Walter Burley Griffin designed the stand, together with TC Weston, as an experiment and, more importantly, as a park on the northern foreshore of his planned Eastlake.

The Pialligo to Beard bushfire started at the entrance to the redwood forest and jumped over Pialligo Avenue. Only a few dozen redwoods were fire-affected. One can still experience the sublime central groves alongside Pialligo Avenue.

A visit can be disappointing when one considers what might have been however. As an arboreal experiment it was not a success.

The drought has affected many of the trees.

The main problem remains the failure to maintain the trees and the accumulation of widespread fire hazards. The lessee and responsible manager is the Department of Defence. They would be aware that the Pialligo redwoods are on the Commonwealth Heritage List, thus binding them to statutory monitoring and management responsibilities.

It is yet another example of the dysfunctional governance of Canberra, whereby Commonwealth and Territory governments are unable to cooperate in the planning and management of the national capital.

It is also an example of the frequent failures to safeguard Canberra's diminishing heritage.

I read with empathy the letter from Allan and Wendy Hahn (January 20) about losing their beautiful blue wren visitor to a predatory cat.

We have the same problem. We have lived in Gilmore for more than 20 years on a large block, with no cats around, and have revelled in the bird-life.

These have included parrots, rosellas, our own visiting wrens with their harems, plus the flighty, native crested-pigeons.

No more; they are all gone and are too scared to come back since our neighbours got a cat that they let wander. We found a shredded breeding-pair of native pigeons in our yard. Our little little colony of frogs and lizards that chirped all evening are also gone.

I have spoken to the neighbours this predator belongs to on two occasions. Pleas concerning irresponsible cat-ownership and the damage it's done have fallen on deaf ears. They don't care.

One cat, one single cat, did all this damage and we seem to have no recourse to compel our neighbours to keep their cat off our property. I suppose I could shoot the damned thing but I don't have a gun.

So the leaders of both the government and the opposition have decided the first day of Federal Parliament will be spent reading condolences for the victims of the bushfires.

Every member will want to make sure they get a turn to read their empty, trite, repetitive platitudes. Then they'll pat each other on the back and head off for a drink and a meal at taxpayers' expense.

I seriously doubt that this will make any of the grieving families and communities feel the least bit better about what has happened to them this summer.

The House of Representatives is scheduled to sit for 72 days this year. A vast amount of this time is taken up with points of order, ringing bells, and counting votes that will make no difference to the outcome of a motion. Yet they want to waste a full day doing nothing to address climate change and Australia's role in both causing and fixing it.

Why do we put up with this from these people? It's time the whole lot of them were tossed out and we started afresh. We couldn't do worse.

By all means have Parliament pass a condolence motion on the first day of sitting. But it must contain the words, "we were warned but we ignored the warning and for that we are deeply sorry". Once that is done a lasting memorial to the victims should be put in place.

It is time MHRs and Senators declared a truce and worked together for the common good.

The first task should be to commit to worthwhile emissions reduction targets of 40 per cent or better by 2030 and 60 per cent or better by 2040.

Secondly, they should commit to an effective, workable and properly resourced emissions trading scheme to come into force no later than the end of July.

Anything less would make a mockery of any condolence motion.

I understand that charities operate as businesses but the donations that people made in respect of the current fire crisis were not made so that charities could put them into their "general income revenue" basket. They were made by people with the expectation that the money would be spent immediately on needy cases.

The Red Cross, and anyone who seeks to save donations received for the next crisis, are betraying the trust of their donors.

I chose to direct my bushfire donation through the Australian Red Cross only to now find that approximately two thirds of my donation, and every other donation, is to be squirrelled away for a rainy day by the Australian Red Cross.

I consider this to be tantamount to theft as I was under the impression that my donation would be used to help the many Australians in need right now.

I would also like to inform the Australian Red Cross that if Australia suffers future disasters, Australians will again dig deep. Hand out our donations now!

