Jackie Burnett, ACT

The relentless push by religious groups to derail the passage of marriage equality makes me deeply concerned they will attempt to influence the proposed plebiscite by presenting a dishonest and divisive campaign.

The predominantly Christian voices expressing disapproval at same-sex marriage demonstrate bemusing moral priorities, particularly considering some of the harrowing testimonies given at the Royal Commission into child sexual abuse.

It staggers me their representatives are not more concerned about the well-being of their churches' faithful and the wider community, rather than raging against the right of some people having their relationships recognised in law.

Mike Anderson, Holt

I have to disagree with John Warhurst in his piece on Malcolm Turnbull, when he states that the Coalition government would not have been returned under the leadership of Abbott ("Turnbull criticism overdone" 4/8). Tony Abbott was a superior campaigner in both elections in 2010 and 2013, winning altogether 25 seats.

Turnbull's campaign was dismal and he lost 14 seats. Over 1million voters changed allegiance and went to "others" and Turnbull ingloriously crawled over the winning line.

In these worrying times of terrorism — even today, we received the news that Australia is third in line in the minds of the brutal IS — I know who I would want as leader, a strong leader who does not walk on eggshells to appease the enemy within. And that's not Turnbull.

Lesley Beckhouse, Queanbeyan

I detect considerable smugness in Tiffany Cherry's article ("I am not optimistic about these Rio Olympics at all", August 3, p 18). Whatever happened to impartiality, empathy and magnanimity? I prefer to see the glass half full.

Despite all the adversities, domestic as well as international, the Brazilians are doing their best to offer the world a first-class show.

Knowing their kindness and welcoming nature, I am sure they will succeed and the world will remember Rio and its people for many years, for the good times they gave us.

John Rodriguez, Florey

The front page headline of August 4 says "CSIRO climate revival". Well not exactly. The article states that there will be a paltry investment of $37 million in climate change research over 10 years and 15 new climate jobs in CSIRO — but this is after cuts of 75 jobs.

Meanwhile the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric "state of the climate report" states that climate records are being significantly broken in all areas as global temperatures rise. Cutbacks and partial reinstatements are no way to run climate change research and why could the Turnbull government direct CSIRO now to partially refund climate research but earlier in the year claim they could not direct CSIRO when it made the initial massive cuts?

Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

Lest donations from fossil-fuel companies to the Liberal Party cease, Tony Abbott's first act upon becoming Prime Minister was to sack the Climate Change Commission. Thus Australia entered the Dark Ages when ignorance replaced science.

This sorry state of Liberal ignorance dragged on until a miracle happened. Science Minster Greg Hunt discovered what every high school kid knows: seven billion people burning fossil fuels make extreme weather events even more extreme as cyclones, blizzards, droughts, floods (plus seas and temperatures rising) could make Earth uninhabitable.

Going cold-turkey on fossil cash will be hard for the Liberals.

Graham Macafee, Latham

Robert Willson (Letters, August 4) invokes Archbishop William Temple who claimed that science is "clumsy and precarious" in comparison to the "mighty mind" that created the universe and everything in it.

Temple tried to link God and science, saying essentially that God is science but much more meticulous and (infinitely) knowledgeable. Robert says the scientist Paul Davies makes the same point. Not quite.

Davies does pose the reasonable question about how the universe could be so meticulously constructed unless it was accident or coincidence (which, according to a number of scientists, is probably what happened). But Davies doesn't believe that it must have been a God who put it all together.

The main objection to this and other aspects of faith is, if God was responsible for all the wonders of the universe and life on Earth, he must also take the blame for all the terrible things that have befallen us and continue to do so. Nor, by the way, can we blame Satan for the awful things.

This only suggests that Satan is able to over-ride God. Hardly logical in the light of the Creator's supposed omnipotence.

Eric Hunter, Cook

Am I the only one who feels a sort of panic when I hear of large open tracts of land being developed around the old homesteads of Strathnairn and Lanyon? And why are chasms of towering, unforgiving rectangular blocks of units the only alternatives to suburban sprawl? Why can't we agree to smaller houses that open onto pathways and leafy courtyards and even cosy places where meals might be shared? Then we would no longer need to spend our tourist dollars enviously gawping at other places where these were built and cherished since long ago. We need both to lift our eyes to serene horizons and to sense some community around us, even in Canberra.

Jill Sutton, Watson

The Lake Burly Griffin Guardians have worked to move the proposed development of West Basin into the domain of public discussion, mainly because discussion with the Canberra community has been missing. Agreement or disagreement with unfettered development (a real possibility without due process of a series of discussions with as many stakeholders as possible) is all our right.

What is concerning, however, is when a group work to include public discussion in decision-making about public assets that is framed by some as anti-development, disregarding the views of those who have not involved themselves with the issue in any way, and even, pushing their own agenda.

Old and young, city dwellers and those who live outside Canberra, cyclists and non-cyclists, canoers – surely all of us are capable of forming a view about the aesthetic of a development proposal.

Griffin's plans did not look to the city of Canberra in 2016. To begin any discussion about developments around Lake Burly Griffin under the guise of a Griffin legacy is at best dissembling and at worst distorting. Let's not throw the heart of the capital out. Let's have public input to development decisions, not developments considered by only a select few.

