Torrens and Lyons each have 32 contaminated homes. If one uses the premise that each contaminated home has three neighbours plus another one opposite, the flow-on will conservatively affect at least another 128 families in each of these suburbs.

We, therefore now have a core group of not 32 homes, but of at least 160 houses and families in each of the suburbs of Torrens and Lyons who will be influenced by the impending demolitions in each of these suburbs.

These families are going to be subjected to the loss of their neighbours, the impact of a noisy demolition, and hopefully a safe one with every known precaution taken to prevent any further contamination to neighbours, their properties, the public, the asbestos removers and the environment.

Neighbours will also have to contend with a dusty and somewhat unfriendly environment until a new property is erected at their neighbour's property which could take many months, even years.

But unfortunately the impact will not stop there. There will then be, one would presume, the usual ACTPLA public notification process and possibly your time spent in responding to any proposed Development Application within a short time frame, and, horror of horror, the possibility that multiple dwellings and multiple stories may be erected next door to you with the resulting lack of your environmental amenity and privacy, not to mention the daily noise, dust and increased vehicular traffic in your previously quiet suburban street which will last for a number of months during the building phase which will affect many neighbours.

It is a time when no home owner can afford to be complacent because your neighbour's house could be on the condemned list and all of the above, and possibly more, will affect your lifestyle.

When will the address list be made public to residents of the affected suburbs, so that neighbours too can plan their line of action?

C Parks, Torrens

Peter Costello's recent offering (CT November 21) just goes to show Paul Keating was absolutely correct in labelling him "a lazy Treasurer". Peter just doesn't get it on the taxing of global conglomerates and even some domestic enterprises.

It's not the fact that they pay little or no local tax because they have no obligation to do so that we object to. We do object to the fact that they have no such obligation and have no moral scruples in exercising this freedom.

Of course tackling the issue of profit transfer to low tax entities is difficult, requiring extensive international co-operation but the problem is not insurmountable. Promising moves have already been made regarding the definition of an enterprise's centre of activity.

Instead, Costello seems to take aim at the easy targets in favouring a broadening of indirect taxes (including the GST) which would simply further extend the gap between the haves and have-nots.

Trevor Marks, Holt

Professor Heather Yeatman, president of the Public Health Association of Australia, finds top supermarket sales products to be a "very depressing" list of "stimulants, nicotine and caffeine" ("Junk food, tobacco lead supermarket sales surge", November 22, p5).

Yet, when put in context, tobacco sales as 10per cent of the grocery market is a triumph, because it is that high cost of tobacco, through taxes, that is helping to drive down consumption. While tobacco consumption is heading in the right direction, the foods that kill many Australians continue to trend upward in sales, with no added "disease" tax applied to them.

Rather than pointing out the parallel between tobacco as a dangerous substance, and some foods as deadly and in need of government regulation, Professor Yeatman diverts attention toward individual bodies (obesity) and individual behaviours (poor diet and eating habits).

If public health sincerely wishes to copy the success of tobacco control then experts need to stop simultaneously wringing their hands over disease-producing food while pointing the finger at individuals. Industry has learnt well from the tobacco story, it is time for public health to catch up.

Helen Kinmonth, Cook

Our family is so saddened to hear of the impending loss of our local ABC 7:30 Stateline on Friday nights. Here is a wonderful current affairs program hosted by Chris Kimball, unique in its content and applauded by so many of Canberra's viewers who are otherwise starved of televised local issues and interests.

The Abbott government's financial cuts to the ABC are nothing short of prejudicial and mean spirited.

Listening to the sham of excuses made by Minister Turnbull as he tries to justify such an appalling decision, only further demonstrates the federal government's paranoia and inward looking system of governance.

Alison Chapple, Macquarie

Repressive action is necessary to fight terrorist movements abroad and their proselytising, recruitment and fundraising in Australia but we are overlooking some of the culprits. People who campaign against mosques, halal butchery and Islamic female attire are also part of this problem. These campaigns and the language and actions which they stimulate send a strong message that Muslims are despised, mistrusted and not wanted in Australia.

This in turn increases the alienation and sense of victimhood amongst Muslims. It is aid to terrorist movements and should be denounced and punished accordingly.

