It was not due to loss of engineering expertise but another bungle by force development and analysis. This was set up to prevent another purchase of "toys" such as the Leopard tanks, essentially bought because spare cash was available. (And now we have the even more useless Abrams main battle tank).

In its sorry history it has ludicrously asserted Army Reserves are more expensive than regulars and hydrography cheaper if done by Navy, the latter despite the UK reducing costs by 40 per cent by using contractors.

The responsibility must ultimately rest with cabinet but then again "the quality of action by decision makers is largely governed by the quality of advice they receive".

Is Dominic Perrottet qualified to be Premier of NSW? He set up icare to replace the old Work Cover scheme in 2015. Within four years it was revealed that this new scheme was on the verge of collapse (SIRA report 2019).

It had underpaid thousands of sick and injured workers up to $80 million causing huge suffering to the victims.

Despite acknowledged gross mismanagement, executive salaries had skyrocketed; contracts given without tender to NSW Liberal Party connections proliferated. A further 422 contracts were not even registered. Then there was proof of icare paying the salaries of two ministerial staff. Heads rolled. But not Perrottet's.

Yes, Mr Perrottet is very well qualified - if you consider total disregard for the rules, gross mismanagement of public funds, the ability to cover your tracks, and to have no respect for the less fortunate to be the significant criteria for this top job.

How long will it be before he dismantles or at least significantly weakens ICAC?

I, and many residents of NSW, do care about the quality of leadership in our state. It is time we do better.

Ian Morison's explanation of the Paris Agreement (Letters, October 5) makes several false or misleading claims. He claims that "many countries" do not "abide by international law", and many developing countries "do what they like", without naming just one.

He claims that many countries are granted "special favours", then names Europe (also many countries).

He claims that the Paris Agreement "does not treat all causes of pollution with a clear weighting based on need" without specifying any such need.

Mr Morison also overlooks the fact that Earth's "very-cold-climate" regions will diminish as global heating advances.

Finally, Mr Morison's many "extraneous factors ... that may impact the net zero by 2050 outcome" are trivial or irrelevant compared to the global heating caused by human-caused emissions of global-heating gases such as carbon dioxide and methane.

Can someone please explain why introducing COVID-19 into those states and territories where it has been suppressed would be good for the Australian economy as a whole?

I thought their economies were the only ones doing well enough to pay taxes anyway.

And while I'm at it, how come only the Queensland and Western Australian governments are being criticised about their border policies, when it seems that the Tasmanian and South Australian governments have substantially the same position? Oh, yeah - sorry, my mistake.

I walk daily with my neighbour around the pathways snaking through Googong. In our commune with the early morning chill, we discuss the issues of the day: political, strategic, intelligence and commercial interests.

Our most recent discussion included the newly announced nuclear submarine deal, the AUKUS agreement and the honorary title of Lieutenant Commander, RN for Daniel Craig for his role as James Bond.

If the Brits think they are going to re-enter the Indo-Pacific region then I think it is time for us to strike a deal for not only sharing the technology et al but also for a proposal to grant the honorary title of Captain, RAN to Russell Crowe for his role in the film Master and Commander. We cannot have the Brits lauding it over us again with a senior honorary Naval Officer as they did for so many years in the past.

With reference to James Turner's letter "Police should act" (Letters, September 30) it is understandable that the police will do nothing about the maskless teenagers in Southpoint. There is no revenue in that.

Mr Turner can be confident however, that many officers are as busy as beavers raking in revenue for Chief Minister Barr by booking people going 4 km/h over the speed limit.

In late 2019 I applied for passport renewal (total cost, including administration fees, approximately $650) for myself and my partner in preparation for our planned (and paid for) travel to Europe in March 2020.

We, like millions of other Australians, had to cancel our travel plans.

Would it be unreasonable to expect the expiry date of our passports be extended by the length of time travel has not been allowed?

Here's the plan. All the state environment ministers have a Zoom meeting. Ministers from NSW, South Australia, Victoria, the ACT and the Northern Territory explain how they are on target to achieve their existing 50 per cent emission reduction targets by 2030.

