“By the time we got to Sydney, we had clearly missed our bus. My friend phoned Murrays and was told that she had not left enough of a ‘buffer’ for a delay in flights. She was further advised she would need to buy a new ticket (for a bus several hours later), with no refund for the original bus,” writes JANINE HASKINS, of Cook.

I have been travelling with Murray’s coaches for many years; I hold a loyalty membership and, until recently, I was very satisfied. Sadly, it is no longer the case.

Following a recent overseas trip, three of us booked “flexible” fare tickets from Sydney to Canberra, having done this numerous times previously. On several occasions, my international flights have arrived early and the option of using my flexible fare option (at an additional cost) was incredibly helpful in getting home earlier.

I am cognisant that “flexible” fare options are subject to availability of seats on the buses, however I also thought “flexible” meant exactly that.

Unfortunately, we were delayed in Singapore for more than six hours due to an issue with the aircraft, stranded on the tarmac.

By the time we got to Sydney, we had clearly missed our bus.

My friend phoned Murrays and was told that she had not left enough of a “buffer” for a delay in flights when booking the bus from Sydney to Canberra. She was further advised she would need to buy a new ticket (for a bus several hours later), with no refund for the original bus.

When I phoned Murrays, following my friend’s call, I was advised of the same, except they got us on a much earlier bus. This makes no sense. 

My friend ended up catching a Flixbus, a relatively new competitor in the business of buses, which left at about the same time as the two of us on the Murray’s bus, and we were able to rendezvous in Canberra.

I admit to not reading the fine print of Murray’s flexible fare policy, but I was confident that “flexible” provided the flexibility to transfer tickets to alternative scheduled buses, pending seat availability.

I note this is not the first negative review of “flexible” fare options with Murray’s; just check out Tripadvisor!

My advice is to try out Flixbus – it’s a breath of fresh air compared to tired old Murrays.

Janine Haskins, Cook

Secular state should remain secular

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” is being re-enacted in our public service with solemn kowtowing to “cultural safety” issues.

There is no escape from this political black hole but the complete removal of woke spectacles.

Fair enough that some citizens have animist beliefs, but why are these beliefs exerting power in public administration? If animism trumps general etiquette, then why not anything else? 

The secular state should remain actively secular.

Peter Robinson, Ainslie

Reckless Trump, it’s time for a change

Donald Trump is fulfilling Iran’s taunt that America is the Great Satan.

Iran did not pose any imminent risk to the US and does not have nuclear weapons.

Is he spreading lies to cover up his strategic failure?

He is a reckless, narcissistic and ignorant fool. America, it’s time for a regime change.

Mike Quirk, Garran

Vanity has no place in politics, Mr Barr

Richard Johnson’s opinion piece (“Secret tram plan that makes no economic sense”, CN March 26) questions the economic sense of the Barr government’s decision and its business case for light rail Stage 2B, concluding that the economics around this project is disastrous.

The author points out that any benefits/costs rating below 1.00 is a clear warning that such projects should not be undertaken because it destroys value.

The published rating is only 0.42, which is well below standard. Many competent economists would agree with Richard’s assessment.

Why then does the Barr government stubbornly charge ahead with this jaw-dropping money loser, impoverishing the ratepayer? Vanity has no place in politics.

John Lawrence, via email

PM found to be lacking in any gumption

While John Minns’ article (“Does dawn of the far-right bring a new dark age”, CN March 19) is fairly factual, he needs to replace far right with centre right.

It just shows how far we have shifted to the left when he is calling many of the general population “far right”. Not one mention of the “far left” in his article but plenty of “far right” terminology. 

It is even evident from the media and politicians in Australia to label anyone who considers family values, secure borders, punishment for crime and patriotic “far right”. 

Why is the “far left” never mentioned? The current Labor government under Albanese is one of the most left-wing governments in recent history. Albanese has always been a far-left activist as shown in footage of him campaigning for Palestine and anti-Australia Day rallies.

His government was the first to claim Jerusalem as part of Palestine and is constantly pandering to minorities. His most recent venture to a mosque in Lakemba where he was berated by the Muslim cleric, while he sat idle on the floor like a good little boy, was disgraceful and not becoming a prime minister of Australia.

We need a prime minister who leads and looks after his country, not one that wants to be popular and loved. He has constantly shown to be lacking in any gumption and his recent handling of the fuel crisis proves this.

Ian Pilsner, Weston

Wood smoke has no place in suburbs

More than two decades ago, Dr Melita Keywood, of the CSIRO, identified Launceston as the most polluted residential area in Australia, with wood heaters the primary source. 

Canberra’s Tuggeranong Valley ranked second for the same reason.

In response, the federal government spent millions on buyback and education programs in Launceston, while communities such as Tuggeranong were largely overlooked.

Now, Launceston City Council is once again seeking public input on how to address the health impacts of wood-heater pollution. This alone demonstrates that buyback and education programs have failed to deliver a lasting solution.

If we are serious about protecting public health and the environment, the answer is clear: a phased ban on wood heaters in residential areas.

We no longer accept tobacco smoke in shared public spaces because of the harm it causes to others. Wood heater smoke is no different. It has no place in our suburbs.

Darryl Johnston, Tuggeranong

Australia is late to the table

Bruna Krstulovic discussed the ethics of eating animals and wondered why Australia is behind some other countries (“Caring equally for people, animals and the planet”, CN March 26).

But some progress has been made. Although there are differences between states, Australia has moved toward recognising animals as sentient and expanding duty of care and prevention-based laws.

Although Australia remains a high per-capita meat consumer, dietary habits are shifting.

Most now know that consumption of greater than 100/120g per day of red meat, which is around double the recommended amount, is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer and renal cancer. They also know that beef has the largest environmental footprint of all meats.

The number of people following vegetarian or mostly vegetarian diets has risen by about 50 per cent over the past decade, and nearly one in five Australians is actively reducing meat consumption. Health concerns, environmental impacts, animal welfare, and the growing availability of plant-based options are key drivers.

But the average quantities of fruit and vegetables eaten each day still fall well below national dietary guidelines – two servings of fruit and five servings of vegetables each day.

While Australia is late to the table – the menu is changing.

Ray Peck, Hawthorn, Victoria