Opinion
Opinion
Traffic
Why are you trying to kill me? The woes of two-wheel travel in Melbourne
There’s a disregard on our roads towards motorbike riders, which is often fuelled by anger and impatience. But it is getting more and more dangerous.
- by Jon Faine
Latest
Analysis
NRL 2021
‘I hope I don’t get the tap’: Cherry-Evans admits fear of Sea Eagles exit
The Manly star is concerned he may be asked to leave the club where he has made his name and won a premiership.
- by Danny Weidler
Opinion
Political leadership
More Australians are becoming less religious, so what’s with our PMs?
Three out of the last five have made their religion more central to their public persona - though Morrison takes the cake.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Coronavirus pandemic
Scott Morrison rejects big ideas but one has seeped into his approach to borders
The notion that globalist liberalism had gone too far has led Australia to lock out its citizens.
- by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Opinion
Social media
When it comes to protecting Byron Bay, why not #boycottInsta too?
It puzzles me why people are more troubled by Netflix than Instagram and its users.
- by Anna Lockwood
Analysis
AFL 2021
The corporate takeover of AFL clubs is complete
Today, the people at the helm of AFL clubs are increasingly institutional corporate people, a trend that has been underway for several years.
- by Jake Niall
‘Are we hugging?’ The complicated return of physical greetings
From handshakes to air kisses, we’ve seen a progressive increase in touching, but some experts think we should hold off on getting too friendly too soon.
- by Melissa Singer
Opinion
Private Sydney
Murdoch thrilled to be back in Sydney, while Packer only reminded of failures
If ever there were a study in contrasts it would be in the respective relationships two of our highest of high flyers - Lachlan Murdoch and James Packer - have with the city that is so firmly imprinted on their respective DNAs.
- by Andrew Hornery
Opinion
Sharemarket
Why economists think it’s mad to buy individual shares
By the time you’ve read a company annual report or a stockbroker has read something and sent out their newsletter, it’s already built into the stock price.
- by Jessica Irvine
Opinion
Federal budget
It’s an ‘aged-care budget’... but will it deliver or kick the can down the road?
Speculation grows that $10 billion in additional aged-care sector funding is imminent – but stretched out over the next four years.
- by Rachel Lane
Analysis
Peter Gutwein
Gutwein claims victory in the Tasmanian election as Liberals edge closer to majority
The Tasmanian Liberals under Premier Peter Gutwein were just one seat shy of a majority on Saturday night, a result that could boost Scott Morrison.
- by James Massola and Amelia McGuire
Opinion
Credit cards
How will a balance transfer affect your credit score?
Don’t shop around too much for credit. Determine the best product first and then apply for just one.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Opinion
Ask an expert
Negotiating assets and income tests to get an age pension
A single homeowner can have assets of $585,750 and income below $54,168 ($2083 a fortnight).
- by George Cochrane
Opinion
MyCareer
How to embrace uncertainty in an uncertain world
Accept uncertainty and keep moving – doing nothing is not always the best option.
- by Jim Bright
Editorial
Federal budget
Women must be at heart of the budget
After months of soul-searching, the federal government has a chance next week to show what it can do to improve the lives of half the Australian population.
Opinion
Religion
The peculiar experience of being targeted by Scientology
“Ben is being promoted by Sputnik International straight from Moscow. No surprises here.” This was one piece of blowback I received after writing about Scientology.
- by Ben Schneiders
Opinion
Coronavirus pandemic
Government policy to blame for stranded Australians
For this Australian citizen, there were multiple hurdles to getting back from India.
- by Gabriela D'Souza
Opinion
NRL 2021
Rugby suffers from financial struggles in New Zealand, so how would a new NRL team survive?
The great majority of NRL teams are propped up by millions of dollars a year by the NRL, so I just can’t see the value of a second team in New Zealand.
- by Andrew Mehrtens
Analysis
AFL 2021
How can Worsfold help drive the Teague train at Carlton?
Carlton coach David Teague will benefit from having former Bomber coach and Eagles legend John Worsfold in his corner but the Blues will need to all be on the same page.
- by Peter Ryan
Opinion
Gender pay gap
Pay decision could provide a path for government on gender equity
If the Morrison government wants to support equal pay for women start with improving the wages of undervalued jobs in the childcare sector.
- by Iola Mathews
Opinion
Ageing
My elderly parents are not the strong, stubbornly proud people I recall
Supporting ageing parents can be fraught with physical and emotional challenges.
- by Jim Pavlidis
Opinion
China relations
The politics of standing up to Xi’s China
China’s intention to take Taiwan - by force if necessary - is clear. But the Morrison government needs to watch its language. Election campaigns are not ideal showcases for subtlety and restraint.
