Sir Bertram Mackennal's sculpture War, better known locally as "Bellona", the Roman goddess of war, was gifted to the Australian Government in 1915 as a tribute to the Australians who fought at Gallipoli.

She was first displayed outside the Federal Parliament in Melbourne in 1921.

It was not a popular placement, and she was moved to Canberra in 1926 where she was the city's first displayed piece of outdoor public art.

She stood outside Albert Hall for many years, being the unfortunate subject of many practical jokes, including being dressed in bras and bikini tops, being painted several times, and even having her more prominent female attributes polished to a bright yellow sheen with Brasso.

In 1954, in the week prior to the Queen's visit to Canberra, Bellona moved to the grounds of the Australian War Memorial.

Over the next 27 years she spent time outside the administrative building in Parkes, and in the grounds of Government House.

After lobbying from AWM art curator, Judith McKay, Bellona returned to the memorial grounds in 1981.

When the sculpture garden was being developed in 1993, Bellona again stood proudly outside Albert Hall. Unlike her earlier posting, this time she attracted little attention from pranksters; perhaps a testament to a changing acceptance of public nudity.

Since 1999, Bellona has stood near the Lone Pine in the Memorial grounds.

Every five years the Memorial's conservators give her a thorough wash, wax and polish. At 113 years old, she's still in great condition, and she deserves nothing less.

George Bailey, senior objects conservator, AWM

I believe the ACT government and Canberra Metro need to take very seriously the potential dangers raised by the introduction of light rail.

Services haven't officially started and yet there have been two potentially fatal "incidents".

No "entrapment" yet, a nasty euphemism.

The project design raises significant risks. A separated tram line (in parts) sounds good but there is more to the design than that.

In particular, (for now), there are long stretches between stations in Northbourne Avenue that are in near complete darkness at night. There appears to be no tramline floodlighting in those areas.

There is no fencing preventing/slowing access by pedestrians or cyclists "sneaking across".

The trams travel, at their peak, faster than the road speed limit (60km/h).

They are comparatively quiet, making their approach different from existing traffic noise.

They do not sound a horn at intersections.

Pity help a pedestrian/cyclist (drunk, tired, distracted, inattentive earplugs/iPhone, careless) taking a shortcut.

Pity help the poor tram driver not expecting the same.

Another change to driver behaviour is required at T intersections with the tram line.

Imagine turning right at the Federal highway intersection to enter Northbourne Avenue.

In the past, it was a relatively safe process on the green arrow (mind you I always took a last quick glance for red light runners from the right).

Now in addition to the previous process, a motorist needs to keep alert for trams (approaching from the left and right) which should stop on your green light and hopefully will.

Consideration should be given to continuous pedestrian safety fencing at least along the unlit areas.

Sirens sounding as trams approach intersections and as they leave stations (a la Melbourne) should be mandatory.

Ah, the serenity for new apartment owners.

John Mungoven, Stirling

Brumbies should be harvested for children and adults riding purposes because they have valuable genetic traits.

Because they have survived in a harsh environment with no pampering they have excellent lungs, hooves and other constitutional traits.

They are the rootstock of the Australian Waler and must be utilised instead of wasted in dog food or whatever purpose they will be used for after they are destroyed.

Margot Sirr, Gowrie

It is really disturbing to see that there are no local shops in new Gungahlin suburbs like Moncrieff, Jacka, Throsby and Taylor.

Residents have to travel long distances just for basic services.

This is a huge inconvenience and poor planning by ACT government.

Local shops and community centres play a vital community role as the community can get together and connect with each other.

Please build huge shopping complexes in new Gungahlin suburbs immediately.

Kelly Robertson, Canberra

The 1000 students criticising the withdrawal of buses from the ANU campus are justified.

The new system will replace the Number 3, which goes between Woden and Belconnen, by Number 57, which will need a change at the city interchange.

This is not needed now.

The proposed Number 53 might go to the National Museum (which is not part of the ANU or very close to it).