Kath Boyd, Burra, NSW

Professor Andrew Blakers (Letters, August 3) concentrated on the wholesale price of electricity instead of the more important retail price of electricity, which is what users are concerned about.

The subsidies that renewables receive and the resulting hugely increased grid costs to accommodate them drive the price up. South Australia has the highest priced electricity in this country if not the world as a result of its foolish reliance on intermittent and extremely expensive renewables.

It was so shortsighted of SA to shut down reliable fossil-fuelled electricity generators. If they hadn't closed those generators, the failure of the connection to Victoria would not have been such a problem.

If the ACT continues on the path to 100 per cent renewables, the electricity price must massively increase.

J. McKerral, Batemans Bay, NSW

I previously wrote that considerations of an Australian "treaty" with Indigenous peoples will not be a document sourced from the Australian constitution that encourages "bargainings and concessions" for Indigenous peoples.

New Zealand's modern approach to an ancient treaty is sourced from endless legal searching for historical grievances against what was wrote in another time of their country's history. In other words, condemning the current New Zealand population searching for answers from the past 50 years that will no doubt go on for the next 50 years.

All our young could be better off seeking involvement in the present and future than in the past.

George Villaflor, Ainslie

Tony Abbott lost the support of the Coalition party room largely because of his disastrous "captain's picks", including his decision to knight Prince Phillip. Over the past 11 months Abbott's successor, Malcolm Turnbull, has shown that he too finds it very difficult to make a correct call when the buck stops with him.

He initially chose to promote his allies Mal Brough, Wyatt Roy and Peter Hendy. Brough resigned from politics, whilst the electorate gave Hendy and Roy the boot. His handling of tax reform options in 2015 was inept. Turnbull handled the "Rudd for UN" issue in a very messy fashion.

Malcolm's choice to head the Northern Territory royal commission lasted less than a week. What tops it all, though, is the train wreck precipitated by the PM's decision to call a double dissolution. Scraping back into office with a wafer thin majority in the Reps was bad enough but engineering a result that gave four Senate seats to Pauline Hanson is unforgivable.

Judged on his record, Turnbull lacks both the political nous and administrative skill necessary to succeed as Prime Minister.

Mike Reddy, Curtin

It's unfortunate the Master Builders Association has resorted to "NIMBYs" criticism to dismiss community opposition to a change in rules protecting home owners' access to sunlight ("Light and shade in new solar rules", August 3).

The building industry has highlighted problems designing houses on small blocks in new suburbs so that they don't block neighbours' access to sunlight. That could well be an issue because some of those blocks are very small indeed.

However, the need to change solar access rules in existing suburbs is not clear, as blocks are generally larger. If there is a problem, then industry needs to provide more compelling evidence.

On contentious issues such as this, arriving at good outcomes requires respectful cooperation between all parties and an evidence-based approach.

Marea Fatseas, Yarralumla

Father Robert Willson (Letters August 4) tells us that "those who reject the concept of a universal mind at work in the universe must surely be claiming that it is all an accident or a coincidence". We do think that. We do not feel the need to invent some "universal mind" just so we can take comfort in the myth that there is some purpose to our existence on earth.

John Hutchison, Weston Creek

The Canberra Times wants to hear from you in short bursts. Email views in 50 words or fewer to letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au

CENSUS GRAMMAR GRIPE

The ABS staff who drafted and approved the 2016 census form clearly don't know the difference between "his", "her" and "their".

Hint: "their" is plural.

I hope the statistical skills of APS staff are better than their English language skills.

R. James, Melba

LACKING CAPACITY

I have tried several times to contact the census phone lines with no joy.

If they can't even provide enough phone lines for inquiries how are they going to cope with the whole of Australia using the internet on census night?

Ray Draper, Scullin

EVIL MOTIVES MYSTIFY

Robyn Soxsmith (Letters, July 29) thinks it would be "utterly typical of the current government to trap kangaroos inside fences just to give themselves an excuse to shoot even more of them".

It's hard to guess what their evil motives might be.

Perhaps they have investments in the firearms industry.

Mike Dallwitz, Giralang

PAST INNOVATION

In the 70s, ANU pre-admissions were granted on course work to date, well in advance of matriculation exams.

Why is Professor [Brian] Schmidt now proclaiming as an innovation a "move away from judging students only on their year 12 ATAR results"?

Gary J. Wilson, MacGregor

SYNONYM SURFEIT

I've just bought a new car. There are nine separate charges on the registration certificate, labelled variously fee, premium, contribution, levy, surcharge, duty, and tax. One needs a thesaurus just to buy a car.

Chris Pratt, O'Malley

FALLING REPUTATION

As a historian, Ross Fitzgerald was always worth reading.

As a born-again apologist for disgraced former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, he's not.

David Headon, Melba

LEGACY STANDARD

I agree with James Weirick (Letters, August 3). The federal Parliament urgently needs to consider inappropriate land and planning decisions in the ACT.

The Griffin legacy should remain the standard for the nation's capital and keep it from being in thrall to property developers.

Peter Graves, Curtin

BLOWFLY CLAIM

Sorry, Philip Winkworth (Letters, August 3). Pearce can claim a blowfly arriving in the last week of July!

Maureen Blackmore, Pearce

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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