• APRIL 13

The NSW government's failure to restore the ethics option to the school enrolment form itself raises a question of ethics.

• APRIL 12

I could not believe what I was reading yesterday when lord mayor Moore put forward her opinion of road traffic versus public transport.

• APRIL 12

The Turnbull government must be shaking in its shoes on hearing that the Young Nationals, through their support for a carbon trading scheme, are now effectively backing renewables.  ("Young Nationals back emission trading scheme", April 11). The policy vacuum in Canberra is becoming clearer by the day: no recognition that "black coal Morrison" and friends' promotion of coal to India is out of step with India's move to cleaner energy; fearfully tiptoeing away from previously toying with the idea of an emissions intensity scheme for energy generators; sidling away from Labor's policy on negative gearing; floundering around trying to find budget savings – "Is Abbott's work for the dole scheme fit to ditch?" Oh yes, "Policy Vacuum" is the new normal in the conservative realm – just take a look at the US!

• APRIL 11

Scott Morrison does not get it. He is still claiming supply is the reason first-home buyers cannot afford a home. 

• April 9

How sad to read of the thousands of unclaimed boxes of remains stored at crematoriums and funeral homes ("Dust to dust: ashes of loved ones remain", April 2).

Is it wise for our political leaders and journalists to be so enthusiastically endorsing Trump's reflexive military response to a gas attack that has not yet been investigated?

• APRIL 8

Bernie Fraser's warning of growing inequality, like the shot heard round the world, is the warning that should be heard round Australia.

• APRIL 7

"Quite frankly there are worse people and you simply don't know what you'd get if he were to be replaced," is as chilling a thought as the actual release of chemical weapons against Syrian civilians.

• APRIL 6

Handing the Adani company unlimited water access is intergenerational theft of unprecedented proportions.

• April 4

I'm sure it is 'for political reasons' that the coalition refuses to act on this massive issue.

• NOVEMBER 28

Fidel Castro started his political life as a ruling-class nationalist, opposed to the corrupt US supported/appointed regime of Fulgencio Batista.

• COMMENT

Independent chairs for planning panels must be appointed to ensure proper consultation.

• APRIL 3

While Coalition politicians repeat the mantra that Australia has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, Australian "mum and dad" investors are enjoying an effective corporate tax rate of zero, due to dividend imputation. This is obviously the lowest in the world. 

• April 2

Section 18C needs reform because it doesn't work ... Mutual respect is earned, not imposed.

• APRIL 1

In launching chagrined annoyance at her Coalition colleagues who prevented the ratification of a 2007 extradition treaty with China is Julie Bishop still smarting from a previous ticking off by the Chinese Foreign Minister?

• MARCH 30

Entities like the Land and Property Information service are the invisible manifestations of good government: unglamorous, unremembered, generally unappreciated (until they disappear), but nonetheless critical to the successful operation of the state.

• MARCH 31

Why is Berejiklian pushing ahead with the building of new tunnels to substandard dimensions, and conversion of the Bankstown line to cattle-class metro, when cities all over the world are moving to double-deck trains?

• MARCH 29

One has to wonder about the contorted policies and twisted minds controlling Australia's Department of Immigration and Border Control when we read of its lax "control" of the labour-hire companies run by Queensland businessman Emmanuel Bani.

• MARCH 28

If the latest polling figures don't get the message across to Malcolm and his crew that the electors are heartily fed up with adversarial politics then there is little hope for them.

• MAR27

I am appalled to read that our government is selling "military equipment" to Saudi Arabia.

• March 25

Thank you for informing us there are more compassionate options out there.

• MARCH 25

Tony Abbott is advocating the federal government assist the asbestos-riddled Hazelwood power station.

• MARCH 24

Listening with horror and helplessness to the news from London this morning, I realised that when the news shifts to "the current war in?", I switch off.

• MARCH 23

While there may be legal confusion on the proposed Section 18C changes of the Racial Discrimination Act, there is no confusion on its intent in the minds of minorities.

• March 20

So Peter Dutton thinks concerned business leaders are mere puppets in the hands of dastardly lobby groups ("Turnbull government 'won't be bullied' by CEOs on same-sex marriage, says Peter Dutton", smh.com.au, March 19). Heaven forbid that anyone other than a politician should have an opinion.

• MARCH 22

Ron Bird speaks sense on the subject of allowing superannuation to be used to buy a home.

I suggest there are two fathers of rock'n'roll: Chuck Berry and Bill Haley.

• March 20

Proposals to raid superannuation for deposits on home loans is exactly as Keating says; reckless.

• MARCH 17

Chris Danckwerts (Letters, March 16) asks why we need an energy market at all. Answer? We don't – unless a market can be designed that achieves some public good.