A student’s achievement shows our possibilities

To send a letter AgeEmail letters@theage.com.au. Please include your home address and phone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email. See here for our rules and tips for getting your letter published.

Life is for learning
What a beautiful photo of young Kenyan Heathdale Christian College student Sarah Irungu celebrating her amazing achievement of achieving an ATAR of 96.6 (12/12). The happiness on her family’s face reflects their pride, but this young lady made not only her parents but everyone who celebrated our youth proud.
His success is impressive and remarkable because he takes his place among the high achievers and his family takes its place in our multicultural society. We can all learn and celebrate each other.
Julie Ottobre, Brunswick East

We are all Dave
Waleed Aly (Comment, 12/12) raises some tough questions about our relationship with technology. The implication that we don’t have as much control over technology, either personally or through the government, as we would like to believe is troubling. To put it bluntly, do we control the machines or do they control us?
It is difficult to deny technological determinism, the theory that technology is a powerful driving force of human society, culture and history. In many cases this has been useful. However, in the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the HAL 9000 computer defies the astronaut’s instructions by saying, “I’m sorry, Dave. I’m afraid I can’t do that.” We can’t say we weren’t warned.
Rod Wise, Surrey Hills

value equation
Australian values: Having a less wealthy person pay off the mortgage on a second/investment property owned by a wealthier person who benefits from capital gains tax deductions.
Damon Ross, St Kilda East

sucker punch
Don’t be fooled that AUKUS is about submarines (“Marles remains silent on US AUKUS review,” 10/12) AUKUS is actually all about the deployment of American troops and equipment in Australia. It’s no surprise, then, that the government hasn’t released the Pentagon AUKUS review document or meaningfully discussed the issue. What are the demands in the US review, described as a “living, breathing document”? It is disappointing that Ministers Richard Marles and Pat Conroy know best and Australians are being ignored.
Donald Trump recognized a good deal for the United States; Australia is giving billions of dollars to US shipyards with no guarantee of results, and all Marles can say is, “We have some idea of ​​how that money is being spent… and we’re very confident about what impact it’s having.” Really?
The lucky country has become a sucker village.
Roger Hannaker, Docklands

There is no bottom secret
AUKUS is “in full swing”, Australia is about to give another $1.5 billion “to stimulate American shipbuilding”, but we have no information about any changes made by the American review. Really?
We know that the deal will cost us $368 billion, that increasing numbers of U.S. troops will be stationed at rapidly expanding bases in northern Australia, that we may have some nuclear-powered submarines by the 2030s, and that we are tying ourselves more closely to America’s vague goals and strategies in the Pacific.
Given Donald Trump’s volatility, his lack of respect for international agreements and laws, and his “friendships” that seem to depend on supporting the changing interests of the United States, I would say that it is time to at least demand transparency from our government, so that we know clearly what we are getting ourselves into. What secrets is our government hiding?
Anne Sgro, Coburg North

Forbidden is not perfect
I consider the social media ban on under 16s to be the same as providing alcohol to minors. It’s not perfect and can be circumvented.
Parents can still provide alcohol to their children and use fake ID etc. available. The law exists to protect minors, and if a bar or liquor store is found to be violating the law, they can be prosecuted.
In addition, the idea that this ban is a ban on freedom of expression is completely wrong. Freedom of expression existed long before the internet and will continue to exist after the ban for those under 16.
Laurens MeyerRichmond

boycott the USA
Privacy-conscious Australians should seriously consider boycotting visiting the United States, given the Trump administration’s announcement that Australians, New Zealanders and citizens of 40 other visa-exempt countries may have to disclose five years of social media history to be allowed to enter America.
Eric Palm, Gympie, Qld

Prime Minister, do more
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese continues to disappoint commentators and loyal Labor voters by not doing more to level the playing field for society by adjusting tax rates and structures to reduce the unfair advantages enjoyed by big corporations and the wealthy.
At the same time, he presents himself and the Labor Party as the party of honesty and integrity. So why can’t he at least grasp the finesse of giving the National Anti-Corruption Commission stronger powers and real teeth, ending the entrenched business culture for spouses, providing greater protection (and even incentives) for whistleblowers, restricting the power of lobbyists, limiting political donations (for immediate disclosure), illegal contracts with corrupt organizations and governments, and addressing the long-standing problem of parliamentary powers?
All these actions should have easy results for an honest government.
Peter Thomson, Brunswick