In all such cases the murder is merely the result of a crime. The real crime is the intended act of taking illegal drugs.

Drug use, as well as drug dealing, is not "a lower category of criminal offending like a traffic infringement". It should be equated with intended mass murder. There should be zero tolerance. Young people should have this impressed on them continually.

One essential to doing this is to impose severe penalties on drug use as well as drug dealing. A fine of $100 would have the effect of educating youth that drug taking is merely naughty (harmless fun) rather than criminal. Only an idiot could support such a change.

A more appropriate punishment for young offenders would be a $10,000 fine, with the offender made to suffer weekend detention for up to one year until the fine was paid. This would encourage parents to strongly dissuade children from any involvement in drug abuse. Sensible parents would ensure their loan was repaid.

Where parental support is unavailable, the weekend detention could cease after one year, and the fine be set aside - provided the offender had become aware of the seriousness of the crime.

In a case of terrible timing, we read of a Labor plan to radically change the laws on the possession of hard drugs, on the same day the relatives of a murdered man speak out against his killer ("I hope you go through hell", December 15, p4.) According to Mr Pettersson, possession of the drugs that turned a young man into a crazed killer should not be an offence - it should simply result in a $100 fine and referral to some counselling.

I suggest it's no use just telling someone who is experimenting with drugs that this could be the result - after all, the whole purpose of drugs is to alter personality and behaviour and that's what they will do, regardless of being counselled. There has to be a criminal penalty as a result of making a conscious decision to take drugs.

When Mathias Cormann fails to snaffle the top OECD position, many will be watching to see how he starts applying his newfound enthusiasm and commitment for "a collective green effort" at the national and regional levels, and how he volunteers to "help to lead and drive ambitious and effective action on climate change as a top priority" within Australia.

He must have loads of strategies and ideas by now and his former colleagues could certainly do with a helping hand and an energetic, straight-talking push along. Perhaps he could be made "Special Envoy for Climate Crisis Mitigation". Travelling in high heat and in small, non-airconditioned planes to parts of Australia that are becoming increasingly uninhabitable might lead to a faster resetting of our emissions-reduction targets too.

Sorry Bill Deane (Letters, December 14), your comment criticising Senator Lidia Thorpe for accepting her salary whilst bemoaning Captain Cook's arrival is itself backward and inflammatory. It's the kind of thinking that white supremacists will latch on to to help spread their bile and hatred. What would the senator's alternative be? To roll over and damn well accept everything us Europeans have done for her and be bloody grateful? This despite the black wars and genocide of Indigenous peoples?

No, the senator is correct in expressing her right to use the systems imposed upon her peoples to help make a difference. My concern is poor Captain Cook still cops the brunt of hatred when it was really the faceless men in London who made those decisions and Governor Arthur Phillip who led the British invasion and colonisation. It was inevitable that Europeans were going to colonise Australia. If it wasn't the British then it would have been the French. Still doesn't make it right.

Pre-election, when asked on ABC radio "Why is your government enabling two major waste hubs at Fyshwick?" CM Barr replied, "Well ... we're ... I guess, simply we're not and we've indicated very clearly that Hume is the preferred location for proposals of that kind."

One week post election, a CRS-associated company was given approval for fragmentising ELV's within 500 metres of residents. The first monster waste hub to divert landfill waste with Gentleman's support in an EIS process is under assessment. Is everyone on the same page? CM Barr has the power to stop this pollution of Fyshwick.

Contrary to recent reports, this week's seaplane flight was definitely not a first. I know of at least four other seaplane/flying boats which have visited us in the past.

Perhaps the most notable was that of a Maule Seaplane some 25 years ago. It was based at Rose Bay, Sydney and landed in the Central Basin and later took off from the West Basin, did a circuit and landed back in the West Basin.

It was here ostensibly to evaluate a possible seaplane service between Canberra and Lake Jindabyne but unfortunately, perhaps, this never eventuated. I was a passenger and the views were breathtaking.

It was good to see the inaugural trial run of possible regular seaplane trips between Sydney and Canberra land safely on Lake Burley Griffin this morning. It was unfortunate that it did not come anywhere near Lotus Bay as there were many people, including dignitaries and plenty of press, there to record the event.

