The Prime Minister says that blocking coal mines such as Adani is "dangerous" and "tragic" ("'Tragic for the wider world': Tony Abbott decries court ruling against Adani coal mine", smh.com.au,   August 7).
The only thing that would be tragic for India is for it to become coal-dependent at a time when the whole world has to turn to clean and infinitely renewable energy as fast as possible. The real threat to countries like India comes from countries like Australia who are desperately trying to export coal-dependency.
Australia itself is now in the grips of coal dependency. Having over-invested in coal-fired power stations, the mining of toxic and non-renewable resources, and in coal-dependent development of communities in Central Queensland and Western Australia, the Abbott government now characterises the shift to clean and and renewable energy as a "threat to jobs".
The reality is that coal dependency is the real danger for Australia, and politicians must have the courage to face up to it. This is why the Adani coal mine must never be allowed to go ahead. The tragedy is that a technicality over a skink seems to be the only legal way to stop it. 
Richard Cassels Narara
Animal lovers worldwide were understandably distressed at the news that an iconic animal in Zimbabwe, Cecil the lion, had been killed for sport. The Adani Carmichael coal mine proposed on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef is a threat not just to a single animal such as Cecil but to whole species of animal unique to Australia. The comment by Mark Kenny, "Risks abound with reptiles in the grass" (  August 6), mentions the yakka skink and an ornamental snake as two species at risk if the project goes ahead.
In addition to these, Australia's endangered black-throated finch (southern) is also at risk from this project according to Birdlife Australia.
Who speaks for Australia's wildlife? Will Australia's Environment Minister, Mr Greg Hunt, speak for the environment and reconsider government approval of this project?
Clare Byrne Jerrabomberra
Drinking not a right
I find it shameful that rich Sydney grog suppliers can compare their opposition to sensible successful alcohol harm prevention laws such as the modest reduction in late trading hours, with the landmark Mabo High Court case ("We'll fight like Mabo for compensation of lockout laws",   August 7).
Late night trading has never been a legal "right". It's a privilege at the discretion of lawmakers to revoke or vary when the collective irresponsible application of the same privilege causes disproportionate, costly and deadly public harms. It is the people of NSW who should receive compensation from these licensed premise owners.
Tony Brown Newcastle
I hope the bar owners of Kings Cross, who through their own failure to enforce responsible service of alcohol rules and helped contribute to the lock-out laws, spend a small fortune taking the government to court seeking compensation. Then I hope they lose.
Safety, security and a decrease of the demands on emergency services are far more important than these bar owners' profits. New venues have sprung up and others are making profits without the ugliness and violence of the recent past.
Victor Marshall Erskineville
Funny how the neatly-printed signs held by the Hugo's protesters were remarkably similar to the signs displayed in the mining millionaires' "Axe the tax" protest in 2010.
Money talks, government baulks.
Steve Birdsall Mona Vale
Anyone smell a rat?
You know something stinks when a Liberal (Christopher Pyne) defends a Labor (Tony Burke) over the use of entitlements ("Christopher Pyne defends Tony Burke over media 'pot shots' after report on Europe trip with adviser", smh.com.au,   August 7).
Ian Lothringer Whale Beach
Elderly's plight
Your article on 'Homes go cold' is spot on ("Homes go cold to cut their high power bills",   August 7). Most older Australians cannot afford heating and do not use it.
As consumer advocate Christopher Zinn said many do not cook either.
This will become a much bigger problem when pension supplements are cut next year and seniors lose up to $10,000 of their annual income the following year.
Seniors on subsistence incomes have been scapegoated and disrespected in the last two budgets.
We have Animal Farm in action with politicians carelessly spending more than a senior's annual income in a day on luxury travel and 'entitlements'.
Society and its commentators have turned a blind eye to the plight of the elderly and shamefully abused them in the past 12 months.
Frances McMahon Mosman
Monty Pythonesque
$20 million to change the name of a University from UWS to WSU. Sounds like Monty Python's "People's Front of Judea" or the "Judean People's Front". ("Students not happy as UWS forks out to clip its wings",   August 7).
John Byrne Randwick
Playground for the rich
With the cynical appointment of Helen Coonan as the new chairwoman of the Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority Mike Baird and the Coalition have made it quite clear that Darling Harbour, an area of Sydney designed for the relaxation and entertainment of locals and visitors, is now to become a money-making machine for business ("Coonan denies conflict of interest",   August 7).
The size of Packer's palace, the planned luxury hotels and apartment buildings, the planned destruction of the Entertainment Centre and the Powerhouse Museum to be replaced with whatever developers decide will bring the most profit can now go ahead. The voters have given Mike Baird another four years to do as he likes and with this appointment he has indicated he intends to make the most of it.
Nola Tucker Glebe
Penalty rate debate
Guy Thomson (Letters,   August 7) asks why do emergency services deserve penalty rates on Sunday and not other industries. Look up the word "emergency". I love my Sunday morning coffee on a sidewalk table, but it is only an emergency the morning after my birthday.
Emmanuel Valaris Fingal Bay
IQ boost for Q&A
It is sad that the ABC Board has bowed to Tony Abbott's captain's pick and moved the Q&A program to the News Division ("Abbott gets his way over Q&A"   August 7). The IQ of the Q&A panel members has soared by thousands of points since the Liberal members have been missing. ABC Managing Director Mark Scott should not allow the return of politicians trying to score points for their particular views. It will be a retrograde step to have them back on the program.
We do not need political interference with the way the national broadcaster is run.
Margaret Saunders Ryde
If recent episodes of Q&A are any indication of the way the ABC is moving this program towards the news division then we are all the better for Abbott's intervention.
More intelligent witty sharing of ideas without any politicians.
That's good news indeed.
Peter Maher Newtown
Death by balcony
Interesting article from Elizabeth Farrelly on the sameness of current Sydney housing design, from developments of unnecessarily large houses, bathrooms galore and no trees, to smaller and smaller apartments in high rises ( "Uniformity hits at our inner larrikin",   August 6).
To add another criticism: it seems that every new apartment, whatever the size, has a deathly balcony or two, certain to deter a family with small children.
We live in an area of hundreds of apartments and I seldom see a soul on a balcony, which could provide a small space for a computer or playroom.
Safe family-suitable home units need to be one of the choices available for varied city living.
Elizabeth Jones Kirribilli
In response to Elizabeth Farrelly's column, Ms Farrelly claims my "Pattern Book", a design guide published by the Department of Planning in 2002, wanted everything white and glassy, yet it included three quite different design approaches.
Ms Farrelly says I have been pressing to shrink one-bed apartments from 58 sqm to 50sqm, yet we have only ever supported the government's minimum standards.
Ms Farrelly says developers build 90 per cent studios or one-bedroom apartments. Our published research indicates that only 26 per cent of Sydney's apartments are studios or one-bedders.
She complains that developers produce almost nothing that could remotely accommodate a family yet our published research shows that 17 per cent of apartment renters are families and 18 per cent of apartment owner-occupiers are families.
Chris Johnson CEO Urban Taskforce