First, why call it ACT rates? Let's be honest, wrap all the ACT government charges together, and call it what it has become - the ACT residents territory tax.

The ACT rates charge is a misnomer as it now has so little to do with keeping the streets clean and cutting off the tree branches, unblocking street drains and so on.

It's about funding every fantasy dream the ACT government has for which the ACT ratepayers are legislated to pay.

So what if the ACT government is and has been broke for years – so have all the other governments.

So what if personal debt to personal household income has risen from 70 per cent to 190 per cent over 20 years.

So what if wage growth is the lowest since figures have been recorded. So what if electricity prices have gone up another 20 per cent.

So what if motor vehicle registration has increased way over inflation again.

Residents should bear in mind that this is democracy at work and you must trust the government you have voted for as they would never mislead you.

Wayne Grant, Swinger Hill

Large electricity, gas and water price increases from July 1 mean that one should read ones meters as a precaution.

"As a precaution against what?" one says.

Recent meter reading anomalies have resulted in over billing and under billing, followed by apologies from our suppliers followed by more over billing and under billing and more apologies.

To be sure, from July 1 all ratepayers and tenants should read and write down their meter readings, or take a photo of them.

If our suppliers were to be totally unscrupulous they might under bill for the next bill resulting in over billing for the following bill. This would result in unwarranted, and illegal extra charges, of up to 20 per cent more for electricity, gas and water bills.

Ratepayers and tenants should be able to take comfort in the fact that the ACT Government owns Icon Water and has a large shareholding in ACTEW/AGL and thus it should make sure that such devious practices do not take place.

But just in case you don't believe, make sure that you read your own meters on July 1.

Peter Jansen, Ratepayers Association of the ACT Inc, Deakin

I fully support the letters of Penleigh Boyd and Mike Quirk (Letters, June 27) regarding the direction being taken by ACT planners and the development industry.

The direction of growth is being driven by money rather than what is better in principle for the benefit of current inhabitants. A major concern is that no government in Australia is prepared to bite on the bullet of population control — our capital cities are already too big and beset with the problems of growth.

Although Australia is large it is also very old and fragile, our productive soils are tired and relatively limited, yet our governments approve even more quarries on what little we have left.

We are already experiencing water supply problems and global warming can only exacerbate these deeply seated problems. Canberra should take the lead at approximately 400,000 people and limit its growth to a sustainable degree of liveability expected from a model city.

It is time for Canberra to set the example.

If we have to provide for natural limited growth then we should be thinking about really sustainable satellite towns with greater buffer areas of afforestation which will help to correct the massive land clearing that is costing us and our children dearly.

Derek F. Wrigley, Mawson

The essence of The Canberra Times' coverage of the census has been to celebrate growth, growth, and more growth.

Co-incidentally in recent weeks there have been articles on destruction of habitat, the decline of the Great Barrier Reef, and systemic problems with the Murray Darling River system and so on.

Attention has also been given to housing affordability and our reputed energy crisis.

Nobody has been wise enough to acknowledge the link between our love affair with growth and these environmental and social issues.

Instead, we have articles from the likes of Michael Pascoe in which he endorses the "steady (as) she goes" approach to our future, with nary a word on the environment.

The discussion of population, and the issue of immigration which is the key driver of this, is a veritable minefield.

Broaching it, risks being cast into the camp of One Nation and others. It is a risk I take in my determination to question the asinine stupidity of perpetual growth. Australia, and the world more generally, can have perpetual growth or healthy and diverse eco-systems. They cannot have both.

Graham Clews, Kambah

Like Roslyn Phillips (Letters, June 28), I am not surprised about 30 per cent of Australians gave the no-religion question in the census their tick.

But we do not know if this means that a record number of Australians are atheists.

Yes, some people have turned away from the churches because of child abuse by the clergy, though the majority of clergy are faithful and caring.

Yet we must remember that the Christian churches in Australia are deeply involved in schools and nearly half of the population in Canberra are keen to seek a Christian education for their children, even if parents would call themselves atheists.

Christian aged care facilities have long waiting lists.

The apparent rejection of religion by nearly a third of the population may be highly selective.

Fr Robert Willson, Deakin

Tony Abbott complains "the whole political spectrum seems to have moved to the left". But that is only after it had moved steadily to the right for nearly 20 years under him and his predecessor John Howard. Thankfully, it is now closer to where it was under Keating.

Michael McCarthy, Deakin

I should welcome the latest data from the census that shows a surge in those sharing my disbelief, but life is not that simple.

After lobbying from secular groups, "no religion" was put at the top of the religion list, showing there is a "donkey vote".

What is more alarming is the naivety of "experts" in accepting other data at face value, despite public disquiet at names being retained in the 2016 census.

Those at the coal face will tell you income is so understated it is useful at best (only) for inter-suburb comparisons.

An ANU academic used census data to show income levels for single mothers well below minimum social security levels.

The Centre for Independent Studies showed such income to be around $55,000 a year.

The "independent" study set up to assess the validity of the 2016 census was a bad joke, simply comparing results to other survey data – not facts – and ignoring the massive increase in non-response to key questions.

John Coochey, Chisholm

The aftermath of the Gonski debate has been the exposure of the disorganised shambles of the Australian Greens.

