Grassroots efforts beat big boys on sustainability
Elizabeth Farrelly 9:00 PM Four green shoots that have broken through the deadening layer of Abbott-spewed ash.
Latest Comment
Why the states should charge income tax
Peter Martin 8:40 PM Face reality: we can’t vote for better schools and hospitals in state elections and lowers taxes in federal elections and expect to get both.
To daylight save or not to daylight save?
Andrew P Street 3:45 PM Australians are perfectly happy to shrug over boring, vital issues – but force our free citizenry to occasionally adjust their clocks? That, sir, will not stand.
Is it just too hard to be PM in 2016?
Dom Knight 6:42 PM There may never have been a more exciting time to be prime minister but it's probably never been this difficult to govern.
Tax headaches for Turnbull and Morrison
9:00 PM Are state income taxes a good option? Perhaps. Worth discussing as part of comprehensive tax reform? Sure. But are they the only way? Hardly.
Letters to the Editor
4:24 PM One of Sydney's leading architects, Philip Drew says James Packer and the Department of Planning could learn a lot about urban planning from Russia's Peter the Great.
Column 8
9:00 PM "Is a request for 3/8ths of a kilo really 'absurd'?" asks Andrew Nelson, of Faulconbridge (Column 8, Tuesday).
In the Herald: March 31, 1966
Ellen Fitzgerald 12:00 AM Divided loyalties in caucus and the sentencing of the last man legally executed in Australia, were in the news on this day in 1966.
Trump's weakness with women
Josephine Tovey It's perhaps not surprising that a former owner of three beauty pageants, Donald Trump, has helped turn his party's campaign into a shallow "Mrs America" pageant between potential First Ladies.
Where are all the women scientists?
Emma Johnston Malcolm Turnbull, our innovation Prime Minister, says there's never been a more exciting time to be an Australian but I'm only half convinced. The bright light shining on this new innovation age is not illuminating many women.
The NBN is already out of date
Laurie Patton Australia has fallen to 60th in global Internet speed rankings. If we fell to 60th in the Olympics medal tally there'd be a national outcry.
Never read the terms and conditions?
Noah Feldman Online contracts should not be binding unless they are short and easy to read.
Why armed guards don't make airports safer
Thomas R. Mockaitis Sophisticated terrorists find it easy to circumvent obvious security measures that do more to ease public fears than make travel safer.
MARCH 30
PM must act quickly on campaign funding
Your editorial's call for reform of campaign funding should cause Malcolm Turnbull to emulate Premier Baird.
Higher education revolution off the table
The Federal Government would much rather deal with university funding as a budget issue than an election issue.
Column 8
"I am fervently hoping," pleads Jenny Archbold, of Bellingen, "that someone can tell me why, after every news report of an accident, we are informed that 'a report will be prepared for the coroner'. Why do we need to know? It drives me batty, but then it doesn't take much, I admit."
In the Herald: March 30, 1926
Ellen Fitzgerald An eight-day carnival in aid of the Grafton Hospital concluded, with its principal feature of an ugly man competition, the Herald reported on this day in 1926.
Turnbull's campaign doesn't need Abbott
Peter Reith Only the delusional conservatives would think throwing Tony Abbott into the Liberals' election campaign would be a great idea.
How parties use Facebook to win your vote
Skye Laris This year political parties will know what each of us cares about and will be able to tailor their campaign advertising to the specific voters who receive it.
Why we need to scrap the $100 note
Alexander Smith Even with 300 million $100 bills already in circulation, few Australians ever see our largest bill. Even fewer ATMs actually dispense them.
Anonymous sources: it's how politicians lie
Michael Gawenda There is something seriously wrong when politicians can tell the media one thing on the record then say the opposite anonymously.
US gambles on sea power in China contest
Hugh White In the massive build-up of its aircraft carrier fleet, the US may be giving China a big advantage.
Drugs in sport: personal costs keep growing
Players, through unwarranted trust, ignorance or complicity, are paying a hefty price with their careers and health. And the ultimate price, according to a NSW Supreme Court jury was paid by former Cronulla player Jon Mannah.
MARCH 29
Letters to the Editor
At last some really sensible factual comment on the impact of negative gearing and reduced capital gains tax.
Column 8
"Furthering the discussion on medical black humour regarding one's imminent demise," adds Michael Nossiter, of Manly (Column 8, last week), "my favourite, from my Accident and Emergency background."
In the Herald: March 29, 1966
Jacqui Martinez Mr Joern Utzon said the only basis on which he would return to work on the Opera House was as architect in sole control of the project, the Herald reported on this day in 1966.
Terrorist attacks need an agile response
Jacinta Carroll We should examine how we can speed up investigations to learn from future incidents.
