The high-wire barriers installed along the parkway and other locations on the reserve have created a problem, interfering with the natural migration routes used by the roos. The real issue is that drivers ignore signage and refuse to drive to suit the conditions; that is, kangaroos crossing, slow down.

We'd be better off fencing the plantings and allowing the roos to roam. There are areas that do show signs of erosion, and that has always been a concern of mine.

But I have a difficulty determining whether I can blame it all on the kangaroos, or the mountain bikers, determined to ride on the walking trails rather than formed roads, or the sheep and other livestock that in the past enjoyed the prime grazing lands offered by Majura, or those wretched rabbits!

I have seen no evidence of either elderly roos or their young "dying in large numbers" from poor nutrition as is suggested by Daniel Iglesias [ibid] and I can understand Ms Pix's frustration and despair when native inhabitants in area don't share our appreciation of the plantings.

But it appears that she views her labours as being of greater importance than any animals' natural "interference" with her project to refoliate Majura. It is an argument usually associated with property developers and legless lizards rather than notable conservationists but as we all know, the world we live in is full of crazy surprises!

W. Book, Hackett

Daniel Flitton's article "Bemused veep gets a taste of MCG magic" (July 18, pp6-7) repeats an old myth about Australian Rules football, namely "the Gaelic link", or the theory that our game was derived from Gaelic football. The facts are that the Australian Rules code was put together by four sports enthusiasts in Melbourne in May 1859, making it one of the oldest football codes in the world if not theoldest.

The first English common code ("soccer") was formed in 1863, the Rugby Football Union in 1871 and Gaelic football in 1887 (Google).

A Melbourne Australian Rules historian, Gillian Hibbins, has a theory that Irish soldiers returning from fighting the Maori wars in New Zealand, and who played football in Melbourne, might have taken the Australian game to Ireland, the reverse of the popular myth but not proven. In any event, Ms Hibbins states that there is no evidence of a Gaelic influence on the formation of Australian Rules.

Peter Dawson, Hughes

I read with interest Aaron Pegrum's excellent article "Remembering Fromelles: a brutal initiation" (Comment, July 18, p19). I agree with his point that the battles, particularly the 100 days Advance victory phase, should be subject to greater study and teaching for Australians. Part of that subject is appropriate commemoration also.

I have written to successive Commonwealth governments seeking a simple marker being placed on the Lihons battlefield on which 1400 casualties were sustained by the 1st Australian Division immediately after the Battle of Amiens. Most recently, the then minister Stuart Robert wrote the usual reply citing various reasons why this was not possible. As with most things such the missing dead of Fromelles, the government is a reluctant stakeholder.

The fact remains at the site at which 1400 Australian casualties were sustained this is not even a marker let alone a memorial.

We have built a multimillion-dollar visitor centre at Albany to merely mark the last sight of land for those who went to France but not at the actual place were many of them died.

We should encourage greater study, understanding and commemoration of these moments in our short history as anation.

My grandfather served with the 1st and he was one of those who were fortunate to return in1919.

Rohan Goyne, Evatt

I enjoy the Raiders excitement ("Taking a ride with Raiders is top four on Rapana's list", July 18, p54). Reality may crash the party when my club, Melbourne Storm, visit on August 15. Forget pinatas. An absolute flogging by the visitors will see Ricky kick a few more chairs on the sideline. His good mate, Craig Bellamy and Storm coach, does tables and coach box phones. By the way, are NRL coaches prescribed blood pressure pills?

Gerry Murphy, Braddon

Congratulations on the comprehensiveness of Cathy Wilcox's "humanity project" cartoon (Comment, July 19, p17). No wonder God appears perplexed at all the evil being done in his name, nearly all of which proceeds from mutually exclusive claims about heaven and hell and who is all set to go to each. The whole thing was brutally summed up by a banner in a demonstration not long ago saying: "Our dead are in heaven. Yours are in hell".

The "lock up those kids" tail-piece is also more than a little cutting since most of the instigators (in both major parties) of keeping people locked up indefinitely on Manus Island and Nauru as a "deterrent" have explicit religious affiliations. A little less metaphysical certainty might go a long way, one is bound to surmise.

Geoff Page, Narrabundah

It is good that our Prime Minister has confidence in his team that consists of Liberal and National members, to deliver the economic benefits needed to reinvigorate our economy. It is a pity that there is no in-depth analysis of what is needed to do this in terms of fiscal stimulation, building consumer confidence, getting business on side to make strategic capital investments or of the existence of an economic outlook that encourages growth and investment.

Pronouncements by his "team" and his own "moments" relating to "jobs and growth" and "innovation" have not motivated Australians to move forward confidently as entrepreneurs.

Having the right team is one thing, another is having the ability to put together a business case and business plan and a scenario that would encourage a lender to back you – under the current administration this outcome would be fanciful.

Mr Turnbull is confident in his team but is relying on the age-old Coalition position of going forward without doing anything to stimulate the economy, trusting instead in happenstance like most of his predecessors.

Les Brennan, Sunshine Bay, NSW

The success of Pauline Hanson makes it clear that there is a Muslim problem in Australia and the longer the major parties say there isn't, the louder the calls will be. Many will say that the issue is one of perception and, if that is so, the people best placed to do something about it are the Muslims themselves.

Instead of expecting the rest of the community to bend to accommodate them (after all, as they would tell us, Islam is the truth), they need to bend themselves and try to interact with the rest of the community. Adopting Western dress would go a long way to help.

