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 October 13
AI weapons on the battlefield
“This article reminds me of a famous quote from the movie War Games: ‘The only winning move is not to play’.”
David Stemmer
Going vego for the planet
“Thank you for speaking on the idea of vegetarianism as a viable contributor to the fight against global warming. I have been a vegetarian for 40 years and bore two children without the need for iron tablets and other supplements. And, before you imagine myself and my two daughters as pale -faced, scrawny wimps, we are the tall, strong ones that get looked at when a bag needs to go in the overhead lockers (we oblige!).”
Amanda Gillard
What makes a film Australian?
“Ruari Elkington’s review of The Travellers discusses the Australianness of films like Together, filmed in Australia but set in America and about American characters. If our people and places can be used to make a genre film about Americans, is it ours? I would say that such a film is neither Australian nor un-Australian, but something else altogether. Popcorn.”
Kym Houghton
Tuesday October 14
Our coverage
“Yesterday’s newsletter mentions that Palestinians in Gaza are now ‘returning home’. I was wondering if you think it would have been prudent to be more clear about what home is, given the vast majority of buildings in Gaza have been destroyed?
The coverage on October 7 was equally vacuous: ‘Who would’ve thought that a war in a faraway land would have such an impact in Australia?’ Probably anyone who understands the intersection of capitalism, colonisation, and western supremacy.
These dangerous omissions contribute to the great shame of western media in perpetuating genocide. I do wonder, what will accountability look like, at all levels, when the dust settles?”
Lachlan Greig
Wednesday October 15
What it takes to be Australian
“The children of these ISIS brides have been called Australian. I thought they would have been called Syrian as they were born in Syria. I have a daughter, who with her Australian husband, works in the US. She has three children, born in the US and who are US citizens and have US passports. My grandkids are not Australian just because their parents are Australian. Is this just disinformation by do-gooders to influence local heart-strings?”
Leigh Bunting
Why are we hiding it?
“As a supposedly fair, just and humanitarian nation I would have thought, or at least hoped, that Australia would have gladly acknowledged that 6 out of the remaining 40 or so mothers and children – all Australian citizens – struggling to exist safely in Syrian refugee camps are now back safely on Australian soil. Instead of which, this repatriation is somehow seen as something shameful.”
Maggie Woodhead, Ballajura WA
Doughnut equality
“In the early part of my half-century journey as an environmentalist, I would have sung the praise of the doughnut model. Back then, it was the collective impact of human greed that caused environmental degradation and the solution was to ‘re-educate’ society towards environmental sustainability; both in practice and policy. Now, I must say that one element missing in my ideological fervour back then and missing in the doughnut model now is the issue of educational, moral and financial equality. The more a community pursues widespread equality, the less environmental harm results.”
Dr Bruce Moon, Tweed Heads NSW
Thursday October 16
Data centre dilemma
“The high energy requirements of an ever increasing number of data centres is a great concern. An even greater concern curiously not even mentioned in this article is their requirement of large quantities of fresh water for cooling. In a land of cyclic droughts and water restrictions that are only predicted to increase, how wise is it to encourage the creation of more and more data centres?”
Ingrid Palmer
Any way is better than no way
“This article acknowledges that a number of the women and their children have been quietly and previously not-so-quietly returned and are living safely in Australia. Obviously, more need to be repatriated, and work is underway. Given the situation, any way is better than no way. Of course governments should be more directly involved, although I suspect the author is implying they should be more publicly involved; in 2025 realpolitik being as it is, there is almost always a leak, opposition is mounted and the women and children are abandoned to the vicissitudes of life in camps and countries suffering internecine conflict. Instead, things were handled as they should be in such sensitive situations. Does the author really think the government was not involved, every step of the way?”
Stephen Heydt
Charging chaos
“As a newish EV owner, I’ve been tentative about making longer trips where the return home would require the use of a public charger. Recently though, I have made a couple of journeys where I needed to charge. On one occasion, I found a public charger but was hindered by the poor mobile reception in the area. The charger required me to use an app, which adds a layer of complexity. Charging should be as easy as filling up a liquid-fuelled car at the pump.”
Matt Walsh
Friday October 17
Indonesian accountability
“This article suggests holding Indonesia to account over the murder of 5 Australian journalists in East Timor back in 1975. This is a worthy endeavour. Let us also not forget their appalling record in clear felling native forests for palm oil plantations, their illegal fishing in the Arafura sea, their ethnic dilution practices in west Papua and turning a blind eye to religious persecution of Christians and others in Aceh and elsewhere.”
Ben Schutte 
EV charging
“I feel you missed the elephant in the room: disability access. If you look at the picture in your article, it shows a common fault in installed EV chargers in Australia: the charging pedestal (ie the cabinet with cables etc) is installed on a concrete plinth which makes it extremely difficult for a person with a disability to reach the controls or cable dock. It is unnecessary: the hardware is designed to install at road level.”
Doug Foskey, Lismore NSW
Malnutrition in aged care
“Over the past two years I have visited my father at his nursing home weekly and often at meal times. Six residents are wheeled to a communal dining table where their meals are delivered. I would say at least four with dementia sit and look at their meals but, without help, fail to eat anything. The meals are whisked away half an hour later by a staff member, often untouched. No wonder malnutrition ensues.”
Amanda Fox