In fact, the Joint Standing Committee on the National Capital and External Territories gave the memorial’s Dr Nelson a very easy run at its public hearings, as did the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee at its recent estimates hearings.

The Prime Minister claimed earlier this month that the memorial is ‘‘sacred to us all’’. Because of this spurious sacred status, there is no need for the memorial to try to avoid parliamentary scrutiny; governments and parliaments wave its grandiose plans through in any case.

Cultural institutions should be treated equally. A step towards this outcome would be to return the memorial to the Arts portfolio, where it would have to compete for funds with the National Gallery, the National Library, the National Museum, and other institutions that tell Australia’s story. Australia is more than Anzac, and always has been.

David Stephens, Bruce

At first sight Brendon Kelson’s proposal to establish a military aviation museum in Mitchell instead of spending $500 million of taxpayers money on demolishing and extending parts of the existing Australian War Memorial in Campbell is attractive (Letters, November 14). However is it good planning to establish tourist facilities in semi-industrial areas where there are a range of unrelated miscellaneous facilities such as industrial laundries, building materials manufacturers, car repairers and so forth?

Brendon mentioned the Chinook, the Sea Hawk, the Black Hawk and the F/A 18 but for some reason left out the Canberra Bomber, which did great service for Australia and was manufactured in our country.

Australia has an interesting comprehensive history in military and civilian aviation which needs to be told in a major museum at an appropriate location in our national capital, but certainly not in Mitchell. Canberra Airport needs to be considered.

John Gray, Mawson

In this week remembering thesacrifices made in World War I, it is relevant to reflect that the economic sacrifice that our society made a century ago was 10 times the level required today to avoid dangerous climate change.

Australia’s WW1 related expenditure peaked at 20 per cent of GDP in 1918.

At the height of the Second World War an astonishing 38.5per cent of Australia’s GDP was devoted to war expenditure.

Last month, the IPCC climate science report noted that to stay below 1.5C in warming, the world will need to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and that this will require annual investments of 2.5 per cent of global GDP.

Currently the world is investing 0.5 per cent of GDP to this task, so stopping dangerous climate change will require a five-fold increase in investments.

Unlike war financing, which relies solely on government budgets, investments to address climate change can largely come from individuals and businesses if the government establishes a policy framework that supports such investment.

And unlike financing wars, such investments will deliver some of the best financial returns of any possible investments today.

Patrick Anderson, Yarralumla

There has been a lot of talk – and letters – regarding the pros and cons of the proposed extension to the Australian War Memorial, and more specifically huge debate about the costs.
I have a very simple solution that should please everyone.

My solution is based on the fund-raising efforts when the Sydney Opera House was being built.

lt conducted Opera House lotteries.

The war memorial could engage someone to conduct war memorial lotteries.

The prize could be say $1,000,000 with all proceeds going to the war memorial.

That way all those who are in favour could buy tickets to their heart’s content in the knowledge that they are contributing what they can afford to something they really favour.

And more importantly it would not be draining from taxpayers’ funds.

Even if there were several lotteries run – as was the case with the Opera House lotteries, no one loses.

Even if someone didn’t fully agree with the proposal they could still be tempted to buy tickets.

Geoff Barker, Flynn

Nicholas Stuart proposes abandonment of the new submarine project on the grounds that the new submarines will be useless without missiles and unnecessary with them.

These sweeping assertions are not grounded in any analysis in the article.

In one moment of clarity he points to the inherent difficulties in defence projects arising from three conflicting requirements to be precise about what to build; to provide for unknown future developments in threats and technologies; and to control costs.

But the answer is not to throw our hands in the air and give up as Nicholas implies.

The Collins Class project was no exception.

If he actually read the case studies he refers to he would know that the Collins project was not the disaster he claims. I refer him to the comprehensive study by Peter Yule & Derek Woolner who wrote that: ‘‘There is an overwhelming consensus among military insiders ... that the submarine project was a great success.’’

But don’t take their word for it. The proof is in the pudding. The Collins Class will continue in service well past its intended service life to cover the gap caused by unconscionable government delays in developing their replacement. Of course there will be an upgrade to meet changing requirements and take account of new technologies, but to call this a ‘‘complete rebuild’’ is mere journalistic hyperbole.

Fred Bennett AM, Bonner

Bill Shorten is talking about a poll on his republic without saying what type of republic, what a rubbish idea.

We voted on this issue 20 years ago and, despite opinion polls saying a republic was popular, it wasn’t with every state and the NT, plus a strong majority of voters supporting our constitutional monarchy.

Until yesterday I was contemplating voting for Labor ahead of Liberal in the federal election, but now I may not.

We all know that most republics in the world are hopeless basket cases and we don’t want to join that overseas rabble.

Adrian Jackson, Middle Park, VIC

All the recent media reports of problems at Canberra Hospital have prompted us to write of our family’s recent experience.

Our mother, Barbara, recently spent nearly a month in ICU and 9B HDU and as a family we have nothing but praise and deep admiration for the staff who provided her care.

Everyone was wonderful and we want to publicly thank them. Our family will always be grateful to everyone involved in Mum’s care for their support, compassion, understanding and gentleness both with her and us. Every single staff member was a consummate professional who went above and beyond every day.

There may be issues at Canberra Hospital but they are not in the caring staff.

