The APS is not fearless, independent and non partisan anymore

The public see the APS as the foot soldiers of the elected government of the day, rather than being a line of resistance for the taxpayer. This is made worse by the fact there seems to be no accountability and no consequences when mistakes are made. What is this teaching the next generation?

Scott Morrison was another example.

He apparently repeatedly lied and misled people but, again, no consequences.

He should have been thrown out of Parliament.

The departmental secretaries responsible for "robodebt" should be sacked as a deterrent to others.

As the robodebt royal commission rolls on we should be aware of other government crimes. I was advised in an absurd recent ATO phone call that I had not paid tax in 2002.

Assuming that the tax office had lost my tax return, I suggested they should just send me to gaol and hung up. The accountant of my micro business (Building Industry) also now has knowledge of the 20-year-old debt.

The paperwork has gone, not even a single cheque butt left. The amount of close to $5000 was promptly paid when the ATO threatened an interest rate charge of 9.31 per cent if the debt was not paid immediately.

I recalled the wonders of compound interest from schooldays and payment at least stopped that part of the ATO rort.

Only the ATO will know how many folk are caught in this bottom feeding "robotax" trawl.

Christmas is a time for joy, celebration, and giving. Unfortunately, it's also a time for waste.

About 2.5 million tonnes of uneaten food, the equivalent of 1000 full Olympic swimming pools, is tossed into landfill in Australia over the festive season.

We Aussies also use 150,000 kilometres of wrapping paper: enough to go around our whole country six times.

This year, perhaps we could think more about what we are taking in order to give.

Every choice we make has an environmental impact. Instead of overindulging and buying gifts that often end up as waste, we could give more of our time.

Much joy lies in sharing experiences.

As the cost-of-living rises, let's consciously connect with our loved ones to make Christmas slower, less costly, more meaningful, and ultimately happier for people and planet.

Another round of tree butchery has taken place on Majura Avenue.

In an era of rising temperatures, when it's recognised that urban trees carry great value, lessen heat island effects, and that our urban forest is in dire need of renovation, EVO Energy contractors have vandalised 80-plus-year-old oak trees which were just recovering from their last "attention".

There is no discernible safety benefit. I can only assume they trim more than is necessary because it's cheaper to do the work less frequently.

It's monstrous. I suggest others park their cars under their street trees to stop further work. The heritage, energy and environment ministers should stop this vandalism.

The imprisonment of young people protesting the climate crisis and extinctions is an extension of the persecution of whistleblowers. It is a damning indictment of our willingness to let lobbyists for fossil fuels and weapons sales into our parliaments and war memorials. Making obscene profits from destruction of the environment and death should not be protected by law. The juxtaposition of politics and profits for the benefit of a few is the antithesis of democracy.

Very recently details of the Bulum Group's plans for the Braddon Bowls Cub in Farrer Street were released. They have now entered a "consultation" period that closes today (December 14).

What a sham.

All consultations are online via Teams in which 90 per cent of those affected have no ability to participate.

The plan is an outrageous and unacceptable change to the nature and history of one of Canberra's oldest streets. A four-storey commercial development completely out of character and utility of the area.

The "consultation" proposed should be scrapped and an open face-to-face consultation undertaken so all affected can understand the proposal and have their say.

As a resident of Sydney I disagree with John Winkelman's view (Letters, December 10) that the penalty imposed on a woman who was part of a blockade of one lane of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was too severe.

This is not a minor traffic infringement; it blocked one of the four inbound car/truck lanes in the morning peak (the fifth lane is bus only).

Physically preventing people going about their lawful business is not a peaceful protest but is best classed as an act of violence and should be treated as such.

The NSW Government is well supported in its actions against this kind of behaviour.

The hugely embarrassing sideshow, the AUSMIN "conference" has come and gone, attended by Penny Wong and Richard Marles.

We once again saw little Australia as a servile US bag carrier, this time with the additional commercial theme of purchasing US military equipment as well. When will we grow up?

Such carefully contrived US meetings always have a predominant objective, part of our sovereign nation now passed over to the warmongers in Washington to operate B-52 nuclear bombers out of our Northern Territory.

