There have been calls for the continued use of drum lines in the area and for all sharks to be culled. Sharks do not see swimmers as humans to be attacked, just a source of food. They do not bite as an attack; they bite to see if it is edible.

As in previous cases of shark attacks in Australia, instantly there has to be a hunt to kill the shark.

How can it be guaranteed that any sharks caught and killed are the ones responsible?

Swimmers, surfers and divers have to be aware they are in the sharks' larder and that there will always be a risk, but acknowledge that their recreation or job as having that risk.

Do not take it out on the sharks, they are just trying to survive in a savage environment.

Alan Leitch, Austins Ferry, Tasmania

Eureka Prize winners Professor Andrew Blakers and Dr Matthew Stocks along with fellow ANU academic Professor Ken Baldwin recently published an analysis "Australia's renewable energy industry is delivering rapid and deep emissions cuts". They forecast the wholesale cost of electricity from large-scale wind and solar facilities is likely to fall to $30-50/MWh during the next few years (electricity bill speak: 3¢ to 5¢ per kilowatthour). Victoria recently finalised a reverse auction for generation from 650MW of large-scale solar and wind generators, the same capacity as the ACT but a much smaller fraction of that state's electricity use.

Unlike the ACT's, Victoria's winning bids remain opaque but the guaranteed prices are speculated to be about $56/MWh.

The volume weighted average prices for ACT wind and solar contracts are $85/MWh and $184/MWh respectively. Over 20 years ACT electricity consumers are required to pay for 45 million megawatt-hours of wind-generated electricity and about a million megawatthours of solar at these prices, $1.5billion more than Victorians for the same amount of renewable electricity.

Reaching fully renewable electricity by 2020 doesn't only involve subsidising more renewable electricity sooner than other Australians, it means we pay more for it for 20years.

What we have been getting for ACT politicians and others championing the 2020 target has been spin.

John Bromhead, Rivett

Thank you to Green Caroline Le Couteur for sponsoring a private member's bill to bring the ACT laws on abortion into line with other jurisdictions. ("Abortion pill laws passed", September 19, p1).

In 2002 the ACT was a leader in abortion law reform and the tireless campaigner was Labor's Wayne Berry.

A medical abortion that can be procured in Queanbeyan will now be available in Canberra from a local GP.

The advantage to Canberra women is great. Technology and federal policy changed but the current ACT Labor government that sees itself as progressive had not got around to making legislative changes.

And now that the law is changed we are told it will take about year to put it into place. Please speed that up.

Philida Sturgiss-Hoy, Downer

I agree with Susan MacDougall (Letters, September 21) that the latest rates notice has been designed to shock ratepayers to pay now. Worse than that is the blatant and deliberate omission from the notice of the standard table setting out the percentage of the marginal tax rates.

It has been a longstanding practice for governments to clearly set out the figures ($1 to $600,000) in table form. This allows the calculations to be checked and to place on the record the increases in rates from previous years, even if the average unimproved value is actually lower. It is the percentage rate that is key to the increases and is subject to change to boost revenue.

Unfortunately, this lack of transparency and honesty has become a government trademark.

It highlights the intention to keep us in the dark and to go on increasing rates regardless of value. The fear of revealing the true figures indicates we are not getting value for money in the services that should be provided to ratepayers and this government cannot explain why.

John Whitty, Hawker

Reflecting on the news the other day, I couldn't but notice the extraordinary senior counsel assisting the royal commission into the financial sector, Rowena Orr, QC, yet again taking apart the various financial chiefs, bit by bit, one short sentence after the other.

It was indeed a joy to behold.

That got me thinking as to how is it possible for Australia to come up with a talent like Orr and yet we're not capable of producing leadership of any moment in the political arena. We now have Scott Morrison, a pedestrian of sorts at best and a Bill Shorten alternative. Whenever I see Shorten I'm reminded of Churchill's famous description of Attlee as "a modest man with much to be modest about".

How can all this be when New Zealand can produce a John Key and now a real talent like Jacinta Ardern?

As for Orr, this outstanding Australian will surely move on to even bigger and better things, but I guess a political career for her may not be anywhere near enough.