Elizabeth Croft, Uriarra, on behalf of Barbara McCook’s family

I cannot let pass without comment the Canberra Hospital spokesman’s defence to criticism of its food safety and quality (‘‘Mouldy bread prompts hospital review’’, November 9, p2) that the new chef has introduced seasonal vegetables.

I have suffered a serving of the seasonal vegetables three times this past week constituting each time thin, shapeless carrots (not in season) and something resembling either eggplant, grey and limp and also not in season or possibly zucchini. Served on a cold plate, airless under its plastic cover, bereft of any garnishing or dressing I can honestly not recall such tasteless, non-digestible food in my life.

A check on the internet reveals a wide range of vegetables in season including leek, spinach, mushrooms and at least a dozen others. I should say the rest of the offerings were equally uninspiring and of the poorest quality. The review has much to be done. One’s appetite and capacity to ingest, due often to medications, is invariably different in hospitals. Surely food administrators and preparers can take this into account. While I am at it, all hospitals should have a garden terrace to enable access to clear air as an aid to recovery.

John Buxton, Red Hill

The Project Wing drone noise has been measured at 80 decibels from a fence boundary during a delivery.

The EPA decibel limit for residential areas on weekends is 35 decibels.

This directly refutes Chief Minister Barr’s recent statement on ABC television that the noise of a drone is similar to the noise of a lawnmower.

The fact is that of the hundreds of Bonython residents who were canvassed about the noise and the many other problems associated with Project Wing’s drone use in the suburb, 80 per cent do not want commercial drone deliveries in residential areas.

Robyn McIntyre, Bonython

It was very disappointing to see an image of the Bullen nature reserve taken by a drone in The Canberra Times (November 15, p30). Whatever else Canberra may need it doesn’t need non-official drones operating in our parks and nature reserves.

Let’s learn from the dreadful invasion of national parks in central Australia by tourist helicopters. Surely we can keep some of Earth’s wild places wild and unpolluted by technology.

Timothy Walsh, Garran

Sometimes I just have to shake my head over Jack Waterford’s column. In The Canberra Times November 10, he writes that Ted Mack ‘‘would have excoriated far better than Labor has done some recent government decisions’’, including the payment of $500 million to the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Jack must have missed the relentless and forensic delving by Kristina Kenneally (Labor) in estimates into the very same issue. Jack makes a good point that some independents can operate more freely than major parties in holding the government to account. But many independents do not.

Depending in part on their political views, some independents, eg Bob Katter and Cathy McGowan, support the government.

Others, like Fraser Anning, while strictly not an independent, would be unlikely to delve into potential government corruption.

Rod Holesgrove, O’Connor

The observations of Kerry O’Brien (‘‘Witness to power: O’Brien v Howard’’, November 10, Forum p2) on how the politics of division have shaped Australia, demonstrate the narrowness of Howard’s ‘‘broad church’’.

As pointed out by O’Brien, Howard’s approach was reflected in the dismissal of the frontier wars, his refusal to apologise to the stolen generations, confrontation of asylum seekers rescued by the Tampa, claimed ignorance of evidence that refugee parents had not thrown children overboard and the sending of troops to Iraq in absence of evidence of weapons of mass destruction. Clearly, truth is hard, propaganda is cheap.

His ‘‘honesty’’ was also reflected in the distinction between core and non-core promises.
Howard conservative successors Abbott, Dutton et al continue the deceit representing opinion as fact and denying the complexity of challenges including climate change, increasing inequality, terrorism and massive population migration.

Turnbull recognised his party had to win votes from the centre but to appease the conservatives backpedalled on centrist policies. His removal was justified by his successor on the basis the party needed to better connect with the values of its grassroot members, an ever- diminishing share of the community. The Morrison government gives the impression it is a Trumpist, climate-denying, misogynistic, inequality-promoting, Indigenous-unfriendly, shock-jock-kowtowing, ABC and refugee-bashing clique. Hopefully, the upcoming election will provide a reality check and shift the Liberal Party to the sensible centre where policy is determined by evidence not ideology.

Mike Quirk, Garran

I’d like to nominate as winner of the Rotten Tomatoes Award, the restaurant/convenience store responsible for dumping a freezer-load of whole chickens into Yerrabi Pond. Said chicken carcasses (around 20 or so) are floating just around from the seating/lookout point adjacent to Phyllis Ashton Circuit with the odd one or two located around the western end of the lake. Well done!

And for runners up ... all others that continue to use the pond as their private rubbish dump, discarding drink containers, burger wrappers and boxes, plastic bread bags and anything else they have in in their hands at the time.
Again well done!
And my sincere condolences to the family that is missing their large pet white rabbit. Its remains can be found floating at the western end of the pond behind Sandover/Barrington crescents.

Peter Toscan, Amaroo

It’s easy to target the little guy (‘‘United call to rein in rogue tradies’’, November 14, p1).

Sure, there are waterproofers who don’t understand that waterproofing needs debonding tape over substrate joints to stop cracking of the waterproofing.

But what about the rogue home owners who won’t pay their bills.

Those who think they have sufficient knowledge to determine the complexity and the amount they should be charged when they really have no idea.

This just sends waterproofers and builders broke, and pushes the price of building up. I suggest the ACT government be more proactive, have an effective, prompt education and conflict resolution system.

An experienced builder, employed by ACT government, could come to site, at short notice, and provide independent advice on what is fair and reasonable.

John Skurr, Deakin

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