Despite what Errol Good writes (Letters, October 22) it seems to me that contrary to what is usual in classifying material to protect national security, military operations, diplomatic and trade negotiations and so forth some material has been classified solely to protect certain federal politicians (both past and present) from justifiable accusations of incompetence or downright stupidity.

That is not what security classifications are meant for and it is an abuse of the system to do so.

The recent raids by the AFP only serve to heighten my concern, and that of others, that we are in danger of becoming a police state where our politicians, bureaucrats, the military and police are simply not subject to any form of accountability.

The sooner we have a federal agency akin to the ICAC of NSW, instead of the Clayton's version proposed by the very people who are of concern, the better.

I congratulate The Canberra Times and all those who are trying to put a stop to a politically orchestrated campaign to intimidate people into holding their peace when they become aware of unscrupulous, dishonest or criminal activity.

Hear hear C Latham (Letters, October 23). Ban horse racing. And thank you ABC for your investigation and report on the fate of race horses. As with all things in capitalist societies, these beautiful intelligent creatures are but units on a balance sheet. They are worth hundreds of thousands of dollars one day and just their weight in pet mince the next.

The revelations concerning their fates, once "deaccessioned", is just the most recent in a long list of devastating revelations over the last few years concerning the treatment of children, refugees, aged people, disabled people, greyhounds, bank customers... the list goes on.

I for one will never watch the Melbourne Cup again. We can't ban thieves, paedophiles, sadists and scoundrels, but we can ban horse racing.

There is more depressing news about our government's attitude to science as a long term investment in the future of the nation ("1500 Jobs Under Review', October 22, p1).

While CSIRO research continues to help solve pressing problems, the news that a further 1500 scientific jobs out of the organisation's 5500 total are under threat should sound warning bells in the Canberra bubble.

More than that, a quick look at the CSIRO Data Books from the last millennium show that staffing was running at over 7,000 in the early 1990s, whittled away since then by the efficiency dividend and mean and tricky budgets by both sides of government.

Just imagine the jobs that might be available now in carbon minimisation technologies, renewable energy, water management and species preservation if 2000 more of our best and brightest had been allowed to get on with the job.

Our politicians and their senior advisors should be ashamed of themselves.

While not disagreeing with the conclusions in your editorial of October 23 ("Second Brexit referendum warranted"), it contained the oft-repeated and fallacious claim that "the British people, albeit by a narrow margin, voted for their country to leave the European Union". The facts are that there were 46,501,241 eligible voters of whom 17,410,742 elected to leave, being but 37.44 per cent of the qualified population.

The 16,141,241 who voted to stay represented 34.71 per cent while the remaining and significant 27.84 per cent of 12,949,258 didn't vote at all, implying either that they couldn't care one way or another or, more likely, that they were satisfied with the status quo of being in the EU.

If a change is really sought there must be an indicative and visible demand for it and such was never evinced in the 2016 referendum influenced and overshadowed by the flawed processes you described.

Now that a more extensive range of departure repercussions is available to the British public than was put to them among the original fake newsworthy canards, a second referendum is indeed justifiable and, in the absence of compulsory voting, such a consequential outcome to leave must be determined by over fifty per cent of those eligible making such a decision, not merely by those attending the ballot box being deemed to represent the entire populace.

I respond to Steve Evans's article "The burden of drought should fall on us all" (canberratimes.com.au, October 28).

Not all city people are blissfully unaware of the current drought. I live in a city, but I am painfully aware of the drought for many reasons.

Drought has always been a part of life in Australia, but these days it is exacerbated by climate change, which, rather oddly, is not mentioned in this report. Travelling in the regions, following the news reports, meeting with country relatives or friends, all of these offer many opportunities to observe the colossal imbalance which currently exists.

Yes, we are all responsible for this situation, but many deny the existence of climate change. However, it's not a matter of "opinion", but of fact. Deniers include the Federal government, and many State governments. So leadership on this issue is woeful. Citizens can take action on climate change in the minutiae of their own daily lives, and also by becoming climate change activists. Options are: protests, (including Extinction Rebellion, which Steve Evans has attacked in your pages) communications with politicians, conversation with friends and acquaintances, and reading serious literature on climate change.

One could ask oneself, "do I care about the future of my children? My grandchildren? Young people everywhere? Or not?" It's also worth considering that we do have the means to take action on climate change. What is lacking is the political will.

