August 26, 2026 — 8:00pm Photo: Megan HerbertTo submit a letter to The Age, email letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and telephone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published.A bright light has gone out with the sad news of the death of one-of-a-kind exemplary musician and humanitarian Dolly Parton. And like many of her adoring fans worldwide, I have my favourite Parton tunes that thrum in my head when they’re played on the radio.Notably, Parton leaves behind more than her formidable legacy of musicianship (and leading by example musical genre crossover for other musicians to follow her path), but what she gave back to her beloved community of humble origin, children (ie reading books) and to marginalised communities (ie LGBQTI and black) through some of the profits she turned with her hits.Not to mention that Parton was one of the early atypical feminist role models in life, as in in fiction (9 to 5), demonstrating that women can be many things and need not ever ″⁣shrink″⁣ themselves to fit in any one prescribed box.Needless to say, many people worldwide will always love Dolly Parton, as do I.Jelena Rosic, MorningtonJoining the great gig in the skyDolly Parton, you were the greatest. The essence of country music is ″⁣the cry in the voice″⁣, and you had it to perfection. Enjoy your reunion with all the other greats in Heaven. What a gig that will be.Robert Scheffer, Bayswater NorthShe was the real thingIn a world of egos and celebrities who are manufactured, Dolly Parton’s authenticity, philanthropy and, more importantly, her music and extraordinary songwriting united everyone.Pam Papadopoulos, South YarraA light has faded in the worldI never thought that I would ever agree with a Donald Trump directive, but I stand corrected. I can certainly get behind his order for the American flag to be lowered across the United States for the next week in honour of Dolly Parton. There is a little less shine in the world now the legendary musician, singer, songwriter, actor, author and philanthropist has left us.Rest in power, Dolly Parton. We shall not see the likes of you again.Caryn Auld, Point CookInspiration for children to readDolly Parton was not just a great singer. She also helped children’s education and inspired millions to read with her book program. What an inspiration.Peta Colebatch, HawthornSuccess is measured in what is given backIt is difficult to think of many people who have combined extraordinary musical talent with such genuine generosity and humanity as Dolly Parton.From humble beginnings, she built a remarkable career, yet fame and fortune have never seemed to diminish her warmth nor her concern for others.Through her philanthropy, most notably her Imagination Library, Parton has helped put books into the hands of millions of children, quietly demonstrating that giving can be every bit as powerful as performing.Her songs have touched generations. 9 to 5 gave working people an anthem with a smile, while Coat of Many Colours offered something far more profound – a reminder that love, dignity and family can be worth more than material wealth.Dolly Parton has given us music, laughter and countless reasons to smile, but perhaps her greatest legacy is the goodness she has spread beyond the stage. In an age when celebrity can too often be measured in wealth, outrage and self-promotion, she reminds us that success is better measured by what we give back.Long may she sing, and long may her generosity inspire us all.Darren Grindrod, GlenroyTHE FORUMSimply, madnessAfter five Sydney Swans players were stood down for the rest of the AFL season, one would have thought that ″⁣mad Monday″⁣ shenanigans would be suitably modified.Unfortunately, it seems that was a false hope. Now there have been Richmond players behaving in a disgraceful way in public, including ″⁣appearing to urinate″⁣ against a fence (″⁣Tigers deny antics referenced Swans″⁣, 26/8).But, hey, they’re footballers, so the commentary will no doubt be along the lines of ″⁣boys will be boys″⁣. Trouble is, they are not boys, they are adults who must know that their actions on this day, would be seen.Columnist Jenna Price (Comment, 26/8) writes it always seems to be women who have to point out bad behaviour, and men who fail to recognise that there is any kind of problem. Sadly, it seems that not much has changed.Ruth Hudspeth, BurwoodNot so wiseThe Richmond Tigers players’ actions on “mad Monday” remind me of Lord Chesterfield’s statement to his son: “Young men are apt to think themselves wise enough; just as drunken men are apt to think themselves sober enough.