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SMH Editorials

President-elect Donald Trump is at odds not only with American security agencies, but with sections of Congressional ...

Trump and the post-truth world

A fortnight before Donald Trump's inauguration the President-elect has already begun to exercise his power, revealing to the world what sort of leader he might prove to be. He has given us some cause for hope and more for concern.

Our cars are choking us

The draft proposals cover three things: higher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles, higher air-pollution standards, ...

The government's project to improve the quality and efficiency of fuel and cars on our roads is a worthwhile one.

One Nation dysfunction adds to Turnbull's headaches

Pauline Hanson faces a challenge in keeping her party united.

The Senate the Prime Minister insists is working already looks more like a Mad Hatter's Tea Party than an austere house of review. How much more intractable will it be if Pauline Hanson loses control of One Nation?

Indigenous Australians must be involved in renewed push for justice and equity

Sun-Herald editorial dinkus.

Each new year, the release of cabinet documents from 25 years ago reminds us of old battles. They can look rather quaint – passion recollected in tranquility. A set of documents released this year, though, has a different effect: it shames us. After a quarter of a century, the issue of Aboriginal deaths in custody remains as intractable as ever.

We need to clear the air on fuel emissions

Petrol bills could fall but the cost of new cars could climb under any tightening of Australia's fuel standards.

We Australians love to reflect on our good fortune, on the things that make our country special and precious and among the best places in the world to live. For example, that we get to breathe some of the cleanest air in the world. How good is that?

Christmas and the inner child

The fun and true meaning of the season, without the burden of adult life.

They are unscarred by the anger and hurt caused by disappointments, bad decisions or broken promises. They lack a deflating knowledge of the fears and frustrations that accompany grown-ups through life.

Turnbull right to get tough over Badgerys Creek

Minister for Urban Infrastructure Paul Fletcher and Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull have various options should Sydney ...

With interest rates at record lows, governments should take on so-called "good debt" to build productive assets then sell them off later. And plenty of super funds would be interested in the new project.

Value for money puts the joy back into Christmas giving

When it comes to Christmas gifts, an expensive surprise may not be the answer.

Here we are in the busiest shopping week of the year. We are spending billions - $48.1 billion to be precise, according to retailers' predictions - on gifts for each other, on food and drink to load up our Christmas tables, and on bars, restaurants and fast food to celebrate the festive season. Thursday is expected to be the busiest day of the week, but peak frenzy will be the fifteen minutes after 1pm on Friday, according to the National Australia Bank, which expects to process 360 transactions per second in that brief interlude. To avoid the rush, shoppers are advised to brave the aisles in the early morning or late afternoons.

Great schools focus on student needs

There's a fine line between raising standards and putting too much pressure on students.

The question is often whether a preference to support public education and the local community is strong enough, and whether the neighbourhood comprehensive high school is still the best option.

Robust state finances give Baird government a year-end glow

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It's been a rough year for the Baird government. But the latest Half-Yearly Review which updates the state's financial position provides us with the opportunity to step back and look more broadly at the 'core' of how the government travelling.

Turnbull buckles on effective climate action

 Energy Minister Josh Frydenberg, pictured with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, said the only reason for power ...

Look at last week's appalling capitulation on constructive climate policy debate to see how dysfunctional and beholden to the Abbott right that the government purportedly led by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has become.

Politicians the main threat to growth and budget repair

Treasurer Scott Morrison says the GDP result is more than a wake-up call for Australia.

Australia needs a policy circuit-breaker to find economic drivers to replace the mining investment boom. Despite claims of agility and innovation from the Turnbull government, they haven't emerged yet largely because so many proposals are ruled out on purely political grounds.