There was nothing to love about being a 3rd Division clerk in those days. Women received five-eighths the salary of their male counterparts, we had to resign when we married, we had no superannuation and were not allowed to wear slacks.

I remember modesty boards being put in front of desks of those women who wore miniskirts.

Yes it was a different world and no, I did not love it, and at times I wonder if much has changed for women.

Mary Robbie, Aranda

Let's give credit where credit is due and heap praise and eternal thanks on the people who finally organised the deletion of a lot of the unsightly graffiti in Hindmarsh Drive.

It has taken a long time and the delinquents who initially did it have probably died of old age, but it certainly makes a difference.

It is now much more pleasant for the drivers who get caught at all the 11 sets of traffic lights on the 4.5-kilometre drive between the Weston shops and the Phillip swimming pool, ie one every 400 metres. Now, if those people can catch and convict the criminals who continually put graffiti on the wall in front of the Woden Mall they will have done a great service to the population of the Woden Valley.

Trevor Willis, Hughes

The Canberra and District Historical Society is alarmed by the prospect of irreplaceable heritage objects leaving the ACT. The impending sale of carriages and other artefacts, collected over many years, by the ACT Railway Historical Society, could lead to a disastrous loss of ACT heritage items.The society urges the ACT government to take action to ensure these items do not leave Canberra.

The ACT must be able to keep objects of historic significance.

Julia Ryan, Canberra & District Historical Society president

Whilst I am deeply saddened by the mistreatment of the cattle in Indonesia five years ago, I was a bit shocked to see the footage being used by the ABC on Wednesday during the 7pm news.

Not only would other families, like ours, have been eating their dinner, many children would also have still been awake and in the vicinity of the television.

I was surprised there was no warning prior to the footage being shown that it might upset some viewers.

Stephanie A. Goulstone, Harrison

Apropos John Hewson's "The true source of wasteful government spending" (July 21, p19), Michael Leunig says it all on page 385 of The Wayward Leunig: cartoons that wandered off.

He suggests four suitable national infrastructure projects: The Dull Cube Project — a giant concrete cube for every town, city and suburb in the land; The Arch of Nothing — gateway type arches on a grand scale to be constructed in civic spaces across the nation; The National Toothpaste Grid — a pipeline looping around the continent to deliver toothpaste to every bathroom in Australia; and The Solar Sausage Sizzler Project — sausage sizzle panels to be installed on every rooftop in the land.

Kevin Bray, Belconnen

You have correctly suggested in your editorial ("Recognition push may come to naught", July 20) that we will probably not see any outcome on the question of recognition of the Indigenous people this time round.

I cannot understand what is the impediment when we agree in principle that they should be recognised.

It is my view that the politicians are talking a lot but actually not acting on it sincerely.

Two people can make it happen and they are Malcolm Turnbull and Bill Shorten.

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt

Leaving home early to navigate intersections closed because of light rail construction, I was delighted to discover them fully functional again on Monday.

As I drove to my pro bono work I thought of the commitment and trust on which we still depend, despite multi-faceted political betrayals.

I thought of the teams who had worked through the night in sub-zero temperatures and even of the person who delivers our daily CT in the dark.

God bless them all.

Jill Sutton, Watson

While the Bastille Day military parade is impressive, it must be remembered that July 14, 1789, ushered in a reign of terror in France and Europe that was extinguished only at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815.

French leadership and intelligentsia were slaughtered and the economy collapsed.

Later these lunatics, lead by Napoleon Bonaparte, waged war on most of Europe.

The French revolutionary class slaughter was similar to that of a former French colony, Cambodia, during the Pol Pot dictatorship.

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, Vic.

Much has been written and spoken about the decision by Josh Dugan and Blake Ferguson to leave the NSW State of Origin camp a few days prior to the game to have a few quiet beers.

Perhaps this was not the most appropriate course of action, given the circumstances and the timing, however, by all accounts both players behaved admirably.

They were reportedly pleasant, friendly and approachable to the locals.

The NSW Rugby League hierarchy should forget the matter and turn its attention to the major issue arising from the camp (and the series) ie to devise some form of plan or strategy to defeat Queensland (which they should have done in the first place).

Andrew Rowe, Florey

One way to avoid the $10 million bill for public servants flying to offshore detention centres would be to make the flights one way.

We could start from the top down with Mr Dutton.

Barry Radburn, Blayney

In its justification for its home affairs agency the Turnbull government has as one of its rationales the need to mirror similar arrangements in like countries, particularly the UK and other "Five Eyes" countries.

A Google search reveals that of the Five Eyes countries only the UK Home Office, which has existed for decades, has similar functions.

The US Homeland Security Department does not include the FBI (the US agency responsible for federal policing and domestic intelligence and which is under the Justice Department just like our AFP and ASIO are currently under the Attorney-General's Department).

Neither New Zealand or Canada have an equivalent home affairs portfolio. Just shows what a shaky justification the government has for its decision.

Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

John McKerral (Letters, July 20) has taken a break from his usual climate change denialist shtick long enough to inform us wordily that cold temperatures can kill. Indeed.

This is accompanied by a silly non-sequitur linking the inability of people, particularly pensioners, to afford rising power bills due to "subsidies for renewables".

