We understand that in order to implement some savings from the welfare budget, the Turnbull government is cutting the part-age pensions by $448 million this year.

This is the second time in as many years that the part-age pension has been cut. Many age pensioners are frail and vulnerable to physical, political or economic actions against them and are unable to advocate on their own behalf. According to the OECD, 35.5 per cent of Australians aged over 65 years are living in "income poverty" and we sit in the disgraceful second-last position. This is a shameful situation, and will only worsen with further cuts to the part-age pension. We are appalled at this initiative of the Turnbull government.

Furthermore, we are furious, after reading the ATO list of companies who pay little or no tax in Australia, that the Coalition has done nothing to redress this "daylight robbery" of ordinary Australians. A quick perusal of the ATO list reveals that a third of the companies pay no tax and the other two-thirds pay very little tax (that is, either 1 per cent of their total income or 30 per cent of their taxable income).

This is where the Turnbull government's attention should be focused – not attacking the living standards of part pensioners of modest means.

It is distressing to us that the Turnbull government has put the interests of multinational companies before the interests of our community. If these companies were made to pay their tax and not allowed to send their profits overseas before paying their taxes, then there would not be a budget deficit.

Jane Timbrell, convenor, Vintage Reds of the Canberra Region

The article "Big discounts to lure Chinese unit buyers" (The Australian Financial Review, December 15, p3) shows the immorality of developers in building small apartments for exorbitant prices which locals do not wish to buy at the price offered. The article states there is a sign of lending restrictions by Australian banks and an over-supply of inner-city apartments in Brisbane, Perth and Melbourne. This indicates the supply of such apartments significantly exceeds demand for them.

Rather than allow the Australian market to react rationally to questionable planning and over-supply through downward adjustment of prices, we distort it by giving discounts to foreign investors rather than Australians. Enough.

The cost of housing as a proportion of average income is now many times greater than it was 30 to 40 years ago and is creating a national crisis, with impacts on physical and mental health for the current generation.

Why is the government not addressing this crisis?

Geoff Davidson, Braddon

John McKerral (Letters, December 15) is under the misapprehension that fossil-fuelled electricity generation is cheaper than renewables.

A 2013 report from Bloomberg New Energy Finance found that electricity could be supplied from a new wind farm in Australia at a cost of $80 per megawatt hour compared to a new coal-fired plant at $120 per MWh and a new gas-fired plant at $93 per MWh. It predicted that large-scale solar will undercut coal and gas by 2020. Mr McKerral's other factual misrepresentations include his assertions that renewables require 100 per cent fossil-fuelled backup and that the recent South Australian blackouts were due to an over-reliance on wind power.

That he ignores the federal government's fawning over Adani and lavishing it with money from our infrastructure fund while calling for an end to subsidies for renewables is hardly surprising. Does he think Australia wouldn't face severe consequences from the international community for eschewing a clean energy future and reverting to the polluting technology of a century ago?

James Allan, Narrabundah

The symbolism of having people walking literally above our Federal Parliament is to end, for security reasons ("Moat floated to secure Parliament", December 14, p2).

But designer Aldo Giurgola's brilliant concept can be rescued if we acknowledge that people, in turn, are ultimately under the guidance and commands from nature.

Reflecting this, we could have the future enclosed lawn slopes populated not with humans but with our beautiful Australian flora and fauna. Among which, plenty of kangaroos.

The people, then, could have the last word by referring to Federal Parliament as "that place with a few roos loose in the top paddock."

Jorge Gapella, Kaleen

Further to Richard Mills (Letters, December 13), isn't it about time we adopted a strictly secular approach to the issue of euthanasia? The Catholic Church and many other Christian institutions regards voluntary euthanasia as a sin. When I was a child, it was a sin punishable by eternal damnation. I understand that today such draconian sanctions no longer apply.

Does that mean that the persons who did commit these sins in the old days, and who have been suffering the hell-fires ever since, have now been released from those sulphurous climes?

Leaving those principles aside, what right does any church have to say to me that what I am doing is a sin? I do not believe in sin – I believe in the rule of law and its jurisprudential foundations – based on humanitarian, as opposed to religious, concepts. Please do not tell me that any "God", deemed to hold sway in this vast Universe, would order that a terminally person should continue to suffer unbearable pain. Even if I were to believe in such a deity, I could not believe that he or she would be so cruel.

So leave the law making to the law-makers and the religious beliefs to the religious believers, I say – stop confusing the two, as they have been so confused since the beginning of time.

Michael O'Brien, Newtown, NSW

So there was more asbestos than expected in the Currong housing complex ("Asbestos causing Currong costs to go up and up", December 16, pp4-5)! Argyle Square, with its 120 apartments, is downwind of the still-to-be-demolished Bega Flats, across a narrow laneway. Work continued on the demolition of the Currong flats on some days in very strong winds blowing in our direction across Ainslie Avenue.

What protection will Argyle Square residents be offered against asbestos removal when the much closer Bega flats are demolished? Will water sprays be used and, if so, who will take responsibility for cleaning up the dusty material blown our way and deposited on our property?

We need assurances from the ACT government before anything goes ahead.

Elizabeth Teather, Reid

About time, National Capital Authority ("Residents fear date with density", December 15, p8)! Our garden city is being trashed by developers, assisted by an ACT government apparently caring more about revenue than the terminal damage being done to Canberra.

This city need not be like Sydney, as so frequently proposed by some. Usually by those who don't understand the origins of our city, in the planning theories of Marion and Walter Griffin and the planning practices of the former National Capital Development Commission.

