It could finance this by reducing its huge military expansion and illegal military bases in the South China Sea (better named the South Asia Sea). At the same time as it increases its nuclear armed submarines, it has the gall to criticise Australia for wanting submarines with nuclear propulsion. The ambassador has a two-faced and one-eyed approach to improving relations.

Isn't it marvellous that Chinese Ambassador, Xiao Qian, can make statements in Australia and published in the media that are an anathema to the Australian government and its people without fear of arrest and possibly jail. That would not be the case in the PRC.

In the beginning the ACT government put unsightly powerlines across back fences. Then later, they enacted legislation to protect large trees. Then later on again, they created new suburbs that were so closely packed there was no room for large trees.

The inevitable consequence of all this is a vicious cycle, where one arm of government is tasked with unreasonably protecting large trees that another arm of the same government is trying to ensure don't harm vital infrastructure. The homeowner is in the middle, coping with an increasing loss of amenity as more and more of their backyards become a legislated tree protection zone, and paying exploding costs for trimming the trees away from powerlines.

The new Urban Forest Bill and associated regulations might superficially appear to make it easier for the homeowner but closer reading shows otherwise. More homeowners will be caught in this bureaucratic nightmare as the height criteria for a regulated tree is dropped to eight metres.

The federal government would be undermining its financial credibility if it provided funds to the ACT light rail in the absence of a strong business case for the project, including the evaluation of alternatives such as bus rapid transport ("Catherine King tells Chris Steel, ask for more light rail funding when your ready", August 9).

The ACT government's failure to provide the justification suggests it may have something to hide in its commercial in confidence deal with Canberra Metro.

Senator Pocock should inquire why the project is a higher priority than health, housing, city maintenance, a sports stadium and convention centre.

A variety of predictable responses to my August 5 letter have been published, but Penelope Upward's is my favourite. Ms Upward believes "it is not the motorist putting lives at risk including children, it is the pedestrians".

The city is there for people to enjoy, not to be an efficient place to drive through. If it weren't for the cars there would be zero danger. The reason it's considered wrong for people to cross the road isn't because of some law of nature, it's because we have built our cities to prioritise cars, and some can't see past these decades of bad decisions.

Imagine sitting in your 1500kg sealed, air-conditioned box, taking up 20 square metres of road space and travelling at a speed more likely than not to kill anyone you hit and thinking it's the kids crossing the roads that are creating the danger.

We from South America are familiar with military and political leader Simon Bolivar (1783 - 1830) whose last words were: "He arado en el mar" (I have plowed in the sea). So, when I read Sarah Rusbatch's warning that "the latest research shows just one alcoholic drink a day can lead to Alzheimer's Disease or Parkinson's Disease", ("When it comes to drinking alcohol, moderation is a myth", CT August 9), I decided not to forward her article to my drinking relatives - who wants to plow in the sea?

But I relented and sent it anyway.

The immediate result? Simon Bolivar was right.

Note: On his death bed Bolivar was feeling negative, but history would eventually prove him right. To this day he remains a venerated figure throughout South America

Minister Chris Steele's new brainwave for destroying hoons' cars needs a reality check from the Attorney General (and Minster for Lolly Bags). It seems if I hoon around in my $50k car it could be squashed under the Steele thought bubble.

But if it is stolen and involved in hooning I will get my car back and, under our justice system, the perpetrator will be sent away with a lolly bag and asked to be a good person (again). Maybe, the inquiry needs to look very closely at why the current scales of justice appear unbalanced instead of thinking up new ways to offset that imbalance.

Its finally happened. I have been waiting for it; bicycle riders justifying why they shouldn't have to pay any form of registration to ride on the road. L Sullivan from Lyons (Letters, August 11) states that cyclists shouldn't have to pay to ride on public roads because most of them have a car in the garage at home and are, therefore, already paying to use the road with their car registration.

That's like saying that if I have two cars I only have to pay rego for one as I cant drive both at the same time.

L Sullivan doesn't seem to realise motor vehicle registration pays for road infrastructure and maintenance. It shouldn't pay for bicycle infrastructure on roadways or bicycle paths around the lake or through public areas; bicycle riders should help pay for this by way of some sort of bicycle registration. Please don't start me on insurance liabilities.

Mr Zed Seselja is in denial if he thinks that the reason the Coalition lost the May election was the late rollouts of the COVID vaccine.

Here are some more reasons: the rorts, the corruption, the jobs for the boys, the smirk, the lying, the obfuscation, the incompetence, the secrecy, the lack of compassion and the absence of anything resembling a legislative agenda to go with a vision for the nation.

In his own case, add his total disregard for the democratic rights of the people of the ACT who he was elected to represent, based on his conservative religious views. And that's just for starters.

The ACT is to get 77 new electric vehicle charging stations, bringing the total to over a hundred ("77 new stations: where you will be able to charge your electric car", August 11)

The Yellow Pages lists only thirty-three petrol stations in the ACT. The ABS says that the ACT had 240,000 passenger vehicles in 2016. According to the 2017 Household Travel survey, Canberra's drivers travelled almost eight million kilometres per day. That's about 220 kilometres per car per week.

Most electric cars can travel 220km on a single overnight charge from an ordinary home powerpoint, without needing to recharge at a public charging station.

Who are the intended users of the hundred-plus public electric vehicle charging stations?

Ian Pilsner (Letters, August 10) writes that "Four Corners crucified Cardinal Pell even though he was shown to be innocent in the High Court". This is a highly misleading claim, suggesting that the ABC aired claims against the Cardinal after they were dismissed by the High Court.

In the context of many claims that Catholic priests had sexually abused young boys, and numerous convictions, credible claims were raised against Cardinal Pell.

A committal hearing found that there was enough evidence for the matter to proceed to trial. A jury trial in the Supreme Court found Cardinal Pell guilty, and this judgement was subsequently upheld by the Court of Appeal. Finally, long after the Four Corners program was aired, the High court acquitted the Cardinal.

Was the ABC justified in airing the initial claims? Yes of course. It is the job of the media to report on serious claims of wrong doing by prominent people when the claims are supported by sufficient evidence.

It's good to hear 'Dutsie' rattling the USA's sabre. Defence at the moment would find it difficult to make a scabbard and then only if China supplied the rivets. Making sabres is well beyond our capacity.