Winter is coming and I have had a few personal contacts which bring home the situation very forcefully.

These people are feeling hopeless and have no energy or ability to help themselves. I have tried to phone on their behalf, during business hours, three organisations designed to help such people.

Each time I received a message saying "leave a message and we will get back to you". I have spoken to other people who have had this experience almost every day when they try to help somebody. When they do get onto someone they are told the facilities are completely full and they can't help.

We have so many empty buildings around the town, including government houses. I know two churches were told several years ago that they could not offer emergency accommodation in their church unless they could provide a certain number of toilets and showers. OK. Toilets I can understand but how few would you need to offer before it became worse than sleeping outside with the weather and no security?

I would love to see this become an urgent issue with our government. This is a cry for help. How does one go about it?

Lois McRae, Ainslie

The Coalition politicians are screaming with confected outrage at Labor's proposal to stop paying franking credits in cash to retirees who have insufficient taxable income to use the credits to reduce their tax. By doing so they show their true colours as money-grubbers, used to extracting every dollar by way of electoral allowances, free taxpayer-funded "fact-finding" trips, trips to mates' weddings, assorted helicopter rides and all the other lurks and perks of which we lesser mortals can only dream. The image of pigs with snouts in troughs readily springs to mind.

I am one of those caught in Labor's net, admittedly in a minor way, but I feel that I should be prepared to give up this unwarranted and unjustified benefit for the greater good that is the aim of this restriction. I find it obscene that somebody (not me ) on a $100,000 tax-free pension arising out of franked dividends paid into his or her super fund should expect to be reimbursed in cash from taxpayers for several thousand extra dollars by way of unused franking credits. This is ridiculous middle-class welfare and Labor is fully justified in calling it out and stopping it.

People are totally sick of this sort of rorting, especially the young, who cannot afford to buy a house while the rich line their pockets.

I can hear the sound of pitchforks being sharpened, at least in the ballot box. The Coalition is digging its own political grave.

James Gralton, Garran

As pointed out by Adrian van Leest (Letters, March 23), there is certainly a lot of confusion and misinformation, being bandied about in respect of Mr Shorten's tax proposal on imputation credits.

However, it is not ridiculous, as suggested by Mr van Leest, for the government to refund "part of the business tax to a citizen who does not pay tax in the first place".

A simple example shows why not. If Mr X has a net income from a rental property and duly declares it as income, but his taxable income is still below the threshold of $18,200, he pays no tax on that rental income; the government has not taken any portion of it in advance. Mr X as a share investor is entitled to receive the full unfranked dividend as income, except the government takes 30 per cent in advance.

Although being paid initially only the unfranked dividend (70per cent), he is required by law to declare the full 100 per cent unfranked dividend (as if he had been paid it) as income and pay tax accordingly.

The government then rightfully refunds the balance between the tax paid in advance and what is due as income tax (30 per cent for those below the tax threshold).

For a government not to give it back would be an act of confiscation.

While ignoring the more complicated situation that may be the case for SMSFs, it is only those shareholders below the threshold who would lose out under Mr Shorten's tax grab.

M. Flint, Erindale

Ross Johnson (Letters, March 26) and John Smith (March 24) exhibit the hubris of many who believe in technological solutions to human problems.

Autonomous cars will only solve the problem of traffic congestion if enough people are willing to share their ride.

There are many technological solutions to moving large numbers of people around a city and the sharing of vehicles is a sensible, low-cost way to get more from our transport infrastructure.

The suggestion is that we work out better ways to get people to share non-autonomous cars to deliver people to shared light rail.

The sharing of driven cars could solve our transport infrastructure today without the need for light rail, trams, buses or taxis.

Canberra has more cars than drivers, and when used most of those cars have one or two passengers instead of three or four.

To imagine that an app together with autonomous cars will automatically change people, so they are willing to share cars, is wishful thinking.

What we can do today is to run trials to understand how to convince more people to share cars. Sharing driven cars to the shared light rail would be a good start.

