I find it odd that the European Union, with its Balkan members (Bosnia, Croatia and (soon) Serbia) and some other shaky states, ''is particularly active ... in assisting Australia and its neighbours to promote excellence in governance (''Bringing European nations together under one flag'', Times2, May 8, p12).

Rad Leovic, Phillip

RELIGIOUS LETTERS WELCOME

On the contrary, Reuben Smith (Letters, May 7), ''the religious ones with their biblical quotes and religious cliche{aac}s'' are a breath of fresh air.

Mary A. O'Hanlon, Ainslie

LET US HAVE SOME SOAP

As a regular at Raiders and Brumbies home games, I cannot recall the last time the soap dispensers in the men's toilet facilities at the stadium contained soap. As the flu season approaches, perhaps the stadium management could provide effective hand-washing facilities in line with calls by public health authorities for us all to maintain high levels of personal hygiene.

Michael Christopher, Nicholls

SUBS CAN'T FIX CLIMATE THREAT

How can the Federal Government be so incompetent as to state in the Defence White Paper, ''Large-scale strategic consequences of climate change are ... not likely to be felt before 2030''? How can its thinking be so narrow that it is possible to close ministers' minds to the dangers the world faces from an insufficient food and water supply, and a forecast rise in temperature and ocean levels, no matter what we do in the future? Climate change is a far greater danger than invasion, and it won't be fixed by submarines.

Jo McRae, Lenah Valley, Tas

PARROTS VS LOGGERS

I hear that Peter Garrett is in the process of stopping logging in Deniliquin in order to preserve the lives of some parrots. Meanwhile, the loggers will be out of work. In my code of standards, the loggers and their families are far more important than a group of parrots.

Anne Prendergast, Reid

WE HAVE NO SAY IN CULL

Someone might like to inform Mary Hayes (Letters, May 10) that the kangaroo cull is taking place on federally controlled land; neither she nor the ACT Government have any practical say in how it is managed. No number of kangaroos per hectare is worth turning our scarce native grasslands and troops training facilities into a dustbowl.

Tom Foley, Franklin