The incompetence of the parliamentary wing of the party is exhibited by policy-lite Hanson-Young again failing to count numbers in her own party room, leaving Di Natale looking anything but a leader.

The Greens portray themselves as the new party of Australian politics, but nobody could take them seriously because they cannot govern themselves.

They need to go back to their roots on the organising committees of organic produce co-ops in inner-city Sydney and the extreme environmental fringe groups which support drop toilets for all and bicycle-led transport policies to find some members who may be able to least count heads (which is merely politics 1.1).

Rohan Goyne, Evatt

In the latest season of the Netflix drama House of Cards, the fictional administration of President Francis Underwood and Vice-President Claire Underwood, facing a domestic political crisis, uses a manufactured chemical weapons attack in Syria to declare war on the country.

In a case of politics following art, the Trump administration has accused the Syrian government of "preparing" to use chemical weapons against the civilian population. No evidence has been presented to back up the concocted threat.

On Monday, Press Secretary Sean Spicer declared the US had "identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children".

If Syrian President Bashar al-Assad "conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons", the statement continued, "he and his military will pay a heavy price".

Other than the apathetic American Fox News watchers, who does Trump think he is fooling?

Alan McNeil, Weetangera

Your readers who watched the Four Corners program on retirement homes and aged-care homes would have been disgusted.

These were not new revelations – they have been around at least two years. Action has been promised and never delivered.

Our politicians see no evil, hear no evil and say no evil (on this matter).

Come the next election and at the public meetings where candidates spruik their wares, I hope the electors will ask all of them what they personally tried to do to rectify the cruel treatment of our senior citizens.

It would seem to me that the owners of these entities should be obliged by regulation to have a uniform contract that obliges them to treat their clients fairly.

That, however, would require the industry to be re-regulated.

That also would require politicians to realise that their first loyalty is to their constituents, not their party.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

Faced with Tony Abbott's remarks about the need to be loyal to one's colleagues and to the voters, I am perplexed. Is this the Abbott who said he would head a government of no surprises, then presided over a horror budget, and when that went badly, threw Joe Hockey under a bus; and in other surprise moves went almost as far as Caligula, who made his horse a senator?

Is he the same one who remarked after losing leadership that he would go quietly?

It would severely strain Jesuitical justification to seek reasons why Abbott still imagines that he should have his voice heard.

He is the day-before-yesterday's man.

Roy Darling, Florey

Awarding military service medals to dogs ("Military medals are for brave people, not dogs", June28, p.17) can have only one function: to assuage our consciences about the exploitation of dogs to save human lives.

Dogs who are killed during military conflicts aren't brave; they are performing trained behaviours with no insight that doing so could result in their death.

Using animals in this way is similar to sacrificing mice in medical research, but worse, because the dogs have developed a relationship of trust with their handlers.

Andina Faragher, Kaleen

Why don't you retire, Tony, as you have nothing to contribute any more, are divisive in the extreme and well past your use-by-date.

Yesterday's feckless man is now even more of a pathetic joke, worse daily and trying to hold together an obtuse bunch of simple-minded ne'er-do-wells.

Rex Williams, Ainslie

HOLD YOUR HORSES

I applaud David Kibbey's restored enthusiasm for the Brumbies. However, I would feel it appropriate to withhold that enthusiasm until we find out what happened to the proceeds of the sale of their Griffith site, proceeds that were contributed largely by ACT ratepayers in the form of an exemption from a change-of-use levy.

Alan Robertson, Canberra City

PYNE IN THE RIGHT

I am no fan of Christopher Pyne, but I cannot see why he should apologise for saying what the majority of Australians want: a parliamentary vote on same-sex marriage, not a money-wasting delaying plebiscite, which has been rejected by the Senate.

Malcolm Turnbull should apologise for his lack of intestinal fortitude.

Richard Keys, Ainslie

PLEBISCITE WELCOME

I am very thankful that the Prime Minister is sticking to his promise of the plebiscite re so-called marriage "equality". I appreciate his mindfulness of hearing the voice of all Australians. It is un-Australian of the noisy ones to drown out the voices of those who oppose their purpose.

J. Halgren, Latham

STATE OF ACTION

The footnote across the ABC screen, "Breaking: Pell investigation – Police have charged Pell with historical sexual offences," is almost enough to give one faith in the state.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

CASE FOR REFORMATION

The developments in relation to George Pell explain the census results recording a drop in the number of people following Christianity. I think its a wake-up call for reformation in Christianity.

Aqeel Ibraheem, Blacktown, NSW

RETIREMENT RORT

Re the Four Corners documentary on retirement community rip-offs. In 2007, 2011 and 2016 parliamentary inquiries recommended action. Of course, this would mean our self-serving politicians would actually have to do something for older Australians, rather than focusing on their own perks and re-election. Nothing was done.

Tom Lindsay, Monash

WARM GESTURE

With temperatures in Canberra during winter at minus four and five degrees, maybe the people who knit the (very cute) scarves for the trees at the arboretum might save a few for Canberra's homeless.

Sally Koodiaroff, Lyons

OLD COAT, NEW MAN?

I note the PM has reverted to the leather jacket. Will he also revert to the positions he expounded when he was last wearing it?

Jeff Bradley, Isaacs

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