Frank Breglec, Fadden

As the report "Liberal leadership 'unlikely' but Abbott signals wish to stay for six more years" (September 22, p7) makes clear, Tony Abbott has a rather inflated opinion of his own character and ability as a politician.

He claims the Liberal Party would "struggle" to find someone better than himself to replace him in his seat of Warringah. He also brags that he can't imagine the party finding a candidate "who'd come close" to him in his ability to represent the seat and "make an impact on the national debate".

I can't help wondering how much effort he puts into representing Warringah, and in what way he makes an impact on the national debate, when he expends so much time and effort on attacking his political enemies, including those in his own party.

Abbott decries politicians who "smile to your face", then peddle "dreadful judgments and lies to others" behind your back. Mr Abbott would do well to remember that he said when he deposed Malcolm Turnbull that "there will be no wrecking, no undermining and no sniping" and proceeded to do all three.

It seems to me that Mr Abbott is showing some of the "integrity deficit [that] is killing our public life".

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

Let's hope there are waves of support for the plan to replace Advance Australia Fair with something more appropriate as advocated by Peter Burrett (Letters, September 18).

His suggested replacement I Am Australian would be infinitely better than the collection of inane verses comprising obsolete expressions and obscure words that currently parades as an anthem.

It would be hard to imagine less relevant lyrics to describe present day Australia or to hear a less euphonic and inspiring tune than Advance Australia.

Add to that the unnecessary adjective "Fair" with its Freudian overtones. Could the lyricists really have been thinking fair-skinned?

My only concern would be for our legions of footy and other sports performers who would then have to learn to sing a new national anthem. Perhaps they could just continue to mime and mumble their way through.

Philip Telford, Tarago, NSW

I strongly agree with Peter Burnett (Letters, September 18) that I am Australian should be our national anthem particularly because of its first Australian inclusiveness.

I think we could ask original writers Bruce Woodley and Dobe Newton if a verse four might be included to reflect our full diversity. Perhaps something like:

From a Europe torn by war

I am a refugee From many a troubled county

I've come across the sea

And in this land of mateship

I've found a friendly home

With free ideas and colour blind

It is Australia

Robin Brown, Yarralumla

I've followed with interest the most recent exchange of views on our national anthem in these pages. And I agree with Peter Burrett (Letters, September 18) that I Am Australian is a lovely song that captures all the sentiments that he and I would like to see reflected in our national anthem. But it has a challenging weakness as a national anthem – at four minutes 39 it's just too long. To quote from The Entertainer by Billy Joel: "It was a beautiful song,/but it ran too long/If you're gonna have a hit, you gotta make it fit/So they cut it down to 3:05.". Actually, 1:43.

I would also take issue with Philip Constable's description (Letters, September 22) of Advance Australia Fair as a dirge. The "official" (and only, as far as I'm concerned) version sung by Julie Anthony moves along at a good pace – faster than I Am Australian, and has a good, uplifting melody.

That said, if a suitable edit and arrangement of I Am Australian could be produced and then successfully negotiated with the copyright holders (another minefield) I'd be right there with Peter, Philip et al to support it. In the meantime I'll just continue to enjoy both works.

Phil Jackson, Kambah

Scott Morrison has raised the possibility of "preventative legislation" to protect religious freedom, stating "why should you be denied a directorship or a partnership in a law firm or accountancy firm just because you happen to have expressed on Facebook or somewhere a particular religious belief?" I agree it's wrong to fire people for personal opinions, beliefs or choices that have nothing to do with their ability to perform their job. So why is Mr Morrison so adamant that religious schools must retain their ability to legally discriminate against staff and students who don't adhere to strict religious codes in their private lives?

How is it fair for a math teacher at a Christian school to be fired for being gay, or an atheist, pregnant out-of-wedlock or for expressing a particular belief on their private Facebook account? Christian schools are funded by the taxpayer dollars of all Australians. If they are so keen on rejecting gays, atheists and other "sinners", they can start with rejecting our tax dollars.

Janelle Carter, Revesby, NSW

I find it difficult to understand the decision the Christian Prime Minister has made with regard to school funding.

