Stop aid for the rich

But surely the main response to this situation should be pure incredulity that any government would do this to its poorest citizens.

Shouldn't policies like this be illegal, or at least enough to ensure that government is thrown out at the next election?

That the populus rarely does this raises another point of incredulity – why don't they? These policies are clearly iniquitous.

How can that be fair in any shape or form? Don't people have a conscience? If not, where did it go? Did their parents not do a good job with them by the million?

What the hell is going on that our governments take from the poor (and from the future) and give to the rich?

Its absolute madness, and people should be on the streets about it relentlessly.

Gerard De Ruyter, Wanniassa

An audit on public spending on Manuka Oval from when Andrew Barr was appointed sports minister is long overdue. AFL, as the pre-eminent sporting code in Australia, recently finalised broadcast rights delivering a financial return of $2.508 billion to cover six seasons from 2017.

Yet accessibility and affordability for Greater Western Sydney Giants fans costs ACT taxpayers a cool $760,000 per game. To boost membership, freebies abound. As the Spanish learnt with Real Madrid, public funding of elite sports distorts competition between clubs.

B. Moore, Kingston

As reported in The Canberra Times, residents of the inner north (Andrew Barr's electorate) are to benefit from greater supermarket competition after the ACT government's decision that both Coles and Aldi are to have a presence in Dickson to compete against Woolies.

Perhaps the residents of north Belconnen should be similarly blessed by the government also ensuring competition for the new Coles store in Kaleen.

This could be achieved by the Chief Minister supporting the existing approved 1500-square-metre supermarket development in Giralang just down the road from Coles. Otherwise it looks like an inexplicable case of favouritism.

Bill Burmester, co-chairman, Giralang Residents Action Group

In his article on proposed consorting laws for the ACT ("Consorting plan an attack on everyone's rights", Times2, July 5, p5) barrister Jack Pappas swung an unusually blunt axe in his attack.

The wise counsel regarding personal freedom was blunted by, what I expect were, uncontrollable urges to impugn the trustworthiness of police. It is very hard to break free from years of habit.

Sadly for Jack, lawyers command the respect of only 31 per cent of the population as ethical and honest (Roy Morgan Image of Professions survey 2015).

Police scored 69 per cent, the same score as the Supreme Court judiciary. Nurses enjoy the overwhelming confidence of 92per cent of the population.

As ethical as Mr Pappas may be, it does not strengthen his argument to throw such barbs at our top law enforcement officials.

T.J. Farquahar, Ainslie

Hear! hear!, Jack Pappas, in relation to your reasoned arguments concerning Attorney-General Simon Corbell's ham-fisted attempts to "reform" the consorting laws.

Your character assessment of the Attorney-General, and the Chief Police Officer, were spot on. They have already stuffed up the liquor laws with similar muddle-headed and poorly implemented legislative "reform".

The sooner they exit the scene, to do no more public damage, the better.

T. Brown, Fadden

We all need to seriously look at the aquatic facilities on offer to the Canberra community. We have Civic pool being offered as

a space for a football stadium, Manuka pool issues and now the new Molonglo pool offered to us as a basic 50-metre pool in a shed!

As a community we need to have a state (territory) indoor pool facility that allows us to offer what the aquatic sports of swimming, water polo, springboard diving, underwater rugby, triathlon, learn to swim and pool users need.

This is to run their activities, to compete as well as hold competitions in Canberra instead of interstate.

The Molonglo pool will cost Canberra $33 million, a copy of the Gungahlin pool. Yet Presbyterian Ladies College in Sydney just built a $34 million dollar indoor pool facility that includes a 50m pool, springboard diving facilities, water polo access, learn to swim pool, plus a gym, a large car park with hockey playing fields and tennis courts.

Why can't Canberra have a facility, designed for now and the future, that meets our needs and allows us to offer competitions in Canberra?

We can't wait for the pool on Lake Burley Griffin that may or may not be built in the future.

Ann Widdup, head coach, Canberra Diving Academy

So The Canberra Times is finally to leave the ranks of broadsheet newspapers after having clung on with the traditionals for so long. Now no longer with The Times of London, which still clings to its illustrious name (how long till that becomes The London Times?

Well, now we join the tabloids, which are much easier to hold, there is one correspondent who needs to be preserved above all the excellent reporters and cartoonists: Ian Warden, whose individuality continues the greatest for nearly half a century, whose unique column is the first I look at.

Make sure he's there, tabloid or not.

Jack Palmer, Watson

The good news, sort of, is that my fortnightly super pension based on the CPI has inched higher by $5.10. The bad news is that Mal and Scotty have filched $2 of that in tax bringing it down to $3.10, or a princely $1.55 a week.

