All Paul's family got was two recommendations out of this taxpayer-funded inquest.

The family couldn't agree more that the system let Paul down. But the system is made up of individuals who operate it. Individuals let him down throughout those vulnerable times when he sought help as a teenager with his mental health battles and his escalating addiction to over-the-counter and prescriptionmedications.

Individuals failed him in the last few week of his life when he overdosed three times and was released from the Canberra Hospital to pick up more medication and no aftercare inplace.

On the last days of his life, individuals who worked in the system failed him: the mental health worker who failed to read the notes about his recent drug overdoses and make a sound professional judgment about keeping him safe; the social worker who wrote two days before he died about what she was going to do for Paul but didn't actually see him; and the Emergency Department staff who seemed to have forgotten to properly discharge him.

Finally, the inquest let Paul and his family down.

What is the point of such inquests when the outcome appears to be cautious, self-serving and so accepting of systemic indifference and professional ineptitude?

What will it take for the individuals in the system to seriously tackle these problems in an intelligent and professional way?

Also, Paul was not an ice user or a heroin addict despite what one ACT policeman stated at the inquest.

Mary Finlay and Philip Hillsdon, Corrimal, NSW

I'm saddened The Canberra Times editorial staff so badly blotted their 2017 copy book with the outrageous ("Refugee ethics rethink required", January2, p13).

It concluded "[Turnbull] must make 2017 the year in which Australia rediscovers an ethical approach to refugees which it first began to lose 25 years ago". Australia has an ethical approach to boat people – one which it found 25 years ago.

Europe last year adopted a similar policy, and now uses offshore Turkey to prevent the chaos of unrestricted migration to Europe.

The editorial stated "Australia's [boat people] policy has become one of the harshest in the Western world". It should have used "realistic" rather than "harshest".

Acceptance of refugees should be managed in an orderly process: those who "jump queues of law-abiding refugees" should certainly be demoted to the bottom of thequeue.

The editorial complained asylum seekers "were detained for cruel lengths of time". They were not detained: they were free to leave, but refused to do so. By refusing to eject them, Australia was not cruel, but remarkably generous.

In regard to permanent resettlement of refugees, Australia is one of the most generous nations in the world. Australians and their governments are not cruel to refugees; they merely want sensible refugee management.

Robert James, Melba

I find it a little sad that the only authority that Fred Pilcher (Letters, December30) is able to cite to prove that private prisons are unacceptable is an account of a journalist, Shane Bauer, who wrote an article "My four months as a private prison guard", which was published over two years ago.

It is a description of his experience in a large private prison in Louisiana.

This article is not a study, much less an evaluation, of private prisons.

It is simply an attempt to draw public attention to the many shortcomings of the prison. These included inadequate staff selection, training and pay (just $9 an hour) and many cases of mistreatment of prisoners.

Bauer could have written virtually the same story had he obtained a similar job in a normal government prison rather than a private prison, provided that it was in the south of the US.

In short, this is nothing more than a sensationalist account that has absolutely no relevance to the Australian experience with private prisons.

If Mr Pilcher is genuinely interested in this subject, I would like respectfully to suggest that he reads more widely and perhaps includes Richard Harding's book, Private Prisons and Public Accountability.

David Biles, Curtin

The distinction between New Year's resolutions and political promises is that, on being broken, the former can be recycled whereas the latter retain their status as garbage.

M.F. Horton, Adelaide, SA

I see another minister has mouthed off about "poor" people receiving pensions.

The people he is referring to have probably worked all their lives and paid tax .

The only culture of entitlement in this country rests with government ministers, up to and including current and past prime ministers.

Can someone please explain to me why they receive a grossly inflated pension immediately on being sacked by their employers (the voting public) and do not have to wait until pension age like everyone else?

Also, why does anyone receive more than the 9.5per cent superannuation that applies to the majority?

Bernard Carter, Bundaberg, Qld

Great news that Senator Leyonhjelm's New Year's resolution was to take up Joe Hockey's war against the "age of entitlement". He will, of course, start by campaigning for parliamentary pensions to be exactly the same as those available to all ordinary Australians, retrospectively.

Adrian Gibbs, Yarralumla

Given Senator Leyonhjelm's contempt for age pensioners, can we assume that he will not be putting his hand out for his taxpayer-funded pension at the conclusion of his stint as the country's least relevant politician?

Gaynor Morgan, Braddon

Stephen Jeffery's article ("As Canberra pans APVMA move plan, Armidale rolls out the welcome mat", January1) shows what those who know the regional city can attest – that Armidale is indeed a place with many charms, even if one might not rank the New England Regional Art Museum with the National Gallery.

However, Armidale's pleasant lifestyle is beside the point in any discussion of the Deputy Prime Minister's plan to move the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority to his electorate. The key question is: What is best for Australian agriculture and the quality of our animal health?

The APVMA should remain in Canberra not because there are more cafes in Bunda Street than Beardy Street, but because greater research support is available here, and because primary industry policy is made here.

Peter Fuller, Chifley

The good people of Armidale may well be looking forward to the transfer to their city of the APVMA.

Why wouldn't they? They are not facing a major upheaval in their lives. They do not have to contend with leaving their extended families, the disruption to their children's education, the severance of their links to the local community.

The staff of the APVMA must sell their homes and hope that they can find something suitable in the limited Armidale housing market.

