Despite reminding Minister Fitzharris of the undulation of the Brindabellas, tram stops spaced a kilometre apart can only draw patronage from a very narrow corridor, given the widely-accepted rule of thumb that most patrons are only prepared to walk 500 metres to a stop.

Introducing more stops in order to widen the catchment would put an end to the pretence that the network can provide inter-town services anywhere near rapid transit speed. Talk of feeder buses only accentuates the cost-effectiveness for Canberra of a good bus network.

Anyone who attended the recent Transport Canberra presentations about the Woden tram will know that when pressured with well-founded criticism, the response has been "the tram is not only about public transport, it is for urban development".

Given the urban development proposed only involves filling in the vacant land in Woden with apartment blocks and replacing the express bus route with a route that deviates through Parkes, Barton and perhaps ending at the hospital, the planning isn't exactly imaginative.

How about a busway from Gungahlin to Woden running driverless buses 24/7, and operated by human drivers until the technology is tested and proven? Advantages would be lower cost, integral with the existing bus network, a step towards the future of driverless public transport, and inspirational for developers.

John L Smith, Farrer

Claude Wiltshire, of Queanbeyan, (Letters, May 15) had me wondering if it was April 1 stating POTUS 45 is shaping up to be a strong national and international leader. Am I missing something here?!

He is the laughing stock of the western world, I'm sure even our own illustrious PM would be feeling a little jaded after his treatment at the hands of Trump, at least I would like to think he would be.

Particularly after the grovelling treatment the Russian representative received but a day or so later.

Yes, we are supposedly an ally of the US but we need to be wary of a man who is quite possibly suffering from a form of dementia leading us into further conflict.

Hero worshipping of Trump is a form of brainwashing, please try and resist and acquaint yourself with facts.

Jan Gulliver, Lyneham

At a time when illicit drugs and drug traffickers are still capturing the attention of the Australian community it was interesting to note the address on May 12 (available on line) by Jeff Sessions, America's Attorney General, disclosing that America is seeing an increase in violent crime in its cities.

The murder rate has surged 10 per cent nationwide — the largest increase since 1968.

He specifically mentioned drugs and crime going hand-in-hand, and that drug trafficking is an inherently violent business. He said if you want to collect a drug debt, you can't file a lawsuit – you collect it by the barrel of a gun.

Our recent budget also forecast action in the drug area including mobile pill testing. But major problems remain.

Recently an American pill testing body noted that tablets sold as ecstasy in 2015 went through comprehensive lab tests.

But published results found a total of 134 substances other than MDMA and that the reagent pill tests can, at best, distinguish between eight of these chemicals.

A full suite of seven different pill testing kits could only distinguish 16 chemicals in addition to MDMA.

This means any of the 118 other chemicals could be present but undetected.

Lastly, and mainly in the hope of avoiding police detection, tens of thousands of users will continue to buy pill testing kits online.

Colliss Parrett, Drug Advisory Council Australia, Barton

We were shocked to hear that foreign aid has again been the target of budget cuts. The figure of $300 million on top of successive reductions equates to a reduction, in real terms, of 30 per cent since the coalition came to power. How can we, as a nation, pledge to meet the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals on the one hand and drastically cut our contributions on the other? Only through a comprehensive, steady increase in foreign aid spending can we hope to fulfil our international obligations. It is vital that we urge our MPs to stop these cuts and take action to increase foreign aid.

Robert Cook, Acton; Ros Lindsey, Curtin; Tian Yang, Bruce

Benefit cost ratios being quoted for and against rail projects are often off the rails, freight and commuter, differing classifications. It's difficult to pin the inland freight link on the Nationals as pork barrelling, as it seems like a good idea. Moving the freight container rail corridor further west, avoiding the Sydney bottleneck, would reduce long distance B-double trips and help reclaim safer highways for the commuter.

Matt Ford, Crookwell, NSW

Australia has a large Christian community and the country was built on Christian ideals.

If there is money to spend on drug testing of people on welfare why don't we put it into something productive like creating new jobs or providing training for them?

Kicking people when they are down is both unChristian and unAustralian.

Audrey Guy, Ngunnawal

I can't see any advantage for taxpayers in a proposal by the Commonwealth to buy the NSW and Victoria share of the Snowy Hydro Power scheme even if it remain in public ownership. Will it be sold off in 10 years to a foreign company who may mismanage it?

While not against privatisation if it's managed well, the results of the selling off of other power generation infrastructure has been chaotic with some states having power generation shortfalls.

Instead of the French company running the Hazelwood plant in Victoria into the ground and abandoning it they should have built a new coal plant in the Latrobe Valley 10 years ago but they didn't.

As far as possible all the states should be self sufficient. Australian governments were occupied with drought and desalination plants back then too. Privatisation did not led to much reduction in power, gas and water bills either but it's not good enough to have avoidable power failure as happened last summer.

Governments have let Australia down once again and this time it's close to treason.

All power generation methods have to be developed, including nuclear power, and infrastructure must be improved and upgraded regularity in a long-term planned way. There are too many lawyers, union hacks and former staffers in our parliaments who talk a lot but achieve little. It's time to clean them out at future elections.

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, Vic

The Canberra Times article "Tariffs send users off-grid" (May 15, p1) illustrates a common issue with infrastructure funding.

The strategy of funding community infrastructure by identifying users and requiring them to pay is complicated.