The Jesus I learnt about as a child had great passion for children and surely wouldn't approve of money being used to educate the children of rich people, rather than helping the more than 1 million children living below the poverty line, particularly the homeless ones.

As we discovered earlier this year, so many Christians seem to find it difficult to understand the instructions to "suffer the little children to come unto me". Leaving them hungry and homeless doesn't seem to be what was intended.

Audrey Guy, Ngunnawal

Your editorial "School funding win for all" (September 22) is only partially validated by the last paragraph: "To ensure all schools public or private have sufficient funding." It is the disparity between private (church and non-church) schools and public that gives rise to the need for the Gonski approach of needs-based funding. What is sufficient for the loudest protesters is much more than the sufficiency level for the public schools. "Seem to be some way from sufficient" is an understatement. It seems that the noisiest protesters are much better funded than public schools especially those providing for children with special needs.

We voters need a government with the backbone to provide equal funding per student and extra for special needs.

It is not democratic to provide bribes to special interest groups. It is not necessarily the case that the pupils at special interest group schools cannot be accommodated in the public system. The states and Commonwealth built the church schools and most of their facilities. The Commonwealth could take over the church schools and teachers, and conduct all education on an equal basis.

It must be acknowledged that part of the problem is that the more the Commonwealth for provides public schools, less may be provided by state and territory governments. Public schools need their own microphone-equipped pulpit.

Some equality between private and public schools needs a resourcing advocate for public schools.

ACT schools may have to rely upon NSW Education Minister Rob Stokes, who says he "won't be signing any deal that doesn't treat every student and every school with fairness".

Warwick Davis, Isaacs

MILK MOVE CYNICAL

Australia's supermarket duopoly, led by Woolworths, by committing to impose a milk "levy" of 10c/L, are engaging in a slick, sophistic, PR-driven campaign to project themselves as saviours/protectors of the very group, ie dairy farmers, who they have relentlessly forced into virtual slavery since 2011. This is cynicism on speed.

Albert M. White Queanbeyan

NOT A GOOD LOOK

Phillip Constable is wrong in suggesting that I Am Australian should be our national anthem (September 22). The song includes the lines "I'm Ned Kelly on the run" and "I'm the one who waltzed Matilda". Ned Kelly was a murdering thief, and the swagman was a thief who committed suicide ("You'll never catch me alive")! Mr Constable is saying that our national anthem should praise a killer thief and a thief who drowns himself?

Christopher Jobson, Monash

GRAFFITI PEST

I applaud Patricia Watson (Letters, September 19) and others who have sought to highlight the state of cleanliness in our city. Out our way (Belconnen) we were for some time bombarded with graffiti from some idiot tagging him/herself as "Serge". I understand "Serge" was apprehended by the authorities some months ago. My concern is that, presuming "Serge" has completed time incarcerated, why he/she is not seen removing what the rest of us are forced to continue viewing.

Rod Tonkin, Scullin

BAD PLANNING

The letter of last week bringing attention to no bicycle lanes in the upgrades of Drake-Brockman Drive, Higgins/Holt, was read by our roads minister or servant. We have now bicycle outlines, no lanes, painted on the road. The speed limits for the whole of the road have been dropped from 70km/h on one side and 80km/h on the other to 60km/h on the lot. To overtake a bicycle and leave a distance of one metre a driver will have his vehicle run over the zebra lines in the middle. Why do we have to put up with this ineptitude?

Ken Wood, Holt

ON THE OUTER

I am indebted to Jenna Price for bringing me up to date ("Gaslighting on for women", September 21, p24). One doesn't get sent to Coventry any more. One gets gaslighted. That's what happens when you don't follow the mob, regardless of your gender. You get isolated. That's politics.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

A QUESTION OF AGE

The Liberal candidate for Wentworth, Dave Sharma, has claimed that he was the youngest ever Australian ambassador when appointed to Israel at the age of 37. The fact is this distinction belongs to Stephen FitzGerald, who was 34 when appointed ambassador to China in April, 1973.

Chris Smith, Kingston

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