All is for the best in this best of all possible capital cities

We have an amazing vaccination rate, a population that largely obeys the rules, and a government that has done its best to keep us safe during this pandemic.

And now we have plenty to look forward to. Seeing family and friends, having people over for meals, booking dentists and hairdressers, and plenty of time outdoors, exploring all the Floriade sites, getting goodies from shops and oh, bliss, being able to go to my dance classes again. And hopefully the libraries will be open soon too. How delightful it is to be a "Ken Behren".

A big shout out to the Attorney-General, Shane Rattenbury, his staff, and the Chief Coroner Lorraine Walker for the announcement of funding for a full-time ACT Coroner in the ACT. Community advocacy groups have pushed this issue for many years.

The engagement of a full-time coroner will hopefully see fewer delays in conducting inquests. This will be a huge relief for bereaved families who have had to wait in limbo for inquests to be undertaken for their loved ones.

I hope the new coroner will undertake his or her work with a focus on restorative practice, listening to the voices of families and carers, and a commitment to "accountability, not culpability". This way, services can be improved and we could see a decrease in coronial inquests in the ACT.

This is a great achievement for the ACT community as we head towards living in a restorative city. Well done to all involved.

The news that there is to be a full-time coroner is welcome. I understand, from correspondence with Minister Rattenbury earlier in the year, that a full coronial review is under way.

My suggestion at the time was for a change in procedures for post mortems in cases of sudden death. In Victoria and NSW legislation permits the use of technology rather than a full post mortem in certain situations. This not only saves considerable resources but is much less stressful for grieving relatives.

An example was a friend of mine who died suddenly. An autopsy revealed a ruptured aortic aneurysm that a CT or MRI scan would have diagnosed. Let us hope the coronial review will recommend such a change in the ACT.

M Flint's analysis of the Stage 2A light rail debacle and its wanton waste of taxpayer funds (Letters, September 28) is in stark contrast with Michael White's letter on the same day.

The latter justifies the large rates increases in the ACT on the basis of the increasing value of his home.

If Michael White is not already a member of the local ALP he should definitely consider it.

Skimming through the television section of the The Canberra Times this week I was struck by the number of programs which featured gratuitous death, murder, violence and pain.

Sunday night for example, featured suicide (Lidcome Self Harm, SBS); the murder of three Aboriginal children (Bowraville Murders, SBS); the murder of a student (The First 48, Channel 9); a murder inquiry (FBI, Channel 10); Life and Death Row, (SBS Viceland); Death in Paradise, Gem); A former child soldier and sexual assault victim embark on a series of murders (We Hunt Together, ABC); The Disappearance of William Tyrell, Prime 7; Police pursue a notorious burglar and rapist (The Night Stalker, Prime 7); a study of a British killer (The Dennis Nilsen Story, Prime 7); and The Murder of Krystal Hart, (Prime 7).

It seems trite by comparison to mention chef Gordon Ramsay's 24 Hours to Hell and Back and Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares.

Are these programs really the reflection of an emotionally healthy society, or just a (somewhat misguided) need for escapism? At the very least, they seem to me like overkill.

No wonder COVID is on the rise in the ACT. At the weekend I was at Hall and the police and the army had a checkpoint up. Half an hour later they were gone. Monday, no checkpoint. Tuesday morning no checkpoint.

What is the point of part-time checkpoints? If someone coming from NSW has COVID-19, all they have to do is wait until the police are gone and then come through. Is the Federal Highway the same?

In a rare show of leadership for the ACT government Andrew Barr and ACT health officials have set down a sensible roadmap out of the COVID-19 lockdown.

He is the only state, territory or federal leader I am aware of who has included in the roadmap booster shots to be available as soon as possible after Australia reaches 80 per cent and opens up.

This is great news for those of us who took the plunge and were vaccinated early this year. Australia wide some two million people will fall into the reduced immunity category.

It is good to see that at least in the ACT it is not proposed to use these people as guinea pigs to see what happens if no booster program is implemented quickly. Overseas experience is quite compelling in that those countries that have opened up have seen the need to begin booster programs for at least those over the age of 65.