“Howard Hutchins, WantirnaUnreal v realReported experiences such as “melding”, “embeddedness”, “boundlessness” of people taking hallucinogens such as psilocybin are not new (“What brain does on magic mushrooms”, 26/8). But they should be reminders these types of mind-altering drugs don’t play well in the real world.In the real world, psychological and physical boundaries exist between oneself and other people and other objects and for very good reason.To fail to adhere to the many boundaries that exist can lead to harm (for example, physical such as not keeping to the speed limit when driving a car) or other potential offences (psychological such as various forms of disinhibited behaviours or “boundary violations” in social or intimate settings).So while medical researchers continue to explore potential therapeutic benefits of hallucinogens, their dangers in real world usage should not be minimised at all or overlooked.Dr Larry Hermann, consultant psychiatrist, South YarraWrong housing approachI generally admire Shane Wright’s economic analyses. However, his news article, “Warning slump in house prices will drag on until 2028” (26/8), says everything about what’s wrong with our current approach to housing.Surely, the best thing for correcting the current inequity in access to housing – a basic human right – would be if the current “slump” continued for some time.Perhaps a better headline would be, “Lower house prices to persist until at least 2028”, with an article highlighting the benefits of lower prices for social cohesion to follow. Vivienne Kane, HawthornQueue around the blocI don’t know anyone my age (60+) who would be happy waiting in a long queue to buy something or wait for a restaurant table. This is a generational trait. However, the article, “Brands tap into psychology of queue culture” (24/8), took me back to a very different time and place in communist Hungary when queueing, shortages and black markets were a normal part of life. When visiting, I, too, jumped in queues for who knows what?On one occasion, word had got out that Cuban oranges had arrived in the small country town I was in and so it was queue to buy this rarity or go without.In those days, consumer sovereignty didn’t rule and there wasn’t an abundance of popular, trendy goods, except in the Dollar shops.So, while queueing today is seen as social, fun and on trend by some, back then in Eastern bloc countries, it was one of the few ways (other than black markets) to get necessities and desirable goods in short supply. Queues draw us in, but in a different time and place, for very different reasons.Marg Wilson, BrightonHelp the birds moreAs Cathy Wilcox’s cartoon powerfully demonstrates (25/8), it is distressing to see wild birds and a seal already dead from bird flu (“First mainland mammal dies from bird flu”, 24/8). This virus has devastated wildlife across the globe, wiping out more than 50 per cent of some bird populations and hundreds of thousands of marine mammals.Here in Australia, where BirdLife Australia reports that one in six bird species are threatened, scientists warn that H5N1 could have extinction-level impacts.We have known for years that the H5N1 virus would eventually reach our shores (“Bird flu threat sparks urgent wildlife vaccine push as virus keeps spreading”, 16/8). And our wildlife is already under pressure from habitat destruction and climate change.Could the Albanese government be investing more to give our precious wildlife a fighting chance?Karin Ruff, YanakieRight to protestMelbourne Lord Mayor Nicholas Reece is worried that people aren’t coming into the city because of protest activity (″⁣Lord Mayor says one in three graffiti reports ‘antisemitic’ ″⁣, 25/8) . He is no doubt concerned about lost revenue to business. We need to remember that the protests are peaceful, and, importantly, people have the right to protest in a democracy.And we need to remember the reasons for these protests. The people who turn out to support Palestine are protesting against civilian deaths, crimes against humanity, the deplorable treatment of prisoners and the destruction of homes, olive groves and hospitals. How can we weigh people’s right to shop against the fact that according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, Israeli operations in Gaza have killed 1286 people since the so-called ceasefire began in October last year?Elizabeth O’Connor, Ivanhoe EastChina shows offI fail to grasp the point of the so-called robot humanoid ″⁣Games″⁣ in Beijing other than an opportunity for China to display to the world how incredibly advanced their freaky robots have become.That one of them ran 100 metres faster than Olympic champion Usain Bolt is just China showing-off. Bolt shouldn’t feel badly; he’s still got his gold medals.Nick Toovey, BeaumarisTrade off and loseRoss Gittins explains, in an understandable way, something many of us thought was always suspect (“Labor’s carbon credit scheme fails to stack up”, 26/8). Allowing