Barr's Labor/Green government charges us more in rates and taxes than any other state or territory government. We each pay about $4300 in taxes, which is about $1100 more than the average across Australia. Multiply those numbers by the number of people, including children, in your household.

The short story is the current ACT government is extraordinarily high taxing. And it's not because the Commonwealth generally short-changes the ACT financially.

Our share of GST revenue is actually above the average for Australia. And the over-charging outlined above is even greater if the tax exemption from ACT taxes for the Federal government is included.

Where is our money going? For one thing, it does not appear to have gone towards providing public housing for low-income people.

Labor/Greens trumpet the number of new public housing residences and keep hidden the number of public housing residences in inner Canberra sold to developers and the former tenants moved out of their community.

Canberra is good but can be better particularly for people on a low income. However, after 20-plus years in power Labor/Greens are lacking the ability and/or will to deliver for all of us. Look closely at other candidates at the October 2024 ACT election is my suggestion.

When visiting a fruit and veg market recently I remarked to my wife that there was an apple in with the oranges, adding that some gullible people who don't bother thinking things through might think they're the same thing. "Don't be silly," she replied, "nobody's that gullible".

Then when I read GJ May's letter (Letters, April 21) comparing a recognition of Indigenous people in our constitution to signing a blank contract to build a house I realised just how wrong she was.

For the benefit of GJ May and anyone gullible enough to be taken in by their analogy, just as apples aren't oranges, recognising Indigenous Australians in the constitution and giving them a Voice on legislated matters that affect them is nothing like signing a blank contract to build a house.

I doubt the esoteric arguments now raging will decide the Voice referendum. Some simple, basic thinking will be enough.

It will fail if the majority see the Voice as unfairly elevating one group over the rest of us, as doing so racially, and without making a case that if the plethora of existing organisations - especially the $2 billion a year National Indigenous Australians Agency, and land councils - cannot improve the lot of disadvantaged Aboriginal Australians, why yet another advisory group will succeed when all the well-staffed and -funded existing groups have failed.

The need for constitutional change will also be questioned.

Under current arrangements we each have one vote only and are equal before the law. Whatever we do, that should not change, and it is not racist to say so.

After reading Mr Waterford's hatchet piece on Peter Dutton and senator Jacinta Price ("Why Dutton has given voice to Price", April 22, p24), it is becoming clear that the left is increasingly concerned that the "vibe" supporting a constitutional change is not resonating with enough voters to be successful.

So, rather than predict Dutton's departure after the ballot, perhaps the Prime Minister is also worried about his future?

As I and my fellow law-abiding driving commuters joyfully make our way to work each morning, we nevertheless approach with fear and trepidation the 40kmh zones in and around the city precinct.

But although we fear the candid cameras recording our speeds (and particularly with double demerit points imposed on a normal Monday business day before Anzac Day (legally questionable), what we (and no doubt pedestrians) fear even more is being collected by the ACTION buses routinely whizzing around the city streets seemingly oblivious or dismissive of the posted speed limits.

It would be interesting to view the city camera footage on any given day to confirm who the real speedsters are.

John Smith proves my point in his riposte to my side comment about absurd belief (Letters, April 23). All creation myth is an attempt to explain the universe and our place in it before science.

For instance, it is demonstrably false that the world was made in six days by God from nothingness and that women were made from Adam's rib. But that's not the point.

People can believe what they like but they cannot be permitted to impose those beliefs on others in the course of employment in a health institution paid for from the public purse. Women, whether made from a bit of rib as an afterthought or not, are entitled to full reproductive health services.

Ian Douglas (Letters, April 21) makes the surprising suggestion that it would be counter-productive for Australia to join the 80 per cent of the car market that have fuel efficiency standards.

Some of the constraint on EV supply presumably comes from manufacturers continuing to put resources into making ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles.

The lack of strong fuel efficiency standards in Australia presumably helps manufacturers keep up volume on long-established ICE production lines for which their profit margins are high.

With less ability to sell poorly performing ICE vehicles in Australia, they could shift resources to EV production more quickly and reduce those supply constraints.

The average annual distance driven by the average car in Australia and its emissions per kilometre are both higher than the European averages so the reductions in global emissions from selling an EV in Australia would be greater than if that EV were sold in Europe.

