As J.M. Keynes pointed out, in Chapter 16, part III [3], of The General Theory Employment Interest, and Money, '''To dig holes in the ground,' paid for out of savings, will increase, not only employment, but the real national dividend of useful goods and services.'' It is questionable, however, whether broadband is the best investment in infrastructure now available.

Unless there is a really appreciable increase in Australia's general wellbeing because of faster access to information which is already available, albeit with a certain waiting time, it must be considered less than optimal.

Alternatives include a more serious reduction in carbon emissions, more effective measures for bushfire control, improving the accessibility of clean water, and very fast train links between capital cities.

Of course, if these are also in the pipeline, well and good, but are they?

The Keynes quotation above continues, ''It is not reasonable, however, that a sensible community should be content to remain dependent on such fortuitous and wasteful mitigations when once we understand the influences upon which effective demand depends.''

Ken Brewer, Evatt

Bushfire ruling

While Jon Stanhope and Jack Waterford have obviously known each other for decades, it is no secret they have had their share of disagreements, many of them in public. This testy relationship makes Waterford's ''Addendum'' article (''Stanhope vindicated, at long last'', Forum, April 11, p8) all the more interesting.

In his usual analytical style, Waterford clearly demonstrates that, in Chief Justice Terry Higgins's opinion, Coroner Maria Doogan's findings were based on implausible arguments and that her reasoning was flawed.

The lives of many people were affected by the firestorm, including those who played major roles on that fateful day. They did their best, in the same way that Doogan did her best in the coronial inquiry, however, as Higgins found, her best was not the best.