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Opinion
ACT

Calling the new City Hill estate The Barracks is not appropriate

It seems entirely inappropriate to call the estate planned for the south west sector of City Hill, The Barracks or One City Hill at the Barracks.

  • by Letters to the editor

Latest

King Maha Vajiralongkorn took the throne two years ago after the death of his father.
National

In dismissing his sister's ambitions, the Thai king shows where his loyalty is

Thailand thunderstruck as king's big sister stands, albeit briefly, in opposition.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Editorial
ACT

Petrol gouging inquiry is overdue

Is a price watch scheme, using the same price-freezing approach that has worked so well in the west, the answer or are there other factors at play?

  • by The Canberra Times
"Write about Australia in a way Australians will read": Barnaby Joyce.
National

Australian stories must be told by us

We should be deeply concerned by the University of Melbourne’s decision to change the MUP publishing strategy

  • by Barnaby Joyce
A good result given the challenging market
Opinion
Companies

If JB Hi-Fi is the best in breed how will other retailers fare?

If JB Hi-Fi is the canary in the coal mine for investors trying to gauge the damage of a slow Christmas, the result would have provided some comfort - but only at first glance.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Had Kenneth Hayne decided that loans had to be ''suitable'' for customers it would have injected extraordinary moral hazard into the financial system.
Opinion
Banking & finance

How removing two letters could have hurt financial system

Kenneth Hayne was urged to make a small change to the wording of a law that could have damaged the financial system. Thankfully he declined.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
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Asylum seekers on Nauru.
Opinion
National

We can balance compassion and safety as a country

Amendments do not contradict the government's stated policy on offshore detention.

  • by Kon Karapanagiotidis and Jana Favero
A fine romance
Opinion
National

It's not me, it's you: my Valentine no more

The early years were truly exciting. I was so proud to show you off to friends and family, but you have taken me for granted.

  • by Meena Evers
Children learning to swim
Opinion
National

Our social security system hurts women with young children

ParentsNext: If you want to continue getting your payments, you better turn up to your kids' swimming lessons.

  • by Jenna Price
Chances are popular kids are not Queen Bee bullies, they're popular because they are kind to other kids.
Life & relationships

Do popular kids peak too soon?

'The assumption that popular kids are, by definition, mean failures-in-waiting strikes me as, well, mean.'

  • by Kasey Edwards
Hakeem al-Araibi arriving at court in Bangkok on February 4.
Analysis
National

Bahrain blinks, but Hakeem al-Araibi should have never faced this ordeal

What began as a honeymoon turned into a two-month nightmare, but at last his ordeal is over.

  • by Michael Ruffles
Alen Stajcic fronted the media on Monday alongside coaches' association boss Phil Moss.
Analysis
Soccer

FFA finds new ways to shoot itself in the foot

The dispute over Alen Stajic's sacking is about the Matildas - but it is also, in many ways, a metaphor for the way the FFA so often misjudges situations.

  • by Michael Lynch
Prime Minister Scott Morrison during address at National Press Club in Canberra on Monday.
Opinion
Federal

Scott Morrison's booklet reveals recipe for a pumped-up scare campaign

The PM consults his new booklet on safety and security and discovers the recipe for an election scare campaign.

  • by Tony Wright
Melbourne's Tegan Cunningham shakes off the Collingwood opposition to head toward goal.
Analysis
AFL

Shallow and deep pools: AFLW's problem

The women's competition is staring down a problem of its own making.

  • by Daniel Cherny
Editorial
ACT

NAB resignations proof of Hayne's success

Standing still is not an option in the post-Hayne banking environment. For the banks and their leaders it is now a clear case of "march or die".

  • by The Canberra Times
A policeman stands next to a cut out photograph of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Hindu holy men participate in a ritual after a holy dip at Sangam, the confluence of sacred rivers the Yamuna, the Ganges and the mythical Saraswat in India.
Analysis
Asia

As millions of Indians take a dip, Modi chases their votes

The Kumbh Mela festival is the biggest gathering of humanity on the planet. This year, it also coincides with India's national elections.

  • by Jeffrey Gettleman and Hari Kumar
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Google's "other bets" include Waymo, its driverless car division, an ambitious health project known as Verily and its own venture capital arm, GV.
Opinion
Technology

Google bets billions on future beyond advertising

Waymo driverless cars and other schemes are burning cash, but the web giant can afford it.

