With fires burning all around the homes of our children in Springwood and Winmalee, it was frustrating to lose telephone contact with them at a critical time. These are connected by the wonderful exposed copper wires, so esteemed by Tony Abbott and affected by the fires. Why not mobile? The towers shut down too, affected by the ferocious conditions. All those automated phone warnings put out by the fire service were pointless with no phone service. Similarly, I remember the time when my mother rang for an ambulance during flooding rains, and the copper telephone lines shorted out in a junction box. A dash to another phone further away was too late to save my father. Who wants to bother with necessary communications at a critical time when you can make mean shortcuts to save a few dollars on NBN? Donald Hawes Blayney I'll bet Tony Abbott has his house insured against fire. Just in case - even though the odds against it are very low.

Scientists are overwhelmingly in agreement that we face very serious long-term problems if we don't do something effective against global warming. Repealing the emissions trading scheme is like tearing up our fire insurance policy. Why not keep the policy - just in case? (Who knows? All those scientists might be right.) Phil Papworth Cessnock As a volunteer bushfire fighter, I wonder if the thought crossed Tony Abbott's mind yesterday that the devastating fires here in the Blue Mountains could have easily been in Forestville, where he lives? The bushland surrounding his own suburb could have easily spawned a holocaust similar to what engulfed residential streets in Winmalee and Yellow Rock.

So what would it take for him to recant his ''climate change is crap'' beliefs for a moment and start to consider that not only is it not crap, but it is now actually hitting Australians' homes? If he were staring at the ruins of Forestville, would it finally begin to dawn on him that he has a responsibility to protect Australians, not pander to them? Stephen Ballantine Hazelbrook There was more than opinion that the fires that engulfed NSW on Thursday were the most ferocious and speedy on record. The humidity was less than 10. Temperature records are constantly being broken.

Surely by now it must be obvious that climate change is driving increasingly scary events. But no, the unrelentingly insane quest goes on to get rid of the carbon tax, the one and only way of getting off fossil fuels that are definitely contributing to the fastest atmospheric carbon increase in the history of the planet. We must ask if we love our children and grandchildren, because the type of fires we saw this week will soon become the norm. Julius Timmerman Lawson Now and then I receive phone calls from the Rural Fire Service begging for money. Why isn't the RFS funded adequately by the government to do its vital work?

Neil Radford Balmain East Neglect and ignorance will cause a catastrophe ''One thing I won't miss about working is the restructures.'' So said Steve Horsley, retiring Tumut District manager of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, in The Tumut and Adelong Times and Batlow District News last month. My local friend Jim gave his view of Mr Horsley's comments. It means that the constant staff cuts to the NPWS (and forestry) had worn this public servant down and he'd had enough of trying to manage the impossible. Jim's views were not alone. Two weeks ago I was in Tumut to walk the Hume and Hovell track to Talbingo. I spoke to National Parks staff who were scathing at the loss of jobs and inability to manage the parks, and it was clear state forests were having similar resourcing issues, because as it happens we mostly walked through state forest and it was a mass of weeds, particularly blackberries. Locals told me they too are suffering a chronic lack of resources.

No doubt these areas are in danger of catastrophic fire, too, but the message is clear wherever we are. The global failure to tackle climate change allied with inappropriate development and a long-term failure to fund proper management of our beautiful bush will make days like Thursday more and more commonplace. Blame is not sufficient, and we must act now. Colin Hesse Marrickville Otherwise agile MPs trip over their own greed in claim haste It takes the skills of a circus performer to be like those MPs who can spin a yarn, pull the wool over our eyes and lead us up the garden path, all the time with hand on heart, while putting in their expenses claims (''AFP called on to look into Abbott, Brandis wedding cost claims'', October 18). But all that verbal gymnastics, that sleight of hand ultimately gets exposed as simple greed and arrogance. Joan Brown Orange

For a man who would like Australians to think he held the highest moral values, we find the leader of the country is not in a position to take the high moral ground and sort out the rorting of entitlements because he has been one of the main players putting his hand in the public purse. Any credibility the man had must be now questioned together with his suitability to lead the country. From here on in, one would hope that we are not subject to his moralising because he lost any credibility he may have had. Dallas Fraser Mudgeeraba (Qld) Oh come on, everybody, get real and stop being ignorant of the rules. It's the Liberals who call the shots and decide what is right and wrong - not Labor. It's perfectly OK for the Liberals to do what is a mortal sin by Labor because the Liberals are good Christian folk working in the public's interest, and Labor is just a bunch of hopeless unionists in Parliament to further their un-godly drag on the public purse. Now shut up and go listen to 2GB. Richard Lynch Waterloo ''Who can we trust'', Mr Abbott?

