The truth is (www.capitalmetro.act.gov.au) that at least eight new sets of traffic lights will be installed along the light rail route and the tram will be given priority at traffic lights to help the service run efficiently.

That's hardly likely to reduce traffic congestion. The car drivers of Gungahlin are being conned.

David Pederson, O'Connor

Simon Corbell is amazing. It is amazing that he thinks that the Canberra community will fall for his argument that spending $800million on one corridor will solve a $400million territory wide congestion problem; some people believe him, of course, but there is a fool born every minute. As for his claims (Letters, November 11) that the recent survey on attitudes to the tram was fair, it was the most blatantly biased survey I have seen. Its questions were undeniably designed to get people to say the tram was set to become the eighth wonder of the world. He will be going after the next election. I am reminded of a famous saying once made to another failed politician that ought to be said to him. 'You have been here too long for any good you have done. In the name of God, go!"

And, Simon, don't wait for the next election, go now!

Stan Marks, Hawker

During House of Representatives question time on Monday, November 9, MP for Denison Andrew Wilkie asked the Prime Minister if he would promise to fund Hobart's northern suburbs light rail line. In his reply, Malcolm Turnbull stated that subject to satisfactory reports on the feasibility of the exercise and a request from the state government the federal government would be prepared to financially support such a project.

He added that a Professor Peter Newman, a transport economist expert, was conducting the review in Hobart and much weight would be given to his opinion should he happen to support the project. As a litmus test for the Rattenbury/Barr government might I suggest that they similarly pursue federal government funding of their light rail tram folly. Doing so would surely appease and relieve ACT taxpayers of currently held anxieties.

Richard Phillippa (Letters, Novembe 10) condemns Jenny Goldie for preaching, scaremongering, and boring us with her concerns about the impact of a rising population. Richard uses the word "scaremongering" in a totally negative sense, implying that to warn of impending danger is always unjustified. Would Britain today reflect that when Winston Churchill was warning of the dangers of Hitler's aggressive Germany in the 1930s that he was simply scaremongering?

A scaremonger is defined as "a person who creates or spreads alarming news". But because that news may be vital to people's safety it doesn't apply a moral tag as Richard has done.

With Australia's population growing by about 400,000 every year, largely from immigration, ask yourself why Sydney and Melbourne have intense traffic congestion, why they are sprawling outwards geographically forcing people to travel large distances to work, why their hospitals and other social services can't cope with demand, why is physical infrastructure failing to keep up with needs, why many of their residents are stressed and want on retirement to live elsewhere, what impact on house prices such growth is having, why animal and bird species are declining, why we're experiencing climate change.

Then if you're still bored, sit in front of an approaching train and when I warn you to move, ignore me.

Vince Patulny, Kambah

So Richard Philippa reckons that Jenny Goldie's (November 6) comments about the world's excessive human population are "boring" "scaremongering". Presumably he attacks the messenger because he doesn't like the message when it's personal. Everyone needs to know that unless the human population, and hence the exploitation of the environment, is stabilised and decreased as soon as possible, then mankind is doomed. That is neither boring nor scaremongering, but is as "certain as death and taxes" (Benjamin Franklin).

Adrian Gibbs, Yarralumla

I read with great interest Murray Upton's brave statement (Letters, November 10) that "... evolution is a proven event ..." I must say I totally fail to understand how he would have come up with such a conclusion.

I'll however attempt to deconstruct it. If evolution to him is derived from the vast variety of dogs we observe today, or of the famous finches of the Galapagos Islands, then I must say I'm an evolutionist to the core. This is an event that can be observed on a daily basis and can even be scientifically proven.

However, if evolution to Murray is the belief that one kind of organism can acquire new genetic information that is necessary to cause it to morph into a totally different kind, then I put it to him that not even science can prove this. Simply put, such events have never been observed. Perhaps Murray knows something we don't know and would care to explain how he came to his conclusion.

Fred Rick, Ngunnawal

Murray Upton (Letters, November 10) outlines the fundamental question everybody faces, is there a Creator or is it a cosmic coincidence?

Three years ago, despite 80 years of committed Church life, I embarked on a renewed search for the truth. I have come to conclude that the existence of God cannot be proved, that any "knowledge" of the spiritual world is philosophy.

