The 61-year-old was bashed by his enraged, drug-addicted stepson who had visited the family home, in all probability to "borrow" money from his mother. This man will now walk free after seven years. The sentence is alarming for two reasons.

Evidence indicated the deceased was hit several times – hard enough to break his jaw, and almost dislodging the cheekbone. Justice Murrell saw fit to adopt the prosecution's inapt categorisation of this assault as an attempt to do serious harm, rather than the more extreme act of reckless homicide. This is inadequate.

When someone assaults an older person, the law must set a lower threshold of recklessness. There needs to be a shift in judicial spirit towards that which now underpins responses to offences against children.

Anything less is unacceptable. Secondly, Justice Murrell's assessment of the criminality involved in the bashing is unsatisfactory.

Despite an established behaviour pattern of "borrowing" by the accused, Justice Murrell chose to focus on the fact that his theft of $53,000 did not occur until some hours after the bashing, as if financial motives had played no part in the assault.

This is an unpersuasive construction that certainly supports a softer outcome for the accused. Regrettably, there was no such outcome for Neal Wilkinson, who reportedly feared that his stepson might one day kill him.

Paul Feldman, Macquarie

Mike Taverner (Letters, August 29) is absolutely right: the Canberra Writers Festival was fantastic. The authors, sessions and the venues were outstanding, and the festival made the most of what Canberra has to offer.

But the real key to the festival's success was the energy, enthusiasm and engagement of the Canberra audiences.

The Chief Minister's announcement when introducing the Canadian novelist Yann Martel at Llewellyn Hall on Friday evening that there would be recurrent funding of $125,000 for each of the next three years enables the festival to continue, and encourages even greater participation by the Canberra and regional communities.

We will again be working with the Melbourne Writers Festival organisers to deliver an even better event from August 25 to 27 2017. Get the dates into your diaries, and tell your family and friends to come to Canberra for the weekend.

Allan Behm, chairman, Canberra Writers Festival Board

I recently posted a question on the Canberra Liberals' Facebook page about light rail, only to find that my question had been removed and I had been blocked.

My question was genuinely polite, respectful and not critical of the Liberals. Has this type of thing happened to anyone else out there? I have had better experiences with other parties when posting questions on their pages. I feel very frustrated.

Leigh Cox, Phillip

By labelling gay marriage as "a trendy lifestyle choice", L. Barnard (Letters, August 31) reveals two things; that he/she knows no one who is LGBTI and has little imagination.

First, if he personally knew someone who was LGBTI he would realise that like everyone else on this planet, people who are LGBTI are not in control of their gender orientation, so it is not a "lifestyle choice" to be LGBTI.

It's a realisation that you are in the minority, that life is going to be harder for you than for many, that you won't have the same freedoms, and that you will most likely face discrimination, hostility and bullying backed up by social institutions. Would you choose that, if you had a choice?

Second, if L. Barnard could imagine that he were part of a minority group, prohibited from an activity by a majority whose only real reason for the prohibition is "This is the way we have always done things, so this is moral, normal and right", would he not realise the unfairness of that logic?

If society had accepted that sort of reasoning, most of us would still be serfs, we would believe slavery, torture and capital punishment were fair, that we could buy our way to heaven, that people of other races were inferior and women clearly inferior to men.

Fortunately for all of us, society has moved on, usually because small vocal minorities stood up and made a noise. We all need to stand up and make a noise to help overcome injustice.

Chris Kain, O'Connor

It may seem to Chief Minister Andrew Barr that it is an issue of principle to commit $100,000 to fund the Safe Schools Coalition program ("$100,00 for Safe Schools an issue of principle: Barr", August 27, p4). He claims that changes to this program by the federal government earlier this year render the program ineffective.

While some who do not know the program for years 7 and 8 might think that it is just about helping LGBTI students feel more comfortable at school, a closer examination shows that it promotes alternative sexualities, and student rights over parental rights.

Schools can effectively oppose bullying of all kinds without this program. Kids can continue to access confidential help with gender and sexuality issues without this classroom program. To impose it on schools without consultation with parents, I suggest, means a more authoritarian, less free society.

Arthur Connor, Weston

The unedifying gladiatorial contest of Parliament has resumed. Our elected representatives are not there to do battle, but, collectively, to lead and govern the nation on behalf of us all. Not to rule or command. Not to promote only their own ideologies. We elected an Australian government; not a Turnbull or a Coalition government.

It should be accountable to the whole Parliament, not vice versa. The word "minister" has sufficient vertical pronouns; adult government requires more inclusion and less hubris.

Election policies are relevant, but are not licence for a slim majority simply to impose them on the large minority. Assertion of "mandate" is a poor approach to governance. We deserve a civilised contest of ideas in the national interest, not continual jousting for imagined narrow shallow partisan advantage and point-scoring without substance. Issues need to be argued on their merits not their antecedents.

Compromise is not weakness. Above all, the government needs to understand that the margin of its small majority is not because it was excessively mean to rich superannuants; nor because it was insufficiently right wing, nor because it was not mean enough to society's disadvantaged.

Mike Hutchinson, Reid

The Treasurer is rightly concerned about fiscal responsibility. Can he tell us what government programs will not be funded or what services will not be provided in order to pay for a plebiscite that some government members have promised to ignore if it doesn't go their way?

And what programs have not been funded or services not been provided in order to pay for Australia's shameful system of offshore concentration camps for desperate people fleeing death?

