I will never listen to one moment's whingeing about pre- and post-light rail construction gridlock.

I just don't think anyone has honestly factored in the need for everything to stop, including the light rail, to let traffic at major intersections cross Northbourne Avenue.

I feel real concern for the needs of the ageing electorate of Brindabella being ignored, along with other disadvantaged communities like Oaks Estate.

With these and other unresolved issues such as homelessness, housing and rent affordability, heritage management, and good design and aesthetics being an intrinsic part of town planning, it is going to be a long time between elections.

Maryann Mussared, Yarralumla

I understand Shane Rattenbury bought an investment unit on the open market and, when he lodges his tax return, is likely to claim the deductions allowed by (Commonwealth) income tax law.

Richard Forster (Letters, October 14) wrongly describes these legitimate acts, as done by thousands of Australians, as "unethical" and "reprehensible", and you headlined his letter "Dubious practices", when they are nothing of the kind.

There may be stinking fish in ACT politics, but Mr Rattenbury's behaviour here is not a case in point.

Hugh Dakin, Griffith

The Liberal Party ACT election result is hopefully the ACT "Nay Saying".

The Liberals have learnt two lessons:

It would be appropriate for Jeremy Hanson and Alistair Coe to stand aside after pursuing and losing this campaign, promising to tear up the contract with Canberra Metro if the Liberals won.

But they won't! What will be the Liberal's new whinge?

Edward Corbitt, Farrer

Ya gotta feel sorry for the ACT Liberals. This election pitted them against a government which is smug, complacent, and out of touch.

Yet it has not been enough to have a damning Auditor-General's report about the activities of the LDA, years of community objections to all manner of planning and development proposals, and a general feeling the government has been handling its responsibilities with a mix of amateurism, incompetence, cronyism and political manipulation.

I would suggest the failure of the Liberals to make electoral headway under these circumstances is due to one of two things: complacency (not enough voters actually care about any of this) or cynicism (a feeling that "they're all just as bad as each other").

Karina Morris, Weetangera

In your editorial on Monday, you say Mr Rattenbury and any Green colleagues elected to the Assembly and sitting on the crossbench "would have the casting vote on each piece of legislation". They certainly would not.

A "casting vote" is an ingenious and rare procedure to resolve a deadlock in meetings. Where a board or committee has put a motion to the vote and the votes, including the chairman's, are equal, the rules of some bodies allow the chairman to have an extra vote – a "casting vote" – to resolve the issue.

Unfortunately, too many journalists and others use the term to mean any kind of close vote, and thus destroy the meaning of a very useful technical term.

Richard Johnson, Ainslie

We learn now the plan for the light rail is proposed to go to Woden.

From which government department will the money come?

I doubt that health will miss out, which leaves the vulnerable department of education.

Good luck to the elected candidate who will inherit that poisoned chalice.

This gives more ACT parents another reason to send their children to non-government schools.

Susan Swift, Kambah

The weekend's election results shows that the old adage "you can fool some of the people all of the time" remains true today.

The Civic to Gungahlin tram is a purely political exercise, and those living on the north side fell for it hook, line and sinker.

Surely the first tram line should run from the airport through Russell to Civic. This would immediately assist many hundreds and thousands of Canberrans and visitors to quickly depart the airport and allow many public servants easy connection to the bus interchanges before and after work.

After a suitable trial, the tram could then be pushed out to Dickson, Woden, Belconnen and beyond in stages.

Dave Jeffrey, Farrer

It is now apparent a majority of Canberra voters accept the prospect of trams, although there would be varying degrees of appreciation as to how inferior to rapid transit the system will be, and the degree to which the system will be reliant on buses.

One thing is certain. The huge potential for public transport systems and private transport based on fleets of driverless vehicles will be apparent before the next election.

This will ensure the rest of the proposed Canberra tram network is never built.

A. Smith, Farrer

I am rather disappointed at the vitriol unleashed at the Nobel Prize Committee for giving this year's Prize for Literature to singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. Some has come from women outraged that this year no Nobel in any category has been awarded to a woman.

Most seem apoplectic the literature prize should be given to a [mere] singer-songwriter.

I have a profound admiration for Dylan's early body of work.

Dylan may not have single-handedly ignited the great social upheaval that was the protest movement — not just against the Vietnam War, but involving the "Place of Women in Society" and "Civil Rights for Afro-Americans" and "Gay People".

Nevertheless Dylan's work made a great contribution to the eventual, huge societal changes since 1962.

I believe the committee has made a laudable decision.

It may well be Joan Baez or other prominent women may be recognised by the Nobel Committee in the future. Until then, congratulations to the committee and Mr Dylan.

Rod Olsen, Flynn

So, not for the first time our great defender of consumer rights, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, has launched an inquiry into domestic roaming services, which could result in Telstra being forced to share its regional mobile network with other telcos ("Should Telstra share its regional mobile network?", Canberratimes.com.au, October 15).

Of course, as has so often proved to be the case with our "competition regulator", just more time and taxpayers' money wasted on much to-do about nothing, given the widely recognised fact Telstra's mobile network coverage in regional Australia is at best pathetic anyway.