Four bus stops will be removed from the campus.

The myth that students will benefit from the Light Rail ignores that this does not cater for anyone south of the Lake, although the Number 3 does.

James Jupp, Hughes

The ACT is one of the most progressive jurisdictions in the nation for keeping its population moving ("How Canberra's transport innovation rates against the rest of the country," canberratimes.com.au, March 23).

Larger cities are generally less car-dependent because they can offer better public transport.

The 2016 census showed that, although the proportion of our commuters driving their own vehicles reached an all-time high, we are still less car-dependent than Perth and Adelaide.

But we are completely lacking in innovation to encourage commuters to travel as car passengers.

Our only transit lane – the poorly designed Adelaide Avenue T2 lane – reduces travel time by less than 20 seconds.

The 2012 "Transport for Canberra" policy included no measures to encourage people to travel as car passengers.

The resulting fall in car passenger numbers exceeded the combined increases in walking, cycling and public transport.

"Moving Canberra" includes no measures to encourage people to travel as car passengers.

Leon Arundell, Downer

The editorial "Euthanasia a national issue" (Forum, March 23, p8) recognises that euthanasia is a matter for national debate not local government.

In the coming national debate, two matters should be recognised. First, there is nothing medical about assisted suicide.

It is not a medical treatment and it does not require medication. There is no need for a doctor to be the person who writes a "prescription" for what is, in effect, a poison, nor any need for a doctor to administer it in the course of what is not a medical procedure but suicide.

For the purposes of prognosis, the "science" of predicting which month a person will die in is creationist.

The medicalisation of assisted suicide is an alibi for it and a reason why many doctors oppose it.

Second, the alternative to euthanasia is not the Cinderella version of palliative care currently prevalent.

Cinderella palliative care is another alibi for assisted suicide. Palliative care as a medical specialty is barely 20 years old and is still viewed as a poor cousin.

While palliative care doctors and nurses are valiant in their efforts, our governments have ensured that they work with inadequate training, medications, methodologies, technologies, practices, facilities, staffing, resources and recognition.

In Western society, the terminally ill lose their rights, especially their right to equality, because they lose the ability to command their rights.

Now, civil society, which should be their voice and advocate for equality of medical research, expenditure, treatment, care and significance, will debate our self-serving alternative – their suicide.

There should indeed be a national debate, one demanding a massive increase in expenditure on palliative care for the most vulnerable of humanity who do not wish to commit suicide.

P.O'Keeffe, Hughes

Trump: "This investigation should never have been started." Trump: "I fired Sessions because he wouldn't sack Mueller."

Trump: "Mueller's investigation is a witch-hunt."

Also Trump: "This investigation totally proves I was right."

Trump supporters should have learnt by now: he just chooses whatever facts or opinions support him at the time.

I wonder, though, if he's said sorry to Jeff Sessions over that firing yet?

Paul Wayper, Cook

A reading of the responses in Parliament last month to the 2018 report on "Closing the Gap" by the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition suggests a very different approach to Indigenous futures by the two sides of politics.

I – and, I suspect, many other Australians – had been both astonished and alarmed at the summary rejection in October 2017 by the Turnbull-led Coalition of the Uluru call for an independent voice in Parliament for Indigenous Australians.

And I was reassured to learn that a referendum on this matter is Mr Shorten's top priority for constitutional change.

The proposal for a "voice" came from the 250 Indigenous leaders, who met in Uluru in May 2017.

It was considered by the government-appointed Referendum Council to be "modest, reasonable, unifying and capable of attracting the necessary support of the Australian people".

In his rejection statement, Turnbull argued the new body would inevitably be seen as a third chamber of Parliament and there were doubts about how the body would function, as well as whether such a radical change to our constitution's representative institutions would have any realistic prospect of being supported by a majority of Australians at a referendum.

So, let's see these matters debated in the forthcoming election campaign.

