It’s beyond dispute we need rain to break the drought. We need it even more, though, to halt a John Farnham comeback in its tracks. Please rain. Please ... - Stephen Driscoll, Castle Hill As usual in Australian population discussions, some fret about water availability (Letters, August 13). This likely arises from the ‘‘driest continent’’ factoid. While true, this is but a statistic derived from dividing available water by land area. If, however, one divides available water by population, we rank No.33 out of 180 countries. We have double the water availability of Ireland, five times that of Vietnam and 20 times that of Belgium. (Source: Food and Agriculture Organisation, AQUASTAT data). No worries. We’re water rich. - Brian Haisman, Winmalee Having just returned from seven weeks travelling around the UK, let me offer a different perspective to that of Hartcher on Australia’s population growth. Everywhere in Britain felt crowded and claustrophobic. The roads were clogged, parking difficult and expensive, shops congested and fresh food scarce. There was little place for nature and no wilderness. Hartcher paints green arguments over unsustainable use of resources as a fringe concern and cites the size of the Australian continent relative to our population. But Hartcher omits from his portrayal that Australia is largely an arid continent with old, poor soils. The current drought in NSW and Queensland is not a one-off misfortune, but a natural part of the climate cycle of our continent, an aspect which limits the population size for which food security can be guaranteed.

The contention that lack of infrastructure is the only constraint on a high rate of population growth ignores both ecological realities and quality of life considerations. - Andrew Bullock, Bundagen Coalition doublespeak cruels emissions policy The doublespeak coming from the Neanderthals in the federal Coalition is sickening (‘‘Joyce names his price for support’’, August 13). Even the NEG policy being trumpeted by Minister Josh Frydenberg is designed to handicap any future growth of renewable energy. While we profit from being one of the world’s biggest exporters of coal, Australia is becoming a pariah by not taking action against climate change. - Bruce Spence, Balmain The government has promised a 26 per cent drop in national carbon emissions. To achieve this the NEG may reduce emissions in the energy sector by 26 per cent, but this sector only covers 34 per cent of total emissions, which means the current policy will at best reduce overall carbon emissions by 8 per cent. As this is only about a third of our target could the Coalition explain how this policy apparently meets our international obligations or where the other emissions reductions are going to come from? - Peter Newberry, Randwick They said it again. Liberal backbencher Craig Kelly this time, ‘‘who argues Australia cannot affect the globe’s temperature’’. Where does China get its coal from Craig? - Paul Doyle, Glenbrook

Throughout the negotiations around energy policy, Malcolm Turnbull has declared Coalition policy to be ‘‘technologically agnostic’’, while accusing the ALP of being ideologically addicted to renewables. In yet another backflip, he has now agreed to finance a new coal-fired power station in a desperate attempt to prevent a few Coalition climate-change deniers crossing the floor when the NEG is discussed in the lower house. This man will do anything to hang on to his job. - Richard Edmonds, Balcolyn It still seems amazing that the party led by Turnbull could suddenly remove Abbott as prime minister, then sit back and watch him trying to remain a relevant politician on the backbench. - Mary Julian, Glebe Since the abolition of the carbon tax in 2014, Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions have risen. A carbon fee on fossil fuels as they enter the economy would be simpler and less vulnerable to gaming than Julia Gillard’s carbon tax. As suggested by Lee-Anne Walker (Letters, August 11) the dividend should be returned directly to households, so avoiding government’s tendency to curry favour with voters. The frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather events will increase faster if countries such as ours drag the chain on transforming our economies away from fossil fuels. - George Carrard, Oatley Don't blame troops if things go awry The media sensationalism re allegations of improper conduct by Ben Roberts-Smith is nothing short of utter contempt for those sent to partake in a war in which we ought never to have been involved. Your editorial (‘‘Soldiers deserve a full and open hearing’’, August 12), was merely an attempt to justify those sensationalist headlines, which will undoubtedly bring shame and despair upon those already suffering and cut down a young man who was under extreme pressure.

In war you do what you have to do to stay alive and protect your people. You have to make split-second decisions under shocking circumstances and you have to manage your people to avoid dying in a foreign war that has no bearing on this country. Unsurprisingly, the best training and intentions don’t go to plan and much will go awry under circumstances that most of us will only ever experience through the big screen. Only those who have actively served will know the terror, the pressure, the fear for mates, the impossibility of knowing who is going to befriend you or take your life. If this country doesn’t want things to go awry, don’t send our troops to war and then publicly cut them down for doing what they’ve been sent to do. - Rose Cunningham, Yarravel Mentors for new MPs key Newly elected MPs enter a world unlike any other and most require assistance navigating the labyrinth that is the electoral office with the instant demands of their constituents, the media and their political chiefs (‘‘NSW Labor won’t say if it will investigate Husar leaks’’, August 13). All parties have retired members who could mentor the neophytes in their transition to this new life. Some already do this to the benefit of the individual and to the electorate. - Tony Re, Georges Hall Priorities flawed

