• SEPTEMBER 01

Readers discuss issues relating to Victoria, including disunity in the Labor government, the skyrail project and the size of apartments.

• AUGUST 31

Readers are divided on whether the Prime Minister should push ahead with plans for a plebiscite, especially when the vote is not binding on members of parliament.

• AUGUST 30

Readers suggest the Treasurer call time on middle-class welfare and also meet with representatives from the political parties to find some compromises

• AUGUST 29

Readers point out that the government hasn't included the overtaxed and the undertaxed in its push to cut the budget deficit

• AUGUST 28

Readers point out that more attention is given to reports of animal cruelty than to our treatment of asylum seekers, with others discuss the mental torture of indefinite detention.

Readers react to the Treasurer's statement about the ''taxed and taxed-nots''.

• AUGUST 26

Readers offer numerous suggestions to help the Coalition repair the budget deficit.

• AUGUST 25

Readers discuss problems with Victoria's myki ticketing system.

• AUGUST 24

Readers discussed the federal government's plebiscite on same-sex marriage.

• AUGUST 23

Readers express support for our hard-working athletes and compare their integrity with that of some of the nation's leaders in politics, business and religious communities.

• AUGUST 22

Readers deplore the resources spent on high-level sport when so many other areas urgently need funding.

• AUGUST 21

The senator must provide the evidence regarding what he claims is corruption and manipulation of climate science data. If he can't, the media must simply ignore him.

• AUGUST 19

Readers plead with the government to end the stalemate on the refugees held indefinitely on Nauru and Manus Island.

• AUGUST 19

Readers are not surprised by the decision of Vietnam's government to restrict access to the memorial site, with some wondering how Australians would behave if roles were reversed.

• AUGUST 18

Readers point out that poor pay ensures the most able students look to other careers ahead of teaching. Similarly, accepting students with low ATARs devalues the profession.

• AUGUST 17

Readers continue to discuss education issues, including how we can attract the best and brightest to teaching.

• AUGUST 16

Readers discuss education, including the overly formulaic approach to teaching, single-sex schools and the teaching of languages.

• AUGUST 15

Readers discuss the Olympic Games.

• AUGUST 14

Readers continue to debate the plight of asylum seekers in offshore detention centres.

• AUGUST 13

Readers discuss the plight of asylum seekers, particularly those who are detained in offshore detention camps.

• AUGUST 12

The Australian Bureau of Statistics and the government have completely misread the mood of the people with their emphasis on punishing people rather than encouraging participation in the census.

• AUGUST 11

Readers are appalled at the potential privacy breach, the nature of the questions on the census and the lack of compatibility with users' computers.

• AUGUST 10

Readers explain why they are cynical about the census and changes to the data collection methodology.

• AUGUST 9

Readers criticise Channel 7 for not showing popular Olympic events in high definition and for switching coverage before races are completed.

• AUGUST 08

Readers continue to debate whether there should be a royal commission into banks.

• AUGUST 7

If the homeless were victims of a natural disaster, governments at all levels would immediately act. But the homeless are victims – of changing economic conditions beyond their control. As a nation we should feel ashamed at our treatment of this group.

• AUGUST 06

Readers discuss the commercial banks' failure to pass on the full interest rate cut to borrowers and whether there needs to be a royal commission into the banking industry.

• AUGUST 5

Readers criticise the testing regime for measuring only a narrow range of skills, while others argue that more money must be invested in the early years, when the foundations for literacy and academic achievement are built.

• AUGUST 4

Readers are concerned that the census won't truly reflect the demographic and cultural makeup of Australia, and that the system will not be able to cope with the demands of millions of people logging on at the same time.