This must apply to Mitch Fifield and the Coalition government in the selection of the ABC chair. While Ita Buttrose may be a very good candidate, her nomination by Fifield comes despite an independent international search and against the advice of the standing committee which nominates candidates to the minister.

This is disrespectful of the independence necessary for maintaining the integrity of the ABC and frustrating for those who hoped something might have been learned from recent events at the ABC. When will they ever learn?

Chris Aulich, Giralang

One issue I haven't read about so far in the reporting of the aged care royal commission is a situation that I saw when my dad was in a community-based nursing home.

He was there for approximately seven years and towards the end of his life I saw a problem with the carers that looked after him.

Many of them were from Asian and African countries. They were all very caring people, but the problem was their inability to communicate with him because their English skills were basic. I had problems myself trying to discuss dad's situation with them.

Elderly people living in nursing homes have a profound need to be able to communicate their needs to their carers.

Their carers need to have a deep understanding of the needs of the elderly, and also those with dementia. To me, this should be a given in the employment of carers. Obviously, this isn't happening at present.

This obviously comes under the situation with the providers. The providers that don't think it's necessary to have a ratio of RNs to patients, or feel that an amount of $6 per day is adequate for food for a person in a nursing home.

Recently, I read an article in The Guardian UK, where specialists stated the elderly need a high-protein diet. Well, good luck with that, seeing that a friend's lunch in a nursing home consisted of dried-up meat patties accompanied by boiled-to-death frozen carrots and beans.

Jan Laidlaw, Geelong, Vic

Instead of appropriating more public land for temporary and permanent car parking at the foot of a large and much-valued natural conservation area ("Memorial eyes land for cars", February 22, p1), the Australian War Memorial could consider developing a far more creative and poignant World-War-I-style route-march track from the CBD to the memorial's already extensive precinct.

This experience would be in keeping with the memorial's aim to provide the public with a better understanding of some of the privations and labours endured by those whose names would be seen on walls at the end of such a march. This approach would also accord with the ACT government's much-encouraged active-travel policies and principles and their impending application when the new transport network commences.

It would also recognise that all our other national cultural institutions around the lake are able to offer only far more limited parking to their many visitors, who, unlike the memorial's, are also required to pay for the full duration of their often lengthy visits, in accordance with federal government directives. The use of public transport to these venues is also encouraged and is often the only option for many visitors.

It is time for the war memorial to manage and assist its visitors in the same way as other institutions and be seen to comply with the many principles in the 2018 ACT Planning Strategy. It should not be exempt from helping to create a more sustainable, resilient and accessible city.

Sue Dyer, Downer

The Nelson/Stokes memorial extension is now looking at claiming what is a lovely patch of parkland for car parking after first desecrating it with transportable accommodation for the construction workers ("Memorial eyes land for cars", February 22, p1).

It will be known as the Remembrance Nature Car Park! The whole project of the current grandee of the memorial is repugnant and given we are already losing 3000 trees a year in this "Bush Capital" there is no way that any parklands should be allocated to this travesty.

W. Book, Hackett

New laws effectively preventing residential property owners from controlling animal access to their rental properties ("Rental generation shouldn't miss out on dogs: government", canberratimes.com.au, February 22) may have escaped the notice of most readers. After all, most Canberrans (self included) are not property investors, and may think it doesn't affect them. Think again!

I recently drew to the attention of Greens housing spokesperson Caroline Le Couteur that the laws as drafted would also apply to single-property owners who are temporarily absent from Canberra and renting out much-loved family homes they intend to return to.

I pointed out that provisions forcing them to accept animals inside their homes could be especially traumatic for many such owners. Her reply made it clear they were not merely unintended victims of the legislation, but actual targets.

Almost every Canberran will at some point in their lives be affected, including current renters who are future homeowners. They may need to temporarily work elsewhere for career or family reasons, take a mid-career gap year, become a live-in carer for a loved one or try out a retirement home while keeping their options open.

Whatever the reason, those planning to rent out their usual residence will find Labor and the Greens have stripped them of one of only two guaranteed ways of preventing animals from fouling the carpets and floorboards of their own home. Many will select the only remaining option, which is to leave the property vacant, reducing rental supply and hurting the very people Labor and the Greens purport to be helping.

Terry George, Kingston

With his excellent exposé of the rot that has come to engulf Australian politics and governance (" 'You couldn't get away with this before': Scandals dominate politics", canberratimes.com.au, February 23) political correspondent Michael Koziol provides a timely reminder for all of us to take stock of the prevailing political degradation and stop the decay.

The rot has come to resemble that of a Third-World banana republic. That is clearly not acceptable in an advanced democracy like ours with its standard of transparency and accountability and public scrutiny (with the help of the independent public watchdog media).

Rajend Naidu, Glenfield, Sydney

We applaud the ACT government for banning religious chaplains in public schools.

Religion is a private matter for citizens and parents. Unfortunately for children, their parents can indoctrinate them as they see fit. They can also send their children to churches and religious schools.

The policy of the federal government to spend, up to now, approximately $1 billion employing mostly evangelical religious-only chaplains in public schools across Australia is obviously a disguised conversion campaign.

At last, one government, the ACT, has blown the whistle on this deceptive policy.

Meg Wallace, president, Rationalist Association of NSW

The removal of the chaplain's program from ACT public schools is yet another progressive step by the ACT government, showing the rest of Australia that religion is something that should be limited to the home and/or the voluntary attendance of children to church services.

The statistics will show after the next census a continued serious diminution of any interest in religion as such, allowing time for students to address rational and valuable subjects such as ethics and humanity.

The other states should follow on soon enough.

