BEGINNING in May 2013, throughout the election and periodically peppered in media bites since then, now-PM Abbott and now-Treasurer Hockey talked up the “budget crisis” and “budget emergency”.

Hockey promised to “shape policy that gives people money in their pockets, and [give us] a stable environment.” (May, 2013).

So who funds the 600 military personnel, eight F-16s, one each Wedgetail and KC-130 to be stationed in the UAE? Who buys the bombs and bullets, the fuel and food? Who pays for the personnel here in Australia supporting our remote warriors?

Yes, ISIS may be the “worst of the worst”, but how can Australia afford this new military adventure, on far-away soil, at someone else’s beckoning?

From which already-strapped, Australian-community pockets will the millions or billions come? And how will this military adventure give us a stable environment?

Judy Bamberger, O’Connor

CAP did the job

FOLLOWING inaction by the letters editor of “The Canberra Times” to correct information included in a letter from ex- Kate Lundy staffer, Vic Adams (CT, letters, September 9) that claimed that the Community Alliance Party (CAP), had “achieved nothing whatsoever” since its public launch in March, 2008, I now turn to your community-based magazine to correct the record.

The reason that I was first approached to assist in forming the party was because the Stanhope Government had a majority and was ignoring any attempt to consult on issues of importance to various groups of ACT citizens.

The CAP ran in the 2008 ACT election (not 2012 as Adams quotes), received 7676 votes and achieved 7.7 per cent of Brindabella votes, 3.2 per cent in Ginninderra and 1.1 per cent in Molonglo, which cannot be said to be “nothing whatsoever”.

Our aim of assisting in the removal of the majority Stanhope Government was achieved and had the Motorists Party accepted my offer for us to co-operate, we would have had at least one MLA in Brindabella. More importantly, we wanted to help to run the ACT in a non-confrontational, community-council style.

The Canberra community should also be aware that its local paper does it a major disservice when it fails to correct information that is published by its reporters, correspondents and contributors when such erroneous information is brought to its attention.

Ric Hingee, Duffy

Comparing Gillard

FURTHER to your revelation about former PM Julia Gillard’s Canberra  book signing on December 23, a recent visit to Ballarat revealed that Ms Gillard’s edifice is due to be added to the “Avenue of Prime Ministers” during her visit to the fair city during October.

As to her book – ‘twill be interesting to compare Ms Gillard’s version to the warnings and predictions of her senior Labor colleagues, related in Paul Kelly’s book “Triumph and Demise”, that the coup on Kevin Rudd in June 2010 would lead to the downfall of both Kevin and Julia and to the detriment of Labor.

Len Goodman, Flynn