Why? It has all been said. Why spend $160 million unnecessarily when there are plenty of things that could use the money better? Why sling taxpayer dollars to groups so they can "argue their case"?

There is no case to argue. It's simple: yes or no. All that money will do is enable die-hards to push their views, courtesy of us! And some of those views will be nasty, make no mistake (and a few will be downright mendacious, even dare I say it).

We all know where we stand on this. It has been argued back and forth for the last umpteen years. We don't want a plebiscite.

Don't do it. Put the thing to a vote in the Parliament and be done with it.

(Ms) Gabriel Brown, Murrumbateman, NSW

I don't have a strong view one way or another about marriage equality, but if senators Abetz, Bernardi and Seselja, and Kevin Andrews MP, believe the plebiscite is not binding on them, then what justification is there for spending another $20 million on hearing the views of the two rival factions? Irrespective of what Prime Minister Turnbull might have said at some meeting, I don't recall any election promise to spend taxpayers' dollars on funding the churches or the LGBTI factions to push their views at the rest of us, so let them pay for it.

Bill Bowron, Farrer

The question of a multimillion-dollar plebiscite to give same-sex partners the right to enter the sacred bonds of marriage would leave a good proportion of Australians feeling perplexed.

The fact that around 50 per cent of marriages end in divorce or separation negates its value. Bureau of Statistics figures estimate that around 8per cent of Australians regularly attend a church, which also makes a church wedding seem mere window dressing.

I am sure Abraham did not enter into a formal church wedding with any of his wives.

Most of my extended family are not that fussed about getting married. Common law protects unmarried couples financially.

The only strong bond successful couples have is that they care for each other. If that disappears or turns into dislike they, if able, break up whether married or not.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

Once again, apologists for Israel's illegal expanding settlement program of Palestine, like Mark Kessel (Letters, September 12) misunderstand the difference between economic opportunities and basic human rights. Australian MPs visiting Israel, with all costs paid, expect us to accept that if the confected reason and focus is on economic opportunities, then it is perfectly OK for their attention to be diverted from the special care and compassion towards those people dispossessed and rejected, living in camps and behind the walls.

These children, women and men living without hope need opportunities and good friends that Australian MPs could easily provide without compromise.

The total concentration on money is justification for some but not by the majority.

John Malouf, Hawker

Alex Ryvchin ("Ancient tradition lives in citizenry: in contributing to Australia's welfare, the Jews found theirs", Comment, September, p16) alerts us to an appeal to establish a new Jewish war memorial and museum.

I suppose it would be too much to ask for Australia to first give suitable recognition to the frontier wars which inflicted such a terrible toll on Indigenous Australians which still, outrageously, remain un-commemorated and inadequately documented.

Greg Ellis, Murrumbateman, NSW

Without wanting to justify in anyway the recent incident at Minto, where a "terrorist"-motivated, lone wolf attack, was allegedly perpetrated by a Muslim youth on an innocent bystander, I ask myself: was the Cronulla beach incident also a "terrorist" attack, perpetrated by white supremacists on a group of Muslim youths?

We cannot legislate against ignorance, hatred and fanaticism. Moreover, they are states of mind very difficult to combat. We can only try to educate ourselves in a culture of tolerance and understanding. So, Mr Turnbull and mass media, please, stop spreading exaggerated comments which can only heighten people's fears and mistrust of the other. A stabbing in Minto does not a Twin Towers make.

John Rodriguez, Florey

Rob Westcott (Letters, September 12 )is right to affirm that an interest in military technology displayed at a War Memorial Open Day does not necessarily lead to condoning "military adventurism". But Sue Wareham (Letters, September 9) is also right to caution against accepting the unreflective display of military technology. A knowledge of military technology is not incompatible with a loathing for war – I know my P-51s from my P-48s and so on, and I detest war.

But displaying military technology while not offering any critique of war as such does not help anyone, and specially children, to see that war is not normal or laudatory. Appreciate the AWM's technology for what it represents – but do so honestly and openly, and that includes acknowledging that the stuff has been used to kill.

Peter Stanley, Dickson

For years I lived in the happy belief that the stock exchange was a forum for raising capital for productive enterprises. I struggled somewhat with the suspicion that activities such as short selling in fact turn it into a gambling establishment. As I read about the scandal of Titan Trade ("ASIC sounds alarm on the complex Titan Trade money trail, BusinessDay, September 10, p26) involving things called binary options I could only conclude the ASX is basically a casino.

Warwick Budd, Nicholls

Clair Sibthorpe ("Public urged to help stop illegal graffiti", September 10, p10) makes the point that the ACT government removes illegal graffiti in public places.

Hindmarsh Drive musn't be a public place then, for the horrible graffiti on the fences from Melrose Drive to Streeton Drive seems to have been there for years.

Amazing that most of the mess is made by the same few taggers over and over again, and they have been doing so for years.

Come on ACT government, time to clean up the mess and also to encourage the police to at least make an attempt to catch the culprits.

Peter Keast, Torrens

The ill-considered proposal by Greens Shane Rattenbury, in particular, and the ACT government generally to allow plantings on nature strips has rightly been deferred ("Nature strip veges on hold", September 10, p3) and preferably will be consigned to the waste bin of stupid ideas.

Successive ACT governments have failed to enforce their requirements that footpaths be clear of vegetation. The result is it is difficult to find any suburban footpath in Canberra which is not obstructed by overgrown hedges and/or overhanging branches. Yet Rattenbury, the tail which wags the government dog, proposed allowing further obstructions from nature strips.