Joan Croll Drummoyne Can we suggest ''abbotticals'' for those little trips involving travel, ''work'' and ''study'' that are in the news. Similar in concept to sabbaticals but with very much looser definitions of those components - and, hopefully, claimable?. Colin Booth Narrabeen Acting as expected Mark Kenny is right to view the Prime Minister's reluctance to address the issue of MPs' expenses claims disapprovingly (''How quickly self-interest replaces election promises'', October 18). However, a government that promises the electorate at large its ''30 pieces of silver'', by way of a repeal of the carbon price, is perhaps being consistent, if somewhat sort-sighted.

Gerard English Waverton Deduct or repay? Case for the ATO I wonder if Don Randall claimed the travel costs to Cairns to inspect his investment property as a tax deduction (Letters, October 18). It is an acceptable deduction, so I hope the Tax Office takes a look. When he received recompense from the taxpayer, he would then not be able to claim the expense on his tax return. Jim Hamilton Kirrawee Don Randall is quoted as saying he intends to reimburse the taxpayer in part to ''alleviate any ambiguity''. What ambiguity?

Paul Tenison Eastwood Sacking PM a right Matthew Franklin's article focuses our attention on a core political issue (''Kevin Rudd: Labor needs to shut up, grow up and move on'', October 18). He claims that ''voters elected him'' (Rudd) prime minister in 2007. Yes, but only the people of Griffith voted for him personally. Everybody else voted for their local representative. This is unlike the US system where the president is elected by the whole population. The Australian system makes the executive arm of government - the prime minister in cabinet - answerable to the legislative arm: the House of Representatives. That's why the prime minister is elected by the members of the lower house of Parliament. In the US, the president is completely separate from the legislative body. This means a ''bad'' president cannot be removed. I suspect many Republicans would have liked to have had a mechanism to change their president when ''W'' was so clearly out of his depth. I think it is time for all Australians to ''grow up'' and recognise the benefits of our system, which enables a ''bad leader'', on either side of politics, to be removed by our elected representatives.

Brenton White Mosman Labor take heed, Parker puts it best For all those discontents out there using rude words to describe Kevin Rudd (''Labor's problems wider than Rudd'', October 18), here's some belated advice from the American writer and satirist Dorothy Parker: ''Don't put all your eggs in one bastard''. Alicia Dawson Balmain I am very puzzled about the reaction to Nicola Roxon's speech about Kevin Rudd as I have lived in Australia for over 30 years and had always understood that calling someone a ''bastard'' could be considered a term of endearment, and not necessarily one of abuse.

And after all, didn't Bill Woodfull reputedly react to Douglas Jardine's objection to one of his bowlers being called a bastard by asking his team, ''Which one of you bastards called this bastard's bowler a bastard?'' Harvey Sanders Paddington Crossin has a point Many Australians would agree Trish Crossin was treated poorly (''Crossin prides herself on keeping silent over Gillard'', October 18). And Crossin's not alone thinking that Kevin Rudd was a competent Prime Minister - there are a lot of us who agree with her including at least one of the world's four most influential economists, Joseph Stiglitz, who considered Rudd's handling of the financial crisis second to none. George Finlay Balaclava

Sydney owes a debt Lin Utzon is such a gracious lady (''The house that changed a nation'', October 18). She describes the short time in Australia with her father and his, and now her own understanding of the unique beauty of the Australia, with an amazing depth. The isolation that its relatively newly arrived English inhabitants felt, the longing to tame its wildness and make it more like ''home''. With this came J.J. Cahill's initiative ''to give this country culture'' and hence the Utzon-designed Opera House. And it has achieved its purpose. Sydneysiders, and perhaps all Australians, proudly identify with this amazing building, its soaring sails and majestic position, as part of our heritage. It is now recognised how badly her father was treated; as a brilliant architect it must have been soul destroying to be unable to complete his creation. However, there is no malice in Lin Utzon's article, just the joy and understanding of what true artistic creation can bring to a nation. We thank you, Jorn Utzon. Christina Foo Wahroonga FitzSimons one-eyed

As a baby boomer, I find Peter FitzSimons' analysis of Gen Y sports people nonsensical and selective (Letters, October 18). Unfortunately, FitzSimons has become part of the rose coloured glasses brigade. By way of example he selectively ignores Dawn Fraser's idiotic removal of the Emperor's flag at the Tokyo Olympics and the Johnny Raper bowler hat caper in the 1960s. Let's not mention Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh backing England in a test in the 1980s while they were playing them, let alone Shane Warne and Mark Waugh providing information to Indian bookmakers in the '90s.The list goes on and on. Paul Murphy Paddington Health campaign win As a signatory of the petition, I was deeply moved by an email sent to those thousands who signed it from a very grateful Nicole Perko (''Sick mother delighted as second hospital takes on surgery,'' October 18). Her heartfelt gratitude was humbling. Sam McCauley, of Dubbo High School, your initiative in starting this petition, that has moved the state government into action, was absolutely amazing. You are a wonderful young man. John Cotterill Kingsford

