On Saturday afternoon, a time chosen, no doubt, to ensure minimum exposure in the media, Elliott employs the impersonal statement format to apologise for the hurt he has caused Ashleigh Raper. He is "deeply sorry for the hurt … caused" and that it was "completely unintentional" ("Elliott 'sorry' for hurting ABC journalist in scandal", Sun-Herald, November 11). Indeed, the word "sorry" needs immediate removal from the English lexicon. It has become completely meaningless, only seen as a word casually bandied about by high-profile figures in belated attempts to salvage careers and reputations. - Leone Toker, Port Macquarie Elliott has done the state a service and the call is now for his head? The old saying applies very heavily here, don't shoot the messenger. - Gary Bigelow, Oatlands Raper is wrong to believe MPs can only speak in Parliament on a matter she says concerns her with her consent. Elliott did not mention Raper in his parliamentary comments about Foley and it was Raper herself who put her hand up as the alleged victim of sexual harassment.

The Labor Party is wrong to seek, for their own political benefit, to deny Foley the right to defend his innocence, name and reputation. - Ross Drynan, Lindfield The failure of the NSW Premier to censure her minister for his obnoxious action in exposing an unwilling innocent woman to media and public scrutiny in the Premier's own cowards' castle is abhorrent. Her lack of empathy towards the victim and her failure to take swift positive action against her minister is perhaps even worse than what Foley is alleged to have done. - Ian Stromborg, Picnic Point Premier Berejiklian has just lost more votes and credibility. This is about common decency, not politics. - Ross Allan, Mullumbimby For too long women have put up with such behaviour, not least because of an often inherent threat of violence, and particularly when the perpetrator is drunk (Letters, November 10-11).

The time has come to change that ethos and the #MeToo movement has begun to dismantle that "unwritten law". Sadly, it seems it's going to take a lot more time for some people to catch on. - Patti Skenridge, Potts Point "I believe Ashleigh". At last, a politician has found a winning three-word slogan. A good start, Michael Daley ("Foley won't contest election as candidates circle", November 10-11). - Janet Simpson, Glebe Me too ("We believe that Ashleigh has told the truth", November 10-11).

I believe Ashleigh. - Peter Skinner, Beecroft Taking the sunny approach to energy needs

Terrific to read CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes' heartening piece ("How Australia can become a renewable energy superpower", November 10-11). How much more effective is harnessing our abundant sun, wind and Aussie optimism, than waving lumps of coal around while indulging a dying industry? - Lee-Anne Walker, Oatley I'm with Cannon-Brookes. In Australia energy from the sun and the wind is abundant, and it's delivered free. And thanks to advancing technology catching and storing it is getting easier and cheaper all the time. If enough of us get behind renewables then the absence of government policy will be irrelevant. Just do it. - Meredith Williams, Dee Why Cannon-Brookes is obviously a successful businessman but he does not come across as an engineer. The illusion that wind and solar power are cheaper sources of electricity than coal is created by the subsidies given to them and the way that the National Electricity Market operates. The government has created an artificial situation in which investment in renewables offers assured profits and there is no incentive for private investment in base load power stations. - Don Higson, Paddington

Hear, hear Mike. I only have one misgiving with your article, and that is the request "if you can" to join the two million others with rooftop solar. Power, like water, sewage, education and health is a basic necessity and should not be provided in an individual ad-hoc fashion. Government must set the standard for how we wish to see ourselves forge into the future. And I can hear the planet applaud too. - Helen Lewin, Tumbi Umbi Cannon-Brookes has the right idea: fossil-fuel power stations are finished; Australia is ideally placed in a geographic sense, to become a renewable energy superpower Unfortunately our federal government is moving in the completely wrong direction. It should not be subsidising future coal-fired power stations and their emissions in order to keep power prices down and win an election. - Geoff Black, Caves Beach

Please, please Cannon Brookes for prime minister. Someone who can look forward, not constantly into the past. - Peggy Fisher, Killara Did I read correctly: the new NSW Labor deputy leader Penny Sharpe said environmental issues would be "core business ... We have to save our environment" ("New Labor leader to press 'reset button"', Sun-Herald, November 11)? This is the first time in a long time that I can remember any politician saying anything about needing to "save our environment" despite study after study showing how dire our environmental situation is. - Karen Joynes, Bermagui Turnbull shows why he failed

Your correspondent must have been watching a different Malcolm Turnbull to the one I saw on Q & A (Letters, November 10-11). In my opinion he demonstrated palpably why he was a failure as prime minister. - Riley Brown, Bondi Beach Not so funny What would Bill Murray know ("'You can't help but be funny sometimes': Bill Murray", November 9)? - James McKinnon, Canyonleigh Netting the leadership

A new criterion for leadership has been declared: the number of followers on Twitter and Facebook ("Has Daley done enough to win?", November 10-11). It was not an attribute I had previously considered. - Helen Scanlon, Northbridge Dining out Young children may not need to go to restaurants, but their mothers surely need a break from the kitchen (Letters, November 10-11). Babysitters are the way to go unless there is a compliant grandparent available. - Stephanie Edwards, Roseville I was beginning to think I was alone in believing that teaching our children respect for the rights of others, whether dining out or in public spaces in general, is an important part of parenting. - Marie Kelly, Dubbo Ideal place

The definition of Utopia would be a place where rugby league, cricket and lying politicians don't exist. - Jim Aimer, Kirribilli Islam teachings ruined by violence As an Ahmadiyya Muslim, my efforts to present true teachings of Islam have been ruined once again by a cruel Muslim, who has struck the violence in the Bourke Street ("PM demands Muslim leaders 'call this out for what it is"', November 11). ​My heartfelt prayers are with the victims, their families and friends. Let me assure to my fellow Australian that there is no place for cruelty and barbarity in Islam. Terrorists are not driven by religion rather their internal lust, hatred and unrest.