An alternative low-cost and hence economically efficient approach is to allow the community to invest directly in infrastructure. Community repayments and returns are with discounted goods and services created by the infrastructure. Large ICON Water users who have alternative sources of water like recycled water, water from the lakes or water from bore holes could supply the funds to ICON Water to develop the infrastructure to use these sources. The funds obtained would be repaid by discounting the water the investors received. In effect, the community of large users self-fund the new infrastructure and saves the cost of capital. They get a return on investment with discounted water.

Assuming large water users can obtain loan funds at 7 per cent and it takes them 30 years to repay their loans then the savings is 140 per cent of the capital invested at no cost to ICON Water.

ICON Water and other organisations serving the community can use the approach for all infrastructure funding and replace debt with self-funding, saving significant amounts of money. Doing this would rid governments of much debt. The approach is not new. Variations were used extensively until 1980 when self-styled rational economics became the norm.

Kevin Cox, Ngunnawal

Jessica Irvine has a misguided belief that the petroleum resource rent tax is good policy ("Bank levy is a good idea", May 15, p16). The Conversation [theconversation.com] may be a bit "highbrow" for her, but I would still urge her to read the article Dark Money by Michael West.

In it he describes how a Senate inquiry has been told that Australia's five newest offshore gas projects "may never pay a cent in royalties or PRRT, and probably very little in income tax either" – the companies involved have already calmly collected some $230 billion in tax credits. He describes this as "a giveaway of immense magnitude". That would have to be the understatement of the year, given that by comparison Norway has amassed a sovereign wealth fund of some $70trillion [yes, trillion!] from resource taxes over many years which provides enough investment returns to sufficiently cover almost their entire social welfare costs.

At least 15 years of a mining boom and now a gas "boom"? Further comparisons with Scott Morrison's efforts can only be described as "odious".

Chris Fowler, Bywong, NSW

Australian Bankers' Association chief Anna Bligh deplores the new bank levy, pointing out that the biggest shareholders in banks are superannuation funds, and that hundreds of thousands of retirees are living on their share dividends. Analysis by the ratings agency Moody's brings some helpful perspective.

Moody's estimates the levy will result in a drop in bank profits of 3.8 per cent. The average annual dividend paid by Australia's big four banks is currently around 5.4 per cent.

These dividends are franked at 30 per cent, meaning that someone earning up to $87,000 would pay negligible tax on this dividend income. If the shares are owned by a retiree's super pension fund, the franking credit is paid to the investor as well, as a cash refund.

For these investors, the combined annual return is around 7per cent. Suppose the big four banks were to make their shareholders bear the entire burden of the new levy, in the form of reduced dividends. Assume the profit impact estimate by Moody's is roughly correct. Although not all bank profits are passed on as dividends, it would seem unlikely that the average annual dividend paid to shareholders would drop below 5 per cent, with pension fundholders getting at least 6.5per cent. Still pretty good!

Paul Feldman, Macquarie

Lazy word choice "hits" journalist. When I read The Canberra Times and see the word "hit" used in so many places, instead of an accurate descriptive word, I physically cringe and my brain disengages.

For example — the stockmarket was "hit" (affected) today by large losses in the banking sector; drug use in sports "hits" (reaches) new highs; traffic congestion "hits" (causes delays on) the new bypass road; NBN poor speed "hits" (adversely affects) many small businesses users; the area had been "hit" (badly impacted) by business closures; a new app for tracking your location "hits" the market" (goes on sale today); tax evasion by big corporations "hits new highs" (increases); and so on and so on! I do hope I have "hit" the nail on the head.

Brian Breach, Greenway

("Outsiders Flock to Macron's Banner", May 13, p26): How apt to have a bullfighter in parliament. I hope Marie Sara is up to the challenge. Perhaps the US should look for a bullfighter too.

Glenys Hammer, Narrabundah

I wonder when George Pell is planning his next Australian holiday? It's been a while since he's caught up with his friends and family back home. The only question with a less finite answer is when Australian Catholics will finally wake up and smell the cheese.

James Allan, Narrabundah.

To Christina Faulk (Letters, May 13) re "media tart". Reasoned arguments are preferable to personal insults. "Keep your tongue from saying bad things and your lips from talking bad about others" (1 Peter 3:10, Bible New Life Version).

Susan MacDougall, Scullin

Phillip Telford (Letters, May 15) misunderstands how the perception of politics works. Bill Shorten can afford to do precisely nothing in light of the budget. To paraphrase Clarke & Dawe from the '80s, he just has to not be Malcolm Turnbull.

Mark Slater, Melba

JC recognised that one size does not fit all. His parable of the good Samaritan, the alien who assisted the citizen, is offset against his reply to the Pharisees (temple lawyers) who would entrap him, "Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's and unto God that which is God's." The abstract ideal is to be distinguished from the realities of state.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

While the good foot and bike path upgrades to Haig Park were in construction we were told only one of the two would be closed at a time. Today both have been fenced. So who's in charge?

Geoff Davidson, Braddon

Mario Stivala (Letters, May 15) says a lot of nonsense has been written about "ingrate" Yassmin Abdel-Magied. True – and he's just added to it. Incidentally, does Mario agree that Yassmin owns the same right to free speech that he exercises so vociferously?

Eric Hunter, Cook

Black and dark cars are 47 per cent more likely to be involved in crashes than cars of other colours. This is because they are not as easily seen. Carowners with black cars, please drive with your lights on, consider whether the cost is worth the benefit next time you buy, and please lobby the authorities to pay more for insurance and registration.

John Skurr, Deakin

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