The urgent need for an immediate increase in funding and the delivery of palliative care to patients cannot be over-emphasised given that just one palliative medicine specialist is available for every 704 deaths each year.

The appalling current deficit in end-of-life healthcare plaguing dying Australians and their families can be addressed by making palliative care a "high priority". The good suggestion by Palliative Care Australia for the appointment of a "national (palliative care) commissioner" should be urgently adopted.

After all, palliative care specialises in end-of-life needs. Palliative care uses a multi-disciplinary pain/symptom management approach to meet the emotional/psychological and spiritual needs of the dying and their families. Patients' autonomy is enhanced when palliative care is delivered to the patients' home (for those who prefer to die at home).

Support for patients' choices is one of the hallmarks of palliative care.

The fundamental need for accessible palliative care will only increase in the near future given our ageing population. This should rightly propel the "Turnbull government to make palliative care a national health priority".

Clara Curtis, Kooringal, NSW

A heartfelt thank you to the man who stopped by my broken down car on Belconnen Way and gave me two bottles of chilled water while I waited for the NRMA.

Not only that, he had driven past, seen my bonnet up, went and bought the water, turned around and came back to give it to me.

This was on January 2, on a very warm afternoon.

Fortunately the patrolman didn't take the three hours projected by the dispatcher but if he had, the water could have been almost literally lifesaving.

My Good Samaritan's kind and thoughtful act has given my new year a very hopeful start.

E. Smith, Page

The Prime Minister has announced that Snowy 2.0 will proceed. I am surprised that he did not make the announcement while standing under the Communist Chinese flag flying proudly in Cooma's Centennial Park.

Snowy Hydro has lost the plot completely as far as the original goal of the Snowy scheme is concerned.

This was basically to store and transfer the waters of the Snowy River and its tributaries to the Murrumbidgee and the Murray for irrigation.

Hydro power was a by-product to pay for the scheme so that the irrigation water could be handed to the states free. After years of above average rain and snowfall, Lake Eucumbene is less than 70 per cent capacity and more and more water and hydro power are being wasted down the Snowy River.

After more than 60 years' close association with the SMA and SMEC it is time for me at age 90 to move on.

I have no wish to take interest in Snowy Hydro digging enormous holes into which money will be poured.

With a sigh of relief I can now forget the whole sick farce and concentrate on other activities.

Noel Carter, Cooma, NSW

It has been suggested that one of the housing blocks in Northbourne Avenue will be preserved as a museum.

Perhaps a better idea would be for it to be refurbished into emergency/crisis housing for the homeless. There are about four to six homeless men living in makeshift tents, sleeping rough behind the Uniting Church in Northbourne Avenue.

There are many homeless people in Canberra.

One of the housing blocks could be renovated so that each person has their own secure room and have a communal kitchen and lounge areas. There could be a caretaker on the premises. I am sure there would be plenty of volunteers who could do the renovations and volunteers to make an evening meal for the residents each evening.

The housing block would be preserved for all to see and some of the homeless people be housed.

The building's architectural features would be retained and its future usage doing some good for the community.

Maggie Scott, Deakin

Should Australia decide that it needs to establish an Australian head of state (as it should), it is disturbing that reportedly a significant majority favour direct election.

Paul Keating has pointed out some of the serious problems which would arise from such a procedure, including the diminution of the authority of the prime minister.

One thing that Keating has not signposted, however, is that direct election would be guaranteed to result in a head of state who is a hack of one of the major parties.

Each party would be obliged to make a nomination but only the nominees of the major parties have any chance of success.

Australia has been well served by the process of selecting governors-general and a similar procedure should be used to establish an Australian head of state – as proposed by Keating.

T. J. Marks, Holt

Tim Fischer is correct to question the absence of a US ambassador in Canberra.

The latest official State Department listing indicates dozens of US ambassadorial positions remain vacant, among them many other major countries.

