Neither Malcolm Turnbull nor Julie Bishop have refuted Donald Trump's suggestion that asylum seekers caught up in the refugee resettlement deal are "illegals" or "the next Boston bombers". Instead, Turnbull and Bishop continue to make the case for this appalling trafficking in human misery. Trump is right to call it a "dumb deal".
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Scott Morrison has been all over the airwaves proclaiming the "success" of the (his) border protection program. Apparently it has stopped the boats.
However, the policies advanced by the government have been an abject failure. And despite mealy mouthed statements, the Labor opposition cannot simply wash their hands over their part in this grubby program. The harsh treatment of asylum seekers has defied the United Nations convention on the Rights of Refugees and caused untold misery to innocent people.
The recent independent report of the Australian National Audit Office revealed that the border protection program has also been totally wasteful with the Department of Immigration and Border Protection being accused of mismanaging offshore detention centre contracts at a cost of more than $1billion.
The ministers responsible, Morrison (now the man in charge of Australia's purse strings) and Peter Dutton should be called to account.
The awarding of compensation by the immigration department to Save the Children staff deported from Nauru for supposed misdemeanours is a total rejection of Scott Morrison's odious shouting from the rooftops about their "alleged" subversiveness.
Peter Crossing, Curtin
Resolute gesture
President Donald Trump may be seen (in pictures) behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, while apparently arguing with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull recently.
It is made of timber from HMS Resolute which looked for the missing Australian explorer Sir John Franklin in 1852 after he failed to return from his search for the Northwest Passage.
Resolute became trapped in the slow-moving ice and was abandoned. It was found by an American whaling crew.
Since Britain and America were almost at the point of attacking each other, Congress decided to refurbish the ship and return it to England as a gesture of peace. Hostilities ceased, and the gift of Resolute was instrumental to easing the tensions.
HMS Resolute was broken up in 1879, at which time Queen Victoria asked for several desks to be made from the oak timbers. One was given to President Rutherford Hayes, "as a memorial of the courtesy and loving kindness which dictated the offer of the gift".
David D'Lima, Sturt, SA
The recent telephone call between Malcolm Turnbull and Donald Trump has lead to an avalanche of analysis and editorialising – much of it overwrought, including your front page response ("Trump Slams 'Dumb Deal"', February 3, p1).
Cooler and more experienced heads expect the Australian US relationship to endure for any number of reasons. But what about the actual issue? I am with the Donald on this one. It was a dumb deal and why the Obama Administration decided to bail out the Australian government from a policy disaster of its own making is yet to be fully explained.
Trump asked a perfectly fair question: "Why did we do it?" Trump has also been criticised for characterising all of the detainees on Manus and Nauru as illegal arrivals locked up in jails. Well he can be forgiven for saying that I think.
If many of these people have been found to be refugees then why doesn't the Australian government simply accept them for resettlement here?
Jeff Hart, Kingston
Does the benefit Mr Turnbull sees in sending the asylum seekers to America, rather than bringing them here, justify provoking the antagonism of a childishly vindictive and powerful bully?
Excluding boat people from Australia is supposed to put people smugglers out of business. But won't their business be just as much encouraged if the detainees get to America?
If it doesn't happen, or if only some are accepted, what will happen to detainees left on Manus and Nauru? Nobody can now believe that there is another "third country solution". Not owing Trump anything would be worth much more than whatever bad consequences are imagined from settling the refugees in Australia.
If Malcolm Turnbull had any intelligence and self-respect he would call the deal off.
John Kilcullen, Cook
A lot shared, a lot owed
I am sure many readers were impressed, as I was, with the Canberra couple Omar and Tanya Hashmi who are members of Muslims for Progressive Values, and their belief in secular government. ("Young, Aussie, Muslim" February 4, p1 and 12-13) The interview with the engineer and the medical doctor is a refreshing change from the stereotypes often trotted out.
One of the great challenges for non Muslims is to become better informed about our Muslim brothers and sisters.
How many Christians know the common spiritual heritage we share with Muslims and Jews traces back to Abraham?
How many know the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ are mentioned in the Koran?
How many know Islamic scholars have given the world immense mathematical and scientific learning?
How many know that ancient classics such as the writings of Aristotle were lost in the West but preserved in the Islamic libraries in the Middle Ages?
Thousands of words we all use every day come to us from Arabic.
Robert Willson, Deakin
Monarch's mammoth milestone barely acknowledged by many
February 6 marked the 65th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne.
This is also the anniversary of her father's passing and she has indicated she will spend the day in quiet contemplation.
Yet, there appears that there will be no formal acknowledgement by federal and state governments nor, more importantly, does it seem that there will be any church services commemorating the first time in our shared history that a monarch has served her people for so long.
Called the Blue-Sapphire Jubilee, it is unlikely that we will see another such anniversary for a hundred years or more.
The Australian Monarchist League has written on this matter to the Prime Minister and other dignitaries but without response.
Philip Benwell, Australian Monarchist League
Planning peeves
Good on you Caroline Le Couteur ("Building plan slammed", January 31, p.1).
Why is the government not enforcing sustainability principles in this important development on the edge of Civic?
Why is it not mandatory to have a decent-sized area of landscaped gardens with many trees? It seems the developer thinks having a roof garden will compensate for that. It doesn't.
On the matter of submissions, I had great difficulty even finding where to put in a submission, and the process is unduly complicated.
Also, the due date was some time in January, when everyone knows many Canberrans are away.
The government should not allow developers to set a final date for submissions around Christmas or in January.
Finally, it should be the government, not developers, that sets the aesthetic tone and sustainability principles to guide all developments in Canberra.
