I extend my gratitude to all staff: emergency team (including ECU) nurses, doctors, social worker, support staff and the organ donation team.

I wish to especially acknowledge the ICU staff. They gave us a safe, respectful and steady space in which to grieve and in which to begin to comprehend the enormity of our loss. They kept the family informed and were available to answer our many questions.

Their efforts helped ease the pain of the unexpected and tragic passing of our loved one.

Considering the enormous pressures that are placed on our state and national health systems, it is my hope that letters such as this may assist with keeping up the morale of those people that work within those systems and who dedicate their lives to caring for others.

It is also a plea for all of our leaders and our politicians to do a better job at looking after our healthcare and medical staff. It is essential that those people be actively supported and that they receive the respect and the gratitude that they truly deserve.

Yes, we're all tired of wearing masks and staying home to limit the spread of COVID-19. But I haven't heard from the experts that suddenly these measures won't limit contagion and save lives. And it's not as if they're that hard. They pale into insignificance compared with the hardships resulting from wars, famines and oppression in other countries.

But our gutless political leaders have buckled at the knee and signed up to an expedient narrative about a "new normal" that allows them to abrogate their leadership responsibility. Abracadabra! The pandemic is over.

I expect our national cabinet will now find other similar policy-defying opportunities. Maybe we Australians are similarly "over having to wear seatbelts, disposing of rubbish properly, doing without campfires in summer and paying tax". Good news everyone. The "new normal" could make those efforts purely voluntary.

Rex Williams (Letters, October 1) mentions the kilograms of recoverable elements used in the battery of an EV as an environmental cost but fails to compare this with the tonnes of petroleum consumed by an ICE vehicle that can never be recovered.

An EV bought today already has lower emissions on a coal-heavy grid and its emissions are becoming very much lower through the current decade as the proportion of renewable electricity generation rapidly increases. A petrol car can never improve.

Rather than "vote down an exclusive Indigenous Voice to federal parliament" Rod Matthews (Letters, September 28) perhaps we should expand "The Voices".

There are many young people in our area on the path to alienation. Oh, that politicians could be compelled to prioritise their housing needs over foreign and local property speculators.

The LGBTIQ+ community might make a similar case given that we now have four flagpoles to allow inclusion of the rainbow nation flag in numerous public locations.

I would add a fifth flagpole to honour our police, ambo's, firies, SES, CFA, Saint John's, the Salvation Army, RSPCA and a host of other essential and volunteer services.

The voices of those crying for help or deserving recognition across our alienated nation are numerous. A republic must return us to one nation united by a single flag (conditional on avoiding the appalling green and yellow of a banana republic).

Charles Gascoigne (Letters, September 28) rightly points out the tragedy of the death of a 19-year-old in a scooter accident. But I disagree with Charles that her failure to wear a helmet should not be reported.

This may or may not have been significant but is a reminder of the danger to those who are irresponsible in failing to abide by this public health measure. Similarly, if a driver is involved in a fatal accident and speeding, alcohol or drugs are involved the public should be reminded of the risk of such actions.

If a famous person dies of lung cancer and has been a heavy smoker that fact should likewise be reported.

While such examples may be traumatic to the bereaved, reminding the Australian population of measures to improve their health and prevent serious illness and accidents is vitally important.

NASA's successful hit by a test missile (DART) on an asteroid 11 million kilometres away was a brilliant result of physics and mathematics combined with technology, engineering and computer power.

Just consider this comparison. It was like being on a moving tram in Northbourne Avenue, firing a grain of sand at a golf ball flying through the air over Sydney and hitting it. The human brains behind this feat are almost beyond belief.

If only we could find similar application in meeting the more immediate danger we face with climate change.

Charles Gascoigne was critical of Acting Inspector Paul Hutcheson following the tragic death of a young 19 year old woman after a collision between a motorist and an e-scooter (Letters, September 28). Inspector Hutcheson had urged vulnerable road users to slow down and Mr Gascoigne was critical of "victim blaming".

What Mr Gascoigne had not said in his letter was that the accident happened on a Sunday. Any reference to school zone speed limits was nugatory. He also failed to mention that in all instances, people utilising pedestrian crossings are required to dismount whatever device they are on and walk across the crossing.

