We wonder how many of the other anti-Barr correspondents think the same.

Well Gavin (and others), our message to you is simple: If you vote informal, you're failing to vote against the politician you profess to despise, thus shoring up his prospects of being re-elected.

If Gavin and others think this is the way to go, then remember that what we're accusing Barr of doing and being is the inevitable consequence of essentially maintaining a one-party state.

If you want to do something about it, make a firm resolution to vote for change.

Anything else is futile.

Michael and Christine O'Loughlin, Griffith

Well, at least our Chief Minister won't need to waste any of the Canberra ratepayers' hard-earned on communicating with the over-60s.

We were told just before the last election that the only people concerned about rate rises were older inner south residents.

Anyone who questioned plans for Woden high rise was trapped in a 1940s nostalgia time warp.

And then we learnt this week that in addition to those sins, we are apparently the only age group to watch the ABC in Canberra. The implication being ABC Canberra is a waste of space.

Michael Roche, Yarralumla

Call the doctor! Doctor Doctor come quickly! Look. What is it? Nixon? A Placido?

No, no it's still just Andrew Barr, drowning in old technology. Old media is always blamed first but the infection is always internal.

How can we cure this, cut out this dammed spot?

Well the first step is a long dose of Fitzharris. Then we tackle the old technology but that's hard. This is highly resistant, no matter how much money is thrown at these contagions , the problem remains the same: slow, inflexible and highly expensive. Even Graham Downie saw through the budgets.

You mean it could be fatal.

That is highly likely. It's been known for a long time the only carrying done by old technology is out of office.

Warwick Davis, Isaacs

The Canberra Times has put a nose or two out of joint by presuming that freedom of the press extends even as far as questioning decisions of our local government.

Many years ago a very senior public servant commented after a particularly harrowing session with the then prime minister: "I take great consolation in knowing that his job is temporary."

Your journalists make take some solace in a similar thought.

Brian Smith, Conder

Stephen Hawking was a great scientist who helped in our understanding of the universe even if most people couldn't understand his work.

He was also a very successful author. His work included black holes, which may be symbolic as he did not wallow in a personal black hole when he became ill but rather fought it and showed that handicaps do not stop you. His humour and wit was shown through his cameos on Big Bang Theory. A piece of trivia – he was the only person to appear on Star Trek as themselves.

A great role model for all.

Dennis Fitzgerald, Box Hill, Victoria

On March 12 I received a request to take part in a survey.

There were about 10 questions. The first three dealt with degrees of satisfaction with the ACT government and two of its projects.

The remainder dealt with questions that I could only give favourable answers to.

For example if people should be paid according to awards, worker safety and so on.

No matter what I said in answer to the first three questions the remaining ones would be favourable to the ACT government.

It was very obvious that the survey was designed so the results would show that in a majority of issues the ACT government was doing well.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

Isn't it time we reviewed the use of daylight saving? It does not "save" any daylight.

The concept began in the northern hemisphere as an emergency war-time measure. I am not clear why it was introduced to Australia.

Whilst I personally enjoy extra hours of daylight in summer evenings, objectively I must ask whether implementing it in the spring then reversing the process in the autumn is worth the hassle. If having daylight "saving" in summer is important, perhaps we should simply adopt "summer time" all year round.

Alvin Hopper, Dickson

Noel McNamara's "annual rant" about the Raiders (Letters, March 13) is a gross exaggeration.

Sure, after starting with high hopes, last year was disappointing when they narrowly failed to make the finals, despite scoring more points than all but two of their competitors.

But the previous year they finished second and missed the grand final only after losing a 12-14 cliffhanger to the Storm in Melbourne in the season's penultimate match.

That year the Raiders scored over 100 points more than any other team.

They were by general agreement the competition's most watchable team.

That was just 18 months ago.

Following a mercurial football team like Canberra is not all beer and skittles but, as has been said before, with fans like Noel, the Raiders certainly don't need enemies.

