We are sick of you blaming the Labor Party. They haven't been in government for four years.

We are sick of you floating new ideas or nascent policies, then demanding Labor, the states or the crossbenches accept them without question.

We are sick of "garden gnome" issues wasting parliamentary time. You should be running the country.

You are only pursuing 18C to redress a slight to Andrew Bolt. Your goal on marriage equality – which could be solved in Parliament overnight – is to prevent a free vote.

We are sick of hearing about tax reform. We just want the reform!

Abolish negative gearing and repeal capital gains tax concessions; that will dampen the property bubbles.

Implement sensible changes to superannuation concessions.

Tax concessions for big business are dead in the water. Voters will actually accept some tax increases in return for better services.

Borrow money at low interest rates and implement infrastructure and nation-building projects.

Stop cheating public servants (WorkChoices by stealth), the poor, the vulnerable and backpackers (another garden gnome issue).

You will be thrown out next election for talking not doing, and for being perceived as still supporting the rich.

No one else is to blame!

Tony Stewart, Hughes

In June 2015 then prime minister Tony Abbott blasted the ABC's Q&A as run by a "lefty lynch mob" and questioned "whose side" the ABC was on.

Seventeen months later, PM Malcolm Turnbull, once a permanent fixture on Q&A, has criticised the ABC for not giving enough prominence to the Coalition's preferred agenda ("Malcolm Turnbull turns attack on ABC and the 'elite media' for distracting people").

This should hardly surprise us as Turnbull has already walked away from his commitments to the republic, climate change and marriage equality, and adopted the positions and slogans of the man he deposed.

What else is needed to complete the Abbottisation of Turnbull? Will he grant Prince Harry a knighthood?

Mike Reddy, Curtin

Our newly proletarian Prime Minister patronised Leigh Sales and her questioning as coming from the "elite media" and the "elite ABC" (7.30, November 14).

He had to say it twice to make sure we did not miss it.

Who is he trying to ingratiate himself with?

Surely not the people who were listening to the program?

Those who would never tune to the ABC would not care what he said.

Maybe he hoped the conservative wing of his own party would give him a tick – but they are not the voters who see him becoming a lesser man by the day.

K.L. Calvert, Downer

PM Turnbull has sunk to a new low, attacking "elite media" and the ABC for going on about issues, like Section 18C, which have little interest to "ordinary people" (CT online, November 15). It is the Murdoch press, including The Australian, and the Coalition members which keep on having histrionics about such issues.

Our PM might like to read the papers and listen to the media which "ordinary people" follow, and really find out who is distorting what; it is not the ABC.

Marguerite Castello, Griffith

Mr Harbourside Turnbull bashes the "elite" ABC on 7.30 Report and Theresa May bashes the elites at the egalitarian Lord Mayor's Banquet. What hypocrites and how shameless they are in copying Trump.

Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

I would add to the comments by Sue Schreiner ("Bias against elderly grows", Letters, November 16).

Apart from healthcare and guaranteed minimum income, the most important provision the government can make for this group is to ensure their mobility.

There are about 50,000 people aged over 65 living in the ACT today. The government expects this to increase to nearly 100,000 in 2040.

Given Canberra's topography means public transport in its traditional form (bus or tram) is highly unsatisfactory and many aged people will be unable to drive, not own a car, or only be able to walk short distances, one would expect planning to be under way to meet this need.

This is one more reason the ACT government should scrap that part of its parliamentary agreement on the Woden tram and begin planning for the transition to driverless vehicles as public transport.

A. Smith, Farrer.

Frank Scargill (Letters, November 12) calls me bitter, unrestrained, sarcastic and a nasty dinosaur for pointing out the reality about his favourite news outlet, the truth-free US Fox News.

I have more bad news for Frank. I am considering running for the Senate in the ACT in 2019 as a socialist to give voice to the voiceless against the two major parties of neoliberalism and their attacks on workers, the poor and refugees.

John Passant, Kambah

Looking down the barrel of a rifle will not show you much at all, and is particularly stupid if it is loaded.

The anti-gun lobby have been looking down the barrel in the debacle involving the Adler shotgun.

Some of the rhetoric has been painful because of the gross inaccuracy of statements about this shotgun and our firearm laws.

It defies belief people who don't have the slightest understanding of firearms or the laws that govern them should be given such a loud voice in crafting legislation that directly effects people who have intimate knowledge of firearms and firearm laws.

The anti-gun lobby should try looking down a scope for a clearer picture, and maybe see shooting sports aren't the abomination they have been made out to be.

Shane Bennett, Rivett

As the daughter of a founding member of the Italian Club, the new hotel to be built on the Italian Club site is a desecration of the Italian Club and Cultural Centre.

Mr Downer MP Senior gave the land to the New Italians in Canberra to build a meeting place.

The club was built mostly with free goods and labor supplied by the new Italian immigrants. It would become the Italian Club and later the Cultural Centre.

The proposed hotel to be built on the current site of the club is not what I envisaged for the site.

It is not only not in keeping with any Italian architecture style, it also lacks any of the period style architecture of the Forrest Area.

The hotel will not only tower over the Italian Cultural Centre but the whole of Forrest Area. [It will] also create traffic chaos.

Sofia Rita Belmonte, Griffith

Discombobulated. I recently heard that wonderful Waterford word again when Kim Beazley used it to describe the final week of the Clinton campaign.

