For pitbulls impulse perfume spray is effective.

A couple of years ago I was walking my geriatric pointer, cattle dog and staffy.

I am a small, 70-year-old woman; nothing threatening about us.

A large rangy pitbull came out of nowhere and seized my cattle dog around the head.

I transferred three leads into my left hand, pulled the perfume out of my pocket, gave a burst to the eyes, then directed a continuous spray up one nostril till it let go coughing.

It lunged back at us several times but a burst to the face drove it back. Two mums with about five children had taken refuge on top of a slippery platform.

They called dog control but got the ACT shopfront who are more interested in the caller's personal details than in the person or pet being murdered.

When I got home, shaking, I did get dog control but it was two hours later when a ranger called asking where it had happened.

Clearly the dog was nowhere around.

M. Davis, Charnwood

Payslips conundrum

The Centrelink program makes ambit claims of large debts, then leaves it to people with the least stable incomes and the most significant disabilities to disprove the debts.

Centrelink demands payslips, from up to seven years ago.

But why? If I need to show my fortnight's income, surely a bank statement is as good. And payslips are neither reliable, nor commonly provided to people in intermittent or casual work.

The very people under attack from debt ambit claims are the least likely ever to have had, or to have kept payslips, or to be able to get them reissued.

If Centrelink really wants payslips, they could be part of the regular reporting required of everyone getting a Centrelink payment.

Then, if there's a payslip problem, it could be sorted when the issue is current, and Centrelink would have the slips already.

But that would require Jongen to get, and keep, records. People getting payments might be able to point to those records, and demand that automated systems at least be consistent with them.

Christopher Hood, Queanbeyan, NSW

Trump, try thinking

In response to the refugee deal, President Trump implied Australia was taking advantage of the USA, a comment that ignores the sacrifice of Aussies who stood by their American counterparts in every major conflict of the last hundred years.

Facing criticism, he has now qualified his statements and in the process accused the media of dishonesty for reporting what he said.

Many of his supporters like that he says what he thinks, but they ignore the fact that there is a fundamental prerequisite for the presidency: think about what you say.

Bart Meehan, Calwell

Thanks, John L Heywood and Ben Abrams (letters, February 4) for your expressions of friendship and apologies for the behaviour of your president.

We do appreciate your thoughts.

Nevertheless, one has to give Trump credit for more than just ditching the Trans Pacific Partnership: apparently he managed to stay on the line to Malcolm Turnbull for nearly half an hour. Had Turnbull called me I'm sure I'd have lasted less then a minute before hanging up on him, and I'd certainly have used less temperate language than merely calling it the worst call ever.

Fred Pilcher, Kaleen

Exorbitant guesswork

Steve Anderson (letters February 6) raises the serious matter of overcharging by ACTewAGL.

My latest account by this supplier of gas is $1000 dearer than previous accounts for this "summer" quarter. I repeat $1000 more.

Nothing has changed except that AGL admit that no meter reading took place and that their "guesstimate" was correct and that I would be given an extended period of time for me to pay this exorbitant cost of them not reading their meter.

K. Beckwith, Canberra

All round good job

I recently observed the first major test of the new Barton Highway roundabout in the morning peak hour of January 30.

I had predicted in a number of CT letters that the roundabout (nine traffic lights instead of an overpass) was likely to be a major planning error.

While I couldn't possibly say that I was wrong, (a la Donald Trump), the roundabout on the morning of January 30 worked very smoothly.

Good light sequencing and a much longer slip lane for turning left to the city out of Gundaroo Drive were the successful ingredients.

So far so good. Credit where it is due. Well done traffic engineers.

John Mungoven, Stirling

Cut party funding

Contrary to Bruce Paine's opinion ("All candidates deserve cash", CT letters February 4) no candidates or political parties should receive public funding.

Further, all candidates and parties should have their advertising restricted to a specified, quite small financial outlay to give all a more equal opportunity to present their cases.

Bruce Paine is correct that the larger parties have, at our cost, voted themselves a tax-payer subsidy. It is in effect a tax on voting designed, as Bruce says, to disadvantage independent candidates. It should be abolished but will not be because those who benefit make the rules.

Graham Downie, O'Connor

Honourable course for Bernardi: quit then stand for re-election

If Senator Cory were an honourable man he would take the decent course of action and resign his seat in the Senate – given that he no longer represents the people who voted him in (as a Liberal) and that he is no longer a member of the Liberal Party whose resources greatly helped in his election.

He would go back to South Australia, develop the organisation and policies of his nascent Australian Conservatives party and stand for re-election to Federal Parliament (Senate or House) at the next election.

Are you an honourable man, Senator?

Paul E Bowler, Holder

Here we go again, yet another example of the extreme arrogance of politicians.

Senator Bernardi was elected as a member of a political party promising to deliver specified policy, not as an individual.

It is totally unacceptable that he can now walk away from that party and its policies and retain all the financial and other privileges that go with political office.

In the real world outside politics, such behaviour could easily be construed as breach of contract and there would be serious sanctions.

If he had any principles worth espousing he would quit completely and start any future political activity from scratch.

Charles Smith, Nicholls

What a joke our elected MPs are making of our great democracy and parliamentary system.

The in thing these days is to be elected under a party ticket by the voters and then, after securing the position (with all the perks) jump ship when the the going gets tough.

It is about time the electoral commission either made the culprits serve their time as a member of the party the people elected them in or to resign and let a by-election held so the electorate can choose.