The present federal proposal for boosters in Stage 4, but only if necessary is most likely to once again prove to be too little too late for many vulnerable people. One can only hope that the TGA is well down the track of approving the use of vaccines for booster shots and that a sufficient amount of vaccine is available for this purpose.

Since the start of lockdown in the ACT I have noticed more and more owners allowing their dogs off-lead in neighbourhoods, in parks and even on playgrounds with young children nearby.

The ACT introduced dog-responsible legislation in 2019 that requires the following: unless otherwise identified on the maps, all public areas are dog on lead (including street verges and footpaths); the 10m space on the sides of footpaths and cycle paths are also on leash only and dogs are not allowed within 10m of playgrounds and public barbecues if they are in use.

Sportsgrounds are off-leash areas except for during formal sporting events.

As the mother of a child who is terrified of dogs following a negative dog experience, I have been unable to go for walks or to parks lately due to dog owners not abiding by the laws.

This means that with three children age six and under we are limited to our own back yard.

I call on the ACT government to enforce the law and to penalise those who do not abide by it.

A dog is still an animal no matter how "good" or how "obedient" it may be.

This is precisely why the law was introduced. It applies to all dog owners and all dogs.

As a business owner I did not appreciate the ACT Chief Minister's comments blaming income assistance delays on incorrectly filled out forms and the federal government stopping JobKeeper.

He chose to place the ACT into lockdown. He must own the decision and the impact of the slow processing of applications.

The community is looking for a leader who can own possible shortfalls, maybe even sympathise or apologise, and not get snappy when tough questions are asked of his leadership. I am concerned about him dangling "I value peoples lives" in front of the community, when he is actually messing with so many people's mental health and financial security by not leading the community out of this lockdown.

They hijacked the Australian Flag at Cronulla, they hijacked the Red Ensign in Melbourne. They are the haters, those who would pick a fight for the sake of fighting and with their own agendas.

They throw the coward punches at horses and at those who would protects us. They desecrate a Shrine of Remembrance under the guise of protesting. They know nothing of what was fought for under those flags.

My father-in-law was a merchant seaman tapping out morse code when Japanese subs were underneath his ship.

I will not allow his war effort to remain in vain as these ignoramuses rant and rave their toxic stuff under those flags.

The letter to the editor by Roger Bacon (PM so passé, Letters, September 27) is by far the best letter of the year. It was witty and beautifully crafted and caused a good laugh in our family with its French ancestry. It pokes gentle fun at PM Morrison whose speechifying is becoming tedious.

I assume Roger Bacon (Letters, September 27) is joking when he says it is a pity the French don't have a word for gauche.

Surely if the PM chickens out attending the Glasgow climate summit the Deputy PM must attend to represent the Coalition government and the nation.

Surely the PM, Scott Morrison, would want to go to Glasgow to see where Jimmy Barnes and Colin Hay come from? Then he might even qualify as a "man at work".

I wholly concur with C. Williams' suggestion (Letters, September 28) of a "quin", bringing France, as an engaged regional partner, into the alliance. It raises the question of a suitable acronym. "FAUKUS", perhaps?

I hope ACT Health can assure us that every inpatient admitted to a Canberra hospital is given a rapid antigen test before leaving the admissions area.

I couldn't agree more with Karin Fisher (Letters, September 25) about the need to move ahead with the redevelopment of the Capital Cinema site. I can't understand the requirement to have an entrance on Canberra Avenue which is, after all, a busy arterial road; not the Champs Élysées!

Nurses, doctors and other health care professionals have had to be vaccinated without ever protesting or refusing. What people are protesting against is coercion and the abolition of informed consent. The replacement of persuasion by coercion is the cause of all the social unrest in this pandemic.

It's funny to see the Coalition, still struggling with the concept of selecting women for safe seats, are claiming that Christina Kenneally is an establishment clone. Not enough that she's a woman it seems.

It occurred to me that while the Prime Minister was in America with "Shark One" he might have brought home a few of the thousands of Australians still stranded overseas due to border closures.

While I'm sorry to hear COVID-19 is back in the community in Queensland I hope this outbreak will do something to motivate our northern cousins to get the jab, They, along with Western Australia and the NT, are holding the nation back.