Many of us have said so many times, most recently on Tuesday night, when one of the largest lecture theatres at the Australian National University was packed out by a meeting called by the Refugee Action Committee. This meeting was larger than any gathering any ACT politician could attract on any topic.

Gai Brodtmann, Andrew Leigh and Zed Seselja were preselected for their safe seats by about 200 people each. Senator Gallagher was preselected unopposed.

There are over 276,000 eligible voters in the ACT. If only a small fraction of the voters dissatisfied with the ALP/LNP policy on asylum-seekers actually became members of whichever party they regard as least unsatisfactory, made their dissatisfaction known and made sure to qualify to vote in preselections, our representatives might start to take notice.

John Kilcullen, Cook

Further to Stuart Walkley's well-made points (Letters, August 16), One Nation Senator-elect Malcolm Roberts (a former coalmine manager) appeared on the panel of the ABC's Q&A program this week.

His main point on climate change was that there was "no empirical evidence" (or data) to support the theory of human-induced global warming. One of his main arguments was that there was (appeared to be) no significant warming in the 21 years following the 1997-98 El Nino event.

Fellow panellist Professor Brian Cox, who has some understanding of climate change, showed Roberts a graph compiled by NASA of longer-term global warming (from about 1850 or 1880), pointing out that at that scale the post-1997-98 "pause" was just a short flattening of the relentlessly increasing slope of the warming trend. Cox also showed a graph showing atmospheric CO2 levels for the same period. The correlation between the two was very good.

Despite this, Roberts stuck to his guns, maintaining that there was/were no empirical evidence/data to support human-induced global warming. His mind is made up, and he, like many other deniers, believes only what is comfortable for him to believe.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Stuart Walkley (Letters, August16) certainly seems to be convinced that baaad things are going to happen.

What a sad tale of climate woe. All nonsense, of course. Reef bleaching and spikes in atmospheric and sea temperature resulted from a very strong El Nino, a natural occurrence. Of course, you could not expect an alarmist to look beyond the standard answer for everything: CO2 is causing it. No proof necessary!

The reef will most likely rapidly recover after the recent El Nino, as it did after the 1997-98 event.

The average global temperature has been stable for over 20 years according to the most accurate time series, the RSS and UAH satellite series. During that period, over 30 per cent of the increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration since the advent of the industrial revolution occurred.

To suggest that something else is causing the warming and CO2 is innocent.

The seas remain in the same pH range and are not moving towards acidic. The pH levels vary naturally over various time periods, even daily, and the seas are warmed by sunlight (visible and UV wavelengths are absorbed to a fair depth.

Stuart, take your hair shirt off and enjoy the mild weather.

J. McKerral, Batemans Bay, NSW

I wonder what Stephen Hayes (Letters, August15) would say if the Australian Sports Commission stopped funding to the Institute of Sport.

According to the ASC website, the ASC provides among other things $83,319 to community-based sports and $170,327 to continue international sporting success. Also mentioned is $6.723million and $17.056million; money raised from other independent sources.

In addition, Chip Le Grand in The Australian newspaper reported on August16 that federal government funding over four years for three sports categories – swimming, rowing and archery – cost the taxpayer $72.9million.

To me it looks like the Australian government does subsidise our Olympic team. So much for Plato. Anyone for Jackie Gleason?

David McVeigh, Lyneham

The delays in declaring the final Senate results arose from the fortnight's grace for postal votes to arrive and the scanning of individual ballot papers, and because priority was given to finalising House of Representatives outcomes.

As the vote particulars are computerised and results emerge within minutes, ensuring a fair translation of voters' wishes into election of senators should be the goal.

Adopting an arbitrary qualification threshold, as Crispin Hull ("Voting and counting votes need to be easier", Forum, August13, p2) advocated would be a backward step, as our own modified d'Hondt experience of 1989 and 1992 and a brief failed experiment in South Australia during the Dunstan era showed.

Such artificial interventions would cut across the sound principles of the single transferable vote in an unstable manner and potentially allow several places to hinge on whether a particular party or candidate finished just above the threshold or just below.

Whether such a threshold infringed direct election or the implied constitutional right to political communication and participation would be tested in the High Court.

Improvements can be achieved by cleaning up ballot-paper layout and the transfer-value definition, introducing Robson rotation. and having some of the official advertising focus on the marking of preferences being an instruction about the order in which candidates may be assisted by a particular vote, and hence it being in an elector's interest to continue numbering until there is indifference or uniform hostility to the remaining candidates as not worthy of support in any circumstances.

Bogey Musidlak, convenor, Proportional Representation Society of Australia (ACT Branch)

Chief Minister Andrew Barr gave an address at the Shine Dome on July 28 about the future of the ACT. He spoke about "ambition" and "advantage" for Canberra's future but made it clear that his vision for Canberra is limited and lacks an understanding and appreciation of the cultural and natural values that make Canberra a truly significant city.

When asked if he saw an advantage in listing Canberra on the World Heritage List, Mr Barr replied that he could see the merits but did not agree if it meant that the city would be "frozen in time".

It would seem that is instead Mr Barr's view that is frozen in time. Do politicians forget that they are as much responsible for planning and developing our cities as they are for protecting and promoting their unique qualities and characteristics? Do they forget that they are custodians of the places they service? Canberra is indeed a city of the future and there are many advantages in promoting qualities such as its outstanding heritage values in future expansion and development. It is a great shame that our Chief Minister does not share in his predecessor, Katy Gallagher's support in suitably recognising and listing Canberra's heritage values.

