The latest beautiful, healthy, over 40-year-old elm trees to go are set among the Bega Flats where the land has not yet been sold, there is no development application and the long-suffering public tenants are still being evicted.

Why is there such a rush to destroy?

How many people know that the DA for the redevelopment of the Allawah Flats includes removal of all the mature street trees along Currong Street, even though these trees are on the verge and not part of the property sold to build the monstrous 12-storey apartments replacing the existing three-storey flats?

What happened to the protection of street trees next to construction sites?

Even the NCA's desire for the 500 trees along the light rail corridor to be be removed gradually from Northbourne Avenue, to avoid a moonscape, has just been circumvented.

In contrast, I watched with great interest a recent episode of Grand Designs showing the way British governments value their trees, with an owner struggling to fit a new home on their beautiful site without adversely affecting a single tree. They certainly have a different breed of town planners in the UK.

Yet we have elected two Green MLAs who should be protecting our trees and protecting us from adverse changes to micro-climates, as we struggle to survive global warming.

Chris Emery, Reid

With regard to traffic congestion around the Jolimont Centre (letters, March 1,), there is no doubt there is a lack of space for cars to pick up or drop off travellers using the intercity bus.

But this lack is greatly exacerbated by the fact that taxis have turned what little space there is available on Northbourne Avenue into a de facto taxi rank. I pass every day and there are usually five or six taxis parked where the official rank allows only three.

There is simply no room left for the travelling public to pull in or out and so they must necessarily block the traffic lane to do so.

I suggest that taxis parking outside their ranks be told to move on, and at the same time large and obvious signs placed inside the centre advising passengers seeking taxis to go out the back of the building to the Moore Street taxi ranks, thus freeing up some space for the long-suffering travelling public.

Lynne Bentley, Braddon

Pelicans crossing the road (letters, March 3) are not the problem; the pelicans behind the wheel are the problem.

E J Reeves, Kambah

The recent OECD warning on Australia's economic vulnerability as regards housing affordability restates the bleeding obvious.

The vulnerability hangs over every capital city in Australia to some degree. However, in the ACT it is to a large degree homemade. Since 1995 we have sold off more than 3000 public housing units. This is despite an agreement with the federal government that new stock should be built before old stock was sold off.

The chickens have come home to roost with more than 2000 people on a very restricted public housing list and some 1000 homeless people, most of who have no hope of permanent accommodation.

St Vinnies does more than 1000 calls a month to help, and the other good-hearted organisations such as the Salvation Army and the Smith Family do their best.

At the moment we have young couples over-extending themselves to get into an unrealistically priced housing market.

Some couples are required to take out insurance to cover a default which in the event of a depression will see them in debt for the foreseeable future.

Generations to come will be appalled at the sheer stupidity of building a light rail when the money should have gone into affordable housing.

Jon Stanhope introduced an affordable housing scheme in 2005. Andrew Barr has huffed and puffed and ignored to a large extent the problem.

We are losing our car industry. China could flatten its imports from us overnight. Automation is taking jobs away from job market applicants.

I predict one whiff of a depression and the consequences for young people in houses they can barely afford now will be tragic.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

Good on you Clive Williams for telling it as it is ("The slow, slow work to speed up the Canberra-Sydney heavy rail line", CT Comments, March 2).

I vaguely remember that, back in the '70s (the last time I travelled to Sydney by train), there was a kiosk at the Kingston Railway Station.

Is it still there, or has it closed down for lack of customer support?

John Rodriguez, Florey

Thank-you Clive Williams for reminding us that there is a rail-line leading out of Canberra.

The Burley Griffin Plan clearly had a link planned for a city connection to the Sydney to Bombala railway.

In fact remnants still exist in Kingston and Reid.

The emerging light rail could easily swing down Constitution Avenue, through Russell and somehow on to Kingston.

Then a light rail through Queanbeyan and on to Goulburn would be a dream run. At Goulburn station there should be frequent connections negotiated with the NSW Premier for Public Transport, Gladys Berejiklian.

A further possibility is swinging south from Queanbeyan to a historic site of a station named ... Tuggeranong.

Michael Levy, Campbell

I assume that Donald J.Fraser (Letters, March 3) has never lived in the US. The number of standing ovations at President Trump's speech to the joint house was unremarkable. Indeed, I have witnessed similar ovations in other settings.

Over the top to us perhaps, but quite normal for our American friends. What was unusual was the collective sulking by the Democrats across the aisle, who looked as if they were all sucking a particularly bitter lemon.

If this is their standard, is there any wonder Trump won?

H. Ronald, Jerrabomberra

Clearly Bill Shorten's latest backflip in abandoning support for the independence of the Fair Work Commission, which he established and championed, confirms him beyond any reasonable doubt as being controlled by the union movement.

Why else would he and his fellow former union shadow ministers be prepared to abandon the independence of the commission – and in so doing politicise this hypocrisy to the extent that raises serious concern over the future of any number of legally established parliamentary bodies – if they don't toe the party line.

Now that is a scary, anarchical thought! So too is the prospect of unions calling the shots in any future Shorten-led Labor government. So easy to take the lazy but sensational path to feature people affected by the commission's well-researched and considered view about penalty rates.

