Brian Tosen, Harrison

Paul Malone details in dollars, and staffing, the ''Terrifying costs to terrorism alerts'' (Sunday CT, September 21, p18). It is surely breathtaking that work-creation ideas, costing $630 million for counterterrorism and $500,000,000 (whew!) military commitment to Iraq, might be conjured from a debt and deficit crisis. Figures, necessarily, exclude costs of Abbott's three-word slogan MH17 crusade, ''Bring them home'', projecting his profile onto the world stage by challenging Putin. Opportunity costs described represent tangibles, i.e. body counts, deaths, injuries. Fire alerts are based on convergence of objective, quantifiable factors, i.e. temperature, wind speeds, fuel. Security (intelligence) measures success negatively, convincing populations that events did not occur that might have! CIA's J. Edgar Hoover, within the limitations of his era, pursued the dictum (Ethel Watts Mumford): ''Knowledge is power, especially if you know it about the right person'' - a quote Brandis, with his $10,000, taxpayer-funded library, and his declared intent to further tighten-up terrorism legislation and gather metadata, would be cognisant of! It is disingenuous, and insulting, of Brandis, and cabinet, to argue absence of linkage between troop commitment and heightened alert level. As cunning as this Rhodes scholar Abbott is, he appears to be playing with fire, to which he continually adds fuel. He is igniting racial disharmony. He is pandering to plutocratic supporters' demands and maintaining corporate subsidies, courtesy health, education and welfare budgets. ''The greatest challenge of our time'', ever accelerating, climate change is nowhere on Abbott's agenda. Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap (Galatians).

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan

Jack Waterford (''Scots get best of both worlds'', Sunday Focus, p17) seems to think that the secession of an Australian state such as Western Australia could be achieved by a national constitutional referendum under section 128 of the Australian Constitution. He overlooks the fact that section 128 only authorises alteration of the Constitution itself (which is set out in section 9 of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act). Section 128 does not authorise alteration of any other parts of the Constitution Act. The preamble to the Constitution Act refers to an ''indissoluble'' federal Commonwealth, and sections 3 and 6 refer to Western Australia and the other states of that federal Commonwealth. Those provisions cannot be altered by a referendum under section 128 of the constitution.

Frank Marris, Forrest

Much as I agree with George Browning's views on climate change and, with qualification, on the role of markets (''Democracy seriously under threat from a growing self-interest'', Sunday CT, September 21, p18), I cannot accept his anodyne interpretation of the claim that religion should be kept out of politics. This idea is one of the most important lessons to be drawn from the destructive religious wars of 16th and 17th-century Europe - wars in which groups of Lutheran, Calvinist and Catholic extremists fought against and within each other in their efforts to dominate their states. Adherents of each religion believed the others could not be trusted with political power. By the time a series of deals between the most powerful players finally brought these wars to an end, many Europeans had learned that the mixing of religion and politics could turn all too easily into a threat to life, property and civil peace. Anyone who experienced the far less bloody sectarian conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland - and in Liverpool, Glasgow and Cardiff on the British mainland - will recognise the problem.

Of course, the European wars of religion happened too long ago - and too far away - for us to recall them today. Yet, the hard lesson they taught is too important to be forgotten.

Barry Hindess, Reid

Per Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta: ''a policeman's lot is not a happy one.'' In answer to Officer Gellatly's letter (CT, Sept 21), it is not about Sergeant Barber, who is answerable to others. If I was taking aim, it would not be at him.

Instead my aim would be focused on who condones the legislation that has the power to make all Canberra road-users convicted criminals.

For want of someone better, it would be our Attorney-General.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

I have just returned from two weeks' holiday with my family, including four great-grandchildren who all reside in your wonderful city.

I was told transport was free for over-70s. What a surprise - only available to residents. I went to ACT and waited 30 minutes, filled in a form and had to show three cards to prove who I was - my DVA gold card, seniors card and car licence - before I was allowed to purchase an interstate seniors card.

Apparently every state and territory has their own rules.

Please - our federal government must attend to this matter, as we are all Australians of this great country.

Jean Lapthorne, Mentone, Vic

John Howard took us to the war in Iraq at a cost of $5 billion to us. He says he is ''embarrassed''. What about paying back the government some of it through a reduction of his pension entitlements?

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt

I have been a patient in Canberra Hospital many times in the past 20 months. I have read the letters about neglect.

I want to make clear it is rarely neglect. What I saw was overworked nurses in understaffed wards with so many patients that no one could expect them to do more.

Funding for staff has been cut to the bone. So are resources. It is time for us as a community to stand up and demand more nurses and resources. If we don't, horror stories will continue and we will be to blame, not the nurses or staff.

Sophi Suttor, Narrabundah

It's a sad day when an Australian serviceman can not walk around in uniform in his own country without being assaulted.

And some say multiculturalism is working. For whom?

B. J. Millar, Isabella Plains

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