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 21
Rising unemployment not so bad
“My initial thought when this article said that unemployment is up due to more people looking for work was: government policy is working. The change to childcare activity testing will have freed up swathes of women to contribute more to the workforce. It would be great to see this tracked alongside the existing data; I’d almost bet there’s a correlation.”
Kirrily Whish 
Is cash still king?
“What about garage sales, car boot sales, buying produce from the neighbors etc. Without cash there will be no anonymity, but only control.”
N.G. Wahl
Turnbull in conversation with Grattan
“What an absolute, and refreshing, pleasure it was to read Malcolm Turnbull’s views today. As usual, his assessment and analysis is rational, reasoned, precise and delivered without hubris.”
Neil Wright
Tuesday July 22
Happily ever after?
“Regarding the article on how separated men are nearly 5 times more likely to take their lives than married men, it reminds me of what the great French sociologist Emile Durkheim already told us nearly 150 years ago: marriage protects men from the risk of suicide. He also produced the figures to prove his point. Interestingly, he also suggested that marriage does not protect women from risks of unhappiness and violence; it appears to tend towards the opposite effect. Surely any discussion of men, marriage and suicide should also include a recognition of the problematic nature of the institution of marriage for women?”
Hilary Tovey, Fellow Emeritus, Trinity College Dublin
Define intimidation
“As a former academic who has experienced very tumultuous events, on and off campus and in another country, I am very troubled by the reported weight given to feelings of intimidation in the ‘antisemititism’ report. I know very well, and I have seen it quite often, that one person can feel ‘intimidated’ just by passing by a protesting group, even if they ignore the passerby. Every claim of ‘intimidation’ needs to be checked, interrogated, and contextualised before it can be accepted as such.”
Dr Brian Harlech-Jones
Wednesday July 23
Antisemitism special envoy
“Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act appears to be providing adequate protection for minority groups. Should we really be sacking university professors because they are angry at such horrific injustice in Gaza that they feel compelled to call it out? Should legitimate outrage be muzzled by heavy-handed governments seeking to appease a powerful, paranoid minority?”
Tom Filipcevic
Old trolls
“Well, what can you say re: Trump and Murdoch, two particularly pernicious and decaying old men sparring to the death, hopefully. I almost hope Trump will win, as Murdoch has been around much longer than Trump and has over decades caused more damage to the societies and democracies of the US, Australia and the UK than any other single human being. Trump is a mere novice in comparison, though rapidly making up for lost time. Both are sociopaths and a greedy crony capitalism is their governing principle, to which Trump adds a cruel chaos theory and Murdoch adds a cruel and implacable cynicism. I shall look forward to your continued coverage of these two warring old trolls before they hopefully both fall over the cliff to disappear for all eternity in the depths and gloom of the fjord that lies waiting underneath them.”
John Monro, Martinborough NZ
Thursday July 24
16 year-olds voting?
“Yes we should follow the UK’s footsteps and lower the vote (age to 16). We tend to generalise groups of people, and while there are teenagers who might not take the privilege of voting seriously, there are many more who are politically astute. Sixteen-year-olds understand how the frenetic news cycle works in 2025. They should have a say in what’s happening in their country. Give teenagers the vote and keep it compulsory.”
Cheryl Lombardo
“I agree with Dr Chowdhury who says enabling 16 to 17-year-olds to vote is premature. I’m not convinced they have enough experience to be making decisions that impact the entire country yet. On the train around the time Donald Trump was elected I overheard a group of young people discussing him and saying they would vote for him because he’s ‘funny’. In other words, they were voting for him as a troll. There was no awareness of the impact he could have or the dangers of an authoritarian ruler. With so many uncritically swallowing the ‘truth’ of the manosphere and fake news everywhere, let’s empower young people with civic awareness first.”
Sylvia
“I’m not sure whether 16-year-olds will be all that engaged; it could get faster movement on climate change policy perhaps, but I have one fear: it’s been suggested that as a compromise, it would be non-compulsory for 16 to 17-year-olds to vote. That’s a slippery slope for our compulsory voting laws and could so easily result in extending non-compulsory voting for everyone in this country. I can already hear people say ‘why is it compulsory for us, not them?’”
Dinah Rutten
Friday July 25
The gender gap debate often misses the mark
“The obsession with earnings as the measure of success ignores what many of us actually value: time with our children. Yes, I’ve taken a pay cut to reduce my hours – and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. It brings me more joy and meaning than anything in the office. I’ve deliberately chosen roles that allow part-time work. Kids grow up fast. The push to get women back into full-time work – as if that’s the pinnacle of progress – risks creating a generation of mothers with deep regrets. No one lies on their deathbed wishing they spent more time at their desk. Of course, support women who want to work more. But don’t assume that’s all of us. I’d like to see a report that actually asks women what they want – not just what the economy wants from them.”
Sarah E
Taliban beliefs
“I read with interest Yvonne Breitwieser-Faria’s excellent article about the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against the Taliban on charges of gender persecution. In the article, the Taliban was quoted as saying the allegations and warrants were a ‘clear act of hostility [and an] insult to the beliefs of Muslims around the world’. It should be noted that the vast majority of Muslims do not share the Taliban’s views. Respected Muslim scholars and activists across different countries have explicitly condemned the Taliban’s denial of education for women, reaffirming that Islam advocates the pursuit of knowledge for all, irrespective of gender.”
Jonathon Piasente