I recall that as PM he had a quite different view, when he had to accommodate National Party demands and keep voters in coal seats on side. In a Press Conference in Oct 2015 he said: "If Australia stopped exporting coal, the countries would simply buy it from somewhere else ... if Australia were to stop coal exports it would not reduce global emissions one iota. In fact, arguably it would increase them because our coal is cleaner".

And at the Press Club in Feb 17 he said: "Coal will have a role to play for many decades into the future, and increasing gas supply in Australia is vital for our energy future and vital for industries and jobs." A very strong pro-fossil fuel position even after we had signed up to the Paris Agreement.

That makes me wonder what he actually believes, and was he lying then for political expediency, or is he lying now as part of his anti-Morrison revenge strategy?

The government's outdoor activation initiative is designed to help businesses such as cafes and bars recover from two years of COVID shutdowns. It is hard to imagine a more hard-hearted response than that we have seen from the newsagent and pharmacy in Manuka ('Businesses speak out against closure', November 3).

These businesses have been able to trade unhindered through lockdown, while the cafes and restaurants have had to close their doors. The pharmacy, in particular, has benefited from sales of masks and hand sanitiser, and continues to collect a COVID bonus from the delivery of vaccinations. We might have expected them to take a kinder and more generous attitude to an initiative designed to help less fortunate businesses get back on their feet and encourage more foot traffic, to everyone's benefit.

The loss of a few parking spaces is trivial when there is a large public car park only a few metres away, offering free parking for the first hour. Franklin Street has long cried out for a more pedestrian friendly streetscape, such as the dual use zone successfully implemented in Bunda Street. Hopefully this initiative will be the first step towards such a solution.

Bill Stefaniak (Letters, November 3) is, either, faking ignorance, or he really is that ignorant. Or, maybe, it is simply maliciousness that prompts him to write such bitter rants against China and those who do not agree with his vitriolic view of China and any other aspect of our society. Of course, in his tirade Bill fails to mention the fact that the USA is the second biggest polluter.

Why doesn't the federal government act now to address the rapidly increasing housing prices which are creating an ever widening gap between the haves and have-nots. It seems to me that introducing limitations on negative gearing, eg: only being allowed to have a maximum of two properties in this scheme, would seem a good place to start. However, as I write this, I can hear MPs screaming "What about our seats? If you do that they won't vote for us!"

Perhaps it is time for those with a numerous properties, to consider others, and let other people have a chance to break into the housing market.

If our Prime minister is going to invoke "The Australian way", he should aim high, taking as exemplars characteristics like the sense of selflessness and courage typically ascribed to the Anzacs, the willingness to their risk lives for the common good and lead by example of Australian bushfire fighters, and the moral compass and commitment to universal justice of Doc Evatt in helping to establish the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Certainly not the shirking of responsibility, avoiding of hard decisions, speaking ambiguously and twisting of the facts. I would certainly search him for sandpaper if I played cricket with him.

Someone should have told Scott Morrison and Peter Dutton that France is a nuclear power and has 1.5 million citizens in the Pacific and is the only European country with a permanent territorial and military presence there and that President Macron was committed to a strategic alliance with Australia.

They should have known that French warships and troops would be given guaranteed access to Australian naval bases and military sites under a proposal being discussed by both countries and that Australian and French troops had conducted joint exercises in Queensland as recently as August. They should also have known that France has a strategic alliance with India recently replacing Russian-made aircraft with French Rafale fighters.

All this is extremely important to Australia given the child-like and inane mishandling of our relationship with China and should have been taken in to account in the way we approached a good friend and ally in France.

It's disappointing to still be reading letters trotting out the "at 1.06 per cent of world emissions in 2020, Australia has zero effect on climate change so we should do nothing" claptrap.

Presumably M Flint (Letters, November 4) expects to ride the bus for free, because the bus is going anyway and their fare won't make a difference. Or maybe they skip their car registration, because it's a miniscule part of the cost of roads, which are already built anyway. It's this sort of childish thinking that is wrecking this world.

