It is an excellent report with a number of well-considered and practical recommendations.

I was particularly delighted to read the recommendation for the federal government to develop a business case for a Natural History Museum.

Let us hope that this is done as soon as possible following the forthcoming election.

Such an institution is long overdue and I would dearly love to see and visit this museum before I become fossilised.

Phil Creaser, Canberra City

Canberra's lack of evidence-based policies is preventing it from managing its population growth (Rise to the population challenge, The Canberra Times, March 29).

The projected growth requires the judicious use of limited funds to meet the needs of the community.

The ACT planning strategy did not undertake analysis of the social, environmental or economic consequences of alternative population and employment distributions, the demand for housing by location, dwelling type, household type and income or adequately assess potential new settlement areas such as Kowen. There is no plan indicating where, why and when development is likely to occur and the infrastructure required to service that growth.

Similarly, the extension of light rail to Woden is proceeding in the absence of a business case investigating whether it is superior to alternatives, especially a busway.

Nor has evidence been presented demonstrating the urban renewal benefits generated by light rail are greater than those from a busway.

The result is that hundreds of millions of dollars have been potentially wasted on the Gungahlin to Civic light rail that could have been available for health, education, disability services and public transport.

The ill-informed, often developer-led Barr government and its lickspittle bureaucracy need to stop the spin and commit to planning and genuine consultation to guide Canberra's development.

Consider the needs of all, not just the inner city, latte-lapping, kale munching, kombucha sipping, light rail loving elite.

Mike Quirk, Garran

Stuart Walkley (April 1) writes an impassioned calculation that the half-a-billion extension to the Australian War Memorial is justified because it supposedly represents just $300 "per Australian who has served", as if we'd be getting a massive expansion of the memorial at a knock-down discount price.

But Mr Walkley also writes as if the memorial had not already existed for a century. Everything he says he wants, the AWM already does – and superbly. If he wants to "look at the photos of our Diggers" and "read their stories" then not an extra cent is required.

The support garnered by the Heritage Guardians suggests that the assumption that more is better is profoundly flawed.

Peter Stanley, Dickson

I fully agree with Rod Holesgrove (Letters, March 31) about the need for "urgent and unprecedented action" on climate change.

We are approaching the point of no return. To avoid this, we must phase out the burning of fossil fuels, beginning with coal, as quickly as possible within practical and economic bounds.

Mr Holesgrove also alludes to the problem of plastic waste.

The most conspicuous form of plastic waste is plastic bags.

It is remarkable and shameful that plastics have become a serious worldwide problem in a relatively short space of time (since the '50s).

We must begin now to take concerted action on both climate change and the plastics problem.

Douglas Mackenzie, Deakin

"Can you hear the philistines?", Ian Warden, Sunday Canberra Times, Mar 31. "The bean counting opponents of light rail have never been able to appreciate this [the trams as a work of art]. They know nothing of art. Culture is wasted on them." What is our little, self-proclaimed wizard of words on about this time, in denigrating opponents of light rail as philistines? I am one of those bean-counters who is strongly against the travesty that is light rail. I am also highly educated, speak, read and write a second language, have taught English to diplomats, am well across most genres of music as well as playing an instrument, and have a valuable art collection that I am proud of. So, who is the philistine? Mr Warden is again shooting off his mouth in ignorance. But God forgive him for he knows not what he does!

M. Silex, Erindale

Concept selling works. It's big money, possibly best known for the "soapies", the "soap opera" serials which moved onto television in the '60s. The objective was never to sell soap powder but rather to stop people grating their own soap for their clothes washers: competition between soap powder producers was practically non-existent.

China is now selling the concept of the "West" as a clothes producer ("The oracle for brands with a plan for China", March 31, p17).

Angelica Cheung, editor-in-chief of Vogue China, said, "[Brands] need to come to China, to take it seriously and understand the people they're trying to sell to."

One understands that the outcome could be that her targets here come to see China as their market rather than their contractor.

That would leave them donating their domestic design capabilities and their production infrastructure in China to China.

It would also see China effectively controlling development of the West's fashion industry and end with untrammelled access to its distribution network.

That's a fairly big concept for Ms Cheung to develop.

Gary J. Wilson, Macgregor

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

Keep your letter to 250 or fewer words. References to Canberra Times reports should include date and page number. Letters may be edited. Provide phone number and full home address (suburb only published).