This is clearly the result of such appointments being given low priority by Donald Trump, whose January 2017 directive required all incumbent US ambassadors to resign from their positions. It is humbug to argue that this is not offensive to the many nations lacking an American ambassador, or to pretend that government-to-government business can be conducted as effectively as usual without an ambassador.

Trevor Wilson, Holder

So Jeff Bezos (Amazon's boss) is now the richest anyone has ever been. Glad to hear he is going to "focus on philanthropy".

N. Ellis, Crace

The recently completed Test cricket series between Australia and the old foe, England, established that Australia is managing to maintain its standing as one of the doyens of world cricket.

Unfortunately, the same simply cannot be said of the Old Dart.

More often than not the English bowlers were unable to capitalise from our batting collapses.

The series also highlighted the fact that Australia does not currently have a plethora of fast/medium pace bowlers.

However, we cannot rest on our laurels. Australia is due to fly out to South Africa in a few weeks, to play a series of games, including several Test matches.

Following this, the Indians are due to visit Australia later this year for a similar tour.

South Africa and India are currently touted as the world's top Test cricket-playing nations; both teams boast an abundance of lethal fast bowlers and exciting, attacking batsmen.

In respect to the Ashes tour, one had to sympathise with the English captain Joe Root, who gallantly (the cynic could say "unwisely") elected to continue batting having earlier retired hurt and ill. To allow an unwell player (or any player for that matter) to actively participate in an outdoor game in the oppressive and stifling weather conditions that were present throughout the match, is surely a serious breach of occupational health and safety.

Andrew Rowe, Florey

Will Steffen's authoritative article 'Why Penrith is frying and Florida freezing' (canberratimes.com.au, January 8) gave convincing reasons for replacing terms such as "global warming" with "climate disruption".

This, as he points out "captures the real nature of the vast array of changes, many of them abrupt and unexpected, that are occurring".

As these changes have such far-reaching consequences, might I suggest that The Canberra Times, (Independent Always), should take the lead in establishing in print this change of terminology; a change of thinking will surely follow.

Bill Fleming, Rivett

Peter Snowdon (Letters, January 11) appears to believe that cyclists are invisible until they move onto a pedestrian crossing.

His problems can be solved simply by approaching a pedestrian crossing as he would a give way sign. If visibility is good and there are no pedestrians or cyclists approaching the crossing, he can proceed at the speed limit.

If visibility is restricted or pedestrians or cyclists are approaching or near the crossing, then he needs to be prepared to stop.

This is what most motorists have always done. The time taken for a cyclist to dismount can vary from zero for a triathlete to the best part of a minute for a slightly arthritic septuagenarian like me.

Motorists had no means of knowing which type of cyclist was approaching the crossing and therefore almost always stopped. Under the trial law they can be on their way much more quickly than if they had waited for me to dismount.

The trial law has other advantages. Because it is legal to ride across a crossing, police can teach school children how to do it safely and, because a mounted cyclist takes up less room than a pedestrian pushing a bike, congestion on busy crossings is eased.

Of course it is in cyclist's self interest to ensure that they do not enter a crossing unless it is safe to do so.

Paul Pentony, Hackett

Unlike Trevor McPherson (Letters, January 10), when I travel at the speed limit while adjusting for the error on my car's speedometer, while I pass a number of vehicles myself I am passed frequently by others.

What I object to most is this: when I am in the right lane overtaking other vehicles in the left lane, which I endeavour to do without exceeding the speed limit, there are some drivers who seem to believe that they can force me to exceed the speed limit by tailgating at terrifyingly close distances, sometimes within just a few metres.

These are the drivers who should be taken off the road.

Geoff Mander, Hawker

Bob Salmond (Letters, January 10) really needs to calm down and understand what he doing on the road.

His original letter was clearly excusing himself and others for lane hogging and my response was to point out the inappropriateness of this behaviour.

He now, without any evidence, accuses me of being a dangerous driver, making wild assumptions about my character. For his information in 56 years on the road with about 2 million kilometres behind me here, in the UK and all over western Europe, I have only damaged a car once – when a wallaby jumped out in front of me.