Modernise (if 250-400-square metre blocks can be called that) in the new areas. Maintain the civic amenity in the older areas. That's what makes Canberra a living and liveable city.

Peter Graves, Curtin

With the Greens having effectively forced upon Canberra the Gungahlin to Civic tramway, largely justified by the development it might engender, ACT Greens MLA Caroline Le Couteur seems to have taken a long overdue stance against developers (""Greens MP hits out on planning choices", December 14, p4). With good reason, she notes it would be easy to think planning decisions are being made for the developers, not the community. It can also be reasoned many of the dodgy planning decisions are made to benefit the government's coffers with increased rates and other charges. And with the former Labor staffer, Adina Cirson, now head of the Property Council, the link between government and developers might be seen to be even closer.

I have previously written about the stench in this city and there has been nothing since the October election to indicate a breath of fresh air. It will be most interesting to see what influence to this end Ms Le Couteur, as chairwoman of the ACT planning committee, will have.

Graham Downie, O'Connor

As a usually positive reader of The Canberra Times, I was disgusted by Karen Hardy's article "Grammar drops in HSC rankings" (December 16, p3). It served no purpose whatsoever other than to validate the ill-informed views of those who love to hate private schools and to make the children attending the school concerned feel as though they have somehow failed even when they haven't.

It is shameful that you don't feel any hesitation about subjecting children who have just completed a hugely stressful event in their young lives, their final high school exams, the subject of public ridicule and self doubt.

Frances Clifford, Ainslie

I am very disappointed with the new HD Channel 20. It may technically be a HD channel but everything I've seen on it so far is only the quality of SD – and I'm a retired TV technician who used to work at ABC-TV's Gore Hill studios in Sydney.

I have compared the ABC channel visually to the other HD stations and it is very clear to me that ABC Canberra has a problem.

My vision is still good enough to easily detect the obvious difference between HD(1080i) and SD(576i). My TV is fairly recent and can decode MPEG4 with no problems.

I've sent a complaint to the ABC but have received no reply as yet.

Jim Hayes, Griffith

Greg Cornwell (Letters, December 14) bemoans the "anti-war mob" and its criticism of Canberra Airport's weapons advertising. Cornwell might not be concerned with the sanitising and promotion of an industry that is pouring weapons into the Middle East and elsewhere, helping perpetuate human suffering on a horrific scale, but many people are.

Rather than bothering himself with the anti-war mob, Cornwell would do well to recognise the existence of pro-war trends that have slipped into our national life.

Going to war is promoted as a central part of our national identity, preparing for war is increasingly seen as an important part of our economy, and advertising the weapons of war seems to be regarded as no more consequential than advertising, say, soap powder.

The pro-war lobby wants us to equate "security" with having lots of weapons and being ready to use them. As Australia seems incapable of saying no to any US-led war, no matter how counter-productive it is to our real security (let alone for the millions of far-off people where we fight our wars) that's a major concern.

It is made all the more pressing with the election of a US president who regards all arms of the US military as having been seriously neglected (with funding at only $600billion, around a third of the global total) and in need of major boosting.

Or is there a touching notion that, unlike every other industry, the weapons industry does not actually want their products being used?

Sue Wareham, convenor, No Airport Arms Ads

TO THE POINT

PM AS GRINCH

Having been 55 years in the workforce I had plenty of time in which to dream of what I would do in retirement. But now, with a substantial reduction in the age pension, many of those dreams will recede into eternity.

I leave it to Bill Shorten to act, but thank you, Malcolm, for your ungift to many pensioners at Christmas. We shall not forget.

Dennis Nicholls, Curtin

SHOCKING THOUGHT

Vic Robertson's thoughts on light rail risks (Letters, December 14) were timely. Adding to that, I note that the intersection of Flemington Road and the Federal Highway is prone to flooding. The thought of an electric tram trying to negotiate axle-deep water is chilling. If I lived in Gungahlin, I would avoid the tram when heavy rain was forecast.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

ALL'S BEAN SAID

Surely the "farter Christmas" Brian Smith (Letters, December 15) envisaged would come about only if the beans consumed were baked beans (or even worse, curried baked beans) rather than fresh, crunchy, steamed green beans.

Brian Bell, Isabella Plains

SENIORS SQUABBLE

It is not at all clear that Christopher Pyne is "more senior in cabinet" than Marise Payne ("Christopher Pyne denies angling for Defence Minister job and hits out at 'liar' colleague", canberratimes.com.au, December 12). The current portfolio list shows Defence as eighth in seniority, and Payne before Pyne.

Michael McCarthy, Deakin

FRIENDLY RING

My fellow cyclists using our treasured shared paths, it really is not hard. Thirty metres away, ding your bell. Ten metres away, ding your bell again and call, in a friendly voice, "Passing right!" Pedestrians, joggers and parents with prams will signal their thanks. When passing, wave. Works every time.

Peter Chesworth, Red Hill

LACKS LUSTRE

Once again the LDA (Lacklustre Development Agency) is front and centre in the public eye. First, some shoddy land purchases in Civic, now substantial cost overruns on the removal of the Currong flats. Perhaps the AG needs to investigate further.

Peter Toscan, Amaroo

AZURE ABOUT THAT?

Is the decision to paint ACTION buses blue in recognition of the wonderful effort by the Canberra Liberals to push for better public transport at the last election?

Chris Emery, Reid

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