It is unreasonable to expect a motorist to know an e-scooter rider is going to make a sharp left or right turn to zip across a pedestrian crossing in front of an approaching car.

It's not surprising that Shane Rattenbury is ill-disposed to having a review of criminal sentencing in the ACT.

He and some of his crowd appear driven too much by misguided ideology. The only useful thing they have done in recent times is the introduction of green bins.

They have an interesting track record which includes banning circuses in the ACT involving animals, closing down local greyhound racing and now striving to do the same to the horse racing industry in Canberra.

The Australian racing industry is one of the largest in the world and is a big employer both directly and indirectly.

Could pigeon racing be the next target on their radar?

Oh my. Rod Matthews is the brave one (Letters, September 28). It appears Mr Matthews opposes the Indigenous voice but equally appeals to emotion rather than logic.

In the spirit of truth telling, I would like to share some reasons. Australia is not responsible for past wrongs against the various Aboriginal nations. Australia only came into existence on January 1, 1901. It was the British and their colonies (now states) who should bear any responsibility.

In fact, more to address Aboriginal disadvantage has been performed by the Commonwealth than any state.

Many, indeed most Indigenous problems can be traced to Section 51 (xxvi) of the Constitution. This is the race clause and in 1901 included the words "other than Aboriginal" which prohibited the Commonwealth from making laws affecting Indigenous people. By the 1950s the bright sparks on Capital Hill figured out that we had no citizens, we were all merely British subjects. They passed the Citizenship Act in 1958. Oops, can't make laws for or about Aboriginals.

The 1967 referendum removed the three offending words. Nine years after everyone else, Aboriginals gained citizenship.

If 11 Parliamentarians doesn't represent a Voice then what ever will? Is it a case of party before people? Changing 51 (xxvi) to other nationality rather than race would provide a much better solution.

Enshrining disadvantage forever in the Constitution will not help.

When Dominic Perrottet announced the relaxation of almost all COVID-19 protections he said COVID would likely surge again in the future. I agree.

This will cause hospitalisations and deaths that could be prevented by retaining the measures recommended by the health profession.

It would be nice to think the Coalition truly believed in the need for governments to protect consumers who have been dudded by private enterprise. But their actions when in government have shown they believe no such thing. When they appear to be doing so, a closer look will generally show they are just protecting their mates.

Rod Matthews (Letters, September 28) writes that "it's absolutely vital that we vote down an exclusive Indigenous Voice to federal Parliament" without explaining why. Come on, surely you can think something up.

The Bill for a National Anti-Corruption Commission would allow the Commission to hold public hearings in exceptional circumstances. Ask any lawyer when exceptional circumstances applies and the answer will be "hardly ever".

It's no use crying over spilled data.

The Optus fiasco shows up unnecessary storage of private information. ID needs to be shown to establish a person's identity, but then it does not need to be kept and stored. There seems to be an IT creed "if we can store it, we will store it" without weighing up privacy and security concerns.

I concur with Marilyn Shepherd regarding Penny Wong's attitude to the Russian-Ukraine conflict. A major power invades a neighbour, based on questionable ancient territorial claims. So how come Ukraine gets so much sympathy and support and Palestine none?

Delicately put, Keith Hill. (Letters, September 29) In short, who is Indigenous? For a "Voice" another layer of public servants would be required to sort out that lawyers' picnic. I suggest a simple democratic answer; forget the "Voice" and let the representatives of the people of Australia decide whatever problems turn up.

The thousands of Russians fleeing from their country to neighbouring countries to avoid President Putin's conscription decree are all conscientious objectors. They do not want to fight in Russia's unjust war of aggression against Ukraine. They know what their leaders are doing is wrong and they don't want to be party to the wrongdoing.

Who would have thought that in 2022 the Russian Empire would be growing again under the command of a Czar named Putin.

Jorge Gapella (Letters, September 29) describes King Charles III as a fervent environmentalist. I think it is very much "do as I say, not as I do". He owns at least seven homes, frequently uses a private jet and indulges in a lavish lifestyle.