A 100-bed public hospital in each of those towns might be more convenient for the local populations and relieve pressure on the Canberra and Calvary Hospitals. But each tiny 20-bed hospital couldn't even justify keeping an operating theatre competently staffed. So if anyone was to have a fracture right outside the hospital front door it would be far better for the patient to be taken directly to one of the two larger hospitals where appropriate expert attention would be available around the clock. The same would apply to women in labour, to patients with strokes and heart attacks and in fact to anyone needing hospital-based investigation and treatment.

Parkinson's Law suggests these tiny hospitals would soon be stuffed full of elderly inpatients, many of whom would only need respite, a nursing home or home healthcare. An expensive way to waste our taxes!

Ron Wells, former chairman, ACT Health Commission, Mawson

I find it inconceivable that a certificate of occupancy could have been issued for residences without electricity connections ("Apartments left without power in meter dispute", September 17, p16).

Equally, it is meaningless for the Liberals to make a campaign commitment "that planning officials visit completed buildings before issuing certificates of occupancy" ("Libs' planning overhaul", September 17, p1).

If contract inspectors cannot be relied upon for final appraisals, they most certainly cannot be relied upon for progress checks on all the essential details lying behind the finished surfaces of any structure.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

So how did the warring parties "resolve and settle the dispute" over the Giralang shops site ("Appeal against Giralang shops plan dismissed", September 10, p6)?

While the ACT Court of Appeal has effectively upheld Simon Corbell's 2012 decision to approve a development including a 1500-square-metre supermarket, the current government has decided to approve only a 1000-square-metre supermarket together with other yet-to-be-disclosed alterations to the previously approved Development Application.

And the previously identified supermarket operator has withdrawn its interest in the site.

Residents are concerned that a supermarket of that size is likely to be unviable and so far no operator has been named. Additionally, it is rumoured that the settlement could include up to 40 residential units.

The government is urging the commercial parties to reach agreement on a new development proposal but when will it seek input from the residents? Or is this to be another example of trying to foist on the community a cosy plan to benefit a developer and other commercial interests (eg. planned Manuka Oval, West Basin and Dickson redevelopments)?

David Smith, Giralang

The anti-tram mob goes on endlessly about the project's cost. Yet hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on the Majura Parkway, and no one objected to that. And those who advocate boosting Rapid Bus Transit in preference to light rail ignore the ongoing costs of buses.

A bus holds 70 people max, a tram double that with the same ongoing cost i.e. one driver. In times of peak demand, capacity can be doubled by hooking up a second carriage, with the same ongoing cost. On Friday, I saw two blocks of Mort Street in gridlock as buses tried to get past the lights. Clearly buses, be they rapid or regular, won't meet the needs of the present, let alone the future.

Robert Henderson, Lyneham

Are dog owners a different breed of human ("Unleash the hounds ... and you likely won't get caught", September 19, p3). I regularly walk at the Red Hill Nature Reserve. Several signs at the entrance indicate that dogs must be kept on leash.

However, virtually every day there are one or more dog owners with their dogs running free. When I politely mention that dogs are to be kept on leash in the nature reserve, their owners often refuse to put their pets on leash and then say something quite negative directed towards me.

Pamela Collett, Narrabundah

Jeff Day (Letters, September 19) asks global warming theorists to explain the coolness of Canberra's weather on September 15. According to the Bureau of Meteorology's records for the Canberra airport weather station, the minimum temperature at that location on that date was 6.0 degrees, some 2.9 degrees more than its historical average of 3.1 degree for that day of the year. I'm therefore wondering what it is about that particular day that Mr Day thinks a theorist of global warming needs to explain.

Global non-warming theorists will no doubt object very properly that the datum of minimum temperature has been cherry-picked solely for its rhetorical value, and that its evidentiary value for the subject of global warming is nil. But then, precisely the same thing is true of the specific date, September 15, singled out by Mr Day, even if the maximum temperature of 12.9 degrees on that date did happen to be some 3.2 degrees less than its historical average of 16.1 degrees for that day of the year.

David Wilson, Braddon

Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton are in New York at the UN Refugee Summit, boasting of Australia's border protection policy as "the best in the world". If it weren't so tragic, it would be laughable.

If ever there were an example of failed public policy, this is it. For the past four years, as part of its policy of deterrence by cruelty, Australia has paid Papua New Guinea and Nauru to warehouse asylum seekers in secrecy on remote islands where conditions do not meet even basic humanitarian standards. Australia's treatment of asylum seekers has been condemned by the UN and many human rights organisations as tantamount to torture. Inquiries have consistently revealed horrifying levels of neglect, abuse, suicide and self-harm in immigration detention centres.

The management and provision of health, education and welfare services in the offshore centres are a shambles, with Broadspectrum and Wilsons Security, as well as all the major service providers on Nauru, announcing plans to not renew their contracts.

There are currently more than 3000 people being held in these centres (onshore and offshore), many with approved refugee status.

They will remain incarcerated indefinitely because there are no viable resettlement options for them.

Australia refuses to resettle them here, and all attempts to negotiate resettlement deals with third countries have failed. This has cost the Australian taxpayer nearly $10 billion, so far.

In addition to these human and economic costs, Australia's unilateral border protection approach has jeopardised relations with our regional neighbours and is an impediment to the creation of sustainable, cooperative arrangements, which are essential to addressing this humanitarian crisis effectively. This is "the best in the world"?