Really? It wouldn't have anything to do with the almost complete failure of government energy policy particularly in relation to the gas industry and domestic gas supply, the failure to impose a carbon price to provide certainty for energy infrastructure investment, or this government's antipathy to raising pensions to help affordability?

Nope, it must be renewables' fault.

David Jenkins, Casey

Pretty obviously the Greens made some administrative errors and their preselection systems need improving.

Sadly, this has resulted in the loss of two very able senators. But the actual citizenship situation in both cases was bizarre and not something a reasonable person would have anticipated. And it is widely acknowledged that this facet of Section 44 of the constitution is unhelpful and outdated (though changing it is apparently beyond the skill of the major political parties).

Under these circumstances, to equate this failure of pernickety precision with a loss of the "moral high ground" (whatever that tired, pejorative cliche is supposed to mean) indicates either a failure of reasoning or a guilty conscience seeking relief.

The saddest response was our Prime Minister crowing about sloppiness, when the main features of his own career are losing the eminently winnable republic referendum, being gulled by the sad and silly Godwin Grech, botching the NBN and spending more personal wealth than most of us will assemble in a lifetime on what was just one seat away from being the most embarrassing electoral defeat in Australian history.

And his ongoing and abject inability to achieve legislation to match the clear will of the Australian people on same-sex marriage, euthanasia, climate change and renewable energy suggests that there is plenty more to come.

Perhaps he, and a few others, would be wise to remember the biblical injunction to concern yourself less with the mote in your neighbour's eye.

Felix MacNeill, Dickson

The NSW government's new report advocating a borderless south region is just a dream never to be realised.

For example, we now have the ridiculous situation of Q City Transit introducing its own smartcard ticketing system, when Canberra has a working system that could easily be extended to Queanbeyan.

Now, cross-border commuters have to carry two, not one, transport cards, and must pay higher fares than those commuting only within the ACT.

Queanbeyan might as well be a different country, as far as the ACT is concerned.

It's time the ACT government and Queanbeyan Council got together and organised seamless cross-border services in what is effectively one big "Canbeyan" city.

Dave Kelly, Aranda

On the off chance I may be called in to fill a Senate vacancy any day now, I took the opportunity to check my citizenship status.

To my surprise, I have dual citizenship. According to the UK government website, I am a British citizen by virtue of my birth and, according to a yellowing certificate, I had Australian citizenship conferred on me at the age of seven and a half months, under the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948-1960.

How can it possibly be suggested that there is any danger I might show some adherence to a foreign power when I don't even feel any compunction to be loyal to Australia.

In fact, there are about 15.6 million Australian-born so-called citizens wandering about right now, none of whom have pledged anything to anyone, let alone read a values statement.

Citizenship is an abstract and archaic nonsense. The right to vote, passports, and residency for tax purpose are things, but citizenship isn't.

I will happily renounce both mine, should anyone need me in the Senate.

Peter McDonald, Hughes

Sue Wareham is just plain wrong when she claims that "Section 44 has deprived us all of an outstanding, smart, honest, diligent senator" (Letters, July 18).

Ex-senator Ludlam lost his seat because he was never eligible to stand for election, and that was due to his own ignorance, plus incompetent and sloppy party administration.

If he was as "smart and diligent" as Ms Wareham claims, this situation would never have arisen.

Kym MacMillan, O'Malley

AIN'T SEEN NOTHING YET

In attempting to reform the Liberal Party, Jim Molan will confront an entrenched "enemy", a more cunning, aggressive and treacherous foe than he ever encountered, on really bad days challenging the "amateurish" Afghanistan Taliban.

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan, NSW

FRESH WARS

I am a bit tired of terrorism. When are we going to have a war against cooking shows and dental hygiene, followed closely by flatulence and general tom foolery?

Gary Frances, Bexley, Vic

LUDLAM WILL BE A LOSS

I concur with Sue Wareham (Letters, July 18). In fact, as a West Australian, I couldn't agree more. Scott represented people who care about this country and what is being done to it and a man with ethics such as his will be sorely missed.

Dawn Michelle, Greenmount, WA

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

A (dual) Australian citizen cannot be elected to parliament. However, a foreigner is the Australian head of state (something denied to Australian citizens), and a foreigner can be awarded an Australian knighthood by a forelock tugging PM. Go figure.

Kerry Hodge, Weston

TAKE FIVE

For high office, go-getters thirst

But be prepared for the worst

If your citizenship's dual

You could look like a fool

We do hope our Queen checked first.

Laurie McDonald, Watson

NYAH NYAH, SO THERE!

Call people with different opinions, delusional (Malcolm Turnbull) or deplorable (Hillary Clinton); you still end up in tears when the votes are counted. When the argument is weak, revert to name calling.

Jeff Bradley, Isaacs

SANITY CALLING

I figure there's a market for dumb phones.

You know, phones that don't do anything except make telephone calls. They could prove a boon for stationers, bringing back the little black book.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

THE ODD ANGRY SHOT

Weapons trainer Peter Moran observes that most police officers are poor shooters as a consequence of a lack of practice. (Letters, July 20).

I have an acquaintance who's in the Army Reserve.

He tells me there's no mandatory live weapons practice. And he's in Infantry.

Pity the hapless bystanders if these people were ever to fire a shot in anger.

C. McKenzie, Lyneham

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).