Mr Jones had the integrity to initiate police investigative action – with the full backing of the board and the ARU – to address the controversial land sale at Griffith and the move to the University of Canberra. Irregularities which are now the subject of an active police criminal fraud investigation/operation.

Unlike Mr Corbitt, I consider Mr Jones's behaviour and professionalism to be exemplary, courageous, honest and fearless – qualities we reflect on Anzac Day, but which are sorely lacking by many in the present day.

Mark Wheatley, Jerrabomberra, NSW

Like Anne Balcomb (Letters, April 26) any sane person is saddened by the sight of a felled tree, no matter what day it might be. But trees are as mortal as the rest of us and these had been marked as sufficiently deteriorated to require removal.

I worked on the Melbourne City Council street tree crew in 1979-80 and one of the many things it taught me was respect for the judgment of professional arborists. Unless he has some credible evidence of the health of the trees that were recently removed, Michael C. Stevenson (Letters, April 26) might like to consider the same courtesy.

Nonetheless, the rest of the ageing but not moribund third generation of median-strip trees on Northbourne Avenue must be sacrificed to build the first stage of Canberra's light rail.

But, unless we radically improve our city's sustainability, far more harm than this will be done to the world's trees. A modern, energy-efficient public transport system is an important part of the solution. So the sacrifice will not be in vain.

And when the fourth generation of Northbourne Avenue's median trees are planted – something like 200 more than at present – we will have double cause for celebration: not only will they grace the entry to Canberra but they will also frame a tangible marker of our capacity for renewal and our preparedness to think and act boldly for the long-term future.

Felix MacNeill, Dickson

The 42 trees along Northbourne Avenue that are being removed this month as part of the TAMS annual tree removal program are either dead or have structural defects that cannot be corrected by pruning. With the construction of light rail, trees in the median strip will all have to be removed eventually in stages, but they will be replaced by trees at least four metres tall as part of this project.

Meegan Fitzharris, Minister for Transport and Municipal Services

Jack Kershaw's sources tell him that development lobbyists "sometimes pressure officials and politicians to throw out the planning controls in master plans" (Letters, April 15).

What Kershaw's informants probably don't tell him is that the reason why government ministers are persuaded to amend or overturn master plans in some cases is that they are invariably prepared without any reference whatsoever to land economics.

The result is lots of wonderful looking plans with pretty pictures which ensure that no development can ever take place because the only development permissible under the plans is economically unviable.

The consequences have been on display in Canberra now for decades. Badly deteriorating decentralised commercial precincts dying slowing on the vine because of the endemic failure of the master-planning process to embrace financial reality. Local residents are happy until years later when they lament the fact that their local shops lack variety and are very expensive.

Several years ago one of the supermarket chains made strong overtures to the ACT government that it wanted the opportunity to compete with the other major chain in several group centres where it had no presence.

This was rightly seen by the government as representing a golden opportunity, particularly as it came at a time when forecasts for economic activity in the territory were negative due to tough efficiency dividends that were being imposed on the federal public service.

This would provide much-needed economic activity in the local economy, create more price competition and revitalise local centres. Surely a win-win all round. Sadly the master plans of several of these centres proved to be too much of a barrier for the economic potential to be realised.

Given that Kershaw apparently thinks it was a bad thing that changes to the master planning controls in City West allowed the ANU Exchange to rise over the rat-infested asbestos huts that were there previously, we can be confident that he would also argue that the supermarket chain was just trying to screw the local community. If that is the case, we will never know. Because except in one instance where its investment has been so great it would be a disaster for it to back out, it shelved all its other expansion plans.

Greg Ellis, Murrumbateman, NSW

In his litany of complaints against the Greens, Stan Marks (Letters, April 21) predictably whinges about light rail, but he also complains about the inner city bike path, which "practically no one uses".

I use the section along Marcus Clarke Street regularly, which Mr Marks would have preferred to keep as a traffic lane. It is a brilliant piece of engineering, allowing me to ride as fast as my 73-year-old legs will carry me without endangering pedestrians or being forced off the road by motorists. Sorry, Mr Marks, but it is quite heavily used.

Even during the day, when I use it to go between Belconnen and South Canberra, I am regularly passed by younger, fitter cyclists. During the rare times that I ride during the rush hour, it is the cyclists' answer to the Hume Highway, with dozens of us whizzing along.

