In the Government's own planning document, Canberra Avenue, is formally recognised as "one of the Griffins' Main Avenues and one of the main approaches to Parliament House and the Parliamentary Zone" with the requirement that it "be developed and maintained as high quality landscaped corridors (which) continue the established design theme of irrigated grass verges and medians and formal tree plantings". The reality is that much of Canberra Avenue is in a deplorable state that in no way conforms with the landscape guidelines.

The original outer lines of trees in the median strip have all died over the last few years.

Broken trees from the last storm are still evident in the median strip and long-dead trees have not been removed.

There are no formal plantings despite the requirement that they be in place.

The median strip is purposely left as a periodic parking lot (to handle overflow parking associated with events) at Manuka Oval.

This "Griffin Main Avenue" is neglected, unattractive and an indictment of government ineptitude.

There should be no development of Manuka Circle until the landscaping along Canberra Avenue is remediated to a state where it fully conforms to the requirements for landscaping of a "Griffin Main Avenue".

Peter J Cook, Forrest

Chris Carder supposes that "a newspaper like The Canberra Times does need some right-wing balance..."(letters, March 8).

I guess it all depends on where one stands. I look forward to the day the Canberra Times gives us some real leftwing balance. At the moment there appears no space for an Australian columnist in the socialist tradition of the likes of Jeremy Corbyn or Bernie Sanders. Why not?

John Passant, Kambah

Those who complain about the transfer of a government department to the city of Armidale often argue that the population of such regional cities is too small to provide and support highly educated and skilled public servants.

Until the early 1960's most Commonwealth government departments were in Melbourne. About 1962 PM Menzies issued the decree that all those departments would move from Melbourne to Canberra. As is now obvious the transfer of departments was very successful.

Canberra, at the beginning of 1963, had a population of nearly 65,000 people.

The official population of Armidale as of 30 June 2015, was 23,674. While there is a difference, remember that the plan is for only one small department to be moved to Armidale, not a plethora of departments as happened to Canberra in the early 1960s.

There are many benefits to the nation for both federal and state government departments and agencies to be in the regions.

Many who argue against decentralisation do so out of self-interest and that is understandable. We need leaders with the vision of Menzies to drive change for the nation's benefit.

Colin Toll, Bywong, NSW

Only one day after calling for the Catholic Church to rebuild after pain and scandal of child sex abuse ("Prowse seeks to heal and rebuild", March 6, p.6) Archbishop Prowse has the breathtaking audacity to whinge about the Church's right to free speech being muzzled in relation to abortion and same sex marriage ("Archbishop says protests will carry on", March 7, p.9).

No senior member of the Catholic Church deserves any right to lecture us on any social issue.

The Church has been exposed as a cesspit of brutal abusers, unrepentant paedophiles and hypocrites who covered up the sinful behaviours of their colleagues.

They should be directing their energy into begging the forgiveness of their victims.

That the archbishop has the nerve to pontificate on what may or may not be a "recipe for a very unhealthy society" is an astonishing insight to the Church's lack of self-awareness and absence of contrition.

They should hang their collective heads in shame.

Scott Humphries, Curtin

I must say l found the bleatings of Archbishop Prowse ("Archbishop says protests will continue", March 7, p9) somewhat hypocritical after all the publicity about child abuse at the hands of Catholic heirachy over the last few decades, and then after the Archbishop having admitted he has not handled it all too well.

He then claims that those who question those who are having prayer vigils near an abortion clinic are being branded as "homophobic or antediluvian, and these are putdowns".

He also asks the question "How can a person just praying nearby impinge upon proper civic behaviour?"

Well as if the Archbishop knows anything about "civic behaviour".

If the church had any semblance of Christ in its veins it would be supporting these women who have usually angonised deeply whether or not to have an abortion, and not condem them as murderers, which is virtually what he has done.

Geoff Barker, Flynn

If China is worried about blowback from a possible confrontation between the US and its client dictatorship, North Korea, it has only itself to blame for encouraging lunacy and then allowing it to get out of hand.

M. Strong, Mendooran, NSW

Clive Williams ("Heavy Rail Becomes the Forgotten Service", March 3, ) is mostly right.

Reducing the time taken by existing rail services from Canberra to Sydney is doable and at a modest cost. Improvements to the existing service, including to the rolling-stock, are also well-overdue. Four to four-and-a-half hours for the present trip is really third-world stuff.

Even just reducing the time taken from over four hours to three would add significantly to rail's appeal.

Residents of my federal electorate centred on Campbelltown and those in the major towns and centres between Sydney's west and Canberra would benefit too.

In time, the service might be extended areas south of Canberra. The "permanent way" between Queanbeyan and Cooma is still, I understand, in public hands.

Since I entered parliament in 2016, I've campaigned for improvements to road and rail – principally to the Appin Road linking Campbelltown and Wollongong and for the rail line that should link Sydney's west to the new Badgerys Creek airport due to start operation in the mid 2020s.

So Clive, not every politician is "dazzled" by "Rolls Royce options" or disinterested.

Based on my experience, Clive is quite right in suggesting that, whatever the rhetoric; the Turnbull government is little more committed to rail than was its predecessor, led by Mr Abbott.

If Clive thinks I can help, he and his "fellow travellers" should make an appointment to visit my Canberra Office when Parliament next resumes.

Dr Mike Freelander, Member for Macarthur

There is a problem with appointing a bean-counter-in-chief (former secretary of Treasury) as the head of the department of policy (Prime Minister and Cabinet). After all, one can hardly credit such a man with a sense of humour.