firms to obtain carbon credits was probably well intentioned, but was always going to be open to self-interested manipulation by business.Similarly, “safeguard mechanisms” which cap emissions of large polluters: If they breach these, they have to buy a “carbon offset” to compensate.What all this means, of course, is that polluting emissions can continue if you have enough wealth to buy credits.This is not a meaningful way to reduce emissions.This trade-off is now even more important to consider, given that we are witnessing firms jostling to build data centres, usually in areas too close to populations (“Environmental watchdog challenges data centre over noise fears”, 26/8). Apart from noise pollution, these centres consume huge amounts of electricity and water. Once again, there are meant to be safeguards, but already citizen rights are being ignored because the Planning Minister, Sonya Kilkenny, makes the ultimate decision without having to take account of bodies such as the Environment Protection Authority. What sort of world are we entering into?Jan Marshall, BrightonObstacle to progressColumnist Ross Gittins’ critique of carbon credit and offset systems is on the money (“Labor’s carbon credit scheme fails to stack up”, 26/8). Real climate action requires slashing pollution from coal, oil and gas, ending land clearing, and restoring carbon-rich ecosystems — all at the same time.Offsetting burnt coal and gas by protecting a tree is at best problematic and at worst a dangerous crutch undermining progress. When will the Albanese government strengthen the Safeguard Mechanism climate policy and ensure carbon accounting reflects reality rather than wishful thinking?Sarah Brennan, HawthornAssumptions madeRoss Gittins’ column reminds me of a joke my mother used to tell about an engineer and an economist who fall down a mine shaft. The engineer fossicks around for materials to build a ladder. The economist says: “Let’s assume there is a ladder.“Sarah Russell, Mt MarthaAn elongated ideaA great idea from your correspondent that if Elon Musk invented a car that returned itself to its owner after it’s been stolen, it could be called “the Homer” (Letters, 26/8). And if it took a really, really, really long time to find its way back, it could be called “the Odysseus”.Deborah Morrison, Malvern EastDecentralise optionBuilding up or out should not be the question. Whatever happened to decentralisation? Regional cities have decent public transport to Melbourne. Bendigo, Ballarat and Geelong, for example, have better access to the airport than many suburbs. Good planning for industry, education, immigration, health and other infrastructure ought to include the rest of Victoria, not just Melbourne.Pete Dunne, HighettSuch iconographyThanks to your correspondent (Letters, 26/8) for his iconic letter bemoaning the fact that he cannot find anything that is not iconic. It’s certainly a legendary observation – quintessential, really.Geoff Allen, Parkdale Photo: Matt GoldingAND ANOTHER THINGDataAs the world warms, increasing the demands on water and power, who or what gets priority accessto cooling: people or data centres (″⁣EPA’s data centre warning″⁣, 26/8)?Jenny Bone, Surrey HillsBe it a gold rush or data centre rush, it’s a sure thing the environment comes out worse. More power to the Environment Protection Authority’s arm.Jenny Smithers, AshburtonI don’t understand what artificial intelligence is and what data centres do. I do, though, have a bad feeling about all of it.John Rawson, MerndaI asked AI whether huge data centres would create environmental problems but was reassured all would be OK.Bryan Fraser, St Kilda WestRobot games! What next, Russian robot soldiers, fighting Ukrainian robot soldiers? Hang on, that might not be such a bad thing.Myra Fisher, Brighton EastAFLThat’s it for me. Swans, now Tiges. No more interest in the AFL. I’ll follow and watch the women’s competition, but not the men’s games. Bonus is that I’ll have less gambling promos to ignore.Barry Greer, Balnarring BeachMark McVeigh proposes to get all the Essendon supporters – an ″⁣armada″⁣ – behind the club. I thought a group of a ships is an armada whereas a group of bombers is a squadron?Lindsay Donahoo, Wattle GlenFurthermoreBravo Canada and Prime Minister Mark Carney (″⁣Trump’s bulldozer approach no match for Canada’s stance″⁣, 25/8). Give Carney a special peace prize for anti-bullying.Alan McLean, QueenscliffI have been a rusted-on Labor supporter since the Vietnam War days. The proposal to reduce the rebate on private health insurance cover for over-65s means my vote will be going elsewhere for the first time in 60 years. Kevin Drinan, BentleighA song lyric goes, ″⁣Well, hello, Dolly″⁣. Sadly, it is now ″⁣goodbye, Dolly″⁣.Gerry Lonergan, ReservoirFrom our partners