The reason is that, prior to its introduction to the Assembly several weeks ago, Labor and Shane Rattenbury appear to have restricted discussion of the legislation to those likely to support it, so as to keep opposition to a minimum. So much for open government.

The effect of this hasty, ill-thought-through legislation will be to politicise significant aspects of planning and development in Canberra. If passed, it means that, once the government decides a project of significance is to be declared, or a special precinct area is required, development will proceed, no matter what the counter-arguments might be, and no matter what the existing Territory Plan might say. All that is needed is for the Assembly not to disallow the instruments that give effect to these intentions.

While there is provision for limited public consultation, it is difficult to see how those affected can have any effective say. Once the relevant instrument has passed through the Assembly, development applications (which can be lodged in anticipation of this event) can then be approved by the minister (the ''decision maker''). This means that decision-making in relation to designated projects and precincts has been removed from the planners and resides solely with the political executive.

It is one thing to stimulate development. It is another to remove consideration of it even further from those likely to know the most about it (the planners) and those likely to be most affected: the citizens of Canberra.

Once made, the effects of bad decisions linger. The Assembly as a whole, and the Chief Minister in particular, need to have a good long think as to whether this unnecessary and potentially dangerous legislation is in the best interests of our city.

Dr Jenny Stewart, chairwoman, Woden Valley Community Council

Removing due process to give the minister and the Assembly carte blanche should be thoroughly opposed. Planning should be left to the professionals.

While Canberra residents are kept busy with master plans for Woden, Mawson, Weston, Oaks Estate, new rules can be passed to circumvent any master plan. Once a development is declared major or special (and the definitions are left vague so anything goes) the Territory Plan can be ignored.

Under the new definition of ''decision maker'', the minister is bestowing upon himself extra powers in respect to approval processes, thus rendering the role of ACTPLA's professional planners inconsequential.

The proposed bill constitutes a fundamental change and in a democratic society it should be given more time for consideration.

It should also be more widely publicised so that the community is informed.

By surreptitiously changing the laws, any faulty tower could be approved without meaningful input. Residents' concerns will be used to fuel political debate and unwelcome compromises.

Lydia Frommer, Lyons

Simon Corbell's proposal to deny the community the traditional right of appeal on development applications is more suited to the Queensland Liberal government than our Labor government.

Whether it's politics or marriage, if you do things in haste there is a good chance you will repent at leisure.

Giving Simon Corbell more extensive powers than he already has is a plus for developers and a minus for the community.

All Labor MLAs should think long and hard before they vote for fast-tracking of development.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

I can't help thinking that the NRL should share some of the responsibility for the result of that recent tackle that left a player with horrific injuries. At the start of the 2014 season, there was a rule change which obliged the third player into a tackle to make that tackle above the knees of the player in possession. The rule was obviously designed to prevent injury to a player's knees and lower legs.

Tackles by third players are intended to stop the forward progress of the player in possession. But in making a tackle at or above the knees, the tackler is much more likely to propel the tackled player forward rather than simply stop his progress. That seems to have happened in the McKinnon case, with devastating results. A better option would be to ban third-player tackles altogether.

Brian Smith, Conder

Father Kevin Brannelly (Letters April 7), it seems, like so many of our church leaders, does not get the point.

Everything written by Elizabeth Farrelly (''Exit Pell, not with a whimper but a bombshell'', Times2, April 3, p5) was a true and accurate analysis of the situation.

Please note that she also says ''you don't reject a creed for the failings of its followers''. Ray Edmondson (Letters April 7) states that Elizabeth Farrelly is ''rightly astonished''. I was absolutely horrified. To think that George Pell can accept so calmly that priests will continue to abuse children and that the solution to this is to insure the church against liability! It seems that George Pell has totally lost connection with Jesus Christ and the love of the Holy Spirit. How much does this man need our prayers!

Mary Loft, Queanbeyan, NSW

Like Sally Pryor (''From paddock to great … how our nurserymen saw beyond the plan'', April 5, p1) my family have links with a grandparent ''tasked with creating the urban forests and treescapes'' of Canberra. John Hobday, my grandfather, in similar circumstances to Charles Weston, came to Yarralumla Nursery in 1913 from England via Sydney.

