Tony Abbott is the not-Rudd PM we had to have. His efforts to defeat the spill motion were classic Abbott: self-serving and based on a false analogy. Contrary to the Rudd dismissal, which came as a shock, the opinion polls show voters expect and would welcome Abbott's removal.

After 20 years as an effective political attack dog, we will now supposedly have a consultative, policy-focused PM. Ask yourself: who is the real Tony? Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor knew a thing or two when they rejected Abbott after the 2010 election.

Meanwhile, the poor performers in Cabinet soldier on while the renewal needed through promoting talented backbenchers is ignored. What hope is there for a policy debate rather than just more tired old slogans?

Bill Dejong, Merimbula, NSW

Australian Taxation Office staff, and especially the unions representing them, run with a narrative that the Federal Government has an anti-public service agenda and cite their (admittedly miserly) recent pay and conditions offer as evidence of this.

How do they reconcile the substantial increases in pay and conditions, including close-down days before and during Christmas/New Year, which were granted during the despised Howard administration?

There is a simple difference. The Howard government had plenty in the coffers. The current administration, thanks in no small part to the "spend, spend" mentality of the preceding government, doesn't have that luxury.

This is the difference, not a sudden swing in anti-public service sentiment. If public servants want to look for the bad guys, they are picking on the wrong culprit. Of course this is unlikely to be recognised by unions and disaffected staff who were at the centre of the cheer squad for the largesse when it was in operation.

Steve Atkins, Berowra Heights, NSW

This will be the first time Australian citizens have been executed in Indonesia, according to Tim Lindsey and Simon Butt ("Little hope now left for Sukamaran and Chan", Times2, February 11, p5). Well, yes, but only on a narrow understanding of the word "execute". Let us remember these Australian victims of Indonesian murderers: the Balibo Five – unarmed journalists doing their job, and likewise Roger East in Dili, and David Blenkinsop, an innocent yachtsman, shot dead by an Indonesian policeman in August 1988. Perhaps they are not the only victims.

Now that Indonesia is surprising the world by strictly applying its own laws, is it not time for the well-known suspects of those crimes to be brought to justice?

Thomas Mautner, Griffith

Keith McIntyre (Letters, February 9) is fed up with people whingeing about Canberra Hospital. What about staff trying to pull out a sutured nasal-gastric tube without first removing the sutures? What about trying to feed a patient with a sign above their bed that reads "Nil by mouth"? What about giving a patient an injection that was intended for another patient? What about a patient coughing up a piece of plastic following an operation?

These are just some of the things our family has had direct experience of. Surely they do not constitute merely whingeing. Sure, there is fabulous work that goes on in the hospital, but that does not mean we should ignore the bad things that happen.

Gordon Fyfe, Kambah

Following the untimely death of climate and health scientist Dr Tony McMichael last September, we have now lost ANU Climate Change Institute director Prof Michael Raupach as well ("Science community mourns death of Prof Michael Raupach", canberratimes.com.au, February 12). It is almost too much to bear. Both men were eminent scientists, highly regarded internationally, who made huge contributions to climate science.

Perhaps Mike's greatest gift was as a communicator. He cut through the polemic of the denialists and gently persuaded them of the realities of climate change. He didn't want to scare the horses but his intellectually rigorous presentations were actually very scary indeed, assuming society continues on the business-as-usual path of burning fossil fuels as if there's no tomorrow. Let us hope the Abbott government, as a lasting memorial to Mike and Tony, come up with a credible climate mitigation plan to put to the critical international meeting in Paris later this year.

Jenny Goldie, Michelago, NSW

Lawyers for the ACT Director of Public Prosecutions say they have new forensic evidence pertaining to the Winchester case ("Eastman argues against murder retrial as date set for next February", February 12, p2).

Most would find this hard to believe, as much as they found it hard to believe a middle-aged ex-public servant could have carried out a Mafia-type killing for the simple reason that Colin Winchester had refused to intervene in a charge and counter-charge of assault between two neighbours.

It was found by the latest inquiry to be a flawed conviction. Mr Eastman and the Canberra community are now being asked to stump up for another trial of a person who has already spent 19 years in jail.

The DPP has a most lamentable record of securing convictions. They will not secure a conviction on what they produced recently and it will cost us another $10 million.

Howard Carew, Isaacs

Bill Maley and Neil James (Letters, February 11) may both be as pleased as punch to have caught Paul Fitzwarryne out on his dates on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan but neither have laid a glove on his main argument – and that is that the Soviets were indeed invited by the Afghan government to assist the local government to quell violence.

