Unless the dispute is resolved quickly, it has the potential to destroy Australian cricket.

It is essential that CA respects and accepts the wishes of the players to be represented by the ACA. It is not as if the ACA is pursuing an irresponsible doctrinaire trade union agenda beyond the good of cricket.

Recently, a similarly corporatised body, the AFL Commission, was able to reach agreement with its players. Why can't the CA?

Revenue sharing is a simple model and has served cricket well for several years. All it means is agreeing on the players' share bearing in mind future plans.

How long will sponsors and the media networks be willing to wait before they decide to abandon cricket and pursue other commercial interests?

It would be understandable if, in despair, Australian cricketers gave up and accepted offers from overseas, resulting in a generation of cricketers lost to us.

Cricket Australia would soon become irrelevant.

There is another option. In times like these we look to our government and our politicians to intervene for the sake of the public good – in this case, say a bipartisan effort by Turnbull and Shorten beyond uttering platitudes.

Australian cricket lovers deserve a good working arrangement between the governing body and the players.

Besides, we want an Ashes tour this summer!

Warwick Williams, Nicholls

I am becoming increasingly frustrated by the selective quoting of Sir Robert Menzies by some in the media and various politicians, either to create news or to try and justify their particular political positions.

It would do everyone well to carefully read page 3 of the foreword to John Howard's book The Menzies Era.

This sets out factually and clearly how Menzies saw his creation, and it is still relevant today. Adherence to the principles outlined by Menzies have been instrumental in the long-term acceptance by the National Party that it is best for all Australians to have in government a coalition of the two parties. A lack of adherence to those principles can only be a threat to the Coalition, and to the Liberal Party itself due to a leakage of support to the minor parties and independents.

So I say to all those in the Liberal and National parties running commentary, take the time to read Howard's book or at least page 3, adhere to those principles, and then shut up and get on with governing this country.

Peter Langhorne, Narrabundah

The Catholic Church has done it again. Not content with idiotic rulings about placement of our ashes, we are now told (yet again) that gluten-free communion hosts are banned as they are unable to "obtain the confection of bread".

The mind boggles. The Church hierarchy worries about its decreasing active membership, but then trots out these inanities, while remaining stubbornly silent and, worse still, inactive in dealing with the terrible injustices which are the new plague threatening to devour us all — the increasing gap between rich and poor; the trashing of our beautiful planet for profit; and, locally, the cruel treatment meted out to innocent refugees.

The people working at the coal face, trying hard to put Christ's message into effect, must feel as if they are beating their heads against the proverbial brick wall when they see They Who Must Be Obeyed wasting time, energy and resources on this rubbish.

Young people are turning away in droves, and who can blame them?

James Gralton, Garran

There has been commentary in the media that "Australian monarchists have requested the Prime Minister to assure the Queen that Australia will remain in the Commonwealth should it become a republic".

The Australian Monarchist League, which is the largest member-based monarchist organisation in the country, did not make any such request. In the first instance, we do not believe that Australia will become a republic and, secondly, there is no barrier for admission of a former realm to the Commonwealth as a republic.

In fact, of the 52 nations within the Commonwealth, 36are republics.

The Commonwealth is largely a think-tank and has no relevance to our constitutional security. No former British colony which removed the Crown has kept its democracy as intact as the other realms have.

Philip Benwell, Australian Monarchist League, Sydney

Arthur Connor says that treatment for gender dysphoria should be "left until the child is old enough to give informed consent" (Letters, July12).

He should be pleased. Substantial and irreversible treatment requires approval and endorsement by a court, and in practice a finding the "child" is so well informed and so capable they can and do consent.

If Connor wants to believe gender dysphoria is no more than a few years of childhood ambivalence, that isn't what medical specialists and families know. It isn't what people with gender dysphoria know.

Let people get treatment when they can and when it is best for them, not when Connor is prepared to get out of their way.

Christopher Hood, Queanbeyan, NSW

Owen Reid (Letters, July12) has committed one of the classic blunders, viz believing that something "still a theory" is unproven jibber-jabber.

The word he is looking for is "hypothesis". Scientific "theories" are quite well researched and respected schools of thought.

Relativity is "still a theory", but without the use the knowledge it imparts, the GPS network simply would not work.

Anthropogenic climate change is a scientific "theory", yes. That does not detract from the fact many of the hypotheses from which it is constructed are well-proven. We ignore or denigrate it at our peril.

Mark Raymond, Manton, NSW

On Wednesday I arrived at the National Library for a two-day visit to check archival material for an article I am researching. After exiting my vehicle, I saw an attendant approach my car as I walked to the pay station to buy a ticket. After finding the first machine didn't accept payment for more than four hours, I proceeded to the next machine only to find it out of order. I walked to the next machine to find a confused mother and grandmother with three children unable to figure out how to pay for only two hours.

As this was the machine that accepted all-day charges of $12 (an exorbitant price for a national institution in my opinion) I directed them to the machine I had been at previously.

All this took no more than five minutes upon which I returned to my car to display the ticket. It wasn't until 6pm, when I returned to my car, that I noticed I had been given a penalty notice in between the time I had walked to the pay machines and back to my car.

The parking attendant must have seen where I was heading and in an act of what can only be sheer bloody-mindedness, gave me a penalty notice of $108.

Is this the kind of advert we want for our national institutions?

