It will make virtually no difference to those, mainly under 35-year-olds who currently cannot get a mortgage for a house.

It is much more about helping bigger developers.

Planning reforms may reduce the council fees that an average home builder pays, but it will be a mere few hundreds of dollars of savings.

As Brian Wightman says, the government should increase the first-home owners grant from $20,000 to $30,000.

I think it should apply to buying existing houses as well as building new ones.

That way it will reduce the number of new houses being built and reduce carbon emissions and slow down urban sprawl.

During the nearly two-year debate, I don't recall the Treasurer previously justifying planning reform by reference to housing affordability.

His current claim suggests he is desperate to justify his radical planning changes.

I WRITE to offer a clarification to data printed in your article “Cancer Appeal a Frock to the System” (The Examiner, October 24).

It is wonderful to see community support directed in such a practical fashion towards improving clinical research into ovarian cancer and the organisers of Sunday’s fundraiser should be warmly congratulated.

However, the last paragraph of the article stating “because if people are diagnosed (with ovarian cancer) they’re pretty much terminal” does not hold in all cases and therefore needs further explanation.

Data from the American Cancer Society published earlier this year show that the outlook for patients diagnosed to have cancer of the ovary is generally good.

For all types of ovarian cancer, the five year relative survival is of the order of 45 per cent.

Women diagnosed when they are younger than 65 years do better than older women.

If ovarian cancer is found (and treated) before cancer has spread outside the ovary (stages 1A and 1B), the five-year relative survival is 92 per cent.

Survival rates are often used by doctors as a standard way of discussing the person’s prognosis.

The five-year survival rate refers to the percentage of patients who live at least five years after their cancer is diagnosed.

Of course, many people diagnosed with ovarian cancer live much longer than five years (and many are cured).

While I recognise that extra research is needed, let me assure your readers that improvements in treatments over recent years have resulted in a more favourable outlook for people diagnosed with ovarian cancer.

Senator George Brandis is telling us that it's not inconceivable that Tony Abbott could get back his old job as Prime Minister.

Should this happen I think the Liberal Party will disappear into the mists of Avalon, never to be seen again.

AN IMPORT ban enforced on Adler 110 shotguns will remain in place after state and territory police ministers failed to reach an outcome over the future of firearm laws (The Examiner, October 22).

I feel safer now.

Sometimes no result is a good result, and it shows just how divided our government is.