Interesting estimate when you compare the $10.5million cost of remaking the 4.1 kilometres of the Kings Highway before the Clyde being done by Palerang Council subcontracting to RMS NSW. I'd get a quote from these blokes before commencing Horsepark Drive.

Andrew Gordon, Tuross Head, NSW

The ACT government has just released the following Request For Tender: "Housing and Community Services within the Community Services Directorate (Territory) seeks to establish a panel of up to six Real Estate Agents to provide purchasing, sales, marketing advice and associated services." I wonder whether there's a tender evaluation criteria about amounts donated to the ALP?

Les Neulinger, Farrer

In our democratic society, the members of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference ("Bishops warn on marriage damage," May 16, p4) enjoy the same rights as the rest to put forward their definition of marriage.

In our (thankfully) secular society they do not enjoy any institutional status beyond that of concerned private citizens. Their definition of marriage and the way they present it to their congregations is for their own consciences. Should the legal definition change, no-one will compel them to recognise the moral validity of the relevant legislation. They should perhaps leave it at that.

For me, the dignity of marriage is in no way diminished by the example of my niece and the woman with whom she has shared a loving and fruitful relationship for several years, nor by the example of their loving parenting. Context: I attend Mass weekly, and I like to start my mornings with 30 minutes of prayerful meditation.

Peter Downie, Banks

Scott Matheson (Letters, May 10) claims that: "Twenty years ago, Geneva had one tram line. Now it has four with more lines under construction or planned. It has no metro."

Well, in 1967-68 trams and trolleys were the main mass transport system in Geneva. So, if now Geneva "has four [new trams lines] with more lines under construction or planned", Mr Matheson cannot claim that trams are really credibly replacing the flexible bus lines system introduced from the late Sixties. True, Geneva does not have a metro system.

Malaga eradicated trams in the 1960s and '70s. Since then the main mass transport system in the city has been buses. By the way, free Wi-Fi connection has been available in many bus lanes in Malaga for over a decade! The still to be completed "light metro" will help to decongest traffic in the inner city. Which is why it was introduced.

Barcelona's new "tram system" is mostly decorative and touristic. No town planner worth his/her salt would dare suggest trams as a mass transport system in a city like Barcelona. We should thank The CT for giving you and "the ill-informed blatherings of the Can the Tram fogeys" a chance to put our viewsforward.

John Rodriguez, Florey

Thank you Greg Ellis (Letters, May 17) for alerting me to the New World Order conspiracy. The Canberra Times reported, apparently incorrectly, that Brazilian President Rousseff was overthrown because of decades of corruption and recession; but now I know it was the New World Order at play.

I for one welcome this New World Order, which Mr Ellis exposes as an American-Jewish conspiracy for global hegemony.

I hope that after they take over the planet, they can instigate much-needed changes. I have some suggestions.

First, get rid of the NRL bunker. The old order doesn't understand the "obstruction" rule, and one can only hope that the New World Order can restore fairness to rugby league videoreviews.

Second, stop Axl Rose from singing with AC/DC. The silence from world leaders over this travesty is reason enough for a new global hegemony.

Third, the "12 items or less supermarket checkout". Has anyone else noticed that some people don't obey this rule?

Are they terrorists? A sleeper cell? Why else would they disobey Western rules and regulations? And who decided it was only 12 items, why not 10 or 14?

Now that Mr Ellis has awakened us to the new global hegemony of a certain people and their allies taking over the world, I wonder if we could find out their position on light rail?

Simon Tatz, Curtin

The errors in Alex White's article "Extreme and misleading rhetoric a disservice" (Times2, May 17, p5) are so extensive they undermine its whole premise. Master Builders ACT is not a "big business lobby group", and nor does it represent Grocon. Over 90 per cent of our members are small businesses.

I am not a "former Liberal government staffer". I am a former public servant who has worked with ministers on all sides of politics (we don't get tochoose).

The MoU delivered as part of the formal tender documents requires that unions be part of the negotiations on government tenders "not only in appearance but in fact".

The CFMEU is in bed with the same global contractors Mr White attacks. The CFMEU's deal with a Chinese-owned global contractor (John Holland) is specifically designed to lock out local construction teams. Mr White quotes issues in Oman. CIMIC, the head contractor, operates in Oman through the Habtoor Leighton Group.

Mr White laments the exorbitant salaries paid to construction executives. Australia's largest corporate salary by far goes to the top executive of the CIMIC group. CIMIC's CEO received a bonus of way more than $15 million this year.

