Minimal model would be the safest and best
Readers ponder how we would choose a head of state if we ever become a republic.
The Age Letters
Welfare, necessary to help the vulnerable
I loved it when Finance Minister Mathias Cormann said the planned move out of deficit by 2021 was "only a projection, not a promise".
Why would anyone want another election?
To fair dinkum Australians, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is a disappointment and the alternative, Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, is full of blather. So what is left? The old chestnut, the republic.
Gridlock, unless we get the North East Link
Meanwhile, without a North East Link, drivers have to put up with the clogged roads of Bulleen, Montmorency and Eltham in the morning and evening peak periods. Gridlock is the norm in Bulleen Road and Fitzsimons Lane.
It is high time minister listened to the experts
Readers attack Planning Minister Richard Wynne for not listening to expert advice.
Who wants a pocket full of small notes?
Readers discuss potential impact of plans to withdraw $100 notes from circulation.
A global leader for so long but now a laggard
Vested interests standing in the way of action on climate change need to be called out.
City's elm avenues are the last in the world
Readers plead with the state government to save the stately elm trees along the boulevard.
Kow-towing to autocratic China is unacceptable
Readers call for the federal Coalition to start showing some courage in policy making.
Trump-like revolution in Australia is unlikely
Like so many others, Cory Bernardi claims Trump's victory as proof of a seismic shift in public thinking. This commentary on the election has become accepted wisdom and is trotted out to support all manner of social theories.
What's not to love about our Prime Minister?
Malcolm Turnbull's best option is clear. Take control and begin doing the things he knows are right.
All I want for Christmas is a leader with courage
Readers would like to see a prime minister with vision, courage and conviction.
Assisted dying: It is our right to make an informed choice
Readers debate the Victorian government's proposed legislation on voluntary euthanasia.
Public 'monopoly' is in fact a 'responsibility'
Readers attack Productivity Commission proposals to privatise essential health services.
Climate change: Loonies rob industry of the certainty it craves
Delaying effective action on climate change will only increases the eventual cost.
Fight for eight-hour day, equal pay was disruptive
Readers discuss the many social changes that were introduced as a result of protests.
Environmental and economic madness
Readers are strongly opposed to both the Carmichael coal mine and the government offering a $1billion loan to global miner Adani.
Please don't abandon someone who is in need
Readers are upset and angry that Bhajan Kaur, who has an intellectual disability, has been denied permanent residency in Australia.
Backpacker tax and the ABCC – is that all there is?
Voters put forward ideas for the government to consider in the new year.
The cause was noble but the protest was wrong
Readers discuss the protests in Parliament House and the behaviour of our parliamentarians generally.
Encourage the brightest to become teachers
Readers continue to discuss education issues, including Australia's poor results in the latest international rankings.
To teach maths you need to understand it
Readers explain why they think Australia's education standards are falling compared to international benchmarks.
Shorten has too much baggage to lead Labor
Readers express dismay at the behaviour of both major parties.
Mourning the death of a truly great man
Not surprisingly, readers have mixed views on whether Fidel Castro was a great leader or brutal dictator.
Standardised tests are old hat in age of agility
Readers discuss the merit of raising the bar for entry to university teaching courses.
Right prosecutes culture war instead of governing
Readers express concern that Peter Dutton's attack will create division in society.
Yes, to a tax – and learn to say no to chocolates
Readers discuss the merits of introducing a 'sugar tax'.
Geologically speaking, we are all recent arrivals
Readers continue to express concern over the Immigration Minister's divisive comments.
Connect dots of toxic beliefs on race, gender
Readers express alarm at the Immigration Minister's divisive attitudes on migrants.
New boss increases the conservative bias
Readers express profound concern over the direction of the ABC.