Surface navy plan very much a 'pie in the sky' affair, Mr Marles

The proposed "general purpose smaller frigates", reportedly from one of four overseas contenders have yet to be assessed. No statement of requirement for them even exists. Then there will need to be work to consider essential modifications such as command systems, radar, helicopter facilities and so on to ensure compatibility before final contract negotiations and signature.

These are the same kind of modifications which have delayed the Hunter program.

The program assumes the successful supplier will have capacity to immediately fit in our first three vessels. Minister Marles's claim they will start entering service before the end of this decade is just fanciful; it will not happen.

And then consider the "optionally crewed platforms". These are nothing more than a US concept. There is no ship design, no construction or testing schedules and no cost estimates. And most critically (as they are being primarily designed by the USN to augment a carrier task group) no operational concept of how they would be integrated into our maritime capability.

Retired Admiral Jones recently wrote "time is a critical factor" ("Our new navy fleet's a sensible change", February 23). But he never even mentioned the inherent time delays or risks in the government's strategy.

We will have a major maritime capability gap as the ANZACs are progressively withdrawn before these ships arrive in the 2030s. It is even probable the first Hunter class ships will be in service before either of these two new classes.

Thank you so much H Tan for your excellent letter on the disgraceful way the ANU School of Music treats its senior artists (Letters, February 27).

Tor Fromhyr and David Pereira deserve the highest accolades. They should not be dumped on the scrap heap to make way for presumably cheaper "replacements".

Canberra cannot replace artists of their calibre.

Any attempt to do so will cement our position as the nation's centre of Philistinism.

How refreshing to read John McIntyre's letter (Letters, February 17) stating any teaching approach that insists all students learn the same things at the same time is bogus. He outlines that in a typical classroom there are always three distinct groups of students responding to the teaching program.

As an experienced teacher, curriculum consultant and principal I know that reading age is not the same as chronological age. Damming analysis of recent NAPLAN results seems to ignore this fact. In a class of five year olds some children come to school as readers while others have no concept of a word.

No single program has worked for all and phonics has always been part of the mix but needs to be taught in context not isolation.

Researching historical facts about reading instruction in NSW schools over the past century shows that the exclusive teaching of sound symbol relationships keeps appearing. For example in 1917 the NSW Department of Education introduced such an approach supported by the publication of a set of primers

(Red, Blue, Green and Brown). One line on the first page of the Red primer states "A fat cat can see the rat".

Is this familiar? Let history caution that we don't return to the past blindly but rather build on empirical research recognising the complex needs of the learner and the vital role played by the teacher and community.

If President Biden really wants to help the citizens of Gaza and send a message to Israel to desist from collateral slaughter there are three productive things he could do.

He could stop supplying weapons and ammunition to Israel.

He could send a number of hospital ships to the Gaza coast to treat the most seriously injured and he could bypass the aid bottleneck by undertaking aerial food drops.

Gaza does not belong to Israel. He would not be breaking international law by assisting the victims of the Israelis.

Deep within our conscience we discover a law which we have not laid upon ourselves but which we must obey. Its voice, ever calling us to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in our heart at the right moment.

We have in our hearts a law inscribed by God. Our conscience is our most secret core and our sanctuary. There we are alone with God whose voice echoes in our depths."

Now, replace "God" with "my truth", or "government", or "the courts, or "bureaucracy".

No wonder that moral confusion abounds. We've all but outsourced our morality to the shifting, capricious winds of tribalism, of ideology, of "my team-ism"; anything and everything goes. Thus, the foundational categories of man and woman become interchangeable; university professors/students march in support of a genocidal cult, Hamas; bureaucrats ponder the possibility of euthanasia for teenagers and the mentally ill. On and on it goes.

The Italian Marxist philosopher, Antonio Gramsci, would be rapt: "In the new order, socialism will triumph by first capturing the culture via infiltration of schools, universities, churches, and the media by transforming the consciousness of society".

We are marinating in a post-modernist/neo-Marxist consciousness underpinned by two laying waste dogmas. The first is that there is no such thing as "truth". The second is that life is nothing other than the eternal contest between the oppressed and the oppressor?

