The surging demand for Sydney trains simply reflects their massively subsidised low fares. With all NSW taxpayers footing an annual subsidy nearing $2 billion, fares only recoup a small proportion of operating costs. And this is before completion of new lines costing more than $30 billion. Retention of the current fare levels would then hike the annual subsidy to astronomical levels – at which time our state government would likely privatise Sydney Trains and allow the new operator the monopoly to price gouge, as happens at Sydney Airport. Returning fares to break-even levels over time would pressure commuters to live closer to their work or schools, bring usage levels into line with competing options such as tollways, and provide Sydney Trains with the income required to properly maintain its impressive network.- Michael Britt, MacMasters Beach I'm guessing the people who are canvassing these price hikes haven't seen the inside of public transport for many years. Here's an idea to reduce passenger crowding at peak hours: provide more trains.

Introducing a price hike in Australia's most expensive city will simply drive more people from our overcrowded trains to our overcrowded roads. - Penny Auburn, Newport There are at least two ways to reduce the peak-hour crush on trains. The first is for offices and businesses to change their working hours, either permanently or in rotation where some start work later than others. The second is to run trains more frequently. Statistics must exist that indicate the number of passengers exiting which trains from which lines at which time of the day. This would give an indication as to which businesses should be targeted for changing staff working times. - Anne Roberts, Leichhardt Folau has a right to air views

I hope the Israel Folau saga does not herald the beginning of the end of democracy in this country ("I couldn't care less what Folau says, but the impact it can have is undeniable", May 3). Gay marriage is legal in this country with the protection of the law, but the right to disagree is absolutely necessary. A few years ago, gay marriage was legalised with 60 per cent of the population voting for it - meaning 40 per cent did not, for whatever reason. Should that 40 per cent be silenced? Personal liberty is the glue that holds a robust democracy together, not repression of points of view. - Roger Cedergreen, South Hurstville The LGBTQI community are not alone in feeling isolated, ridiculed, excluded and friendships curtailed because they are considered "different". Ask many committed Christians how they feel when they've worked in an office and witnessed the behaviour of their fellow colleagues towards them when they refused to condone extra-marital relationships, greed, fornication, dishonesty.

Or what about the person converted to Christianity from another faith who has been disinherited and disowned? Christians are quite familiar with suffering for the sake of their beliefs. The treatment of Folau is just another example of what has been happening to Christians for 2000 years. - Nan Howard, Camden To see the Bible as historical evidence puts a different meaning onto "historical" and "evidence" than is customary (Letters, May 3). Your correspondent may be skilled in beliefs, faith, values and Biblical content, but his knowledge of contract law, which is the issue at hand, may be lacking. - Ian Muldoon, Coffs Harbour The reverend references my favourite oxymoron: biblical evidence. - Peter Moran, Oak Flats Electorate exile

I first read Brian Pearn's article with smugness – I am, after all, living east of the shire's great dividing line ("A dire Shire: seat of PM's power goes a bridge too far", May 3). But then I realised that Yowie Bay is right next to Gymea Bay, which makes me a western citizen of Cook: maybe we will be exiled in the next redistribution? But don't despair, Brian. Our PM travels west over that cruel border to the shire's real heart of Sutherland to participate in his church service every Sunday. You haven't been totally exiled from cultural wholeness. - Leanne Jarvis, Yowie Bay Brian Pearns is not the only one with reason to gripe over electoral boundaries. The seat of Warringah, heart of the insular peninsular, has spread its tentacles across the Spit Bridge and now has a stranglehold on Mosman. Not only does the area have to endure the hordes of Warringahite motorists clogging its roads, but it has to suffer the indignity of being identified as the same as its lead-footed invaders. - Graham Short, Cremorne I'm a voter in Scott Morrison's seat of Cook. He will more than likely be returned on May 18. My concern is how long will it be before we face a byelection, if the ALP wins government? I can't see Morrison enjoying the next few years on the opposition benches. What's his plan B? - Barry Ffrench, Cronulla

Social media outs the bad apples How fascinating that election candidates are dropping like flies after evidence of their racist, sexist and homophobic views are found on social media ("Labor set to disendorse controversial candidate over offensive remarks", smh.com.au, May 3). This is a warning to people that what they post on social media will be there to haunt them for years to come. We always thought it may affect future job prospects and now we see it in action. - Pauline Paton, Centennial Park If any young person has aspirations to serve Australia as a parliamentary representative in future years they probably should have nothing to do with social media. - Patrick St George, Goulburn In the many years that I have been a voter, I have never seen a greater mess than that which has appeared in the current election.

The main problem is the number of candidates who have been disendorsed or who are "under suspicion" by their party. The simplest solution is to permit polling booth officials to rule a line through the name of such candidates. This avoids creating wasted votes, that is votes for these people, and will also prevent the significant number of byelections that will almost certainly occur in the next 12 months. It may teach committees who pre-select these candidates to do their research more thoroughly. Many is the time when I have been a polling booth officer who wished that I had had something positive to do in the "quiet times" during voting. - Geoff Lewis, Raglan On another planet

"A new nastiness", Tony Abbott (" 'A new nastiness': Police target offensive posters", May 3)? You cheerfully helped to lower the standards of campaigning when Julia Gillard was prime minister. Reap what you sow. - Sandra Willis, Beecroft And on the third week of the election campaign, Abbott uttered his 11th commandment: Thou shalt love thy neighbour more than thy planet ("Captain calls on powers of persuasion", May 3). That would be the very same planet that supplies the air we breathe and sustains all living things. - Renata Bali, Thurgoona Saving the planet or saving Warringah: it sounds like the arguments 200 years ago by those who opposed abolishing slavery. It would cost jobs on the docks and in the cotton mills – economic madness. Morality eventually prevailed that time. - Susan Braham, Greenwich

