SMH Editorials
Police trolling not acceptable on any level
9:45 PM The consequences of police mistakes can be severe. When decisions must be made instantaneously under conditions of high stress or danger, errors of judgement can lead to injury or death and life-long consequences for all involved.
NRL should apologise to Hazem El Masri and fix protocols
The Herald has raised concerns before about the tendency for Australians to rush to judgment.
The new $5 notes: collect them while they last
Alan Stokes The trend towards credit cards and the cashless society means the pilloried design may not be around too long.
Baird finds right solution on $1.6bn stadium split
Further west is where most Sydneysiders, rugby league fans and clubs reside.
Turnbull's delicate balancing act with China
Frustration at diplomatic silence on pressing issues is understandable but Australia is in a bigger strategic game given the Defence white paper and the South China Sea islands disputes.
Will Kevin747 ride again, all the way to the UN?
Kevin Rudd's presumed candidacy for the United Nations' top job raises serious and intriguing questions for the Turnbull government.
After the outrage, where to next for CSIRO's climate science?
There's a big difference between disruption and vandalism. Which is happening at the CSIRO?
More support needed for embryo donors
Most people undergoing the emotionally and physically demanding experience of fertility treatment are focussed on welcoming a child into their world and give little thought to the embryos that might remain after the process. But once they have come to the end of their quest to form a family, the question arises: what do with left over embryos?
Lockout laws review not winner takes all
Keep an eye out for vested interests, but more importantly see where compromise is possible – without losing sight of the primary aim, to keep more people safe.
How to make golf a hit at Rio Olympics
Too slow. Money-focused. Individual not national. You'd think golf would fail at the Olympics. But maybe not ...
Malcolm Turnbull half right on banks: we need royal commission
Defenders of the status quo ask us to trust the banks that we do not trust to fix the problem of their betrayal of our trust.
The school reform options we should be debating
Schools funding from 2018 onwards has been kicked down the road until early next year – after the election. Voters deserve to know what the Turnbull government is planning.
From bad to worse on the Great Barrier Reef
More dugongs and less poisonous land run-off than before. A ban on dumping from dredging projects. We have a better understanding of what makes it great, and what's killing it. A lot of good people are doing a lot of good work to try to save it. That's about it for good news on the Great Barrier Reef.
Panama Papers: we all lose from tax havens
A tiny minority of professionals remains willing to help drive a dodgy financial vehicle through slack laws.
Malnutrition has a new face, and it's fat
Not too many stories in the news cycle deliver a new perspective on the world, but a study in The Lancet does that. The most comprehensive and rigorous study ever of worldwide obesity has confirmed that global overeating is now a bigger problem than world hunger. Nearly 13 per cent of the global population is now obese. while just over nine per cent are underweight.
Turnbull's problematic ideas fall on deaf ears
The biggest blow may prove to be his forced deferral until early next year of a decision on education funding.
Gadgets no substitute for good teaching
Conventional 21st century wisdom decrees that a laptop or a tablet is an essential tool for today's school students. Schools that supply such items or require parents to do so often get marked up in the eyes of conscientious parents choosing a school for their child. It is a sign the faculty is up with the times, equipping students with the skills they need for tomorrow's jobs. But reality can be different from the rosy picture of uncomplicated computer literacy parents imagine.
Brazil plays a rough political game on the rocky road to Rio Olympics
Spare a thought for the people whose job is to co-ordinate the biggest planned event of 2016, the Rio Olympics. It's customary for the nation's head of state to declare the games open, but whose name to put on the invitation?
Turnbull must fight scourge of foreign bribery
Australia's response has been particularly flawed, creating losers across the spectrum.
Seven tax headaches for Turnbull and Morrison
Are state income taxes a good option? Perhaps. Worth discussing as part of comprehensive tax reform? Sure. But are they the only way? Hardly.
Higher education revolution off the table, for now
The Federal Government would much rather deal with university funding as a budget issue than an election issue.
Drugs in sport: the 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.
Better leadership, not new messiahs, needed this Easter
For many of us, Easter has no religious significance. It is a chance to rest, catch up with family and friends, overindulge in hot-cross buns and engage in the collective deception of small children for the benefit of chocolate manufacturers.
Turnbull must end political donations rorts
We need a level playing field for parties large and small; the real-time transparency voters demand; and less opportunity for donors to buy political influence.
In challenge for New England, Coalition brings out the big guns
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.
Easter message: we should embrace change in our lives
Faced with change, we can respond by becoming more hardened and unreflective in our attitudes – or we can be more imaginative.
From Brussels tragedy to a safer Europe
The lessons of attacks on Paris, London and Madrid have not been learned. A similar strike at the heart of Europe's free trade, democratic and military bureaucracy was always probable.
Safe Schools: Children suffer in demonising debate
The calling of a review should not have been an excuse to play ideological games at the expense of children.
Early election a potential win-win for voters
Australia needs a parliament that reflects voter intention, a prime minister from either side with his own mandate, and a bout of common sense on tax and the economy.