No transcendence. No objective truth. No moral foundation: No peace. No beauty. No good.

It's time to wake up.

The ACT government has been lowering the arterial road speed limits in Belconnen by stealth. I suspect it is after lobbying from Pedal Power which exercises a disproportionate influence given its membership.

The speed limits on Baldwin Drive was lowered from 80 kmh to 60 kmh after new line markings changed a dual lane road into a single lane road.

Similarly the speed limit on William Slim Drive was lowered from 80 kmh to 60 kmh in the newly completed dual lane carriageway (which is 20 years late) anyway.

These are both arterial roads for Northern Belconnen which under the National Road Rules have a 80 kilometre speed limit minimum. These changes have occurred without any apparent consultation. Maybe the ACT government could reinstate the lawful speed limits for these roads whilst it engages in some actual consultation.

Otherwise there is an election this year at which the electors of Belconnen could reject the two sitting Labor members.

In July 1976 Israeli planes were flown 4000 kilometres from Israel to Entebbe, Uganda (then ruled by Idi Amin) via the Red Sea, across Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to where 107 Jewish hostages were being used as bargaining chips by the PLO which was seeking release of jailed terrorists.

The commandos pulled off a daring and almost completely successful rescue mission.

While the non-Jewish passengers had been released the Jews and the French flight crew, who had refused to leave their passengers, were still being held.

The only fatality among the Israeli rescuers was Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu's brother.

Does President Netanyahu have sufficient delusions of grandeur to believe he could emulate his brother and achieve the release of the current hostages? Good luck with that.

In his article promoting nuclear energy development, Michael de Percy laments the lack of "open policy debate" around the energy issue ("Where to find power to get us to net zero," February 20).

But he himself fails to mention the concerns of Farmers for Climate Action, an 8000 strong organisation which supports clean energy infrastructure in Australia.

The day before the anti-renewables rally, farmers representing this group brought their message to Canberra.

A survey by Farmers for Climate Action found that more than half of farmers saw climate change as the greatest threat to their livelihood, with less than one percent viewing renewables as a threat.

Of course proper community engagement on any project is essential which is why this is now being reviewed.

It would be a shame if landholders' legitimate concerns about climate change, were overshadowed by a noisy few.

According to official figures just released 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed in two years of fighting. A further 10,500 civilians have also been killed. More than 30,000 people have been killed in Gaza in four months. Israel is waging a genocidal war against Palestinians.

Dr Mackenzie says that Hamas is not a dictatorship (Letters, February 26) but it is an authoritarian regime. Hamas came to power in 2007 following a civil war between it and the Fatah faction. Hamas has since monopolised power as their mutual hatred has thwarted all attempts at reconciliation.

Douglas Mackenzie (Letters, February 26) says that Hamas is "certainly not" a dictatorship. I disagree. A dictatorship is "an autocratic form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, who hold governmental powers with few to no limitations". Hamas is a perfect fit.

Good luck Rohan Goyne (Letters, February 27) in obtaining a shingles vaccine. My GP clinic (with eight GPs) has eight vaccines allocated to it. More may be coming in May. Perhaps the budget was spent on constant media advertising urging all over 65s to be vaccinated?

It is simply not true, as Roderick Holesgrove claimed, that Israel's government said on February 18 it wouldn't recognise a Palestinian state (Letters, February 26). It did not rule out a Palestinian state, but rejected "international diktats" seeking to impose one. It said the only way for a settlement was direct negotiation between the parties. This was the basis of the Oslo Accords.

C Williams (Letters, February 24) why didn't you take your overseas visits to Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve?

The theme for the Wordfind in last Wednesday's The Canberra Times (February 21) "writers" would be more accurately described as "male writers" as the list included no women. Perhaps the puzzle creator could broaden their view and become acquainted with many of our finest female writers?

Peter McLoughlin (Letters, February 20) reminds us that the LNP has previously described boat arrivals as an "on water matters". This also reminds us that not only Labour, but also the LNP has "wets" in its ranks.

I was surprised to hear that efficiency was the reason for the Calvary takeover; I thought it was because Calvary would not provide the services required by our elected government. They were essentially a hired helper who thought they could tell us how they would do our job, mainly with our money.