Let's unite to eradicate all hatred-based ideologies .- Usman Mahmood, South Bowenfels PM Scott Morrison has called on Muslim leaders to take "special responsibility" for stamping out radicalism in their communities, saying they must be proactive. Muslim leaders do speak out against radicalism, and do call it out as against Islamic law when it occurs. The dog whistle bigotry in the PM's remarks, particularly given the reports that the attacker was mentally disturbed, is inappropriate and will alienate Muslims. I suspect if the attacker was a Christian, the only comments would be on his mental problems, and not his religion. - Steve Bright, North Avoca If Muslim leaders should take "special responsibility" for a mentally unwell man who hadn't been near a mosque for years, then every time a man kills a woman in this country our PM should declare what he is doing to prevent the violence inherent in the patriarchy he upholds. - Shayne Chester, Potts Point

Had the Bourke Street attack happened in the USA the perpetrator would have been armed with a gun hence many more people would have been killed or maimed. Anything to say pro-gun lobbyists? - Susan Wilson, Freshwater Soldiers want peace This year, Remembrance Day marked the the 100th anniversary of the armistice (Letters, November 10-11). While saluting all our serving forces and veterans; to paraphrase general Douglas MacArthur, the soldier above all others prays for peace, as they suffer and bear the deepest wounds and scars of war. - Steve Ngeow, Chatswood Of course war is futile because everybody involved are losers, but going to the conference table before rather than after does not, as was somewhat disingenuously suggested, necessarily prevent it.

When the Japanese empire, on December 7, 1941, "treacherously attacked Pearl Harbour", their embassy officials were in conference with the Americans, in the US. The only thing worth fighting for is peace and, sadly, it is sometimes necessary to go to war to have it. - Ron Elphick, Buff Point I had two grandfathers, both Australian WWI heroes. One survived Passchendaele, Villers Bretonneux and Spanish flu and, with his fellow diggers, is well memorialised in Glen Innes, Sydney and Canberra. The other fought hard, and victoriously, against conscription – the first time Australia rejected a command from the mother country. And arguably Australia's coming of age as an independent nation, for which there are still no memorials. - Michael Britt, MacMasters Beach Christian values lost

On occasions through her columns Elizabeth Farrelly has ridiculed Christianity and the principles which stem from living under the rule of God ("Mack represents the leader we need now", November 10-11). Having opposed some aspects of Christianity and the Judeo/Christian ethic she now belatedly decries its passing. Ted Mack did embody Christian principles – "honesty", "fairness" a servant attitude and looking not only to his own interests but the interests of others. Sadly, like many other commentators, Farrelly now "craves" what our nation has lost – its Christian heritage and the God-fearing principles our leaders once embraced. - Nan Howard, Camden I hate to rain on Farrelly's parade, but the great Ted Mack did not pave the way for principled independents in the NSW Parliament, this was done by John Hatton, Independent Member for South Coast, 1973-1995. - Gordon J Chirgwin, Harrington The claim Ted Mack "was the only Australian politician to be elected at all three levels of government" is not correct.

Lionel Bowen, former deputy prime minister of Australia, was mayor of Randwick, then the member for Randwick in state parliament before he entered federal parliament. My guess is there are probably others who have got the trifecta as well. - Michael McFadyen, Kareela Compliant media scary If we want and need journalists to be reporting the news accurately and without bias we should be worried about President Trump and his regime who consistently accuse the media of reporting fake news ("Press conference footage doctored, says expert", November 11). However, now he has gone a step further in trying to curb reporters from doing their job, not only refusing to accept questions from those who do not kowtow to his opinions but cancelling their press passes and doctoring video footage. All this might appear to be comical to some, but it is a frightening prospect to have a media being totally compliant to a political leader's views and attitudes. - Con Vaitsas, Ashbury

I am not as confident as Anne Summers that Donald Trump is a certainty to be a one-term President ("End Game: Trump is cornered and he knows it", November 10-11). Trump is a narcissist buffoon with the attention span of a tsetse fly, but he is no idiot and at times displays political genius though of the worst kind with no desire to appeal as Lincoln said to the "better angels" of the American public. His negative campaigning prevented the massive defeats suffered by Clinton and Obama in their first mid-term elections where they lost both the House and the Senate. And they came back to easily win re-election. The redistricting Summers refers to as being detrimental to Trump in the rust belt states does not happen till 2021. The next two years will be a roller-coaster ride as Trump uses his vitriolic combative skills to attack, taunt and undermine the expected dozen or so Democratic presidential candidates. The outcome is far from certain. - Tony Nicod, Collaroy Welcome news for Theatre Royal

Such welcome news, that the Council of Sydney recognises the need to get the Theatre Royal up and running once again ("Bid to save city's lost theatre", November 10-11). We certainly don't need to replace this vital mid-town venue with another glitzy fashion emporium. The city needs more balance between shopping and cultural experiences. - Greg Vale, Kiama