I encourage Mr Warren to visit Kambah Village where work is well under way following a significant investment from the ACT government of $2.3 million to upgrade the group centre.

These works funded over the past two budgets will see the delivery of new toilets, an upgraded playground with shade structure, extensions of the courtyard spine to the south-east side of the shops, with new paving, shade trees and seating areas as well as a formalised waste collection shelter.

New paving is being installed and the courtyard is being opened up for greater public use.

We are also installing new outdoor furniture including seats, tables, bike racks, a water refill station, new deciduous trees and garden beds.

As the only candidate and now MLA that lives in Kambah, I secured these commitments on behalf of residents through a petition last year in support of upgrading the shops and delivering the group centre master plan. The other parties didn't commit a cent to Kambah Village at the election.

Chris Steel MLA, Kambah

Again, the familiar condescending words of someone proffering "science" and "pragmatism" over (animal) rights ("Kangaroos culls in the ACT are necessary and humane", June 1, p17).

Keith Williams assures us that "kangaroos are not treated cruelly, head shots kill instantly and young are dispatched humanely".

Not all shot animals die instantly and the "dispatching" of joeys (to have their mother shot and to be ripped from her pouch to have their heads smashed in) must be a terrifying ordeal for the young animals.

The definition of humane is, "marked by compassion, sympathy, or consideration for humans or animals".

There is absolutely no way that that term can be used to describe the slaughter of our kangaroos whether death is instantaneous or not.

Mike O'Shaughnessy, Spence

A million dollars has been dedicated by our town council over three years for grants to bulk-billing medical practices "to establish new or expand existing practices" ("Boost for bulk-billing doctors", May 31, p8).

National Health Co-op featured as an eligible bulk-biller in this report even although membership is charged at "$10 per month or annually at a discounted rate", according to the NHC's website. This is exactly the fee some non-bulk-billing practitioners charge aged pensioners under 70 years of age.

I do not consider it quibbling to insist that the NHC is not a bulk-biller.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

Your article "Mountain bike trails return to Arboretum" (May 29, p2-3) mentions the valuable work done by the Kowalski Brothers in coalition with ACT Parks and Conservation, "in remediating illegal trails from Black Mountain".

Unfortunately, those of us who visit Black Mountain regularly will be aware that it didn't take long for the rogue element to come back and undo the remediation.

Pointing out the illegality of their actions usually brings a tirade of abuse. One can only hope the generally responsible cycling community can convince the bad apples to behave responsibly. Otherwise, perhaps some prosecutions might help.

Bill Egan, Aranda

There can be no validity, Kenneth Griffiths (Letters, May 29), in any Australian law that pretends to legalise abortion on the false grounds that "a fetus is not a person until born alive". In the formal legal language of founding international human rights instruments, "'person' means every human being".

No state law has any authority to divide the human race into "persons" and "non-persons", while deeming the privileged group only to be worthy of human rights protection.

Science and reason tells us that a fetus is a human being at the fetal stage of life.

Under Australia's solemn human rights treaty obligations, the right to life of every human being "without exception" is "the supreme right" and "basic to all human rights". The Universal Declaration of Human Rights has "recognised" that "every child" is entitled to "special safeguards and care including appropriate legal protection before as well as after birth".

Under the human rights principle of inherency, the child's rights pre-exist birth – they are inherent in the child's humanity.

To be eligible for human rights protection, one has only to be a human.

Rita Joseph, Hackett

Of course few Canberrans were caught texting despite new laws ("Few Canberrans caught texting", canberratimes.com.au, June 1), because we don't have a police presence in Canberra. The ACT government takes the lazy way of installing cameras and speed bumps everywhere, and thinks that just passing a new law will change things.

The limited police presence we have is tasked with speed enforcement because it's easy to enforce, and maximises revenue for the government coffers (allegedly for road safety). I've given up calling the police for anything but the most dire of things – they never have any resources available (and I'm not blaming them).

We have a reactive police force because a proactive and deterring one that actually prevents crime rather than just trying to deal with the aftermath would actually require resources and cost money (and we've got atrain set and bus repaint tofund).

J. Coleman, Chisholm

The Governor-General has presided over the opening of a new memorial on Anzac Parade to remember the Boer War.

However attractive the memorial sculpture may be, it commemorates a disgraceful war in which Australian troops should never have been involved and in which more than 600 died.

We seem to be so busy constantly praising the quality of our military that the purpose of the war is overlooked. While Australia was gaining its nationhood in 1901, our military was fighting with the British Empire to deny the same aspiration to the Boers who wanted independence for Transvaal and Orange Free State.

The Boers were winning the war until the British came up with the diabolical idea of interning Boer women and children in concentration camps where they died in their thousands from disease and maltreatment. This broke the will of the Boers and they capitulated. This is not a war to be proud of and a memorial should not have been built.

Derk Swieringa, Reid

As a young country, Australia is still busily inventing its own history.

Another piece of this historic jigsaw fell into place when the Boer War memorial was opened on Wednesday.

Now we know what the Man from Snowy River and Clancy of the Overflow did next. They went to South Africa where they helped the British Empire to burn Boer farms, torture and murder Boer women and children, seize their gold, and invent the concept of the concentration camp, which was to be so successfully developed by the Nazis 40 years later.

Lest we forget our far-flung battle line, our dominion over palm and pine (and gum tree) and all our pomp of yesterday, indeed. And never let the truth get in the way of a good story about a man on a horse.