Phil Teece, Sunshine Bay, NSW

The decision by Kim Jong-Un to meet in May with Donald Trump is not so much a 'historic' success for Trumpian diplomacy as it is indicative of the North Koreans' interest in keeping Trump as US president for as long as possible.

Trump generates uncertainty, instability and chaos in the global economic and political order.

More years of his bluster and tweets would suit the North Koreans and others just fine.

Stewart Sweeney, Adelaide, SA

It mystifies me how Mick Gentleman ("Confronting: roo doco hits big screen", canberratimes.com.au, March 11) can claim that culling of kangaroos in the ACT is conducted to protect the environment.

This statement defies the CSIRO report commissioned by the government to analyse ACT kangaroo grazing data.

It concluded there did not appear to be any density of kangaroos at which the environment suffers any harm at all.

Many ACT residents believe the reason for kangaroo culling is to secure the votes of farmers and the money of developers.

Gentleman's reference to the code of practice under which culling is conducted in the ACT is disingenuous. He does not mention its purpose under ACT law (Animal Welfare Act, S20) is to permit acts of cruelty that would otherwise be prohibited.

Many motorists driving past ACT reserves after a night of culling can confirm the expert witness statement of a veterinarian who observed one ACT cull that an entire "ghost population" of unweaned at-foot joeys are orphaned by the cull every year (ACAT 2014).

The government's policy document, "Eastern Grey Kangaroo: Controlled Native Species Management Plan" admits that, in addition to several thousand killed every year by the government itself, more than 20,000 kangaroos are killed under private licences it also issues.

Frankie Seymour, Queanbeyan, NSW

Christian leaders who delay compensation to the victims of child sex abuse should consider this passage: Luke 12.57:- "If someone brings a lawsuit against you and takes you to court, do your best to settle the dispute with them before you get to court.

"If you don't, they will drag you before the judge, who will hand you over to the police, and you will be put in jail. There you will stay, I tell you, until you pay the last penny of your fine."

Charles Woodhouse, Civic

Gary J. Wilson (Letters, March9) vainly tries to blame the ACT government for the closure of Canberra City Bowling Club. The ACT government may be implicated by giving the nod to Ainslie Football Club, enabling the sale to a developer for housing on that site with the understanding that replacement facilities would be built at Gungahlin Lakes. The undeniable fact is that the AFC sold the CCBC site for $4million then reneged on $2million replacement.

Ronald Hawke, Watson

The federal government is right in categorically dismissing any agreement to greater Australian military co-operation as a quid pro quo for US tariff exemptions.

As it is, not even the Americans could envisage a more spineless, kowtowing military "ally" than Australia has been since the 1950s – and even more this century, boundlessly ready and enthusiastic to fetch the master's slippers, buy up second-rate military surplus, etc. We probably almost embarrass them already with our willingness to please.

Alex Mattea, Kingston

Has there always been that amount of vicious sledging going on between the cricket teams. If so, surely it has to stop. Who do they think they are, politicians in parliament, state and federal? They all don't set a good example to our younger generation and should be ashamed of themselves. Just get on with doing the job you are there for and keep all the name calling and snide remarks out of it. You all might surprise yourselves and end up performing so much better.

Barbara Mecham, Melba

The Greens want to phase out petrol and diesel cars in favour of electric ones by 2030 to reduce "carbon" pollution. I much doubt this will happen. By then most people will know that carbon and CO2 are very different things and that the Greens have been telling serious climate fibs about of both. In response, they will opt to keep their cars and phase out the Greens.

Doug Hurst, Chapman

I am not surprised to see Stephen Mugford (Letters, March 9) complaining about the metal furniture in the redeveloped Trenerry Square. Who was the design genius who thought that bright yellow and orange was a good colour for the new street furniture?

The ABC is trying to attract a younger audience and is prepared to discard some its older listeners/viewers.

