Good statistics are important in making sense of any issue. Without them we are left, for instance, with the unsubstantiated claims, false accusations and deliberate confusion of Parliamentary debate. The population census is fundamentally important. It provides the facts on which many survey estimates are based. It is the raw material for planning in business, health, education, construction, entertainment and academic research. It is vital for small area data such as that relating to local governments and electoral districts. Politicians can know the characteristics of those they represent. To say that the census "only provides a snapshot of Australia for one day every five years" misses the point.

The census provides the only snapshot of Australia every five years. I must also add that the government can render great service to the Australian people by jealously protecting the independence of the ABS from political interference.

John Miller, Farrer

The forced resignation of the NSW Greyhound Racing Board is further proof, if any were needed, that self-regulation equates to no regulation. It is not confined merely to the industry in the spotlight but to a plethora of occupations and specialisations ranging through the legal and medical professions, policing, media and advertising to mention but a few.

The self-interested arguments propounded by their spin doctors invariably focus on either the esoteric nature of their profession demanding that only someone conversant with its intricacies can fully comprehend how to conduct an inquiry into any complaint, or by, such as the police, arguing that their detection and enforcement expertise automatically excludes the competency of any other body being tasked to investigate them.

It is similarly contended that these instrumentalities would close ranks and refuse to cooperate with any external process yet this denies the fact that in each case their in-house regulators are incestuously chosen from within their own ranks, have no wish to bring discredit on their professions, nor to jeopardise their own personal advancement by bringing co-workers or senior colleagues into disrepute.

Self regulation will remain an oxymoronic term until governments establish a separate body or enhance the scope of an existing one, even by recruiting experienced or former members of statutory authorities now permitted to police themselves.

John Murray, Fadden

Lindsay Graham (Letters, February 16) has jumped to the erroneous conclusion that I am an anti-vaccination zealot. My own vaccination injury demonstrates that this is not the case.

The concerns I raised, shared by many others, are administrative rather than scientific and therefor do not require or need scientific evidence to support them. Anybody can search the Therapeutic Goods Administration DAEN database for information on reactions to vaccines in Australia. Fluvax for example. Over a two year period there were 1854 events listed including 14 cases of Guillain Barre Syndrome and two foetal deaths. Its use was suspended in WA.

For an adverse reaction to be formally logged, the affected may have to make an association between a health problem and the vaccination.

Sometimes these can take months to manifest themselves. It took a year for my seizures to appear. The affected must be willing to report it. The medical officer must be willing to accept it and follow the due processes. Mine declined, even though admitting the vaccination caused my injury. He/she also discouraged me from pursuing it any further. How often is that happening? Nor was I shown the full range of potential side effects?

Finally, comments by Professor Peter Collignon in December 2011 on TGA funding bear repeating. "It is fundamental for the independence of the regulator that it is funded by the Treasury," he says. "It may well be that if the TGA decides to stop a drug or a product being sold in Australia, its funding would go down. That's an entirely improper way to fund a regulator."

Chris Morgan, Evatt

In response to David Denham's remarks on links between Mr Fluffy homes and mesothelomia (Letters, February 19), the bulk of the evidence is already available; destruction of the houses will not compromise this.

I worked as a supervisor when the houses were originally 'decontaminated'. It is not only renovators and tradesmen at risk, but homeowners too. Contamination of the living space was possible through light fittings, ceiling vents and the like. In a few instances we found asbestos on clothing inside wardrobes, caused by penetrations into the ceiling space. If the government goes through it's archives the evidence will present itself.

We all know the possible consequences of exposure to asbestos, so putting two and two together shouldn't be that difficult.

Harry Jakobasch, Flynn

A check of the ACT Legislative Assembly current members site reveals that for a population of 386,000 we have 17 members, shortly to grow to 25 members at the next ACT election. Where is the money to fund this excess to come from. Now our elected representatives have conspired to agree to an increase of 300 per cent, from $2 to $8, in public money for each primary vote they receive. They also want to remove any cap from donations they receive.

As tax payers don't we already fund elections? Here is a thought; at the next election when you go into vote, vote informal. Get your name ticked off, so you don't incur a fine, then either leave the form blank, or write something to indicate your disgust at the utter greed of the Legislative Assembly, then sit back and see what happens. Maybe if enough people do this ACT politicians might start to understand we are sick of their excesses and pandering to their developer buddies.

