Unfortunately, walking to and from work to my car and stepping out at lunch, I am relentlessly ambushed by people peddling charity organisations.

I witness others being nagged to the point of harassment on a daily basis. In addition to this, the seats provided under the trees in the heart of Garema Place are taken daily by a crowd of drunken and drugged misfits who openly display anti-social behaviour.

Furthermore, the paving of the area appears run down and dirty, showing a lack of pride in this great city.

What a shame it is that I have to form strategies daily to avoid this area, an area that should be a highlight of Canberra.

Will anything be done anytime soon? I hope so. Disappointed.

Jon Hutchins, Oxley

I was recently in Australia to enjoy two lighting events — "White Night Ballarat" and "Enlighten Canberra".

I had heard of how popular Enlighten is and having never visited the Bush Capital before I was keen to enjoy.

Some feedback from an overseas visitor. I must say what a great capital city Canberra is (and I'm from Wellington so felt right at home) but was a bit disappointed to see that some of the buildings that beautiful revolving artwork was being projected on to, didn't get into the festival quite as they should have by keeping internal and exterior lighting on.

This lessened the impact and was particularly disappointing with the new Parliament building keeping all its lights on. Why wouldn't they switch them off for just two hours?

Same with the library? Did it mean to destroy the atmosphere completely through its lack of participation? Or is it just being officious?

If Enlighten is going to be a regular event, it would be nice if all of your amazing buildings that take part, fully take part and switch your interior and exterior lights off.

Katrina Batten, South Auckland, New Zealand

Please permit me to use some of the logic displayed in the editorial of March 15.

"Just as significant an issue is the [overrepresentation] of the ACT in the federal Senate. Our two senators represent about 190,000 people each, compared with [600,000] for their [24 New South Wales and Victorian] peers. Such an imbalance needs to be corrected."

I absolutely agree, and I'm sure that almost all of the 98 per cent of Australians living outside the ACT would too.

"We are already seeing cross-border developments around [Gungahlin and Molonglo]. Future residents of these subdivisions are [New South Wales persons] in all but name. They rely on [NSW for water, electricity, transport, labour, recreation facilities, university students, hospital inmates, cultural activities support, and sales customers], but don't make a direct contribution to [NSW's] coffers."

The ACT (as a political jurisdiction) is an aberration and anachronism. It was set up as a project office to facilitate the creation of a national capital.

Its purpose was completed several decades ago. It now creates enormous costs, but its only benefits are to increase the egos and salaries on local top bureaucrats and local politicians.

It should be disestablished immediately.

Bob Salmond, Melba

The Barr/Greens government's announcement of the new sites for public housing ("Locations revealed for public housing", March 16, p.3) was misleading, deliberately I expect, because it describes the land for the new public housing as already being zoned as being "community facility-zoned land".

I have no problems with providing an appropriate level of public housing across Canberra's existing residential areas.

However, the government's plan essentially amounts to removing open space from community use (eg to walk in) and converting it to private use.

The financial motivation for the plan is clear – sell existing public housing in inner areas at a high price, and essentially expropriate other land at no financial cost to the government to construct new public housing.

While some of Canberra's existing residents may accept the plan because it reduces upward pressure on our rates, it is worth reflecting on whether we and future generations want to live with less open space and the amenity it provides.

We have five weeks to object to the government's plan.

Bruce Paine, Red Hill

I can assure Edward Corbitt (Car park chaos, letters, March 16), that the overwhelming majority of classic car owners would prefer to display their cars anywhere else other than a hot, hard, soulless car park.

For years, such displays were held on many of Canberra's grassed, shaded locations such as Old Parliament House lawns and Patrick White lawns; venues that showcased Canberra at its finest, and attracted many interstate entrants, along with hundreds of local visitors.

Then, a few years ago The National Capital Authority, for whatever reason, decided that despite years of smooth, hassle-free running, such events now required parking police (with supervisor), traffic controllers and a myriad of other conditions, all at the organising club's expense.

The net result of the NCA's action has seen the general decline in numbers, both in participants and visitors.

Surely a common sense compromise could be reached with the NCA to enable these displays to be held again at the traditional locations without onerous conditions.

Geoff Nickols, Griffith

The prime position for a new convention centre would be where the bishop's house is situated. It would be an outstanding landmark. The Griffins would be proud of it.

Gloria Byrne, Hughes

After many years travelling in Africa I concluded that nothing destroys the environment more than energy poverty!

Our impending energy crisis now is looking like the nuclear "accidents" at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl and Fukushima, extreme unforeseen events; overlooked fragility; and inexplicable human error all cascading into disaster.

Failures in risk assessment are now emerging in our energy systems, starting in South Australia, but not limited thereto. Causes are manifold: arush to wind and solar; inadequate baseload planning; and failure to redesign the complex distribution network to accommodate the new infrastructure.

No one person, government, corporate entity, or political party is individually to blame, and, most of all, no simple panacea will fix it overnight.

The answers and solutions we need are nationwide, not just South Australian.

The Snowy Hydro proposal is, intuitively, a good start, but it must be executed quickly, not argued to death.

A further, complementary contribution would be to finally connect the western and eastern gas markets, with a large capacity gas pipeline from Karratha to Moomba. The only conditions I might suggest here are no export gas permitted, until all domestic demands are met, and only Australian made pipe.

