Surely, it is not enough for us just to send our sympathies and prayers for the victims and hope for the best.

We have to do much more than that if we really want to see an end to this rising wave of terrorism.

Peace cannot be established without observing absolute justice at all levels. Is it fair for America or other Western countries to profit from weapon trades?

Spending billions of dollars on defence cannot end terrorism, however ending poverty, hunger and slavery would surely bring peace.

Usman Mahmood, Bowenfells, NSW

The criminal killings in Manchester occupied the ABC all day and night. Comments from "experts", one and all.

On any day, more than that number of deaths are caused by Saudi Arabia in Yemen, yes, children mainly; in Palestine, it could be any day of the week; and 10 times that number in Syria thanks to the Americans, Saudis, Israelis and yes, their little lapdog, Australia.

It does show the attitude variations in the media between Caucasian deaths caused by a single amateur terrorist in Manchester and deaths in Yemen, Palestine and Syria by highly organised professional terrorists, totally disregarding the United Nations with world hegemony their single aim.

Rex Williams, Ainslie

The Lindt cafe siege and deaths were a great tragedy. The event and its outcomes are surely regretted by everyone.

Unfortunately, it is speculation to suggest a different course of action may have prevented innocent deaths.

An earlier intervention by police might have killed more. A military force instead of police would still use force and that must carry risks.

Every one of us, in the role of situation controller, would act differently. It is comfortable to know better after the event.

Warwick Davis, Isaacs

What kind of warmongering maniac goes around test-firing medium-range ballistic missiles without so much as a "by your leave"?

Well, apart from the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong-un, our "special friend", the US, also engages in that behaviour, with its airforce having test-fired intercontinental ballistic missiles over a range of 4000 miles on at least five occasions that we know about over the past 12months.

Instead of playing willing hypocritical proxy on behalf of the American schoolyard bully, perhaps our Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, should be calling for all missile tests to be abandoned, or is independent reasoning really beyond our political leaders?

John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW

What is the real story about the Adani mine that the government is hiding from us?

We know it will be an environmental catastrophe. It will create few jobs. There's evidence that, without massive government subsidy, it will be an economic disaster as well.

The Adani company, for its part, seems to have an uncertain record.

The public is against the mine, most of the banks won't touch it, so the $1billion "loan" will ultimately come from government.

Yet it is obvious that the federal government, with the acquiescence of the opposition, together with the Queensland government, are quietly getting on with the job of smoothing the way. It will emerge as a fait accompli.

Who will gain from this? Mr Turnbull, what's the upside? Are you going to come clean and transparently explain the net benefit for the economy, the nation and the planet – not to mention the survival of the Great Barrier Reef?

We all have a right to know what you are doing to our country, and what ongoing commitments to Adani are being made, before it is too late.

Ray Edmondson, Kambah

It was very disappointing to see Ian Dunlop's recent opinion piece ("No rhetoric: the Adani mine will kill millions", May19, p.19) with its mix of realistic thinking about climate change and strange conclusions about the proposed Adani coal mine.

Dunlop casually pushes aside the straightforward argument (that I and others have aired in The Canberra Times before) that the superior quality of our coal means that Adani's exploitation may well reduce carbon dioxide and hence global warming, rather than increase it.

The argument is simply that the solid demand for coal use overseas is not subject to our control. It will remain no matter what we do.

Adani coal is of a higher quality than most of its foreign competitors and so will produce less carbon dioxide for the amount of energy generated from it.

Opening up the Adani mine will provide many badly needed Queensland jobs and export income, and slightly decrease the rate at which global warming occurs.

Leaving aside other arguments about the mine, what's wrong with that?

Dr Neville Exon, Chapman

While I agree in general with Rod Olsen's advice (letters, May22) to the US about how they could improve their voting system by emulating ours, I doubt that our American friends would allagree.

Many would claim their system is the best, fairest and most democratic in the world. That's what they've been told.

Like most Australians, they probably don't know or care that there are other systems, let alone how they work.

Our energy would be better spent fixing our own system which, though it has much to recommend it over the US', is still rife with problems.

We'll be in no position to advise others until we at least abolish above-the-line voting and break the nexus between money and electoral success.

Fred Pilcher, Kaleen

Why is it that, on any and every matter directly or indirectly concerning himself, President Trump refers to it as "... the greatest ..." or "... the worst ..." or "... the biggest..." example of it ever? Is it because he is the greatest flim-flam artist and worst "politician" ever to (dis) grace the White House?

Paul E. Bowler, Holder

It was with a weary sense of inevitability that I began reading Andrew Wall's lament about the choice of street names in Denman Prospect ("Streets that turn left", Comment, May 18, p16).

But in the end, I had to smile. Wall's attack on the ACT government's selection of unrepresentative individuals begins by singling out two unworthy specimens honoured for "feminism and women's rights".

He names one as Julia Trubridge-Freebury. The other, left unnamed, is Joan Bielski, who taught me how to use a library properly in my first two years of high school. Not that I was grateful at the time, or liked her for it – "Big Bertha" we called her, and gritted our teeth against the zeal in her educated voice.

But it seems Bertha had another life. For 60 years she stood up for the rights of half the population to be educated to their maximum potential, and then to be employed for what they had been trained to do, and taken seriously, and paid properly.

Along the way, she married an Auschwitz survivor and stayed with him until he died. She worked right up to her own death, at 88.

