Start old Parliament House centenary preparations now

Wouldn't it be appropriate to celebrate this occasion by actually having working fountains with decorative sprays once again operating in front of MOAD?

A beautiful design could enhance the view as you leave the building.

The current "pond" in front of the building is actually called on the map "The Federation Centenary Fountain".

But at present it is a disgrace to the capital.

Why not have new fountains which would add visual appeal (as is the case with the ones in front of the National Library).

I note Chris Steel has jumped onto the report espousing the benefits of light rail construction that suggests that since its introduction into the ACT it has encouraged $2 billion worth of construction activity and driven up land values.

It's nice to know that Canberra's developers have reaped the rewards of light rail notwithstanding that it's the ACT ratepayers that have copped it in the hip pocket having to fund Labor-Greens pipe dream.

Given the developers walked away with millions in profits from their multi-storey "housing" construction activities perhaps they should be the ones paying for light rail construction or at least making significant contributions thereto.

Your article in Wednesday's paper ("Billions in projects credited to light rail", May 1) shows the success and role of light rail as part of an integrated urban future for the national capital.

It is important to press ahead as rapidly as possible with the project to enhance the benefits for more people.

The clear preference of the public for rail over road transport when available should encourage the ACT government to seek additional financial support from the federal government to increase the pace of the work.

Where on earth did Jeff Day (Letters, May 1) get his figure of "hundreds of male suicides" being caused by female partners using "psychological abuse"?

Has he seen any data to corroborate such an assertion? Is there any evidence? I am not saying that it can't happen, but I imagine that it would be a rarity.

Please don't try to deflect our attention from what men continue to do to women at an alarming rate. Enough is definitely enough!

I strongly disagree with Mario Stivala (April 26) who believes that lobbyists should be abolished due to their intentions "not being in the public interest".

Mario argued that lobbyists are "contrary to our democratic system of governance", however, he omitted that "freedom of speech" is a human right.

This includes "the freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds regardless of borders, whether orally, in writing or in print, by way of art, or in another way".

While I am not a "registered" lobbyist, I am a proactive social justice advocate in the coronial and prison reform space. And I must impress, this is totally inclusive of public interest, community safety and human rights legislation.

Fellow advocates and I have achieved positive change and legislative change to increase better outcomes within the arenas in which we "lobby".

I, for one, will not be silenced by people like Mario.

The rising number of Australian women dying from violent assaults inflicted on them by their partners, former partners or opportunists must be dealt with now.

Surely among the 227 recommendations from the 2015 Victoria royal commission into domestic-related violent deaths there is an interim nationwide template that could be used?

National cabinet this week has resolved to make more money immediately available to women seeking to leave violent relationships.

This reasonable immediate measure has its critics declaring it comparable to "a Band-Aid being applied to a torn artery".

A trite response to a genuine first attempt to halt what has been a generational disaster for women with violent partners.

To the critics I say, yes, much more needs to be done. Sadly, spending millions on a royal commission then, waiting years for its recommendations, will not save one woman during that time from dying at the hand of a violent male.

Action is needed now. The national cabinet interim decision of this week is the best, first step along that path.

The white line markings on our roads are an important aid to safe driving, especially at night or in wet spells.

I don't think it is my imagination, but there do seem to be an increased number of faded or worn lines on our Canberra roads (and I passed a driving licence eyesight test only three weeks ago).

What is the problem? Is there a shortage of funds; too few staff to do the work; too few line-marking machines; poor planning and project management in Canberra's City Services; or a lack of awareness of the importance of the issue?

I do think that we can expect better of the ACT government.

Despite the wonderful energy of the show, for me, MasterChef is currently leaving a bad taste.

Sponsored by Australian Gas Network, the show is spruiking unproven gas alternatives in an attempt to greenwash "cooking with gas". Not only is all gas polluting our climate, but cooking with gas stovetops causes 12 per cent of childhood asthma cases, and is as bad for our health as smoking in the home.