The proposed guidelines require a 150mm setback from paths, drives and roads, but there are already numerous examples of plantings and other structures on nature strips which are well within this limit. These frequently occur where footpaths are further obstructed from lessees' side of the path.

The government's planning policy is that first priority be to pedestrians, then cyclists, public transport, goods vehicles then private motor vehicles.

The reality is the reverse. Footpaths and shared paths are poorly maintained, and increasingly walkways in shopping centres are strewn with tables, signs and shop displays. This breaches ACT design standards and fails to provide a "Continuous accessible path of travel" as defined by the Australian Human Rights Commission.

Obstructed footpaths cause minor inconvenience to many people, but people with disabilities face daily frustration and potential injury when using Canberra's footpaths and walkways.

The guidelines for the proposed plantings on nature strips seem reasonable enough, but before any further use of nature strips is permitted the government must enforce its existing requirement that footpaths be kept clear. It should also require existing plantings and structures on nature strips which breach its proposed guidelines to be removed. Otherwise there can be no confidence the government is serious about maintaining clear walkways.

Graham Downie, O'Connor

I, and 25,591 other people, attended the Raiders versus Cronulla Sharks game on Saturday night at GIO stadium. We parked at the nearby CIT campus.

After the game, it took us 48 minutes to advance the 200 metres from the parking lot to Haydon Drive. Why? Because the traffic police who until this year used to regulate the traffic feeding into Haydon Drive from CIT after a Raiders game, are no longer there. Even with a modest 10,000 crowd at a Raiders game, it has taken up to 23 minutes to move 200 metres.

Is the ACT government really that cash-strapped that it cannot afford just one patrol car and a few traffic cops once every couple of weeks?

The Raiders are back at GIO stadium again this Saturday, and it is hoped that another bumper crowd will turn out and support the Green Machine.

Could we please have just one traffic patrolman on Hayden Drive please? Two hundred metres. Forty-eight minutes. Please?

Anne Willenborg, Royalla, NSW

The Raiders clearly require something more if they are any chance of beating the Panthers this Saturday. This could come from the home crowd support.

May I suggest therefore that instead of following the American habit of beating out "music" during each and every miniscule break in play that the PA system should belt out a boom, boom, boom (pause and repeat) bass drumbeat.

This would encourage Raiders fans to deliver, over and over, clapped Vikings support to our team, thereby supporting and encouraging our gallant team and branding the Canberra Raiders club and Raiders supporters as the most passionate across Australia.

I recall a few years back where the stadium MC implored Raiders supporters to chant "defence" and "offence". Quite rightly, fans ignored him. I found Saturday night's belting out of the "music" as described above just as obnoxious and atmosphere-destroying, and would like to see it canned.

Reg Philp, Gilmore

Prospective buyers of land at Denman Prospect have been labelled as "gun shy" about the auction process by the auctioneer, owing to a low participation rate (Buyers "gun shy" at Denman Prospect land auction", September 11, p4). With an exorbitant average sale price of $1142 per square metre being achieved, I would have thought that "price shy" would have been the more appropriate term.

This is an untenable state of affairs – individual prospective buyers are being priced out of the market while developers and the ACT government prosper. The Barr government must release more land at auction and lower reserve prices to a more affordable level.

Mario Stivala, Spence

ON THE WRONG TRACK

Singapore is trialling driverless taxis. It already has a powerful computer system regulating traffic lights to optimise travel times and fuel consumption. The ACT government needs to assess these options more fully rather than spending a large chunk of the transport budget jamming up Northbourne Avenue with inflexible and uneconomical light rail. The current ACT government feels driverless to me.

John Skurr, Deakin

CAMPAIGN OFF RAILS

A few weeks ago I was undecided about light rail plans for Canberra. However, the Liberals' advertising, strongly focused on the government plans, has helped me decide where I stand. Liberal campaign headquarters should note that the gross distortions and exaggerations in its campaign has driven me to support light rail as a visionary development.

Tim Hardy, Florey

WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE

Even in far away Spain where I am at the moment, I find it amazing that Mike Reddy (Letters, September 12) can ignore the fact that the Productivity Commission, various highly regarded economists, ex Treasury heads and deputy heads, etc, have come out against the tram. And they are not "can the tram" members or "supporters".

Ric Hingee, Duffy

TARMAC TROUBLES

Is there any reason why the tarmac along Canberra's main roads is non-permeable and in heavy rain conditions it compounds poor visibility by crumbling into random holes?

The latter a nuisance for cars but surely a dangerous nightmare for motorcyclists, particularly in heavy traffic?

Luca Biason, Latham

ULTERIOR MOTIVE

Does Aja Styles ("Adam Whittington says 60 Minutes fabricated lies to cover truth over CARI payment", canberratimes.com.au, September 12) really believe that Fairfax readers can't see through Whittington's dissembling motive for helping Sally Faulkner in Lebanon? All he wanted was mum and kids reunited. Money was irrelevant. Hogwash!

Patrick Jones, Griffith

HERITAGE THREAT

Thank you for publishing the excellent article by Graham Carter ("Heritage worth saving", Comment, September 12, p16) on Canberra's history and soul as a garden city. His piece is the best I've read on that subject. Our urban heritage is a fragile concept continually under threat from the Barr government and its rapacious commercial allies.

Suzanne Edgar, Garran

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