Why most of us think America's best days are over
Tom Switzer 12:00 AM Australian is having a sea change in foreign policy opinion.
Latest Comment
Ditch the Queen's Birthday holiday for something that matters
Daniel Fleming 12:00 AM The Queen's Birthday holiday has become a tradition without ceremony. Most Australians appreciate the long weekend, but prefer to shop, head to the ski fields or go to the football instead of toasting her majesty.
The problem with victim impact statements
Tim Dick 12:11 AM I can't think of a more powerful case for letting victims of violent crime be heard when deciding an offender's punishment then the letter written by the Stanford rape survivor.
The crime where NSW lags way behind
George Williams 12:00 AM The NSW Parliament's notice paper for next week's sittings of the Legislative Council foreshadows a debate to decriminalise abortion, as well as to counter measures by Fred Nile. It says a lot about the state of NSW law that these proposals will be debated, but it's unlikely that the law on abortion will change soon.
Garlic bread scandalises the internet with its position on gender
Caitlin Dewey 11:45 PM Garlic bread: designed to offend "social justice warriors," a derogatory name for people who speak out on progressive issues.
British poll a scary exercise in democracy
9:00 PM Britons are going to the polls over the question of whether or not the United Kingdom should remain in the European Union. It's turning out to be a fascinating exercise in democracy as Prime Minister David Cameron fights for his political life.
JULY 13
Turnbull's gap between words and action
9:00 PM Malcolm Turnbull is taking a blinkered view if he thinks that the reason for the collapse in his approval rating is because Australian voters misunderstood him.
Labor's recurring nightmare is haunting Shorten
Mark Kenny There's no second prize in elections. And history has a tendency to repeat itself.
Why we love it when Barnaby swears
Peter FitzSimons Rather than hurt BarnabyJoyce's overall popularity in Australia, his heated exchange in the pub will help it.
Relax, a robot might not take your job after all
Matt Wade Smart machines probably won't be the job-killers many feared - but one section of the workforce still has much to fear.
Malcolm the Marxist: will the real Turnbull ever stand up?
Adam Gartrell After an election win the real Malcolm Turnbull will emerge from his conservative chrysalis like a beautiful socially-progressive butterfly, right? Don’t be so sure, says Adam Gartrell.
JUNE 12
Turnbull prompts doubts
Congratulations, Baird Government for sending precisely the right message ("NSW public sector plans to recruit 100 Syrian refugees" June 5).
ARU is behind the game on player weight
The competition for a slice of our children's free time is fierce and the lure of the computer and the couch is strong, so it's crucial for the health of the community and their own survival, that sporting codes do all in their power to make their games safe and attractive to children.
The truth about Turnbull's J Lo moment
Jacqueline Maley We really are a dreadfully cynical people. Malcolm Turnbull released an ad this week about his childhood, in which he described his father's struggles. And then the complaints started.
Clinton's fight starts now and it won't end
Anne Summers Making history as the first woman to win the presidential nomination of a major US political party will probably be the easiest part of Hillary Clinton's gruelling trek to the White House.
Who has the better economic plan? Don't ask an economist
Michael Gordon The battle over the final the weeks of the campaign will be as much for the hearts as the minds of the undecided.
The benefits of being boring in our two-party race
Richard Glover Yes our local politics lack spark. But a quick look further afield shows what can happen if you play with fire.
Are Australians really prepared to let the Great Barrier Reef die?
Geoff Cousins All over the world, the Great Barrier Reef is making front page news. The world is watching how Australia exercises its duty of care over this most loved international icon.
Childfree and happy
Wendy Squires It is a fact and a force that childless and single occupant households are to an extent the future.
JUNE 11
Hornsby shooting tragedy fails us all
The shooting of Jerry Sourian is another tragic episode in the dark history of our mental health system.Â
Labor gives Turnbull a free kick on budget
The Prime Minister's "jobs and growth" mantra, as amorphous and meaningless as it is, may just start to sink in.
The job with a 141 per cent gender pay gap
Jessica Irvine Sexism is alive and well in our most respected and trusted professions, a new analysis reveals.
Childcare policies have a missing piece
Lisa Bryant In 1974 the government decided to delay an election promise to fund a proper child care system. The Women's Electoral Lobby organised a huge children's party on the lawns of Parliament House to protest and the Whitlam Government learnt not to muck with women, children and childcare.
The $100m damage bill is just the start
Cassandra Goldie Last weekend as the super storm pounded the east coast, Missionbeat's phones ran hot with calls from rough sleepers.
Safety still falls to women to look after
Emma Buckley Lennox Like most women, I’m used to men taking away my right to feel safe in the moment.
What Stanford rape case can teach our sons
Rex Huppke I'll tell my boys that only cowards blame rape on alcohol or promiscuity.
