In 2001, when the war began, some foresaw such an outcome.

As usual, they were dismissed as harbingers of doom: their warnings ridiculed and ignored.

The Howard government, despite having no achievable aims apart from the somewhat nebulous idea of engaging Taliban forces whilst somehow transforming the country into a strong, stable democracy, now attracts as much cachet as if such goals had been applied to Iraq or Syria.

Even our retreat and exit, now referred to by many as "Australia's Saigon", contains a toxic element as we abandon many of those who aided and supported Australian troops during the fighting.

Authorities tell us that they are unable to complete the necessary paperwork in time, thereby begging the question just how much time do you need to issue a document that might save the life of a colleague and/ or their family? We live in an age of zero accountability. No one will be found to be responsible for this mess. Yet rest assured, the names of the braying fools who, back in the day, sanctioned this strategic and moral failure will not be forgotten.

DAVID Robinson is rightly frustrated about Sky News presenting only news skewed to the right. Just wait until he discovers the ABC does the same but skewed to the left, notwithstanding its charter expressly forbids such bias. Imagine his frustration if his taxes also funded Sky as they do for the ABC.

IF councillor Hugh McKenzie seriously believes that big-box developments "don't mean the CBD is redundant, it just needs to find another purpose" then he would be advocating the removal of parking meters in the CBD, something that shoppers at shopping complexes don't have to contend with. The recently installed meters are extremely complex and designed to extract the maximum from CBD shoppers. They actively discourage people from shopping in the CBD.

JUST when we are experiencing an increase in sunlight hours what does the Australian Energy Market Commission do?

It proposes that those of us who are generating clean energy to share with our less fortunate neighbours should be taxed for making such contributions.

At a time when global warming is causing so much misery on planet earth (just ask a Greek about wildfires on the island of Evia) it would have to be one of the most cynical and grossly irresponsible decisions imaginable.

It is nothing more than one of the worst forms of environmental vandalism.

I am appalled at the decision that penalises those of us who have decided to help to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases when big coal, big gas and big oil are doing the very opposite.

The future of planet earth is doomed if we don't reduce the amount of carbon dioxide we produce and saving the planet is what we solar citizens are trying to do.

There won't be a solar tax on a dead planet because we will all be crispy critters.

MEANDER Valley Council's public meeting on August 11 regarding the Westbury prison demonstrated clearly that there is no social license for this prison.

Premier Peter Gutwein and Attorney-General Elise Archer please note.

I WOULD have thought that Senator Jacqui Lambie (The Examiner, August 12) would have supported Senator Eric Abetz's sound and well thought out opinions on free choice, especially as she champions veterans and supports those families that have had and lost ones that fought and died for the freedoms of which we enjoy today.

Instead, she attacks him in a very vitriolic manner.

I for one have never forgotten the thalidomide scandal of the 1960s, and though I have no problem having well researched and tested vaccines, will not be subject to having a vaccine which has not been fully tested and researched. So if you advocate Senator Lambie that I will not be able to participate in normal daily life without a "vaccine passport" I would much prefer to have Senator Abetz's cool, clear headed and calm opinions every time.

THE argument about Tasmania's place in the national competition misses several important facts. The current 18 teams is too many for a fair competition, 19 teams would make it even worse. Twenty teams, including Northern Territory, would make it much fairer but even more cumbersome. So, create two more teams and divide the competition into two conferences, one in the east and one in the west.

This would allow two complete rounds of 18 games in each conference, very fair.

Bring the top four teams from each conference together for a finals elimination in the same manner as we do for our current finals series.

No doubt there would be some controversy about which Victorian teams would be classified East or West, but longitudinal location should be the defining criterion.

Problem solved.