GARDENS PLEA WELCOMED

Professor John Mulvaney's impassioned plea to Environment, Heritage and Arts Minister Peter Garrett (''The neglect of an undervalued national institution'', June 3, p19) struck a chord with this longstanding Canberra resident, and I am sure represents the views of many Australians.

The National Botanic Gardens in its earlier years surprised all visitors with its achievements but has succumbed to neglect unlike other institutions such as War Memorial.

Urgent action such as envisaged by Professor Mulvaney would restore the botanic gardens to deserved prominence and his call for an expert council would attract members of outstanding merit. The day when the National Botanic Gardens rivals the Australian War Memorial in its attraction to the dispensers of federal funds and private philanthropists will be welcomed by all and will surely be a lasting tribute to the foresight of the minister.

Clive Monty

Waramanga

TRIBUNAL DEFENDED

The presidents, members and staff of the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal strive to give quick, fair and inexpensive service to all who bring matters to it.

Our success rate since inception (February 2, 2009) may partly be measured by the fact that although the Government anticipated we would have about 100 appeals this far into our existence, we have only had eight. We usually run the relatively simple matters in a short timeframe.

Occasionally there are more complex matters, and these are given appropriate, and often more lengthy, consideration. But they are all considered. I do not know the identity of your correspondent (Letters, June 2).

I can assure your readers there is no matter before the tribunal (nor was there before the Small Claims Court) in the name of ''T.N. Amialca''.

It is curious that if you read the name backwards, it becomes ''a claimant''.

I am ready to deal with queries, appeals or complaints. But I am less inclined to give time to an anonymous attack from a disgruntled litigant or perhaps a completely gratuitous troublemaker.

Athol Morris

Registrar, ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal, Canberra City

FORGOTTEN HEROES

Congratulations to those long-serving ACT public servants and the agencies they represent (''Our own public service marks 20 years'', June 3, p5). But, search as I might, I couldn't locate any of the ACT Government's front-line troops such as ambos, nurses, firefighters or my mob, school teachers.

Why the inexplicable omission?

Maybe someone forgot to invite them? Maybe they are just so overworked they haven't got the time to sit around having their photos taken?

Maybe, as usual, they're taken for granted by the ACT Government?

Or maybe, just maybe, they have such comparatively poor pay and conditions that finding one who's lasted 20 years is like searching for the proverbial haystack needle?

Philip Rasmus

Australian Education Union, ACT Branch

CHINA SHAME

Congratulations to Ian Melrose for his advertising campaign against the sale of Australian resources to the Chinese Government.

The Chinese Government must be seen for the appalling regime it is.

We would not have sold our resources to an apartheid government or to Hitler's Germany but we continue to turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed in China. The International Commission of Jurists has found the Chinese authorities guilty of genocide in Tibet.

Chinese Government officials should be arrested when they next travel abroad and put on trial for their crimes against humanity.

Shame on all those companies, politicians and businessmen who are feted by and break bread with these Chinese authorities who have so much blood on their hands.

Lynn Russell

Yarralumla

NEW ERA IN MID-EAST

Like your editorial (''Obama brings hope to Mid-East'', June 5, p13), I am comforted by the fact that President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo signalled the reshaping of United States policy towards the Middle East and the Muslim world.

Gone is George W.Bush's approach of acting impulsively, defensively and unilaterally, to be replaced by a softer approach of a thinker and reconciler, who believes diplomacy and international consensus is infinitely preferable to threats.

As if to emphasise the new US policy, Obama promised his audience, the Arab people of the region and the Muslim world which, unlike his predecessor, he intends to be an impartial peace broker in the Palestinian issue. In return, however, he expects them to play their part to isolate and reject extremists in the community, and for the leadership to reflect the will of the people.

For the first time ever, US Middle East policy is being based on mutual interest and mutual respect.

It would be most regrettable if the region's leadership were to turn away from this new beginning.

Sam Nona

Burradoo, NSW

FIREWORKS BAN NOT NEEDED

By proposing the prohibition of fireworks to address people injuring themselves, dogs getting scared and the irresponsible use of fireworks to vandalise property, proponents of the ban are failing to see that all three of these are issues of individual responsibility, where harm is actually being caused.

Injuries caused by fireworks are, by and large, owing to improper use, which is by no means isolated to fireworks. When we consider people injure themselves through improper use of alcohol, cars and stoves every day we need to ask whether we want the Government looking over our shoulder every second to step in whenever we do something stupid.

Dog owners should act responsibly and lock up their dogs securely over the Queen's Birthday weekend, as they would before New Year's Eve, thunderstorms or any number of other events much louder and more stressful to dogs than the smaller, regulated fireworks used by responsible individuals on cracker night.

Fundamentally, this is a matter of responsibility. During the rest of the year, those who perform acts of vandalism with fireworks simply do it by other means, whether through smashing windows at schools, attacking cars or any number of other acts, without a firework in sight.

Instead of banning fireworks for everyone, we should encourage responsible use, responsible pet ownership and use the legal means already available to punish those participating in vandalism.

Joshua Smith

Gordon

FLAWED FREEDOM PROMISES

Just like others did in a different time and place, Simon Winchester expresses optimism about a ruthless, totalitarian state because it's making the trains run on time (''Bright future, bloody past'', June 4, p19).

His reports of the complacency of China's population while things are on the up are deeply irrelevant.

Everyone knows democracy and legally-guaranteed freedom are flawed, inefficient, messy concepts most of the time. The value of their unwieldy checks and balances is only revealed when things get ugly.

When the wrong leader eventually emerges from China's corrupted, opaque system.

Likely, because inevitable future economic downturn or confrontation will make its paranoid autocrats desperate.

If they're illegally kidnapping citizens now, just to mark an anniversary, imagine what they'll do under any pressure.

Trust Communist China with the fate of the world? Sure can't.

Tom Waring

Ainslie

PARTIES SHOULD BE BURIED

The stench of rank opportunism, surrounding Malcolm Turnbull and his Liberal Party leadership is surpassed only by the stench of death that has been the hallmark of the Liberal Party, since it fell into the hands of the evil gnome from Wollstonecraft, who thereafter set the bench mark for demagoguery, political terrorism, gross shameless deceit, and massive electoral disrespect.

If after the recent spat of economic data released this week, the Liberal/National Parties cannot see how wrong they have been, in their condemnation of Government Fiscal and Monetary Policy, then they should hold a burial service for their respective parties and allow Australians to be represented by an intelligent, compassionate and morally grounded Opposition.

Zyg Gardon

Chisholm

SICK RATINGS GRAB

It is sad enough that the Chaser boys thought their ''Make a realistic wish'' joke on sick children was funny (''ABC, Chaser apologise for sick child stunt'', June 5, p3).

But it is even sadder that Channel Nine, Peter Overton and Tracey Grimshaw thought it was worthy of repeating for those of us who missed the first time, in the name of public interest. Or was it ratings.

Take a bow ''Chasers'' at least you guys have the balls to admit you did a stupid and insensitive thing.

Ed [Bunny] Harris

Bonython