Surely an upgrade for Redfern station should have taken priority over stadium upgrades and replacements (‘‘Land sale to fund Redfern station upgrade’’, August 13). If Town Hall and Redfern are the two most vulnerable stations to fire on the rail network, and lifts only service two of the 12 platforms, questions have to be asked of the Berejiklian government’s process for determining priorities. It seems that the developers will win once more. - Sandra Burke, North Sydney The report that land at north Redfern and Eveleigh will be sold to fund the long overdue upgrades at Redfern station is based on politicians’ belief that public land is theirs to do with as they wish and that the only way to provide public infrastructure is through the sale or privatisation of public assets. If the government has a good business case for its building programs, it should present it to the proper investors – the voting public – at the next election, before stripping us of what little public land we have left. - Jennie Morris, Wollongong What, no artist’s impression of the Redfern-Eveleigh redevelopment? Is that because we already know what it will be? A ‘‘vibrant village’’. - Diane Davie, Rose Bay Worth preserving One up for Clover Moore warning us of the icons of Sydney’s 20th century Modernist architecture in jeopardy of redevelopment by Lendlease and a compliant LNP government as in the past (‘‘Important or just ugly? Here’s the brutal truth’’, August 13).

The 20th century was a high point in modern architecture, internationally and in Australia, young architects returned from overseas with their eyes opened to Le Corbusier and Frank Lloyd Wright. All buildings by Harry Seidler (even Blues Point Tower), and Ken Woolley should be preserved. These are just two among many others of the architects that brought Sydney to international architecture standing. Our heritage is important far beyond the transient greed of conservative politicians and their lobbyists. - Charles Jaggers, Castlecrag Brutalist architecture has nothing to do with the word brutal. Its name originates from the French ‘‘beton brut’’ or raw concrete. And condemning buildings (or indeed anything) as ‘‘ugly’’ is pretty bogan. Sadly few see modernist buildings as heritage significant because they are not ‘‘old’’, which is why so many are under threat. Yet Australia’s second (and this state’s first) building to be accorded UNESCO world heritage status, the Sydney Opera House, is only 43-years-old. Can I suggest adding Bidura Children’s Court in Glebe to any compilation of highly significant buildings under threat and on this government’s hit list? - Keith Parsons, Newcastle Note of discord Well may Josh Frydenberg use the Tom Jones defence to justify throwing millions in taxpayer money at his polluting mates (‘‘‘Not unusual’: Minister defends $444m reef grant’’, August 13). Come the next election voters will be singing their rebuttal from the Who, loud and clear: Won’t Get Fooled Again. - Scott Simpson, Moruya Cancer is cancer

Cancer by any other name is cancer (‘‘Push for cancer diagnosis overhaul’’, August 13). To ‘‘downgrade’’ the terminology for ‘‘lesser’’ cancers goes against the fact that, all too often, what appears to be a well-caught, contained cancer spreads. It is an insidious, often unpredictable disease that does not follow any of the rules. Within the space of a month I have lost two very dear friends to this merciless disease which has a mind of its own. - Genevieve Milton, Newtown Reason to opt out Sue Casiglia (Letters, August 13) states we have control over who has access to our health record. As a health worker I would like her to know that I often work in areas where log on and password details are written on Post-it notes and left in clear view. Not so secure. I opted out on day one. - Sue Ryan, Hamilton East Cookie lesson The best lesson I have seen regarding mining (‘‘Alarm bells as big mining firms target schools for recruitment’’, August 13) is the chocolate chip lesson. Children are given a chocolate chip cookie and asked to take out as many chocolate chips as they can and then put the cookie back together without the chocolate chips.

A great lesson, even with care, of how the environment can never get back to its original state after mining. The lesson ends well as the students can then eat the cookie. - Ken Pares, Forster Word to the wise David Astle may like to look up ‘‘bigot’’ before he brandishes it when someone expresses a differing opinion (Wordplay, Spectrum, August 11-12). Using his preferred dictionary’s definition: ‘‘A person who is intolerantly convinced of the rightness of a particular creed, opinion, practice, etc.’’ Let’s compare some comments. Barry Humphries: ‘‘But I don’t think I’m right to pontificate. I’m really an actor.’’ Astle: ‘‘My contempt for his remarks was also the reason I’d pulled the puzzle.’’ Which better fits the definition? - Mal Marshall, Balmain The last straw

Hot concert, thirsty kids, so I buy four bottles of water at Qudos Bank Arena. Cost: $20. The cashier then decants each bottle into a takeaway cup with plastic lid and straw. I complain at this ridiculous waste and cost to the environment but she says it’s company policy. It’s unbelievable that Qudos doesn’t provide drinking water in biodegradable containers that don’t cost the earth. - Joanne Shepherd, Malabar Heady aroma Are the bookshops of Como West unique or does Michael Deeth have olfactory hallucinations (Letters August 13)? Bookshops do not smell, they have an aroma. - Mark Porter, New Lambton