Electric induction cooktops, in contrast, are healthier alternatives that are cheaper to run, efficient, responsive, and easy to clean.

For our environment and our health, MasterChef would do well to promote induction cooking.

Felicity Chivas (Letters, May 1) points out that travelling by plane results in 100 times more emissions than travelling by road or rail.

Short-haul flights, such as between Canberra and Sydney, produce more emissions than longer ones because takeoff (when fuel consumption is greatest) is a larger proportion of the flight.

Travelling to Sydney by train is inexpensive, especially for seniors, but at four hours and 15 minutes can be rather tedious.

Travelling by bus is far less time-consuming, but involves facing the increasing risks of the highway.

This all adds to the case for a major upgrade of the Canberra-Sydney railway to suit 21st century fast or very fast trains.

One can debate the relative merits of Northbourne Avenue as a bicycle route compared to other streets, footpaths or north Canberra's few shared principal paths, but the fact is that plenty of well-informed adult cyclists choose Northbourne Avenue over those alternatives for their regular commuting.

That's because they are quite capable of reading maps, evaluating cycle route options, and weighing up the relative safety, directness and amenity of those options to select the best route for their own circumstances (and are better qualified than any external observer to do so).

They don't need gratuitous, and mostly wrong, advice (Letters, April 30), to the effect that they could use equally suitable routes other than Northbourne Avenue, which is the only direct, straight-line transport corridor running the entire length of north Canberra and through the city centre towards south Canberra.

Those people, hundreds of them in peak hours, would not be there if they had better routes to ride on.

If what happened back in January 1788 wasn't the start of an invasion, Bill Deane (Letters, May 1), what was it?

The concept of "terra nullius" has long since been abandoned.

So no matter what the British called it at the time, the fact remains they were invading and taking over land that belonged to other people.

We're better off having as governor-general someone who understands and recognises that than someone who continues to deny it.

Pornography is a significant, but not exclusive, cause of violence towards women. It is often violent in nature and objectifies women. Society has censored child pornography. Is it now time to introduce restrictions on pornography, especially that appalling pornography depicting violence towards women?

Messrs Stivala and Deane (Letters, May 1) criticise Eric Hunter for his comments about the new governor-general. Have they forgotten the appointments of Casey and Hasluck, both almost directly from Liberal cabinet jobs?

The US does itself no favours protecting Netanyahu from indictment by the ICC. It makes the US appear to be protecting itself from being considered an accessory to the war crimes in Gaza.

Greg Simmons (Letters, May 1) falls into the trap of making Albanese and his presence at the protest rally the "issue". He follows it up by invoking the ghosts of previous PM Morrison. Neither are relevant. Violence against women was the reason for the protest, not PMs past and present.

Is it any wonder the federal government is reluctant to make the banks reimburse victims of scams even though nearly all scams are facilitated by rapid funds transfers through banks? In recent times the banking industry has donated more than $2 million a year to the major parties. Follow the money.

Apologies to Chris Ansted (Letters, May 1) and others for not making my position on domestic violence clear. The only acceptable level of domestic violence is zero. My tongue-in-cheek comments were directed at politicians who talk but don't act.

Thank you, R J Wenholz (Letters May 2). I can't resist. Sirius won the 1944 Melbourne Cup because it was so fleet-footed.

R J Wenholz has alerted us to the Melbourne Cup winner named Sirius (Letters, May 2). This horse also features on the Civic merry-go-round so it seems I can no longer take my grandchildren there. What a pity that will be.

It's not often that I agree with Dutton and his Sky After Dark cheer squad but this government's handling of the release of the 149 detainees has been shameful. The relevant ministers must accept responsibility for the crimes that have been committed and apologise to the victims.

Given the cost of a university degree wouldn't the ANU students currently barracking for team Hamas and setting up their own tent embassy be better served by concentrating on their studies?