Never has there been a more exciting time to be a superannuant in Australia. What do I want? A royal commission into the fantasy that is the Consumer Price Index. When do I want it? Now!

Are you listening, politicians?

Graeme Barrow, Hackett

Blaming "Mediscare" for the election result is not supported by facts. From the beginning and throughout the campaign, the 2PP split was 50:50 for all intents and purposes. Labor's 2PP vote did not surge during the last fortnight, nor did the LNP's diminish.

In fact, The Daily Telegraph on July1 reported a late boost to the LNP in polling. Medicare might be an easy scapegoat to identify, but I think the disillusionment with the major parties is both broader and deeper than that and requires a more considered analysis. For the LNP, a first step might be to review the nature of its so-called "broad church", and decide if it wants to run with its moderate centrist hares or hunt with its right-wing hounds.

Doug Foskett, Griffith

Well may some people accuse Labor of lying and fear-mongering on the issue of Medicare, but all too little is being said about the Liberals' lies and scare tactics around elevating economics to a position of importance it doesn't deserve.

Money, wealth and prosperity, past a certain point, is an imaginary bottom line, appealing only to our lower instincts. Other, more important considerations exist, and always will, whether we recognise it or not.

Steven Marinceski, Queanbeyan, NSW

D. Zivkovic (Letters, July7) says there is no evidence that the Liberals wish to privatise Medicare. I refer him to what Bill Sneddon said in 1974: "[The party] doesn't care how long it takes, we will destroy Medicare over time". In 1984, John Howard said he would "Stab Medicare in the stomach" and "Take a scalpel to Medicare".

In the 1980s, Labor had to rescue Medicare from MalcolmFraser.

Freezing bulk-billing rates; outsourcing payments; cutting funds to hospitals; using the private insurance carrot; introducing payments for scans and pathology all erode the philosophy of Medicare as our universal healthcare system.

Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South, NSW

Let's not be too hard on Malcolm Turnbull. When he took over as PM, the polls were running 47:53 against him, and his party was heading towards becoming a Tea Party with extreme right policies fast coming to the fore.

He has all but won this election, which was always going to be tight, and he did not have to make unfounded promises to do so, he can manage the economy going forward, he handles himself as a statesman on the international stage, and he can lead the great Liberal Party forward in its true traditions of liberalism and fairness. Let's get behind him.

Ian Morison, Forrest

Sad that Bill Shorten has chosen to ignore the clear message from Australian voters: they are fed up with raw party politics and want to see their elected representatives work together in the national interest.

Instead, we see Mr Shorten's juvenile gloating about Labor being back and him being the saviour of the nation. Far from it – perhaps he really meant that theunions are back? After all it was they that manned the phones to vulnerable people about "Mediscare" and now proudly claim credit for deceit, including Unions ACT. At least we can now believe his promise that he would act as a union leader, rather than showing prime ministerial qualities.

Len Goodman, Flynn

As the Coalition teeters towards the prospect of minority government, the role of the negotiator extracting support from a diverse and truculent minority crossbench becomes critically important.

Malcolm needs to appoint a skilled and patient negotiator, with a demonstrated and thorough grasp of the intricacies of the Westminster system of government, a clear and expansive vision of the risks and opportunities for our country throughout the 21st century, and a forensic understanding of the bastardry and mendacity of anyone on the crossbench who does not mindlessly support the conservative forces in our parliament.

Let's hear it for Barnaby Joyce.

G.Williams, Gowrie

Now listen up, Messrs Bernardi, Seselja, Dutton, Nikolic et al. If Tony Abbott had remained as prime minister, the Coalition would have been comprehensively thrashed at this election, so don't even think about putting him back in the hot seat. And if you had allowed Malcolm Turnbull to drive serious policies on climate change, taxation reform and same-sex marriage, you might now be sitting on a comfortable majority, instead of staring down the barrel of a hung parliament. You brought it on yourselves.

Catherine Rossiter, Royalla, NSW

Craig Gamack (Letters, July 5) has every right to complain about queue lengths at last Saturdays' polling stations.

I, too, was stunned by the length at the Kaleen primary school, but before I could even estimate the size of the queue in front of me, two of the many people handing out literature approached me (I am currently disabled and forced to use a wheelie-walker) and offered to usher me in, and then enlisted more help from AEC officials to enable me to be prioritised at the check-in tables.

To those two men go my many thanks for circumventing what would have been an unwelcome ordeal.