One assumes Mr Marks would entrust Canberra's transport systems to the car-loving Liberal transport spokesman, Alistair Coe. He certainly would waste no time in ripping this cycleway up, along with the light rail contract. One hopes he does not get the opportunity.

John Mason, Latham

Negative gearing has disenfranchised a cohort of home buyers.

Malcolm Turnbull considers itcommon sense to make no adjustments to negative-gearing arrangements ("PM pledges no change to negative gearing", April 25, p6).

With more than 1.4 million Australians now involved in the negatively geared housing industry, it is no wonder our leader doesn't intend to do anything in the 2016 budget toget them offside by showing some leaderships.

Changes to the capital gains tax regime implemented by the Howard Coalition government resulted in a tax of only 50 per cent of the capital gain, rather than on 100 per cent. That gave extra leverage to speculators. This, together with an influx offoreigners entering the market, gave both groups an unfair advantage over local entrants to the market.

It also meant that young people who wanted to enter themarket had to pay their fair share of tax, while the people who negative geared received a50 per cent bonus that helped them to buy their next investment property.

If Labor's sledgehammer discourages some negative-gearing types and some foreign investors, it could take some heat out of the market and lead to lower prices and open up opportunities for a cohort that has been disenfranchised by the current government.

Les Brennan, Sunshine Bay, NSW

To be negatively geared, an investment has to incur a loss. Why does government policy encourage mum and dad investors to put their hard-earned money into loss-incurring investments rather than profit-making ones?

A shift from tax minimisation to wealth maximisation would help mum and dad investors and fund needed services. The real losers would be the banks. Hard to feel sad about that.

Kate Roediger, Melba

Labor would limit it to new housing and the Coalition wants to leave it alone ("Negative gearing a gift to the rich", April 26, p1). However, surely a better solution would be to set a maximum on the amount of the deductions against tax – say $10,000 or25per cent of income, whichever is the less. This would leave the investor with one or two houses (and/or asmall share portfolio) untouched, but would collect agreat deal more tax from those with many negatively geared assets. Perhaps Scott Morrison has this as a surprise in his budget already, but Idoubt it.

John Rogers, Cook

Australia is spending a total of at least $550 million on Anzac commemorations over four years, $331.3 million of which isfrom Commonwealth funds. We lost 60,000 soldiers in World War I and, yes, we should remember them, butatwhat cost?

Britain, which lost just over 1million soldiers, is spending about $110 million (one-fifth ofour amount); France, with 1,737,800 losses, will spend about $90 million (and a total of $175 million over all four years of the commemoration); and Germany, which lost 2.8million soldiers, is spending just $6 million.

There are many examples, but all show that we are spending infinitely more, both in total, and in relation to the number of soldiers killed, than any other country. Australia is spending more than $9000 for each soldier killed, compared with Britain, which is spending $109 for each soldier killed, and France $52.

No money can replace a brother, son, or father, but at what cost are such lavish memorials? When are we going to stop harking back to the past to find Australia's identity andinspiration, instead of investing our money and aspirations in our country's future, which lies more in educating our kids to the best of their potential than in reminiscing and often myth-making at costly commemorations.

G. Ford, Kambah

Hopefully Stuart Rollo and Tess Lea's article, "Marine deployment the region's wake-up call" (Times2, April 25, p5), is widely read and gets the attention it deserves.

To quote from the concluding paragraphs: "It is time to have the public debate on the merits of the US marine presence in Darwin that was never held before."

Their presence is forecast togrow to 2500 next year and, "until an informed discourse is established, we run the very real risk of blindly walking into future conflicts, neither of our making nor in our interests, with very little room to navigate an independent response".

As is further quoted in the article, "establishing a more independent foreign policy, and disentangling Australian and US national interests, was a cause that former prime minister Malcolm Fraser passionately advocated during the last years of his life".

One may not agree with everything Fraser said and did, but in this instance, he voiced avery real warning that is seemingly ignored.

A. Wilkinson, Gowrie

Writing about the Israeli- Palestinian conflict, Athol Morris (Letters, April 25) , Alan Shroot (Letters, April 22) and J. White (Letters, April 25) declare Benjamin Netanyahu supports a two-state solution. Yet at the last Israeli election, he said if he was elected, a Palestinian state would not be created. Morris blames Hamas alone for the lack of peace withthe Israelis and denies frustration by the Palestinian population for the current wave of attacks on Israelis.

