Floods in Queensland, credit card debt up after record festive season spending, more Middle East instability in Syria, Treasurer warns banks about not passing on full interest rate cuts, America in a state of presidential mania, shopping centres empty after the holidays, kids return to school and Bob Hawke needed at The Lodge. Ah, life back to normal at last. Think I'll go overseas again and make the most of our high dollar.
John Sandilands, Hughes
PART OF THE LIST
Rosemary Walters (Letters, February 5) obviously interpreted Tony Abbott's words (''And I think it probably is time to move on from that'', January 27, p2), which gave rise to undignified scenes on Australia Day, as being an imperative; I saw them as a dot point in a list of items to be subject to further discussion.
Ken McPhan, Spence
Keith Croker (Letters, February 2) is 100per cent correct. Tony Abbott and the Coalition have nothing new to offer, but a return to a Howard 2007 government. He may have changed to a wetsuit, but his ideas still fit and belong in his budgie smugglers.
Ken Eynon, Latham
CATCH A WAVE
While J. McKerral (Letters, February 3) believes that ''... those in the flood plains and earthquake-prone areas should be paying the (domestic insurance) increase and not those who chose their homes wisely by avoiding such areas'', I hope that he/she did the appropriate research before deciding to live in Batemans Bay. I'd hate to be subsidising his/her ''tsunami-risk'' insurance premiums from back here in wave-free Waramanga.
Ian Forno, Waramanga
GOOD ON YOU BRYCE
I say this to Bryce Courtenay (''Tune into life of bestselling writer'', February 4, p14) and all those other wonderful people who, like him, enchant us with their brilliant minds: Old authors never die, they just write off into the sunset !
Ed Harris, Bonython
OH THE ELEPHANTS
I see where you were heading in your editorial ''Big idea for ACT'' (February 4, p 20). A few elephants would settle the SIEV X memorial argument in an afternoon.
John Bromhead, Rivett
EXCUSES BY BANKS
Australian banks are lining up to tell us that because of the high cost of borrowing from overseas they can't possibly pass on a Reserve Bank rate cut. Really? The truth is that our bankers will use any excuse to keep rates high so that they can make large profits and so justify their high salaries.
Roger Dace, Googong, NSW
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