Dr Darren Swanson, University of Sydney

In response to Marie Wensing's concerns (Letters, July 8) about being overcome with letterbox advertising, partly coming from Salmat, we wanted to stress that we are strongly opposed to such delivery practices and have numerous initiatives in place to ensure our distributors do the right thing.

We encourage anyone with complaints about letterbox advertising to contact the Delivery Standard Board (DSB), which Salmat always promptly addresses.

We also undertake initiatives to educate our delivery contractors on best practices, in line with the high standards set by the DSB. Their performance and behaviours are monitored and regularly audited in a bid to ensure even coverage of delivery areas and that the DSB standards are adhered to.

If Canberra residents do not want to receive advertising in their letterbox, particularly if they will be away from their homes for long periods of time and want to ensure space for Australia Post delivered mail, we encourage them to put a "no advertising material" label on their letterbox. We also ask any residents with complaints or feedback to get in touch via the Delivery Standard Board via this website — http://www.catalogue.asn.au/complaint/ — so we can address them.

Ben Seal, Salmat, Melbourne, Vic

Mildura's riverfront recreational parkland is simply stunning and is everything that Canberra's West Basin could be. Beautiful spacious parkland, glorious trees, shade and grass, several eating and coffee outlets full of customers, walkers and sitters, adequate parking, easy access, a splendid water play feature for children.

The Murray is a bonus.

We should immediately despatch our planners there to copy their plans. No, save the money, take my word for it and Mr Barr just write and ask for a copy.

And not an apartment building in sight. Perfect. Just a space for use by the people.

John Mungoven, Stirling

It is sad that Mr Paine's letter (July 11) uncritically repeats extreme anti-union rhetoric from the US, and has little awareness of history.

Unions have always stood up to powerful interests, whether employers or politicians.

It was for this reason that the Nazis locked up unionists. Also, for the record, we have invited Mr Wall to speak with us about his concerns. He has refused.

Alex White, Secretary, UnionsACT

In a current request for comment about a safety assurance system for automated vehicles the National Transport Commission states "Automated vehicles that do not require human driver input into the driving task for at least part of the journey are expected to arrive on our roads from around 2020."

I understand Chris Steel MLA has stated publicly that automated vehicles "have potential to feed mass transit options like light rail" but "will not displace the role of mass transit systems like light rail".

It has been shown that the degree of ride-sharing that can be achieved with a large fleet of small automated vehicles can serve all commuting in the urban layout and population density of a future Canberra to great advantage.

Mr Steel's statement is a rearguard action by "Trammany Hall" that won't yet admit that it has got it badly wrong in committing to light rail.

John L. Smith, Farrer

It has become fashionable, at least in some circles, to devalue professional journalism in favour of internet-fed populist prejudice.

However, a quick compare and contrast exercise between Peter Martin's factual and properly researched article about renewables and power prices in South Australia ('It's not the wind, it's the gas', July 13, p16) with Jayson Taylor's repetition of tired and discredited propaganda on the same subject (Letters, July 13) suggests that, at least on some occasions, journalists earn their salaries.

Felix MacNeill, Dickson

After meeting the Queen, our Prime Minister has declared himself an "Elizabethan".

I assume that, during his current bout of channelling Sir Robert Menzies, he "did but see her passing by ..."!

Richard Manderson, Narrabundah

TARGET THE MORONS

Instead of making money out of hapless drivers, who exceed 80km/h on Hindmarsh Drive, where one could safely do nearer 100km/h in several places, it would make more sense if the authorities would redirect their attention to the morons, who disregard the 40km/h limit on Giles and Eyre Streets, when driving through the Kingston Shopping Centre.

D. N. Callaghan, Kingston

NETS KILL PLATYPUSES

Many platypuses die because of the wide-spread availability and use of "opera house" style yabby nets. They drown in opera house nets because they cannot find their way out. Only nets that prevent entry altogether, or allow the safe entry and exit of platypuses, should be sold and used in Australia.

Lawrence Pope, North Carlton, Vic

KOREA PARANOIA

Why is the West so paranoid of a country which wants the same

defensive military options as itself?

The only possible security threat from North Korea would be to South Korea, and it might be a good idea if south and north could be reunited, but does the West really want to get involved in another Korean war?

Claude Wiltshire, Queanbeyan, NSW

OUTPLAYED AGAIN

The purple people eaters have done it again. They were everywhere the NSW players weren't. What a disappointment – but still a great game.

M. Moore, Bonython

JOYCE SHOULD RETIRE

Re "Devil incarnate" Joyce stands firm on forced relocations" (July 12, p2-3), Barnaby should retire from politics, and get a job in the local butcher's shop. Then we can all rejoice.

John Milne, Chapman

ABBOTT'S BAD HABITS

Australia has ex-PM, Abbott,

Who simply cannot break the habit

Of wrecking and whining

And snide undermining

'Cos he can't accept that he's had it.

Katrine Benjamin, Taroona, Tas

MEDIA SOLUTION

As journalism declines due to ad revenue going to Google and Facebook, it's time the federal government set up a taxpayer funded independent newspaper for unemployed journalists. Otherwise we'll have to depend on the ABC and SBS alone.

Rod Matthews, Fairfield, Vic

SOARING ENERGY PRICES

Why have energy prices sky-rocketed since abolishing the carbon tax? And why is the government floating a carbon tax on cars when the greatest polluting emissions come from coal- fired power plants?

Laurelle Atkinson, Tasmania

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