Illustration: Matt Golding Credit: My late wife, although a non-smoker, developed lung cancer. It wasn’t long before she was admitted to a ‘‘good’’ palliative care’ unit. I thought at the time that she would be made very comfortable. What I didn’t know then was that not all cancers are equal and that the magnitude of pain varies dramatically. It didn’t help that at the time the pain management people didn’t visit daily but only at certain times of the week, and that the staff on ward duty were reluctant to change doses until the pain management people visited. The result of this was a dying woman not prone to hyperbole or hysterics, screaming in the ward for the pain to be stopped. The lasting memory I have of my wife is her screaming in anguish and pain, wishing she could die. I regret that her last wish couldn’t have been fulfilled and that her personal agony lasted weeks, despite modern medicine and technologies. It’s for this reason that we need access to death on our own terms. - Raymond Smith, Blacktown The Victorian euthanasia law means being allowed to end one’s God-given life.

This world isn’t a hip venue for the healthy, the young and the fit. It’s also for every one of us: the old, disabled, sick and feeble. - Mary Julian, Glebe Treat sick refugees with dose of dignity, respect The government wants to retract the medevac legislation (‘‘Coalition fears court ruling could see influx of refugees’’, June 20). It spent a fortune on Christmas Island for no benefit. If it could do that, it could spend at least that much on providing additional high-level medical services in Papua New Guinea and Nauru. - Richard Letts, Sydney

Doctors say referring sick refugees to an expert panel after looking at their files, rather than consulting them in person, is in line with standard medical practice. The last time the government tried using refugees to frighten voters, it cost taxpayers $185 million as the Christmas Island detention centre was opened and then closed. That happened with an election in the offing, but this time the extravagance will be only verbal. - James Moore, Kogarah The people being detained on Nauru and Manus Island should be cared for in accordance with our country’s values, which include fair treatment and appropriate access to medical care.

Instead, the only way people on Manus Island have been able to get medical treatment is due to the medevac bill, which the government opposes. This is shameful. It is a disgusting reflection on the values of our current leaders. These asylum seekers and refugees deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Prime Minister, step up and put your Christian values into action. - Phil Watson, Wheeler Heights The government is unwilling to recognise the right of sick refugees on Nauru and Manus to medical treatment. Taking such cases to court is not a good look and losing the case is even worse. Peter Dutton does not seem able to distinguish a sick refugee from a convicted criminal. This government lacks compassion and has limited understanding of the presumption of innocence. We need the medevac law and we need the separation of powers to protect us from the Coalition and to save the Coalition from itself. - Mark Porter, New Lambton Stop the planes (‘‘Asylum list grows amid rise of ‘plane people’ bids’’, June 20). - Nigel Vertigan, Wentworth Falls According to UNHCR figures in the past four years 81,000 people have arrived by air on tourist visas and then applied for asylum, with the government even giving them bridging visas (which allow them to work), yet they leave the ‘‘boat people’’ languishing on Manus and Nauru for years, with no hope of asylum in Australia - and won’t even accept New Zealand’s offer of resettling some of them. Please explain. - Colleen Riga, Potts Point

NSW is not for sale, Premier Well may NSW now disagree with the Morrison government’s economic outlook (‘‘States question federal forecasts’’, June 20). But let it not be forgotten that the federal prediction was made whilst going cap in hand to the electorate asking for its vote, whereas NSW’s prediction is being made just after securing another term. Therein lies the difference. - Stewart Smith, Tea Gardens I’d like to remind Gladys Berejiklian that without tax, paid by my parents and my grandparents, she would have nothing to sell. Those assets are not her government’s to sell. - Gillian Jones, Katoomba I spent an hour on the phone to Service NSW. And they are sacking more staff. - Laurie Urane, Haberfield

Labor’s battle of egos The NSW Labor Party is starting to look ridiculous given the fact that they have failed to find a permanent leader (‘‘Rudderless Labor’s orgy of bloodletting’’, June 20). As an opposition they are a pretty paltry and ineffective group. The only constructive thing they have done is to hand the Berejiklian government plenty of space to do what they like. Come on Labor, stop stuffing around. I am fast losing confidence in you. - Tony Paterson, Drummoyne It would have been better for Labor to just toss a coin and save resources to fight the next election, after all the candidates are both from the Labor Right faction. Whoever wins would likely further split NSW Labor into three factions – the Traditional Left, a McKay Right and a Minns Right. Their battle of egos continues to tear the heart out of Labor. - Bill Holani, Budgewoi Lockout evidence is in The debate over the lockout laws continues (‘‘New data raises queries on lockout’s effect’’, June 20). New research by Sydney University’s Centre for Translational Data Science has raised doubts over the need for lockout laws. However these results are at odds with BOCSAR research and with the statistical evidence from the police and St Vincent’s Hospital. St Vincent’s Hospital reported a 10 per cent reduction in the number of violence-related fractures and a 7 per cent reduction in the number of drug- or alcohol-related orbital fractures following the introduction of the lockout laws. Police have noted a significant drop in alcohol-related violence as well. Non-domestic violence in Kings Cross precinct alone is down by 49 per cent. - Graham Lum, North Rocks

