That may be one of the more empty promises of this election.

If the Coalition wins, the Prime Minister will take it as a validation of all he has done.

So why the need to change? If the Coalition loses, there will be a line of Liberals from Cook (Morrison's seat) to Canberra complaining about his performance as Prime Minister and as a campaigner.

For nine years the Liberal Party has seen his performance as a cabinet minister and in the top job, more than enough time to raise concerns and check his failings.

If Morrison wins, expect hubris to drive a bigger bulldozer.

Even if waiving the ACT's housing, land and building debts of more than $100 million to support social housing has merit, ("Clearly in crisis: David Pocock urges waiving of $100m ACT housing debt" canberratimes.com.au, May 18) the proposal overlooks the elephant in the room of the more than $2 billion committed by the ACT government to extend light rail to Woden.

As with the Gungahlin to Civic light rail, there are far less expensive options with far more effective public transport alternatives which would free up in the order of $1.5 billion for social housing and a raft of other services.

Even if Mr Pocock were successful in having the housing debt waived, there could be no guarantee the ACT government would spend this largesse on social housing.

The government has shrugged off yet another Auditor-General's report on light rail, which found the government had paid insufficient attention to an economic analysis for stage 2A of light rail, and should assess the benefits of the entire route to Woden.

No independent financial or transport assessment has supported the light rail project, but the arrogant government, with an eye more on the development dollar than effective public transport, is determined to saddle future generations with the cost of this folly.

Meanwhile, health, education, urban upkeep, and indeed the rest of public transport suffers through lack of resources.

Given the endless media reporting about the prognostications arising from the various polls, my fellow grumpy old men coffee group members and I are yet to be asked for our voting intentions. That will happen this Saturday.

Meanwhile, I'm struck by the thought that those who are responding to the various telephone polls might be those who haven't been able to figure out how to disable calls from non-contact list callers. I recommend they learn how to do so - it makes for a much quieter life!

No wonder voters are sick of politicians and their pork barrelling. Labor is keen to have Katy Gallagher retain her seat. On one level, it is nice that northside's five-kilometre cycle track is to be funded if Katy retains her seat.

I would ask, why not southside, with a direct track from Civic to Tuggeranong? Aren't we just as important as the northerners?

This is the Katy that brought us the highly contentious tram (for the northside) and at great expense and not improving patronage. The same government that wants to saddle Canberrans with a multi-billion dollar tram network as a drawcard for patronage improvement but camouflages the elephant in the room; it doesn't go where we want it to go and is not as convenient as the alternatives.

This is the same Labor government that has had many, many years to put their money where their mouth is and fund an active travel bike network throughout Canberra. But no, it still hasn't happened. Barr won't even include electric bikes in the renewable energy loans scheme. If he did there would definitely be a positive uptake.

I would ask Canberrans to seriously consider a clean out in our federal Parliament, and put all three major parties last on the ticket. We have had the same old, same old for so long now. It's time for a change.

Let's have some fresh ideas and vision for a change. They are all past their use by dates.

Why does Scott Morrison hate Canberra? The Raiders beat the Sharks, and the APS is bashed again with billions of dollars in cuts to repair the budget.

How about recouping the $2.7 billion from big businesses who did not need it during the COVID epidemic?

In his (to borrow his adjective) perspicacious analysis of the political scene leading into the May 21 election ("This govt thinks we're 'teal' stupid", May 15, p15), Mark Kenny wrote "Josh Frydenberg is the heir apparent to Morrison's empty chair ... but what if he's gone also? Does that mean Peter Dutton takes over? Lordy!"

If Peter Dutton were to become Liberal leader and, eventually and inevitably, prime minister, I would be sorely tempted to move "across the ditch" (what an ugly description of the Tasman Sea!) to New Zealand.

So the Labor Party has brought in Julia Gillard to fight for a strong woman in the Senate rather than two men.

There is a strong, very capable and articulate woman candidate standing as an independent: Kim Rubenstein. The major parties deserve to suffer for the way Canberra has been ignored because the ACT until now has had no marginal seats.

Ignore the poll that keeps being quoted that is several weeks out of date.

