Neither the state nor employers have a right to interfere with what consenting adults legally do in private.

It is imperative to find a balance between community safety and individual liberty.

There is, rightly, widespread concern and anger following the Coolaroo blaze.

In Australia, e-cigarettes are legal, but using nicotine refills in them is not.

• COMMENT

A year has passed since the AFL hosted its inaugural Pride Game between St Kilda and Sydney. Around the world, much has changed since.

• EDITORIAL

Few things are more important than public safety; the risks of more fires can be mitigated.

President Trump has replaced a swamp with a quagmire.

Lawmakers face inevitable conflicts of interest.

• Editorial

We should seek progress when something demonstrably should be changed (discrimination on the basis of race, sexuality or gender, for example), and we should seek to conserve evidently beneficial aspects of life (human rights, liberty and the rule of law, for example).

• Editorial

The crucial question to ask when a military conflict is poised to end in victory is: what happens the morning after?

There is clearly a problem when the nation set to become the world's biggest exporter of gas has a gas shortage.

• COMMENT

There is getting the job done and getting the job right.

Such decisions are about future generations. They will benefit mightily from infrastructure of all kinds, and so should contribute to the cost.

How can anyone assess this use of scarce public funds? The government has a duty of full disclosure to the community.

• Editorial

The US-led coalition, which dumped its long-standing "strategic patience" policy earlier this year, appears to have few remaining options.

Our social, economic, political and judicial systems are underpinned by trust, and most people are honourable. But people do manipulate state-sponsored investment incentives, enriching themselves at the expense of those who end up having to pay more than their fair share.

The rapidly expanding urban fringes too often lack public transport, schools, health and community services.

What appears probable is handheld computers' role in our lives is crossing a frontier.

• COMMENT

It is an uncomfortable truth that an undercurrent of racism has run through some of the debate surrounding the Houli suspension.