Perhaps the new Trenerry Square resulted from some millennial designers wanting to discourage us oldies from lingering, in the hope that a younger group would fill the gap?

John Hutchison, Canberra

Dozens of federal Liberal MPs have reportedly signed a petition calling for a 25 per cent funding increase for the controversial National Schools Chaplaincy Program.

The last census showed 30 per cent of Australians state they have no religious beliefs, and taxpayers might be rightly aggrieved that more public money could be spent on a program that is only available for chaplains provided by religious organisations.

For several years members of the ACT Humanist Society have worked as chaplains at the Canberra and Calvary hospitals and the University of Canberra and the ANU. Why shouldn't such secular chaplains also be available in schools?

I hope the current system that embeds religious discrimination in the funding of school chaplains will be changed to allow schools to choose the best people to provide pastoral care for their students — religious or secular.

Peter Williams, Campbell

I don't envy the conveners of interview panels if quotas for women are brought in for occupations where they are under-represented.

Having convened a few panels myself, one of the worst tasks was having to ring unsuccessful candidates to explain why they didn't get the job.

How much more onerous this task would be should one have to tell a candidate that, although they were the most qualified, his Y chromosome ruled him out.

We might go down the path of advertising gender specific jobs and restricting applicants to women only but isn't that what employers had been doing for centuries when they insisted only men were able to withstand the rigours of full-time employment?

Lee Welling, Nicholls

If Michael Catanzariti (Letters, March 14) is concerned about his mid-1990s car's ill-fitting panels, lack of electrical and mechanical reliability and general unsuitability for Australian conditions, perhaps he should have bought one that was manufactured overseas instead.

James Allan, Narrabundah

EXCESS BAGGAGE

Andrew Barr's apology that wasn't an apology over the use of the word "hate" in relation to journalists just doesn't cut the mustard. The sooner the Labor Party realises that Andrew Barr is no longer an asset but a liability to them, and consigns him to the dustbin of history, the better it will be for the ACT – and for the party's re-election prospects.

Don Sephton, Greenway

TO THE LETTER

If Mr Barr wants to communicate with us in future in a "contentious and risky way", could I respectfully suggest to him he might just acknowledge receipt of his correspondence. If he really wants to live dangerously, he could seek answers, send a reply and sign it.

Kaye Beckwith, Bruce

SPIN DOCTOR

And so it will come to pass that we will be fed the word according to Barr via the "filter" of the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth.

Maureen Cummuskey, Hackett

BACKWARD STEP

Andrew Barr does not think much of traditional media but he has spent millions of dollars to ensure ACT has a very traditional form of transport in the form of a tram.

Geoff Barker, Flynn

FOR THE PEOPLE

Doesn't Mr Barr understand that media freedom to report is for protection of the "governed", not the "governor"? It's time he moved on.

Roy Zacharias, Chisholm

TURN OF PHRASE

I suggest that Mr Barr's "CBR" slogan be interpreted as 'Can Barr Relate".

Greg Kennett, Rivett

BITE THE BALLOT

Does Andrew Barr not realise that people in their 60s actually vote?

M. Jackson, Kambah

WALK THE TALK

America can't order other countries to disarm if they are not willing to start themselves.

V. Harris, Yass

HOP ON BOARD

Your correspondent, Graham Macafee, (Letters, March 12) reported terrible trouble finding a car parking space while visiting his optometrist in the city. I recently had a similar appointment. I caught the bus. No car parking fees. So easy.

T. W. Campbell, Bruce

TAKE A PAY CUT

Instead of short-changing retirees with his tax proposal, Bill Shorten should rein in his income. I need every cent of my refund. I worked hard, saved hard. His pay comes from us taxpayers; I do not have taxpayers.

Ralph Selwyn, Castle Cove, NSW

VALE, STEPHEN HAWKING

Goodbye Professor Hawking. Thank you for your inspiration.

M. Moore, Bonython

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