Geoff Ely, Amaroo

While remembering the abolition of the cap on political donations at the next election, voters should also remember that both major parties supported this legislation. Although not directly applied, it still amounts to a vote tax. That leaves minor parties, independents or informal.

G. Flanagan, Evatt

The secretary of the Attorney-General's Department, at the behest of the Attorney-General, the first law officer of Australia, suggests to the head of the Human Rights Commission, a statutory independent officer, that she resign and they'll find her another senior legal job.

This is almost unbelievable and absolutely and totally improper, and they must both know it.

George Brandis has really scraped the bottom of the barrel now. Both he and Chris Moraitis should stand down from their positions immediately.

Catherine Rossiter, Royalla, NSW

The Abbott government's cowardly attack on Professor Gillian Triggs reveals how insecure they are about their detention policies.

David Grills, Kambah

Economists often take a cavalier approach to the distinction between correlation and causation, and even the admirable Ross Gittins may be susceptible ("Long-term employment trends: retired workers happy to put their feet up", canberratimes. com.au, February 20). The idea that workforce participation measures labour supply is one such leap. It leads to the assumption that "job-seekers create jobs", and therefore that importing more working-age people will expand the workforce and economy. The evidence is that it spreads the available work more thinly, while reducing the wages share of income, leaving the average person worse off. Did participation peak in 2008 because of the ageing population, or because of the global financial crisis? The Melbourne Institute analysis reported by Gittins applied current age-specific participation to a past age structure, to declare that we were missing out on 2.2per cent more workers because of ageing. This ignores the lack of jobs for the many working-age people today who would rather be working. They don't all stay actively seeking work (and, therefore, counted as "participating"), as many choose early retirement, home duties or further study as preferable to futile job-seeking.

Workforce participation is a product of several factors, including both supply and demand, cultural expectations, welfare settings and cost-of-living pressures, but demand dominates.

Countries much more aged than Australia, like Japan and Germany, have no smaller percentage of people in work. When participation responds to the pull factor of demand for labour, it is better remunerated. When forced by the push factor of an oversupplied labour market, part-time and insecure work prevails. Australia's labour market is clearly oversupplied – an ageing population may be a blessing.

Jane O'Sullivan, Chelmer, Qld

Some of your correspondents and others in the community have been critical of the perceived failure of the Prime Minister to show leadership.

Tony Abbott's presentation of the government's response to the threat of terrorism on Monday is a clear instance of his determining the path the nation will follow to protect its citizens. Not everybody will agree with the proposed course, but a problem with leadership is that it may take some where they do not wish to follow. It is leadership, nevertheless, and it has been strongly demonstrated by Tony Abbott on this occasion.

Eric French, Higgins

Over recent years, Western politicians have done more to promote the cause of Middle Eastern "terrorism" than any single group.

It is impossible to hear a news bulletin without one of them spruiking the word "terrorists", painting these third-rate banditti as far more powerful and frightening than they really are, and thus inspiring credulous young fools to join them.

Prime Minister Abbott declares his "first duty ... is to protect the country". Yet, by continually talking up "terror", he increases the risk to Australia and its people.

It is hard to believe the Prime Minister doesn't know this, which makes it probable there is another agenda.

We should all be aware that the collecting of metadata is potentially a cornerstone in a future Australian police state. With the advent of quantum computing in a few years, it will be possible to spy on every member of the population, cradle to grave, store and mine a vast amount of data in nanoseconds. Governments will know far, far more about you than you know about yourself.

Nobody can guarantee that data will not be misused to silence dissent or suppress free speech, democratic expression or individual freedoms. Nobody can guarantee politicians or corporations won't get their hands on it and employ it for their own ends.

As Australians who value our freedoms, we should be very cautious and sceptical about any measures that infringe them by those who seek to intimidate us with the exaggerated and cowardly word "terrorists".

Julian Cribb, Franklin

When Tony Abbott started linking Australia's humanitarian aid to our pleas for clemency on behalf of convicted drug smugglers I could only think the man has no clue, no class and no sense of diplomacy.

The Indonesian reaction on the ground says it all: "Have your tainted money back!"

