The more I look at the budget, the more I like it
Peter Martin 7:13 AM This type of federal budget is rare. The Turnbull government sought and adopted best practice. You can't argue with that.
Paid parental leave: We all win when families work
Guyonne Kalb 10:46 AM Society is the loser when capable women quit or downgrade their jobs because of family pressures.
Little in budget to counter family violence
The priority given to terrorism over violent crimes against women caused one detective to observe, "we are ignoring known threats to investigate potential ones".
Optimism v pessimism at centre stage
Julie Szego 12:00 AM As Turnbull and Shorten deliver their competing messages, the one that speaks to fear and anxiety rings true.
The sad truth about 'mumpreneurs'
Meraiah Foley 8:15 PM The rise in the number of working mothers switching to self-employment might appear a good thing, but the underlying causes point to a serious problem.
RBA rains on Scott Morrison's parade
Alex Malley 5:08 PM Morrison wanted to talk about economic plans for the future while the Reserve Bank was sending a message that the economy needs a serious jump start.
Gender neutral toilets should be the norm
Susan Stryker 12:00 PM Sex-segregated public toilets are unnatural social constructs – human inventions that organise our bodily functions according to outdated mores.
Zuckerberg's plan for the stars
Faye Flam 12:19 PM When internet billionaires propose sending a mission to another solar system, is it a plausible step or an ego-driven challenge to other billionaires?
Our detention centres are concentration camps and must be closed
Stephen Charles 2:45 PM The Prime Minister describes asylum seeker policy opponents as "misty eyed". They are not - they are furious.
White flight in schools: it's not about racism
Alice Williams The idea that smart kids should sacrifice their own education to drag up their peers from non-English speaking families is simply obnoxious.
The Pacific Solution's brutal fact: we need it
Jonathan Holmes We risk social disruption if we take more than a tiny fraction of asylum seekers.
Sugar tax would hit root cause of tooth decay
Matthew Hopcraft A tax on soft drinks would improve our health in the same way a tobacco tax reduced smoking.
Morrison's budget infomercial – but wait ...
Alan Stokes It's the investing invention of the century! Sco-Mo Pocket Tax Avoider.
Oceans bearing the brunt of carbon emission
Ken Caldeira If we do not take drastic action now, we will make the biggest and most rapid change in ocean chemistry the world has seen in many tens of millions of years.
Turnbull's 30-minute city is a silly idea
Jacob Saulwick Should the development of new rail lines be based on their potential value to property developers? The government thinks so.
Mid-East peace possible if history is accepted
Shmuel Ben Shmuel In 2014, Israeli-owned company SodaStream announced it was closing its West Bank factory after pressure from those boycotting Israeli settlements.
Young people are not prepared for future jobs
Jan Owen Fifteen-year-olds can expect to have more than 17 jobs in five different industries over their working lives. So, why aren't they ready?
Myths surface over new submarines deal
Euan Graham
Practical and strategic reasons for choosing the French bid are being ignored.
Does Trump have a coherent foreign policy?
Nicole Hemmer Donald Trump’s strategy of interests over ideology is a rebuttal of neo-conservative dogma.
Debt the key factor in coming election
Peter Reith I reckon for this election the overarching issue will be Australia's rising debt.
A bigger threat than North Korea's missiles
David Blair The advent of cyber-warfare means you do not need a missile program to cause mayhem.
We should ban Shakespeare
Lachlan Philpott Give the Bard a break for five years to give the spotlight to other playwrights.
Could Australia get its own Boaty McBoatface?
Andrew P Street Environment Minster Greg Hunt needs a hand to name Australia's new icebreaker. Here are a few helpful suggestions.
Diamond days – or a diamond daze?
Nicholas Reece Tim Pallas seems to have an easier job than Scott Morrison, but danger may lie ahead.
At last, a treasurer who isn’t scared of debt
Kenneth Davidson Public borrowing is fine, if the cash is used wisely.
