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Opinion

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Whoops! Steve Evans takes the wheel of an Action Canberra bus guided by driver, Karan Kenny.
Opinion
ACT

How hard can driving a bus be - even a reporter can do it!

Transport Canberra is recruiting so we sent our mature boy to find out the terms and conditions behind the wheel.

  • by Steve Evans

Latest

Spotlight is being turned on coal mining in Greater Sydney's catchment.
Opinion
Companies

Welcome to the accidental iron ore boom

A month ago, no one saw this coming.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Editorial
Opinion
ACT

Time to end asylum seeker farce

It takes courage to make history. That was in short supply on both sides of the chamber in Canberra this week.

  • by The Canberra Times
"Keep Sydney Open" rally to protest against the recently renewed lockout laws, 2016.
National

Lord mayor throws down gauntlet over lockout losses

Having more options creates a safer and more balanced late-night economy, which attracts a wider range of people.

  • by Clover Moore
Prime Minister Scott Morrison addresses the National Press Club of Australia in Canberra.
Opinion
National

Raise taxes or find a new way of defending our country

The future of the defence budget should send shivers down the (missing) spines of politicians around the country.

  • by Nicholas Stuart
Refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi with Craig Foster arrives back to Melbourne.
Editorial
Asia

A rare Australian victory for the cause of human rights

Three cheers for those who campaigned to free Hakeem al-Araibi.

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Extreme heat in South-east Queensland is causing students to get sick, say parents.
Opinion
National

Stay cool with revised house construction codes

We must also urgently modify the codes and regulations that dictate the performance of Australian buildings.

  • by Mat Santamouris
The latest report from the CSIRO says the lowest-cost power from a newly built facility is now produced by solar and wind.
Opinion
The economy

We could be among the world's climate change winners

The latest report from the CSIRO says the lowest-cost power from a newly built facility is now produced by solar and wind.

  • by Ross Gittins
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell speaks at a news conference, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019, in Washington. The Federal Reserve is keeping its key interest rate unchanged and promising to be "patient." It is signaling it could leave rates alone in coming months given muted inflation. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
Opinion
Markets

Jerome Powell isn't the only one confused by the peculiar market behaviour

There is confusion and contradiction in financial markets as trade talks near their crunch point.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Tom Cruise with Nicole Kidman in 1998.
Opinion
National

Cutting short shamers down to size

We need to take a stand – perhaps on a step stool – against the tyranny of height shaming.

  • by Dan Kaufman
Healthy teeth
Opinion
Workplace

'I am afraid I cannot trust anyone with try-hard teeth'

Adulthood is a tricky business, I've decided. I reached it rather early in life.

  • by Jim Bright
Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Tuesday.
Opinion
Federal

Prime Minister's strength turns into a weakness

Scott Morrison was the immigration minister who restored control of Australia’s borders. He is now the PM who has lost control of Australia’s parliament.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten on Tuesday.
Analysis
Federal

It hasn't been pretty, but this is a workable compromise on an ugly issue

A majority of members of Parliament have supported an outcome most Australians could live with.

  • by David Wroe
No pressure: Glenn Maxwell.
Opinion
Cricket

Big crash league?

The Big Bash League's numbers have plateaued, which means much hangs on the finals series starting on Thursday night.

  • by Greg Baum
Bahrain refugee soccer player Hakeem al-Araibi leaves the criminal court in Bangkok earlier this month.
Opinion
Asia

Hakeem al-Araibi: international pressure forced Bahrain to blink

International scrutiny forced the despotic regime to back down, as they could not act with impunity.

  • by Sayed Alwadaei
Send your opinions to letters.editor@canberratimes.com.au
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
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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
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
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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
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
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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
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
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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