Hannah Griffiths, O'Connor

Last year, your columnist, Jenna Price, urged the federal government to reinterpret the meaning of terrorism to put less emphasis on high profile threats with little violent impact in Australia and more on the horrific incidence of domestic violence which is a 'terrorism' causing dozens of deaths in Australia every year ('The terrorism threat the government should care about', Times2, May 28, p5). It was a point well made. Now, however, Price has chosen to provide her own reinterpretation of terrorism to include non-violent protest in a manner which can only serve to undermine the point of her earlier article. In this new interpretation of terrorism, Price calls the people who disrupted Rod Bower's sermon at Gosford Anglican Church "terrorists" and their action an "invasion" ('Voice Worth defending', Comment, August 16, p18).

Price even descends to calling these non-violent protesters "arseholes"; and telling us that if she had been escorting the protesters out she would have dealt with them "much less politely". Apparently forgetting she is supposedly a journalist she also tells us she even presumed to tell the police what charges they should use against the protesters.

Price wants us to believe these protesters are a new breed of invader "pretending to protect our way of life while trying to destroy what we have". By her inflammatory language, it is clear that this is a charge better levelled at Price herself.

Greg Ellis, Murrumbateman, NSW

Some weeks ago I received an infringement notice with a fine of $228 for parking in a disabled spot in a new gravel parking area in Gunghalin. I would never dream of parking in such a spot knowingly, even though I am much closer to 80 than 70. The spot concerned was of normal parking spot width. The relevant signs were quite small and more than two car spaces from where I parked, and there was, of course, no sign on the gravel surface.

Neither my wife nor I saw the signs. It seemed to be a good situation for a request for the fine to be withdrawn, but I have just been told that is not possible. It's fair enough to pay up for offences committed with the aid of a car, but I must congratulate those in the ACT who have managed to fool interstate drivers with smaller signs on posts than they are used to, and with none of the large signs usually painted on to the parking surface.

I have never regarded fines as a cynical means of raising revenue, but at times the temptation to do is strong. Is it the money or the principle that concerns me? Both.

David Morrison, Springwood, NSW

John Popplewell (Letters, August 15) claims that he and his menagerie of militant medievalists need to be physically proximate to the clinic in Civic as their prayers are for "for the souls of the babies lost through abortion and for all those hurt by abortion". Am I to impute from this statement that his Sky Spirit needs the prayers to be sent from a place as close as possible to the point of departure of the souls in order to match up prayers and souls? I would have thought that an omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient being could accomplish this in under a nanosecond. Is he questioning the Triple O abilities of his Sky Spirit?

Or is he advancing a new theological position that predicates the power of prayer diminishing in direct proportion to the increase in distance between the geographical points at which the the prayer is made and to which the prayer is directed? If so, at what distance does the prayer's power cease, ie, is there a formula by which the effectiveness of prayer over distance can be calculated?

While this startling new theory will, no doubt, be the centre of much theological debate over coming months, I just want to know if there is any point in praying for the starving children in Africa unless doing so in the kitchen.

Paul McElligott, Aranda

Watching the NRL game late on on Monday night New Zealand time, I was thrilled at how the Canberra Raiders defended every attack while scoring crucial brilliant tries to thrash the Melbourne Storm. They are grand final prospects, and confirm the old saying "a star team will always beat a team of stars". I just wish the Sunday NRL grand final was on a Saturday night so I could watch it live and sleep in on Sunday as I start work at 7.15am Mondays.

Murray Hunter, Titirangi, New Zealand

MY WORD, A WINNER

I wish to nominate John Dunn's 113-word opening sentence (Letters, August 16) for this year's Waterford Award for conciseness, tersacity and discombobulation.

As John shows, and I'm sure Jack would concur, writers should never use one word when 10 will do.

Frank Cassidy, Kambah

CATTLE CALL

A suggested Senate inquiry into the Murray Goulburn scandal? Forget it. This needs to be fixed now, with Commonwealth guarantees to the farmers that they will receive a minimum price for their valuable milk produce.

Fix the reasons for it happening next week with no more milking cows to the abattoirs; no more stress for our farmers. Just do it and no moretalk.

Rhys Stanley, via Hall, NSW

SAVE THE CHILDREN

The appalling conditions on Nauru must cease; it is not too late! We must rescue the victims of child sexual abuse and all other innocent detainees! Without hope, they will be scarred for life. Violence feeds violence.

Carole Neurath, Flynn

BROAD CHURCH

At the risk of again being called "churlish" by Brian Hatch (Letters, August16), could Jenna Price ("Voice worth defending", Comment, August16, p18) please define "a mainstream church"?

I have always considered, perhaps erroneously, that the Anglican Church would be in a list of mainstream churches.

Ken McPhan, Spence

DOES NOT COMPUTE

"Are we ready for the next federal election online?" asks Jim Jones (Letters, August16). Good question, Jim: this year's federal election outcome was a brutal denial of service attack on the general public. Don't expect the Senate to come back online any time soon.

John Howarth, Weston

GOLD FOR AUSTRALIA

I believe a roaring, statewide round of applause is in order for our Canberra-based golden couple Scott and Kim Brennan, winners at the Beijing and Rio Olympics respectively and wonderful ambassadors of Australia well beyond the boundaries of the sport.

Luca Biason, Latham

OFF-TRACK ON TRAMS

I cannot see the relevance of the current discussion on the definitions of light rail, trams, streetcars etc. We all have a reasonable idea of what is proposed to be built, regardless of what it is called. So the critical issue is whether it will turn out to be a whiteelephant.

Frank Ziolkowski, Cook

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