OK, fine; thanks for the pathetic, defeatist limp-wristed response, but now our "representatives" must surely buckle and shelve the $30-per-year tax added stealthily to the annual bill of all ratepayers to underwrite the assaults and murders of the statistically few perpetrators of reportable domestic violence here in Lilliput; people who are mostly fuelled by drink, if not drugs, in the clutches of the very same alcohol-swillindustry.

You can't have it both ways: Tax us to make a difference and then turn 180 degrees with indifference.

A. Whiddett, Yarralumla

Budget blues

It was interesting to read former ACT Treasury director of policy Khalid Ahmed's summation of ACT's budget being much worse than Andrew Barr and co would have us believe ("Warning on ACT budget", July26, p1).

Not only that but by relying on overinflated land revenues (foisted upon us by engineered LDA land releases), the forecasts are unsustainable. And the forecasts are already out by $59million in six months. God knows where they'll end up over the next two to three years. I wonder whether Barr and co had factored in the cost of his new plum $300,000 per annum pork-barrelling job for Brendan Smyth, not to mention the true cost of the $1.78billion light rail project and now the proposed extension to "infinity andbeyond"!

Peter Toscan, Amaroo

Solar economics

What use does J.McKerral (Letters, July27) imagine anyone's money will be on a burnt-out planet?

It's easy to sound responsible and reasonable when you argue from Truman Show economics that evade responsibility for externalities while amassing personal wealth. Things are a bit more complicated in the real world. Similarly, it's easy to confuse pedantry with meaning.

My three-kilowatt (kW) solar photovoltaic system has generated 5.5 megawatt hours (MWh) or 5500 kilowatt hours (kWh) in the 18months it's been operating. At this rate it will generate 20,000kWh in five-and-half years — and it's on a sub-optimal eastern orientation. A well-oriented 5kW system (which is not uncommon) could easily generate that much in three years.

So Crispin Hull's solar system may well have clocked up 20,000kWh – even if he confused kW with kWh. That's still 17.4tonnes of carbon dioxide emissionsavoided.

What is truly important is that this happened in the real world.

Felix MacNeill, Dickson

Wind savings

There seems to be wide-scale confusion about the causes of the recent extreme electricity prices in Australia, and also about the ACT's purchases of renewable electricity.

Since December, Australia has started exporting vast quantities of gas. The recent cold weather has also seen rising demand for domestic gas. As a result, the domestic price of gas has soared, at times to over $20 per GJ, compared to historical values of around $5 per GJ. This, in turn, has resulted in very high electricity prices from gas generation, which has fed through to soaring electricity prices. This is particularly true in South Australia, which is far more dependent on gas generation than other states.

The ACT government has a goal of 100per cent renewable electricity by 2020, most of which will come from wind power. The ACT is buying wind power at prices of between $77 and $92 per MWh. These prices are fixed for 20years, with no inflation. In contrast, the average wholesale cost of electricity in NSW, which is where the ACT currently obtains it electricity, soared to over $97 per MWh during the month of June. When the wholesale cost of electricity exceeds the price the ACT is paying for wind power, then the ACT will save money. It will be paying less for clean wind power than it would for the expensive and polluting power that comprises the NSW grid.

The ACT government should be applauded for this environmentally and economically sensible strategy.

David Osmond, wind engineer, Dickson

Transport policy

Labor and the Greens have delivered on their respective 2012 election commitments on light rail, and Labor is on the way to exceeding its commitment to 90per cent renewable electricity. When will Labor produce a plan that can meet its commitment to "increasing the public transport share of all work trips to 10.5per cent by 2016 and 16per cent by 2026"?

Leon Arundell, Downer

Bulk-billing achievement

As one of the founders of the National Health Co-op, and its current chairman, I am delighted to advise that the NHC's model is entirely consistent with my, and I believe my colleagues', original vision.

In fact, the NHC's success in helping to address the critical shortage of GPs in WestBelconnen, and now in many other locations across Canberra, is a testament to the NHC's resonance with its members and their desire to be part of the solution to Canberra's historic lack of bulk-billing GPs.

