Every day, we publish a selection of your emails in our newsletter. We’d love to hear from you, you can email us at yoursay@theconversation.edu.au
Monday July 14
The other side of Trump’s Nobel Prize debate
“While the five experts would deprive Donald Trump of the Nobel Peace prize with their most agreeable deliberations, a sensitive question should be asked: Has the Conversation left no stone unturned in search for a warmonger to put up a Yes case? It would be a fascinating read, indeed.”
Ang Ung 
Going our own way
“One can only hope that Australia stands up to the US bullies who want to impose new tariffs on us, despite having a free trade agreement. And now there’s talk of ‘revising’ the AUKUS agreement and/or imposing conditions such as joining military action against China should the USA decide to do so. Surely we’ve learned from the folly of USA crusades in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq? If the USA won’t stand by its existing agreements, why would we willingly sign up to another?”
Steve Amesbury
American exodus meets Australian cuts in research
“Kylie Walker’s article about the value of attracting top US and other global research talent is spot on, except for one important detail. Australian universities are accelerating cuts to both academic and professional staff across disciplines, including axing entire research programs, as part of a broader (deeply misguided) shift towards a degree-factory model of higher education. Even if the Australian government reversed its decades-long trend of declining research funding, what is there to attract US scientists to come here? Increasingly, there are no positions or departments for them to work in.”
Rhiannon Schembri
Tuesday July 15
(Another) data breach
“All these large, profitable businesses fail to protect my data and somehow that now becomes my responsibility, yet I don’t have their vast corporate resources at my disposal. They send me an email most days, put together by their staff, who are paid for their time. There is no compensation offered for the time they are costing me. Just more emails that take more of my time for their error. If Qantas actually cared, they would have their Australian in charge team ringing me and they would be offering me something to make up for their wrong. The Australian government should implement fines high enough and make good provisions that make cybersecurity a real priority for corporate Australia.”
Name withheld
Wednesday July 16
Antisemitism report
“Segal’s overreach is indeed quite alarming, as is her apparent refusal to place anti-semitism in the context of other extant forms of racial hatred – not least Islamophobia. The mere thought that criticism of the Netanyahu government could be defined as anti-semitic is quite scary, but it seems to be very much available in Segal’s ‘Scorecard’.”
William Goff
Is legal best?
“Instead of fretting about medicinal cannabis and its complex requirements, just legalise it as is done in many other countries, and let the people make their own decisions.”
Lee Tonkin, Gympie QLD
Fast food, slow punishment
“My daughter had an experience a number of years ago whilst working for a fast food outlet in a shopping centre whereby all young workers were paid in cash with no superannuation paid. A complaint was lodged with the ATO who responded twice acknowledging the complaint, and after 18 months indicated that the business had gone into liquidation and nothing further could be done.”
John Farrell
Thursday July 17
Slash the defence budget
“Regarding your story about Treasury warning the government may not balance the budget or meet its housing targets, instead of raising taxes, why doesn’t the goverment just slash the war budget? Millions of taxpayer money allocated to arm ourselves so we can be in the front line of the next major American war adventure is beyond any adjective to describe the mindless stupidity of our politicians.”
Michael McKeon
Blinded by snobbery?
“I just read you have an article about whether Trump deserves a Nobel peace prize. You don’t need five experts to answer this as the answer is obviously no. By only having academics write articles, and asking experts about simple issues, this leads me to the conclusion that The Conversation is blinded by snobbery and lacking in wisdom.”
Beverley Dight
Housing target
“It’s hardly surprising that our housing target will not be met. Australia has nearly the most unaffordable housing costs globally, and also amongst the highest rate of population growth in the developed world. Over the past 20 years, Australia’s population grew by 35% compared to the OECD average of 13%. This growth rate has largely been driven by immigration, so we should be able to control these numbers. We can’t afford to continue pursuing unsustainable growth which depletes our ecological capital and drives housing costs higher as demand increases faster than supply.”
Jennie Epstein
Friday July 18
The dumb defence debate
“Regarding your article on Malcolm Turnbull and AUKUS, it’s pleasing to hear someone like Turnbull being brave enough to state the AUKUS deal has ‘never been dumber’. AUKUS simply doesn’t stack up economically, geopolitically or strategically and being a base for foreign nuclear submarines (while we wait, if ever, for our own) makes Australia and the citizens of Australia a potential nuclear target. There are many questions we’re not being informed about. Why, for example, is Defence proceeding with plans for a temporary storage facility for nuclear waste from US and UK submarines when there are no long-term plans as to how we’ll dispose of it? This is like a distant ‘friend’ saying, ‘I have this toxic waste with a 300-year life that I don’t know what to do with. Let me dump it in your back yard until you figure something out.’ And you replying, ‘Please do. How can I help?’ Yes, Malcolm, you are right. This just keeps getting dumber and dumber.”
George Burns, Adjunct Professor, The Cairnmillar School of Psychology, Counselling and Psychotherapy