While she may personally be tired of hearing this reality, it is clearly factual and I wonder how many nominations Ms Goddard has put forward rather than trying to lay the blame elsewhere.

How much time is spent researching a potential nominee's credentials and referees to attest to them going the extra mile, performing above and beyond what others may do as a matter of course in similar circumstances? If the male/female balance is to be improved and yet maintain the integrity of the Australian Honours system, it cannot be reduced to a lowest-common-denominator 50/50 target.

That would dishonour worthy recipients as well as the system itself.

Any lack of nominations from Fire Services and other emergency services is entirely at their feet — not the Honours Secretariat which can only assess nominations received. The same goes for the lack of nominations to recognise deserving women.

No, Ms Goddard, it's not the system that is flawed – it is the apathy of ordinary Australians in grasping the nettle, do their homework and put forward well-researched and credible nominations.

Len Goodman AO, Belconnen

Helen M. Goddard (letters, June 18) should look at the criteria for an AFSM; it is awarded for distinguished service by a member of an Australian fire service.

I have been a member of the Rural Fire Service in the ACT since 1988. Since the AFSM's inception in 1988, 13 members of the ACT RFS have received this award, 12 men and one woman; of the men, six were volunteers and six were paid employees, as was the woman.

If you look at their citations, all have served the ACT community for close to 30 years, if not more. All these recipients earned the award not because of their sex but because of their commitment to the RFS and the ACT community.

Pat Barling (AFSM), Holder

Yet again there was another letter (June 18) nagging about the sexist lack of "a 50 per cent representation of men and women", this time in the Australia Day Honours List.

Possibly that is due to a lack of the nasty hormone, testosterone, which makes males aggressive and competitive.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

A few weeks ago, I caught a bus from Civic to Gungahlin. Sitting in the centre of the bus, I observed three Asian women happily engaged in a conversation sitting in front of me (two in the seat in front, and the third on the same side immediately in front of them).

As these women continued to converse in their native language, an Australian male opposite admonished them for not speaking English. I felt compelled to remind him that their conversation had nothing to do with him, emphasising that their good manners put his bad manners to shame.

This male alighted from the bus at a stop further along Northbourne Avenue, holding a bottle in a brown paper bag, the contents some of which he had consumed awaiting the arrival of the bus.

Each of the women got off at separate stops along the route, advising me in English that they receive such racist comments on a regular basis, and thanking me on their exit. I know whom I prefer as good Aussies, proficient English or not!

Greg Simmons, Lyons

The tragic fires in Portugal (Canberra Times, June 20) reminded me of a trip we did there some 10 years ago.

Driving through the centre of the country, we travelled long distances in burnt Pinus Radiata and Eucalypt forests in official national park areas.

It was a disappointing experience and an example of detrimental human-caused environmental change that had changed the cultural landscape, impacted the indigenous environment and produced a more hazardous fire situation.

Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

D.K House's suggestion "Try A Pedestrian Bridge" (letter, June 17) is brilliant. Why should the traffic across Commonwealth Ave and Kings Ave Bridges be curtailed when a wonderful opportunity to expand that whole area is available through a pedestrian and bicycle bridge?

Create an area that can link the city to the lake and, you never know, we may start the way for an area like Southbank has for Melbourne city.

Tracey Wilkinson, Hawker

The responsible, good-minded people in Canberra's cycling community avoid the beautiful path that stretches from Government House to the Yarralumla nursery.

This is what I must assume from the number of near misses we regularly have when pushing the stroller carrying our eight-month-old son, to avoid all those who see us as a nuisance to the world record they have set out to break.

It does not make one inclined to feel any sympathy when the tables are turned.

Luca Biason, Latham

Thank you Labor: it is a relief to hear that Labor is not supporting the government's proposed changes to citizenship requirements, in particular longer residency requirements and university-level English.

Requiring such a high level of English in order to become a citizen is nonsense; a large proportion of Australians would fail the IELTS test being proposed.

It is absurd to think longer residency requirements and very high levels of English would make Australia safer. I hope the minor parties will follow suit in opposing these requirements.

However, it would be even more of a relief to have Labor speak out against the continuing mistreatment of the men on Manus Island. I fear the recent settlement payout to the men (which they won't receive for months and which doesn't change their status) makes Australians believe their problems are over.

In fact, their problems are only worsening as the accommodation and services in the detention centre are being reduced in the lead-up to its closure later in the year. After that, if they are not settled in the US (and we know many of them will not be) their only choice is to settle in PNG which is dangerous and where many have already been assaulted, or go back to where they were persecuted and fear being killed.

Please, please work to alleviate the truly shocking treatment of these men. They have suffered enough.

Clare Conway, Ainslie

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