A proven leader Despite Matt Pralija's claim (Letters, October 18) that Tony Abbott won more seats than Julia Gillard in the 2010 election (in fact it was a dead heat, with 72 seats each), isn't the fact that Gillard outflanked Abbott in successfully negotiating a full-term government testament to her superior skills as a collaborative and inclusive leader? As for the issue of surrendering, I distinctly remember the market value of Abbott's backside being a key determinant in the negotiations. Tim Peters Macquarie Park Athletes party on

When are our professional athletes going to learn that being out and about in the early hours while in a team representing their country is just not on (''Kangaroo robbed on first night in England'', smh.com. au, October 18). What was Josh Papalii doing out and about in the early hours? What was the team manager doing? How many other team members were also out and about? John Munro Toowoomba (Qld) Smoking hot idea I look forward to the day when a smoker (licensed) will not be allowed to buy a new pack of 20 cigarettes without returning a recyclable container showing 20 butts inside (Letters, October 18). Big Tobacco would have to provide the butt containers and disposal system for the poisonous butts. Margaret Hogge, President, Non-Smokers' Movement of Australia Inc., Haymarket

Best and the rest It is a truth universally acknowledged by Herald letter writers that many of their best efforts are unpublished, and fellow letter writers will know this from bitter experience. I've just read Pardon Me for Mentioning …, which supports this contention. There are gems in the book that must have missed the cut for one of the ''non-merit'' reasons given by the editors of the collection, i.e. that the letters were too late, too vulgar or that the writers had exceeded their publication quota. The editors have produced an entertaining mix and some of the resurrected letters are rather more saucy than we normally see in the paper. Perhaps there is a place for regular collections of this kind. The books could provide a second chance for the unpublished, similar to the Salon des Refuses for unhung Archibald and Wynne prize entries. James Moore Kingsgrove

So much space, so few sports facilities Elizabeth Elenius (Letters, October 18) is spot on. The massive Mirvac development at Harold Park, where a hockey field was promised and reneged on long ago, will have no new team-sport facilities. Instead, it has a generous amount of open space, despite the large Bicentennial Park nearby. Great for adults and dog walkers, nothing for team sports. Councils are good at maintaining existing sports facilities , but it is almost impossible to get new ones in the inner west. Glebe Hockey Club has been trying since 1986 to find a space for its hundreds of players. I am sure all other team sports have been through similar experiences. No wonder Australian sport is in decline. The grassroots are dying. Mick Tapsell Glebe Not so equal after all What a marvellous heckle against Sydney's sweet-scented, bespoke-suited, veneer-toothed, white-collar ''workers'' (''Show our tradies a little respect!'', Heckler, smh.com.au, October 18). I had no idea this was going on in our land of apparently faux ''egalitarianism''.

Ailie Bruins Hornsby Heard and unheard If Helen Pinnock (Letters, October 18) doesn't like people ''yabbering'' on public transport, she should stay off it. Talking on a mobile phone is akin to two people sitting there and having a conversation. Just because you aren't privy to the entire two-sided conversation when you eavesdrop on someone having a conversation on a mobile phone doesn't mean it should be banned or frowned upon. I hope Helen doesn't talk to her travelling partner if she happens to take public transport with a friend, because their ''yabbering'' might annoy the other passengers. Robert Hopkins Redfern

Saved by the shriek A bike bell would certainly be an asset in warning pedestrians (Letters, October 18). But a shriek works just as well. I rode a bike for the first time in nearly 50 years in a park in France, and forgot the bike had a bell. Margaret Grove Abbotsford Postscript Letters editors rarely make the news. This month the Los Angeles Times letters editor, Paul Thornton, did just that with a story on letters from climate-change deniers. He said he would not print letters that asserted "there is no sign humans have caused climate change" because "it was not stating an opinion, it's asserting a factual inaccuracy". This attracted headlines declaring "Los Angeles Times riles climate-change sceptics by banning letters". Unsurprisingly, we've been asked how we treat letters from climate change deniers.

Herald editor-in-chief Darren Goodsir recently reiterated the paper's stance on global warming. "The Herald believes unequivocally in human-induced climate change," he told an audience at David Suzuki's City Talk. "It is an established fact. What we are much more interested in is not the sideshow over whether this phenomenon exists or not, but on how it should be tackled." We do not ban writers whose views suggest they are climate change deniers or sceptics. We consider their letters and arguments. But we believe the argument over whether climate change is happening and whether it is man-made has been thrashed out extensively by leading scientists and on our pages and that the main debate now is about its effects, severity, and what society does about it. Climate change deniers or sceptics are free to express opinions and political views on our page but not to misrepresent facts. This applies to all our contributors on any subject. On that basis, a letter that says, "there is no sign humans have caused climate change" would not make the grade for our page. Julie Lewis, Marc McEvoy Letters co-editors