Not a bad role model, Andrew – you've got 55 years to go. I suspect that like Nugget Coombs, another humane and practical idealist, Joan Bielski was too fixed on the goals that drove her to care about personal honours. But there it is – Bielski Street. And it's got a great view.

Paul Feldman, Macquarie

Thank you, Jon Stanhope, for your timely and insightful statement on the situation confronting the club movement in the ACT and the behaviour of the government (Letters, May23).

This government seems hell-bound on placing machines in the casino, and the Chief Minister's tactics in backing the breakaway movement must be seen in that light – cause friction in the major club movement and the game is over. Clever politics but bad policy.

I concur with Jon Stanhope and, clearly, many Labor stalwarts, that the casino should not have access to poker machines. Poker machines restricted to community-based organisations is the correct jurisdiction.

Placing machines in the casino amounts to their privatisation, which will inexorably lead to demands for similar treatment by other arms of the hospitality industry.

In the flush of an unexpected electoral victory, the Chief Minister might well thumb his nose at such demands. However, in the long run, restriction of privatisation to the casino, a large overseas-owned organisation, is unsustainable.

I make no apology for being a long-time supporter of community-based clubs.

If some are shown by objective analysis to be not meeting fully their community obligations, the government has an armoury of rules and regulations to bring them to heel.

Adrian Caddy, Torrens

Congratulations to Seeing Machines on their research grant from the ACT government for the investigation of the critical subject of driver behaviour in automated cars ("Face-tracking tech on trial in driverless cars", May19, p10).

Experts agree that the handover of control to a human is the area of greatest challenge in the march towards the automated car. However, it is practical restrictions on the operational design domain for a fleet of automated vehicles that can lead to early deployment.

Given that all traffic signalling can be transmitted in a radio spectrum as well as the visible spectrum used for humans, the paradox of driverless trams without rails and catenaries, properly described as bus ways for driverless electric buses, is foreseeable within a decade.

This is not an insurmountable step in Canberra, given that driverless suburban trains will be operational in Sydney in 2019.

My question to Mr Barr is whether in supporting long-term research into the most challenging area of automated vehicles, is he just trying to deflect criticism of the indefensible Woden tram project?

John L.Smith, Farrer

Snowy Hydro II is still in the thought-bubble stage.

Snowy Hydro Limited executives have estimated that "an essential upgrade of power transmission lines from the mountains into Sydney and Melbourne will cost up to $2 billion" ("Snowy Hydro II may cost double $2b estimation", May 24, p3).

Essential is not necessarily consequential. It is possible that the upgrade is long overdue.

It could be maintenance, and so arguably an operating cost, not capital expenditure.

The executives also believe that the project could take six, not four, years to complete "because of 'challenging' geology" but have not amended the cost estimate to allow for this expectation. It may take some time for the figures to harden.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

Nuttier coalition programs are about robbing Pauline to pay Barnaby; unsurprisingly, massively funded and highly unethical pork barrelling has foreseeably ruinous outcomes. While cynically designed to capture the hearts and minds of a particular demographic, the Adani disaster will cause considerable damage and fly in the face of our ancient responsibility to reduce pollution and waste. The first act of a new federal government could be to move water-trigger legislation back from the states to the federal, hopefully putting the brakes on the nation destroying coal and coal-seam gas industries.

Matt Ford, Crookwell

Let's reclaim all of Lake Burley Griffin. It would make a great golf course in the centre of Canberra, Mr Barr.

N.Barry, Weston

Our hearts go out to the victims and families of the horrific Manchester attack. This attack is an affront to all of humanity, irrespective of race, religion or creed.

Khizar Rana, Walkerville, SA

If Ecuador appointed Julian Assange ambassador to a country not presently represented by an ambassador, he could presumably beat a bail non-appearance rap.

Kenneth Griffiths, O'Connor

Re the donation by Andrew and Nicola Forrest of $400 million to their nominated causes. We should also thank the Australian taxation system which made such generosity possible. If one believes reports Fortescue Metals paid far less tax on gross earnings than the average toiler in a cafe or fast food chain.

James Grenfell, Spence

Congratulations to Twiggy Forrest on his generosity. It would be great if fellow billionaires were to follow his example. How about it James Packer and Gina Rinehart?

Mike Quirk, Wanniassa

The individual who uses the "graffiti" tag IRUN in the Woden area should be run in to the Police station.

I'm surprised the owners of Corinna Chambers and their neighbours keep providing a blank canvas for these vandals. Maybe a mural could be applied?

Vic and Lolita Gibbons, Canberra

Why is just leaving Haig Park alone not an option? I remember walking through it as a young child 70 years ago. The trees were just as beautiful then as they are now though less "scary". We seem unable to leave much untouched by human hands these days.

Sue Schreiner, Red Hill

After the Raiders loss to lowly ranked Newcastle, why don't we admit that Ricky Stuart just can't coach? No one questions his ability as a player but what success has he had as a coach? Please enlighten me.

Leslie Hurst, Weston

It is unlikely Pauline Hanson will dump James Ashby over his printing scam plan but I still live in hope. If she doesn't then she is as bad as those "rorters" she loves to attack.

M. Moore, Bonython

Re "The lake reclaimed", May 24, p2. Doesn't look like a boardwalk to me, more like a (concrete) slab walk.

Chris Mobbs, Torrens

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