A simple internet search and one click leads to the Australian government's webpage featuring its Aus-tralian Values Statement.

First on the list is "respect for the freedom and dignity of the individual", closely followed by "commitment to the rule of law" and "a sense of egalitarianism that embraces mutual respect, tolerance, fair play, and compassion".

Lucky enough to have acquired citizenship by birth, our Prime Minister and his Border Protection Minister Peter Dutton have never had to prove their worthiness. As proud defenders of Australia's cruel refugee policy which so flagrantly violates the principles of the Australian Values Statement, how would they fare if required to demonstrate their commitment to respect for the freedom and dignity of individuals, tolerance, fair play and compassion for those in need?

The Prime Minister says that among the conduct "thoroughly inconsistent with Australian values" is violence against women and children. What about the violence against the women and children detained on Nauru?

How can any of us think ourselves deserving of the privilege of Australian citizenship while gross violations of our values continue unabated in our name, and paid for with our tax dollars?

Eileen O'Brien, Kambah

I was lucky to be born in Australia. It was a lucky accident of birth.

What I have understood from growing up here is that a Fair Go For All is fundamental to Australian values.

As a country, we have often failed to live up to this aspiration, but we should never give up on the ideal.

The PM and his government have long abandoned the notion of a Fair Go. It is not fair to implement policies that promote the interests of a few (negative gearing and tax cuts) over the interests of the many (cuts to penalty rates and pensions).

It's not honest to say that you want to create jobs when you cut jobs in public service, health and education.

My understanding of the notion of a Fair Go is that it is about "sticking up for the little guy", giving someone a "hand up if they have fallen on hard times".

Not kicking people in the guts if they just didn't happen to have wealthy parents that bought them their first home or accountants to help them avoid tax.

The ministers who make up this out-of-touch government decided to freeze the wages of hard working people who clean their offices at Parliament House, and would now like to make applying for citizenship harder for them.

Perhaps all government ministers should consider taking the "Australian Values" test and applying it to proposed policies and legislation.

PM, those cleaners and other ordinary working people have a much firmer grip on Australian values than you and your privileged mates ever will.

Lyndal Ryan, ACT secretary United Voice, Queanbeyan

John McKerral's playbook of misinformation isn't confined to climate change apparently. His comment that the Clean Energy Finance Corporation is "a complete waste of money" (letters, April 18) is both inaccurate and ill-informed.

The CEFC's work has clear and measurable benefits to employment, the economy and the environment, but beyond that it actually makes a profit for taxpayers, something the multi-billion dollar Turnbull-Morrison business tax cut for example is unlikely to deliver to any significant level.

The CEFC website has all the details. The shame of it is that the ideologically driven Abbott government tried to shut down the CEFC just as they did other "revenue-positive" Labor initiatives the MRRT and the Carbon Tax — a policy replaced by Direct Action which instead costs taxpayers billions.

When added to the Howard government's ridiculously generous tax concessions to petroleum companies under the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax these witless decisions will result in losses to the commonwealth running into many tens of billions of dollars.

Jon Stirzaker, Latham

The government's proposal to relocate APS departments to regional areas is just another in a long line of idiotic thought bubbles.

Career public servants (those who might work in the APS for 30 or 40 years) will often change departments three or four times, either through seeking promotion or a change of work interests.

This assists in the transfer of skills throughout the APS and the promulgation of new and improved processes from one department to another.

Without the constant flow of new ideas and skills, the various departments will stagnate. To transfer to a different department will now mean having to uproot their lives (and their family), selling and buying a house, losing their friends, changing schools for their children and a myriad

of other complexities when having to move to whichever regional areas won the Pork Barrel Lottery.

The purpose of APS departments is to achieve those things for which they are accountable, not as a jobs program for regional areas.

We had already come to understand that Malcolm Turnbull has sold out his principles to the extreme right of the Liberal Party to gain power, but had not, until now, realised that he had also sold out his common sense to the Nationals to gain their support.

Les Neulinger, Farrer

It's with some trepidation that I await the release of the new questions in the Citizenship Test. The existing test and the document supporting it "Our Common Bond", would be anathema to many of our parliamentarians, with its commitment to freedom of religion (yes, even for Muslims), and tolerant multiculturalism.

Many Australian-born people would be unable to pass it, and sadly some notable immigrants must have crossed their fingers behind their backs when completing it.

How the government plans to assess applicants' attitudes to the indefinite detention of men, women and children will also be "interesting".

Peter Marshall, Captains Flat, NSW

The human species could be extinct before 2100.

Most of us do not consider this possibility and currently it is not being very seriously considered anywhere. But there is plenty of solid scientific evidence to show the worst-case scenario is thoroughly plausible.

Worst-case thinking begins with runaway, human induced, climate change. It includes uncontrolled population growth; proliferation and use of weapons of mass destruction; growing inequity in the distribution of wealth and resources; economic growth that ignores the dying ecosystems on which all life depends; mass starvation; destructive cyclones, tornadoes and bushfires, massive people movements and epidemics of new and old diseases.

All of these are well recognised threats to human existence and acting together they could bring on an apocalyptic future in the lifetimes of our children.

Donald Trump wants to stop talking about climate change and concentrate on making America great again.

Our own national government is echoing Donald in deed, if not in word.

Denial of worst-case scenarios is hastening the likelihood of them being realised.

