The Voice will provide a forum for the consideration of the interests (plural) of all those affected by such decisions by enabling the representation of Indigenous peoples by their chosen leaders. The many and varied voices of Australia's First Nations peoples, communicated from that forum in all their diversity, will be heard on their own terms, and structurally respected and accounted for, in the deliberations of the Parliament and the government of Australia.

We are now well into the 3rd century since Australia was colonised. The Voice will be a first and necessary step towards providing justice and reconciliation for Indigenous peoples, opposed (or withheld) for far too long.

Both Bill Bowron's opinions (Letters, August 8) on the Voice are mistaken. Firstly, cheering for a rosy Yes with "details later" is the boxing equivalent of leading with your chin. Secondly, doubting the sincerity of Jacinta Nampijinpa Price's opposition is more than insulting; it reveals a cognitive dissonance many Voice advocates must be feeling in the presence of an articulate Aboriginal senator mounting a solid No case.

As this referendum debate heats, she is going to cop it from the same people who intone ritual respect for Aboriginal ancestors. Between the hypocrisy and wall-to-wall Yes promotion, Price is a breath of fresh air.

The difference between the Greens and the Voice supporters is substance over symbolism. The PM said he would implement the Uluru Statement in full, which includes a treaty. A component of treaty is empowerment. If, as is likely, six designated seats in the Senate are put forward in a treaty, what is the point of having a toothless advisory body outside the Parliament?

On the other hand, if a referendum for an outside voice wins or fails we can say goodnight to real sharing of power through a treaty because the referendum will permanently marginalise Aboriginal people. No government will put up real empowerment in a treaty after a referendum fails to endorse an advisory body, and if the referendum succeeds the result stifles any attempts to share real power with Aboriginal people.

I was interested to read S Marshall's concern about the lack of attention to local road repairs for drivers (and their cars' suspensions) who use the (quote) 'entrance track' to the Federal Golf Club from Red Hill Drive ("Fix the roads", Letters, August 8).

Have I missed S Marshall's letter about the poor state of infrastructure for walking and cycling throughout Canberra? Surely the health and safety of hundreds of thousands of people, with soft and easily damaged unprotected bodies, warrants at least equal concern to that for car suspensions and people inside vehicles that protect them from injury.

Ever since being a choir boy brought up in a Christian family, but later finding my own view of religion, I have always been offended by the imposition of the Lord's Prayer at the opening of each parliamentary session. Not because of my personal belief, but the enforced requirement of many of our sincere politicians to appear to accept a particular faith, regardless of their own personal beliefs. It has always seemed to me as the first act in each session of imposed dishonesty on politicians who have sincerely tried to combat the ever increasing dishonesty of the Parliamentary process over the last decade.

The simple solution proposed by Senator Pocock of a minute's personally devoted silence at the beginning of each parliamentary session would bring a further step of honesty to a Parliament which is, at last, endeavouring to represent our community values with integrity.

As expected, Dr Mackenzie (Letters, August 8) takes me to task over my letter of August 3 questioning Labor's continual whingeing about being left with a trillion-dollar debt and what exactly has the Labor government managed to achieve so far to tackle the serious economic problems that confront our country.

Labor did in fact help to create the trillion-dollar debt, endorsed it and is now extending it. In particular, the PM, Treasurer and almost every minister are crying about being saddled with a trillion-dollar debt as if they had absolutely nothing to do with it. The opposite is true of course. The Rudd-Gillard-Rudd government blew a credit of some $40 billion and then added another $170 billion to the net debt. Then they planted the financial time bomb that is the NDIS that the Coalition had to pay for. Then there has been the billions to counter COVID-19, to support those out of work and subsidies on fuel, all of which Labor supported and has now extended. The Treasurer even has the hide to claim that "we have nothing to show for it".

Dr Mackenzie is kidding himself if he thinks the October budget will not increase debt, with what the PM has in mind.

I live next door to a house with a granny flat. It's a converted double garage which has outlived its original purpose as kids have left home and is now only occasionally occupied by visiting friends or family. In older suburbs there are probably many similar, not fully occupied, granny flats.