Apart from common observation, truth consists only of facts proven by science or those which are philosophically defensible. Unsubstantiated claims by the church or anyone else should be ignored. On these grounds I do believe in the Creator and in survival evolution progressing from the simplest life forms to the physically complex, to dominance by the intellectual and spiritual and, ultimately, unity with the Creator.

From the start, I was looking for more light. Inexplicably I was flooded with it almost from the beginning. My life changed in a big way. Perhaps this is evidence too.

John Miller, Farrer

George Orwell introduced the concept of doublethink as simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct. In the process of softening us up for an increase in the scope and scale of the GST, federal Treasurer Scott Morrison tells us that the rate of income tax is a serious disincentive to work and earn.

He also tells us that income tax is a "silent tax" and that most people are unaware of the rate or amount of income tax that they pay. If Mr Morrison is correct, we are concurrently both unaware of the effect of income tax and discouraged by it. He may never win a "world's best treasurer" award, but he must be a contender for a Golden Orwell.

Tony Judge, Woolgoolga, NSW

Something that Messrs Turnbull and Shorten might like to consider with their bipartisan route on refugees: every Australian who believes we should take refugees is disenfranchised by that action. Given the very large number of Australians who support taking refugees, this means that our (political) government does not actually represent the people on this extremely important issue.

This is chipping away at the foundation of our democracy! What chance we the people could be allowed to speak through a referendum on the subject and this country return to the "democratic fold"?

Paul Bolitho, McKellar

Perhaps I'm missing something, but why are we sending New Zealanders all the way to Christmas Island to be detained?

We could return them to much closer New Zealand while their appeals are being heard. If their appeals are eventually successful, we could magnanimously pay for their flights back to Australia; flights from New Zealand to Australia cost less than two days of Christmas Island detention.

C.Williams Forrest

One wonders to what extent our excitable New Zealand Labour MP Kelvin Davis' unwelcome Christmas Island intrusion and his advice to Kiwi inmates has contributed to the riots that have produced the current disaster zone. The biggest worry for us New Zealand domiciled law-abiding citizens is that these convicted criminals are now more likely to be "repatriated" to New Zealand. Frankly, we don't want them.

Davis, who presumably hasn't reviewed any of the convictions handed down by the Australian judiciary, believes these "detainees" just want to get back to their homes and jobs. What jobs? They've been in prison for at least 12 months and to achieve such prison sentences is no easy feat in Australia, where the legal culture is as lenient as our own.

Jim Young, Lower Hutt, New Zealand

So "fairness", now, is to be the measure of all things ("Above all, it must be fair", "fairness is absolutely critical", Malcolm Turnbull, November 6). How fair is the continued incarceration of our asylum seekers on our offshore detention centres, especially given the alacrity with which we are processing Middle Eastern families as incoming refugees?

The mantra is merciless, and increasingly hollow, that to bring our offshore asylum seekers to Australia somehow rewards people smugglers. What cashed-up Coalition member, or Opposition member for that matter, would not, under similar circumstances, have paid whoever, whatever it took to flee devastation for a better way of life, or just a shot at life itself?

Fairness too knows no boundaries. The government and opposition must find the courage to turn back and reframe their bipartisan policy.

These things are being done, or not done, in our name, under our watch, with our money, to people like us, most of whom came here for a better life.

Lew Rushbrook, Weston

Peter O'Dea (Letters, November 10) mourns the death of an "illegal maritime arrival" by quoting: "You won't have your names when you ride the big airplane, all they will call you will be deportees".

Woody Guthrie's 1948 ballad tells the tale of 28 illegal Mexican fruit-pickers rounded up by United States authorities and sent back to the border on a dilapidated ex-military DC-3. The plane was overweight and needed maintenance. A seal failed; pressurised fuel sprayed on the hot engine, and the plane broke apart in a fireball over Los Gatos Canyon. Authorities gathered what body parts they could find and bulldozed them, unnamed, into a mass grave.

Perhaps the US did not deliberately hide the victims' names but here it is government policy to do so; because dehumanising refugees stifles sympathy. Look what happened in Europe. Images of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi, washed up on a beach, elicited an outpouring of kindness that puts Australia to shame.

Martin Aubury, Scullin

Recently, Australian officials were accused of paying thousands of dollars to captain and crew of boats carrying asylum seekers, who were returned to Indonesia.