I'd like to think we give foreign aid because we care about the plight of those innocent people who have lost everything, not as a way of winning the right to meddle in another country's legal and judicial system.

We may not support the death penalty, but we ought to respect the right of our neighbours to prosecute convicted criminals in accordance with their laws and their beliefs. When we give aid in disasters or at other times, it is the single biggest blow we can deal to terrorism, because it says: "This is who we are. This is how much we care."

When Tony Abbott implies we only give aid with strings attached he strikes a powerful blow for terrorism worldwide. "See the infidel and his poisoned gifts."

Mal Wilson, Campbell

Herschel Hurst (Letters, February20) proposes the sale of Admiralty House and Kirribilli House. So far as Admiralty House is concerned, this cannot be done. The property was formerly owned by the state of NSW and was transferred to the Commonwealth as a residence for the governor-general. It was a condition of the transfer that, if the property ceases to be used as a governor-general's residence, ownership reverts to the state.

So far as Kirribilli House is concerned, it was bought by the Commonwealth as a residence for distinguished visitors and guests of the government.

Prime ministers are interlopers, like the possums.

Stephen Brown, Forrest

The article "ASIO building gets final touches as spies prepare for final push" (canberratimes.com.au, February12) highlighted mysteriously exploding glass panels. A similar problem with impurities in the glass affected the ICI building in Spring Street, Melbourne, circa 1960. The panels in its curtain wall used to explode in the afternoon sun, showering those below with glass until a timber scaffold was built.

Across the road was the Comworks office; its architectural section drew up a chart of the ICI curtain wall with each panel numbered.

Bets were placed on which panel would be the next to go.

Chris Mountifield, Greenway

Do those Coalition members white-anting Tony Abbott understand they are aiding and abetting a concerted ABC/Fairfax campaign to destroy the government. If successful, the result will be a government led by Malcolm Turnbull, who is anathema to most Coalition supporters, or worst-case scenario, a Labor government with the soporific, clueless andpolicy-devoid Bill Shorten as PM.

Owen Reid, Dunlop

HEROES AND VILLAINS

If I understood Kim Huynh ("The reign of the anti-hero", Times2, February 23, p4) correctly, the West should have done Birdman 4. And Birdman 5, 6 and 7; in fact, Birdman all the way through. As it is, we're just self-hating superheroes. Trouble with being a vigilante is that you have to be right all the time; otherwise you're just another murderer.

S.W. Davey, Torrens

FLOATING AN IDEA

David McVeigh (Letters, February 24) makes the best argument yet for the next submarine – a Mark II

Collins Class. That would build on the current in-house knowledge and expertise and keep the work in Australia. Conspiracy theories abound as to why has no one else has put that suggestion into the public arena.

John Widdup, Lyneham

PM TAKING LIBERTIES

Mr Abbott: about these freedoms you are taking away from me for my own protection. Are they the ones the terrorists hate or the ones you hate and how do I tell the difference?

Paul McElligott, Aranda

LEVELLED INDIGNATION

So a number of Muslim leaders are outraged that the Prime Minister has encouraged them to ramp up their rhetoric against Islamist extremism. Frankly, I am outraged that they need to be told.

H. Ronald, Jerrabomberra, NSW

UNIVERSAL REQUEST

I wish our PM would say he's governing for all Australians, and mean it.

Kate Roediger, Melba

MAKING A FAIR BUDGET

If Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey can't understand why their budget is in such a mess, they should read Ross Gittens' article "One bad budget doesn't kill reform" (BusinessDay, February 23, p10) which explains everything. Aussies can put up with a bit of sacrifice if they think they've been asked to make fair sacrifices. But this budget is totally unfair.

Phylli Ives, Torrens

HICKS' PLEA BARGAIN

H. Ronald (Letters, February 23 ) comments that no amount of weasel words can change the fact that David Hicks is a traitor. Hear Hear.

Michael Doyle, Fraser

How unsurprising H. Ronald would echo the condemnation of David Hicks by Tony Abbott and John Howard. The fact that Hicks admitted his guilt is immaterial. He accepted a plea bargain as the only alternative to facing a kangaroo court conducted by an illegitimate military regime on charges which have since been shown to have no basis in law.

T. J. Marks, Holt

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