Lower the boom on Barr

The government has also been responsible for the totally unsupportable light rail; the hideous West Lake container village; the City to the Lake proposal including loss of the Civic Pool and construction of a ludicrous stadium in the city; the relocation of the Canberra and Region Visitors Centre to an inaccessible site; the likely desecration of the Murrumbidgee River Corridor reserves, with the suburbs of Thompson, Strathnairn and Macnamara; the disgraceful handling of Mr Fluffy housing demolitions; and the desertification of Civic.

Furthermore, we have all witnessed the Manuka Oval debacle; the dubious Brumbies' land deal at Griffith; the questionable deal with Raiders over the Northbourne Oval development; the five-year debacle over the Giralang shops; LDA's $4million buyback of Glebe Park land from developers; and the proposed destruction of the West Lake foreshore area.

To cap it all off, while there has been the inevitable cronyism, nepotism and doubtful staff relationships with developers, the ultimate piece of political chicanery was the appointment of Brendan Smyth as the ACT's commissioner for international engagement. In the words of CT columnist Jack Waterford, "Barr's model of modern government is decaying and out of date, and he has not adapted to the times or to circumstance". It is time to change models.

Murray Upton, Belconnen

The hide of the man who sold his political soul to Labor for a billion-dollar-plus tramline and then invested in tramside property ("Rattenbury's portfolio", September13, p1)!

He must resign for blatantly taking advantage of this unnecessary infrastructure that we will pay for from our rates and seven-eighths of us will never use. When will he realise that Canberra is a city designed for cars and for public transport that can reach our dispersed residential areas?

Richard Forster, Deakin

I will never use stage one of the light rail. I will also never use the new jail, or most of the new road duplications, or the new courthouse, or the hospital upgrades.

This does not mean they are not good long-term assets to the community.

The wider non-transport benefits to a city-wide light rail system have been proven in other cities, and have already been stated as a factor in land sales along the stage one route by developers. The Labor government was elected with a promise to start construction of stage one. They have fulfilled that promise. The Canberra Liberals are seeking office promising to put $30 million in crisp new hundred dollar notes into a big pile, and set fire to it.

Has this policy been subject to a cost-benefit analysis?

Peter Brassington, Coombs

I thought the days of reading headlines focusing on the behaviour of rape victims was well over, especially in our nation's capital. I was horrified therefore to see the headline "Alleged rape victim accused of fooling around" (September 14, p10).

The story you present is of a vulnerable 15-year-old girl, and two men – one we are told is 10 years older, and the other, his friend, she is scared of. Better headlines might have been "Man accused of raping minor" or "Young girl reports allegations to appease angry boyfriend".

Your reporting feeds into victim-blaming behaviour, and is disappointing.

Jessica Morrison, West Heidelberg, Vic

At last, a building format for new apartments and shops here that seems to work well in its localenvironment.

It can be seen in a "works approval application" to the National Capital Authority for a new development on sensitive Constitution Avenue, one block east of Anzac Parade. The medium-rise building's avenue-facing elevation is centrally pierced by a wide three-storey opening extending through to the counter or aperture of the building's splayed, square-U-shaped footprint. Pedestrians will be able to walk from the avenue through the lofty "arch", into a spacious sunny courtyard formed by the aperture, which contains more shops and cafes etc at ground level.

Views towards the National Triangle should be available from the courtyard, and of course, from the avenue-facing, and some side parts of the building. The three-dimensional articulated format will relieve the usual jaw-breaking monotony of such buildings ubiquitously seen in Canberra, including a couple of fairly ordinary ones already built on Constitution Avenue.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

This year Mike Reddy (Letters, September 9) has visited more cities using trams.

Last year it was Zurich (population density 4400/sqkm) and Frankfurt (population density 3000/sqkm). Now it is Yekaterinburg (population density 2800/sqkm). If he can find a city like Canberra (population density 430/sqkm) using trams, then CanTheTram might cease its campaign.

A. Smith, Farrer

By using their leadership, they garnered support and communicated the need for change beyond the murkiness of factional party politics.

Gough Whitlam brought our troops home from Vietnam. Malcolm Fraser's unwavering stance helped end apartheid in South Africa; Bob Hawke's summit opened a gateway of co-operation and conciliation; John Howard enacted strong gun laws in the wake of Port Arthur; and Kevin Rudd apologised to the Stolen Generation. All these resonate in my consciousness as instances of true leadership.

No political party has a monopoly on leadership qualities. It's in the person, their drive, the desire to make change, to be strident in their beliefs.

Malcolm Turnbull has an opportunity where he, too, could be in this league.

Marriage equality is a human right. Stand up for all Australians in their choice of who to love and marry.

Dump the plebiscite and push ahead regardless.

L. Parker Doyle, Bonner

I refer to your story "Turnbull's test as cabinet considers February plebiscite" (September 13, p8) and Labor's negative commentary coupled with a stated commitment to opposing the plebiscite legislation.

I am amazed that the ALP could be so arrogant as to suggest that I can't have a say in the future of Australian society that the plebiscite will deliver. Labor's position is another illustration of its penchant for social engineering.

I remain undecided on same-sex marriage. I have no strong feeling one way or the other, but am open to being convinced one way or the other on the merits of the respective arguments.

