felicity Chivas, Scullin

COMMISSION STAND

Why is ACT Policing opposed to the idea of being accountable to an anti-corruption commission? A suspicious person might think they had something to hide?

M. Moore, Bonython

GOOD EDITORIAL

There is gratitude in my household when a good editorial is read aloud. Yours ("Crisis partly of the Coalitions own making", September 27, p. 16) was one such occasion. We need its perspective of the whole in which we appreciate the short-term thinking of our governments as they sold off our precious resources without consideration of any shared vision for our future.

Jill Sutton, Watson

DANGEROUS PAIR

Two ignorant men with enormous egos; both bullies with silly haircuts and dangerous weapons; calling each other childish names and making inane threats. Each needs to take a step backwards, grow up and stop this potentially perilous nonsense now.

J. Grant, Gowrie

NOT TOO HASTY

So Nicholas Stuart ("Will the army's costliest vehicles be useless?", September 27, p.19) reckons Land 400 is going to deliver a pup. Don't be too hasty mate; the Abram's tank was considered a waste of money until the Gulf War vindicated it.

J. Murphy, Belconnen

CONFUSED

Father Robert Willson (Letters, September 26) says growing interest in Christianity, lslam, Buddhism, and Hinduism "underline our hunger for God".

Buddhism does not recognise a single God or god-like being. Buddhists do not pray to the Buddha. They respect him as a teacher.

Alastair Stewart, Campbell

'CHRISTIAN VALUES'

Imagine the furore if legislation were to be passed by Federal Parliament that banned all pork products from Australia in deference to Islamic teachings.

There is essentially no difference in what the Howard government did in 2004 when it prohibited same-sex marriage and codified "Christian values" into law.

James Allan, Narrabundah

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