Their partners will have to give up their own jobs and try to find employment in a country town 600 kilometres to our north.

And what of a single parent sharing custody of children with an ex-partner?

Such a person has the choice of abandoning his or her children and moving to Armidale, or they must try and find a new job in Canberra's diminishing public sector, if a job which matches their level and years of experience exists.

The APVMA is made up of real people with lives outside of their work and strong links to the local community.

If a move to Armidale is a good thing for the staff of the APVMA, why do they need inducements, or should I say bribes? And why is there such a deafening silence from our parliamentary representatives of all persuasions against this blatant exercise inpork-barrelling?

Robert Healy, Calwell

Nick Krygios is the most misunderstood person in sport. He is in fact a classic Byronic hero: brooding, moody, flawed, rebellious, disdainful of authority.

The trouble is, Byronic heroes are self-destructive.

So what should Nick do? He should go to Byron Bay, grow a beard, and buy a surfboard. But above all, he should take up yoga.

That way, he'll be able to watch his emotional storms pass like clouds in the sky.

Should he return to international tennis? By no means. That is the very model of obsessive behaviour. Talk about being dominated by desire!

That kind of caper is strictly for the unenlightened.

But Nick has a romantic nature, attracted to the perilous joys of the bold.

What should he do about that?

He should get up to West Papua and take on the Indonesian Army, which, to put it mildly, has a spotty record.

Does that mean he should join the guerrillas? Not at all. He'll resort to friendly persuasion. He'll persuade the army to sell its arms and equipment on the black market and use the proceeds to set up a chain of eco-lodges in the jungle.

There'll be cash for everyone – taxes for the government, income for the army, and rent for the West Papuans.

Nick will be hailed as a peacemaker, and, by popular acclaim, made secretary-general of the United Nations.

Reg Naulty, Hawker

Climate change is with us. Each year new temperature records occur. Each year the ice caps melt at an increased rate.

Each year the climate sceptics say it has all happened before and is a natural part of the world's rhythms.

The fact is that previous episodes have not been accompanied by billions of humans pumping carbon into the atmosphere and destroying the forests that soaked up carbon.

Species apart from humans do not breed in bad times. We seem to breed more in the most vulnerable areas.

We are lemmings racing headlong towards an ecological cliff.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

In response to Gerry Murphy's (Letters, January1) attempt at ridicule of New Zealand's principled stand against Israel's disregard for international law, and his questioning of our neighbour's defence capabilities, I would like him to know that I, and many like me, who value justice and integrity above bluster and bullying, would drop everything in an instant and volunteer.

A world where players like Israel, Russia and China went unchallenged because of their apparent lack of aversion to the application of disproportionate force and indifference to the loss of innocent life is not a world in which I'd want to live.

James Allan, Narrabundah

Gerry Murphy wonders how NewZealand will prosecute a war with Israel. It might be better to ask how Benjamin Netanyahu proposes to prosecute a war with New Zealand.

The last time Israelis sought to infringe New Zealand sovereignty – in July 2004, when Israeli agents were caught trying to get a fake New Zealand passport by using the birth certificate of a New Zealander suffering from cerebral palsy – it was the Israelis, not the New Zealanders, who were forced into a humiliating backdown.

(Dr) William Maley, Reid

WHINGING ON AND ON

I'm writing to whinge about the whingers who whinge about the whingers who don't agree with their point of view.

Susan MacDougall, Scullin

RIDICULOUS PROJECTS

Who was the traffic expert that signed-off on the Barton Highway roundabout? How long do we have to accept these ridiculous projects from faceless bureaucrats and amateur politicians in this territory.

Peter Thomson, Latham

REASONS TO BE GRUMPY

Amanda Vanstone seems puzzled as to why she is getting grumpy as she gets older. Amanda, like most of us, is becoming wiser as she ages while, at the same time, we observe the young ones around us getting dumber. That's what really makes us grumpy.

Eric Hunter, Cook

RESPONSE GRATES

I am annoyed and disappointed of hearing "Well (pause) ..." as the seemingly automatic response by reporters and the public at large to any and every question.

Is it is a artifice or a sign of poor articulation ?

"Well (pause) ..." is making me sick. Just cut it out, cease and desist.

A. Rhodes, Cook

INCOMPATIBLE PAIRING

Re "Private prisons beneficial to the ACT" (December 29, p15). The aim of private companies is to make profits; the aim of prisons is to be a place of punishment for transgressors.

The two are incompatible, but especially offensive in the context of human rights.

Sue Schreiner, Red Hill

WINDING DOWN

Andrew Barr says he will "not sweat the small stuff and take the time to celebrate the big wins" ("Capital's movers and shakers spill the beans on their 2017 plans", January 2, p6). He intends to focus on reading, travel, bike riding and possibly losing weight. Sounds more like someone preparing for retirement.

Jill and David Townsend, Curtin

DIVIDING OUR NATION

Malcolm Turnbull has made two important gifts to our nation. As minister for communications he has gifted us his version of NBN or N(o) B(ody) (k)N(ows) what's happening. By calling a double dissolution election he has gifted us "One Nation" but not a very united one.

Sankar Kumar Chatterjee, Evatt

The last obstacle to becoming a republic seems to be advanced. Mr Turnbull wishes for the Queen's longevity is reversely working.

Mokhles K. Sidden, Strathfield, NSW

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