  • by Margi Murphy
"I've been wondering what that special place in hell looks like," said Donald Tusk last week, "for those who promoted Brexit".
Opinion
The economy

The eurozone hell that haunts Brussels

The eurozone is an unsustainable construct - just one bad election, one geopolitical event, one sovereign downgrade, one eurozone bond crisis away from a "hell" of its own.

  • by Liam Halligan
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek says that while locking certain music exclusively to the app makes no sense, locking down podcast exclusives does.
Analysis
Technology

What Spotify's big podcast purchases mean for the future of the medium

The purchase of Gimlet and Anchor will make Spotify the first true competitor to Apple in the podcast space.

  • by Peter Wells
Venezuela's self proclaimed president Juan Guaido.
Opinion
South America

Why South America is the battlefield in a new cold war

The political crisis in Venezuela shows that Latin America has again become an arena in which rival powers struggle for influence and advantage.

  • by Hal Brands
We only want them to be happy, it's the vibe of parenting that has turned us into 'helicopters'.
Opinion
Life & relationships

There's a difference between helicopter parenting and plain old love

'We want the same as all good parents ever – simply for our kids to be secure and safe.'

  • by Wendy Tuohy
Commissioner Kenneth Hayne.
Opinion
Banking & finance

Politicians and economists will determine whether bank misbehaviour stops

In the wake of the Hayne report on financial misconduct, many are asking whether the banks have really learned their lesson, whether their culture will change and how long it will take. Sorry, that’s just the smaller half of the problem.

  • by Ross Gittins
Send your opinions to letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au
Opinion
ACT

Banks lost trust when selling was priority

I joined the Bank of NSW in 1968 when bank managers were respected and trusted members of the community, especially in country areas.

  • by Letters to the editor
By the book? To write good English, not necessarily.
Opinion
National

Writing proper English: let's call it an act of resistance

Rule one: some rules should be broken. An English style guru has some tips for today's writers.

  • by Benjamin Dreyer
The media still has work to do in restoring trust
Opinion
Companies

'It is understood': How oblique sourcing is hurting Australian media

As the media confronts another critical juncture, and with trust in the press still low, it is time for a new approach.

  • by John McDuling
Editorial
Opinion
ACT

West Basin is a chance to get it right

Revised plans for West Basin may include fewer apartments and more public space, but the reality has to match up to the hype.

  • by The Canberra Times
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A protest sign in Forbesdale, near Gloucester, opposing the proposed Rocky Hill coal mine.
Opinion
Climate change

Coal miners derided climate action 'sideshow'. Now it's the main event

A court ruling blocking a proposed mine in NSW will have ramifications across Australia and possibly the world as nations confront global warming.

  • by David Morris and Brendan Dobbie
A display of hundreds of red shoes spread as protest against violence toward women in Israel at Habima Square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018. A nationwide strike in protest of violence against women commemorating the 24 victims of domestic violence with thousands of men and women calling on the government to take action against domestic abuse. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Opinion
Life & relationships

Terrorism is rare, but intimate partner violence is an everyday event

'Public violence is taken far more seriously than private violence.'

  • by Jane Gilmore
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen.
Opinion
Federal

Franking credits policy is coming back to bite Labor

Whatever its merits, Labor’s attempt to put an end to a tax giveaway to people who have paid little or no tax in the first place is turning into a political liability.

  • by Tony Walker
Former ABC chairman Justin Milne.
Opinion
National

The crucial first question for the new chair of the ABC

There will be one question that will stand out for its potential impact on not just quality broadcasting but confidence in our public institutions: is the ABC biased?

  • by David Alexander
One for the scrapbook: England's Billy Vunipola celebrates with Ben Youngs after the win against Ireland.
Opinion
Rugby Union

Why England's deal with the devil will cripple World Cup chances

The England team that demolished Ireland is not going to show up to a semi-final against the All Blacks. It will have been smashed to pieces by then.

  • by Mark Reason
Thai Princess Ubolratana Mahidol waves outside the Grand Palace in Bangkok last year.
Analysis
Asia

Thailand puzzles over political surprises from royals

It was widely assumed that Ubolratana Mahidol, thought to be close to her brother King Maha Vajiralongkorn, had at least received his approval for her action.