John Hobday was the chief nurseryman for Weston from 1913 and crowned his career as the third superintendent of Parks and Gardens from 1938 to 1944. John Hobday died at Yarralumla in 1944 shortly after his retirement. He lived at the Yarralumla Nursery for 30 years and raised his family at Hobday's Cottage. Lindsay Pryor succeeded John Hobday.

I would like to acknowledge the hundreds of people who have contributed to the development of Canberra through the Yarralumla Nursery and Parks and Gardens over the past 100 years and, like Ms Pryor and Professor Langford, I am proud that my grandfather was one of them.

Peter Hobday, Narrabundah

The phalanx of well-paid lawyers seeking to wring some truth out of what Senator Arthur Sinodinos did or did not know about financial contributions from Australian Water Holdings to the NSW Liberal Party could begin with a flick through the company's board minutes.

If these and other generous payments to Liberal Party lobbyists were approved by the board, the minutes should show that. The same minutes would show who was at the relevant meetings, including who chaired those meetings.

People who serve on boards of relatively minor companies, including those who serve for no remuneration on boards of not-for-profit organisations, are well aware of the requirement for all payments to be authorised and recorded in board minutes. Surely no less is required of highly paid directors of large corporations. And surely Senator Sinodinos cannot be presumed to be naive about his responsibilities as a director and chairman of the board of AWH.

Instead of costing taxpayers even more money by taxing the memory of Senator Sinodinos at the ICAC inquiry, its lawyers could simply confront him and other directors with the company records. And if those records don't exist, the directors must be presumed to be in breach of corporate law and should be dealt with accordingly.

Graham Downie, O'Connor

Friday's editorial (''GST conversation a must for Abbott'', Times2, April 4, p2) gives support to increasing the GST. In your second-last paragraph you admit it is a regressive tax, but do not suggest any cure, other than that there is no tax on food (which also helps the wealthy).

Having lived in a number of countries with similar taxes, I am well aware of their injustice. Being a pensioner on limited income does not exempt me from having to pay the same tax as Gina Rinehart if I have to buy a fridge or washing machine or have plumbing or other repairs done.

Please give a little thought and even some support to those of us (who are many) who do not have the resources of those on high incomes.

There are many other ways to raise government revenue - for example, cut out the subsidies given to miners and others.

Stan Cronin, Watson

Caroline Le Couteur (Letters, April 5) believes superannuants should be taxed on their superannuation pensions. Superannuation has already been taxed while in the fund so why should it be taxed twice? The GST in Australia is relatively low compared to other countries. A rise in the GST taxes everyone, meaning anyone not paying personal income tax is contributing to the funds. GST is on junk food (and toilet paper) but not children's clothing. This seems fair and should encourage everyone to buy healthy food. If anyone has a trolley-load of junk food I see that as their problem but they are contributing to the funding of the states.

Perhaps a higher rate of GST could be imposed on all luxury goods.

There are many ways to increase revenue and also save money but leave superannuants alone. We have paid tax all our working lives and many of us have also contributed to our superannuation funds giving us money for a comfortable retirement.

Robyn Lewis, Raglan, NSW

Caroline Le Couteur and Fred Pilcher (Letters, April 5) have argued that there are much fairer and more effective ways than an increase in the GST to close the revenue gap confronting the federal government.

Le Couteur points to the need to reconsider some of the massive tax concessions made to rich individuals and businesses in recent decades that could easily address the deficit problem. Reforming our tax system is an urgent necessity. Australia is one of the lowest-taxing countries in the OECD and income inequality is increasing faster than in most OECD countries. If Tony Abbott does not want to be known as the prime minister who destroyed a ''fair go for all Australians'', he needs to move rapidly to convene a tax summit.

Evidence presented at a Canberra meeting on ''Power, money and resources'' last week by Professor David Stuckler from Oxford University points to the deadly effects of austerity in a number of the European countries after the global financial crisis. World economic opinion is shifting to a recognition that inequality of income at the extreme levels now being experienced in Australia is not only bad for health but bad for economic productivity..

Let's balance the budget but let's do so through an increase in government revenue that is raised in ways that Advance Australia Fair.

Bob Douglas, Aranda

The scenarios described by Julian Cribb in ''Is extinction on the cards?'' (Times2, April 3, p1) demonstrate that the mass extinction of most of life on Earth is a likely consequence of climate change. The scenarios he describes are well known, straightforward cause and effect and the data and research easily available from climate change science sources. We know heat is transferring to the oceans and that there is increasing evidence positive feedback events are coming into play. For example, methane bubbling out of Arctic seas.

