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SMH Editorials

WA backlash scares Hanson, Berejiklian

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian faces a torried two years to avoid a Barnett-like defeat at the next election.

It is possible – but not certain - that the One Nation revival will burn up like Clive Palmer's star did. The forthcoming Queensland state election will be crucial.

And the Oscar goes to ... Turnbull and Abbott

One little statue means so much.

The Herald recommends Geoffrey Rush as Turnbull up against Russell Crowe as the budgie-smuggler driven by God and Queen to drag Australia back into his old-world view. Magda Szubanski would be a shoo-in for Best Supporting Actress as Pauline Hanson.

Thank you, driver, and goodbye

Sun-Herald editorial dinkus.

Getting into a car as a passenger is an act of trust: we trust that the driver will be responsible, alert, skilful and knowledgeable enough to get us to our destination without mishap.

A one-state solution is no solution in Israel-Palestine conflict

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in Sydney viewing signing ...

The practical purpose of the historic first visit by a sitting Israeli Prime Minister to our shores is to deepen the business relationship between our two countries by "expanding co-operation in cyber-security, innovation and science, agri-tech, energy and resources and the environment". But when Israel is involved, politics is unavoidable.

HSC reforms pass the first test

The new English syllabuses focus on grammar and punctuation.

Perhaps the best change is the shift away from the social and historically context of physics, to be replaced by a focus on the rules and formulas that explain processes.

Sports stars gone wrong, and hope for recovery

Grant Hackett won the 1500m gold medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 but has struggled to build a stable post-sport life.

Cases such as Grant Hackett's highlight the importance of mentoring young athletes as the pressure builds on them to not only perform but also to try new things that their status and income allows.

More work to do on Closing the Gap

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull with Ngunnawal elders on the eve of the Closing the Gap report release at Parliament ...

Descriptions of poverty, domestic violence, drunkenness and homelessness may be well-intentioned attempts to draw attention to ongoing problems, but they do not convey the full picture of Aboriginal lives.

Truth, not hypocrisy, is the answer to One Nation

One Nation leader Pauline Hanson wants an inquiry into Islam.

The Liberals' deal to preference One Nation ahead of the Nationals in the Western Australian election in March smacks of desperation. Voters will rightly wonder whether the same kind of desperation will lead to similar pacts around the country.

A depressing tale of two ministers

Sun-Herald editorial dinkus.

The longer you look at it, the odder it seems. In reshuffling her cabinet, Gladys Berejiklian made some moves that were interesting, some that were inevitable, and some that were just strange. Two moves in particular were so bizarre that they look like mistakes: Adrian Piccoli and Rob Stokes.