Rex Williams, Springwood, NSW

One must have sympathy with the small businesses who have been disadvantaged by the closure of so much of the Curtin shopping centre ("Planning delays cripple Curtin shops," February 25, p8), but let's not forget the leaseholder of the closed block of shops – Haridemos family interests – forced businesses to leave that block long before redevelopment plans could be approved.

The block of shops was then closed down and surrounded with industrial fencing, as it still is. Because the leaseholder acted in this way, there was always going to be a long period during which patronage and passing trade of remaining shops was going to decrease.

There was no need for such premature closure of the Haridemos block of shops that I could ever see.

So don't blame the Residents Association; put the blame where it belongs.

Gordon Soames, Curtin

My drive through the inner northern suburbs (from Turner to Lyneham and return) each day has revealed what is presumably the modern-day equivalent of "bring out your dead" (with all due respect to the 1665 bubonic plague).

My drive is only three kilometres.

On nature strips I observe washing machines, ovens, dining-room suites, prams, cots, televisions, bedheads, mattresses, microwaves and various bits of timber.

Oh, and let's not forget those share bikes, which we were told wouldn't be a problem (there's been one parked on my nature strip for days).

There's also been a lounge chair making its way up and down my street for many months – together with shopping trolleys, which also weren't supposed to be a problem with new rules requiring coins.

I'm just not sure who will remove all this rubbish. Do tenants/owners think if they leave their rubbish out long enough it will magically vanish?

C'mon Canberra, we can do better than this. Be responsible for your own rubbish and dispose of it properly.

Helen M Goddard, Turner

The arrogance of the author of your opinion piece "Do not worship Cult of Youth" (Forum, February 23, p12) is breath-taking.

"I will not be going to the seniors film festival ... I find the very idea of special events for older people patronising."

Well, Mr Evans, I find your attitude patronising.

I haven't had time to attend many of the films, but two of them I have seen were outstanding – and probably unlikely to make general release in the cinemas outside of this festival.

If they do, they will not have the long season nor the number of sessions that the popular rubbish served up to the public usually manages to achieve.

The Eulogy was the very moving story of Geoffrey Tozer, the magically gifted pianist and seriously flawed man who shone briefly on the international stage before dying in obscurity, and Red Joan was a truly gripping picture of the race for the atomic bomb in the 1940s and 1950s, which probably has little appeal to young people who don't remember those days.

Judi Dench gave another wonderfully understated performance as the title character in her old age.

The Australian film industry justifies its existence, and rightly so, by attempting to show Australians their own stories.

As an older woman, I'm very happy to attend this festival every year to see films depicting the stories of my demographic. And I don't find it in the least patronising – unlike my reaction to Mr Evans' article.

Margaret Lee, Hawker

Dr Matt Overton's views (Letters, 23 February) on his having to wait 30 minutes for a taxi at Canberra Airport are interesting.

He argues that this apparent failure of the ACT taxi industry to meet his needs validates the ACT government initiating a policy to the financial detriment of many small businesses who are ACT taxi-plate holders. The same could be said for the draconian increases to ACT land rates and the financial impact this has on small businesses within the ACT.

There are always two sides to every story. Perhaps Dr Overton should have phoned for an Uber and it is called supply and demand.

Ian Lindeman, Lyneham

The latest issue of the American Geophysical Union's Palaeoceanography and Palaeoclimatology reports that on current emission levels we are 140 years away from atmospheric carbon levels not seen for 56 million years when average temperature levels were 7 degrees higher than present.

If that is not enough to focus the mind and get our politicians off GDP, selling arms, refugee boat scares etc, I don't know what will.

Rod Holesgrove, O'Connor

NOT A GOOD SIGN

Recently I saw a roadside traffic message that read "slow down Canberra stop pushing the limits".

Although a traffic message, the words could also apply to the ACT government, which is intent on increasing Canberra's population.

Ken McPhan, Spence

BISHOP ALL SIZZLE

Might I suggest the reason Julie Bishop missed out on the leadership of the Liberal Party is because she was all sizzle and no sausage.

Doug Foskett, Dalmeny NSW

BUTTROSE WELL LIKED

Ita Buttrose would be a brilliant choice for chairman of the ABC, being a person with her own mind, not a herd follower or a politician's donkey; successful in media for decades, respected throughout the community, compassionate and with a sense of humour.

Someone Australians like and trust; a natural leader we would have faith in at any helm.

John Dobinson, Herston, Brisbane

ADVERTS RAMPING UP

On the telly, I see that federal government advertisements praising the federal government – at taxpayer expense – are ramping up. This must be an election year.

Gordon Fyfe, Kambah

HAWKER POOR IN MORALS

Hawker is the only place I've lived where people believe it's OK to steal my daily newspaper from the front of my home. Lots of money, but poor morals. Didn't happen in Wellington, Sydney, Melbourne or San Francisco.

Mark Hartmann, Hawker

SHAREHOLDERS NOT SAME

Paul McMahon (Letters, February 25) adequately explains that the tax responsibility of a company is separate from that of an individual shareholder. There won't be many people in Australia who are completely dependent on incomes from investment in shares and yet will go down below the threshold due to Labor's tax reform. If some do, they will be compensated by the government.

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt

ONE DOWN FOR MORRISON

So Scott Morrison has finally discovered climate change. Will he discover tax avoidance too? Or will he wait for Labor to show him the way?

John Rodriguez, Florey

VOTERS DESERVE BETTER

The federal government is desperately in need of something that will gain traction in the lead-up to next election. One thing that would gain immediate traction would be to stop the psychological warfare that is being conducted on the Australian voting public. Surely we deserve better than what we are currently suffering.

D. J. Fraser, Currumbin, Qld

JUST THE BEGINNING

It's funny to think back to Joe Hockey declaring the end of the age of entitlement. For the Coalition it was just beginning.

SW Davey, Torrens

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