Outside Port Moresby is the Bomana war cemetery where more known Australian war dead are buried than in any other cemetery in the world. My most memorable dawn service was here in 2012. The service concluded with a ceremony for "bringing home" the spirit of Private Frank Archibald, an Indigenous Digger whose spirit had been looked after by the local Behiri people for 70 years.

As I drafted the submission with the sun rising in the east, I called for more nurturing of the ongoing links between our countries at both individual and formal institutional levels.

This would do homage to the Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels and carry the torch thrown to us from Flanders Fields. I take my hat off to all those currently building our peaceful links with the world through volunteer services, church linkages, social media websites, academia, the public service and our military.

Paul Flanagan, Yarralumla

Jack Waterford, talking of Australia's engagement in various wars since World WarII (Best we forget the RSL during peacetime", Forum, April 25, p1), says "We have won some battles, lost all wars." The historical record shows otherwise.

The Korea War was a draw, but one which permitted South Korea to develop into a lively and prosperous country. The Malaysia Emergency was a success, as was the Konfrontasi conflict with an expansionist Indonesia. Vietnam was ultimately a defeat. Both wars in Iraq against Saddam Hussein's regime were military victories, though the post-conflict policies of the United States after the second of these wars were a fiasco.

Afghanistan was, at best, a draw, though the outlook is not good. The outcome of the present campaign against the so-called Islamic State is yet to be decided. Australia's modest role in these various conflicts as an alliance partner has been effective and honourable.

Australian citizens could and did protest against our involvement in these various wars – both Mr Waterford and I, for example, were opposed to our involvement in Vietnam. But our troops fought following decisions by the democratically elected governments of the day. Mr Waterford might also have mentioned the splendid record of our armed forces in peace-keeping and post-conflict settings (for example in East Timor, Bougainville and the Solomon Islands), and in emergency humanitarian relief, for example after the recent catastrophic cyclone in Vanuatu.

Mr Waterford also claims there is no "essential continuity" between the conduct of Australian troops 100 years ago at Gallipoli and the conduct of our military today. I, for one, would beg to differ, arguing there is a continuity, to do with getting on with the job in hand, looking out for one another, displaying professionalism and dedication, and, whatever one's personal political opinions, leaving the politics to the electorate, politicians and commentators.

S. Henningham, Curtin

The completion of Majura Parkway in the near future will significantly reduce traffic in Northbourne Avenue at peak periods and hence reduce the justification for the tram. There is certainly no requirement for the additional capacity of double tracks. If a tram is installed, it should use a single track positioned at the centre of the median strip between existing trees and with passing loops.

Such a track will have more than enough capacity for years to come and significantly reduce the cost. Poles among existing trees, trimmed as necessary, will camouflage overhead cables, enhancing the appearance. It will not then be necessary to devastate Northbourne Avenue.

Robert Adams, Ainslie

Byron Boon (letters, April 27) accuses me of "pseudo economics" and being "categorically incorrect and uninformed" in my letter on the business case for the light rail proposal. In fact, he has completely misunderstood the argument in my letter.

As I said, the current business case massively undervalues the benefits of the proposal in relation to costs. In other words, there is a much better case for the proposal. My economics arguments were entirely valid. He labels me an opponent of the proposal, and of telling "desperate half-truths", without the slightest evidence.

He might have been misled by the ambiguous title given to my letter by the letters editor, but he should read letters more carefully before clicking on "send".

Paul Pollard, O'Connor

Yet another authority, this time an auditor, has declared rehabilitation facilities at the Alexander Maconochie Centre deficient. If more persons guilty of illicit drug use (unlinked to other crimes) were sentenced to rehabilitation instead of detention, our jail would not be bursting at the seams. But unfortunately in the ACT there is not one government, professionally staffed rehabilitation clinic that can provide up to 12 months residential care dedicated specifically to enabling patients to break the drug habit completely.

Colliss Parrett, Barton

In response to Marguerite Castello (Letters, April 24), Krav Maga (or contact combat in Hebrew) is a self-defence system that originated in the Israeli military and has since spread into civilian, law enforcement and third-party protection fields.

