What is the point of designating heritage precincts if this designation is to be ignored?

Soldiers are under orders to obey their superior officers. This is a hilariously inappropriate metaphor to use in the context of Canberra's planning.

No one should be in a position to dictate to citizens affected by clumsy designs that developers propose to erect on their doorsteps.

Consultation and participation have been tenets of good planning for decades. In the case of SHL's proposal for the development of the site previously occupied by the Currong and Allawah flats, Reid and Braddon residents await such consultation ("Developer back to the drawing board on design for Currong flats after planning directorate concerns", Canberra Times, March 18).

Yes, Tony Trobe is correct in asserting that we seem to have lost the big picture where planning our city is concerned.

As for "higher order objectives", I remember discovering a document relating to Braddon that had such objectives, and drawing it to the attention of ACTPLA staff in the early years of our concerns about the ABC Flats redevelopment.

I was told that it no longer had any standing as it had been subsumed in new documents.

Elizabeth Teather, Reid

Last Saturday I attended a lovely wedding at which a young couple exchanged vows and committed to a life together as a married couple. On Sunday morning, I read a story (Sunday CT, March 19) about another couple who had decided, for their own good reasons, to not exchange marriage vows.

Good luck to Rebecca and Adam in your report, but I have to wonder why their story was so newsworthy as to warrant front-page coverage.

Surely their views and story is no more or less relevant than the many others who did get married last Saturday, both here in Canberra and around the country.

Presumably, in the interests and fair and balanced reporting, The Times will grace us next week with a half-page, front-page story about another couple who actually chose to marry – their story would be just as compelling and just as deserving as the story you opted to publish last week!

Kym MacMillan, O'Malley

The front-page story headlined "Indigenous children crisis" (Sunday Canberra Times, March 19) reminds me of The Canberra Times' front-page headline of August 26, 2015: "Indigenous Agony At Lost Babies".

The 2015 article claimed Indigenous babies in Canberra were 20times more likely to be taken into care than non-Indigenous infants but, sadly, both stories failed to give any genuine reasons for the apparent discrepancy.

The Minister's explanation that "it's a complex issue that reflects a legacy of intergenerational disadvantage" seems glib and evasive, if not a subtle dig at "advantaged" white Australians.

Exactly what are the complex issues, or would an in-depth analysis reveal something that isn't politically correct about Indigenous parenting?

Without a clear understanding of the issues involved, I can see a Canberra Times headline in 50 years' time calling for an apology for the "stolen generations of 2017".

Bob Thompson, Belconnen

The CT Sunday Traveller (March 19) included an article "It's a jungle out there" about travelling on the luxury tourist train from Singapore to Bangkok.

A few years ago we travelled by a regular train (at a fraction of the cost of the so-called "Eastern and Oriental Express" – the cost of a regular train from Singapore to Bangkok is about $US80) from Singapore to Malacca to Kuala Lumpur and then Penang.

There is certainly no "jungle" on that route if you define jungle as natural rainforest. Rather, there is kilometre upon kilometre of somewhat depressing oil palm plantations that have replaced much of the original rainforest on the Malay Peninsula.

Nevertheless the trip was enjoyable: getting an ancient Mercedes taxi from the train station to Malacca, which is 30kilometres away; a couple of entertaining train staff on the section to KL; and a night ferry from Penang station to the Island.

Well worth doing.

Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

Gweneth Leigh raises many issues around urban trees and especially those along the tram corridor ("Ode to the 'street kids' of Northbourne Avenue's urban forest: our dying river peppermint gums", CT, March 18).

What is never discussed is the inevitable problem of tree litter falling on the tracks.

The central island is not very wide when considering a double tram track and at least two rows of decent-sized trees. All trees shed leaves, bark, twigs and branches to some extent.

I have sat on a train that crawled into Nottingham railway station while the conductor walked ahead and cleared litter from the tracks after the trees lining the railway had been trimmed.

What is the likelihood that the natural litter fall along the Northbourne corridor will become such a safety issue that they will all be rooted out and replaced by prissy little trees that do not threaten the tram lines?

Robyn Coghlan, Hawker

When Ian Warden (Sunday Canberra Times, March 19) laments the lack of industrial odours in our fair city, he is clearly closing his delicate nostrils to the pervasive stench of political corruption – most recently emitted in the national energy debate – and the distasteful fetor of political flatulence from the big house on the hill.

Time for a Federal ICAC to sweeten the atmosphere!

Julian Cribb, Canberra

Annabel Crabb is a reliably entertaining read, but with "Meet Man from Snowy River" (CT 19 March) she has surpassed herself. Just brilliant!

Roger Quarterman, Campbell

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