If I had followed his advice, I wouldn't be writing this letter, I would be dead.

I had regular PSA testing over many years – it is after all just a blood test – on the recommendation of my GP.

After successive higher than normal readings I had an ultrasound which showed a enlarged prostate. I had no symptoms suggesting any problem.

It was only then that I had a biopsy. It showed a number of slow, non-life-threatening cancers, but buried deep inside was one very aggressive cancer.

Still to this point I had no symptoms.

I had my prostate removed, with very minimal long-term side effects. I have no family history of prostate cancer, I just did the testing as a routine preventive measure and it paid off.

All men over 50 should have a PSA test as part of their preventive health regime.

It is the only way of getting an early indication of a potential problem. With that information to hand, we can make judgments on further action.

Without it we are just burying our heads in the sand like Mr Glasziou.

Michael White, Ngunnawal

The announcement by Minister Mick Gentleman of a review of the ACT planning strategy later this year is welcome.

For meaningful outcomes the review needs to be well resourced to enable the complexity of the interaction between housing, transport, environmental and employment variables to be fully understood. In particular, it needs to identify the travel, social, environmental, financial and infrastructure implications of alternative residential and employment distributions and identify the most appropriate transport mix to accommodate these land use distributions. Inadequate resources would indicate the government is not fully committed to the review and would result in a strategy short on analysis and long on platitudes. It would provide limited guidance as to when and where development should occur.

The strategy, to be credible, requires a strong evidence base and have an associated implementation plan indicating agency responsibilities and the likely timing and cost of infrastructure. In doing so, it should minimise the chance of projects with poor social, economic and environmental outcomes being approved.

The success of the strategy requires well informed community input. The effectiveness of previous strategies has been reduced by limited and superficial information available to the community. Decisions on the extension of light rail to Woden and on the next greenfields settlement area should await the completion of the review. Let's hope the Assembly, the bureaucracy and the community are up to the challenge so that Canberra can be an exemplar of 21st century city development.

Mike Quirk, Garran

I realise the Murray Darling Basin Plan is a very complex issue, however that is no excuse for the bias in reporting by the ABC and many other media outlets. Last week every ABC news report I saw in relation to the MDBP disallowance motion included the phrase "the amendment which will return 70 gigalitres back to irrigators", or similar.

This is a blatant misrepresentation of what the amendment was about, which was reducing the volume to be removed from irrigation in the northern basin. In addition, throughout the basin plan debate and subsequent ABC coverage, there has been barely a mention of the loss of agricultural production, jobs, economic input to the nation, the environmental damage (i.e.river bank erosion and slumping) occurring in the Murray River thanks to the massive volumes of water which are being forced through the Murray system.

This ideological environmental bias flows through to other left-wing media who ignore the basin plan's many failings. Why haven't they highlighted issues around the desperate need for infrastructure works at the "end of system", and the simple fact that we are trying to turn a traditional estuarine system into a freshwater system? It was estuarine until the barrages were built less than 80 years ago.

It is about time media outlets such as the ABC took the time to better educate their audience about all aspects of the basin plan, including the risk to their food security from reducing by half the volume of water available for food and fibre production.

Neil Eagle, Barham, NSW

I was astonished to read that ex-army WA Liberal senator Linda Reynolds proposes that we should have mixed male and female sports teams. This is the sort of lunacy that one would expect from Sarah Hanson-Young. Imagine for a second a female lining up in a typically brutal NRL rugby league contest. One would need an intensive care unit on the sideline and perhaps a padre to administer last rites. Of course Senator Reynolds may have other things in mind, such as adjusting the rules to accommodate the fairer sex, just as they do in the army.

H. Ronald, Jerrabomberra, NSW

Whatever the source Bruce Patterson uses for the figures he quotes (Letters, 20/7), he should find a new one and become a little less credulous and more sceptical.

The figure of 1360 watts per square metre (w/sqm) that he uses is the radiation flux that would hit a flat disk circling the sun in the earth's orbit.

However, the earth is not flat but spheroid. Its surface area is four times that of one side of a disk of the same radius. Consequently, at the top of the atmosphere incoming radiation is one quarter of the figure he quotes.

It gets worse. Clouds and aerosols reflect about 77w/sqm of incoming radiation back into space. Finally, the earth's surface reflects another 23 w/sqm. This leaves about 240 w/sqm to heat the planet. The 2w/sqm increase for human activities quoted by Ware thus amounts to a 0.83 per cent increase in the amount of energy available to heat the planet, more than five times the figure given by Patterson.

Patterson refers to the medieval warm period. I don't see the relevance to current global warming. Over the past 40 years, all known natural causes are more likely to have resulted in cooling than in warming and most probably all recent warming is human caused.

Paul Pentony, Hackett

Poor Barnaby. A lovely bloke, unselfishly leading his party and the nation by example. Always an innocent victim, now pursued by a witch hunt. The hunters will find him hiding in front of a microphone.

Don Burns, Mawson

The Billy Graham service at the MCG set a record for amassing the largest crowd. The final night of his 1959 rally attracted 145,000 people.

Sadly, in an age where modern-day American televangelists have soured the place of public preaching and Dr Graham's name won't be familiar to mainstream Australia, there are two facets regarding his legacy worth recalling.

First, he holds the record for amassing the largest crowd ever at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. The final night of his 1959 rally witnessed approximately 145,000 people in attendance.

And second, as a flow-on from his visit to Australia in that same year, such was the personal revival generated through his spiritual appeals, that the mission was responsible for a nationwide drop in crime rates, alcohol consumption, and for three years afterwards, the number of births out of wedlock.