Martin Parkinson AC PSM modelled a rather average hallucination (vision), a workforce that "reflects the full diversity of the public that we serve" ("Thinking bold: highest echelons will ensure women are recognised and their achievements promoted", March 9, pp16,17).

One assumes that he has dedicated positions reserved for the cretins and psychopaths (who also make up the public).

It's all very PC but that's to be expected from PM and C.

Unfortunately he committed the classic faux pas, lumping together, "women, people with a disability and people with diverse backgrounds". This used to be expressed as "women and other minorities".

Whilst confusing his role with that of the Australian Public Service Commissioner, Mr Parkinson proved his ignorance of the ministerial manual (Yes, Prime Minister) by advocating "courageous" decisions and promoted public service suicide with his final words, "Challenge your leaders. Be bold for a change."

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

I'm Jewish, American, Australian.

I urge those able to boycott all things economic, cultural, and academic originating from all Israeli settlements in West Bank and East Jerusalem (to do so).

From 1973, I volunteered in Israel; beginning 2001, I volunteered in Palestine. From Israeli kibbutzim to Palestinian villages, I work with moms, dads, kids helping them survive wars, incursions, rockets, occupation. Now a "sister" and "auntie" to many on the West Bank, I know they want the same things you and I want: security, safety, stability, hope, a decent life and a future for their next generations.

Settlements and the occupation deny these things to Palestinians and Israelis both. Financial, social, economic, cultural, psychological damage devastates both occupy-er and occupy-ee.

I write this fully "aware of [the] possibility" that my call "has a reasonable possibility of leading to the imposition of a boycott." [New Law, in translation].

I arrive Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday, 21 March, UA954. Arrest me.

Judy Bamberger, O'Connor

Has Australia walked away from its campaign against capital punishment, or merely become duplicitous? ("Australian lives at risk...", March 3, p.4).

The AFP remains defiantly unapologetic of its wanton facilitation of the judicial murders of Chan and Sukumaran.

The AFP seemed content to trade the lives of clumsy criminals in pursuit of their forlorn attack on the tip of the drug importation iceberg, with its ego and budget-boosting media opportunities from each periodic "bust".

And the unelected AFP has won again, despite the bipartisan views of a fully informed democratic parliamentary committee.

But the death penalty issue should be paramount, except in immediate life-threatening emergency.

Evidence to the committee made clear the feasibility of, and precedent, for establishing arrangements to preclude the death penalty.

But the AFP does not wish to do so. The AFP may be independent of the government. But the government is seemingly not sufficiently independent of the AFP.

Mike Hutchinson, Reid

I was pleased when, on Wednesday, March 8, I started my day with my regular reading of The One Year Bible (although I read the lesser known Chronological Bible).

March 8 is International Women's Day and there was the passage for the day: Numbers, chapter 27, which records the story of the daughters of Zelophehad.

These women, on the death of their father, sought their inheritance in an otherwise patriarchal society.

Moses sought the Lord and it was decreed gender was not an issue in the determination of property rights. The daughters of Zelophehad took their property. I am encouraged to know women's rights, and human rights in general, are to be found in scripture years before these causes were polluted by social agendas.

Me thinks Susan B Anthony et al would look down from Heaven and agree.

Chris Longhurst, Jerrabomberra, NSW

TO THE POINT

WIKILEAKS DUMP

So WikiLeaks have done it again, released another file dump, this time relating to naughty CIA cyber activities. Curiously I don't recall seeing similar dumps of FSB, SVR, MSS or 3PLA files.

If WikiLeaks would deign to do so I bet they would also make interesting reading, but most tellingly not in their countries!

Phil Clark, Isaacs

GET PM OUT OF HERE

Recent images of Malcolm Turnbull in Queensland betrayed an uncomfortable PM (joining groups in funny cowboy hat competitions and holding a can of beer as if it was a grenade).

Whether this was through him being in redneck country, or in redhead territory, there were shades of "I'm A Celebrity. Get Me Out Of Here".

M. F. Horton, Adelaide, SA

ABORTION DEBATE

Christopher Budd (letters, March 9) asserts he and everyone else is wrong regarding the abortion debate and then offers sage advice which we can only assume from his own assertion is wrong. As Hamlet remarked "There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Was he wrong?

Peter Snowdon, Aranda

A big shout out to Christopher Budd for suggesting people help women who are unexpectedly pregnant (letters, March 9). Make a donation to Karinya House.

It's been helping women and babies in Canberra for almost twenty years, and does a wonderful job of it.

Jane Craig, Holt

PARTIES LOST TOUCH

Pauline Hanson, love her or loathe her, is the unintended creation of Australia's mainstream political parties who have lost touch with a very large chunk of the electorate in their pursuit of trendy ideologies over the day-to-day realities of life in a country that is no longer as lucky as it used to be.

S. Pascoe, Barry, NSW

PC MUZZLES MAJORITY

As long as the intellectual muzzle of political correctness is not removed, the silent majority will remain slaves to the vocal minority.

Is this congruent with the tenets of democracy? If not, why so? Perhaps the MPs should answer that as our elected guardians of democracy.

Mario Moldoveanu, Frankston, Vic

NO CASH POLICY

My wife and I always like to support the Enlighten Festival. I was very disappointed to see that cash was not acceptable at the Noodle Market.

Surely by not accepting cash a law is broken?

Ken Eynon, Latham

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