National security policy nothing but a string of slogans

National security policy is currently neither deep nor philosophical. As articulated by Mr Abbott, it is no more than a string of slogans, where Mr Abbott has, until now, himself been "given the benefit of the doubt". Yet Mr Abbott demonstrates equally poor judgment whenever he plays the national security "card". Witness his miscalls with the Malaysian air crash, his miscues with China, and now his mistakes with Indonesia.

Trevor Wilson, Holder

Claims that the Human Rights Commission only became concerned about detention of children since the September 2013 election are untrue.

The commission has been consistently reporting concern about the issue since at least the 1990s, freely available on the public record at the website humanrights.gov.au.

Just one example: the report "Those who've come across the seas" (HREOC 1998) noted: "The conditions of detention are inadequate and in violation of human rights when people, especially children and other vulnerable people are detained for prolonged periods. Australia is obliged to promote the wellbeing of children. Detention is permissible only when it is necessary."

I've never worked for HRC and know no one employed there. Their work, over a good many years, is plainly consistent, plainly apolitical, and a matter of public record.

Don Clark, Latham

A government that appointed an employee of a far-right "think tank" as human rights commissioner is in no position to complain about politicisation of the HRC.

What's more, as an eminent and highly regarded statutory officer holder who has proved that she can be neither coerced nor induced to stand down, Professor Gillian Triggs has every prospect of outlasting our blustering Prime Minister, let alone his blundering Attorney-General, in public life.

(Dr) William Maley, Reid

Public servants finding it difficult to negotiate with Senator Eric Abetz on a fair pay rise ("PS pay-rise campaign right in minister's face", February 26, p5) may recall his earlier comments that from June 2004 to June 2014, total pay in the private sector rose by 42.4per cent, and 45.9per cent in the broader public sector – "pay-rise paradise" according to the Senator.

What he didn't say was that research by the Parliamentary Library puts Senator Abetz and his federal parliamentary colleagues on top of the pile, scoring increases to their base salaries of more than 68per cent between 2003 and 2013.

During the period, 2004-14 ADF salaries increased by 43.4per cent whilst DFRDB military pensions increased by just 35.2per cent. I leave it to you to draw your own conclusions from these figures, and who in the Australia are really in "pay-rise paradise" and who may be in "pay-rise hell".

Les Bienkiewicz, vice-president, Defence Force Welfare Association

As a non-Defence public servant I get a bit miffed when I hear Defence bureaucrats whingeing about their current or proposed conditions.

Not only do Defence public servants receive higher salaries than other federal government agency employees, many people may not be aware of the many hidden – and unaccounted for – benefits that Defence public servants enjoy, like free access to state-of-the-art gyms, which are meant to be for use of Defence military personnel who are required to be fit for active duty. Instead, uniformed Defence members often find their equipment swarming with public servants enjoying their free gym access – a benefit I'm sure many Canberrans would envy, particularly given many Defence public servants are using these gyms when the rest of us are bust working and squeezing our exercise into times outside work hours.

And let's not forget the good old DECA day – "an additional day of leave that does not require an employee to specify a reason for taking leave that day", and also not available to other APS officers.

Last, but certainly not least, Defence APS officers get subsided parking and access to subsidised meals.

Perhaps the Defence APS can either start paying fringe benefits tax on these extra benefits or give them up and then perhaps they can argue for more pay. In my opinion, they should put up and shut up, as their deal is already very generous.

Amy Little, Rivett

Ahmed Fahour, chief executive of Australia Post, has the concept of customer service back to front. He puts up the cost of a stamp, then complains that his service is under-used, so he decides to punish his customers by eroding services on offer, and hopes we will all go away. Perhaps we shall.

If Mr Fahour doesn't want to provide a postal service, then why was he hired in that position in the first place?

The time it takes for Australia Post to deliver a letter is unacceptably long. Two weeks from Northern NSW to Sydney. No wonder his ex-customers are finding alternatives. Shame on Mr Fahour and Australia Post.

V. Lauf, Bungendore, NSW

It's disappointing that politicians and the media (other than the ABC) just ignore that Jobs Services Australia has failed for people with disability and may be corrupt. The government's business partners turn out to be rorters on a much larger scale than people with disability. Where is the media cover of that story?

Then new government policy may deny school leavers with disability essential support and push very vulnerable people into the failed Jobs Services system. There are few jobs for people with disability. The new policy seeks to hammer in square pegs where there are no holes.