Janelle Caiger, Stirling

Yet another major government IT system is not working as it should ("Disabled hard hit by new payments system collapse", Comment, August 30, p19). While I'm not aware of the specifics of why the NDIS system is not working, I am aware of why other systems have failed. When bureaucrats soberly and methodically work out how much time is required to build a system, they are rarely given the time needed to do the task properly.

So, if their best estimate is that it will require (say) two years, the political masters will dictate that they have only (say) 18 months to get the job done. Similarly, if the bureaucrats calculate, as best they can, the resources required to build a system, they are not given the resources needed.

So, if their best estimate is that it will require $X, the bean counters will dictate that they have (say) three-quarters of $X to get the job done.

There are, of course, many other factors influencing the success or failure of major IT builds. However, I think it is a given, that the bureaucracy is never given the time or the resources to do the job properly.

Gordon Fyfe, Kambah

So the Australia Day Party has been cancelled. It should never have been. On January 26, 1789, Governor Philip declared the day "Anniversary Day" to acknowledge a year's survival in the new but old land. Time banished its relevance. World War II strengthened our national pride but without intelligent, thoughtful consideration the date was renewed as Australia Day. Since then, every year the original occupants have suffered a knife turned in an old wound.

Also what relevance has that day for the millions of people who have migrated and chosen to become Australians?

This celebration should not reflect any historical, political or person power. It's Australia's Day. Our wild, ubiquitous and glorious national flower (the wattle) bursts into brilliance after the gloom of winter. It is a symbol of hope, lightens our land and lifts our spirits.

"Wattle Day", the first day of spring is surely the day for celebration.

Allison Waterhouse, Deakin

The world was shocked when the BBC ran the big story on August 5 that the Gaza boss of World Vision, Mohammed el-Halabi, had diverted "$7.2million cash to Hamas". In the wake of the accusations, Julie Bishop said Australia was suspending funding to World Vision until investigations into the matter were complete. Why the instant reaction?

Shouldn't Halabi and World Vision be presumed innocent until the charges can be properly tested in court? Halabi was held without charge and access to a lawyer for 25 days by Shin Bet, and may be tried in secret. Is that due process? If not, why did Julie Bishop act so hastily?

Rhys Stanley, via Hall, NSW

The Coalition government wants to continue its attack on Australia's science and technology. One thing we can be certain of is that renewable energy is going to be in massive demand in the future. With our levels of knowledge and competence we could be in the position of supplying its technology to the rest of the world.

So how can it be a priority to defund our renewable energy research and development, rather than to wind back the unsustainable tax concessions put in place by the Howard government? Instead of supplying the world we will have to buy everything – but because we've shut down or sold off all our industry we'll have no income to buy it.

Warwick Budd, Nicholls

Judy Aulich (Letters, September 1) prefers a scientific definition of medicine. But a May 2016 article in BMJ reports that medical error is the third leading cause of death in the US after heart disease and cancer. Given the founding dictum "First, do no harm", this raises significant concerns about what is going on, given Judy's criterion for medicine as what's "been scientifically proven to work".

Murray May, Cook

The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer, families are breaking up, drug taking and domestic violence are on the rise, Aborigines are becoming even more marginalised and unhealthy etc. etc. yet Bill Shorten is focusing all his efforts on trashing traditional marriage.

John Popplewell, Hackett

SIGN OF TIMES?

Has anyone noticed that the Honours Secretariat, once located in the apolitical office of the Governor-General, seems to have moved recently to the Prime Minister's Department. Does that mean that political considerations will now be key factors in determining which worthy Australians ought receive an Order of Australia?

T.W. Campbell, Bruce

DASTYARI DEAL

If I were a rich donor, Chinese or not, and prepared to pay off Senator Sam Dastyari's expenses ("Pressure builds on Dastyari", September 1, p6) my preference would be that the recipient chooses to repay me – as well as donating to charity. I guess that is why I am not rich.

Greg Simmons, Lyons

CUTTING COSTS

Malcolm Turnbull is trying hard to find ways to cut expenditure. Any housewife knows the best way to save is not to spend. So why have a costly plebiscite?

Glenys Hammer, Narrabundah

When announcing the election earlier this year, Malcolm Turnbull said "We do have ample time between then and the end of the year so I would expect it [the plebiscite] to be held this calendar year." Now he's decided to hold it next year. Which part of the word "commitment" does he fail to grasp?

John Clarke, Pearce

MAKING A POINT

Ingrid Ross (Letters, August 30) asks what has our society come to with the charging of Kerry Mellor for praying silently. The answer is, our society has reached a point where it is no longer OK to harass women seeking legal medical treatment. Nobody is stopping the right to prayer or protest, be it silent or otherwise, the law just stops people being arseholes about it.

Warwick Bradly, Weston

FINDING ANSWERS

I was amused by Arthur Connor's comment (Letters, August 30) that it was not for the church to decide scientific questions. It reminded me of some of my students' comments who once said they had no trouble with the questions, just the answers.

Greg Jackson, Kambah

FORGIVENESS YES, BUT

I refer to the article "Mother told daughter to forgive her father" (August 31, p9). I am a Christian, and I believe we must always forgive. But when the matter involves crime, it must also be reported. Forgiveness in the sight of God and not suffering civil punishment for crime are not the same thing.

Andrew Short, O'Connor

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