Jumping off the hamster wheel
Peter Hartcher 9:02 PM Not all politicians think in sound bites as the latest crop of books by Labor and Liberal MPs show.
Latest Comment
Julia Baird on getting the cancer diagnosis
Julia Baird Your world narrows to a slit when facing a diagnosis like that; suddenly very little matters. I told my family and some close friends, then went into lock down.
Bungled suspension exposes Anthony Roberts
Sean Nicholls 1:25 AM The senior Nationals MP Thomas George got the fright of his life at the March election.
Time for Australia to tackle the refugee crisis
Anne Summers 9:00 PM Like the dozens of Austrians who waited to greet Syrian refugees at a Vienna railway station this week, there are many Australians who have rolled out the welcome mat to desperate new arrivals to this country from Vietnam and other countries.
POW! plans to oust Warringah's absentee MP
Wendy Harmer 9:00 PM When Tony Abbott last appeared on Q&A; on August 16, 2010, a middle-aged man in striped shirt and silver tie stood to pose a question.
Shame on the daddy shamers
Stephanie Peatling 9:00 PM Daddy shaming is just successful at reinforcing traditional roles as ads suggesting girls shouldn't play with Lego or boys shouldn't wear pink.
In praise of dad jokes
Michael Jensen 9:00 PM 'Dad, can I leave the table?' 'Where are you going to leave it?'
Father's Day gifts you already have
Richard Glover 11:45 PM In celebration of the challenges - and perks - of being a father.
Economy neither wonderful nor woeful
Ross Gittins Searchers after truth rather than headlines don't take quarterly changes in GDP too literally. This graph shows why we shouldn't lose our bundle over the economy.
Hayne proves there is life beyond the NRL
Malcolm Knox 7:07 PM Rugby league is the greatest game of all - but it's under threat from within and without.
An independent voice for all people
11:45 PM We refuse to put news and views through an ideological or commercial filter. We do not start with an assumption that the coalition or Labor must be right and then backfill it with convenient rhetoric or selective facts.
September 5
Letters to the Editor
9:00 PM I wept on Thursday night when I saw the image of the small boy lying face down in the water on a Turkish beach and was reminded of the photo of the napalm victim Kim Phuc, which galvanised my generation to come together to act against the war in Vietnam.
Column 8
9:00 PM "When I read in Thursday's Herald that the thick fleece of the sheep found near Canberra 'could prevent him from going to the bathroom'," writes Peter Russell, "I was convinced that we are nearer to linguistic oblivion by euphemistic."
China trade deal is the PM's greatest success
Mark Kenny Abbott finds himself standing with the sensible centre now that the trade deal has become partisan.
Yesterday's choices leave the cupboard bare
Jessica Irvine When times were good, Australia chose the path of individualism. It's a path that successive governments have followed, and now Australians are likely to pay the price.
The things you can't unsee, and shouldn't
Sam de Brito A picture of a dead little boy can move the conversation from "we have to stop them coming here" to "what the hell are we doing as a race?" That's why we need to see it.
Distinction glossed over in China trade deal
Bob Kinnaird and Bob Birrell Beijing has list of target investment sectors and countries, including commodity investments in Australia.
EU divided as migrants pour in
Gwynne Dyer The refugee crisis is testing the European Union. The advance of climate change will test it further.
View from the Street
Andrew P Street And Peter Dutton's still cranky at the media, bless him. It's your news of the day, reduced to a snarky rant.
Shorten's risky post-Heydon gambit
Shorten risks becoming known as the former union boss who entered Parliament, was shown that unions are the problem, but then failed to clean up them or the Labor Party.
SEPTEMBER 4
Letters to the Editor
The economy would be much worse if the Senate had not blocked budget cuts.
Column 8
"You know that spring has arrived when the first ducklings are sighted," reports Patricia Farrar, of Concord.
In the Herald: September 4, 1894
Ellen Fitzgerald Sickness in Randwick and a gaol break are in the news in 1894.
Previously in Comment
Highlights
Was it cancer? Getting the diagnosis
Julia Baird: Your world narrows to a slit when facing a diagnosis like that; suddenly very little matters. I told my family and some close friends, then went into lock down.
'Police or perish' gets some big muscle
Peter Hartcher: The creation of the Australian Border Force is a transformative event for this country. It represents a new era for the way Australia conceives its border.
National emergency we can no longer ignore
John Brogden: Ten years ago today I sat in a bed at Royal North Shore Hospital sedated, bandaged, scheduled under the mental health act and under suicide watch.
Ag-gag laws undermine democracy
Siobhan O'Sullivan: Ag-gag doesn't just harm animals, it seeks to undermine basic democratic principles by making it more difficult for the community to obtain relevant information.
Ignoring environment will cost more
Ross Gittins: Tony Abbott says he will never put the environment ahead of the economy, but it is impossible to segregate the two.
Good government needn't be a punchline
Peter Hartcher: Tony Abbott is lurching from crisis to crisis, while his Kiwi counterpart is showing him how it should be done.
Desperate times call for delaying tactics
Mark Kenny: The 44th Parliament has become notable for its absence of urgency.
Sacking workers by text takes bastardry to new low
Tim Dick: Some news should never be delivered by text message, like you're dumped, you're sick, or you're sacked. The generally understood custom is to give bad news in person.
Bishop's revenge on her Labor nemesis
Paul Sheehan: When Federal Parliament resumes on Monday, the biggest casualty will be front and centre in the House of Representatives.