Bob Buckley, Ainslie

How bad does smoking need to be before we really do something about it?

Yet another research paper tells us that not only is smoking bad, but it's really bad, worse than thought ("Cigarettes will kill two-thirds of smokers", February 25, p2). At what point will the government really do something about it? When will it accept a duty of care not just to the smokers, but to the remaining population that are also exposed to this cancerous niche in our society?

Raising the price of tobacco products, education, assistance to those wanting to quit have all worked wonders, but they are slow and costly, as is the healthcare attached to treating smoking related diseases.

So, before the next report telling us the same thing again, let's do the right thing, once. Ban smoking now.

Joe Murphy, Bonython

Ian Welch's suggestion (Letters, February 24) that the use of liquefied human waste to fertilise market gardens is not risky flies in the face of contrary evidence.

In 2011, nearly 4000 people were hospitalised in Europe and 53 died from a strain of E.coli almost certainly originating in bean sprouts infected by human waste-contaminated water. Much harm was done to European agriculture as blame was directed at many different products, but it seems that one farm in Germany was the source.

Any food can become a source of illness if contamination occurs at any stage from planting to plate, but having been the victim of a bacteria acquired during a visit to China, I am particularly wary of Chinese produce. Antibiotics are used there in both animals and humans in ways that we would consider illegal or, at least, irresponsible. This makes treatment of any subsequent infection far more problematic, especially in vulnerable people.

K. L. Calvert, Downer

Mrs L. Madan (Letters, February 23) apparently finds the Manuka Oval organisers deficient in providing an intelligent and hospitable welcome to those attending the Afghanistan-Bangladesh cricket match last week.

Her criticisms start with the provision of food and drink with "families looking in bewilderment" at only one stall selling halal chicken kebabs.

May I suggest she consult the halal certification in Australia website to see exactly how many everyday Australian-produced foodstuffs and products are halal-certified?

Mrs Madan next appears to feel that advertisements for alcohol should somehow have been suspended in deference to the presence of Muslims in the crowd. Paying sponsors are part and parcel of the sports scene, like it or not. And Muslim Australians are probably long aware that alcohol is legally permitted in Australia and are not likely to be mortally offended by such advertisements.

Finally, Mrs Madan reports that she encountered an "Islamic woman" praying on the floor of the ladies' toilet, indicating that the Manuka Oval was at fault in not providing a prayer room.

Devout Muslims pray five times daily, but at specified times only, not on personal whim. Where this is awkward or impossible, dispensation is allowed. Muslim pilots do not abort landings because it's prayer time.

No, the woman ostentatiously commandeering space in the ladies' toilet was most likely less about demonstrating her piety towards Allah and more about showing her indifference and contempt towards the infidels around her.

There are an eye-popping number of Muslim councils and associations in Australia, so I suggest Mrs Madan leave it to them to approach venue organisers for any event at which sizeable numbers of Muslim Australians are likely to attend to make suitable arrangements. They aren't shy, you know.

P. Fowler, Karabar, NSW

The overturning of the conviction against Peter Slipper sets the bar for what is parliamentary business. Clearly, Bronwyn Bishop's attendance at Sophie Mirabella's wedding was parliamentary business. Tony Abbott's decision to use public funds for his book launch could not have been. Where is the investigation and prosecution for this?

Peter Harris, Evatt

Presumably, the 70per cent of Gungahlin commuters who are happy to switch to light rail ("Light rail backed by residents in survey", February 26, p3) will be happy to pay for my petrol while I keep driving in from the Southside? Alternatively, I can pay for my transport and you can pay for yours. Sound fair?

John Howarth, Weston

Someone, please cancel H.Ronald's subscription to The Canberra Times. His letter-writing addiction is a cry for help.

Joyce Wu, Lyneham

I get the distinct impression Tony Abbott does not want voters to think about anything else other than terrorists. Forget about budget cuts, increased living costs, reduced government spending and reduced services. Just keep thinking about terrorism. OK, Tony, you win, I am frightened. Now, about my pension ...

P. J. Carthy, McKellar

Those ill-informed left-wing ideologues need to read Paul Sheehan's factual legacy of Professor Triggs' term as human rights commissioner ("Gillian Triggs: Set on a course of self-martyrdom", canberratimes.com.au, February 26) to understand how she has failed to carry out her responsibilities in a balanced and unbiased manner.

Brendan Ryan, Mawson

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).