He assured us the current issues surrounding the ACT Health inquiry are entirely due to lack of funding by the Feds – and went on to laud ACT Health Minister Meegan Fitzharris as right on top of her job and the best person to be in that role.

Meanwhile the Coalition quotes actual increased federal health funding.

Somewhere between facts and scare campaigns lies the truth.

But the irony about Mr Barr's claims is twofold. First of all there was former chief minister Jon Stanhope's criticism of the ACT government for not increasing its own heath budget in line with inflation.

And then the clincher with Fitzharris categorically claiming, in defence of not needing a full-blown board of inquiry, that "What we are seeing are issues of workplace culture which organisations deal with all the time".

Earlier she said that "a free-for-all is not what anyone is saying to me that they want".

Passing the buck seems to be the norm between federal and state/territory governments.

But for an administration purporting to govern for all, irrespective of voting preferences, Barr's partisan accusations call motive into question.

Maybe he needs a briefing from Fitzharris about the culture within ACT Health being the core issue.

Len Goodman, Belconnen

We cannot afford to insist our aged community be kept alive via the benefits of medical science.

If I chose not to be a dementia-ridden animal, fed in one end with waste wiped off the other, then let me have my choice of a painless end at the time of my choosing.

If I regularly sign a declaration about ending my life then surely the problem of suspecting my family of expediting my demise for their selfish ends is disposed of, at least most probably.

Those who object to this form of death, with dignity at a time chosen in advance, should only be allowed to dictate the terms of their own death.

The allowing of a death with dignity at a time chosen does not dictate a Dr Mengele laboratory with death injections to the unconscious and unwilling.

I may well be unconscious at the time of my death, but I would have signified my willingness in advance.

Keeping everyone apparently alive, via the achievements of medical science, creates a need for a ponzi-population scheme: more and more people to feed and drain the demented and ageing; and then, more and more and more people to service those aged care workers at the time of them subsequently becoming the demented and ageing.

Warwick Davis, Isaacs

After having watched the appalling behaviour and lame excuses from the aged care industry in the Four Corners program, I am puzzled as to why the authorities don't combine two problems to eliminate both.

Would it not be feasible to employ retirees who have time on their hands, and who are also lonely, to sit and read/chat/listen to the people in these facilities?

Perhaps they could work a shift of say one or two hours per day, visiting different people each week, thus relieving the full-time trained staff of the burden of having to spend time with these desperately lonely people.

Seems like common sense tome.

Or perhaps that is beyond the capabilities of those in charge of the public purse.

V. Lauf, Bungendore, NSW

Developers and national chain stores are killing Canberra.

The ACT Assembly has long known about concerns over vanishing shops and nostalgia for bread and vegies deliveries to the door. Things have worsened since then.

In early 1996 a bottle of milkdelivered to your door cost 65 cents.

Today the equivalent carton in a chain store costs $1.10.

This is almost the exact price increase due to inflation.

There is no benefit to the consumer or to society from the destruction of many milk delivery vans, businesses and runners.

Nor is there any consumer benefit whatsoever from switching from bottles to cartons.

If there has been productivity increases or efficiency gains as claimed, then all benefits have flowed into the pockets of major supermarkets while Canberrans lose jobs and small businesses.

Families are then faced with long treks, often in cars, to so-called major centres surrounded with privatised flats.

This is not how Canberra was meant to be.

Christopher Warren, Aranda

It is good to note that Canberra buses will now take account of school children's needs, which should have been obvious ("Backdown on school buses", September 21, p1).

However, current available information suggests that the two Canberra universities will be neglected, especially by the alteration of the direct number 3 bus which covers the whole city enroute to the ANU.

This serves many thousands of students, including many from overseas, as well as a comparable number of staff and other employees.

A similar problem seems to exist in servicing the University of Canberra.

Neither university seems to be catered for at all. This is very unusual in other similar institutions elsewhere and is alread being noted locally.

It should be added that the 'light rail'(tram) goes nowhere near either of these locations. There is still time to remedy this serious oversight before it becomes operational.

Dr James Jupp, Hughes

It is to be hoped Mr Barr considers all flow-on effects from legalising cannabis for personal use.

Firstly the short- and long-term effects of use which have been reported by various US and UK medical and psychological authorities. Secondly, the police reaction to road users under the influence of this drug. Would there be a level at which it would be considered safe to drive?

Legalisation would decrease the criminal supply of this drug.

But would it result in the use of more dangerous drugs?

John Reaney, Queanbeyan, NSW

Thank you Brian Smith for pointing out the facts ("Rudd's job understated", Letters, September 18) surrounding the turning back of asylum-seeker boats.

Roger Terry, Kingston

Julian Cribb in his piece "Our embarrassing and outdated national anthem is a joke" (September 19, p16) amusingly lists, line by line, the numerous falsehoods in Advance Australia Fair.

At the centre of these is the outdated conception of Australia as a "young" fertile country with "golden soils" and an endless need for pioneers.

The late professor of geography George Seddon used to argue that the anthem's 19th century "boosterism" only plays into the hands of contemporary corporate boosters, and was sufficient reason to ditch it.

Yet Cribbs fails to detect the lie in the anthem's central claim that "For those who've come across the seas we've boundless plains to share".

Australia's agricultural frontier closed back in the 1890s. Later arrivals were often lured from land-hungry peasant backgrounds by promises of an "empty country"; yet they have not in general found land to farm in Australia, and have wound up largely in crowded cities.

Australia today is one of the world's most urbanised countries.

Its big cities are ailing and overcrowded; its rural areas are depopulating; and the misrepresentation of its deserts as a boundless resource is a grandiose piece of PR.

Mark O'Connor, Lyneham

Political quotas for women in elections can be a means of selecting otherwise unelectable women.