Nursing homes can be a good option
Neil Jeyasingam They get a bad wrap, but nursing homes are a better option than only having walls to talk to.
Don’t bet yet on an early election
Amanda Vanstone Keep a close watch on the self interest of the crossbench senators.
Empty houses and artificial scarcity
Laurence Troy and Bill Randolph For the government to subsidise investors to leave properties standing empty is both a taxation lunacy and a national scandal.
Belgium must stop living in denial
Jean-Michel Paul Islamic State is responsible for the terrorist attacks in Brussels, but they were also symptoms of a profoundly Belgian failure.
Coalition brings out big guns for New England
Tony Windsor's campaign in New England is calculated to neutralise what the sitting member Barnaby Joyce claims as his primary advantage: his position of influence as Deputy Prime Minister.
MARCH 28
Letters to the Editor
It's about time that our politicians stopped blaming young teachers who are "not up to scratch" for our falling standards.
Column 8
"Mixing up measuring scales is certainly not confined to hardware items," points out Kevin Harris.
Previously in Comment
Highlights
With friends like Malcolm, equality is far away
What is the point of a gay-friendly prime minister if he can't slap down those keen on perpetuating teenage hate, angst and suicide?
Apology
In last Monday's paper, the Herald reported the details of an alleged sexual assault under the headline "The horrifying untold story of Louise".
Turnbull, stop dithering on tax reform
The Turnbull government has yet to explain why we need tax reform. Meanwhile, Labor is strangely coherent on tax policies.
Why you really should pay a sugar tax
We know we've got a problem when it comes to sugar and obesity.
Class clown Joyce has centre stage to prove himself
Barnaby Joyce's capacity for populist revolt made him famous and effective. But the new Nationals leader will have to control his bluster if he is to be taken seriously.
Great irony of Ruddock's human rights appointment
I've heard of being kicked upstairs but this is ridiculous. I know people get promoted to their point of incompetence, but the UN? The Vatican? These are not incompetence-friendly situations.
Nauru: How long can we keep lying to ourselves?
The history of asylum seeker policy in Australia will be remembered as a story of how successive governments legislated their lies to justify a world of make-believe borders and compliance.
Fine art of ignoring the UN
One key point of illumination from Julian Assange's announcement on Thursday is the rich impotence of the United Nations.
Banks are using us to hedge their bets
We only need a tiny part of the financial services industry – the rest is just speculation and it doesn't stand up to close scrutiny.
Raising the GST to 15% is fiscal folly
If Australia goes down the path of increasing the GST to 15 per cent, it will be on the way to joining that collection of West European countries which are the highest taxed countries in the world.
Why Tony Abbott should leave politics
... and a few other Liberal MPs such as Bronwyn Bishop and Philip Ruddock should stop being so selfish and move on.
Disgrace oddity - how I tried to help David Bowie
Thirty years ago the writer interviewed David Bowie - and blew it entirely.
From the desk of our chief comment moderator
Fairfax Media's chief comment moderator Rob Ashton discusses the most-commented stories of the year, and offers advice for those who get rejected.
15 of our best comment pieces of 2015
Highlights from the Herald's opinion pages in 2015 - our most-read, most-discussed, most-shared pieces (plus a few editors' favourites).
In defence of the hangover
The common or garden hangover is a terrible and wonderful thing, a device of startling ingenuity designed (one can only assume) by the bloodless Calvin himself.
Bystanders struggle to do the right thing
I boarded my flight from Paris, happy to be going home. Until I met the man in the seat next to mine.
Why New Year's Eve is the most hypocritical night
One of my starkest New Year's Eve memories comes from when I was at university in New Zealand. I was at a house of a friend of a friend, and in that house I saw a man demonstrating his talent at opening beer bottles using his mouth.
The Australian fair go is dead
Elizabeth Farrelly: Why are we OK with this? How did the fair go slip so seamlessly into tooth and claw? Or was it always thus?
Captain's speech doesn't represent the Ravenswood I know
Throughout my time at Ravenswood, I experienced an environment that encouraged hard work, equality of standing, humility, and gratitude – virtues that I believe are the very foundation of the school itself.
Where to now for a newly unseated PM
Peter Hartcher: The government may have moved on, but Tony Abbott is still adjusting to his new reality and coming to grips with life beyond the prime ministership.
Big karma hits big pharma
Paul Sheehan: When a venture capitalist bought the rights to a drug and increased its price by 5500 per cent, there was widespread outrage. Now comes corporate revenge against corporate evil.
Islamic State thrives as big boys squabble
Waleed Aly: Force will not wipe out Islamic State because it is a byproduct of a much bigger conflict that needs to be resolved first.