While Eric Hunter (Letters Oct 28) condemns the ideas expressed in an earlier letter (N. Ellis, Oct 25), it does not contain, as Hunter said, an oxymoron. This a precise term (often misused, as in this case) that refers to the juxtaposition of two words so as to produce a contrary meaning. An oxymoron can be used as a joke, such as "honest politician", "healthy ice-cream", or, (without malice) Eric Hunter's "precise verbalism".

Dr Howard Brady (Letters, October 19) insists that I am wrong about global warming not occurring "in steps" as claimed in his letter of October 8. He also claims that the rate of warming has not changed in the "warming pulses since 1860 despite vastly different annual increases in carbon dioxide levels".

Perhaps I could have used a more appropriate word than "steadily" when referring to the rate of global temperature change over the last 200 years. There is, of course year-to-year variation - caused by ocean circulation patterns, sunspot activity, etc. - in mean global temperature, but the fact remains that the trend of rising temperature has been steepening continuously since about 1960.

Data from several peer-reviewed publications show that atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has increased steadily since about 1840. This is especially clear from direct measurements taken at Hawaii's Mauna Loa observatory since 1960.

I do not dispute that in the geological past carbon dioxide levels were much higher than now.

As Dr Brady concedes, I was referring to the last 800,000 years.

However, his assertion that Dome Charlie ice core data show that rises in carbon dioxide levels postdate increases in temperature is not borne out by data from the well-known Vostok (Antarctica) ice core which show a perfect coincidence between peaks in temperature and carbon dioxide concentration.

It has now been shown beyond all reasonable doubt that carbon dioxide, mostly from our burning of fossil fuels, is causing dangerous global warming.

Two letters I've mailed recently have each taken six calendar days to arrive at their Canberra destinations.

One of them, a greeting card, which was sent two days ahead of the date to which the greeting related, bore two dollars in postage, reflecting the sender's apparently mistaken belief that paying the extra dollar would somehow ensure arrival by that date.

On complaining to Australia Post I was informed, in the nicest possible way, that letters are no longer their priority, as their business now revolves around parcels.

In the meantime I'm wondering how much priority is actually needed to ship an item of mail at an average speed of something greater than 2.5 kilometres a day.

Re "Kidnapping of Uluru" (Letters, October 29). Uluru hasn't been kidnapped and it certainly hasn't been closed. You can still go there and marvel at its grandeur and spiritual beauty. You can still walk around it's base and learn of its importance from the traditional owners. You just can't climb it, just as you can't climb the Opera House or the AWM. Not climbing is a mark of respect without which all other words (including Mark's) of recognition of past wrongs ring hollow.

Mr Snow is entitled to spend his money how he likes. No doubt his alma mater is grateful for the $20 million donation. But the fact my taxes also go to that school while government schools scratch for every cent horrifies me. It's time these bastions of wealth and privilege were plucked from the government teat.

Trump's appalling portrayal of the final moments of the leader of IS sounds like a rehearsal for his own impeachment.

Donald Trump gleefully trumpeted the self proclaimed Islamic State leader Al Baghdadi died "like a dog" when cornered by American special forces in a dead end tunnel. Can the US president provide a recording of the "whimpering, crying and begging" the IS leader did before going off to meet his maker?

You may not like Julian Assange but he is an Australian citizen. For the Australian government to do nothing to save him from the USA is an absolute scandal. As for the decent members of the Australian media, he is one of you and has proven it time and again, indirectly saving thousands of lives by his courageous exposures. He has more than contributed. Will you?

Good move, Christian Porter, to encourage the critically defunded National Archives of Australia to expensively fight, all the way to the High Court if need be, requests for access to documents that should be freely available to Australians. This will leave the NAA financially unable to carry out its mission of preserving the nation's documents which will decay and vanish. That would solve the problem entirely.

Parents on Sydney's North Shore who are reportedly spending up to $1000 on lollies for Halloween should be ashamed of their wasteful actions. A $1000 donation to any charity that feeds those that need food rather than lollies be a far better use of the money. Give to those that need, not those that want.

The refrigerated trailer human trafficking tragedy in the UK highlights the need for the lazy European customs services to do their job properly and open every container to ensure at least no humans, dead or alive, are present before it leaves for the UK. Another reason for the UK to leave the dysfunctional EU as customs checks will need to be enforced strictly after Brexit.

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