Kevin Cox, Ngunnawal

Thursday's acrimonious proceedings in the Legislative Assembly were described as occurring on "the final sitting day". Oh that this were actually and wholly true!

Paul E. Bowler, Chapman

Is it just a coincidence that security agency czar, Peter Dutton, uses the language attributed to Mafia bosses ("they're dead to me") to describe media critics? Or do I detect some disturbing similarities in mindset?

David Jenkins, Casey

All is fair in love and war but not sport.

When you play sport you enter into a social contract to play by the rules.

Otherwise why would anyone participate in sport when the odds were so unfairly stacked against them by other players circumventing the rules?

And why would the public support teams that only win by cheating?

There is very little kudos in being the best cheats in the world.

The question is — has sport become such a big deal in terms of money earned by professional players, sponsors, gamblers etc; and the celebrity status of top players; that winning at all costs, whether it be through sledging, ball tampering, throwing matches, taking drugs, bashing someone's knee in, etc is all that matters?

The idea that if you can get away with something reprehensible then it's perfectly OK, or if others are reprehensible then you are justifiable in joining them, seems to miss the point. You know that you have acted immorally and this diminishes your accomplishments and turns sport into a totally selfish pursuit.

Elizabeth Dangerfield, Crace

As if the first two Tests in South Africa didn't throw up enough scandal, the Australian team have now been found to have cheated during the third Test.

Steve Smith has admitted responsibility and knowledge of how the ball tampering was discussed and undertaken and should step down as captain of the team. It would be better to step down, accepting and admitting it was a terrible error of judgment, than to be stood down.

While Cameron Bancroft should have known better, as a young and inexperienced Test player he is guided by the senior players in the team and they have let him down immensely.

Australian cricket is in turmoil now and it will take a long time to gain back the respect of the cricket world.

The team may be one of the best in the world, but it now also has the label of cheat next to it as well, and that will take a long time to erase.

Alan Leitch, Austin's Ferry, Tas

The International Cricket Council needs to take a stand. Cheating is never justified and says a lot about the moral character of the perpetrators.

Perhaps the ICC should ban Australia from Test cricket for five years so that we dwell on the nature of what being a sportsperson really is.

We can then take the time to restructure the game from the grassroots, instilling in players and administrators a doctrine that cheating to win is never justified.

It seems that Australian cricket did not absorb this lesson after its last major international incident.

Michael Burton, Lyneham

The decline in Mr Turnbull's popularity is unsurprising given his inconsistency on key issues and his tolerance of the views of the likes of Joyce, Dutton and Cash.

The real Malcolm has to reveal himself.

Is he the moderate who advocated emission reduction, women's rights, showed compassion for Indigenous Australians and refugees, supported a republic and assessed issues on their merits?

Is he the reactionary with views the antithesis of those he expressed before becoming prime minister, apparently subservient to the conservative wing of his party, the donations of big business and those of the infantile occupant of the White House. Or is he an opportunist who adopts a position that leads to his personal advancement?

Mr Turnbull you have the opportunity to gain the respect of the community by being forthright, honest, courageous, humble and fearless. The Liberal Party has no alternative leader — Abbott, Dutton and Morrison collectively have the empathy of a psychopath, the compassion of a stone, the intelligence of a gnat and are as popular as a pork sausage in a synagogue.

Stop being a "we will all be rooned Hanrahan" when commenting on proposals to build a more equal and efficient Australia such as reform of negative gearing, capital gains tax, cash refunds on franking credits and climate change.

Be constructive, not destructive. Govern for all Australians. Reconsider the $36 billion tax cut to big business as the benefits are highly contentious and uncertain — there is a trickle down effect but unfortunately it is unlikely to be jobs and growth.

Will you be remembered as a great prime minister or the Great Disappointment?

Mike Quirk, Garran

So President Trump has a new National Security Adviser. John Bolton is Trump's third since taking office.