Ron Walker, Campbell

Crispin Hull wrote, "Nationwide ambulance and search and rescue ...should not be seen as a mere 'safety net' for the less fortunate" ("Basic rights under threat", Forum, November 22, p2). I could not agree more. Correspondingly, so also should the age pension be a universal right. It is not only a matter of principle, delivering to all that for which they have paid. The increased survival expenses for the affluent aged are no less that those of the poor aged. It is cheaper in the long run. It saves a lot of busy work by bureaucrats and the pension joins the taxable income.

Gary Wilson, Macgregor

In supporting recent calls for a local ICAC, I would reference the traffic treatment on the four-lane section of Stretton Drive from Bangalay Crescent to Hindmarsh Drive. One side is residential and the other sporting or green/pedestrian area. On the sporting side is the very popular Arawang Netball Courts mostly used briefly on Saturdays between 9am and 2pm.

Patrons used to park either side of Stretton Drive close to the courts, accepted by most locals as a temporary reasonable practice. Suddenly, signs appeared on the residential side of Stretton Drive prohibiting parking between 9 am and 1 pm on Saturdays only and parking inspectors were initially in attendance on Saturday mornings to enforce the prohibition.

The result is that over-flow parking now is obliged to use the nature strip, illegally according to advice on our registration renewal papers, and in turn creating greater traffic congestion and hazard than existed before these changes.

Many of the residents along this same stretch continue to park or have a facility to allow them to park on the nature strip. Next, road markings and a traffic island were introduced which have reduced the useable road surface for vehicular traffic to an unacceptable narrowness.

Other road markings, including hatchings and solid lines have increased traffic hazards to the point drivers have to use discretion in straddling solid lines and taking other reasonable measures to ensure traffic flow and safety.

These changed traffic arrangements indicate a reckless disregard for traffic safety and deny parents reasonable and legal access to adjacent parking to enable them to take their children safely to their sport.

Given that the only beneficiaries of these new traffic arrangements appear to a dozen or so adjacent residents, one obvious question is how were these apparent privileged arrangements examined and approved. In the absence of any self-criticism by the present and past ACT governments, an independent and legally binding body of review would be useful and necessary.

Patrick Robertson, Rivett

We have lately seen two magnificently air-brushed photos of Julie Bishop gracing magazine covers around the world. No wrinkles, no age, no blemishes — a truly masterly artist has been at work.

Ms Bishop engages in the same air-brushing of inconvenient facts when she asserts that climate change is not damaging the Great Barrier Reef.

Ms Bishop may have garnered praise around the world for her assiduous presence in international affairs, but in defending Australia's mean and tardy response to Ebola, denying climate change's effects on the Reef and denying feminism she is as phoney as her air-brushed pictures.

Megan Taylor, Narrabundah

Hospital was wanting

I feel for Moira Smith and her late father, and share her feelings about The Canberra Hospital ("Elderly father's last dying days in misery", November 16 p9).

For more than three years I witnessed my husband's suffering when there. Like Moira, I'm scarred by last memories of my loved one. Like her, my confidence in the ACT's health system is irreparably shattered. Not everything at Canberra Hospital was horrific.

I remember gratefully some skilled nurses in Ward 14A and some kind nurses in 14B Acute Care. By the way, I found most "ambos" and community nurses excellent.

Unfortunately, many hospital staff appeared poorly skilled and/or behaved consistently with the toxic culture pervading many wards.

This appeared to place scant importance on the needs of patients too immobilised to feed, dress, clean, hydrate or toilet themselves (their human rights and dignity). I dreaded leaving my husband unattended there.

Katy Gallagher claimed 70per cent of 4722 pieces of feedback last year were positive. That still leaves 1416 negative experiences in one year. If there's one place you don't need a negative experience, it's in hospital, where you're most vulnerable.

Now I see (The Canberra Times, 22/11/14, p4) that the "rocket scientists" have finally figured out a "new initiative" to address the concerns Moira and others have raised.

Having struggled to have these and other concerns addressed on my husband's behalf across more than three years, it's good to see Canberra Hospital is taking a step in the right direction.

Lyn Forceville, Calwell

It is ridiculous, absurd and obscene to claim that Australians fighting in Israel's army are the same as terrorists fighting for ISIS, as Selwyn Baines (Letters, November 20) does. However, even if he holds such extreme views, as he clearly does when he refers to those who join Israel's army as "terrorists", he cannot claim that Australians returning from fighting for Israel pose a threat to their fellow Australians, as those returning from fighting for terrorist groups such as ISIS do.