I, for one am convinced by the arguments of the Uluru elders and the Referendum Council, and consider most Australians would support such a voice for our first Australians.

Bob Douglas, Bruce

Given that Fraser Anning could get into Parliament with only 18 votes (I presume the 19th was his own), it is surely high time that something was done to prevent this disgraceful situation happening again.

To my mind it is a mockery of what democratic elections should be.

Surely if no candidate wins say 20 per cent of the primary vote, another election should be held.

It would probably not cost more than the money paid to him for salary and expenses already.

Given the depth of the trough that Anning has had his snout in (and that was only for travel), it is not surprising that there are candidates for shaky seats willing to do preference deals with One Nation and the gun lobby.

Not surprising, but none the less despicable so soon after the Christchurch horror.

Barbara Fisher, Cook

Barnaby Joyce's personal motto must be "per aspera ad astra" (through hardships to the stars) if he now believes the Nationals must veer even more mercilessly to the right.

It's a really tough ask. Yes, they could support and encourage animal cruelty – recreational and commercial, from greyhound racing to live exports – a teeny-weeny bit more, perhaps. But really, Bridget McKenzie and Katrina Hodgkinson have already gone beyond the call of duty on that.

Selling out farmers to coal and coal-seam gas interests is already in hand.

Denying climate change, now that drought and flood are the only weather on the land, has had to be undone through gritted teeth.

What's next? Death squads? It isn't going to be easy.

Alex Mattea, Sydney, NSW

Will the upcoming trials of journalists who allegedly breached a suppression order in George Pell's trial be subject to suppression orders? If so, will there be another suppression order suppressing publication of the suppression order?

T.Puckett, Ashgrove

LONG-TERM SCULPTURE

I am certain that with $500 million of taxpayers' funding the National Gallery of Australia could facilitate a "disappearing melting candle sculpture" (Greg Cornell, Letters, March 26, and Don Sephton, Letters, March 25) that exhibits for 250 years.

Ronald Elliott, Sandringham, Vic

ASHBY, JAMES ASHBY

Shaken and stirred? The name is Ashby, James Ashby.

Nigel Thompson, Queanbeyan, NSW

DANGER SIGN

The most dangerous person in Australian politics at the moment surely would have to be James Ashby, Pauline Hanson's chief of staff.

Don Sephton, Greenway

ONE NATION, TWO PISTOLS

Maybe Latham and Ashby could fight a duel to decide who is going to lead One Nation. Perhaps, given the topicality of firearms at the moment, they could choose pistols.

A. Langer, Chisholm

RELIGION, NOT A COLOUR

Many speakers in a wide range of forums continue to speak of Muslims as people of colour, that is non-white. Islam is a religion, not a skin colour. Hitler made much the same mistake when he equated Judaism with a particular race. Repeated references to "white" Australians and Muslim Australians help perpetuate divisions in our society.

Graham McLennan, Higgins

VERY FUNNY

Scott Morrison the "accidental" prime minister? Ha ha! very funny. See under Gillard, Julia.

Stephen Saunders, O'Connor

ARDERN LEADS THE WAY

Re "Love goes lacking" (Letters, March 25) and similar letters. Jacinda Ardern is all and more as indicated.

Jacinda also gives a view as seen from a feminine perspective.

This is why we need many more women in powerful positions to see world progress towards love, fairness and good doses of common sense in decision-making rather than confrontation.

Heather Sorensen, Kambah

ANOINTED BY GOD?

Gladys thinks she had a resounding win. Compared to Labor's Victorian victory she got back by the skin of her teeth. Watch Morrison and company claim she has been anointed by God.

E. R. Moffat, Weston

FRONTIER WARS

Trump's recognition the Golan Heights are Israeli territory is based on the historical precedent that land you have taken by force is yours. Isn't that what we have done in the wake of the frontier wars?

Rod Matthews, Fairfield

WRITING ON THE WALL

Hanson who? The writing is on the wall this time.

M. Moore, Bonython

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