Ian Burke, Campbell

Hats off to Trevor Willis of Hughes (Letters, May 29) for daring to speak up about the Aboriginal industry.

I, too, am tired of being told to be ashamed of myself just because other people with my skin colour may have treated Aborigines badly 100 years ago. Imagine the backlash if the nation demanded that Aborigines say "Sorry" just for being black-skinned?

Yet that's exactly what's happened in reverse. Who are the genuine Aborigines anyhow?

And while I wholeheartedly support a call for Aboriginals to have equality, fairness and a level playing field, let's check how level the playing field is now.

Perhaps The Canberra Times' editor might run an article outlining the benefits already given to those who "identify" as Indigenous.

Incidentally, before someone claims I'm a racist, there's nothing racist about requesting information. I'm only asking whether the emperor is really naked when everyone else sees him in clothes.

S. Thompson, Belconnen

Thirty more Australian soldiers go to Afghanistan to "train" their forces.

How much training do they need? Coalition forces peaked several years ago under president Obama to 150,000 with much effort spent in the way of "training". The result? Taliban now control as much if not more of the country now as they did then.

The Afghan army and ANP will never have enough resources or training to deal with the problem, and we should not be the bottomless pit of provision either. They will descend into a feudal state controlled by warlords whatever we do. That is their tradition, they are not traditionally a democratic nation and we should not try to change them into one with the blood of our young men and women.

Ian Jannaway, Monash

I believe that the underlying reason for the ridiculous NCA Commonwealth Avenue proposal criticised most recently by Dave Roberts (Letters, June 1) is to facilitate the construction of an expensive tramway.

A quick look at the map shows that the clover leafs linking Commonwealth Avenue to Parks Way would be a serious impediment for any structure carrying a tramway ramp to/from London Circuit, and similarly for the roadway ramps and slip lanes on the southern side of the bridge.

The NCA seems to have lost independence from the current ACT government. I am beginning to think there is a place in this city that might be called "Trammany Hall".

John L Smith, Farrer

Re Mehreen Faruqi MLC's (Greens) opinion piece on abortion (canberratimes.com.au, May 31), Ms Faruqi blames everyone but her own party for NSW's failure to decriminalise abortion. Yet the failure is the fault of the Greens alone because of their ridiculous bill.

It would have permitted all abortions for any reason at any time before birth.

That is a very extreme position that even most pro-choicers would disdain. To call the destruction of a full-term baby a "medical procedure" is simply obtuse. Perhaps if a sensible limit were included, such as sentient brain function or survivability (20-24 weeks), the bill would have passed.

Christopher Budd, Turner

Queensland senator Ian Macdonald has had his job since 1990, but he doesn't seem to like it very much. He claims the remuneration is pretty poor, that withdrawal of special benefits is unfair and he dislikes Canberra with a passion.

Those assessing the senator's contribution are likely to conclude they are not getting value for money.

That amounts to a consensus between the senator and Australian voters that we'd be better off without him. He should do us all a (very rare) good turn and resign.

Keith Croker, Kambah

Has any President ever given the world such a legacy in such a short time in office?

Trump will surely be celebrated along with Nero as one of the great wreckers of all time.

The only difference between himself and the mad emperor is that Trump is happy to fiddle while the whole world burns, not just Rome.

Does he care about the future at all or is he one of those people who thinks it all ends when he dies?

M. Moore, Bonython

THE CANBERRA WAY

On the ABC's program War on Waste Craig Reucassel said disposable coffee cups cannot be recycled. The ACT government's A-Z Recycling Guide states, "Coffee cups – disposable The cup may go straight in the recycle bin. Visy Pulp and Paper mill at Tumut can separate the plastic liner from the coffee cup."

Suzanne Osmond, Greenway

ILL DISPOSED

Clearly all used cans and bottles are in fact not being placed into the recycling bins ("Bottle plan senseless", Letters, June 1). Our roads are littered with used drink containers. Bring on the Container Deposit Scheme. Help clean up our city.

Penelope Lilley, Aranda

YOUR MOVE

The prosperity and development of rural Australia will not depend on Canberra bashing and relocation of government departments. It will depend on establishment of emerging industries like solar and wind power, food processing, educational tourism and building industry materials.

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt

Why would anyone want to move to the country if it's inhabited by people like Senator Ian MacDonald (and Barnaby Joyce)?

Patricia Saunders, Chapman

Do the Nat nutters and their Liberal colleagues remember how John Howard found it too disruptive to move his family to Canberra?

Maria Greene, Curtin

DAY IN COURT

Andrew Barr considers Margaret Court's statement about same-sex marriage to be intimidating. I do hope that the poor chap isn't too cowed.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

I believe there should be an official, Tennis Australia-sponsored celebration of all gay, lesbian and bi players, past and present and in support of gay marriage and social equality. It should be on Margaret Court Arena at the start of the Australian Open. She should be invited to attend.

Gavin Gostelow, Casey

Margaret Court, Casey Dellacqua, Samantha Stosur and Martina Navratilova should now sit back and let a group of male marriage celebrants publicly debate the rules of tennis.

Leon Arundell, Downer

The only children being stolen, Margaret Court, are Aboriginal kids and it is the state stealing them.

John Passant, Kambah

SUDDENLY LET'S TALK

Given most sports involve action, is there any chance of a symposium for all commentators to discuss the use of adverbs?

Jeff Bradley, Isaacs

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