The simple fact is, that, where a nation drifts from its traditional moral moorings, both vice and vileness will swiftly fill the vacuum, as communal leaders and MPs concurrently grope about for yet more ways to legislate against the darkened inclinations of human behaviour.

May memories of Billy Graham's influence be a timely reminder to us of our constitutional preamble, which affirms the people of this Great South Land, "humbling relying on the blessing of Almighty God".

Peter Waterhouse, Craigieburn, Vic

I write regarding the Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill.

I am a resident in the Bega Valley Shire where there is much to be concerned about. However, this is only a small area of my wonderful country that I want to have a say in the planning and development of.

Politicians can be narrow-minded with little understanding or knowledge of where and how their decisions concerning a) the people of this land, and b) the environment of land sea and air, will develop.

It is imperative that bodies of people with greater knowledge, both scientifically or empirically, have a say in this country's overall development.

The wisdom of the elders should be respected and called upon. It is just as important that younger people whose futures are unfolding are also free to contribute.

More importantly they should be encouraged to become knowledgeable regarding the bigger picture of every decision made so they, too, can contribute. We do live in a democracy.

I see no point in creating laws to prevent people from being connected with all decisions regarding community and environment.

Therefore I am strongly against this bill going ahead. No binding and gagging us with such laws.

Hazel Davenport, Bermagui

I have begun to wonder if there is any difference between the positions of Labor and the Coalition on many issues: refugees, the Adani Coal mine, security, climate change spring to mind. So will Labor vote against proposed legislation that will effectively penalise not for profit organisations like GetUp! by reducing the effectiveness of the donations they receive and insisting that they identify with a political party. These measures designed to impede the advocacy of these organisations on issues of great importance to many Australians and to close off one of the few ways that individuals can have their voices heard above the hubris of party politics.

Elizabeth Dangerfield, Crace

If Malcolm Turnbull had any fortitude he would have watched Peter Dutton's first address to the National Press Club on February 21.

Mr Turnbull has created a monstrous department and, in the process disclosed a frighteningly coherent politician.

On a positive note, Mr Dutton supported the practice of Natural Justice in Homeland, a surprising stance for one empowered with too many exceptions to established civil rights. Politicians should remember that yesterday's criminals are today their legitimised and influential critics, witness the suffragettes, the homosexuals, prostitutes and drinkers of chocolate and alcohol. Civil rights matter a great deal.

Another positive note was his awareness that education is our third largest export. Areas of greatest dependence are those of greatest risk. The technology and contents of education will be no more respected by our clients than our patents. A disappointing policy was his continued support for outsourcing our visa application processing despite questions surrounding the security risks.

Yet he presents on the short list for the eventual spill.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

Ross Gittins' comments about water use in the Murray-Darling Basin ("Self-interest kills water fix", February 21, p16) are right on the mark, although I would add the following.

It has been made glaringly obvious? in two ABC programs – Four Corners on July 25 last year and 7:30 on February 13 this year – that the $4 billion spent by the Authority on "subsidies to irrigators to upgrade to more efficient (irrigation) systems which lose less water" is having little, if any effect, at least in the north-eastern part of the Basin.

Both of these reports pictured huge shallow dams, containing billions of litres of water, and fed by large open channels.

In both cases, these constructions would lose considerable (but hard to measure) amounts of water to seepage, some of which might find its way back into the nearest river.

Both, though, would also lose enormous amounts of water to evaporation which is, of course, lost.

Doesn't seem like much of an improvement to me.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Electoral Funding and Disclosure Reform) Bill 2017 is a critical, direct attack on the right of people to form their own lobbies, not connected to big business or corporations.

While I would be subject to stringent laws concerning my donations, for example to GetUp!, as will they in their operations, big business will be free of these constrictions.

This is anti-democratic and dangerous.

Pamela Oldmeadow, Lyneham

With reference to Peter Martin's article "Trickle-up tax effect" (February 22, p.16) ABC Friends is very pleased Emma Alberici has stimulated debate about the merits of a Company Tax cut.

But we are disappointed that the Prime Minister, seemingly desperate to divert attention from the Barnaby fiasco, chose to try to bury debate by putting on his attack-dog suit; and he was followed by the predictable onslaught from the Murdoch Press.

Also, ABC management has become so "gun-shy" that they withdrew Emma's article and then attempted to retire from the fray – all very disappointing.

Peter Monie, ABC Friends, Flinders, Vic

A TELLING OMISSION

I understand that American companies pay for the health insurance of their employees. Scott Morrison has failed to mention this or indeed the many economists advocating a cut to Australia's company tax. I can't help but wonder if those big businesses would be so eager to have their income tax lowered if they had to pay for their employees' health insurance.

Lucille Rogers, Kingston

CIVILIANS IN FIRING LINE

Following the deaths of more than 200 civilians, including many children, in Eastern Ghouta and Damascus, UNICEF has issued a statement saying "we no longer have the words to describe the suffering and our outrage". Who cannot feel the same? And the Coalition is seeking to get us into the international arms business. Shame on them.

Ed Highley, Kambah

PROTECTED SPECIES

Nationals MP George Christensen is lucky he is an honourable member of the Australian Parliament because if he were a Muslim posing with a gun and posting his photo in the social media with the comment threatening any section of Australian society he would have been hauled to the police lock-up already.

Rajend Naidu, Glenfield, NSW

UNENDING DRIVE FOR PROFIT

Businesses reduce labour costs to increase profits. Profits are used by NAB and Rio Tinto to automate, to further reduce jobs and increase profits, to allow investment to reduce jobs yet again.

Cutting company taxes will improve profits, and accelerate this process.

Chris Pratt, O'Malley

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