On construction

Jock Webb writes: Re. “Does construction need a watchdog with security agency powers?” (Wednesday). I actually think a building industry watchdog would be a great idea, but it is not the one the collection of crooks in Canberra propose. Let such a watchdog investigate the companies who build substandard fire hazard apartments, the corrupt private certifiers who sign off on them, the payers of bribes and donors to councillors, the ones who pervert their approvals, those who knowingly maintain hazardous workplaces, then if they have time, the occasional misbehaving unionist. That is surely what such a commission’s job would be.

On climate change

Keith Binns writes: Re. “‘This is system collapse’: Tassie fires the beginning of the end” (yesterday). Further to Bert Spinks, I’ve just returned from a trip to Antarctica where one of the scientists on the ship explained that if the acidification of the oceans continues then, eventually, krill will not be able to make shells. Krill are essentially small prawns and are the basis of the entire food chain in Antarctica from the blue whale down. If they go, the entire system will collapse.