Mark Dixon, Kaleen

My wife and I applied for postal voting at the end of May. I received receipt of the applications on June5. As we had not received the ballot papers, I phoned the AEC on June20, and was told that we would receive the papers within five days. To date we still have not received the papers.

Just as well we attended an early polling centre last Thursday. I was told by one of the officials that there were many in the same position. I have also heard that hospital patients and aged-care facilities were not provided with access to voting. The AEC needs to improve services to eligible voters who are unable to attend polling booths on the next election day, otherwise there will again be thousands of non-voters, not of their own fault.

Barrie G. Cooke, Latham

If Cory Bernardi is successful in recruiting disaffected right-wing Liberals, it will be Malcolm Turnbull's turn toapproach the preferencewhisperer.

Tony Judge, Woolgoolga, NSW

It is sad that Canberra hockey star Anna Flanagan has lost her place in the Hockeyroos team ahead of the Rio Olympics ("Star Flanagan overlooked for Rio selection", Sport, July 5, p18). One sincerely hopes this is purely due to the superior abilities of others, though given her proven abilities, this must be doubtful.

Instead, it is possibly due to her recent DUI. Last week, a Canberra Times sportswriter took issue with the fact that Anna might be included while a certain Olympic shooter had been overlooked. According to this sportswriter, this was very unfair. Australian conservative attitudes to women and, this includes sportswomen, never fail to disturb.

One "offender" has been foolish once. The other "offender" has a long list of offences – alcohol-related, gun-related, domestic violence – and more than one AVO. How can they be compared? This exemplifies just once more how sportsmen, particularly footballers, can be convicted of unethical and criminal behaviour, and be forgiven.

Anne Summers wrote a groundbreaking book titled Damned Whores and God's Police. She maintained that two ways of defining women quickly became entrenched in Australia and how the stereotyping of women has persisted. The book was written in 1975 and it is, alarmingly, no less pertinent today. When are these archaic attitudes going to change? And if The Canberra Times cannot afford to buy a copy of the book for your sportswriter, I will happily lend him mine.

Kathryn Spurling (Dr), Chifley

It is disappointing that the talented Anna Flanagan was not selected for the Hockeyroos. Considering Anna's ability, experience and form, I believe she should have been selected, despite her recent suspension. Everyone can make a mistake. Compare this with Australia's elite tennis players.

Edward Corbitt, Farrer

CUT POLITICIANS' PAY

It seems fair that politicians should take the same cut to their incomes (20 per cent over the next few years) as doctors whose payments for bulk billing are cut or not increased under the proposed Coalition arrangements.

Fair is fair. Both are services paid by the public purse.

A. Graves, Lyneham

BREXIT COMPLAINERS

Britain does not have a compulsory voting system, so I'm wondering how many of those complaining about the result of their EU referendum actually bothered to vote?

Alan Blake, Duff

DEMOCRACY'S HARD

Democracy is a difficult beast to catch and ride ("We may need another election – Sinodinos", July 4, p1).

Bob Gardiner, Isabella Plains

GONGS FOR EVERYONE

Australian of the Year nominations have opened. Aside from the reality of an ideological bias in the selection of recent recipients that makes a mockery of the award in many people's eyes, I've never been a fan of the gong system, an antiquated inheritance from colonial days. It's my egalitarian opinion that every Australian is Australian of the Year.

Gerry Murphy, Braddon

HANSON FARCE

I suppose we should be glad that journalists are wasting no time to show how ill-informed, inane and out of touch Pauline Hanson remains ("Defiant Hanson set to be a force in the Senate", July 5, p1).

Personally, I expect her to be a "farce" rather than a "force", and hope that other elected members realise she has no mandate whatsoever to pronounce on matters such as Islam and the Family Court.

Trevor Wilson, Holder

PREFERENCE TRAUMA

Labor voter Lexi Webster could have cast a valid vote by simply marking "1" for the ALP above the line on her Senate ballot-paper, thereby avoiding the trauma of preferencing five other parties ("Votes are greener – and independent – in the capital", July 6, p3).

Frank Marris, Forrest

RASH RASHLEIGH

Is Scott Rashleigh (Letters, May 14), happy now that he has helped create the hung parliament by voting differently in the lower and upper houses?

Janet Fletcher, O'Connor

MALCOLM THE DUNCE

That looks suspiciously like a dunce's cap perched on Malcolm Turnbull's bonce in your front-page photo of July 6.

M. Teece, Sunshine Bay, NSW

Email: letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au. Send from the message field, not as an attached file. Fax: 6280 2282. Mail: Letters to the Editor, The Canberra Times, PO Box 7155, Canberra Mail Centre, ACT 2610.

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