Congratulations to Alison Alder on her new exhibition. From the review (''Nuclear reaction'', Panorama, February 4, p22), it looks interesting and worthwhile. A pity to taint the review with misleading throw-away remarks about the Fitters Workshop.
First, not just ''a vocal group of singers'' but also prominent architects and planners, musicians and music lovers, visual artists, the general public and even those commissioned to plan Megalo's move to Kingston are questioning the proposed sub-division of the building into offices, a workshop and a mezzanine floor.
Second, Vicki Dunne (Liberal arts shadow minister) has not just ''entered the debate''. Along with these others, she has criticised the decision-making process since 2009. She and Caroline Le Couteur (Greens arts spokesperson) have repeatedly said that all they want is proper consideration of this matter.
Third, no one is disputing Megalo's move to Kingston. What many are proposing is that this building's beautiful light, space and (yes) acoustics be open to as many people as possible, including Megalo and the Glass Works, as a multi-purpose exhibition and performance space, and that Megalo be given their own purpose-built workshop in the precinct rather than the expensive and inappropriate make-over currently planned.
Helen Moore, Bruce
ABC NEWS
It should come as no great surprise that our local ABC TV evening news has lost two-thirds of its audience in the past three years (''Viewers leave ABC TV news in droves'', February 6, p3). The reasons for this catastrophic decline are not hard to identify.
For a start, the bulletin begins too late - by 7pm its overseas news has already been screened on SBS, and most of its local and national news has been aired on the commercial channels. On top of this, about 10 minutes or more of the half-hour segment is usually taken up by sport, and the final five minutes by an overlong weather report. This leaves just a scant 15 minutes to pack in local, national and international news.
If the ABC newsroom in Canberra is as well staffed as the ABC's spokesman would have us believe, what are all these staffers doing? Instead of making feeble excuses for the station's abysmal audience ratings, ABC management should take a long, hard look at its shortcomings and take some positive action to do better.
Peter Trickett, Fraser
ETHANOL ISSUES
Greg Jackson (Letters, February 7) sought to muddy the ethanol waters; searching for obscure benefits in ethanol preferentially mixing with water, litres vs kilograms (?) and discussing the high compression engines most people don't have. Little of relevance.
Fact is, burning a litre of ethanol releases 23.5 joules of energy. For petrol it's 33.5: a difference of 30per cent. So there's 3per cent less energy in a tank of E10. So it must be sold 3per cent cheaper for you to break even.
With standard unleaded up at more than $1.40, you need almost 4.5c a litre discount on E10 just to avoid being ripped off; not to save any money. Motorists don't consider that trivial. That's a bigger discount than that which spawned the mighty Woolworths and Coles discount-fuel networks.
Cuthbert Douglas, Bonython
Cuthbert Douglas and Greg Jackson can debate the merits of ethanol in petrol all they like. A few cents less a litre here, a few kilometres fewer there is all academic.
If both blokes drive a swish modern vehicle they won't have to worry about the rubber in old fuel lines in their silent efficient engines as they charge around the streets.
However, to those of us who chug around town in the old faithful with the rego renewed every three months with our ageing human fuel lines in similar condition, it is the corrosive effect that matters. Where does either chap figure this vital factor into their arguments, I wonder?
John Bell, Lyneham
FAST TRAIN NEEDED
Apropos of Christopher Knaus's piece (''ACT joins Hunter in push for fast train'', February 4, p7), Canberra is badly in need of a fast rail link to Sydney and Melbourne, not just for purely economic reasons. but to lift it from its ''provincial town'' status.
I have just returned from an overseas trip, the last leg of which was a 300km, three-hour bus ride from Sydney Airport to the Jolimont Centre in Canberra. The last leg of my journey to Europe was a 560km, 2-hour, fast-train trip from central Madrid to central Malaga. Aside from price considerations, which are subject to many variables, I suggest that we have a little catching up to do.
Come on pollies; make the ''seat of government'' a real city.
John Rodriguez, Florey
TAXING PENSIONS
Richard Denniss' article (''Super rort for wealthy'', 4 February, p21) is somewhat exaggerated and does not give a balanced view about superannuation concessions.
The $10billion of taxpayers' money being used to boost the retirement incomes of the wealthy would be more than offset by the savings in the aged pension not payable to those who were prudent enough to make provision for their retirement. His statement that the concessions cost a lot and save us nothing is wrong. Whether or not the 15per cent tax rate on super contributions is too generous is subjective, but the government needs to provide some incentive to encourage those able to save for their retirement in order to achieve the savings in the age pension.
Some people may invest in their own name out of their income, upon which they have already paid tax. Others may put money into superannuation and pay tax on these contributions. Tax will also need to be paid on the income generated from both these savings vehicles during the accumulation phase. When the time comes in old age to draw down on the capital by way of a pension, this is more or less a return of savings upon which tax has already been paid.
Denniss is suggesting that such pension should be taxed again. Is this fair?
John Vincent, Wanniassa
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