Sadly but expectedly, we do not hear him giving a toss about those unemployed Australians who can benefit from more Sunday jobs being created. On the other hand it also confirms that Shorten's Labor could care less about the totality of "ordinary Australians" who are clamouring to abandon such political populism in favour of a new idea, that politicians are elected to govern.

Seems that his sole aim is political power with the means justifying the end – to heck with integrity.

Len Goodman, Belconnen

There's something that should give the Deputy PM pause concerning his plans to transpose the APVMA and other federal authorities to regional areas.

Coming from the most educated and informed electorate in the country, Canberrans are therefore predominantly Labor voters.

Does Barnaby really want to inject clumps of Labor voters into the Nats' rural electorates?

T. J. Marks, Holt

Every bush town does indeed have a stake in decentralising the federal government and the most logical place to start would be where it's already partly established – with local members. Rather than shell out enormous amounts of taxpayer dollars to maintain Parliament (and to save on the additional costs of security involved in fencing off the grassed areas) why not make our members work from an office in their home electorates or even from home?

After all that's what Barnaby expects of APVMA staff who want to stay in Canberra. An added benefit would be doing away with the need to pay members travel allowances, thus cutting out a potent avenue for member rorts on the public purse.

And finally, no longer would it be appropriate for people all around the country to blame "Canberra" for all their ills. They might just wake up to where the real problems emanate from.

Keith Hill, Kaleen

Barnaby Joyce is bearing the brunt of reaction against decentralisation of the bureaucracy, but even apart from the ATO there are other players in this field besides "Pests and Vets".

Joyce may be open to criticism on other fronts but the departmental rebellion he is facing has the marks of a well-orchestrated demonstration.

The viability of the massive investment to establish the UNE could hinge on this opportunity for it to specialise in the agricultural sciences, a speciality recently ceded by Hawkesbury Agricultural College, now known as the Western Sydney University after it merged with Nepean College of Advanced Education and later absorbed the Macarthur Institute of Higher Education.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

Robin Eckermann (Letters, March 2) claims to be offended by limitations placed on his/her free speech by Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act, then wonders whether the government has somehow violated 18C by causing them this offence, revealing a complete lack of understanding of what is actually proscribed by Section 18C.

I suggest Mr/Ms Eckermann look up the relevant piece of legislation before feigning any further offence because arguing publicly for the right to vilify someone on the basis of their skin colour isn't particularly endearing behaviour.

James Allan, Narrabundah

Tony Judge's struggle to comprehend attempts to increase the scope for racist speech (Letters, March 2) would be fully comprehensible to him if he found himself being sued for $250,000 for complaining that his university's "Aborigines only" computer room was segregationist.

Presumably this is what Mr Judge calls "racist speech".

The trouble with Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act is that any greedy or snowflake-sensitive member of a particular group can claim to be insulted or offended by any triviality they choose and is likely to get the support of a Human Rights bureaucracy scratching around for any excuse to justify its existence.

One member of it has been recorded trying to widen its influence by inventing something he called "casual racism" – a study of his definition of it indicates it would apparently embrace joking about a Scottish mate's kilt.

Bill Deane, Chapman

Why should Australia be donating $17 billion more to Lockheed Martin's most-expensive-ever, lemon project when electronic stores can supply drones for a few dollars, which will "share information"? Is "Defence" in thrall to technology and shiny toys .

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan

ABUSERS PROTECTED

Can Timothy Walsh and Janet Thomson of Garran (Letters, March 3) really be so ignorant? How about they, along with the archbishop, show some compassion for the victims of this ex-priest?

Anne Bowen, Macquarie

DIFFERENT ROLE

I thought Centrelink was there to help those in need rather than to trawl through social media to compile an enemies' list. Silly me.

Thos Puckett, Ashgrove, Queensland

ALCOHOL-FOCUSED

Nice that Karen Hardy tried to tell us "Where to go out in Canberra if you're over 40". Extremely disappointing, however, that every place she listed was alcohol-focused. The implicit assumption that social life needs to revolve around bars clearly remains a well-entrenched Australian cultural problem.

Karina Morris, Weetangera

ROLE MISCAST

Those making weird noises in government ranks that Peter Dutton could be the one to roll Malcolm Turnbull are having us on, surely. If this was to happen the government would have dug a hole they couldn't climb out of.

D.J.Fraser, Currumbin, Qld

THE JOYCE CHOICE

I take it that the Deputy Prime Minister is planning to upsize APVMA now that it is operating from McDonald's in Armidale?

Nic Manikis, Queanbeyan

BANK ON IT

NAB. Not All Bad.

Rod Matthews, Fairfield, Vic

RIDE 'EM, COWBOY

Best wishes to "cowboy" Beau's family as they fight for life-saving government funding for Vinizim therapy so that Beau (CT, March 3, p1) can live long and maybe enjoy rounding up real cattle out on the range.

Evelyn Bean, Ainslie

STARVED OF CARE

Australia is giving $20million for thestarving Ethiopian people in themiddle of a ghastly famine but hascommitted $50billion for submarines. Yes, the Australian government have their priorities right. Do they even care? Obviously not.

Rex Williams, Ainslie

ZONE OF CONFUSION

The main reason for problems dropping off and picking up at theJolimont Centre (Letters, March 1 & 3) is that many are using the zone on Northbourne for other purposes.

John Burge, Curtin

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