In Senator Bernardi's case I say, "If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen".

Errol Good, Macgregor

Cory Bernardi's long-expected move is a predictable consequence of Malcolm Turnbull's propensity to create disunity and internecine conflict with his disregard for the party's traditional values.

These times of crisis are echoes of 2009, when the very survival of the Liberal Party was threatened by Malcolm Turnbull's divisive manoeuvring.

It is time for one rat to jump in order to save the sinking ship.

That rat is not Bernardi.

Mario Moldoveanu, Frankston, Vic.

In relation to Cory Bernadi, the Liberal Party should let him go. He has been a passenger for too long. Let him take George Christensen with him.

Neither have added any value in debates or actions to grow and develop Australia's capability and broader society.

Neither brings views that represent a majority of Australians. Neither is likely to be re-elected without their Liberal Party machine. Good riddance to egocentric, self-opinionated and small-minded politicians who keep getting preselected by the very few, for reasons many cannot fathom, and don't represent their constituency.

And Sophie Mirabela, whose name is being mentioned in the media as a possible replacement should Mr Bernadi relinquish his seat (which is highly unlikely), is a member of this poor politicians club. The fact is that the number of votes for her reduced at every election she contested in Indi.

It is time every politician stop the negative political games and focus on serving the Australian people by growing and developing Australia, looking forward and positioning Australia with a future deserved of the lucky country.

J. Grant,Gowrie

Did we, the taxpayers, fund Cory Bernardi's giddy US pilgrimage to revel in the "alt right" election experience and indulge his bromance with Donald Trump? Wait, don't tell me, it was a "study trip", right?

Gaynor Morgan, Braddon

Cory Bernardi's desire to set up an ultra-conservative party seems the inevitable result of his spending too much time in a boat looking backwards when he was younger.

David Jenkins, Casey

Cory Bernardi must have left because of something they said. It is not possible that he left because of something the Turnbull government actually did.

Tony Judge, Woolgoolga, NSW

Your front-page picture of Cory Bernardi gave him a very aristocratic appearance. He looked just like an Afghan hound refusing its dinner.

George Beaton, Greenway

PM wrong over coal

Friday's editorial ("Turnbull coal sell fails to convince", February 3, p14).

Though acknowledging that the Prime Minister's pitch is not convincing, it nevertheless shows a liking for alternative facts.

It blames last year's South Australian blackout on unreliable renewables, but the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) says that the blackout was probably caused by wind turbine settings, rather than the nature of wind power.

Turning to Turnbull's promotion of "clean coal" technology, the editorial states this will emit far fewer greenhouse gases – up to 40 per cent less according to some estimates. Though the 40 per cent figure is qualified by "according to some", the "emit far fewer greenhouse gases" is still misleading. This technology, which is still under development, would still produce twice the emissions of gas and wouldn't have gas's flexibility.

Which brings us to the last alternative fact: that domestic supply of gas is being squeezed by restrictions on coal-seam gas exploration and the export of nearly all Australia's natural gas. This is a furphy, being spruiked by the exploration industry. The AEMO sees no supply gaps for any of Australia's eastern and south-eastern gas markets in the near future.

Chris Ansted, Garran

Turnbull is now also using the term "clean power" to refer to coal power plant designs without carbon capture and storage (unlikely to ever be practical).

These still have very high emissions intensity and subsidising their construction would be irresponsible.

That would lock in high emissions.

Peter Campbell, Cook

ESCAPING THE GUTTER

Speaking of "bad hombres" there are three in the White House. "Tweet my latest thought bubble" Trump, "alternate facts" Kellyanne Conway, and worst of all Trump's "Rasputin" and so called Chief Strategist Steve Bannon. They will end up on the dung heap of history. Turnbull was right not to get into the gutter with Trump.

Eric Hodge, Pearce

Under the rule of Trump, our humiliated Prime Minister should be careful not to be compromised into committing Australia to a US generated war of convenience just for a solution to our refugee problem. This is the USA we are dealing with, world hegemony at any price. Let Australian lives not be that price.

Rhys Stanley, Hall, NSW

Now Donald Trump has publicly referred to the respected federal judge James Robart, appointed by George W. Bush, as a "so-called judge", I feel free to refer to him as the "so-called president of the USA".

Cynthia L. Allen, Hackett

In recent weeks the upper houses of the USA government seem to have been bypassed, allowing the new President to make executive decisions relating to a wall, Pacific trade and refugee resettlement by himself. Isn't that dictatorship?

Alan Blake, Duffy

President Trump promised to "make America great again". Only two weeks into his presidency, he is really starting to grate.

G. Hodges, Queanbeyan, NSW

Trump has proved himself a good friend to our PM. By releasing details of his call with Malcolm Turnbull he has demonstrated our intrepid leader has some intestinal fortitude.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

The debate about asylum seekers from Nauru and that phone call have caused a near national and international political crisis. Why don't we bring them to the mainland and help them get settled? They will become contributing members to this multicultural society.

Anne Willenborg, Royalla, NSW

I don't blame Trump for describing Turnbull and Obama's plan as a "dumb deal". Once people made their way to Indonesia they were no longer under duress on political or religious grounds and so, under the UN convention, were not refugees.

Dave Eriksson, Jindabyne

LET'S GO TO NULLARBOR

As Capital Metro's construction progresses, there seems to be a new name for the road that heads north out of Civic – Nullarbor Avenue.

Jennifer Rowland, Melba

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