Andrew Barr and Ken Behrens are doing an excellent job

Mr Soames, it may have escaped your attention that with the shutdown of life in Canberra, the taxes which support the government's budget will be hard-hit and the Commonwealth financial contribution is likely to be reduced in the next cycle because the federal income is also under stress.

The ACT government has had to accommodate unanticipated increased expenditure on many fronts, not the least in healthcare and education.

I applaud the use of volunteers to reduce costs, and thank all the volunteers who have stepped forward in their many and varied capacities. I also applaud Mr Barr and his colleagues for their brilliant response. And of course, who could forget Ken Behrens? Thanks to all for pulling together so well to get on top of this. It has been an awesome job by everyone; you are doing so well.

I have not been a fan of our Chief Minister, but his sensible and prompt actions in dealing with the current COVID-19 outbreak, combined with his clear messaging, are forcing me to change my view. This was never more evident than on radio on Sunday morning.

The Chief Minister's skill in explaining issues and honesty in answering questions was in stark contrast to the flatulent display put on by our Prime Minister earlier on the ABC's Insiders program, where he took forever to tell us nothing.

Requiring Qantas and Jetstar workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19 is what's needed to protect our workforce, customers and the communities we fly to, and is not premature given access to vaccines or "heavy handed" (Editorial: "Mandated work vaccination a dilemma", August 20).

As aviation is an essential service, most of our front-line workers were included in early priority groups so they will have had plenty of time to get the jab by mid-November. Corporate staff - many who interact with our front-line workers - have until the end of March next year to receive both doses. There will likely be very few medical exemptions.

It's true that some unions have criticised us for making vaccinations a requirement, but you have to wonder whose interests they are representing when they criticise a policy that will make it much safer to come to work. Why are they more concerned about the less than 4 per cent of employees who have said they don't want to be vaccinated than the overwhelming majority who have told us they would feel safer coming to work knowing that all of their colleagues are vaccinated?

Making this decision is the type of safety leadership that our people and customers expect.

What's clear is the more people who roll up their sleeves, the quicker we'll all be back flying again.

The Labor state premiers, aided by the federal opposition, have made an art form of belittling our PM on every issue since the pandemic began.

The tables have now turned. Australians want to open up. When the magic 70 per cent and 80 per cent full vaccine levels are reached, those who have done the right thing will want their freedom back, albeit realising some constraints may still be needed for a while.

The Labor states are not opening up, under the guise of protecting their citizens. The reality is they are just posturing for popularity. If they continue to pursue this course they may find the polls change rapidly against them.

I refer to the letter by Ian Douglas, "If the hat fits ..." (Letters, August 23), suggesting Canberrans who are offended by the NSW Premier and Deputy Premier blaming the people of the ACT for locking down all of NSW are being too sensitive.

On two separate occasions they blamed the ACT's "worrying rise in cases" for their decision to lock down the whole of NSW.

Some irresponsible Canberrans apparently did rush to the coast, but luckily not one case has been linked to this.

Their farcical blame-shifting has been a constant feature of their less-than-stellar management of the pandemic. It's always someone else's fault. It's the fault of the westies and so on. Finally, after months of "Lockdown Lite", we have a tighter lockdown implemented.

It's a tragedy it wasn't done months ago.

The cases in the ACT have been directly linked to Sydney. The lockdown here and the stress on businesses could have been avoided if the NSW government had done its job competently.

I have great sympathy for the millions now locked down and the impact that has on their lives. It would be refreshing if politicians were honest and accepted responsibility for their actions. I won't hold my breath.

"China doesn't waste its people's lives and money starting wars in other people's countries," says Peter Moran (Letters, August 23).

Well, he's right about that. When the forces of the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet in 1950, they wasted no Chinese lives and spent very little money. Unfortunately the Tibetans didn't fare so well. They lost a country and, to quote Chinese lieutenant-general Zhang Guohua, who was part of the invasion forces, "Over 5700 enemy men were destroyed" and "more than 3000 surrendered".