We do agree on one thing, however. The CFMEU has no role to play on ACT construction sites. Canberra's construction teams have voted to have nothing further to do with the thugs and bullies who have plagued our industry for the past decade or more. Their courage and choice should be respected, not just by Unions ACT, but by the ACTgovernment.

Kirk Coningham, executive director, Master Builders Association of the ACT

Any transport engineer will tell you a long wide footpath could carry up to 2000 Segways per hour, travelling at 20km/h and separated by 10metres ("Wheels turn on giving Segways the run of Canberra's streets and paths", May 16, p1). Thus a grade-separated Segway path from Gungahlin to Civic, costing in the tens of millions, would have the same capacity as the tram service to be introduced in 2019, and result in faster journey times when the door-to-door service of the Segway is taken into account.

While commuting by Segway may have its moments, my point is that this government and its mainstay, Greens MLA Shane Rattenbury, have the blinkers on when it comes to public transport developments for Canberra.

The first driverless car fleet will go into service somewhere in the world before the stage1 light rail project can be completed. The Gungahlin-Russell light rail design will not scale up to meet a doubling of demand, or if it is attempted there will have to be a road tunnel from Barry Drive to Parkes Way in order to avoid traffic chaos.

That reality demands a rethink of this stupid project – an elevated light rail line all the way along Northbourne Avenue at least makes some sense.

A. Smith, Farrer

In reference to two stories "Wheels turn on giving Segways the run of Canberra's streets and paths", and "High-priced bus ride for public servants" ( May 16, p1) I suggest the ACT government could solve two transport dilemmas at the same time, and issue all Department of Immigration and Borderforce employees with a Segway for travel between workplaces.

We have been having quite a giggle in our office imagining the sight of Borderforce cruising about en masse.

Michelle Thornton, Casey

Robert Willson (Letters, May 18) seems to forget the devastation of the global financial crisis. Or was he asleep? This is the truth about the economy Mr Abbott inherited. Of 34 wealthy, developed economies in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development only Australia and Poland avoided recession. Mr Abbott in 2013 inherited a government with the third lowest debt in the world; unemployment of 4.9 per cent; record low interest rates; record low inflation; and a AAA credit rating from all international rating agencies, something Peter Costello never achieved. Most importantly, the Rudd stimulus, on Treasury advice, saved us from recession and avoided the loss of 200,000 jobs.

Labor has received no credit for this from the Liberals or the media. Oh and debt now? Under the Liberals, Gross debt has hit a record $160 billion more than it was under Mr Rudd with no GFC to wrestle with.

Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South, NSW

Andrew Nikiforuk's article (Trudeau's trail to blaze, Forum, May 14, p7) was outstanding. The horrific wildfire that engulfed Fort McMurray, business centre of the Athabasca tar sands, was indeed a climate-inspired disaster.

According to Inside Climate News, the CEO of Mobil Corporation, Rawleigh Warner Jr, warned in 1982 (34 years ago) that burning Canadian oil sands fuels and other unconventional reserves with a higher carbon footprint, 'could lead to a buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere with calamitous effects'.

Mobil later merged with Exxon to form ExxonMobil whose subsidiary, Imperial Oil, is now a leading producer of fuels from Canadian oil sands. It seems Warner's warning was totally ignored. If Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is to retain his credibility and popularity, he needs to introduce a carbon tax that will cause the tar sands industry to contract by a million barrels a day. He has to do this for two reasons.

First, if he is to meet his Paris Agreement emission reduction targets, he has to limit production of tar sands, this the most highly polluting form of crude. In addition, Canadian tar sands have helped create the current situation of global oil oversupply that has led to low prices and caused severe pain for some oil exporters, not least Venezuela which is on the brink of collapse.

If we don't see a restoration of balance between supply and demand in the oil industry, many producers will go to the wall, creating in turn a shortage of supply with higher prices and, in turn, economic pain for all importing countries.

Jenny Goldie, Michelago, NSW

Although Christopher Pyne is named Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science, he displays little evidence of scientific knowledge or interest. The Minister appears currently preoccupied with dismembering the globally significant CSIRO (Letters, May 12).

His latest calumny is to connive with the sacking of 74 workers in its Oceanic and Atmosphere Division, undermining Australia's national and international responsibilities (David Denham) and ignoring the real and present dangers of climate catastrophe, including massive loss of biodiversity. Two and a half millennia ago, Plato presciently declared that a nation whose leaders lack vision is doomed.

