As a retired high school teacher, I want to emphasise that these findings are nothing new. However what is disturbing now, is the reluctance of this current government to supply a variety of initiatives to address this problem.

In the past, to name just a few, were programs such as appointing a police liaison officer to high schools. Another was the Dairy Flat farm initiative, which gave both schools and those students some respite in what can become a vicious cycle of suspension.

However when cost-cutting happens, it is these programs, that try to help the vulnerable, that are stopped. Invariably the behaviour of certain students needs to be addressed by a variety of people in the community, not just teachers.

The age-old idea of creating a different setting for these students is raised but it costs money and ongoing resources, so it is placed in the "too hard basket" and so the cycle continues. There are many ripples created in the community when violence in schools occurs. The worst being the retention of our teachers.

It seems it is very easy to recruit teachers but it is extremely difficult to retain them when the behaviour of some of the students and parents forces them to rethink their career choices.

This is a plea to this government to address this issue and create and establish new ventures – those which are bold and aren’t susceptible to the fiscal whim.

Susan Swift, Kambah

That’s it, with the banning of Black Magic (Golly) from flying due to the off chance someone might take offence ("Hot air balloon banned from festival", February 28, p2), I have emptied my wardrobe of all black socks, T-shirts, polo shirts even my dinner suit has hit the bin. God forbid I might offend.

Mark Sproat, Lyons

Christopher Prowse ("Priests face an impossible choice between respecting the seal of confession or the law", February 26, p18) adds his self-interested voice on priests and secular law. It is consistent with his church’s campaign to be permitted to engage in anti-social discrimination that would otherwise be unlawful.

But it is inconveniently timed alongside the contemporary statement in the Vatican by Australian bishops who said they "agree that everyone must be equal before the law."

Ironically, Prowse attributes to paedophiles the modus operandi – secrecy and deceit – that also long characterised much of the church’s conduct in perpetuating, denying and concealing its paedophilia. And to some extent – the secret Vatican files – it still does.

But if his argument was correct – that paedophiles do not confess, or that those exceptionally that may do, do so anonymously, then his claim that law-abiding priests would face "excommunication" would fall away, since, on his argument, they will have nothing to fail to report.

Regardless, it is past time that religions – including the Catholic Church – accepted that doctrines, practices, processes and sanctions under their self-formulated rules must be as irrelevant as an alternative or exception to secular civil law as the internal rules and disciplines of any other community organisation. And, in any case, the secrecy of the Catholic confessional has always been a post-biblical man-made doctrine, and is open to contemporary man-made amendment.

Mike Hutchinson, Reid

I refer to the ABC news on February 27: Rural (focusing on WA) road deaths due to straying stock and wildlife.
Yes, road deaths and serious accidents are a human tragedy. Animals, in this case, mostly cattle, are roaming huge pastoral acres attempting to find enough to eat and drink. This has always been the case but with population increase, we have many more roads.

The pastoralists do some fencing, which is often destroyed by hunters/fishermen etc gaining entry. These fences in many cases are often just strands of wire. Landowners and government should erect strong high fencing, some metres from roads to try to alleviate accidents. Animal welfare enters this debate as well, as thousands of domestic and wild creatures, are left dying slow agonising deaths.

Jill Mail, Holder

Regarding the arrest of Cardinal George Pell, the Catholic Church is now in a position where it will be lucky to ever recover from, yet the most obvious problem that needs changing is celibacy .

The Pope never seems to mention it, why? When Bishop Pat Power wrote to the Pope on the subject he did not get an answer. If priests are not allowed to live a normal married life then I doubt if many possible candidates will be wanting to become priests. There are good men in the priesthood but they must be feeling a lot of disappointment.

Cardinal Pell seemed to want to protect the church at all costs never mind what was happening to innocent children. For the church to ever regain any respect it has to change completely. It needs family men as priests. It also has to encourage contraception. The world is becoming over-populated, and the church is not taking it seriously.

I am not a practising Catholic now, but I do have great respect for the St Vincent de Paul Society. The compassion that many others show to the needy is so inspiring. For example Clare Holland House for the dying, Bishop Pat Power, and other dedicated priests and nuns, some that were my teachers and others my friends.

Rosalind Carew, Isaacs

I agree with C. Williams about the desirability of a fast train service between Canberra and Sydney (Letters, February 23), although I suggest it’s more like a necessity. I have travelled by train to and from Sydney on many occasions, and, like Mr Williams, have found the journey painfully slow. I find myself feeling embarrassed when I imagine what visitors from other advanced economies must think of the link between our nation’s capital and its largest city.

Mr Williams suggests the Spanish company Talgo as a possible provider of a fast train service. However, my thoughts turn to China, which has an enormous network of trains operating at speeds of between 250 and 350km/h. China also has the Shanghai Maglev train, which travels at speeds of up to 430km/h.

The Chinese are renowned for their ability to build infrastructure much more quickly and at much less cost than other countries.

If Australian governments could adopt a more pragmatic approach to China, rather than regarding it with suspicion we could have a Canberra-Sydney train service operating at up to 350 km/h, and a journey time of little more than an hour, at a very reasonable cost.

And while they’re at it, the Victorian, NSW, Queensland and federal governments could look at building a 21st-century rail service from Melbourne to Brisbane either via or with a link to Canberra.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Last week the Canberra Raiders and Canterbury Bulldogs travelled to the far south coast to play a pre-season NRL trial match in Bega.

In the days leading up to the trial game the Canberra Raiders players and staff made themselves available to the local community to assist in promoting the game.

Through opening their training sessions to the public and local schools at both Pambula and Bega, to attending a high school rugby league carnival and running water and helping coaching the teams, the players were exemplary in their manner and enthusiasm.