It was a win-win for the peace-loving Chinese Communist Party.

Whilst I'm a little bit nervous about Parliament sitting at the moment, I applaud all the measures being taken to make it safe except for one.

Nurses apparently will be stationed at all entry points to Parliament to take the temperatures of people entering.

The ACT is extremely short-staffed of health professionals. Surely a security officer could be trusted with this simple task? Just make sure they know they are not using rectal thermometers, as tempting as they may be.

Speaking on Ms Represented, Julie Bishop identified the primitive power of the group of Big Swinging Dicks.

While they can't prevent women from being educated or standing for Parliament until a parliamentary code of conduct designed to enforce accountability is in place - along with a ban on drinking on the job - this primitive behaviour is likely to continue.

By the way, Julia Gillard's bowl was not an empty fruit bowl but an object of art, the purpose of which was to give pleasure. It had no practical purpose. Certainly a notch above the primitive.

One reason given by Prime Minister Morrison and Defence Minister Dutton for the delay in processing protection visas for Afghans who worked for us, as either direct hires or as contractors, is that they all needed to be security checked.

But hang on, weren't they thoroughly checked before we took them on in the first place?

Any additional checking now should be relatively simple and, as H. Sutherland pointed out (Letters, August 23), based on input from the Australians they served with.

Paul Magarey (Letters, August 21) is correct to question why private schools were able to start teaching online from the next Monday, while public schools could only manage by the next Thursday. But he is wrong to attribute this to what he calls inadequate funding of public schools.

This is a complete furphy. Total government spending on schools almost doubled in the decade to 2018-19, while grades continued to fall. This "inequity" is purely the usual union feather-bedding which the minister, whose career before politics was as a union organiser, didn't have the stomach to overturn.

The system had already been through an online teaching period last year, and so it was not a new experience. Teachers are normally working to a curriculum and should have their lessons prepared for a period ahead, and the equivalent of half their teaching time is available for preparation, marking and administration. In addition, much of their work is prepared on computer, so adjustments are readily achievable. No, this was a really weak outcome and should not have been supported by the minister.

Gail McAlpine (Letters, August 18) claims that Gladys et al "gave us the Ruby Princess". Not so. The inquiry put the blame squarely on the NSW and federal health departments and the Australian Border Force. Bureaucrats, not politicians. Please keep up.

Judging by the number of recent media appearances by the usually selectively silent Senator Seselja, one might imagine that an election is nigh and the good senator is trying to be positive and raise his profile.

Every morning this week I have observed a small boat on Lake Tuggeranong. Standing in the bow of the boat as it does a slow drift along the lake are two men fishing. An interesting form of exercise.

The Prime Minister has said he has no tolerance or respect for people smugglers who use the misery and desperation of asylum seekers for their own economic benefit.

This from a man who for the past 20 years has used the misery and desperation of asylum seekers for his own political benefit and advantage.

I have actually had time to read the letters to the editor, as I am a health worker in quarantine. All I have to say is that now is the time for adherence to the rules.The health policy is devised by those trusted experts who have put up their hands to do a difficult job.

If America, and we, had learned the lessons of Vietnam, we would not have tried to reform Afghanistan and Iraq.

Just wondering if the "toucan barons" who turned up on the ABC News subtitles a few weeks ago are Ken Behrens's pals?

Perhaps "Slomo" is a better nickname for the current PM.

R. McElligott (Letters, August 18) is smack on the money. The "Coal-ition" is packed with lackeys of the coal and gas industries. They should move their headquarters to a big, blue building in Fyshwick labeled "Total Toadies and Tools R Us: Buy or Hire".

I hope the Afghan refugees that Australia airlifts to safety are not then handed over to our uncaring Defence Minister to spend the rest of their lives in prison on Christmas Island or Nauru.

Eh, what's up doc? Another letter to The Canberra Times (Letters, August 20) from an aggrieved motorist caught speeding.

How about slowing down?

Those wascally wabbits on City Hill are not hurting anyone and deserve to live in peace.

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