Trump's chief lawyer for the Russian collusion investigation has just quit. No one should be surprised at the constant staff changes.

There is only one person the President really listens to — himself. Despite going bankrupt six times, Trump boasts of his business acumen. Oops that is too big a word for President Trump, so better say "genius".

Trump's huge tax cuts to America's most wealthy will just cause economic disaster for the US as the cost of borrowings has to be met.

The $US77 billion on new tariffs on Chinese imports to the US will trigger a global trade war far worse than that likely with just his previous steel and aluminium tariffs.

So sell your investments, empty your bank accounts, buy as much gold as you can legally and put everything under your mattress.

Things are going to get awfully ugly.

Rod Olsen, Flynn

The evidence is clear that NAPLAN has done nothing in the last decade to improve student outcomes. If anything, its perverse outcomes have set the nation back. Education Minister Yvette Berry is rightly pushing hard for a review of the whole regime. This call is supported right across the education community and the teaching profession. Ms Berry's scepticism of NAPLAN has undoubtedly been fuelled by spending many hours in schools talking to teachers, principals, students and parents.

I'd like to know if Bruce Paine (Letters, March 23) and Gary J. Wilson (Letters, March 22 and 23) bothered to speak to any such people before claiming to understand the issues. Mr Paine has correctly identified the early years of learning as crucial in a child's development.

Perhaps he'd like to invest his energies in supporting the AEU's ongoing campaign for the Turnbull government to ensure in the first instance that 15 hours of free preschool is available to all Australian four-year-olds.

Abbott and then Turnbull have refused to provide any certainty for the sector for four successive years now.

Glenn Fowler, secretary, Australian Education Union — ACT Branch

TEED OFF

As a keen cricketer in my youth and now a similarly keen golfer, I for one would not want to play golf with any of the "leadership team" of the Australian cricket team. Maybe if they were forced to play golf, they could learn of the honesty with which golf is played, particularly at the highest level.

Malcolm Paterson, Greenleigh, NSW

JUST NOT CRICKET

If you wish to take a wicket/Ball tampering is not the ticket/It's not the norm/Is very poor form/In a phrase: It's just not cricket.

Greg Cornwell, Yarralumla

HOW CHEATS PREPARE

Packing list for South Africa: Passport – tick. Cricket gear – tick. Tape and pebbles – tick. Right time to go.

Doug Hodgson, Pearce

BLACK CAPS ANYONE?

How soon will the exodus to New Zealand start? Hang your head in shame Steve Smith and co. Go the Black Caps.

Debbie Kensey, Wanniassa

OH DEAR

Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oh Oh Oh!

Philip Telford, Tarago, NSW

HONOUR BINNED

The once honoured Australian expression 'It's just not cricket' has now been rendered devoid of all meaning.

Philip White, Crace

UNHEALTHY CULTURE

While Lieutenant-Colonel Beltrame of the French gendarmes sets a fine example, Steve Smith sets another.

We must remember that Australian cricketers are the products of our culture, our parents and our grandparents.

Let us ask ourselves, who has failed the most.

Charles Woodhouse, Civic

TRUMP'S PEN LICENCE

When Donald Trump proudly thrusts his presidential edicts towards the camera to show us that he is in fact capable of signing his own name, it's apparent that he uses a Pentel pen. So he's graduated from crayons.

Who'd have thought it?

Bronis Dudek, Calwell

BETWEEN TWO EVILS

With punitive tariffs slapped on China and a super hawk named National Security Adviser, what will Trump start first: a depression or a war?

Thos Puckett, Ashgrove, QLD

IT'S ONLY CANBERRA

Can someone please explain to me why the price of 91 Octane petrol is 149.9¢ a litre throughout Canberra and only 20 kilometres away in Queanbeyan it is 131.9¢.

On a 60-litre tank of petrol that equates to a $10.80 difference. That is a rip-off but who cares – it's only Canberra!

Bruce Kentwell, Holt

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