Now, Uriarra residents have successfully fought off the solar farm? Uriarra Village is a privileged enclave occupied by 100 houses under private covenant. These residents want to protect "views" while denying Canberrans access to sustainable energy.

Be under no illusion, they've built large, ugly, not environmentally sensitive houses in a rare, heritage landscape denying the rest of us unimpeded views to the Brindabellas and power to meet the GHGE target. Uriarra is an eyesore I have to pass to get to my rapidly shrinking bushland. The political and legal influence of a wealthy supporter was exerted.

Uriarra Village is tantamount to East O'Malley, another wealthy eyesore cut out of a nature park. Conversely, Yarralumla residents get the runaround, not for blocking development, but for responsibly seeking full community consultations on sensitive development of a heritage site. They've said yes to urban densification, but do it properly to enhance the asset of the brick works.

It's time the ACT government was more transparent and sensible in planning what's best for the entire community, not just powerful sections of it. Singapore's former prime minister, Lee Kwan Yew, has just died: I suggest being inspired by his philosophy and legacy.

G. Nielsen, Garran

Next month, I will receive a 1.5percent salary increase, thanks to my agency enterprise agreement. On January 28 this year, the ABS announced that Australia's CPI had risen 1.7percent in the 12 months to December 2014.

So imagine my reaction when, after reading my health fund's recent advice that my premium would soon increase, I realised that the increase was 15.1 per cent. I guess I should be lucky I have the insurance because the advice made me feel very sick.

Ian Duckworth, Griffith

Obvious question: where are the schools to cater for these new families ("Downer housing plan looks set to pass", March 24, p1)? We can learn from interstate school closures and site redevelopment; people realised after the event that when you close schools and build houses for families, those families need schools. It's a simple equation. But their school site has disappeared!

This could offer an exciting opportunity for the ACT government to look at innovative ways to respond to this demand, e.g. by inviting interested non-government schools to become free fully government-funded "community schools" that offer genuine choice to families from all income levels. Internationally, this is the norm.

If the ACT government is looking for ways to get maximum bang for its buck, is it time to think outside the square?

Maureen Hartung,Blue Gum Community School, Hackett

Given that the human population along the Northbourne Avenue corridor is set for a massive increase, courtesy of the light rail project, one would hope that some thought has been given to providing essential facilities to the new residents – facilities like schools, perhaps. Why then is the former Downer Primary School to be turned into, you guessed it, yet more housing ("Downer housing plan looks set to pass", March 24, p1)?

I suppose all the kids living in apartments along Northbourne Avenue will be expected to hop on the tram to reach their schools in Gungahlin, rather than to walk or cycle to a neighbourhood school.

Carolyn Spence, Hackett

Shane Rattenbury's justification of the proposed light-rail project in green terms enables him to turn a blind eye to the fact that cost/benefit analysis demonstrates that the project does not represent value for taxpayers' money. Given Mr Rattenbury's recent complaints about the cosy deal that was struck between ALP and Liberal MLAs to scrap the $10,000 limit on political donations, it will be interesting to see what attitude he takes in relation to any political donations from either of the two consortia vying for the lucrative tender for constructing the tram line.

Will Mr Rattenbury continue to rail against large political donations, or will his commitment to his pet "green project" cause him to turn a blind eye to any such donations from the tram line consortia? And if at some point in the future the

Liberals were to back away from their policy of vocal opposition to the tram project, would he interpret that change of policy as evidence that the Liberals had been won over by the merits of the project, or as evidence of the need for him to conduct an exhaustive analysis of the consortia's political donations, including any donations that might be channelled to the Canberra Liberals through the Free Enterprise Foundation from an affiliated legal entity, officer or acolyte of either consortium?

Bruce Taggart, Aranda

Joe Murphy (Letters February 28) beat me to the punch but I would like to lend my support towards his call for a total government ban on smoking.

All the research confirms that smoking is addictive and kills. Governments have known this for some time. The negative effects of smoking are a huge drain on medical resources and the health costs to Government are substantial.

There are also huge personal costs to Australian families. I know, as my mother and son are caught in the grip of this insidious addiction.