Over 50 years ago women won equal rights so now they want more than equal rights?

Young women's feelings of entitlement are fed by this insult to those women who achieved positions through hard work and merit.

If people in any employment can't stand up for themselves then maybe they are in the wrong job or need better qualifications and/or training.

If you believe in quotas why does the teaching profession employ about 90 per cent women?

You would need to replace about 45 per cent of women with 45 per cent of men to make this quota system work.

No doubt there will be dozens of PC reasons against why it won't work, but be fair.

Women's behaviour in Australian parliaments has been appalling recently and there is a need for some of them to lift their game.

I would not vote for someone based on gender. They are not a protected species.

Marilyn Quirk, Heybridge, Tas

Ruth Cully "Extension tensions" (September 18, p1) is right to be concerned about how planning developments are approved in the ACT.

Any of us reading this could be the next to be impacted by neighbours' extensions taking away our winter sunshine.

Any government committed to energy conservation into the future would not allow this loss of solar access to occur.

The ACT government is definitely not committed to protecting its citizens as is evidenced by the increasing number of complaints.

It seems that in the ACT you can submit any plan you want and then change it with impunity.

Ms Cully shouldn't have to put her hand in her own pocket to fight what is arguably an injustice on the part of the government's planning processes.

No matter how much we protest, the government thumbs its nose at us and keeps spouting its own weasel words about supporting energy targets.

So much for justice.

V. Arnott, Farrer

Scott Morrison's response to the claims of bullying in the Liberal Party has been pathetically weak.

When Julia Banks MP decided not to recontest the next federal election his response was, basically, "nothing to see here".

When Senator Lucy Gichuhi threatened to name the bullies he had a quiet word with her and the threat, mysteriously, disappeared.

Looked a bit like a cover-up. And how did Scott respond when Ann Sudimalis, Member for Gilmore, publicly named the person, a NSW Liberal MLA, who she says bullied and undermined her into withdrawing from preselection? "Not my problem."

He contends that the issue should be addressed by the organisational wing of the party.

Where is the brave man who mounted Operation Sovereign Borders?

Is it a bit more difficult to stand up to the thugs in his own party?

Mike Reddy, Curtin

John Walker ("No-brainers in charge", Letters, September 20) wonders whether the National Capital Authority will be charged with manslaughter if someone dies at the Spilt Milkmusic festival.

I wonder who's the no-brainer.

We don't charge the police for not having a speed trap on a section where a motorist runs himself or herself off the road.

We don't charge the police for not having a random breath test station on a road on which a drunk drives into a tree.

We don't charge the roads authority if there's no camera at the intersection where someone runs the red light and collects a pedestrian or another car.

The fools — young or old — that flock to a drug fest under the guise of wanting to listen to "music" know what they're doing is illegal and risky.

They, and the absurdly self-professed "zero tolerance" concert organisers deserve all the credit.

Bronis Dudek, Calwell

We whinge about paying an extra 15¢ for a bag or if they are banned. Meanwhile our oceans and rivers are littered with plastic and birds and marine life suffer excruciating deaths as their bellies fill with plastic or choke on a plastic bag.

How difficult is it to bring a reusable bag to the supermarket?

Robyn Vincent, McKellar

The reason for the problem of politicians lacking community respect is epitomised in the disconnect between Tony Abbott's promise of "no wrecking, no sniping, no undermining" and him subsequently doing just that. Now we have his hypocritical plea for the conservatives to move on from the resultant unrest.

Phyllis Vespucci, Reservoir, Vic

UNTWIST THE LINEN

Whether the White Australia concept of the national anthem is intentional, inferred or implied, the problem can be easily fixed. Delete the final word "fair" and employ a minor re-notation to the word Australia, so our anthem, more fittingly, concludes with the words, "Advance Australia". One word deletion can unknot a large number of knickers.

Phil Birch-Marston, Curtin

CREAM OF THE CROP

David Pope's brilliant take on the strawberry patch only confirms my view it's a load of pavlova (Cartoon, September 21).

Allan Gibson, Cherrybrook, NSW

SAY IT LIKE IT IS

I am just loving the plain speaking language from our new PM and his focus on the most important issues. Just what we need. Somebody who can communicate effectively. He cuts straight to the subject and I think he could be an enormous asset to the country. Why don't we just let him get Australia back on its feet and prevent us from becoming the next banana republic?

Alayne Richardson, Narrabundah

SET ME FREE

The Prime Minister and the Attorney-General are proposing to introduce legislation to ensure that Australians have freedom of religion. Could they please also ensure that the legislation provides me and others with freedom from religion?

Graeme Rankin, Holder

POWER MAD

The ActewAGL 14.29 per cent electricity price increase applicable on July 1 included a massive 52 per cent increase in off-peak electricity prices! From 10.99¢ to 16.72¢/kWh.

My offpeak charge is a measly 5.48per cent discount (down from 26per cent) on the normal anytimeconsumption rate, a muchsmaller incentive to push consumption away from the morningpeak.

Greg Dunstone, Bruce

PIGS MIGHT FRY

Aaah ... the price of tickets to heaven ("Scott Morrison's $1.2 billion bonus for private schools slammed as a 'slush fund"', canberratimes.com.au, September 20).

Nothing quite like the smell of bacon in the morning.

John Richardson, Wallagoot, NSW

LET'S FACE IT

To answer Mary Samara-Wickrama's question (Letters, September 19) wearing a turban, capor headscarf does not cover thewearer's face, but a burqa coversthe head and face. It istherefore not possible to see who the person is. Our faces are what identify us.

A. Cooper, Wanniassa

PEDAL TO THE METTLE

I have some excellent advice for ScoMo. Just keep on truckin', dude.

N. Ellis, Belconnen

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