SMH Editorials
Aboriginal communities hold the key to their future
9:00 PM When the most clear-sighted and pragmatic among us despairs, so perhaps should we all. Noel Pearson, one of those best able in this country to judge the state of Indigenous affairs, believes progress in the field has stalled. His analysis in a speech to the National Press Club should cause all Australians to think seriously about this important issue.
University admission has gone off-course
Navigating entry into tertiary education has become complex and chaotic. The process needs to be fixed.
Tighter regulation needed for online gambling industry
Revelations about match fixing in sport are becoming almost as ubiquitous as the advertisements for online gambling that swamp sports broadcasts.
Australia Day’s questions about our past and future
Australia cannot stay trapped in permanent national adolescence. The process of becoming a republic should not be rushed, but nor should it be delayed. Let us begin work on it now.
New hope for Sydney's future shape
A great new experiment is about to begin in Sydney planning. The Greater Sydney Commission is about to begin work.
Medical testing on primates: more openness and transparency needed
Evidence uncovered about what has been dubbed "Frankenstein-like" surgical experiments on primates using taxpayer funds.
Turnbull in the US: more matter, less art
With Malcolm Turnbull now back in the country, it is possible to assess his visit to Washington. Much attention has focused on the major speech Mr Turnbull gave to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington as a guide to his government's likely future outlook on foreign affairs and the US alliance, and how this has changed from that of his predecessor.
Prosperity is on a razor's edge
With the continued gyrations of the global stock market, the state in which some ministers have returned to work is a little hair raising.
A lesson from Menzies for brawling Libs
The 50th anniversary of Sir Robert Menzies' retirement from politics this Australia Day has aroused plenty of interest within the party he founded and outside about his legacy to the liberal and conservative strands of Australian politics as well as to the country as a whole.
Take a ticket for university entry
Two years on from their HSC, does anyone remember their ATAR score? Whether it was good, bad or somewhere in between, an Australian Tertiary Admission Ranking has roughly the same significance over a lifetime of achievement as the tickets that shops give customers to ensure they are served in order.
A good first step to a more flexible economy
The Baird Government’s announcement that it will, in effect, embrace the innovation and economic renewal which new-technology companies such as Uber represent is refreshing and welcome.
Too much money, adrenalin and primitive instincts
For retail bank customers the goings-on in the ANZ’s global markets division will seem far removed from any reality they know – more like the actions of creatures from outer space than the people they see behind the counter at their local branch.
Scandal reveals Labor's fragile fault lines
It has been a hard summer for political Jamies. Last month, Jamie Briggs stood down from the Turnbull ministry over allegations of inappropriate behaviour with a public servant. Last week Jamie Clements resigned as general secretary of the NSW Labor Party after a staff member went public with allegations of sexual harassment. So far, so even handed. What distinguishes the cases, though, is what has followed.
Gay's cycling safety package is off balance
Big increases in fines on the basis of big increases in lawbreaking among cyclists is misguided.
Two stars die, but leave some light behind
The deaths of David Bowie and Alan Rickman, both 69, both of cancer, mean that in a single week the stages of the world have lost two of their brightest stars, humanity two of its most penetrating interpreters.
Trade and war give Turnbull and Obama much to talk about
Though Australia and the United States gain little from it directly, the TPP strengthens our allies in the region and thereby enhances our own security and ultimately our prosperity.
One chance to get the Bays right
The potential of the transformation of the Bays Precinct is undeniably exciting. If the project is done well, it could transform Sydney, and add immeasurably to the city’s ambience and attractiveness. If it is done well. If.
TAFE’s shabby treatment
The state government’s ‘Smart and Skilled’ policy for vocational training is at the very least misnamed. It is actively discouraging would-be students from signing up to gain skills. Nothing smart about that, one would think.
Back to black: Essendon verdict is good for sport
On hearing of WADA's verdict on the Essendon drugs affair, one is tempted to be flippant. This is summer, after all, when the oldest soap operas are re-run. And soap operas don't come much older or sudsier than this: a three-year saga with highly paid stars, extravagant costumes, amazing plot twists, plenty of skullduggery and backstabbing, absurd amounts of money, courtroom drama, and extremes of emotion as triumph follows tragedy. And if sex is lacking, there are drugs enough to make up for it.
North Korean bombshell signals a need to talk
Well, that got our attention, didn't it? North Korean dictator Kim Jon Un celebrated the New Year and his upcoming birthday with a "successful" test of what may have been a hydrogen bomb in defiance of UN Security Council resolutions and international non-proliferation norms.
Buy today's government – now with added enzymes
If our political leaders cannot convince us a policy is worth pursuing, no amount of taxpayers' money will do their work for them.
A great sporting moment from the tennis
There will be plenty of tributes to mark the end of Lleyton Hewitt's stellar 18-year tennis career when the former world No. 1 walks off the court for last time at the upcoming Australian Open.
Baird needs to make Sydney's high land values work for all
The announcement this week that residential land values in nine Sydney council areas surged by more than 30 per cent last year is the ultimate mixed blessing.
Shield public servants who blow the whistle on politicians
The whistleblower's path is perilous. Rather than being hailed as a hero, the reward for speaking out can often be victimisation, vilification, loss of employment and even death threats.
China's slowdown calls for some perspective
The markets are jittery as fears mount over the China slowdown and its impact on the world economy. But how worried should we be?
Residential care falling behind US levels
In a heavily subsidised sector where there are profits to be made from vulnerable people, a high level of regulation is unavoidable.
End to appalling behaviour is at PM's discretion
Mr Turnbull must have hoped Mr Briggs' resignation would put an end to the scandal, but it was no end to some appalling behaviour from his colleagues.
National drugs summit may point to way out of police and health morass
Strong words about drugs and music festivals are easier than coming up with policies to tackle the growing amphetamine problem in our society.
Little sign of serious action to curb greenhouse gas emissions
There are many reasons to suspect the Turnbull and Baird governments are not serious about tackling greenhouse gases.
Danger in giving children everything they want
In public culture it's normal to the point of cliche for grown-ups to look down on young people as lazy, spoiled and undisciplined. Who, after all, knows the value of hard work until they've had to do some? Who understands the value of a dollar until they've earned it by the sweat of their brow?