Being crazy serves Trump well
Michael Kinsley It’s his entertainment value that explains the rise of The Donald.
Australia is a bad neighbour
Tim Dick Rich and large, rude and loud. If there were a Pacific neighbourhood watch group, Australia would be the neighbour the group had to watch.
Court case could derail PM's election plans
George Williams The High Court will hear a challenge on Monday and Tuesday to Australia's new rules for electing senators. If the case succeeds, it will have the impact of a sledgehammer on the 2016 election.
The challenge that could scuttle an election
Malcolm Mackerras Before the full bench of the High Court, and beginning on Monday at 2.15 pm, case Number S77 of 2016 between Plaintiff Robert John Day and two defendants from the Commonwealth of Australia will begin.
Budget must lay out a strategic plan
Mikayla Novak The Turnbull government's credibility, perhaps its political survival, hinges on the forthcoming Budget laying out a credible plan for lower taxes, less spending, and reducing public debt.
Behold Malcolm Abbott
Michael Gordon The PM has no answer to the asylum seeker situation beyond inflicting more harm.
Negative gearing tops quality childcare
Anne Summers A forward-looking government would axe negative gearing and invest in an educated and socially skilled population.
Excuse me, it's my planet too!
Wendy Squires Whatever happened to being polite and aware of other people's space?
Labor can’t deny its role in Manus tragedy
Waleed Aly ‘Stopping the boats’ was a bipartisan policy and both sides of politics are responsible for its monstrous outcomes.
Many happy returns to Tassie
Martin Flanagan Tasmania has a scandal that the rest of Australia would do well to learn about.
Buying a book for Mum? Beware!
Danny Katz Here's your guild to the latest releases that are sure to have your mother dancing around the house in joy. Maybe.
Good times, bad times: a tale of two treasurers
Peter Martin Victorian treasurer Tim Pallas luxuriates in surpluses, but he's also protecting his revenue base, unlike another treasurer in Canberra.
An early victory in the next carbon war
Peter Brent By taking the initiative on the dreaded three-letter word, Labor has scored an important win, argues Peter Brent.
Australia's asylum seeker policy in disarray
Toni Hassan PNG's decision to close the Manus Island detention centre has been met with little more than a declaration that our government will never allow its residents to come to Australia.
Anti-vaxxer's new film is just another deceit
Sarah Gill Amid World Immunisation Week, a film by a frontman for the anti-vaccination movement is being rolled out in US cinemas.
Crossbench cull won't end Turnbull's woes
Mark Kenny Poor polling is making the decision to defer the election until July look increasingly questionable.
Mungo Man still lies in a cardboard box. Why?
Tom Keneally One of our greatest national treasures has been neglected by governments that just don’t care. It’s time we rescued him.
Highlights
The fight China will take to the brink of war
The world's two greatest powers are competing for military dominance of the western Pacific Ocean and the contest is about to intensify, by PETER HARTCHER.
Surgeons trained on living animals save lives
In emergencies, surgeons, whose training has been as realistic as possible, can make the difference between life and death, by JOHN CUNNINGHAM.
Death in black and white
Imagine if a royal commission was held into a matter of national shame, and it spent tens of millions of dollars, produced a vast report, but the headline indicators of that shame actually went backwards.
Against the odds the stars line up for Labor
Increasing inequality has allowed Labor to start doing something it hasn't done for decades - articulate a worldview.
Better teachers? Better at what, exactly?
We all know it is bureaucratic procedures, lack of funding and poor pay rates that hold back educational standards, not bad teachers, by NED MANNING.
Beauty of science is in the unexpected moment
The CSIRO's pursuit of science will be hampered by the naked hunt for cash, by SURENDRA VERMA.
The sheer stupidity of Trump’s terrifying rise
How would such an ignorant amateur actually run the most powerful country in the world? By JANET DALEY
Gen Y frets over a looming bleak future
Good jobs, affordable homes and peace of mind appear increasingly out of reach for young Australians.