J.J. Marr, Hawker

Sonia Kruger's repetition of her ridiculous views about "Muslim immigration" only increases the smokescreen over the real issue. That is, our immigration intake is locked on to an unsustainable 190,000 places a year, with no democratic discussion permitted.

Excepting Labor's promise to boost humanitarian intakes, all three parties stuck to their rigid trade-union agreement that population and immigration policy lay outside the election envelope.

There are two problems with this. Firstly, there's no real evidence it's what people want. Surveys in recent years by the Lowy Institute, Australia Institute, and Australian Population Research Institute, suggest quite the contrary.

Second, the OECD comparisons offer no compelling evidence that mindless high population growth is smart or equitable economic policy, least of all for the driest continent with the worst soils.

I'm sure it was jolly fine in 1945 when Arthur Calwell threw the immigration switch to full steam ahead (except, ahem, for persons with epicanthic folds). But, in this splendidly agile and innovative nation, do we have to wait 100 years for a policy review?

Stephen Saunders, O'Connor

Does coming second and recording an embarrassing low primary vote justify high exuberance? I was not surprised that Bill Shorten espoused the qualities and merits of Kevin Rudd, to such a degree that he (Shorten) almost demanded the federal government support Rudd's bid for the office of Secretary-General of the UN.

I clearly recall Shorten being the front man for the Beaconsfield Mine disaster many years ago. Before that unfortunate event, he was but a minnow in the Victorian trade union movement. Because he intended to stand for Federal Parliament, he needed exposure and assumed the role of lead spruiker to facilitate his own end.

I would suggest that it may well be in the interest of Australians generally, that Bill return to some role in the AWU as he does not have the consummate skills, oratory ability or honesty to do any thing thing but come second.

Grant Verco, Kaleen

David Headon (Letters, July 18) mentions George Brandis and his praise for John Howard. May I add to this? In 2003 while in the United Kingdom with colleague Brett Mason, an English politician asked the pair what formed the basis of Howard's electoral success.

In tandem they both chorused the same word: "the dog whistle". It was also during this time that Senator Brandis was outed as the person who gave Howard the nickname "The Lying Rodent".

I don't think George was a big fan of John Howard. He will undoubtedly go down as the least respected Attorney-General this country has ever had.

Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South, NSW

Your editorial "Fast rail is a natural fit for the ACT" (Comment, July 18, p16) claims "Any fast train proposal linking Melbourne to Sydney must include the ACT on the main route". That claim is as ridiculous as saying that the Hume Highway should be routed through Canberra. The large number of people travelling between Sydney and Melbourne should not be inconvenienced merely to reinforce the notion held by some people in the ACT that Canberra is the centre of the universe. The proposal to have a spur line to Canberra is a far better option.

However, I doubt the viability of the entire project. Its backers say that the project is needed to enable population growth, and even say that it would not be viable without enormous population growth, with much of that growth housed in an additional eight large cities to be built along the route.

It seems that these backers believe that Australia should continue to import 200,000 immigrants each year (ie, 8 million over the 40-year life of the proposal, with perhaps an additional 8 million of their children adding to the population) to make the project viable. This would be a disaster that would far outweigh the benefits of the train. A far better course of action would be to simply reduce Australia's net immigration rate from the largest, by far, in all G20 nations to zero (the world average).

R. James, Melba

UN DESERVES RUDD

Kevin Rudd as secretary-general of the United Nations? That organisation deserves him. How many shiny new submarines could Australia buy for the cost of a season ticket on the UN gravy-train?

C.J. Mountifield, Greenway

ENERGY WORRIES

Would the ACT government please inform the public the steps it has taken to ensure Canberra does not suffer the same energy crisis as being experienced in South Australia thanks to its over-reliance on untrustworthy and expensive wind and solar farms?

Ed Dobson, Hughes

BRING BACK RAIN DATA

Canberra rainfall observations during the current calendar month and during the year to date no longer appear on The Canberra Times weather page. If this is part of the "new look", could you please reconsider it? If there has to be a choice, such data is much more informative than a map showing national rainfall totals over the previous week.

James Goldrick, Weetangera

TOO RICH TO TOUCH

I am not in favour of animal cruelty, far from it, but the comments from T.J. Farquahar (Letters, July 14) that welfare groups or "minorities" will be "going after" thoroughbred horse racing is wide of the mark. Racing is healthily protected by state and territory governments, which reap billions of dollars annually from this industry.

Graham Stripp, Richardson

THE DRUM REGULAR

Gerard Henderson (Letters, July 19) is, fortunately, correct when stating "I have never appeared on The Drum", although unfortunately he does appear on The Insiders. The very perspicacious Anne Henderson, his wife, however is a regular on The Drum.

Adrian Gibbs, Yarralumla

WELFARE BATTLE

Dying to hear how the recently elevated Zed Seselja proposes to "shift Australians off welfare and into work"? On evidence to date, he and his party will use divisive language and rouse the ire of all hard-working Australians with a campaign branding welfare recipients as lazy users, happy to live on others' hard work, etc, etc.

Gabriel Brown (Ms), Murrumbateman, NSW

NOT SO HAPPY

Instead of "mandate", what the electorate have said to the Coalition is "We think you'd make less of a mess of it than the other lot – but we're not that keen on some of your policies!"

Charles Hirst, Latham

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