Scott Morrison has been labelled a liar by French President Macron. He denies this accusation. However, I wonder to whom Mr Morrison feels he is accountable?

If, as he says he is Prime Minister because his God ordained it, does he feel accountable only to this deity? Do his beliefs make null and void accountability to his fellow countrymen and those in government overseas?

He often appears to be rather loose with the truth and regularly becomes defensive when challenged. Again, is this because he resents those questioning his decisions, which he makes after he seemingly receives advice from his god? If this is the case, it is very troubling for Australia both domestically and internationally.

I hope, now that Cleo has been found having been abducted, the trollers who have been accusing the parents of having something to do with her disappearance will learn from their experience and never do this again. It brings to mind the parents of the murdered children of Sandy Hook who were pursued subsequently and accused of making up the story. That was America, where nothing surprises. This is Australia. I hope this is never seen again here.

It was heartening news that more than 100 countries at the Glasgow COP26 global climate conference have signed a pledge to reduce methane emissions by 30 per cent on 2020 levels by 2030 ("United climate stance raises hope", November 4, p.21). However, I was dismayed to see that Australia had sided with China, Russia and India and refused to sign on. This was despite Brazil, which is a major producer and exporter of beef having signed on. The image Australia will leave at Glasgow is one of hypocrisy and almost unbelievable selfishness. Is this what Australians want?

George Washington: I cannot tell a lie. Scott Morrison: I cannot tell the truth. Or as he would prefer to put it, "Foreigners like Mr Macron do not understand the concept of truth and lies in the same way as we dinki-di, true blue, Aussie politicians, so he may have occasionally misunderstood what I was saying about Australia's national security".

So Anthony Albanese thinks it would be premature for Australia to join more than 100 other countries to commit to meaningful reductions in our emissions of methane. If not now, when? Methane is a potent greenhouse gas, second only to carbon dioxide in causing climate change.

The concentration in the atmosphere is increasing not only because of emissions in agriculture but also, in Australia, because of fugitive emissions due to coal mining, fracking and the extraction of natural gas. Only by setting and working towards targets for reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and methane are we likely to succeed in combating climate change. This must become the primary aim of governments.

The aspect that struck me most of the wonderful news about finding four-year-old Cleo was these otherwise tough cops being reduced to putty when the beautiful little girl told a policeman after being asked three times: "My name is Cleo!" Ya gotta love the coppers!

I note that your masthead "to serve the national city" does not recognise Canberra as Australia's national or federal "capital city". Is this a cringe reaction which avoids the reason so many embassies have located here to represent their national governments to Australian legislators?

[Editor's note: Those words have been part of the newspaper's motto for 93 years. They were chosen to reflect Canberra's place as the capital and home to national parliament.]

Having Australia portrayed on the world stage at COP26 as a bunch of freeloaders that cannot be trusted is, I hope, a low point that will never be revisited. ScoMo must surely be the least statesman-like Prime Minister we've ever had.

Our Deputy Prime Minister compared the $90 billion agreement with France, who revealed top secret information with our country, as being like having a contract with a builder to build a house. Words fail me.

The outbreak of COVID-19 and the new mode of living in this complex situation is telling upon the pensioners mentally and financially. Many pensioners are facing the additional cost of maintaining a mobile phone and using masks. Needless to say that, things for which we all depend daily are becoming costlier.

Secrecy, and the determined pursuit of those who disclose secrets, have been hallmarks of successive coalition governments. Yet here we have the leak of a confidential communication from the President of France to our Prime Minister splashing across the Australian media. For what purpose? A lame, and apparently unsuccessful attempt to refute Macron's very public accusation of Morrison's deceit. Is this The Australian Way?

I hope that all the (email) correspondents offering letters of condemnation for the Prime Minister of Australia are sending a copy of their thoughts to the President of France as well as L'Humanité, Le Monde, Le Figaro, Libération and other French newspapers.

According to the French ambassador to Australia, Monsier Thebault, "eating one's share of humble pie might sometimes be difficult". The French would be well advised to practise what he preaches.

When the TV turns to Anthony Albanese for comment, it's as if the screen goes blank.