Bravo to Mark Kenny. The last sentence of his article "Desperate times call for delaying measures" (  August 14) expresses clearly the view held by an increasing number of people dismayed at the lack of vision and courage of our political leaders who refuse to positively embrace the possibility of change and innovation, which was a strong element of our national character. Change is synonymous with life.
Tony Henderson Bellevue Hill
Everybody feels it. Australia is just stuck. When did it happen ? Undoubtedly when Tony Abbott, student politician, became Liberal leader. A man who has opposed so much, cannot lead. Motives that are ideological and political always end in tears. Vision, ideas, policy, courage cannot flourish in such a mindset. We're going nowhere. Wrong man for wrong job. Another national security scare - who cares? 
Sue Young Bensville
Chewing on his toes
One can only feel sorrow for our Prime Minister, seeing him with his right foot in his mouth more often than its shoe ("Terminal: Abbott is the Whitlam of our time",   August 14).
Jack Ray Cheltenham
Pull out another winner,
find someone to bombAustralia has entered an abyss of moral bankruptcy when we tolerate a so-called government that is solely focused on itself. Tony Abbott is so concerned about his own survival that he is looking for somewhere to bomb ("Australia in talks to bomb IS in Syria",   August 14). He does not seem to be satisfied with destroying his own party and the philosophy of liberalism.
Mark Porter New Lambton
With everything heading south for poor Tony Abbott it would be understandable if he was to retreat to his bunker to crank up his proven winner, terrorism, and increasing the contribution of the RAAF's long range snipers' bombing effort in the Middle East.
Dallas Fraser Mudgeeraba (Qld)
Plebiscite not binding
MPs to vote for change
Given that a plebiscite has no legal standing and does not bind the Parliament to legislate its results into law, if one on marriage equality is run and a majority of Australians vote to change the definition of marriage, will Coalition MPs pledge to vote for the change, even if they are against making the change or will they still argue that they should be allowed to vote on their conscience or follow party policy ("Liberal split deepens over marriage laws",   August 14)? Until the Coalition confirms that they will respect the outcome of a plebiscite that delivers results they don't agree with and legislate and vote accordingly, Tony Abbott's promise of allowing the people and not politicians to decide is hollow.
Cathrynne Henshall Bungonia
Enough. Coalition MPs and certain Christian lobbyists may be genuine in their reservations about marriage equality but it's time to call humbug on those sanctimonious cries to "think of the children". When will their voices be raised about children in detention? Children threatened by abuse and domestic violence? Children bullied to suicidal despair over their own sexuality? And, indeed, children who'd love to see Mum and Mummy (or Adam and Steve) get married, just like the other kids' parents? For the sake of the children, let's move on.
Chris Stafford Brunkerville
If the progressives are so confident of gay marriage being supported by the majority of the population, then they should have no fear of a plebiscite. This means having a reasoned debate on the subject first, where any panel show would have at least one guest putting forward the "no" case, representing millions of people in this country who oppose the proposition. If there is nothing to hide, then there is nothing to fear.
Roger Cedergreen South Hurstville
Margaret Nelson (Letters,   August 14) proposes that more people would support same sex marriage if same sex marriage was not called marriage, but another phrase "that would suit them and distinguish it from traditional marriage". This proposal encapsulates the "us and them" mentality, and the idea that a distinction must be maintained.
If only those relishing a traditional marriage could believe that nothing will alter their marriages as a result of allowing others to choose same sex marriages. Just as so-called traditional families have been able to continue in their preferred model as other differently arranged families have become more common. Funny that traditionalists are now the ones preferring some couples not to marry. Back in the day, it was frowned upon and called "living in sin" to live as an unmarried couple.
Anne McDonald Summer Hill
Well said, Margaret Nelson. For many of us, the objection to so-called same-sex marriage is not because of religious bigotry, backward thinking, political ineptitude, Liberal conservatism or even sexual preference, but on the misuse of a word that names an institution pre-dating modern religious and social systems by thousands of years.
Olive Lawson Wollstonecraft
Christmas fun in CBD
It is a bit of a worry that those in government responsible for the central business district light rail project have only just discovered the busy pre-Christmas retail season ("Light rail works brought forward",   August 14). Let me pre-empt a few more "discoveries" waiting in the wings: lack of space at new inner-city bus termini will
require peak hour buses to simply "pick up and go", regardless of the timetable; and large numbers of transferring commuters moving from new set down locations and waiting on the footpath at their pickup points will create new pedestrian "pinch points" in the inner city.
The fun will really start when traffic in cross streets, such as Park Street at George Street, is disrupted to put rail tracks and other infrastructure across the intersections.
Doug Walker Baulkham Hills
Bizarre and damaging
Yesterday my taxi driver told me that he has PhD in material sciences from a leading university and was working on a highly confidential and important project at the CSIRO when he and almost his whole team were retrenched due to a cut in government funding. The decimation of the research community must rate as one of the Abbott government's more bizarre and damaging policy decisions.
Alan Morris Eastlakes
A subject of ridicule
Tony Abbott is all pretence and no substance. He does not believe that man-made pollution significantly contributes to global weather change and he fears that if he personally attends the climate change conference in Paris he would be criticised and be subject to ridicule by several world leaders about the minimal contribution that he proposes to make ("Labor vows to scrap Abbott's climate fund",   August 14).
Andrew Partos Seaforth
Let's live with the land
The comment by Paul Norton (Letters,   August 14) of the replacement of eucalypts with exotics illustrates that there are still people in this country that do not understand it.
Our unique bushland and fauna are here because of the eucalypts, not in spite of them.
The flora shaped the way the fauna evolved to live in the country and the plants evolve to meet their needs through the wildlife.
To our despair, the past thinking in this way brought us the rabbit, the fox, the deer and to some extent, the cat. They tried to make this new world like their old one.
If we wish to remain in this unique country we need to live with it, not against it, otherwise we will end up with a landscape like a billiard table covered in high rise buildings.
Anthony Healy Willoughby East
The culture remains
The uniforms in health care have changed over the decades but not the culture ("Old habits die hard for doctors",   August 14).
I am frequently reminded that bedside nurse clinicians are clearly considered by some, as low class professionals.
A minority group of health care staff, both female and male, still perpetrate bullying and sexual harassment, targeting nurses. It is no wonder we have a critical shortage of nurses.
Dr Vivien Lane Hornsby
A sensible solution
John Redding (Letters,   August 14) suggests that the threatened strike at the BlueScope mine could be avoided if the unions, employer and umpire got together and resolved it. Sensible, but isn't that exactly what Bill Shorten did and found himself in front of a royal commission because of it?
Geoff Wannan Dawes Point
Regretting her greed
Lisa Stockbridge says she is "sincerely regretful" for what she had done and sees it as an "error of judgment" ("Socialite jailed for drug dealing",   August 14). One might question the depth of sincerity if she can't bring herself to admit it was a downright criminal act prompted by greed. Still if it makes her feel better.
Brian Collins Cronulla