Tassie has a brag about being there already. Western Australia and Queensland, a bit sheepish but encouraged by the enthusiasm and conviction of the others agree to "go for 50".

Angus Taylor accepts a redundancy package. Barnaby Joyce retires to the back paddock, this time for good. Scott Morrison goes to Glasgow to share the good news. The world rejoices.

Still in recovery from Mr Turnbull's Press Club appearance I rummaged through the federal parliamentary archive. The 2009 Defence White Paper confirmed the validity of a Wikipedia entry that the nuclear-to-diesel electric submarine conversion was requested in that year. The half-life of collective memories, revealed in this forum, continues to be unsurprisingly fleeting. More fact checking, please.

I commend the article by Denis Moriarty in The Canberra Times on October 5 "Think you've got rights? You're wrong". He says: "We do need to judge protesters whose slogans bear as much relation to a philosophy as dandruff does to deep thought". The obligation (and right) to protect other's health is more important to me than any alleged "right" to refuse a vaccination or wear a mask.

The separation of powers used to be one of the pillars of democracy. Judges could rule without fear or favour regardless of who had the numbers in parliament.

That pillar has been weakened over recent decades and, in the US, came close to complete destruction during the Trump presidency.

Unfortunately, there is more than a hint of Donald Trump in the comments made by some Coalition politicians in the wake of Gladys Berijiklian's resignation. They obviously think ICAC has too much power. It is almost as if it is ICAC under investigation rather than Daryl Maguire or the former Premier.

ICAC is an outstanding example of justice in action. It operates transparently and doggedly pursues wrongdoers, regardless of status.

Politicians have a greater opportunity for corruption on a grand scale than most citizens. It is only proper that in their position of trust they should be subjected to unrelenting scrutiny. ICAC has proved that it is able to do just that.

I would love for the gyms to reopen. I get that we are in lockdown but to some people the gym is like an addiction.

It is great for not only keeping fit but also for letting out built up frustration. It is affecting quite a few friends and family members that I know of.

Because of the gyms being closed their mental health is being severely impacted.

It's great that we now have four hours of freedom outside to exercise but it is a totally different experience and doesn't give the same effect as going to the gym.

Barnaby Joyce survived something similar and he is back as the deputy PM. I think that after Gladys Berejiklian is (hopefully) cleared she should take the reins from ScoMo.

Glad have you thought about a shift to the national capital? I'm sure we could find a place for you.

Re Bernard McMinn's claim molecules do not evolve (Letters, October 4). Of course they do. A mutation in DNA, a molecule, is sustained if it is beneficial. Hence it has evolved.

Eric Hunter doesn't understand why the ABC produces a program like Hard Quiz (Letters, October 5). I think Eric's problem is that Hard Quiz is made for people with a sense of humour.

If Mr Barr had kept his promise to put more money into hospitals instead of indulging the Greens by saddling us with old fashioned transport he would not need to start bleating about needing money from the Commonwealth. Suspend all activity on the light rail now and divert the money to more urgent causes.

Mr Barr is moaning about the need for federal funds to assist the ACT with its health expenditure. Dropping billions on light rail destroyed any credibility the ACT Labor/Greens government may have had as good economic managers.

Has there ever been a more mediocre federal ministry than the one announced by the shallow PM last Friday?

Twice in the recent past I have read in your otherwise esteemed journal that someone has been "coronated". I believe there is another and shorter word in traditional use that seems to have escaped your sub-editor. Please desist.

I just got slapped with two speeding fines in the Northbourne/London Circuit precinct, one for 46 km/h and one for 49 km/h. This is ridiculous what the government is doing. It is COVID time. Nobody is on the streets. This new speed change and lack of traffic on the road is really confusing.

After all the whingeing, whining, and stamping of feet we've observed in recent days it was very pleasant to receive a delivery from Australia Post on Sunday.

It does indeed seem that "when the going gets busy, Australia Post gets going". I enjoyed the quick chat with the friendly postie too.

The most important endangered species on the planet is us.