Membership of the NHC provides far more than just access to bulk-billing GPs. It includes bulk-billing psychologists, dietitians and a range of health education services such as the nationally awarded Lifestyle Modification Program. Membership of the NHC is highly affordable and in many cases, is provided at no charge for persons in need. For those with the capacity to pay, it is available at only $5 or $10 per month depending on an individual's circumstances.

With the continued support of our community-minded partners such as Service One, the NHC is well positioned to continue to grow and provide communities around the country with the real opportunity to improve their own access to sustainable and affordable healthcare services.

Contrary to Dr van Rensburg's assertions (Letters, July26), in many cases the NHC has reopened local GP clinics and is once again ensuring residents can access the doctor of their choice at a time convenient to them. I am proud of what the NHC has achieved and excited by the positive societal impacts that are being realised.

Brian Frith, chairman, National Health Co-op

Religious discrimination

Can you be called a xenophobic racist if you are not only anti-Muslim but also anti-Christian and anti-Jew, because these religions discriminate against women and persons of other sexuality?

If the gods or prophets of these religions decide to make a comeback to earth, can I ask that they come back as a woman or LGBQIA who advocates the same core principles of these religions but also equality and non-discrimination between sexes?

In the 21st century we should be starting to move past sexuality endowed by nature.

Robyn Vincent, McKellar

Pint-size pursuit

What's all this fuss about Pokemon? I downloaded the Irish version and found nothing. A mate from Belfast originally explained my mistake. They find you after a few pints, not the other way round.

Gerry Murphy, Braddon

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has had an epiphany. After 30 years of being a "very strong advocate" for the privatisation of public assets he now recognises that this transfer of assets into private monopolies has "severely damaged our economy" ("ACCC chief hits privatisation", BusinessDay, July 27, p27).

Sims even acknowledges that the oft-heard claims of ordinary working people that privatisation of such things as power assets have dramatically increased power bills turn out – despite all the pooh-poohing by the big end of town and the financial press – to be actually true, with Sims acknowledging that prices in Queensland and NSW have doubled since privatisation of power assets.

One normally would say 'better late than never' but, let's face it, that doesn't really apply in this case. Sims and all his fellow travellers have effectively rooted the Australian economy and there is nothing that can be done about it now.

The process of privatisation will not be reversed – monopoly price gouging with negative impacts on consumers and on Australia's productive sectors is now an immovable structural reality.

Great work!

Greg Ellis, Murrumbateman, NSW

Rod Sims's condemnation of the privatisation of public services shows an outstanding naivety by a high level institutional officer.

The privatisation of the CBA, State insurance offices, Telstra, Medibank, education and utility institutions, etc, has always been about transferring people owned profitable assets to the private sector so they could make large profits. Never for an improvement of these services either efficiency wise or cost wise to the consumer. The LNP and ALP have always put their politics above Australia's welfare.

Max Jensen, Chifley

Dump Scullion

I am appalled that Senator Nigel Scullion admitted that his interest was not "piqued" by the disgusting behaviour of prison officers at the Don Dale Detention Centre, and that he did not watch the advance copy of Monday's Four Corners program, even favouring dinner with friends rather than watching it in real time ("Minister thought issue dealt with", July 27, p5).

Such arrogance is not to be tolerated. With his calling for Northern Territory minister John Elferink to be dumped rather than just stripped of his Corrective Services portfolio, I would go one step further and suggest that Senator Scullion also be dumped from his federal Indigenous Affairs portfolio.

Janet Cossart, Stirling

If the forthcoming royal commission is fair dinkum, (former) Northern Territory corrective services minister John Elferink and Chief Minister Adam Giles will be attended to in due course for their culpable roles. We may, however, be stuck with Nigel Scullion for a little longer.

Yet it was this individual who informed us, with a supercilious tone the day after the program, that the CCTV footage of the shameful events had not "piqued" his interest sufficiently on the night to watch it – despite being alerted to the nature of that content earlier in the day.

