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The good, bad and ugly reality of budget 2017
Given an election could be more than two years' away, this should budget should embark on large-scale tax and economic reform. As it is, infrastructure may be the best we can expect.
Given an election could be more than two years' away, this should budget should embark on large-scale tax and economic reform. As it is, infrastructure may be the best we can expect.
Ad hoc attempts from the top down to decentralise departmental functions are unlikely to succeed at any time, and especially when there is no co-ordinated approach including state and local governments.
We all know about motherhood issues – motherhood being a proposition no one can oppose. But what about fatherhood? On this issue, it seems our society's views are more equivocal.
The Australian Federal Police admitting to a serious breach of the law when it accessed a journalist's metadata may be about as much as we ever hear about the police's ability to spy on journalists.
On some issues at least, the US President is becoming less of a big picture man and more of a pragmatist.
Liquefied natural gas is an important interim source of energy as Australia adjusts from a carbon-dominated economy. The problems in the gas market have made the shift more difficult.
From Bob Day's conflict of interest to Cory Bernardi's defection to an unknown independent senator on $227,000 a year: this is a sordid saga.
An increasingly angry minority wants to remake France as a more isolationist, less welcoming nation.
We drink, we gamble, we barbecue, we yell at the footy. But what is there to celebrate, about war?
The allegations of a bullying and toxic culture under Mr Coates' watch at the organisation have reached a critical mass.
Tribalism is the foundation of AFL club loyalty in the southern states. Babies are born into their team's colours. The Swans and the Giants need that if they are to challenge the century-plus dominance of rugby league in Sydney.
Horse-racing needs an independent national integrity commission which can examine - at arm's length - the industry's practices.
While there are concerns about the framing of the March for Science in Australia, the Herald hopes it will contribute to a strengthening of rationality and scientific expertise in public policy.
Political leaders should be explaining the benefits of skilled migration, managing the social and environmental effects of population growth, and working to counter xenophobia.
The United States and the European Union need to figure out how to deal with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in a way that keeps faith with the 49.6 per cent of Turks who rejected his grab for power.
The former prime minister says "voters are sick of governments that don't deliver". He should know.
At White Bay on Sydney's inner western harbour the government has not been able to resolve how to integrate a technology precinct with the massive WestConnex interchange which will dominate the area.
This week's report of the teenage couple, barred from going home and apparently preparing to sleep out in a tent with their newborn baby, shows how easily individuals can slip into homelessness.
We should be focused on creating sustainable industries for the future rather than shipping coal to India where it becomes somebody else's environmental and health problem.
What should we make of Easter and its symbolism of new beginnings and renewal?
Between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, the chances of a dangerous miscalculation on the Korean peninsula are higher than ever.
The steps taken now should be closely tuned to fairness and equity, to help the people who'll have trouble buying a place of their own even if the median Sydney house price stalls at the current level of more than $1.1 million.
Malcolm Turnbull is right. His government was returned to office in the election last July.
The byelection results are confirmation that the 'it's time factor' is building for the NSW coalition government through no fault of Gladys Berejiklian's.
Living in the driest continent on the globe, Australians may think they know all about drought. They don't.
Should these air-strikes lead Moscow to the negotiating table and force it to accept a solution for Syria without Bashar al Assad's involvement, then the US could claim a victory. However, last year Donald Trump warned that attacking Mr Assad risked starting "World War III" with Russia.
The cash economy's resilience reflects the great Australia tax avoidance ethos.
The taxpayers of NSW have accepted privatisation when the benefits are explained and the process is transparent. But the proposed sell-off of the NSW land titles registry is causing concern.
Not much can yet be said about a second Sydney airport, except that it will happen.
It's easy to see how the drama could be seen as entertainment, rather than a serious threat.
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