Why isn't the ACCC investigating the abject failure of Telstra and its sibling, the NBN, to provide the same standard of communications network coverage for all Australians?

John Richardson, Wallagoot

It's hard not to be depressed by what passes for political analysis these days.

Jack Waterford ("Hostage in the doghouse", Forum, October 15, p1) in lamenting NSW Premier Baird's changed position on banning greyhound racing, says the McHugh Report "gave him no reason to give the industry one last chance or to hope that reform could clean it up".

The report offered 80 options for Government action. One was to shut the industry down.

The rest outlined 79 proposals for its reform.

Whether one is for or against any government decision, is it too much to ask that so-called analysts present their arguments without ignoring the facts?

Phil Teece, Sunshine Bay, NSW

Well, the people of Gungahlin and the Inner North have spoken - light rail it is.

However, I'm baffled at what Stage 2 of the light rail project, which duplicates part of the existing Tuggeranong-Woden-Civic-Belconnen express bus route, is supposed to achieve.

Does the government think that the novelty of light rail will lure more people on to public transport? Speaking as a commuter who catches the bus at the Tuggeranong end of the route, will I be expected to climb off the bus and onto a tram at Woden and reverse the process at the end of the day? I can see that adding an extra 15 minutes or so to my journey each way. Don't be too surprised if former express route users outside the Civic-Woden corridor decide it's all too much trouble and start taking their cars to work instead.

Christine Hawkins, Isabella Plains

Crispin Hull ("Trump's strange antics much more than just online clickbait", Forum, October 15, p2) is great at stringing words together.

Unfortunately, he forgot journalists are supposed to be interpreters, not Democrat shills. He doesn't understand what is going on in the USA.

A Washington Post journalist received a stupid smutty video, verified it was real and then published it. That's not investigative journalism.

Hull says "mainstream media caught Trump out with the one story that caused his own party to desert him and to finish him." Wrong, Hull.

The media merely published a video handed to it on a platter by someone who wanted to kill Trump's campaign.

"Finish him?" Give me a break! This fight is "the people" versus "the establishment."

When Trump holds a rally, 10,000 to 21,000 plus people turn up.

When Hillary Clinton holds a rally and there are 200-300.

Trump is for the people and Hillary is for the big end of town and herself. Trump will win.

Alan Gray, Jerrabomberra, NSW

I can endorse Andrew Maclean's recommended driving tour of New Zealand's south island ("The long and winding road", October 15, p76), having done a similar trip. Anyone inspired by the article should note the map shows the direct main road route between Te Anau and Invercargill, rather than the suggested Southern Scenic Route.

Ian Douglas, Jerrabomberra, NSW

I woke up yesterday to a dreadful thought, I will be 92 before the Libs can have another go!

Norman Lee, Weston

Okay, Labor's won. As part of my civil disobedience campaign I will not donate to local charities, the homeless or the poor. Any government and its supporters who can spend billions on trams, etcetera, can look after ACT welfare needs without my help.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

I read that the ACT government assumes "highest and best use" when valuing land. Can I assume highest and best service from the ACT government?

Paul Melling, Latham

Following the re-election of the ACT Labor Party, one can only wonder whether a higher education makes one any smarter?

Mario Stivala, Spence

WHY LIBERALS LOST

I am glad that Lesley Beckhouse lives in Queanbeyan and not the ACT. Her views (Letters, 17/10) sum up nicely why the Canberra Liberals will remain in opposition. Misinformation, ignorance, short-sightedness and no real policies for the future. Her comment that "light rail will never show a profit" says it all.

John Sherborne, Torrens

THE PUNCH LINE

The front page of Sunday's Canberra Times showed Andrew Barr claiming victory with a clenched fist salute.

He must be aware of the communist origins of this unfortunate gesture? Doubly unfortunate when we consider the nature of that regime.

He wouldn't want us to think of the next four years in those terms, would he?

Alan N. Cowan, Yarralumla

UNPLEASANT MEMORIES

I find it hard to understand how the Liberals lost an election in which so many factors should have played out in their favour.

I wonder if memories of the way Zed Seselja so quickly jumped ship after the last election, and memories of the ugly removal of moderate Gary Humphries may have played some small part.

Peter Dark, Queanbeyan

SLEEPWALKING VOTERS

The electors of Canberra have elected another Labor/Green government! This will ensure increases in rates, more tax on the long suffering people of Canberra and subject us to keep on paying for the tram for years to come!

When will people wake up?

S. Sainsbury, Latham

LOOKING WRONG WAY

"The result was a clear rejection of the backward-looking Liberals" crows Shane Rattenbury. Maybe Shane, but they won five times as many seats as your party, so in which direction are you looking?

John Howarth, Weston

FOUR POOR YEARS

Well done Canberra. Another four years of green/left ideology, and a union controlled government.

Owen Reid, Dunlop

BANKING WATCHDOG

We don't need a royal commission into behaviour in the banking and finance industry.

We need an ongoing Australian banking and finance commission with exactly the same powers and resources as the Australian Building and Construction Commission.

That should work as well as the Coalition government contends the ABCC worked.

John F. Simmons, Kambah

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).