Now, it seems that the European Union is planning to pay African nations billions of dollars to take back some of the 800,000 asylum seekers who have landed on Europe ("EU proposes $2.8b 'trust fund' for African nations to take back migrants" November 9, p7).

So, if the solution to the current chaos is as simple as handing out money, why not go the whole hog and offer the Islamic State a Swiss Bank?

Sam Nona, Burradoo, NSW

The royal visit to Canberra has brought vivid recall of the trip by Princess Marina, the Duchess of Kent, in 1964.

Driving a white and grey two-tone Vauxhall Victor from Sydney with legendary Press Gallery scribe Geoff Sorby, I misjudged one of the "new" roundabouts and wound up in the middle of the motorcade of police bikes and black limousines, right behind her car.

I shrunk down, just peering over the steering wheel. Out of the corner of my eye I saw "Sorbs", nodding regally and waving a hand gently to the early-morning royalist fans. I learnt, at the next roundabout, how to make a quick exit left.

David Kennedy, Newport, NSW

Once again the ACT government's planning chickens have come home to roost ("Barr, NCA thrash out Floriade", November 10, p1).

After the government's swap of Acton Peninsula for the Kingston foreshore it was clear that here was an ideal site for a permanent, year-round Floriade.

This could have generated much business over many years for the tourist and associated industries, as well as revenue for the ACT.

Instead, the Canberra government stuck to its usual short-sighted planning and gave preference to making a quick buck from a forbidding concrete enclave, rather than serving the needs of the Canberra community.

Given NCA has determined that Commonwealth Park now suffers reduced amenity, Floriade should be relocated to its next most logical place – the National Arboretum.

John Holland, Dickson

I have a vision, perhaps more correctly a nightmare. Given the unbelievable example of the non-progress on the Constitution Avenue refurbishment (now in its third year) I predict if the unaffordable light rail project goes ahead, the centre of Canberra and along Northbourne Avenue will be a work site for at least 10 years.

Civic will be unreachable and will become a ghost town – already a considerable number of premises are empty.

Once vacated, no one will want to return and so the "vibrancy" so beloved of our local government and the developers will be a distant memory. Unfortunately this situation is being repeated elsewhere in Canberra – Woden is a complete shambles.

And to think we will have 25 instead of 17 sucking on the public purse from next year makes me even more depressed.

R. Allnutt, Deakin

DEATH DUTIES

The Prime Minister claims that, "everything is on the table" for tax reform. What does he have to say about egalitarian death duties, which states and territories voluntarily abandoned in a race to the bottom that was started by Joh Bjelke-Petersen?

Leon Arundell, Downer

SMOKING

Jan Gulliver (Letters, November 10) appears to be yet another busy-body. If she finds a neighbour's smoking outside many metres away an annoyance I suggest she's missed her true calling. She should have been a sniffer dog at Canberra airport.

Gerry Murphy, Braddon

TRAFFIC LIGHTS

So it appears the ACT government manipulated the survey which they used to demonstrate we all want the tram. At least they haven't lied about the popular demand for traffic lights on the Barton Highway roundabout – they simply didn't ask!

Karl Schaffarczyk, Crace

WIN/WIN FOR CORBELL

Capital Metro Minister Simon Corbell is in a win/win situation. If it gets up and it works like it is proposed he wins; if it is a total disaster like it is expected to be, he will just shrug his shoulders and say, I am not in politics any more – it is not my fault.

Warwick Priestley, Amaroo

ISLAMIC STATE

If Islamic State is more brutal than al-Qaeda, this may be because al-Qaeda was the Islamists' response to Russia in Afghanistan, while Islamic State is their response to the United States in Iraq.

Michael McCarthy, Deakin

GST

John Passant (Letters, November 11) demonstrates his abject ignorance of economics and taxation when he queries how much GST Malcolm Turnbull will pay on his income. Like everyone else, including Mr Passant, he will pay no GST on his income.

Terry McDonald, Curtin

FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Mike Hutchinson (Letters, November 11) needs a Bex and a good lie down. Hasn't he heard of freedom of speech?

Mark Urquhart, Palmerston

CLARIFICATION

An editing mistake obscured the meaning and intent of Jamie Geysen's letter (November 9). It should have read "The ACT government is trying to force Canberrans on to trams. Of the people, by the people, force the people...? The often-quoted Lincoln description of democratic government reads a little bit different to that."

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