Political pressure ensures that IPCC reports are conservative and furthermore the increasing frequency of positive feedback events earlier than anticipated increases the non-linearity of the models leading to underestimation of projections. There is no good news, the matter is urgent and we may have already locked in runaway climate change. Every day of ''business as usual'' digging up and burning of all fossil fuel deposits is another nail in the coffin for life on the planet. It is incumbent on everyone on the planet to give the issue of effective action on climate change top priority when making decisions, political or otherwise, in their lives.

Cribb's article is where the debate needs to be. A reasonable person would conclude that if given the choice of maintaining a handful of jobs in the mechanised fossil fuel industry or death, that death is the least attractive option.

Chris Hansen, Rivett

The thousand-odd Canberra families living in Mr Fluffy-time-bomb houses keep contemplating their bleak future and the ACT government keeps dodging its responsibilities to them.

But there is a straightforward, positive response which would substantially reduce the future risks of in-wall asbestos to families and contractors.

Back when the clean-up of Mr Fluffy homes was conducted, some, but by no means all teams undertaking the task, stabilised and secured asbestos fibres in walls by spraying into the wall cavities a hardening agent (PVA, I believe) which bound loose fibres together and to the wall surfaces. With a line of tiles removed from above the cavity and a spray extension, it's a relatively simple, cheap task.

Why has the ACT government not gone back and completed this part of the job in all homes affected instead of just sending out cryptic, liability-dodging letters?

Cuthbert Douglas, Bonython

Fran Harris (Letters, April 6) laments the shortage of letters commenting on the poor performance of the current Speaker of the House of Reps. Well I'm happy to oblige.

I recall that a past commissioner of taxation, on his retirement and being a hobby farmer, was presented with a cultivator and named the beast Boadicea. He thought the thing conveyed an image of unimaginative brute force which reminded him of the unedifying trysts he had with the now Speaker in various parliamentary committees.

It comes as no surprise to me that the performance of the current Speaker has been nothing short of disgraceful.

T. J. Marks, Holt

LABOR NEEDS A CREDLIN

What a great article by Jane Cadzow on Tony Abbott's chief of staff, Peta Credlin (''Ms Fix-it'', Canberra Times iPad, April 5). What a pity Labor doesn't have an equivalent asset. Imagine what Peta could add in the way of discipline, moderation and focus to such a lustreless alternative government.

Julian Robinson, Narrabundah

CLIMATE ATTACK FAILS

John Moulis (Letters, April 4) makes two claims. Firstly, ''climate change is boring'' reflecting his (perfectly acceptable) personal view; and ''nobody believes in it any more''.

The second opinion is patently ''argumentum ad populum'', a fallacy using an unprovable claim to reflect zero support for a position or policy that the proponent doesn't support. The argument fails once proven that at least one person does believe. I and several acquaintances are believers. ''Epic fail''.

Mike Moore, Ainslie

It's amazing, isn't it, what people like John Moulis can convince themselves to believe without any reference to empirical evidence or rational thinking. But we have a name for people like that: flat earthers!

Rajend Naidu, Glenfield, NSW

STUCK IN THE PAST

Hey, Canberra Times, we left the 1950s long ago (''Diplomatic wives are the linchpin that holds families together as they travel from posting to posting'', canberratimes.com.au, April 5). The correct term is spouse. You are not doing modern diplomacy any favours if you run a series on consular life under headlines like that.

Dr Susan Harris Rimmer, Asia-Pacific College of Diplomacy, ANU

AIRPORT TRAFFIC

The Canberra Airport had an open day on Sunday at which time I was trying to go home via Majura Parkway/Federal Highway/GDE to Lanyon.

Were other drivers frustrated with the situation? The Canberra Airport should have had some sort of traffic control in place.

Karlene Burgess, Conder

SOCIAL MEDIA GAG

So Tony Abbott has banned any comment on social media by public servants, even anonymous comment, and is urging public servants to dob in colleagues who do. Where have we seen that kind of scenario in the past?

David Grant, Murrumbateman, NSW

THINKING OUT WEST

In the WA Senate re-election the Greens garnered 16 per cent, or, put another way, the vote of every thinking West Australian.

Thos Puckett, Ashgrove, Qld

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.

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