Imagine if the government had a register of these underused granny flats. They could be used for short term emergency housing for those who find themselves homeless. Rental charged would be according to income. There could be incentives for owners willing to participate, perhaps a reduction in rates.

Sure there would be details to be worked through for this to be workable. But Canberra, the most progressive community in Australia, is the place in which to trial such a program. Our social consciences run deep.

The August 9 edition of The Canberra Times contains two articles that should ring alarm bells. Your excellent editorial ("How the car industry misread the room") and Peter Brewer's report "Car emissions standards become the next battleground" (p6) make very clear that the conventional fossil-fuelled car industry is fighting for its life and will stop at nothing.

Toyota, which seemed to me a modern and progressive company, along with other non-European car manufacturers, is hell-bent on putting profit before the health of the environment that supports all of us, including the myriad owners of Toyota's Hilux. These companies must be made to face reality and do what is best for the future of all of us: think in a 21st-century context.

Re reports that the Chamber of Automotive Industries is lobbying to slow the move to stronger vehicle emission standards. This is par for the course for the chamber . They and coalition governments have blocked this action for years. If successful this will slow moves to get to net zero greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible. The chamber is the automobile equivalent of tobacco and fossil fuel industries. Toyota seems to be leading the charge in this campaign - a good reason to boycott their products.

Re L. Barnard "Pay for the right to whinge" (Letters, August 9). Firstly, you do not pay over $1000 to register your vehicle, you pay a few hundred at most, the rest of the cost is insurance to cover injury/death other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists etc which the likelihood of a vehicle driver making a claim against this particular insurance is incomparable to someone on a pushbike making a claim.

Secondly the vast majority of cyclists own on average two registered cars that are sitting at home not clogging up the roads so you can get your entitled self to work quicker.

The front page on Tuesday advised that the ACT government would be retrofitting its existing "wire trams" with batteries. It is indeed a pity this option was not adopted before the existing wire infrastructure was rolled out. What will happen to this network, one we have transitioned to battery trams? Of course it is only taxpayer money that has been wasted on a tram network nobody wants. Electric buses would have been a much more sensible solution.

A recent letter complained of price gouging for petrol because the same fuel was 20c per litre cheaper in Wagga than Canberra. Today, unleaded 91 fuel was 29c (25 allowing for the 4c discount) more expensive in Manuka than Fyshwick. Increase transport costs? I think not.

Let me see if I understand your editorial correctly ("How the car industry misread the room", 9/8). An industry funded lobby group, the Electric Vehicle Council, wants the government to ban its competitors' products because they are what consumers overwhelmingly prefer. But it is another industry funded lobby group, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, that is in a fog of self-interest. War is peace, freedom is slavery and ignorance is strength.

Does not the shelling of Europe's biggest nuclear power plant in the war in Ukraine prove the folly of Peter Dutton's current enthusiasm for nuclear power - unless, of course, you believe eternal peace everywhere on earth can be guaranteed?

Leader of the House Tony Burke summed it up when he said last week, "How long is it in this Parliament since we've had a situation where the crossbench move an amendment, the minister listens to the speech and the Parliament then makes a decision based on the debate?" ("Albanese's government has revived a novel concept. Governing", August 7) How wonderful that the portfolio of that minister was climate change. Well done Chris Bowen.

PM Albanese's confidence of support for his proposed constitution amendment may underestimate the degree to which such support is based upon political correctness which is at risk of fading away under cover of secret ballot.

Brands such as McDonald's, KFC, and Hungry Jacks plough millions of dollars into elite and children's sport, while about a quarter of Australian children are overweight, putting them at risk of diabetes and cancer. This promotion of junk food should be banned.

Regardless what policies are adopted there will always be outliers anticipating negatives, as is the case with consigning polluting gas to the dustbin of history, but doubtless the industry's hymnbook anticipates vigorous challenges forestalling it's toxic product ("'How will we cook?' Chefs unsure about electric kitchens", August 6).

Isn't a battery powered tram an electric bus with limited mobility?

What a terrible month this has been for Australian music, losing Archie Roach, Judith Durham and Olivia Newton-John in quick succession! But what a great team they will make the other side of the Pearly Gates.