In 1946, the Arab population, of what was then known as Palestine, owned 94 per cent of the land. After the partition in 1947, they owned 45 per cent and today live in less than 10per cent and are controlled by Israel. Palestinians have tonegotiate hundreds of checkpoints (permanent and temporary) and roadblocks throughout the West Bank controlled by young Israeli soldiers, who prevent access whenever they feel like it. Whowouldn't be frustrated?

J. White (Letters, April 25) talks of Palestinian National Authority incitement. On April 19 in Tel Aviv, thousands of Israelis rallied in support of Elor Azarya, the soldier filmed executing a gravely wounded Palestinian last month. A banner said "Kill them all" and the crowd shouted "Death to Arabs". Israel is certainly not the victim in this conflict.

Gwenyth Bray, Belconnen

I was intrigued and indeed somewhat puzzled to read that a piece of our city's new infrastructure had been named the Malcolm Fraser Bridge ("Former prime minister honoured for his humanity", April 23, p2).

Canberra in the Fraser years (1976-1983) was a city in turmoil. After 18 years of growth and development, a major downturn in Canberra's economy began in 1977.

The Fraser government, through the Lynch "Razor Gang", drastically curbed the growth of the public service. Canberra came down with it, its economy decimated by a major slowdown in the growth of its basic industry.

Canberra's annual population grew by a near-record 12,100 or 6.5 per cent in the year ending June 30, 1976, but over the next seven years there was a dramatic slump in growth and growth rates. 1980 was a disastrous year when there was a net outflow of population from Canberra, something that had not happened since the war years. The territory's labour force, which had peaked at 120,000 in 1978-79, spiralled downwards over the next few years and did not regain its 1979 level until 1983.

The planners' dreams of our future Canberra had been shattered.

Thousands of fully serviced residential blocks were lying idle – demand had dried up completely.

It was an eerie sight to drive, on a sunny Sunday afternoon through the ghost suburbs of Tuggeranong, with their sealed and guttered roads, playgrounds, and landscaping but devoid of housing.

Why not the Jim Fraser Bridge?

Alan Foskett, Campbell

There is no way the Majura Parkway bridges could have been called Fraser/Whitlam (Letters, April 27). Had they been so named, the Kerr troll underneath would never let anyone pass.

Linus Cole, Palmerston

BAD DECISION

The decision to build 12 submarines in Adelaide will undoubtedly prove to be the worst military, economic and industrial decision in Australia's history. How much of our children's future will you mortgage to buy a handful of South Australian votes?

Ian Richards, Waverton, NSW

WASTE OF MONEY

What war will we fight with our verypatriotic submarines? Why is socialism for military hardware so great, yet more public money for health, aged care or education is so bad? And why wouldn't our money bebetter spent building tractors andother electric vehicles that don't depend on our vulnerable supplies offoreign fuels?

Bob Elliston, Bruny Island, Tas

TRUTH ABOUT SALE

Further to Edward Corbitt (Letters, April 25), I am neutral between Michael Jones and the Brumbies board, but like many Canberrans, Iwant the truth, which seems to involve the sale of the originally public land occupied by the Griffith Ex-Servicemen's Bowls Club to the private Brumbies. Please explain.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

WHAT A HOWLER

Team Pedant has a new poster boy: Nicholas Stuart, who can both read and write, as well as being blessed with a sense of humour ("Take halo off universities", Times2, April 26, p4). In his "complaint" about journalists being expected to possess degrees, he concludes with a lulu by asking what the world is coming too!

Bob Gardiner, Isabella Plains

STRATEGIC DETERRENCE

Stuart Rollo and Tessa Lea ("Marine deployment the region's wake-up call", Times2, April 25, p5) raise several interesting questions. Unfortunately, many comments on strategic interest are misinformed.

Deterrence, whether allied or not, counters an increasingly aggressive China. You may ignore trouble, but it will surely find Australia regardless of foreign policy positions.

Gerry Murphy, Braddon

FOUR ISSUES AT ONCE

I envy Eileen Webb (Letters, April25). I have a subscription to theweekly edition of the French newspaper Le Monde, and I received four issues today, the oldest of which would have been posted in France onMarch 13.

Maurice Devèze, Red Hill

PM IMITATING GEKKO?

Listening to Malcolm Turnbull justifying his continued support for negative gearing makes me feel as though we suddenly have Gordon Gekko as Prime Minister.

Rob Ey, Weston

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 words or less. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).