As with many forms of business, there will be some who will always seek to take advantage of current trends; in this case, the rapid rise in prominence of Krav Maga as a self-defence system.

I'm a Krav Maga instructor, and I can say from personal experience you won't find a better form of civilian self-defence training. Firearms are not incorporated in the training.

We frequently run women's workshops (dealing with sexual assault), as well as regular workshops dealing with threats and attacks from people who may be armed – the kind of incidents that occur in Australian society.

Not all Krav Maga schools are alike; it would pay to do some research before condemning Krav Maga as whole.

Dave Sargent, Lyons

Those Indonesians had better watch out, what with their new-found enthusiasm for the death penalty etcetera. If they are not careful, they will become international pariahs, as Australia has for its treatment of asylum seekers.

Jim Gralton, Garran

Finally, the two major parties are beginning to frame the debate for the next election.

Labor envisages higher taxes to pay for increased demand on the public purse. The Coalition's focus is to cut spending. Labor sees future social welfare outlays as sustainable, so long as superannuation tax breaks for the wealthy are reduced, along with winding back negative gearing.

The Coalition has turned its back on unfunded outlays to education and health and looks to allow pensions to lose their buying power over the medium to long term.

Asylum seeker policy seems aligned and unchanged. However, the vocal left may well pull Labor towards the seemingly more humanitarian stance of the past.

And if this policy clarity continues to unfold, it'll be down to the electorate, finally.

In good times it's easy to promise the world. When times are tougher, voters want real policy choices. Hopefully, that's what we'll get.

Mark Holland, Nicholls

In the article, "Abbott government spends up big in first climate auctions" (canberratimes.com.au, April 24), Environment Minister Greg Hunt said the first projects to cut greenhouse gas emissions had delivered significantly greater emissions savings than expected at a good price. They exceeded Mr Hunt's expectations, but fall far short of his claims. He said: "We will meet our targets, we will meet and beat our 2020 targets."

Information on the projects provided by Mr Hunt's agency, the Clean Energy Regulator, shows that only three of the 143 projects are contracted to finish by 2020. Sixty-two of these projects will be no more than half-complete by 2020.

Contracted greenhouse gas savings by 2020 amount to less than 12percent of the 2020 target. The rest of the announced savings fall in 2021-2025.

The announced contracts amount to more than one-quarter of the budget. If all the budget was awarded to similar contracts this year, emissions abatement by 2020 would not reach even half the target. All future auctions will have even less time to help reach the 2020 target.

Why is Mr Hunt so pleased? How can the public expect the 2020 target to be achieved? What will Australia's international credibility be?

Peter Coyne, Aranda

Yet another splendid article from Crispin Hull ("Government cannot refreeze the Greenland ice-sheet", canberratimes.com.au, April 25). He rightly says "it makes no economic sense for Australia to remain a dinosaur reliant on fossil fuel". A number of recent reports back this up.

For instance, the Climate Council in its report Unburnable Carbon: why we need to leave fossil fuels in the ground, says "... new coal mines, particularly the Galilee Basin ... if developed could well become stranded assets in a world that is rapidly cutting carbon emissions."

Similarly, the global investment bank HSBC in a new report titled Stranded Assets, what next?, warns that fossil fuel companies, or their assets, will become "non-viable" or "unburnable", partly due to the impact of new technologies, such as solar and storage.

As part of their basic business strategies, companies must accept the probability of "black swan moments", such as a decision to cap global emissions.

Meanwhile, the environmental case for moving away from fossil fuels remains paramount.

Jenny Goldie, Michelago, NSW

It may surprise newcomers that Anzac commemorations are so steeped in God and King; particularly when you consider the World WarI meat-grinder was oiled on both sides with clerical assurances that victory for monarch and empire was stamped with God's approval.

An ugly corollary of this jingoism was the police action barring those wishing to lay a wreath on behalf of the victims of the frontier wars ("Aboriginal marchers blocked from parade", April 26, p4).

If we don't honour all warriors who fought for this country, whatever their beliefs, then we should either rename the Australian War Memorial as the British Colonial War Memorial or acknowledge "Lest we forget" retains a caveat for Aboriginal warriors – "Lest we remember".