But what I do believe is that the plebiscite will arrive at a conclusion on this matter that is supported by all Australians, not just a few who will doubtless be lobbied by interest groups on both sides of the debate and those in between if the vote on same-sex marriage is reduced to a vote of parliamentarians.

Regrettably there will winners and losers, and those who lose will need to move on. Like the Medicare scare campaign conducted by the ALP at the recent election, the Leader of the Opposition and his deputy are now making breathtaking claims that young children, of less than marital age by the way, will likely suicide.

Why? Where is the empirical evidence for this outrageous statement?

John Fuhrman, Kambah

George Brandis told the ABC's AM on Wednesday: "And I would appeal to Mr Shorten and members of the Labor caucus to realise that if they support this plebiscite bill then there will be a plebiscite on the 11th of February which all of the opinion poll evidence indicates would be passed overwhelmingly." (http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2016/s4538368.htm).

So the Turnbull government knows, unequivocally, the outcome of a plebiscite. Why then do we need a hurtful plebiscite costing at least $175million which many members of their side have said they will ignore when they are called on to vote in Parliament, all in the midst of the Coalition's claimed "debt and deficit crisis"?

What are the criteria to decide on whether a plebiscite should be held on any issue?

Mike Stracey, Fraser

My favourite politician, Tanya Plibersek, showed a disappointing lack of grace using a same-sex family's 13-year-old son to score a political point ("Labor forces PM into three-week plebiscite wait", September 14, p4).

After Labor claiming concern over the possibility of a plebiscite's effect on those same children, this is hypocrisy.

If this is an example of the tenor of the same-sex marriage debate, then I agree a plebiscite should be scrapped and any debate left in abeyance until some time in the future when sensible, calm debate with respect from both sides for different points of view is evident.

Sylvia Miners, Isabella Plains

So Australia has had 25 years of continued economic growth, which logically should result in a continuing improvement in the living standards of all Australians. However, the reverse is the situation.

The real value of salaries, wages and working conditions has been declining for years, youth unemployment is a national disgrace, and we are arguably the meanest country in the developed world when it comes to providing welfare for the aged, the unemployed, the disabled and other disadvantaged Australians.

Consequently our living standards are going backwards. What is the good of an all singing and dancing economy if nobody seems to be sharing the benefits of the prosperity? Obviously, there must be a few out there who are copping the lot. I wonder who they are?

John Vincent, Wanniassa

By Save the Children/UNICEF estimates, removing a family of four from Nauru to Australia would save $1.6million each year ("Stopping boats cost nation more than $9.6bn", September13, p9).

Think what could be done with that sort of money by way of setting them up on small farms or shops, or providing full-time training or whatever it takes to meet their known desire to lead productive lives and give back to their country of refuge.

Instead, obscene amounts are spent – security guards on six-figure salaries! – to police ever-more despairing and listless detainees whose only crime was to risk their lives at sea to find safe haven.

Tim Macnaught, Narrabundah

With reference to the Minto stabbing, John Rodriguez (Letters, September14) asked, "Was the Cronulla beach incident also a 'terrorist' attack, perpetrated by white supremacists on a group of Muslim youths?" No, mate.

It was an enraged mob reaction to a bunch of self-righteous young men of minority religious affiliation who were deliberately and consistently intimidating young women on the beach. Mr Rodriguez' comments are not relevant to section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act. They are offensive and ignorant.

Gary J. Wilson, MacGregor

AGEISM CALL

Should I feel insulted that the one call I have received for this election on Canberra issues is only open to those aged 18-29? Apparently it is an eight-minute survey – presumably for Labor and the Chief Minister's target generation.

What about Gen X? Don't our views count?

R. Scouller, Forrest

POPPINS PROMISES

This being election season, I must remember Mary Poppins' advice: "That's a pie-crust promise. Easily made and easily broken."

Richard Horobin, Curtin

COUNTING DOWN

On Sunday, the man from the Australian Bureau of Statistics told me census returns were overdue. Challenged that they could be received up until September23, he quoted an ABS email: "The completion of the census is due or overdue."

Later on, the email stated September 23 as the final date. Three contradictory statements. Lies, damned lies and ABS truths.

Jeremy McGrane, Kingston

WORKING ON THE RAIL

Victoria's light rail creates jobs manufacturing trams in Victoria. Queensland's light rail creates jobs manufacturing trams in Queensland.

Canberra's light rail will create jobs manufacturing trams in Japan, Spain or Germany.

Leon Arundell, Downer

DISCERNING RACISM

If Senator Pauline Hanson really cannot be bothered to try and distinguish between a "'good Muslim" or "bad Muslim" ("Hanson's speech takes aim at Muslims, welfare recipients", September15, p4), then why should anyone make an effort to distinguish between her decent, fearful, One Nation supporters and those racist elements among them?

Michael Crowe, Hawker

GO FIGURE

As surprised as I was at a 25 per cent overestimation of my gas bill, it was the nature of the "estimate" that confounded me. The estimate was quoted to six significant figures, and furthermore was based on an original reading of just four significant figures.

A. Bartlett, Deakin

SKEWED VIEW

Sadly, your story ("Bordering on outrageous", Comment, September15, p16) won't change anything. The Coalition and Labor commission opinion polls. The polls reveal that most voters see refugees as vermin, not people.

Change will come only when most voters see refugees as people.

Graham Macafee, Latham

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