He quotes part of a letter by Graham Downie (January 6) in justification; both seem to believe that they have the right to enforce their own version of the rules. Downie's letter did get something right — Australia has the First World's lowest standard of driver training and testing. I often wonder if any Australian-trained drivers would obtain (or keep) a licence in western Europe; how would they cope with Autostrada or "unrestricted" Autobahn speeds where 200-plus km/h is normal, the Italian Alps on Sundays (motorcycle playday!) or Barcelona peak period where the motorcycles are like wasps whose nest has been disturbed.

Obstructive driving is an act of aggression and should be treated as such; there is absolutely no excuse for it.

Michael Lane, St Ives, NSW

A driver who doesn't know the road rules is far more dangerous than a zebra crossing that happens to be near an intersection.

Steve Provins (Letters, January 5) mistakenly believes that placing a zebra crossing at an intersection is a design fault because "it requires a driver turning left for example to look ... left and right for pedestrians and cyclists".

Competent drivers always looks left and right when turning. The road rules require them to give way to "any pedestrian at or near the intersection who is crossing the road the driver is entering."

The rule applies even when there is no marked pedestrian crossing.

Leon Arundell, chair, Living Streets Canberra

The current trend to reverse the onus of proof and mete out punishment before any formal trial, as with actor Craig McLachlan, is alarming.

What happened to being innocent until proven guilty? Why are accusers able to get away scot free if their accusations cannot be substantiated? This is trial by media. Sexual harassment is unacceptable. Nor is the freedom for individuals to make harmful accusations without fear of retribution if they cannot be proved.

Doug Hurst, Chapman

BLACKOUT BALDERDASH

In Sydney on Tuesday 11,000 homes and businesses were hit with a blackout following a severe storm. When a similar event occurred in South Australia as a result of 23 power towers being storm damaged, Mr Turnbull, 2GB's shock jocks and the Murdoch press went straight after "Electricity Bill". Will we now hear echoes of "Blackout Malcolm"?

Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads, NSW

DUTTON NO BUTTON

Kim Jung-un has a button. Trump has a bigger one that works. Our Malcolm, poor Malcolm, only has a Dutton.

Charles Woodhouse, Canberra

TRUMP'S MOVE UNWISE

Donald Trump is repeating the errors of two former Australian prime ministers of the left; Gough Whitlam and Kevin Rudd. They have all, on ascending to the throne, sought to ignore the power behind the throne.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

NOT SO TASTY

The present pushing and shoving as to Donald Trump's capabilities and style suggests that being president of the US could involve a bit of a picnic, even though there may be a shortage of sandwiches.

M. F. Horton, Adelaide, SA

WAKE UP REPUBLICANS

When will the US Republicans realise that the President is a dud? Perhaps they are also duds. The same question could be asked in Australia about our PM and the Coalition. Maybe 2018 is the time to wake up.

Jeff Bradley, Isaacs

PAMPERED PETS

I'm sure I could spend $12 billion a year on my pets as allegedly people do (Letters, January 8) .

Actually, I'd spend the normal amount, tell the pets I'd spent big and pocket the difference for myself.

Would fool the wife too.

Martyn Hearle, Narrabundah

CYCLISTS UNDER ATTACK

Canberra's cyclists must be feeling a lot like Kamahl given the frequent attacks on them in these pages: "Why are people so unkind?" Why indeed.

M. Moore, Bonython

BURNOUT TURNOUT

It is obvious that T. Matic does not bother to take his nanny out (Letters Jan 6). Otherwise she would have had the chance to see that most burnouts are done on public roads and not in "purpose-built facilities" such as at Summernats.

David Kennedy, Sydney, NSW

PM'S POVERTY PROMISE

On January 9, 1964, president Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "War on Poverty" in the United States.

In 1987 Bob Hawke PM made his promise that "By 1990, no Australian child will be living in poverty". Of course that was just another electoral campaign promise not to be kept.

Mario Moldoveanu, Frankston

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