Abbott is quoted as saying "we subcontract too much out to experts already. Do we want experts to tell us what kind of cars to drive … how big our cattle herds should be?". Clearly Abbott is not relying on any experts for his views on climate change. So what are his views based on? His gut feeling? - Anthony Drysdale, Bowral Win-win for childcare Quite apart from the fact that long-time-coming pay increases for childcare workers are well deserved they are also pivotal in obtaining the best for our children ("Childcare wages pledge would cost budget $1.6b", May 2). The best childcare workers use early educational practices and early intervention strategies which help reduce longer-term problems. A win on all counts. - Janice Creenaune, Austinmer

Putting aid first Michael Fullilove points to stark differences in Labor and the Coalition's policy on aid ("A world of difference goes unnoticed", May 3) . Since coming to government, the Coalition's cumulative cuts to aid after inflation currently stand at 27 per cent with more cuts to come should they be returned to government. This is despite the "debt and deficit'' rationale for the cuts now being replaced by a promised budget surplus. It's worth noting that this year's budget also included cuts to some of the best performing DFAT programs in countries such as Indonesia, Bangladesh and Cambodia. Whilst a dollar increase has not been explicit, the 2018 ALP National Conference committed to increasing Australia's official development assistance as a percentage of Gross National Income every year that they are in office starting with their first budget, with stronger investment in their key priority areas of health, education, climate change, gender and infrastructure.

Aid may not be a vote winner in this election, but given Australia is currently swimming against a tide of most donor countries increasing their generosity, the potential long-term reputational and practical impacts of continued cuts to aid should not be ignored. - Maree Nutt, Newport Reasoned thinking The statement "this is a free country" is frequently quoted by all and sundry, so why should voters not be free to prepoll vote when it suits them (Letters, May 3)? Standing in a long queue on polling day, especially if very hot or pouring with rain does not appeal to everyone. Votes cast prepoll may also be more reasoned and less influenced by the wild promises handed out in the final days of a campaign. - Stephanie Edwards, Roseville

I imagine the Electoral Commission isn't much interested in being "more stringent" about verifying people's claims to be entitled to vote early. And rightly so. Provided people do it on or before polling day, does it really matter when and why? - Adrian Connelly, Springwood Unsung heroes of healthcare We're always hearing that cuts in hospital funding undermine patient care, as in the battle between public hospitals and private health insurers over who should pay for their treatment. But I was fortunate enough to experience the finest of care at Royal North Shore public hospital in Sydney recently when no mention was made of hospital funding issues.

The 40 medical staff's job prescription could have read "need to be superheroes and be on alert to save lives every second". These unsung heroes, including the nurse practitioners, pharmacists, specialists and transplant coordinator, looked after me unbelievably well and I will be grateful to them forever more. - Louise Darmody, Waverton Send Archibald packing David Wenham, a supporter of the Wayside Chapel and all-round decent bloke, is shown in a thoughtful pose in Tessa Mackay's portrait ("More wrinkles please: actor's feedback packs winning punch", May 3). Is he perhaps wondering if the upcoming election will deliver a kinder, gentler society? Probably as slim a chance as a Packing Room Prize winner winning the Archibald. - Joan Brown, Orange

No Packing Room Prize winner has gone on to win the Archibald Prize. Is the reason snobbery? The panel of judges would baulk at voting for an entry that has won the Packing Room Prize. - Kim Woo, Mascot Sanger slang Snags? Sangers? I went to the butchers the other day and asked for half-a-dozen snarlers (Letters, May 3). To no avail: I had to translate. That's what we called sausages in New Zealand - well, back in the day at least. - Paul Hewson, Clontarf Initial misgivings For a change, I felt I had a chance of completing Friday's cryptic crossword when the letters DP appeared in the top right hand corner. Usually, the only clue I can solve is DA - Don't Attempt (Puzzles, May 3). - William Galton, Hurstville Grove

Postscript There's sticking your head in a bear's jaw, and then there's accusing the ABC of bias. Peter Smith's complaint of a "relentless anti-Coalition campaign" by the national broadcaster attracted much furious disagreement, some like-minded assertions, and questions for us here holding the ring. "Why would you publish a letter with such a totally unsubstantiated assertion?" challenged Jeff Siegel, of Armidale. To which we say: since we are canvassing a topic so firmly in the eye of the beholder, we require no more examples from Peter than we would seek from, say, someone attributing bias to an arm of the press owned by a certain US citizen. Not until we get more column space, anyway. Some balance is available to Malcolm Freak's "Coalition bingo" from Rosemary O'Brien: "In four minutes flat, Labor luminaries will mention: climate change, Turnbull's sacking, the big end of town, non-taxpaying multinationals, penalty rates, indulged retirees, Dutton and Abbott, water neglect, hospitals and health, and a huge grant to something worthwhile. They'll religiously steer clear of Adani and Bill's lack of popularity." Stopwatches have now been put away. A loss in the Letters family: "My father James Prior of Sylvania Waters passed away on Tuesday," advised Michael Prior. "He had over 100 articles published in the Herald and The Australian beginning in the 1950s. His articles were generally about forgotten Australian women. He achieved the trifecta with a letter in Good Weekend, the Herald and The Sun-Herald in one weekend. He earned a PhD at 85 and was given the added bonus of an Honorary Column 8 PhD. Many readers will remember his letters as witty and often controversial. I'm sure he will be missed by many." Our condolences, with gratitude.