It also refers to the parlous state of Australian Test cricket. The statement by Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland (ABC radio interview, Sunday November 13) that both teams had received similar preparation seems at odds with the fact South African players had played in two scheduled rounds of domestic cricket before leaving for Australia and the captain, Faf du Plessis, who said the confidence of his team had been boosted by the ODI series whitewash of an understrength Australian team (CT, November 16, p39).

Sutherland has more questions to answer. Two recommendations of the Argus Review into Australian cricket were to play "multiple Shield rounds before the first Test each year" and that each pitch should "offer a balance between bat and ball" and "be unique to local conditions".

The recent literary efforts by a number of former Australian players imply things are never as united in the dressing room as all the palaver would suggest.

Peter Crossing, Curtin

Over the last month I have noticed that there has been significant dieback in many gum trees with the leaves on whole trees turning brown.

I have seen clumps of them in various locations along Parkes Way, along Belconnen Way and even in the nature reserve behind my house.

Is there a parasite attacking our trees? Are the trees being killed or are the leaves just changing colour?

Onelia Croke, Canberra

Your article on speeding in school zones (CT page 8, November 14) did not disclose the time speeding fines were issued.

A way to reduce the number of motorists speeding would be to move to the NSW system of morning and afternoon, rather than all day, limits.

Is NSW recklessly endangering schoolchildren with its system? I suspect not.

If the ACT government has evidence the NSW system places children at greater risk it would be nice to see it. None was provided when I asked.

Despite the apparent high level of risk suggested by your article, I was informed that during the five years up to December 2015 there had been no reported crashes involving school children within ACT school zones between the times of 9.30am and 2.30pm.

Motorists who speed when children are arriving at or leaving school should be pursued with the full force of the law.

I can't see any road safety basis for pursuing those who exceed the 40km/h limit between 9.30am and 2.30pm but remain within the usual posted speed limit.

Jim Derrick, Florey

David Wroe's excellent article ("Inaction on rape claims 'criminal"', CT November 12) is confronting.

It seems no action on the claims of serious sexual crime at ADFA is under way.

It further seems resistance to a royal commission into the matter is based on the notion it would be traumatising for victims.

This, regrettably, might be so, but Payne, Broderick, Johnston and other involved parties, past and present, should know that the proper investigation of crime – especially serious, endemic, concealed crime in an important public institution – is not a matter of choice by victims of that crime.

Resistance to a royal commission on these grounds says much about those arguing against it.

Peter Moran, Watson

After the latest increases, the rate of tax on tobacco is now an astounding and obscenely punitive 685 per cent, or $763.20 per kilogram ex GST.

Tobacco is now more costly than pure silver bullion, yet even more tax increases are proposed.

If taxes on alcohol were comparable, a large beer at the local den of iniquity would cost over $50.

Mechanics don't tell us how to drive, but anti-tobacco cultists are determined to tell other citizens how to live.

Excessive tobacco taxation and hyper regulation [is] forcing smokers to pay for their own persecution.

Balance and perspective is absent from the socially divisive war against tobacco consumers.

M. Jarratt, Weston

I nearly choked on my cornflakes when I read Frank Scargill's letter (November 5) admonishing us to watch Fox for information on the US. That would be like reading the Bible for historical fact or watching Mickey Mouse for zoological information about mus domesticus.

Fred Pilcher, Kaleen

WE'RE ALL ELITE NOW

According to Nicholas Stuart, all one has to do to be part of the "elite" is to read the opinion section of The Canberra Times (CT 15/11). I have no influence, no power and a low income. I will just have to rely on Stuart's assessment. The term "elite" has been so persistently abused in making political points it has lost its ordinary meaning.

David Roth, Kambah

PM'S OFF MESSAGE

When you don't like the message, blame the messenger. Sad to see our weak PM on 7.30 trying to deflect his inept performance on the "elite" media. If he wants to see the root of his problems, maybe he needs to look in a mirror.

Jeff Bradley, Isaacs

A MURDOCH PRESS PASS?

When Malcolm Turnbull chides the "elite media", does he include the Murdoch press? If not, why not, I wonder?

Eric Hunter, Cook

ULTIMATE SURVIVORS

ABC's Catalyst suggested we are now in an Anthropocene "geological" age, caused by human consumption changing the planet. They didn't emphasise human population growth. While we have to convert out of fossil fuels, humanity can arguably survive even if most wild animals, coral reefs, and forests become extinct.

Rod Matthews, Fairfield

OFF-PEAK ISSUE

Leon Arundel (To the Point, November 16), are you serious? How many "wealthy pensioners" do you think will be filling ACTION buses during peak hour? Most seniors would opt to travel during off-peak times, which, I believe, is a condition of the free travel.

Madeline Hollingsworth, Holt

MULTI-TALENTED MAN

I came to know Nic Manikis through the National Multicultural Festival. He is a very dedicated person with multiculturalism in Australia. I agree with your front page remark that he is Mr Multicultural. I wish Nic a happy retirement.

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt

COMPULSORY HOPE

If Bernie Sanders' supporters had gone to vote for Hillary Clinton or not gone to vote for Donald Trump the world may have been saved from Trump. Maybe compulsory voting will save Australia.

Robyn Vincent, McKellar

VOTE BAGGY GREEN

Steven Smith is the Hillary Clinton of Australian Cricket. All promise but no performance.

Peter Harris, Belconnen

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