It is incredibly comforting to hear the new federal government is reviving evidence-based planning and analysis after a decade of the Coalition’s damaging populist whims. When politicians and business leaders are finally confronted with the true dollar value of losses incurred because of climate change, surely then government will make better decisions for all Australians rather than just the rich and powerful. Barry Laing, Castle Cove

Good on Albanese for visiting flood-affected communities and making the link between climate change and extreme weather (“Inaction on climate change ‘brought about flooding catastrophe’”, July 7). The next step is to put words into action. It’s time federal Labor stopped subsidising the fossil fuel industry and said no to new coal and gas projects. Alison Orme, Marrickville

No shortage of wisdom about homes built on flood plains (“Let’s stop building for certain disaster”, July 7). But little about the fundamental driver of this and every other current environmental stress: bipartisan support of the lazy Ponzi scheme of deliberate population growth to boost GDP. Jeffrey Mellefont, Coogee

Our house was flooded in the Windsor 1961 flood; the second biggest flood on record in that area. After that the government drew a contour line to represent the level of a once-in-a-hundred-year flood and indicated strongly that no new houses should be built below that line. Since that time more than 100,000 houses have been built on the Hawkesbury-Nepean flood plain below that line. When will councils take responsibility for approving buildings in that zone? Laurie Dicker, Forest Glen

I grew up on the floodplain that is Maitland in the 1940s and 1950s. Floods were regular. After each flood there was an exodus of wooden houses lifted and moved to higher ground. It was a regular occurrence for the school bus to wait while a house trundled along before us. We were entertained by the man on the roof deflecting the power lines with a pole. Mark Porter, New Lambton

Church must move with times

The failure of motions concerning the promotion of women’s place in the Catholic Church is a sad indicator of how out of touch a rump of bishops – just over one-third – are from the needs and aspirations of their people (“Push to elevate women fails”, July 7). This group, hiding behind the anonymity of the vote, have proved themselves devoid of vision for the Church’s needs. They are frail, stale, pale and male, not at all representative of the church they lead. Neil Ormerod, Kingsgrove

I must be the most cynical, exhausted, disillusioned and questioning Catholic. My faith is at rock bottom. The plenary council’s result was a fait accompli from the outset. Bishops are not interested in the role women can play in the church. It is exceptionally cruel that so much mental, physical and emotional energy has been expended by many participants in parishes across Sydney over the last two years, to now only have their hopes dashed. But what else was to be expected? Bernadette Scadden, Earlwood

A thank you

Bernard Collaery deserves an OA for courage and morality. This letter is to thank him (“Bernard Collaery’s charges over East Timor operation dropped”, smh.com.au, July 7). Patricia Richardson, Paddington

Downing and out

If former UK prime minister Theresa May wasn’t the gracious person she is, she would be sitting in the stalls watching the Johnson circus with all the pleasure and wide-eyed mirth of a youngster (“The only way is down”, July 7). Julie Robinson, Cardiff

Hidden cost of war

Your explainer (“War in Ukraine wreaks toll on those thousands of miles away”, July 7) is a sobering read and makes it clear that after the Pacific, Australia must step up in Africa. It’s the world’s poor living in countries least responsible for climate change who are most affected. On top of this, the war in Ukraine has seriously depleted grain imports to these countries at a time when they need it most. Rather than wait for famine to hit, Australia must increase foreign aid from a measly 0.2 per cent of gross national income closer to the estimated 0.7 per cent UN target needed to achieve the sustainable development goals. We must also move quickly to donate excess grain from our recent and future bumper crops. Feeding grain to cattle must cease. Penny Wong has started well but there is much ground to make up. Ray Peck, Hawthorn (Vic)

Riding high

While Nick Kyrgios grabs the headlines, a quiet Australian has achieved a legendary win at the Tour de France (“‘Be cold as you can’: Tearful Australian wins stage five of Tour de France”, smh.com.au, July 7). Simon Clarke’s success across the demanding Arenberg cobbles was the type of story that reminds us why we love sport and the special character that it takes to win against the odds. Philip Cooney, Wentworth Falls