David Falvey, Red Hill

Some credit is due to Malcolm Turnbull for taking steps to ensure that Australia will have sufficient domestic supplies of natural gas, and for looking to expand the Snowy Mountains Hydro-electric scheme (provided that environmental concerns are addressed).

That said, Jay Weatherill and his government deserve more credit for taking considered and necessary steps to secure South Australia's energy supply, and his attack on the federal government's failings was valid, if theatrical.

"The Market will fix everything" ideology is flawed; the Australian Energy Market Operator failed South Australia.

It may have simply stuffed up, but when energy prices spike it resembles Enron's corrupt market manipulation.

Some commentators have sneered at Mr Weatherill for reverting to "old-fashioned" state ownership and management of essential infrastructure.

Provided it's done transparently, with the goal being reliable, reasonably priced and ultimately renewable power, that's got to be better than corporations that seek only to maximise profit by abusing monopoly power.

R. Neville, Fraser

So let me get this right, Labor have been in government in South Australia for 14 years. There is now a crisis with the supply of power to the entire state.

They currently rely on wind, domestic solar systems and a few gas-fired plants for the production of power in SA and a lifeline to the interstate grid as a back-up.

The same Labor government permitted, no, encouraged , the decommissioning of the Port Augusta coal-fired power station.

Now one year later SA has a crisis?

Here's the solution; remove the SA Labor government. Replace it with anyone else that has an IQ over their age and the problems will be solved.

Heck even the Liberal party could resolve this.

Neil Russell-Taylor, Farrer

I fully support the PM's plan for the Snowy and pump storage. And I am particularly pleased to hear the Liberals refer to the scheme as a national icon.

The Snowy Scheme Bill was strongly opposed by the then Liberals and there were constitutional uncertainties.

Ben Chifley said "We'll give it a go". The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Power Act was passed and the scheme came into being. Prime Minister Menzies and his party boycotted it's opening.

Sir William Hudson can claim much of the scheme's' success . He placed great value on the workers, from the pick and shovel labourer to the engineer-in-charge. He appreciated the role of organised labour.

By and large the industrial scene was pretty good. Judge Stanley Cassin Taylor, chief judge of the NSW Industrial Court, took a personal interest.

Charlie Oliver, NSW Secretary AWU and "boss" of the ALP and Pat Clancy, BWIU, Moscow Com. represented most of the workforce.

They were ideologically very much opposed.

As a young industrial officer one night in Talbingo I was with the three of them discussing a dispute.

The judge was concerned.

Pat said: "Don't worry Stan, its Chif's scheme and Charlie and I will see it through".

Bill. I'm sure Chif and Charlie would support this proposal for the Snowy.

Give it a go.

Don McCallum, Isaacs

The new thought bubble from the Federal Government on revitalising the Snowy Mountains hydro scheme at least has potential to generate energy through a renewable resource.

But that's as far as it goes.

Pumping water up the hill so it can run down again and generate electricity is not the way the scheme was primarily designed to work.

The original plan was, and is, to use river water, with pumped thermal hydro as an accessory. The pumped hydro method doesn't need flowing water: you could build it next to any water source.

So why would you 'boost' an existing scheme that's working OK and is cost-effective?

The dream to super-charge the system will inevitably mean replacing old equipment, re-configuring the current logistical systems, and essentially dismantling most of the existing infrastructure.

All in difficult terrain.

It will cost far more than the present estimates.

Fortunately the bubble should deflate once the political need for it disappears.

Philip Telford, Tarago

The belated news of the guard beaten unconscious by three inmates of the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre 10 months ago is most perturbing.

Colleagues, "against standard practice", left the victim alone with the three inmates, all known as violent ("Bimberi on notice after staff attack", March 17, p2).

Why was this staff member left alone?

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

GAS PRICE SOLUTION

Re Waleed Aly's article ("Phoney crisis a ploy", March 17, p.19).

The solution to the high domestic gas price is simple – the construction of LNG import terminal, and the importation of cheap LNG from Qatar at about $6 per mmBTU delivered ex-ship (compare to $25.37 Canberra retail). This is a great opportunity for investors.

Bruce A. Peterson, Kambah

Mark Kenny is to be commended for his succinct analysis of the crisis of the day ("Real Malcolm muscles up on gas", March 16, p.4). I particularly enjoyed the phrase: "... the lameness of Canberra's energy jawboning ..." to describe our pollies' lack of vision and initiative on this and other urgent infrastructure needs.

John Rodriguez, Florey

Why is Australia's energy policy debate one about absolutes of "either this source of energy generation or that one"? What happened to a mature debate about the right mix of energy generation, transmission, storage and end use? Oh that's right, the debate is being led by partisan politicians.

Graeme Rankin, Holder

SOCIETY'S CHOICE

Father Robert Wilson reduces complexity to simplicity with a bible quote (letters, March 15). Women in certain circumstances will always seek to get rid of unwanted pregnancies. Society can provide safety with expert help or leave them to home-brewed concoctions and coat hangers.

Kenneth Griffiths, O'Connor

TRUTH 'RARELY SIMPLE'

President Trump's brand of truth fits Oscar Wilde's definition of it as "something that is never pure, and rarely simple".

M. F. Horton, Adelaide, SA

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