Wall of concrete creeps on

The future of the sensitively designed and historically significant East and West buildings at the foot of Anzac Parade hangs in the balance, which is tipped against them.

Looking south from King's Avenue bridge we see an ugly wall of concrete stretching from the Kingston Foreshore to Barton ridge. Hideous bunkers encroach on Anzac Parade, hitherto one of the most sacred precincts in Canberra. The same fate is strongly threatened for beautiful, peaceful West Basin.

Soon Canberra can adopt a new tourist slogan: "Come to Canberra and see the cement boxes the politicians and public servants live in." There will be nothing else left to see.

Ian Burke, Campbell

I find it hard to believe that a senior public official, such as ICRC Commissioner Joe Dimasi, would be so environmentally irresponsible as to "assert that it did not make sense to have water overflowing the dams and not being used" ("Report backs Icon to set water pricing", September 7, p3).

The Cotter catchment forms part of the headwaters of the Murray-Darling Basin which, as most people know, is chronically short of environmental flows. While some water "used" by Canberra residents makes its way back to the Murrumbidgee, most is evaporated and transpired and is thus unavailable to the river downstream. At the margin, every litre not "used" in Canberra is added to the flow in the Murray-Darling Basin, where I am sure it can be used with far greater economic benefit by the red gum forests or, for that matter, struggling dairy farmers, than by citizens of Canberra not caring how much water they use washing their cars or allowing to run down the gutter after over-watering.

Hugh Saddler, Wright

A price hike of up to $500 a year for water is ridiculous. If any business needs to raise prices by 500 per cent, then the management needs sacking. Water is a human right, and, as usual, those at the bottom of the food chain will suffer most.

Ian Jannaway, Monash

Miracles do happen. The rebuild of the corner of London Circuit and Constitution Avenue in the city finally has been completed after many months. Surely a reason for a brass band, fireworks, a plaque and a commemorative ribbon cutting by an ACT politician. But do not get too excited. It will soon be torn up again if the decision proceeds to build a tram line to Russell. Then again, I understand the design is such that the corner is too sharp for bus drivers to safely negotiate the corner into the new hard left-hand side dedicated bus lane.

T.W. Campbell, Bruce

Adam Courtney's article on car commutes ("Drive down your costs", September 7, pp26-27) shows that car fuel economy and driver happiness significantly increase with fewer stop-starts. Just what we all thought, but, being the manager of a financial company, he has accurate figures.

This means if we drive along a well-designed arterial road, such as Adelaide Avenue, our car fuel consumption and transit time is about half of what it would be driving along an arterial road, such as the recently completed John Gorton Drive with its many intersections and traffic lights.

A bit of nifty town planning could have made John Gorton Drive so much better.

John Skurr, Deakin

So, yet another fatal crash on the Monaro Highway south of Canberra. Another family dealing with tragedy, another set of motorists traumatised, another difficult situation for officers of our emergency services, and more costs for the wider society.

The Monaro Highway carries a heavy traffic load, especially during the ski season, and many of the drivers are already tired when they drive this road, with a large number of them having set out from Sydney after a day at work.

Isn't it time for the ACT, NSW and Commonwealth governments to get together and come up with an urgent plan for bringing the road up to dual carriageway standard all the way from Canberra to Cooma? Will Jeremy Hansen or Andrew Barr promise to make this a priority? And will John Barilaro help make it a priority for the NSW Government?

Catherine Rossiter, Royalla, NSW

Correct you are Kate Gilbert (Letters, September 5) in the literal sense, in assuming nouns as answers. An ape is not a monkey, nor a monkey an ape. To "ape" or "monkey" is to copy. The verb form is one and the same and correct, hence the use in basic and cryptic crosswords. Those two words are often used as E and A and are the first and fourth most commonly used letters of the English alphabet, respectively. This provides greater use of words crossing over in compilation.

Phil O'Mara, Macgregor

What a sad situation about Bradyn Dillon, as revealed by Maree Oddy (Letters, September 7). No doubt there are complicated reasons as to why this little boy has not had a dignified farewell. Perhaps one of our local charities could co-ordinate his funeral.

I'm sure I'm not alone when I think of Bradyn and other victims of domestic violence with love and with a promise they will not be forgotten. Also with a sense of relief that part of my family survived and has got out of a dangerous situation, aided by swift police and court action. It's important to let people know that there is protection available and that the police are well trained to recognise domestic violence and provide excellent support day or night.

Legal aid, the courts, housing – it's hard for everyone involved – but there are some success stories that should be told quietly to encourage anyone caught in a domestic violence trap to seek help.

Name and address withheld by request

Our politicians and economists are vigorously patting each other on the back for 25 years of "economic growth" as measured by GDP. But for so many of us, things seem to be getting worse. Could it be that they are measuring the wrong things? Could it be that the quest for an ever "bigger" economy, does not necessarily deliver "better" outcomes for the average Australian? What price are we, the ordinary people, paying for their endless growth obsession?

What costs are they inflicting on our environment?

Perhaps an economically, environmentally and socially sustainable Australia would be a more worthy goal.