At its regular collegial lunch on May 3 the Emeritus Faculty at ANU will be discussing the idea of a National Centre of Excellence on Human Survival.

Several of us think that we must build real answers to these existential threats into public policy and that planning for the best is infinitely preferable to ignoring the worst.

Emeritus Professor Bob Douglas, Bruce

It has been fascinating to see the very mixed reactions to my carefully reasoned letter about Adani coal titled "A coal caveat" (Letters, April 13 ).

The most thoughtful comment on my letter and its detractors, by Greg Jackson, was that "I think Neville Exon's letter (Letters, April 19 ) assumed that international coal burners would simply use supplies other than from Australia, hence there would be no additional contribution to global warming". That's exactly what I think.

Leaving aside all the other issues about the Adani coal mine, coal consumption worldwide continues to grow slowly.

Australian black coal is of high quality and its variants are in high demand for power generation and steel production.

If it is not provided, coal from other countries will certainly be substituted and, if it is of lower quality as is likely, more carbon dioxide will be produced.

In any case withholding Australian coal will not reduce carbon dioxide production. In summary, the fervent arguments that Adani coal will increase global carbon dioxide production and hence global warming are not based in fact.

If facts don't matter, I'm out of the argument.

Incidentally, I work with climate scientists and strongly believe in global warming and the potentially disastrous problems it will generate.

Neville Exon, Chapman

Chris Hansen may well be justifiably concerned about the proposed Adani coal mine ("Adani will add to woe", Letters, April 18), but he ignores the fact that there is "bad coal" and "even worse coal".

In the real world, if Queensland's Adani coal is not available India will still buy coal, but from sources that offer coal which is 30 per cent more polluting, i.e. the "even worse coal".

Is that what environmentalists seriously want?

Roger Dace, Reid

MIT scientist Professor Theodore Postol has said the most plausible conclusion is that the sarin used in Syria was dispensed by an improvised dispersal device on the ground.

And there was absolutely no evidence the crater was created by a munition dropped from an aircraft.

He said analysis of the debris cited by the White House report indicated the munition was almost certainly placed on the ground with an external detonating explosive on it that crushed the container so as to disperse the alleged sarin.

The White House report contains false and misleading conclusions.

Surprised anyone?

This is the USA, 2017. Australia's ally. Iraq's WMD again.

Rex Williams, Ainslie

I note the ACT government is required to defend, before a federal government inquiry, its decision to ban prayers outside abortion clinics ("Protest ban parts of rights balancing", April19, p9).

I assume therefore that if Islamists were prevented from protesting outside the law courts about the non-acceptance of sharia for Muslims, the same principle would apply.

The Catholic bishops state in their submission, "People should be free to decline to endorse through their participation, activities or ceremonies that are contrary to their beliefs."

Surely not only Catholics have this right? The principal word in the bishops' statement is "people". Does anyone know what unique beliefs the Rosicrucians may have?

C. J. Johnston, Duffy

Bill Shorten thinks that North Korea's five nuclear tests conducted over the past 11 years constitutes "provocative conduct" ("Bill Shorten says US under Donald Trump is still best placed to resolve North Korea threat", canberratimes.com.au, April 17).

How should we characterise the 1054 nuclear tests conducted by the US over a period of 47 years, or the 217 tests conducted by France over a 36-year period or the 45 tests conducted by Britain over a period of 29 years, including nine in Australia?

John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW

CUT IT OUT

Will Senator Zed Seselja successfully try to save public service jobs in Canberra, or is that just a cardboard cut-out we see routinely hovering behind the Prime Minister?

John Davenport, Farrer

TRAFFIC SOLUTION

If half the ACT population is moved, who will pay for the tram? Who would be left to use it?

M. Davis, Charnwood

GOODNESS KNOWS

Will our elected politicians actually do something for the good of our country?

That does not mean pork barrelling by the Nationals to secure their future votes.

S. Hadfield, Forde

DOG WHISTLES

After musing on the 457 matter our smart dog says: "Why can't you doggone humans be smart for a change and grant 457 visas to all would-be asylum seekers instead? That way, provided that they agree to work wherever they are needed, they would be more than welcome."

M. Mol, Frankston, Vic

TEST SKILL SET

The review of 457 visas is a case of too little too late. If the government is going to review them they should have a test on arrival of applicants to ensure they are really qualified in what their specialty is. They should also cut back the sending of jobs offshore.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

MAESTRO MISSED

Watching Leigh and Malcolm on the ABC last week I suddenly (mistakenly) thought I was watching Clarke and Dawe.

Then I remembered, Clarke is dead.

Annie Lang, Kambah

PUTIN ON THE STYLE

Once Russia had a mad monk called Rasputin wielding his wicked ways. Now they just have Putin without the Raz.

Penelope Upward, O'Connor

DRY ARGUMENT

In support of Roger Quartermain's letter "Not a spot for a stadium" (Letters, April 19) I would add that it would be asking for trouble to build a stadium within easy walking distance of many bars and bottle shops.

Ron Walker, Campbell

TRUE EVALUATION

I like to suggest a fundamental Australian values question for the new citizenship test. Australian politics is characterised by: a) backstabbing, b) USA policies copycatting, c) politicians self-interest, d) all of the above. Please choose one answer only.

Mokhles K Sidden, South Strathfield, NSW

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