Let me clarify this: Israel does not want to take over the world and make everyone subject to its control. ISIS repeatedly states that it does. Australians who adopt Islamism and fight for ISIS may be a threat to Australia and Australians on their return. ISIS wants them to be such.

Israel and the IDF for all that they are engaged in conflict, have no hegemonic intent, and any foreign IDF fighters who return to their home countries do not do so with an intent of carrying on a crusade.

Most of the rest of us understand the obvious difference between the army of a democratic country and a terrorist group. We also understand that making foolish claims of equivalence only gives support to the terrorist groups.

Athol Morris, Forde

<h3>Ministers ignoring tram plan damning</h3>

Last week Katy Gallagher and her fellow (tram) traveller, Shane Rattenbury, were all too keen to promote themselves as being responsive to the people of Canberra in relation to government decision-making.

The Chief Minister was quoted in relation to minor changes at Canberra Hospital, saying new patient initiatives "were directly in response to some concerns we've had in feedback" (New Nursing initiatives to boost patient care at Canberra Hospital: CT, November 21, 2014). Minister Rattenbury said that following strong public reaction, he had reversed TAMS decision to close the public toilet on Red Hill!

I suppose both are reasonable responses to public feeling on these matters. However, it is a pity neither Ms Gallagher, Mr Rattenbury nor the responsible minister, Simon Corbell, feel in any way obliged to take account of the public's overwhelming opposition to the Gungahlin tram project, nor the independent assessments of experts which damn the project on just about every criterion the government depends on in its justification.

Peter Cummins, Monash.

<h3>Religious objections</h3>

In a survey just completed in Victoria on the question, "Terminally ill patients should be able to legally end their own lives with medical assistance", more than three quarters of respondents supported medically-assisted suicide. The main objection comes from the extreme right religious factions who are content to see an animal in pain euthanased but not a rational human being.

Rhys Stanley, Wallaroo Road.

<h3>TO THE POINT</h3>

<h3>MONORAIL MONIKER</h3>

Given the ominous signs, is there any chance that the nickname for the Gunghalin-Civic light rail link will not be the Springfield Monorail? I say this as a bike commuter and environmentalist.

Jason Stokes, Oaks Estate

<h3>CLIMATE CHANGE </h3>

Mr Abbott's so-called 'about-face' on climate change: I note this is a manoeuvre that leaves one standing in the same position. I will believe he has changed his 'absolute crap' position when the renewable energy target is increased and he has a plausible plan for emission reductions

Peter Campbell, Cook

<h3>NUCLEAR BETTER</h3>

The next generation of submarines being built by the UK are nuclear-powered. If Australia can sell uranium to India, why is Defence looking at a conventionally powered submarine that needs refueling with diesel?

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park

<h3>ABC CUTS</h3>

Apparently, the government has to destroy the ABC in order to save it.

Elizabeth Dixon, Amaroo

<h3>HEED FIRE WARNING</h3>

It's good to have warnings to clean up areas around our houses as the bushfire season approaches. Maybe the ACT Government could take heed. The area at the foot of Black Mountain is a disaster waiting to happen.

Paul Blair, Holder

<h3>NOT A POLLUTANT</h3>

No Bill Handke, (letters 25/11) Obama was wrong and so are you. Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant, it is a trace element constituting .004% of the earth's atmosphere and essential to our very existence. No carbon dioxide, no life on earth.

Mark Sproat, Barton

<h3> LET US OFF</h3>

Stop the government! We want to get off!

Annie Lang, Kambah

<h3>DON'T LIKE IT? LEAVE</h3>

Those Nationals whingeing about ABC cuts, maybe it's time to follow Jacqui Lambie's example. If you don't like it, leave.

Maria Greene, Curtin

<h3>DANCERS STEP UP</h3>

Canberra's QL2 Dance claims to be Australian youth dance at its best, nurturing future dance professionals. Artistic director Ruth Osborne did just that in the recent production "hot to trot". The performances provided an opportunity for the dancers to step up into the role of choreographer, a most commendable development.

John Milne, Chapman

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