  • by Grant Peck
Richard Holden, from the University of NSW
Opinion
National

'Staggering': Cash incentives improve kids' learning, research shows

Cash rewards can vastly improve kids' learning, but only under the right circumstances, writes Richard Holden

  • by Richard Holden
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott meets with families during his visit to Bear Cottage in Manly.
Opinion
National

Why Warringah should send me back to Canberra

Only a die-hard Labor voter would want to deprive the Liberal Party of an effective political warrior.

  • by Tony Abbott
Listen mum, it's time for you to let me go.
Opinion
ACT

How to succeed at school (we're talking to you, parents)

There's no manual for parents heading to school for the first time. Here's some tips.

  • by Karen Hardy
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison.
Opinion
Federal

The caretaker government where little care is being taken

No one in Morrison's government thinks they can win the election. Sometimes fatalism can be freeing

  • by Jacqueline Maley
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Anti-pokies stickers on display in the shop at MONA.
Analysis
National

Venal power of political donations and poker machines

Tasmanians did not find out until this month just how much money from pokies flowed into the state election campaign.

  • by Nick O'Malley
Canberra's urban forest is declining by about 3000 trees a year.
Opinion
ACT

So much for Canberra's tree-hugging Greens

If the Greens keep Andrew Barr in power we will continue to see the loss of tree canopies in the ACT.

  • by Letters to the editor
Editorial
Opinion
ACT

Technology gives firefighters an edge in heated battle

This new technology can hopefully prevent a fire from catching hold and threatening lives and homes in the bush capital.

  • by The Canberra Times
Look who's calling .... Clive Palmer.
Opinion
National

Clive Palmer just texted to say: 'You love me'

The would-be political force is back at it, sending unwanted texts to voters.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Refugee Behrouz Boochani on Manus Island in 2017.
Opinion
National

Jolly tick-tock of Canberra’s Paradise Clock

Readers, for you what is the time, now, on the Canberra Paradise Clock?

  • by Ian Warden
The Australian flag.
Opinion
National

Why being an Australian citizen doesn’t mean others will believe you truly belong

The popular and cultural definition of who is authentically Australian remains, for the most part, a white European one.

  • by Tim Soutphommasane
Townsville residents are cleaning up after recent flooding
Opinion
The economy

Storm-o-nomics: Why Australia should be more prepared for extreme weather

We need to prepare for more frequent, and more intense, extreme weather events.

  • by Matt Wade
Future property speculators are unlikely to be popping the champagne corks for Labor’s plan.
Opinion
Federal

Negative gearing changes will affect us all, mostly for the better

Despite all the talk about negatively geared nurses and property baron police officers, 90 per cent of taxpayers do not use negative gearing.

  • by Danielle Wood
Long wait: Australia's captain Tim Paine holds the trophy as he poses with teammates after they finally broke through for a series victory.
Analysis
Cricket

Accident or good management? Test team emerges from gloom

One of the lasting aphorisms of sport and, indeed, life is that you learn more from your losses than your victories.

  • by Geoff Lawson
Age editorial dinkus masthead
National

Racing's duty to rein in wrongdoers

It has never been more important for racing to decide what kind of future it wants, and what it is prepared to do to get there.

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Character: Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has been described as 'Mickey Mouse' by his New Zealand counterpart.
Opinion
Rugby Union

Why Stephen Larkham will have the last laugh over Michael Cheika

Cheika might have won this round with his former assistant coach, but we haven't seen the last of Larkham with the Wallabies.

  • by Neil Breen
Solid: Karmichael Hunt was strong in defence despite the Waratahs falling to the Brumbies.
Analysis
Rugby Union

Super heroes or villains: How will Aussie teams fare?

It’s been a long, hard road for Australian fans in recent years, however, a new Super Rugby season brings fresh hope.

  • by Sam Phillips
NBA star Russell Westbrook 'self-expresses' at Paris Fashion Week.
Opinion
AFL

Sport Thought: Clothes faketh the man

Marrying sports stars with high fashion and passing it off as 'self-expression' is one of the most hollow ideas ever conceived. And now the AFL is trying to horn in on it.

  • by Timothy Boyle
Should grown-ups eat jelly babies?
Opinion
Workplace

Age? Who cares, if you're doing a job well

Traditional ideas about careers and who can do what and when are rapidly receding, writes Jim Bright.

  • by Jim Bright