Colleen Lewis ("Job of an MP tougher than critics realise", April 22, p 25) implies parliamentarians may keep their jobs for life and governance failures are excusable because of work/life balance difficulties. So, supposedly, Parliamentarians are victims too. I disagree.

Being a federal parliamentarian isn't a vocation and shouldn't be a permanent occupation allowing incumbents to pretend to govern for life or until they choose to leave.

Being ethical, compassionate and caring is a requirement for public service, but isn't sufficient nor does it warrant permanent employment. Competence and capability are also crucial attributes for government service.

Australia is a large rich continent and its small, intelligent, hard-working population should at least enjoy a wealthy lifestyle comparable to nations like Saudi Arabia which has a similar population but nowhere near the wealth and variety of natural resources Australia has. Yet many Australians cannot obtain adequate housing and healthcare or even full time adequately paid employment.

The Canberra Times reports that Parliament allows the prime minister sole power to send Australia to war ("Who holds the power to send Australia to war", April 16, p13) with its huge consequences. That, without more, vitiates any argument that our parliamentarians are worth their wages. Giving prime minister's sole power to force Australians to go to war, let alone parliament's impoverishment of the nation by refusing to require the Treasury to issue Australia's money, justifies sacking the Federal Parliament and developing a real constitution that serves Australians.

Your correspondent (Letters, April 21) methinks doth protest too much at Mary Kostakidis' opinion piece ("Wong defines Australia's foreign policy. It's all the way with the USA", canberratimes.com.au, April 20)

How is it a descent into "personalised abuse" to critically analyse a purported seminal public statement by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, especially when the issues are fundamental to Australia's national security?

Want to know why the Brumbies draw disappointing crowds to their Canberra matches? I'll give you a possible reason.

A month before the Brumbies-Drua match, I bought nine tickets for my family and guests, choosing seats under cover in the Meninga stand.

The night before the match, the Brumbies admin informed me by email that we had been relocated to another part of the ground, to seats not undercover. No reason was given.

It's not nice to be suddenly drop-kicked like this, so we won't be back to future Brumbies matches. Go Raiders!

A little piece of Australia has died. Vale, Barry Humphries.

I hope that Pat Conroy will commemorate the total 3779 soldiers, airmen and sailors at Bomana War Cemetery, Port Moresby and not just the 600 mentioned in the article.

I assume by 600 you are referring to the over 600 soldiers killed during the Kokoda Trail campaign.

Senator James Paterson and US "political expert" Seth Kaplan both condemn Chinese social media ("WeChat 'worse than TikTok'; US expert tells Senate hearing", April 21, p5), demanding clear operational compliance frameworks, while in process conveniently demonstrating amnesia towards the rampant disinformation and mayhem facilitated by their home-grown out-of-control rapacious social media.

I think Mark Kenny ("Voice stance scuttled by evidence", April 23, p15) hit the nail on the head when he said Peter Dutton's aim is "killing the Voice so as to deny Anthony Albanese a win". Pure, grubby politics.

Peter McDonald, age 59, (Letters, April 22) suspects that "the majority of the conservative whingers would be revealed as being of an age highly correlated with the onset of dementia". I have lived among people suffering from various forms of dementia for more than a decade, and can assure Mr McDonald that I have so far found little or no correlation between dementia and conservatism. If anything, the correlation is negative. Mr McDonald is insulting his seniors.

With the many efforts to curb pollution why are politicians from many nations flying all over the world frequently when Zoom meeting is a great alternative?

Some meetings must include face to face contacts plus the ubiquitous photo op handshake, but surely not all are essential. Let's hope they'll be more mindful of the cost of fuel and the pollution caused by aircraft.

I refer to Jack Waterford's article in The Canberra Times ("Jacinta Price has been given a powerful voice. But who is she speaking for?", canberratimes.com.au, April 22). I agree, why has Peter Dutton given Ms Price voice? Good luck Ms Price, you may need it once the Liberals are finished using you.

There are plans to reduce parking requirements for new buildings, to increase public transport use. Maybe we could restore all the cancelled buses as one way to increase use?

The Minister for Transport should lead by example, abandoning his car, and the Minister for Planning could move to a poorly serviced area of Tuggeranong. Our ambitious developers can join them. Please lead by example.