Martin Tye, Kaleen

Former prime minister John Howard says limiting political donations to those on the electoral roll would require "massive increases in public funding" for political campaigns ("John Howard says donations reform would stifle people's political activity", canberratimes.com.

au, September 7), and he clearly implies the public would be against such an increase. Tony Abbott has made similar comments.

Given the choice is between transparent public funding and opaque private funding, I suspect the public will choose transparent public funding. Personally, I would be delighted to pay extra tax to achieve this result. Howard and Abbott's commitment to small government may be admirable, but their indirect support for corruption is not.

Christopher Budd, Turner

John Warhurst ("Our political system needs shock treatment", Comment, September8, p17) advocates for reform to stop the "cash for policy" merry-go-round which is disillusioning so many about modern politics. But I would be interested if he might expand on what exact set of reforms he thinks the positive shock circuit-breaker might entail.

Clearly many have been mooted. Reducing cash flows: very small donations/gifts/ in-kind from private Australian citizens only; increasing transparency: these with all details publicly disclosed in real time; increased oversight from anti-corruption commissions; reducing the need for cash: limits on election advertising or public funding of election campaigns; raising standards: a Charter of Democratic Commitments; as well as complementary electoral and voting system changes. It would be useful over the next five weeks to havea public discussion on what specifically about our political system might be improved and how.

Peter Tait, O'Connor

Len Goodman (Letters, September 8) claims Sam Dastyari "rorted the system". In fact, Dastyari was caught out as a goose because he complied with the system – he reported the payment he received in the parliamentary register of interests. The same cannot be said for the Liberal Party officials who conspired to subvert the electoral laws of NSW by channelling funds from developers through the federal party and were caught out to the tune of $4 million-plus bythe NSW Electoral Commission. Interesting how Arthur Sinodinos has not had a high profile in this latest triumph of hypocrisy – perhaps he recalls people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

Ric Innes, Weetangera

Jenna Price ("Bernardi's in the thick of a re-education", Comment, September 7, p19) suggests that Corey Bernardi will experience a re-education at the UN.

I have attended many meetings at UN agencies and beg to differ. Most delegates come from developing countries and have conservative social values. These values are very different from those of Ms Price and myself but very much in accord with those of Mr Bernardi. They live in traditional families, come from countries where homosexual acts are illegal and are deeply religious. This is particularly the case for the many who are Muslim.

Bill Scott, Downer

L. Barnard (Letters, September 5) knows many gay people who do not want the Marriage Act changed. Similarly, I know many straight people who did not want the Howard government to change the Marriage Act.

It was changed at that time to prevent gay couples from marrying.

L. Barnard also asks "what freedom will gay couples gain?". That's simple. They will have the freedom to marry if they wish, just as heterosexual couples do.

The rights of heterosexuals will not be affected in the least by marriage equality, as those rights do not extend to discrimination on the basis ofreligion, race, sex or sexualorientation.

John Laurie, Weston

Josh Frydenberg, Minister for Energy (and much more rarely the environment), thinks that 2030 is a long way off to be worrying about whether the federal government's 2030 carbon reductions targets are achievable. He was interviewed about the dissenting report the Climate Change Authority had filed last week, yet offered no argument or evidence supporting his decision to brush it aside.

Australians are not stupid. That is why a clear majority of them believe climate change is real and that Australia is not doing enough, nor fast enough to remediate the problems that climate change poses for their and their families' futures.

The politicians of both major parties (state and federal ) should not imagine that the current absence of major discussion of the topic gives them a licence to continue with their policy of doing as little as possible to reduce carbon emissions in Australia while quietly continuing to support and subsidise the carbon intensive industries, accepting their electoral donations and taking careful note of their needs and submissions.

While these party policy positions are technically legal, they constitute a degree of moral corruption on the part of both the Labor and Liberal parties and their elected representatives that is breath-taking and reprehensible.

When will our politicians stand up and take responsibility for the adverse consequences that will flow from their current carbon policy positions?

Roger Clement, Queanbeyan, NSW

TORN ALLEGIANCES

Poor fellow my country – one day the 51st state of the USA, the next a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China.

Matt Ford, Crookwell, NSW

POLITICAL INFLUENCE

Undue political influence just from China? Hardly. Just ask all the politicians who've accepted free trips to Israel, details of which are now on the record and which make interesting reading.

Rex Williams, Ainslie

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

What's the difference between a political donation and a bribe?

Peter Stubbs, Gungahlin

ONE SUPER FOR US ALL

It seems to me that our politicians have overlooked the simplest and fairest solution to the nation's superannuation difficulties. Why not let everyone have the same scheme as they have?

John Clarke, Pearce

MIND-BOGGLING APPEAL

If the Telstra Tower is the wrong shape and size, the mind boggles just thinking about what the Sex Party might want to replace it with ("Sex Party says tear down the tower", September 6, p10)!

Frances Cornish, Spence

SETTING BAD EXAMPLE

Federal MPs are well rewarded for their work, part of which involves exhorting us to live within our means. So why don't they practise what they preach?

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt

NEGATIVE TACTICS

It worries me that people like Senator Cory Bernardi have nothing better to do than push for the right to offend and insult people. Shouldn't we be looking to support each other?

Michael McCarthy, Deakin

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