The coaching staff of Ricky Stuart, Andrew McFadden, Brett White and Joel Carbone presented a very honest, entertaining and enthralling outlook on coaching to over 35 coaches from the area at a coaches evening in Bega.

On game day, both teams went out of their way to stay on the field having photos taken and signing autographs with fans and spectators.

The players and coaches’ engagement with the schools, players, teachers, parents and volunteers was first class and we are extremely grateful for their time and effort. This experience will no doubt have a positive impact on the growth, development and presence of rugby league on the far south coast for some time to come.

Matt O’Brien, southern NSW regional game development manager, National Rugby League

It is said that town planners never forget. So the ACT government is reportedly now considering the raising of London Circuit to Commonwealth Avenue, to facilitate the Civic-Woden tram, and the associated crude and intrusive property development of West Basin and City Hill ("ACT government considering raising London Circuit", February 28, p1).

The plan is based on the NCA’s substantial 2004 document,The Griffin Legacy, which, in reality, is primarily about facilitating the sale of territory land in the Central National Area. Things have changed a lot in 15 years, and we have a better understanding of the sense of open space around, and the vistas to and from, City Hill (an apex of the National Triangle), and West Basin; as well as the great engineering heritage values and efficacies of Parkes Way (expensively vertically duplicated in The Griffin Legacy, and the associated City to the Lake Plan), and the view-preserving "clover leaf" intersections near City Hill.

The tram will wreck Commonwealth Avenue, its magnificent trees, and its bridge. Another route must be found, such as via Edinburgh Avenue, Acton Peninsula south, Griffin’s sublime missing bridge (not excluded in The Griffin Legacy) to Lennox Gardens, Flynn Drive, and the State Circle cutting.

The existing Parkes Way-Commonwealth Avenue-Vernon Circle-London Circuit intersection arrangements need to be preserved; pedestrian access from Civic and City Hill to West Basin and Commonwealth Avenue (and Park) greatly improved; and the proposed West Basin, City Hill south, and Commonwealth Avenue property developments canned for good.

Jack Kershaw, Kambah

It is abhorrent that Greg Craven, vice-chancellor of the Australian Catholic University, provided a character reference for George Pell. It is not only abhorrent in itself but because, in addition, the ACU is a teacher-training facility within easy reach of two primary schools – Rosary and Majura. Craven’s support of Pell sends a warped message to trainee teachers, school staff, parents, children, and paedophiles in our community. What is he thinking?

Michelle Dunne Breen, Watson

What a load of hot air! The organisers of Canberra’s Enlighten Festival have seen fit to ban the "Black Magic" balloon from this year’s Balloon Spectacular, on the grounds that it is deemed to be racist and offensive. In doing so all they have achieved is making themselves a laughing stock with such a moronic decision.

Mario Stivala, Spence

If we have editorial headings like 'Violence in schools a crisis' as we did in The Canberra Times (February 28) and acknowledge that it’s a "community-wide question", we wouldn’t have to look far for some answers.

Firstly the cartoons and games kids watch in the long hours when childcare is too expensive or not available nearly always involve violence as the solution of conflict. Secondly, in Canberra there are fewer extended families and greater geographic mobility so that the broader family togetherness in which we can teach alternatives to violence is available less often.

And finally, despite the so-called sporting communities, there is precious little time for neighbourhoods to learn to be together, to enjoy the company of different sorts of people and to exchange stories rather than to compete.

I admit Canberra abounds with "events" but these are not occasions when we meet new people or communicate more meaningfully with each other. They call for spectators rather than engagement with each other. You can walk through a Canberra suburb and wonder where the inhabitants have gone. We have plenty of parks.

Many of us need perhaps to work shorter hours and even to live in humbler houses. We need to get out into the parks and introduce older citizens to younger couples and to the community’s children. We need to share meals and play a few games with our neighbours.

Some of the children I teach as a volunteer have never heard of such a thing as a "picnic".

Jill Sutton, Watson

So John Howard has written a character reference for Cardinal Pell. Isn’t he the prime minister who told us refugees were throwing their children overboard? Isn’t he the prime minister who sent Australia to war with disastrous consequences because he said Iraq had weapons of mass destruction? A most reliable referee.

Ian White, Cook

John Howard and Tony Abbott have rushed to the defence of George Pell. They say that he is a good man who should not go to jail. Someone should tell them that it is fools who rush in where angels fear to tread. Pell’s lawyer has said other things about him.

The Catholic Cardinal of Australia was not in a position of trust when he was Archbishop of Melbourne, the court heard. The court also heard that what Pell has been convicted of was just "a plain vanilla sexual penetration case". Nothing to worry about here, we’re supposed to think.

Howard, Abbott – explain your attitudes to these outrageous statements. Now.

Grant Agnew, Coopers Plains, Qld

At the heart of the disagreement over Labor’s franking credits plans is the question of whether the company tax has been truly paid by the company on its own behalf or whether company tax is a type of provisional tax paid on behalf of the shareholders. The Hawke-Keating government’s 1987 changes muddied the waters on this basic question, then Howard-Costello made it worse.

Labor’s refusal to allow refunds is justified on the basis that the tax has been paid by the company, yet it will continue to allow franking credits to be allowed to offset shareholders’ other tax liabilities.

Presumably Labor’s initiative goes only halfway in resolving this issue as this is as much as it thinks it can realistically achieve. But going halfway leaves it open to accusations of being unfair and inconsistent.

Imagine how much greater the outcry would be if Labor planned to abolish franking credits completely, or cut back on the excessively generous superannuation benefits that are the other element in this situation.\

Nevertheless, its approach goes some way towards redressing the current inequities while balancing the needs of ensuring company profits are taxed appropriately and avoiding double taxation of dividends.

John Hutchison, Coombs

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