To ameliorate the negative impacts of Australia's sustained rapid population growth in recent decades, and to reverse the disturbing trend of rising fecundity among those least suited or able to raise children, the baby bonus should be replaced.

We should have a scheme in which every Australian female over the age of 15 is paid $1000 every year until the age of 30 as long as they defer having children.

The impact on government revenue would be negative for the first couple of years but this would quickly reverse. The eventual effect would be revenue positive.

Assuming the ludicrous annual immigration intake is addressed simultaneously, the net positive effect would be massive.

This isn't my idea but it's brilliant simplicity makes it worth repeating.

Re: Nicholas Stuart on Labor's lack of policy on climate change.

Nicholas Stuart ("Albanese takes a risk backing coal", January 22, p. 18-19) provided a clear analysis why Labor as well as the Coalition has no policy on climate change.

Both major parties are shackled to coal which is a dying industry both for environmental and economic reasons.

Both major parties are out of step with the polls that show that the majority of Australians want more action now on climate change.

The only party that has had a consistent policy addressing climate change is The Greens.

The climate crisis goes beyond party politics.

All politicians must work with every sector of Australian society to make the changes that must occur to ensure a livable planet.

I hope we won't see, once again, Housing ACT apparently stigmatising, dumbing down, and cheapening public housing, through a turgid new process it calls market sounding".

This is inviting the so-called "industry", including real estate agents, for input on an "indicative design" for a new multi-storey project with the interesting name "Common Ground Dickson" (Notice in The Canberra Times, January 18, p19).

Amenity, aesthetics, environmental sustainability, privacy, solar access, durability, quiet enjoyment, public and private open space, traffic management, and urban design, all once highly valued elements in public housing here, are apparently to be treated as malleable, and even dispensable, in a "market-driven", discriminatory, and money-grubbing process, by our hands-off government.

It needs to return to preparing thorough social, accommodation, and functional briefs; commissioning exemplary designs from registered professionals; obtaining competitive tenders from qualified builders; administering the contracts properly; having the works professionally and independently inspected and certified; and to owning and taking pride in the results.

Of course we should have an Australia Day. It should be January 1, our national wedding anniversary. It is nonsense to say it is already a public holiday. We could make it a double-bunger. States and Territories could have their own holiday to make it up to the sooks who can't go without. We should also have a Mabo day.

Perhaps Australia Day should be celebrated on May 27 when, in 1967, 90.77 per cent of Australians voted to include Aboriginal people in the census.

Given where we collectively are in conversation around changing the date of Australia Day it's inevitable. Get on the right side of history Canberra. We've led progress in this country before and we can do it again.

Your front page of Saturday, January 25, expressed eloquently the deep emotions felt by many left grieving after the recent tragedies. A beautiful photo and and an enduring statement. "I never learned what the words "I miss you" were until I reached out my hand and you were not there".

The Coalition maintains its administration of grants to sporting authorities in marginal electorates was acceptable practice. Are they going to employ the same modus operandi in allocating bushfire relief?

Scott Morrison has called on Australians to "rededicate" themselves to "this great land". It would be great if our politicians immediately committed themselves to a sustainable, zero-carbon future.

With Morrison, like Trump, channelling Lenin's "a lie told often enough becomes the truth" moderate members of the Coalition, particularly in relation to climate change, should be guided by the words ascribed to Edmund Burke "the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing".

The decision to honour Bettina Arndt is a travesty. She is not an advocate for men, she is an advocate for men's privilege.

Is it time for Scotty to beam Bridget down?

Au contraire, Fred Pilcher (Letters, January 28). When things are bad a good bit of schadenfreude is a wonderful distraction from your problems. If you do happen to be a Royalist then nothing, not climate change nor outrageous pork barreling, could be more important.

We attended the Australian Open on Australia Day. Great tennis, great venue, very expensive. The supplier of bottled water imported it from China. How ridiculous.

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