Greenhounds need help Thank you Peter FitzSimons (‘‘No grey area: Government must fund dogs charity'', June 20). In Glebe and Annandale there are a number of rescued and rehabilitated greyhounds, known as greenhounds, and they are a perfect pet, needing only a brief walk daily. Greyhounds are by nature placid and gentle. The greyhound industry and the government really must do more for the welfare of retired dogs and dogs deemed unraceworthy. - Wendy Young, Glebe Defenceless argument Ah, the ethics of it all (‘‘Barristers poised to drop legal aid work over ‘abysmal’ state of funding’’, June 20). I was once told by one of my student inmates, in the corrective services institution where I worked, that his legal aid barrister had approached him just days before his trial and asked him to excuse him from defending him as he had been offered a big case. My student said that if he refused, then he knew his lawyer would be half-hearted in his defence. So he agreed and got a replacement who was not well prepared. Obviously not all lawyers, but enough. - Deirdree Wallwork, Beecroft

Climate change victim Another day and another sign of the impact of global warming on our planet (‘‘Why a city visit by a weary polar bear is worrying’’, June 20). Other studies highlight a higher than forecast rate of Himalayan glacier melt. So what creates the denial? On any level this must be more about a person’s belief system than the facts, because the facts are irrefutable. How we deal with beliefs and the emergence of voodoo science in a world awash with opinions and fake news, must surely be a focus. - Danielle Ecuyer, Bondi Junction Last November I fulfilled a dream to see polar bears in the wild in northern Manitoba, Canada. My heart is broken by the vision of a bear, lost and starving in northern Russia, a victim of a predator that she cannot escape – climate change. Just too, too sad. - Genevieve Milton, Newtown The science is in Beverley Izard (Letters, June 20) thinks the ABC Q&A panel should have had a couple climate change deniers on it – well – ‘‘an opinion opposing anthropogenic climate change’’. The time for pandering to deniers is over. Viewers shouldn’t have to put up with beliefs when discussing science.

- Ingrid Strewe, Bronte

Five self-satisfied guests, nodding in furious agreement with each other, a host who smiled, nodded and ingratiated and an audience in seventh heaven, because ‘‘wokeness’’ was all around. - Rosemary O’Brien, Georges Hall Still call NZ home If the All Blacks winning is the best barometer for wellness and happiness then clearly New Zealanders are off the chart (Letters, June 20). - Angela Miller, Bondi Junction I’m married to a Kiwi and for years have been asking him why he doesn’t want to give up his NZ citizenship, given we live in Australia. After the shocking Christchurch shooting, as we watched Jacinda Ardern and the people of NZ respond with such compassion, empathy and steely resolve, he turned to me and said, ‘‘that’s why’’. - Alison Sweeney, Randwick To all of those that apparently would prefer to live in NZ: just imagine what that would be like if NZ was floating in the Pacific all by itself instead of basking in the shelter of big nasty Australia. - Stephen Friend, Goulburn

Wilcox’s winning wit If ever the Herald thinks of banning political cartoons, like The New York Times, and deprives us of Cathy Wilcox’s sharp wit I will cancel my subscription and instead binge watch a movie streaming service (‘‘NYT bans cartoon satire ... now that’s offensive’’, June 20). - Manbir Singh Kohli, Pemulwuy A notable mistake Someone has to be held responsible (‘‘No one died but many mortified over the typo on new $50 note’’, June 20). - Mustafa Erem, Terrigal The human brain may speed-read but its oversights are instantly apparent to a proofreader who takes the time to read the printed words backwards. This trick of the trade negates the brain’s instantaneous expectation of what letters follow. - Olive Lawson, Wollstonecraft

In 2006 $5 notes with the serial numbers 000000 were released to the public having not been destroyed which is the usual practice. Of a sheet of 40 notes only six have come to light. Their value ranges from $3500 to $5000 each. It also happened with our ‘‘paper’’ $20 and $50 notes

on rare occasions. It would be interesting to publish all the emails and an internal report mentioned in Rachel Eddie’s article. - Phillip Desborough, Warrawong Srsly, thngs cld hv bn wrs. All vowels could have been completely left off the new 50. However, pineapples printed displaying ‘‘rspnsblty’’ would still be pineapples. - Col Shephard, Yamba All care but not full responsibility. - Doug Walker, Baulkham Hills To submit a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald, email letters@smh.com.au. Click here for tips on how to submit letters.​