Why millennials don't care that Clinton made history
Molly Roberts A female presidential candidate has clinched a major-party nomination for the first time in U.S. history. No one seems to care - at least not many people in my millennial generation. Not even women, although they should.
JUNE 10
Greed so often the culprit in disasters
Having grown up on the northern beaches, I remember my dad taking me to Collaroy in the 1974 king tide to see if our favourite fishing spot was still there. It wasn't
Clinton's historic achievement only the start
The Democratic Party nominee's comeback is the stuff of American lore. Now for the real contest.
Column 8
A deluge on Marcus Daniel's comment about weatherman Graham Creed missing articles such as "with mostly sunny day".
We should stop asking politicians if they're feminists
Josephine Tovey It's not because feminism isn't important, but because the question demands so little of the person being asked.
This time it's the Coalition promising things it can't afford
Peter Martin Labor ought to consider reversioning the old 1980's AIDS slogan: "I like sex, but I'm not prepared to die for it."
Coogee rebuilds on the bedrock of community
Helen Pitt Most mornings I swim at Coogee Beach. That was until this week when storms lashed the beach, bringing a swell like I've never seen before.
Thanks for the excuse to quit, but I'll keep on jogging anyway
Claire Connelly A good jog can prevent and or moderate anxiety and depression, reduce the likelihood of cardiovascular disease and it encourages good sleep patterns.
Hillary Clinton has what it takes to topple Trump
AMY CHOZICK Clinton's tenacity, grit and capacity for enduring and overcoming adversity could be exactly what is required to defeat Donald Trump.
Don't cancel Olympics because of Zika
Tara Kirk Sell With the Zika outbreak in the Americas raging and the growth of scientific support about potential birth defects from maternal infection, some in public health have called for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio to be postponed or moved. As a fellow public health researcher and a pregnant Olympian swimmer and silver medalist at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, I have a close-up perspective on both sides of this issue and believe this opinion does not balance the risks appropriately.
The high price of waterfront living
Managed retreats from coastal development remain a sensible alternative to sea walls.
JUNE 9
Stop selling seaside property in Sydney
A seawall is not the solution ("Seawall delayed by funding row", June 8). Remove the damaged and threatened buildings, assist residents to relocate, and return what's left of the land to open space.
Column 8
A Yankee start. "I totally agree with the comment regarding American geographical names given to girls now."
CSG will play a major part in the election
Mark Ogge The big environmental issue of the last NSW election was coal seam gas. And while the gas industry and its lobbyists keep waiting for the controversy to go away, gas looks set to play a major role in the federal election too.
Previously in Comment
Highlights
Don't take this personally
Cartoonist Cathy Wilcox shows you how to get more out of your seething outrage online.
Sydney will be unrecognisable
Everything that you (or at least I) love about this town under threat, the city's planner are conspicuous by their silence.
What young voters want (and it isn't selfies)
Our politicians can learn a lot from Bernie Sanders, who can't tell a joke and I doubt he could DJ to save his life.
Baird's light rail is bastardry of the first order
Tree-felling, park-gouging, history-trashing, bus-killing and street-closing. For what? You can have light rail and trees, high density and parks. It's a false dichotomy.
Turnbull will lose unless he wins back Liberals
The Prime Minister has not actually done anything to explain his rapid downhill trajectory. But contradicting himself almost every week, Turnbull has stood fast in indecision.
The story that sums up a mad world
If Donald Trump is elected president of the United States, London's new mayor would be barred from entering the country because he's a Muslim.Â
Turnbull's 30-minute city is a silly idea
Should the development of new rail lines be based on their potential value to property developers? The government thinks so.
Labor can't deny its role in Manus Island tragedy
'Stopping the boats' was a bipartisan policy and both sides of politics are responsible for its monstrous outcomes.
The fight China will take to the brink of war
Peter Hartcher: The world's two greatest powers are competing for military dominance of the western Pacific Ocean and the contest is about to intensify.
Wrong museum, wrong place, wrong reasons
Elizabeth Farrelly: Does the Baird government's planned Powerhouse-to-Parramatta move make any sense at all, to anyone?
Why you don't really need health insurance
Marcus Strom: Every year people rail against private health insurance companies hiking up their premiums. I couldn't care less.
The Trump plan that is a real danger to Australia
Peter Hartcher: Donald Trump has made an idiotic and potentially incendiary claim about one of the world's most flammable strategic tinder boxes.
The unfair truth about a woman's handbag
Annabel Crabb: Like our brains, women's bags have to do 10 things at once. And that's tiring enough, even before tax.
With friends like Malcolm, equality is far away
Tim Dick: 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
Jessica Irvine: We know we've got a problem when it comes to sugar and obesity.
Class clown Joyce has centre stage to prove himself
Peter Hartcher: 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 United Nations
Annabel Crabb: One key point of illumination from Julian Assange's announcement on Thursday is the rich impotence of the UN.