Peter Robinson, Ainslie

Australian Defence Association executive director Neil James lives in la la land if he thinks (Letters, April 25) for one moment that the myths surrounding the Anzac landing are off limits when it comes to the truth being told of this monumental cock-up. For far too long, the lies surrounding this misadventure have been accepted as fact.

D. J. Fraser, Mudgeeraba, Qld

Dr Brian Cooke's excellent missive on rabbits in Canberra (Letters, April 14) gives me much food for thought, as I spent most of my working life on the land trying to destroy them.

Using strychnine with thistle roots, 1080 with carrots, 1080 with grease (Tarbaby), cyanide gas, Larvicide, explosives (nitropril), ripping burrows, digging burrows by hand starting during the rabbit plagues, I feel I am qualified to say that when using all of the above methods I only once killed the last rabbit on a property.

During those years there were few restrictions on what one did to rabbits, except when 1080 was used. One used common sense and got on with it. Now there are so many restrictions, there is little hope of success. The one thing necessary is a pack of dogs to flush out the bunnies and put them in their burrows.

Sadly, most of us who know about rabbits are dying out and I doubt that even the CSIRO now has a rabbit expert to match 'Bunny' Fennessy. All I do know is rabbits are still with us and costing huge amounts of money every year. They are so clever they can tell when a drought will end!

John Sutton, Yarralumla

What a schemozzle! With six other passengers I waited patiently at the EPIC stop on Flemington Road for the city-bound bus departing Gungahlin at 7.23am on Monday. I anticipated the worst, and wasn't disappointed.

The bus sailed past chock full of passengers. The next bus, at an even more peak time, would have been the same. I didn't wait, I drove into the city.

My target bus was an ordinary sized vehicle.

Why, ACTION, did you not anticipate this and schedule larger buses on the main morning peak services from town centres on Monday?

David Moncrieff, Ngunnawal

CASH DOWN THE SEWER

Just how much is it costing the company which supplies our water and sewerage services to change its name from one that told us what it did, to one that tells itself what it thinks it is?

David Elliston, Holt

FLYING A MODERN FLAG

Despite what your editorial "Honouring the nation's dead" (Forum, April 25, p 5) claims, Australians couldn't have fought under a national flag, as one didn't exist until 1953. Before that, the Australian Blue Ensign was the government flag. Australian citizens had to resort to flying the Australian Red Ensign to show their patriotism.

Peter Harris, Belconnen

OUT OF TOUCH

What is Bruce Haigh's answer to our supposed "weaknesses and national inferiority complex" ("Greed, selfishness killing off the lucky country", Forum, April 25, p6). Replace Tony Abbott with Christine Milne, perhaps? Haigh's opinion piece epitomises the self-loathing of the left, and their disconnect with mainstream Australia. Witness the turnout for Anzac Day 2015.

Owen Reid, Dunlop

In his article ("Greed, selfishness killing off the lucky country", Forum, April 25, p6, Bruce Haigh stated that church leaders are "apparently more concerned with protecting their flock than with helping to support what should be our sectarian democracy". Presumably, Bruce meant to say "secular democracy" and not "sectarian democracy".

D. McNeill, Rivett

COMPARISON ODIOUS

I cannot sit back and let go unchallenged John Passant's (Letters, April 24) facile and odious comparison between detention centres and concentration camps. Such a comparison denigrates the victims and survivors of the concentration camps of World War II.

Alan Garnet, Duffy

DARK HUMOUR

David Pope's cartoon, "Draw your own conclusions about this", Forum, April 25, p2) further demonstrates how foolish it was for Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to draw attention to his work. Pope has been at the forefront of this newspaper's attempt to turn itself into an anti-Coalition election pamphlet. Did Pope give permission for his work to be presented by Bishop and is now doing a Dr Karl?

John Bromhead, Rivett

DETERRING SPECTATORS

No Thermos flasks and no parking – both disincentives to attend the recent Aussie Rules footy match at Manuka Oval.

Dave White, Deakin

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