Why has it taken over 100 years to build? It concerns me, that with five lanes of traffic down either side of the line (bike paths and four lanes of cars), drivers might be distracted with the novelty of the tram going past and lead to accidents. When is the ACT government going to tell us how much the fare will be from Gungahlin to Civic?

On a happier note: a charming tram driver from Melbourne, recently on television, said at Christmas time in Melbourne, his passengers sing carols down Collins Street on their way to the city.

Let's hope passengers from Gungahlin to Civic feel just as happy and celebrate Christmas and the tram in the same way.

Penelope Upward, O'Connor

The point was confused in the direct speech report, it "is standard fair and should be accessible to all people" ("Calls to ease insulin pump access", April 9, p9).

The claim is that it would be fair for all to have access to what is now standard fare.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

My friend Robert Willson (Letters, April 9) engages in a fine piece of sophistry in order to describe Ian Warden's self-described atheism as a "faith". I don't particularly like the word "atheism", as it encourages firm believers such as Robert to dismiss "atheists" as somehow having a "faith", even though the word, from the Greek "atheos" (without God), is defined as "disbelief in the existence of a God".

Furthermore, "disbelief" can hardly be described as "faith", as "disbelief" is based on significant scientific evidence. On the other hand, "faith" is based, not on evidence, but simply a belief (however sincerely held) that there is a God, as set out in a number of totally unscientific texts.

It is further complicated by the fact that "belief" can be held for more than one "God" with, additionally, firm assertions that each is the true God, but again with no scientific evidence that any of them exist.

People are free to believe what they will but it is at best misleading to attach incorrect labels to those on the other side of the religious fence.

Eric Hunter, Cook

It's not clear whether he's just attempting to play semantics, whether he doesn't understand the difference between faith and unbelief, or if he's actually in denial of his own puerile interpretation of the universe, but for someone with a life so heavily invested in faith and no shortage of counsel for anyone prone to incredulity, Robert Willson's response to Ian Warden's column ("Is heaven bound to disappoint Canberrans?", April 9) was misdirected and disingenuous.

Faith is defined as a belief in something without any evidence, and Mr Willson should familiarise himself with Bertrand Russell's Teapot before projecting his own shortcomings onto more-enlightened individuals if he wants to be taken seriously.

James Allan, Narrabundah

Robert Willson attests that atheists believe that their lives are meaningless. Not true!

I believe that we have only one life, so we should do our best with it, and that we have only one place to live – this planet – so we should nurture it.

I do not need a god or an afterlife to make my life meaningful.

Kathy Handel, Wamboin

At Easter, in Old Jerusalem, AD30, with mention of a stone, this headline might well have been gospel truth, but not in 2017's Australia ("Cyclist still riding after death", Sunday CT, April 9, p11)!

Albert M. White, Queanbeyan

The Treasurer says mums and dads are buying investment properties that help young people get into affordable rental properties. There are lots of mums of dads in Parliament who put their travelling allowances to good use by staying with family and friends or in garages and use the money to negatively gear investment properties and take advantage of capital gains tax concessions.

This doesn't help housing affordability, it worsens it by pushing prices up.

Do they really think ordinary Australians are stupid?

David McCarthy, Wallaroo

Why is there a housing unaffordability problem? Basic economics: demand exceeds supply.

Accessing superannuation to buy a house is worse than useless.

It doesn't address supply or demand so it can't help. It pushes more money into demand, so prices rise further. It disadvantages first home buyers who will have even bigger mortgages and compromised superannuation.

Stop developers monopolising new suburban housing. Let first-home buyers buy their own land and choose the builder they want.

Encourage owners of investment properties to sell. Scrap negative gearing on future property acquisitions.

And limit residential property investment to Australian citizens and residents, not businesses and not overseas investors.

R.Neville, Fraser

Very unusually, I find myself sort of agreeing with George Christensen, Jackie Lambie and Pauline Hanson about cutting foreign aid.

At least the billion-dollar foreign aid package going to the myriad Adani shelf companies that are begging for handouts to fund their Carmichael mine.

If we have money to spare, how about we give it to those who are in the greatest need, not foreign billionaires.

Doug Steley, Heyfield, Vic

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