He went on: "Yes, this is my patch ... I made assumptions ... you've got to be careful about assumptions."

Is it just me? Or is it the case that this federal minister not only confessed to dereliction of his professional and moral duty (and was oblivious to the fact), but in attempting to excuse his response he used terms – piqued, and my patch – that underscore a total absence of emotional intelligence and utter lack of understanding of his crucial portfolio. His patch? We must still be paying these people peanuts, because the monkey cage is filling fast.

David Headon, Melba

Rudd not fit

Mike Reddy (Letters, July 25) may think he has a point in suggesting that Mr Turnbull should back Kevin Rudd for the UN Secretary General for the sake of domestic harmony, but surely the primary criteria is whether the nominee is fit and able to be the world's most influential diplomat.

Unfortunately, during his time as prime minister of this country, Kevin Rudd, by his petulance, micro management and self importance, showed himself as utterly unfit to govern at a national level, let alone an international level: even his own party thought so.

Alayne Richardson, Narrabundah

Come on, Australian Labor Party federal MPs! You decided Kevin Rudd was unfit to be prime minister in 2009 and ultimately unfit to be foreign minister. And while you made an ill-judged decision to give him another go at PM in 2012, the electorate decided they did not want another government with him at the helm. How can you possibly now believe he is fit to be Secretary General of the United Nations?

John Munro, Campbell

Real science

Andrew Masterson's uncritical advertisement for the Brian Cox tour ("Multiversally speaking", July 24, p21) shows where black holes really exist – in the heads of showbiz personalities like Cox.

His shows have little to do with science. After the Copenhagen interpretation of the 1920s, physics gave up on reality. "Shut up and calculate!" was the command and the language of physicists became physically meaningless. With the advent of computers that became "shut up and simulate!" with virtual reality the inevitable result.

Mathematics is not the language of science. It is an imperfectly applied tool of science. Kip Thorne's involvement in the movie Interstellar, which he claimed is "real science", shows anything the mathematical physicists can dream up can appear real on the big screen. To cover their tracks, the history of science is a myth. Hubble believed all his life that the expanding universe interpretation of his research was wrong. Based on careful observations, Sir Fred Hoyle, the Burbidges, and other astronomers agreed.

But you will not hear that from Cox. It spoils the sci-fi narrative. So if you don't want your head to implode like Cox's, don't listen to him. Recent books by top names in science acknowledge a fundamental paradigm shift is overdue. That's where the real story lies.

Wal Thornhill, Chapman

ENOUGH ALREADY

The US presidential elections are of some importance to us, and I do hope they'll let us know when it's all over. Until then, I don't want to hear another word of it.

Robert James, Watson

Donald Trump appears to have turned US presidential politics into a reality show. Is he a re-tread of Ronald Reagan, the second-rate film actor turned president? Seems like it.

Rhys Stanley, via Hall, NSW

SCOTT'S SMIRK

Scott Morrison has been taking heed of Peter Costello. He has already perfected "The Smirk".

K.L. Calvert, Downer

CAUCUS HAS SAY

Ian De Landelles (Letters, July 27) attributes the make-up of federal Labor's shadow ministry to Bill Shorten. I would have thought that ultimate responsibility for the shadow ministry and rankings rested with Caucus (and not Bill Shorten alone). This is something that Ian should perhaps have acknowledged

D. McNeill, Rivett

BEATING LAWYERS

Leaving aside the merits or otherwise of bank fees, I do enjoy any day that the parasitic class action lawyers and their funders lose ("ANZ Bank wins in High Court bank fee case", canberratimes.com.au, July 27).

Ian Morison, Forrest

OFFICIALS FORGOTTEN

I was pleased to see the list "Rio-bound Canberra athletes" (Sport, July 28, p30). It would also have been nice to see a list of Canberra officials who were bound for Brazil too. It seems to me officials are overlooked when recognising sports personalities, and where would we be without officials?

John Lewis, Belconnen

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