More optimistic (not applicable to Australia's present government) is the ancient Greek adage "A nation is wise whose elders plant trees under whose shade they will not sit". With the exception of Barry Jones, no scientists have been appointed to Australia's political ministry, despite the scientifically based evidence that the biosphere is in peril from human activities in this anthropocene era. Why does the electorate fail to vote for MPs whose foresight extends beyond forthcoming elections? Perhaps these citizens have not yet reached voting age?

Bryan Furnass, Hughes

Kenneth Griffiths (Letters, May 16) insists he loves Jews, resorting to the 'some of my best ex-girlfriends are Jewish' line and name-dropping such old pals as Albert Einstein and Steven Pinker (Challenge for Jews, May 16).

But, like Einstein's theories, his love is distinctly relative.

Yes, he loves them alright, but only so long as they don't exercise their right to self-determination like all other ethnicities around the world enjoy. But if Jews do insist on self-determination, oh boy, watch out because that love quickly morphs into the kind that compels people like Griffiths to reel off letters on the subject year after year.

His pathological antipathy towards Israel is so great, that he invents statements that Israeli Ambassador to Australia Shmuel Ben-Shmuel never made, namely that all critics of Israel are antisemites. And thinks peace is not something to be reached through peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians but only by diaspora Jews abandoning Israel. Honestly, such "love" gets people killed, especially in the Middle East.

Oh and by the way, Einstein was a Zionist and so is Pinker.

Mark Kessel, Caulfield North, Vic

Michael Pezzullo (Letters, May 16) would have us believe that Border Force is not militaristic. "The only staff required to be in uniform and to carry weapons are those whose duties require it and who are properly credentialed and trained", states Mr Pezzullo.

In my day, the army worked on that very same principle and I assume that all militaristic organisations do so. Perhaps Mr Pezzullo thinks that army recruits are given a loaded gun before they even have a haircut.

Jim Jones, Charnwood

Boris Johnson, former mayor of London, who has a dislike for Europe, cannot wait to see Britain leave the European Union ("European superstate 'doomed': Johnson" May 16, p6). This view totally dismisses the repeated warnings from the British Prime Minister, the Governor of the Bank of England and the International Monetary Fund that leaving the EU will threaten the British economy.

What a disaster if the British people, who are keen to block Donald Trump from UK entry, were to accept the poor judgment of their own Mr "Trump".

Sam Nona, Burradoo, NSW

ON TERRORISTS

Kenneth Griffiths (Letters, May 16) claims Israel failed a test because a soldier who shot a disarmed terrorist was only charged with manslaughter. That contrasts well with the way the Palestinians treat terrorists. They celebrate them, name streets or children's sports tournaments after them and pay them or their families pensions well above the average wage.

Justin Said, Coogee, NSW

SIGN LATER

We would be very trusting to think that the hurry to sign light contracts ("Anger at plan for split of tram jobs", May 16, 1) is for any reason but to lock the community into a position where it could be more expensive to delay the contract than carry it out.

Any government with a shred of ethics would leave the signing until after the election to give our community a chance to vote whether we want light rail or not.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

GAUGING OPINION

When Mark Twain visited Australia in 1895 he travelled by train from Sydney to Melbourne and was frustrated by the inconvenience of having to change trains in the middle of the night due to the lack of a standard rail gauge, he wrote, "Think of the paralysis of intellect that gave that idea birth".

With my wallet bursting with an array of cashed up electronic travel cards from MyWay to Opal and Myki to Gocard, it's easy to think of a similar paralysis of intellect.

Bruce Taggart, Aranda

VALE GIURGOLA

Vale maestro Giurgola ("Architect's legacy is a national landmark", May 17, p1).

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

CORBELL AFTERGLOW

Given the glowing testimonial of Simon Corbell's record by Frank Ross (Letters, May 17), one wonders how such a politician could possibly be dumped by his own ALP faction.

Only the naive or those newly resident to the ACT could possibly be taken in by this sort of promotion. Even a suggested memorial or statue in due course... please.

Murray May, Cook

OH THAT AGREEMENT

In his article "Election 2016: Why a hung Parliament and snap second election are now very real possibilities" (canberratimes.com.au, May 16) Tim Colebatch reports that "Malcolm Turnbull doesn't want agreements with other parties either", in the context of forming government.

What does Turnbull call the arrangement between the Liberal and National parties then?

Peter Tait, O'Connor

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).