Pity too that the group of 60 odd youngsters undertaking sailing classes numbering nearly 30 colourful small boats were asked to return to Lotus Bay prior to the landing when the seaplane came nowhere near this area as it landed opposite "Expert's Point" at Yarralumla. It did not look good that holiday sailing activities were interrupted unnecessarily. Hopefully, this will not happen in future.

Graeme Rankin (Letters, December 15) claims that capital punishment is "state sanctioned murder". This is as absurd as saying that imprisonment is "state-sanctioned kidnapping" or that fines and taxes are "state-sanctioned theft". It is also as absurd as saying that soldiers are "state-sanctioned murderers".

It is also as absurd as saying that there was no moral difference between Winston Churchill and Adolf Hitler, because both of them resorted to killing to achieve their aims in World War II. Furthermore, if any kind of killing is "murder", then it follows that abortion and euthanasia are murder.

I could not agree more with Ian Morison (letters , December 17). Our government, instead of committing itself to meaningless emissions reduction targets, is instead putting its money where its mouth is, as Australia's initiatives to date regarding conservation are second to none, on a per capita basis.

Its energy renewable capacity is growing at a rate approximately 10 times faster than the world average, $30 million was invested in renewables in the last three years, which is close to the top worldwide, and we also lead the world in solar panel installations.

At this point in time renewables and battery storage are simply incapable of meeting our minimum, reliable base load requirements. To meet those requirements, the installation of small, reliable, emissions-free nuclear power plants will have to be considered as part as part of the energy mix of oil, gas, coal, wind and hydro, which will all still be in use in the foreseeable future, whether we like it or not.

Several contributors (Letters, December 15) highlighted the fact that Morrison was not invited to speak at Boris' climate conference this week, and claimed that this was a great embarrassment. However, not one of them bothered to mention that Jacinda Ardern had also been "snubbed".

Similarly, none of the PM's critics observed that China was invited to speak, despite the fact that it has not promised any reductions by 2050, and in fact is increasing emissions and building more coal powered power stations over the next 20 years than the rest of the world is closing. Even worse, as a result of their recent trade bans, the Chinese power stations will be burning higher-emissions coal from other sources. Yet apparently, that's all acceptable climate policy?

I suspect that, given the credentials of many of those speaking, our PM is quite comfortable to be joining Jacinda to discuss the Aust-NZ "travel bubble".

For all Detective Superintendent Moller's boasting that police charging of "high-flyer" (CT, December 17) is "a fantastic result for ACT Policing", he might do well to remember that charging in itself means nothing. It is for the courts to acquit or convict, not the police.

Peter Sherman (CT, "Stop the iron rail in road", December 17) points out that the iron tram rails have flaws. As our government loves outdated transport, why not have even older technology? Horse-drawn trams would require less disruption and be much more flexible.

Isn't it kind of premature for Trump to be asking his supporters if he should stand in the 2024 election? I mean the man could be sitting in jail come 2024 given the many prosecutions he would be facing once he is out of the White House.

Fantastic suggestion Peter Stanley (Letters, December 16). This could include the old Government Printer site, the original Canberra Times building, 2CA's first studios, Acton Village, the myriad Aboriginal heritage sites - there are endless examples in Canberra's "hidden" history. The ACT government should get on with it.

What an incredibly creative solution: a return seaplane trip from Lake Burley Griffin to Sydney Harbour. Now remind me, what was the problem again?

John Howarth, Weston

The chronic underfunding of Canberra Hospital over the past 20 years has led to Canberra residents not getting what should be the best health service in the country. What is more important, buying more expensive shiny red trams or our health?

It would be bad that the Uighurs are being used as slaves in the Chinese clothing industry if it wasn't for the fact that it's been happening, and known about, for many decades; so, it's a disgrace. It's not just the fashion high end; it's the price you pay for cheap clothing in department stores. The poor feeding on the poor.

Regarding Aussie coal. China, as Scott Morrison points out, is now in danger of becoming internationally notorious - like Australia under the Coalition - for making policy decisions purely on the basis of political tribalism and radical ideology.

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