The government continues to experiment with advertisement bans, price increases and plain packaging to control smoking but why not a simple total ban. Other addictive drugs are banned and their use prohibited and policed.

Is the Government being held to ransom by the tobacco companies? Surely the taxation receipts do out outweigh the medical and health costs to the Government and the personal cost to Australian families. Can someone tell me why the Government does not take this simple step to ban smoking to protect its citizens, as it seems so obvious to me.

Michael Lucas, Conder

To save his future, the Prime Minister might well pay more attention to a plan for our future. After his near-death experience in his own party room, all he can come up with is the usual: "We abolished the mining tax, the carbon tax, stopped the boats and I promise to be good. Also, we must not forget that Labor left us in a mess."

Making Gina Reinhart and co pay tax on excess profits selling our resources was not such a bad thing. The price on carbon was effective in reducing emissions and was boosting a new renewable energy industry. The boats question was being resolved under Labor's Regional Settlement Arrangement, and the issue would have been ameliorated in a more acceptable way had Abbott not blocked the Malaysian solution.

In Parliament, after the spill motion, he continued to defend his position by the usual attack on Labor. He regurgitated school halls and pink batts. Those initiatives, together with good economic management, provided the stimulus for Australia to emerge from the global financial crisis in a sound position, a triple-A rating and a debt to gross domestic product ratio that is the envy of the Western world.

Some mess! Getting rid of Labor's policies was hardly a plan or an achievement. Getting rid of his own policies might be an achievement but not a plan. Mr Abbott, where are you going?

Don McCallum, Isaacs

I agree with John Shailer (Letters, March 23) that certain sectors of the community enjoy jumping on almost every utterance of Tony Abbott and painting it in the worst possible light, as did certain other sectors of the community to Julia Gillard.

When it comes to drivel as politicalcomment, however, Iwouldrefer Shailer to the article on macroeconomics by Simon Wren-Lewis in the February 19, 2015 (Vol.37 No.4) edition of the London Review of Books, before perpetuating discredited myths and spreading fear of Australia sliding into aGrecian quagmire.

David Barratt, Yarralumla

Peter Hawker (Letters, March 23) says that Malcolm Fraser "should also be remembered for presiding over a team of ministers who understood economic management". Does Hawker mean the team that, after being left zero net government debt by Gough Whitlam, boosted it to7.5 per cent of GDP by the time he was voted out and raised the tax to GDP ratio from 20 to 24 per cent? Or does he mean the team that presided over our highest-ever 90-day bank bill rate of 21.39 per cent? Or perhaps he means the team that gave us double-digit unemployment and double-digit inflation.

Roger Terry, Kingston

Although he instigated Gough Whitlam's dismissal, Malcolm Fraser continued many of the policies that Whitlam had started and that are still part of our life now. There was no witchhunt when Fraser won the following election resoundingly.

As prime minister, Fraser was also a visionary who understood how multiculturalism and asylum seekers would help to raise Australia's awareness of the world and standard of living. His concern about social justice led to Aboriginal land rights and other social reforms.

What a contrast with the present day, with the treatment of asylum seekers, Aboriginal "lifestyles", attack on Medicare, social services, pensions and so on. Are decency and principles among politicians dying out? What a difference some years make.

Sandra von Sneidern, Mongarlowe, NSW

So Operation Slipper, Australia's contribution to the United States invasion of Afghanistan, is over and the troops that have come home are parading. At a total cost of more than $9.3 billion, this has been Australia's longest war, its most expensive and its most futile.

One can rejoice that troops have at last been withdrawn. We can grieve with the families of the dead and the maimed, but we must never lie about it being a noble sacrifice and "game changer" for Afghanistan.

This war was never popular with the Australian people. Nor was it ever winnable and no lasting peace has been left behind. Politicians lied. We knew it then and we know it still.

Afghanistan remains a country racked by poverty and ravaged bycorruption and the lawless mercenary armies that the US has funded. The bitter truth of our invasion of Afghanistan is that, although the Australian Defence Force personnel went about their business there in an efficient and thoroughly professional manner, they failed their nation at a more fundamental level. They failed to speak the truth of the war as an extended exercise in futility.