Ian Davies, Canberra
On the right track
For light rail to be accepted and used, let alone popular, it must go to the destinations people want to travel to.
I was privileged to go back to Adelaide for the Day-Night Test in November last year and for the Big Bash League game at Adelaide Oval on Dec 24.
I travelled to and from the Adelaide Oval on the train. A 20-minute journey each way, and no worries about trying to find a car park in Adelaide, which can cost up to $15 a day. The train cost $1.69 during off-peak travel, and $3.54 during peak travel. Adelaide Railway station is only 400 metres from the Adelaide Oval.
For light rail to have a similar popularity here, the rail from Civic to Belconnen must go to Bruce Stadium, and from Civic to Woden must go via Manuka to serve Manuka Oval.
The trip should be cheaper than paying for parking at the grounds.
Just let the stop be no more than 200-300 metres from the ground.
Brenton Forrest, Conder
Bypass overdue
Claire Cooper's claims (letters, February 2) about the Ellerton Drive Extension (EDE) cannot go unchallenged.
This bypass, long overdue but now possible because of state government funding, is keenly sought by the majority of Queanbeyan residents, who want main street through-traffic reduced, especially heavy vehicles.
Given the options of this southern bypass or the existing northern bypass via Piallago Avenue, trucks and holiday traffic will have no need to take the slowest option through the centre of town. To claim otherwise is illogical. If necessary, weight restrictions could be imposed to help the decision-making.
Recent statements by the NSW government about forced council amalgamations seem to give hope that, if ratepayers agree by plebiscite, the amalgamations can be dissolved.
On the basis of the vote before the amalgamation, it seems certain that will happen with the Queanbeyan Palerang Regional Council and so Ms Cooper's furphy about Palerang residents' rates increasing to pay for the EDE is even more easily dismissed.
As a long-term Queanbeyan resident, I have followed the progress of the EDE process with interest and it seems to me the majority of the small number of objectors to it are NIMBYs with a vested interest in it not proceeding.
John Wowk, Karabar, NSW
Bin those signs
I'd like to acknowledge those householders who have adorned their garbage bins with "slow down" signs.
In a city that clearly suffers from a dearth of road signs the modest achievements of some citizens in redressing that situation should not go unnoticed.
I seek greater understanding of the rationale behind this particular practice. Why we are enjoined to retard the passage of our vehicles only on days when garbage is being collected on that particular street?
The logical conclusion would seem to be that the need to slow down (from and to unspecified speeds) is somehow related to the presence of the bins. The next question is whose or what's safety is at risk? Is it feared the bin in question could stray into the path of a passing vehicle? If that's the case the ACT government should surely not be distributing bins with such peripatetic proclivities.
Is it feared that a vehicle might mount the kerb and cause grave injury to the vulnerable vessel? Surely the concern can't be for the vehicle itself.
Perhaps these signs are addressed to the driver of the garbage truck, lest an undue speed of approach cause him to miss a container thereby causing its custodian to have a bloated bin on the premises for the ensuing week.
If that's the case then rate-paying citizens surely deserve better.
G.A. Joseph, Hackett
Electoral reform
The only admirable policy of One Nation is to more closely align the Queensland and Australian Parliaments. They propose reducing the number of seats in Queensland to bring state electorate sizes closer to those of the Australian Parliament. As Queensland's Parliament is unicameral I guess the next step will be to get rid of the unrepresentative Senate.
Rod Banyard, Isaacs
Bad Bernardi
Senator Bernardi was so bad even Tony Abbott fired him in September 2012.
John Dwyer, Evatt
TO THE POINT
BOHEMIAN CHECKMATE
Bohemia is a country, as Gerry Murphy (letters, February 5) would know if he had read Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale. Its current name is the Czech Republic.
Michael McCarthy, Deakin
I am not sure why Gerry Murphy is so critical of the girl who thought Bohemia might be a country.
Jack Monaghan, Lyneham
ENVY'S NOT ATTRACTIVE
Warwick Williams (letters, February 3), I challenge you, next time you're planning a holiday, to instead donate the money to a charity. Only then will you be in a position to dictate to Malcolm Turnbull how he can spend his money. Envy is not attractive.
Chris Tonkin, Narrabundah
TRUMP CARDS
Dr William Maley (letters, February 4) ought to know that, as with the Senate, Donald Trump was elected President of the United States, not president for the affluent, post-modernist, post-truth apparatchiks assembled in California and along the east coast from Virginia to Maine.
John L Smith, Farrer
In response to the White House press secretary mispronouncing our Prime Minister's name, I hope his Australian counterpart will now refer to the US President as Mr Chump.
John Milne, Chapman
What Donald Trump actually said – with a bit of flourish of course – was: "If you won't take those people, why should we?"
Mario Moldoveanu, Frankston, Vic
Please stop ruining my 6am cup of tea by putting photos of Donald Trump on the front page.
Donna Sunderland, O'Malley
Diplomat Joe: opportunity knocks. Have Trump ring Turnbull and apologise.
Brian Fox, Wangaratta, Vic
REFUGEE SOLUTIONS
Maybe it's time to take care of our refugees ourselves. Let's put people rather than politics first.
Judy Angus, Ainslie
Mr Turnbull, please tell Mr Trump that you are pulling out of any refugee deal with the United States, and facilitate a one-off resettlement in Australia for the incarcerated refugees.
Susan Cowan, Yarralumla
FIGHTING WORDS
I invite Anthony Mundine to visit the Australian War Memorial to see the names of the men and women who stood up for their country. What an un-Australian whinging, sore loser.
Bill Thompson, Kambah
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