We spent 257 years as a colony of England and have been an errand boy since 1945 for the power hungry Americans. Australians want independence and peace, neither of which will be forthcoming if the government chooses to follow the US-supporting defence minister Marles.

At the 2012 ACT election the Greens sought a mandate to build light rail from Gungahlin to Civic. They were voted out of three of their four seats.

Labor sought a mandate "to increas[e] the public transport share of all work trips to 10.5 per cent by 2016 and 16 per cent by 2026".

It gained one seat and formed government with the one remaining Green.

The public transport share increased from 7.8 per cent in 2011 to only 8 per cent in 2016, and the car-as-driver share reached a record high of 73 per cent.

By 2021 the public share transport had fallen to seven per cent and the car-as-driver share had reached a new record high of 75 per cent. Greenhouse emissions from bus travel doubled.

How does the government plan to increase the public transport share of all work trips to 16 per cent by 2026, and how will that plan impact on our greenhouse emissions?

It is all very well for ACT Health to say it is supporting doctors working overtime but they are not supporting provisions in holiday and study leave cover to ensure doctors do not need to work overtime in the first place.

The junior doctor workforce is inadequate and as we move towards Christmas, and then job changeover season, staffing will get worse. There will be even fewer doctors and more overtime for the remainder. This is not support, it is head-in-sand management. Junior doctors are quite right in their class action. Current contracts lack any provision to prevent exploitation by management who keep the number of positions to do the jobs well are below sensible, professionally rewarding and proper training standards.

A good health care system supports all of its professionals better than we are seeing in Canberra. The difficulty in recruiting good staff here is because anyone outside Canberra knows staff in training are exploited mercilessly.

After an intensive six-year course to train as a doctor in the UK in 1971 I started as a medical resident in a hospital. I received overtime if I worked more than 102.5 hours per week so I well understand the frustrations of my colleagues in Australian hospitals 50 years later.

After six years of disillusionment with the British NHS I emigrated to Australia where working conditions and the ability to practise good medicine for a reasonable pay existed.

Unfortunately there has been a steady decline. Not just junior doctors but also GPs endure conditions and pay not commensurate with their training and knowledge. The shortfall of GPs is due to the short sightedness of successive governments.

In a world where millions in Africa and Afghanistan are facing famine, tens of thousands on all continents are facing extreme weather challenges and in Europe and the Middle East millions more are facing the horrors of war, I find myself asking: "If a tree falls in the forest and Harry and Meghan are not there, is it still all about them?"

The problem with fixed-rate mortgages is that they don't stay fixed.

Encouraging guests to relax at official functions through singing is effective and inclusive, not "bizarre" (Letters, November 30). Singing reduces stress and enhances wellbeing. Linda Hurley deserves praise for this initiative.

David Littleproud may be wearing the captain's armband, but the "coaches" in the Nats, Messrs Joyce, Pitt and Canavan are listening to the "sponsors"; the mining industry in general, and fossil fuel in particular, who fear an enhanced native title. The Voice was never going to be another ATSIC.

Vladimir Putin, the Russian President and former KGB operative, is warning the world that weapons provided by NATO members to Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders might end up in the hands of "terrorists". This warning from a man who is arguably the world's number one terrorist, himself.

Test cricket needs more than pink balls to restore its former glory.

The National Gallery of Australia, facing a 10-year funding shortfall of $265 million, is contemplating drastic measures such as forced redundancies, closing two days a week and reintroducing entry fees. This while the government is spending $550 million to turn the Australian War Memorial into a theme park. The government would seem to have its priorities wrong.

I share Peter McLoughlin's views (Letters, December 12) about being asked "how did we do?" by all sorts of retailers and service people. But while ever my electronic devices have a workable "delete" button on them, they will never know.

Morrison's defence of his appointments to five ministries in the COVID crisis does not speak to the need for secrecy. We were all in the COVID crisis together. We should have known. Plain and simple.

The Bali bomb maker responsible for the deaths of 200 has been released from prison after serving only half his 20-year sentence because of good behaviour. Yet an Australian who was a model prisoner was hanged for his drug offence despite pleas for mercy by the Australian government. If this is Indonesian justice it stinks.