Canada's people-friendly ideas also make sense for Australia Justin Trudeau with his wife Sophie: Plenty of good ideas.
Sunny ways, my friends, sunny ways - this is what positive politics can do. Canadian prime minister-elect Justin Trudeau's election platform could be easily swiped by Anthony Albanese once Bill Shorten is removed. I suggest stealing some of the following ideas from Justin: Ending combat mission as part of the US-led coalition against IS in Iraq and Syria and refocusing military efforts on training local forces and humanitarian efforts.
Committing to bringing in 25,000 Syrian refugees and invest $250 million into refugee processing. Committing to pulling out of the F-35 stealth fighter jet program; launching a national inquiry into missing and murdered women; mending anti-terrorism bills; and legalising marijuana. 
Pete Harris, Belconnen Invest in future The mining boom's over, our manufacturing industry's dead, the only thing driving the economy is suspect Chinese money flooding the housing market. Successive Australian governments have bled funding from science and education (and the ABC), and degraded the jobs available to our best and brightest, so they left our shores in droves. To buy votes, politicians are pandering to the whinging Gen Ys and Gen Xs, who saw the greatness of Australia, and expected it handed to them on a platter. The strength of this nation is in the sweat of the brow of the workers, be they employees, or business owners. Don't put up the white flag and sell the farm.
If Malcolm Turnbull wants our country to be great again, turn the ship around. He'll find many of us prepared to grab an oar and do some hard rowing.
Show some intestinal fortitude and restore funding to science, education, the CSIRO and the ABC.
Alan Kelley, Cook Why the secrecy?
The immigration portfolio must be the most difficult for any politician to manage effectively and honestly and one is left wondering why the government and Minister Peter Dutton has opted for a strategy of secrecy and deception that is guaranteed to increase the level of difficulty ("Nauru rape victim denies abortion backtrack",   October 19, p5).
The minister's credibility has never been his strong suit so when we were advised that the victim, Abyan, was flown back to Nauru under a cloud of secrecy on a chartered flight, our suspicions are raised immediately.
The minister reports that Abyan had a change of heart and was therefore returned to Nauru; Abyan alleges that she did not see a counsellor, a doctor, an interpreter or her lawyer while she was held at Villawood.
Nor did she indicate to anyone that she did not want to proceed with the termination.
The only reasons one has to operate under a veil of secrecy and stealth is if they are up to mischief, possibly criminal behaviours; it enhances their ability to deceive, and misdeeds are able to be hidden to keep the books clean. But some issues should never be hidden and with his most recent action, Minister Dutton has simply made his role untenable.
Time to move, Peter.
W. Book, Hackett Boost for economy Scott Morrison can boost the sluggish economy, reduce unemployment, make a start to trimming the deficit and help those Australians who are worse off all in one hit. All he has to do is to increase welfare payments, say by 10percent, across the board. People who are struggling to make ends meet will spend every extra dollar they receive on basic necessities, thus giving a strong boost to consumer spending.
The flow-on effects will increase economic activity, with a boost in business confidence and increased employment.
The increased tax revenue will help to reduce the budget deficit and/or finance other programs.
In the medium term, the multiplier effect will see a boost to GDP of approximately two to three times the initial cost of the increase in welfare.
It seems the only problem with this is that it flies in the face of Scott Morrison's religious convictions that it is immoral to help the weakest and worse off in our community.
David Hicks, Holt Not amused I am getting bored with your editorial cartoonist David Pope's depiction of Malcolm Turnbull (my hero) as wearing a top hat consisting of an old food tin with open lid from which trails a kind of wormlike filament. Is it meant to suggest that Malcolm has opened a can of worms? But then I recall the food tin and its appendages being part of Malcolm's cartoon image long before he became PM.
Unlike his predecessor, who became a ravening, pre-radar eared monster with predator's teeth, Malcolm can be easily recognised by face and slightly prominent ears. So what's the point of the present headgear other than derision? To what does it hark back? Is it some ancient, murky event of which we must be perpetually reminded?
Cartoonists should be aware that, at times, they come perilously close to exposing their victims to hatred, ridicule and contempt.
Colin Glover, Canberra City No, Prime Minister No doubt our PM is more suave than his predecessor but I'm more than slightly alarmed by his grammar. (Canberra Times, "Wealthiest business owners exempt from tax disclosure", p.6,   October 16).
"There but for the Grace of God goes me," says Malcolm.
Setting aside for the moment the putative God referred to and His putative concern for us groundlings in general and for the PM in particular, one can almost hear the stern ghost of Sir Robert Menzies intoning, "No, no, my boy. There but for the Grace of God go I.' What was the name again of that top school the PM attended?
Geoff Page, Narrabundah Abbott's exile The events that occurred in the ex-PM's suite on the night of his removal resulting in a smashed marble table may have arisen by design and not accidentally.
With historical symbolism, and although the deed had been done earlier in the day, the party "mourners" may have inscribed the shards with Abbott's name thereby banishing him as did the citizens of ancient Athens by inscribing the ostrakon (broken piece of pottery or stone) when voting to exile a certain member of society.
The person was duly exiled from the city for 10 years , thus giving rise to the term ostracism.
John Buxton, Red Hill