Most egregiously, Professor Maley accuses Fitzwarryne of "poor scholarly practice", claiming Fitzwarryne "contrives to misrepresent" the views of Louis Dupree. Yet in nothing that Maley quotes of Dupree do we find evidence contradicting Fitzwarryne's argument. Maley quotes Dupree saying that the USSR installed a puppet government – yet this does not contradict the fact that they were invited in the first place.

It is simply bizarre that anyone should any longer seek to misrepresent the Soviet intervention in Afghanistan as a violent invasion rather than a defensive move against US-funded aggression. Ever since the 1997 publication of From the Shadows by former CIA director Robert Gates, it has been known the US was funding the Mujahedeen rebels in their fight against the Kabul government. And in the following year – and ever since – former Carter National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski has been bragging about the fact US action dragged the Soviets into their "own Vietnam".

Chris Williams, Griffith

Regardless of Googled dates, Russians did in fact arrive in Afghanistan in 1969. Their presence was not overly resented at first, as they put in place much-needed infrastructure as witnessed when I travelled in Afghanistan in May 1974. The excellent highway over the Hindu Kush being an example. Might I add, the Russians' presence made for a safer environment and women had more freedom than is currently the case.

If a local Afghan woman was asked today if she preferred the Russians to the Taliban, I'm sure I know what her answer would be.

Leslie Barnard, West Belconnen

I wonder if the position taken by Menslink in relation to Lloyd Burch's involvement in the Silence is Deadly Program is solely motivated to ensure corporate sponsorship is not affected ("School visits by Burch's son led to fine", February 12, p1). Given the comments of the then-chairman of Menslink, Peter Clark, I can only assume he has not met Mr Burch and does not know anything about him. My legal firm represented Mr Burch for what can only be described as a terrible offence, which occurred in April 2013.

Since mid-2013, I have watched Mr Burch transform from a troubled youth to a vibrant, healthy and articulate young man. That change should be celebrated. I cannot think of a better person to speak to young men about the dangers of drug abuse and encouraging youths to get help if they need it, even if he does not have a shiny little card in his back pocket issued by the government because all boxes could be ticked. I would have thought Chief Assembly reporter Kirsten Lawson had more important matters to report on.

Ben Aulich, Canberra City

The prime ministership of Tony Abbott is an unfunny joke. His aggression blaming the Human Rights Commission for its report on the damage caused to detained children is sad and wrong. Accusing the Labor Party of committing a holocaust (!) of jobs is the usual failure to acknowledge a problem, without a single idea to address the issue of unemployment.

Liberal politicians should by now be considering saving themselves from the sheer embarrassment and damage caused to themselves by this leader. Surely it would be better to have any other prime minister, this one is leading their party and the country to nowhere.

Susan Archer, Yarralumla

The independent Human Rights Commission delivers a report on children in detention. The report is acclaimed by experts as authoritative, well researched and evidence-based. Instead of addressing the serious issues raised, the Prime Minister chooses to denigrate the commission. Is this what the Prime Minister understands by "good government"?

Ernst Willheim, Forrest

GUIDELINES FROM GOD

We should all share Rob King's concern at having accountants audit the tax advice they give to their corporate clients ("ATO puts the fox in charge of the henhouse", Times2, February 12, p5). Because if self-regulation worked, God would have given Moses 10 guidelines.

Martin Aubury, Scullin

PLETHORA OF POSTIES

Nine posties riding their motorbikes in single file down Rivett Street, Hackett, 10.25am, February 11. A posse of posties? A parcel of posties? Maybe they were en route to a posties' convention.

Graeme Barrow, Hackett

MP REGARDED AS A JOKE

Canberra MP Gai Brodtmann professes to speak on behalf of Norfolk Islanders.

Most Norfolk Islanders regard her as a joke, as they do the obviously biased and corrupted political process that formed the recent Joint Select Committe into economic development on the island. If Ms Brodtmann doesn't get the island after 10 visits, it is quite likely she never will.

Brett Sanderson, Norfolk Island

IT'S EVOLUTION

The developments on our coasts, choked with large sharks, could indicate a palingenesis of the Devonian Period.

Matt Ford, Crookwell, NSW

SIT THE TEST, BURCH

Last year, the ACT's Minister for Education, Joy Burch, instituted spelling and arithmetic tests for recruits to the teaching service. She would silence her critics were she to sit the test herself, or failing that, the year-three NAPLAN.

Humphrey McQueen, Griffith

PAY THE FINE

If Minister Joy Burch had a conscience she would pay the fine ("School visits by Burch's son led to fine", February 12, p1) caused by her errant son.

Janet Pearson, Weston Creek

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