Undue credits

For thousands of years we’ve enjoyed shows without being told before it starts who worked out how to get everyone on and off stage without bumping into the furniture (“To skip or not to skip? The great debate over TV show opening credits”, smh.com.au, July 6). If we really want to know who made all the lovely frocks, we bought a program. I’ve never understood why the vainglorious spoiled brat that is the film and television industry demands we must know who sent all the emails to make it happen before we can consume the content, and when we’re done inundate us with the names of everyone who hammered in a nail or paid a bill. Thank goodness for the “skip intro” button, or as I like to call it, the “tell someone who cares” button. If I really want to know who made the tea during rehearsal, I’ll google it. Peter Fyfe, Enmore

In remembrance

As I sat down to read the Herald online this morning, an unexpected article popped up (“From the archives,1962: Friday just another flight day”, smh.com.au, July 6): the long-forgotten story of an Alitalia flight from Sydney to Rome that ended in tragedy when the plane crashed outside Mumbai killing everyone on board.

Your reporter of the time was at Sydney airport when the plane departed, and told of the passengers he observed and spoke with as they boarded that ill-fated flight – a young family excited about their first overseas trip, a distraught young woman lingering for a last glimpse of her boyfriend before boarding, the child travelling unaccompanied to meet her parents in Rome.

There was another man on the plane that day. He wasn’t interviewed by your reporter and I’m not sure if his family were on the observation deck to wave him goodbye. If they had been, you would have seen a harried young mother in her 30s, juggling four small girls, the youngest only two months old. That woman was my mother.

I often forget this day. We were all so little and while our lives would be indelibly impacted by this event, I don’t actually remember it, nor the days and months that followed.

Today, I remembered. Thank you for remembering too. Francesca Hynes, Elizabeth Bay

Driven to distraction

All the fuss about restricting local speed limits to 30km/h overlooks the obvious reality. Metropolitan Sydney merely has to follow the example of Sydney’s eastern suburbs, which has become a leader in speed control (Letters, July 7). A short drive here will convince everyone that there is no need for further action. The potholes are becoming much more frequent, deeper and wider, especially after recent heavy rains. Anyone driving over 30km/h is at extreme risk of incurring extensive damage to their vehicle. The local authorities whose responsibility it is to fix the roads are very slack in their response, and I congratulate them on dealing with the speed control issue in an intelligent and effective way. They have found the ultimate solution: do nothing. Robert Sharpe, Darling Point

Herald or high water

To add more; during these latest floods, having no power for days, the only thing keeping my sanity in check is reading the Herald in bed on the iPad (Letters, July 7). Dorothy Gliksman, Cedar Brush Creek

Ship, ship hooray!

Well done Brad, Marius, Alex and the mighty Diamantina – what a team (“Between rocks and dangerous race”, July 7). Those smiles tell it all: top people, top story. Sincere thanks from all of us. Kath Maher, Lidcombe

So delighted the tugboat heroes saved us from an oil disaster. They put their lives at risk; all involved deserve recognition from the premier. What uplifting news in current tragic circumstances. Susan Chan, St Ives

PM with presence

Anthony Albanese has indeed turned up (“Prime minister faces oldest test of leadership and turns up when there’s an emergency”, July 7). In six weeks he has turned his attention, and presence, to the most pressing issues on the local and international stages. He is a dynamo compared with the stagnancy of previous years. Sally Spurr, Lane Cove

What gets up the nose of most Coalition supporters is not that Albanese has spent the early days of his prime ministership engaging with his international counterparts – of course, he should – but that when Scott Morrison did likewise or took time off for a well-earned break with his family the then opposition was relentless in hounding him for neglecting his domestic duties. With apologies for the mixaphor, now that the shoe is on the other foot, what’s good for the goose should be good the gander. George Fishman, Vaucluse

The digital view