Eileen O'Brien, Kambah

Jordan and Lebanon are much poorer than Australia and are located in a zone that has experienced savage warfare for several decades.

It is scarcely surprising that their refugee camps are less than perfect.

Australia should be able to provide humane treatment of all people that come into our care, even if they are "illegal maritime arrivals".

Peter Dutton should strive for best practice, not be satisfied with third worst.

Mike Reddy, Curtin

Wonderful to see Australian Public Service Commissioner John Lloyd keen to expose the federal bureaucracy to the reality of private sector employment practices by extending the life of casual contracts ("Unions slam changes to temporary to PS contracts", September 19, p2).

Given that Mr Lloyd really believes that such flat-earth initiatives will reduce "administrative burden" and "attract new talent", why not convert the entire public service to casual employment, leading by example with his own role?

John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW

Peta Betanski's historical research (Letters, September 17) seems to be highly selective. From what I have read, the followers of the man they like to call the Prince of Peace (Jesus of Nazareth, died circa Good Friday, 33AD) have been responsible for the most appalling sectarian massacres as well as brutal judicial executions and punishments for those they consider heretics.

Not to mention massacres of those they consider pagans, for example the crusades against Albigensians and Muslims and pogroms against the Jews.

If the violence of the adherents to a creed is an excuse for their expulsion, I should imagine that the only Christians allowed to remain in Australia would be the Quakers.

Barbara Fisher, Cook

We need to keep the recent changes to superannuation in context. By reducing benefits to the top 1 per cent of super account holders, the measures will save some $3.1 billion over four years. But the super tax concessions cost about $30 billion a year.

Most of that goes to those that will save for their (comfortable) retirement anyway. Even part of the current cost would fully fund Gonski, the National Disability Insurance Scheme, etc, and allow plenty for budget repair.

The major parties have, in effect, agreed to continue spending this huge amount to basically reinforce inequality.

Tim Field, Barton

Where on earth did Rosemary Walters (Letters, September 17) get the fatuous assumption that, prior to the same-sex marriage plebiscite, lots of gay people will "have been insulted and attacked – a conservative spite-fest".

Probably from Bill Shorten and Penny Wong, who have been effectively scaremongering about the plebiscite.

An image has been created of hordes of abusive heterosexuals chasing terrified, screaming gays through Civic, while the night sky is lit by the flames of burning boutique coffee shops and the Chief Minister desperately tries to contact the Defence Minister to send in the troops.

The current reality is quite different. Gone are the days when one could enthral an entire rugby club dinner with jokes about queers, dumb blondes, tight-fisted Jews and Indians with Peter Sellers accents.

Now, fearing being labelled homophobic, sexist, anti-Semitic, racist or subject to the strictures of the dreaded Section 18(c), a risque joke can only be passed on with impunity quietly between close friends after either a quick look around or having instant access to the delete key.

And are the LGBTI community such stupid, snow-flake sensitive weaklings they can't reply in kind to insults? O tempora, O mores.

Bill Deane, Chapman

John Perkins' dates (Letters, September 19) were out by 12 months. The last Infantry Battalion 4 RAR (minus D Company) left SVN in early December 1971 (not 1972). Other elements of 1 ATF Nui Dat and Vung Tau left SVN by early March 1972.

Gough Whitlam was elected to power in December 1972 and was responsible for ending National Service and for bringing home the Australian Army Training Team Vietnam.

Bert Blink, Scullin

ABBOTT'S SUBTLE SLIGHT

In New York, Tony Abbott has likened the flow of asylum seekers to a peaceful invasion. Using this metaphor likens asylum seekers to peaceful invaders. The label "invaders", peaceful or otherwise, demonises asylum seekers. Clever work, Tony, you are much more subtle and effective than Pauline.

Oleh Lukomskyj, Evatt

OVERLOOKING REALITY

Of course flogging refugees with 25 lashes is better than flogging them with 50 lashes ("Islands 'better than' camps near Syria", September 19, p5) Self-delusion – thy names are Malcolm Turnbull and Peter Dutton.

Graham Macafee, Latham

SICKENING RESPONSE

The moral outrage in response to the accidental bombing of Syrian government troops by coalition planes is so confected as to be sickening. It's a shame that a few tonnes of ordnance weren't released over the air field housing Russian warplanes that regularly target civilians.

James Allan, Narrabundah

REMOVE ROTTEN TREES

Anyone can bang on about trees being removed for the tramway. So be it. However, experts acknowledge this city is riddled with rotten trees needing removal. Why wait for accidents; please remove them.

Linus Cole, Palmerston

ELECTION QUESTIONS

Can ACT election candidates tell us what they would do about youth homelessness and unemployment, youth drug and alcohol related violence, student violence in schools, falling academic standards, and questionable course content in schools?

Arthur Connor, Weston

DEFINITIONS HOLD KEY

Jeff Day (Letters, September 19) should look up the definitions of climate and weather. If he understands there is a difference, he will no longer be puzzled.

Mick Callinan, Waramanga

A quick check of 72 years of records shows, Jeff Day, the minimum averages three degrees for September 15, three degrees colder than it was on Thursday; that is three degrees of heating.

Rod Banyard, Isaacs

POSER FOR CANDIDATE

Mick Gentleman's election poster states he is "working for Tuggeranong". Apart from supporting hefty increases in rates and the introduction of a tram system for a minority of residents on the northside, perhaps Mr Gentleman can advise Tuggeranong residents what he's done for them over the past two years?

R. Wright, Greenway

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