The absence of criticism of the conduct and progress of the war from within the services, as noted by James Brown in his book, Anzac's Long Shadow: The Cost of Our National Obsession, is the war's most notable feature and the thing which will always be associated with the remembrance of this "sacrifice".

Rather that speak the truth and save us from wasting blood and taxes in Afghanistan, our military opted forsilence, compliance and the furthering of careers.

From where I look, the ADF appears not too dissimilar from criminal mercenary outfits such asBlackwater.

Graeme Dunstan, Kambah

It is time John Howard got back inhisbox and stopped making constant pronouncements as if he isimportant. He seems to have forgotten that his government was booted out of government for truly bad governance.

Howard himself lost his seat.

Someone should let him know that the current government is heading the same way for the same reasons and his constant statements only serve to remind voters how much they hated him and his team.

E.R. Moffat, Weston

It would seem that the main concern at the Department of Finance at the growing cost of refurbishing The Lodge ("980 pages of documents needed to explain delays at The Lodge", March 23, p3) is to protect the incompetents responsible for managing the contract.

The builder obviously got a terrific deal, something along the lines of: "Do what you like, when you like and regardless ofthe cost."

This is the department that, according to its website, "plays an important role in assisting government across a wide range of policy areas to ensure its outcomes are met, particularly with regard toexpenditure, financial management, and the operations of government".

Is it any wonder the budget has been such a stuff-up.

Roger Dace, Reid

I read with interest the article on renovation delays to The Lodge ("980 pages of documents needed to explain delays at The Lodge", March 23, p3), particularly the reference to asbestos removal.

Why is the Federal government able to arrange asbestos removal from a building without demolishing it, yet the ACT government isnot?

Oh, of course, just removing the asbestos would not be cost-effective, would it? It's far better to make a profit out of residents' misery and turn their lives upside down.

Eddie Boyd, Spence

Damon Young ("Rhyme and reason", Panorama, March 21, p18) claimed the Voluspa said that before the world, there was "a grinning gap and grassnowhere". Auden misunderstood the passage. Old Norse "gap var ginnunga" means "an opening/void of deception/enchantment".

Hans Kuhn, Campbell

I agree with Philip Robinson (Letters, March 17) regarding the pay and conditions of our politicians. There is something sadly awry with the whole system when a recently retired Labor senator is entitled to collect 75percent of her final salary as a pension after only 19 years in Parliament.

I am retired and do not get anywhere near her salary, even after50 years in the workforce.

R.J. Smith, Chifley

WELFARE CARDS GOOD

On the surface, the trial of "Cashless cards for those on welfare" (March 23, p5) in a number of communities appears to be a good idea. However, I suggest each participant be reviewed after one year and, if they have used the card properly, give them the opportunity to come off the card. Good habits, if they were required, will have been formed by then.

Herman van de Brug, Kaleen

CREDITABLE REASON

As much as I distrust Chinese mercantile, financial and military policies and intents, the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, inwhich Australia is apparently about to invest, has one immense justification. That is the historic International Monetary Fund and World Bank requirement that national utilities, in particular electricity, be privatised for needycountries to receive credit.

Gary J. Wilson, MacGregor

FRASER A TRUE LIBERAL

I agree wholeheartedly with Joe Hockey. Malcolm Fraser was a true Liberal. What a pity there aren't more like him in the Liberal Party today.

Maggie Watts, Calwell

TECHNOLOGY TO BLAME

Modern technology can be good, butin some cases we are better off without it to protect our privacy and ensure our safety ("Abusive partners stalk women", March 23, p1).

Evelyn Bean, Ainslie

ADOPTED WORDS

If Michele LeBlanc (Letters, March 23) is concerned about the Australian word for antipasto, s/he should also be acutely aware that the French do not have a word for entrepreneur.

Roger Quarterman, Campbell

Michele LeBlanc asks for the Australian word for antipasto. Perhaps it is appetiser, or appetizer, ifyou prefer the American spelling.

John Kelly, Wanniassa

SILLY STATISTIC

Is there a more useless statistic in cricket than the "average speed of ball bowled" in a given over?

Phil O'Brien, Flynn

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