Consider what Kim has to offer the ACT.

Gina Pinkas (Letters, May 16) says Senator Gallagher's job is to "hold the government to account".

As a senator for the ACT her job is to represent Canberrans in the Senate. As the Territory is under represented in the Senate with only two senators for 440,000 people compared with 12 for each state, her time is precious.

Instead of holding Albanese's hand at press conferences Senator Gallagher could prioritise her time more productively and constructively by representing Canberrans.

There are 40 other non-Coalition senators who are more than happy to hold the government to account.

As Keith Hill points out, the job of determining and setting of the basic wage is that of the Fair Work Commission (FWC) (Letters, May 16). The FWC, established by the Fair Work Act 2009, reviews wages each year, and determines and sets the basic wage accordingly.

The input and influence of prime ministers on the annual decision is, in theory, zero, though Keith Hill suggests that commissioners appointed to the FWC by the Liberal government will tend to minimise any increase. This seems unlikely, as the yearly review is determined by the economic facts rather than by political leanings.

The history of the annual rises, and the top place of Australia in the hourly base rate of earnings is reassuring.

How quickly the groundswell of outrage about the culture of misogyny and bullying in parliament, and in our society, expressed nationwide in March 2021, has disappeared from sight in Canberra. We have several gifted and experienced women candidates for the Senate, each of whom has made their way in life to become candidates of merit.

Kim Rubenstein is actually an expert in matters relating to women and in advocating on their behalf! Her legal and life experience extends further, and she has been called upon by government for advice over the years. She can hit the ground running if elected. She is also a committed local person.

The apparent leaning towards a handsome young bloke must be questioned on these grounds, whatever his credentials. Preferences count all the way so similar agendas are not lost if Canberrans stand up to the culture of government now, but get second best. If not now, when? Will there be another chance like this one to vote for change?

If Albo wins and then achieves as much in his first year in office as Biden did then we're all doomed I reckon.

I find it damning that the Labor Party didn't use its years in opposition to refresh and reinvigorate their shadow ministry. To serve up the same old failed hacks from the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd years is insulting to voters. Chalmers as shadow treasurer - Wayne Swan's principal economics advisor when he was treasurer - seriously?

In the name of safety we are again being asked to vote for a Liberal/Nationals Coalition government. So, where has the Deputy Prime Minister been during this campaign? Has he lost his voice? If so, I'm not saying that's a bad thing.

There seem to be a lot of Pococks in Narrabundah at present - and everywhere else in Canberra. Meanwhile Zed appears to be about as popular as a Russian tank in Kyiv.

Labor claims the Coalition has stacked the Fair Work Commission and made it partisan. It is promising to make it independent. In other words they'll stack it more to their own liking.

In examining the official and carefully composed CVs of political candidates in the ACT be wary. Not everything the candidates truly represent or believe appears on the CVs. For example what is a candidate's position on the environment, the science behind global warming, abortion, on contraception, on refugees or the persecution of Palestinians?

Overheard at last Wednesday's debate "I didn't understand the question!" Really Mr Morrison? Everybody else did.

What sort of a country do we live in where the government begrudges the lowest-paid workers an extra dollar an hour?

The PM is not really a bulldozer but he is arrogant if he thinks that he and his party saved Australia. Credit should go to all the health workers and other essential service workers who kept Australia going regardless of what the government did.

The CSIRO first sought formal approval from the Morrison government to develop its land at Ginninderra for housing in 2015. It is typical of Zed and his campaign to make pumped-up promises and spurious corflute claims of haste re availability of land for housing when he and his government have spent seven years sitting on their hands.

Of all the ad hoc and irresponsible election promises from Scott Morrison, the promise to allow up to $50,000 of super to be used towards a house deposit is the most irresponsible. It will simultaneously drive up house prices and lead to diminished or pauperised retirement incomes. The Liberals have always wanted to destroy compulsory superannuation and if they get away with this they will be well on the way.

Morrison may be able to fake sincerity. But he has shown himself incapable of faking empathy. Not for bushfire victims, women suffering violence, parents of disabled children or those on a minimum wage. He should probably stop trying.