- by Peter Hartcher
Opinion
History
‘There’s no back-up copy’: Australian treasures are on the brink of destruction
If Australia does not preserve its audio-visual heritage, no one else in the world will.
- by Michelle Arrow
Opinion
China relations
Where are the grown-ups? All this loose talk about China and war is dangerous
A war fought over which political order prevails in Taiwan is not worth the price. Australian diplomacy ought to be identifying the off-ramps that will avoid this nightmare, writes the former foreign affairs minister.
- by Bob Carr
Opinion
Sunday Life
Stop expecting women to be endlessly supportive of each other
I’ve become a little allergic to Madeleine Albright’s remark that there is a special place in hell for women who don’t support other women.
- by Jane Caro
Analysis
Software
ACCC’s tracking win over Google a small step in the right direction
Big tech is still choosing to treat privacy policies like marketing documents and more pressure will be needed to dispel the opaque terms they impose on consumers.
- by Tim Biggs
Opinion
Big four
Big four bank CEO grilling has lost its sizzle
The latest round of questioning of the big four bank CEOs was a blunt reminder that these hearings have lost their punch.
- by Clancy Yeates
Analysis
Coronavirus pandemic
Shifting pandemic politics brings Canberra to the table
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews believes the Morrison government is too weakened by its botched vaccination program to reject its proposal for a new quarantine centre.
- by Chip Le Grand
Analysis
Political leadership
Morrison may strike a chord on identity politics but he’s wading onto contested ground
Australians do not judge their politicians lightly if they say one thing and do another, so Scott Morrison stepped onto dangerous ground on Thursday night when he chose to make a speech about morality and community.
- by David Crowe
Analysis
Collingwood
Fledgling Magpies flap their wings
Everyone thinks Collngwood are at a crossroads. The club says went through it a long time ago. They’ve gone young, with their fingers crossed.
- by Greg Baum
Editorial
Coronavirus pandemic
World is in dire need of vaccine patent waiver
A lack of urgent action could cost hundreds of thousands of lives and allow more time for the virus to develop dangerous mutations.
- The Age's View
Analysis
Political leadership
Why Tasmania’s election matters for Morrison and Albanese
Tasmania will have about as many winnable marginal seats at the next federal election as any mainland state. Scott Morrison and Anthony Albanese will be watching Saturday’s state election closely.
- by Angus Livingston
Opinion
WordPlay
Let’s get fizzical about the word fizgig
What’s all the fuss about fizzy words asks David Astle.
- by David Astle
Opinion
Review
What makes the cut in a revisionist look at Australian impressionism?
An intelligent new show respects history - and adds recognition of female and Indigenous artists - while keeping the worst ideological fantasies at bay.
- by John McDonald
Analysis
Please Explain podcast
School studies review focuses on Australia’s own ancient history
Today on Please Explain, the Herald’s Education Editor Jordan Baker joins Tory Maguire to look at the reaction to recommended changes to the school curriculum.
- by Tory Maguire
Analysis
Australian rugby
Rugby Australia needs private equity, but how much is it willing to give up?
Thursday’s financial results in Australia and New Zealand have exposed some harsh truths about rugby’s fragile state.
- by Paul Cully
Opinion
Political leadership
Identity politics? Drums of war? Quick, look over there – hobgoblins!
The federal government is in a world of pain and is using the oldest technique of politics to divert attention from its biggest problem.
- by Tony Wright
Opinion
Federal budget
Investing in women will pay dividends for the whole economy
Huge opportunities exist to boost Australia’s economic recovery and future prosperity by ensuring women are appropriately represented in the workforce.
- by Sam Mostyn
Opinion
Grief
As a single woman, I’ve noticed an enormous gap in our rituals
We rarely honour the solo life as its own, standalone stage – not the “time before meeting The One” but a special, formative, wonderful time.
- by Mari Andrew
Opinion
Naked City
John Stubbs’ gift and how it eases the burdens of tired, old cops
Police Veterans Victoria has found retired police living on the streets and in cars and some who “don’t know where to go and are completely lost”.
- by John Silvester
Opinion
Renewables
Here comes the sun: The wind and solar boom is here
The sun, the air and the chemistry to bottle their limitless power — it’s looking more and more as if these constitute the world’s next great technological advance, a leap as life-changing for many of us as was aviation and the internet.
- by Farhad Manjoo
Opinion
Melbourne Cup
Fragile fly-ins undermine safety and character of Melbourne’s fading star
The cost of attracting foreign raiders to the Melbourne Cup is a greater risk of fatalities and the loss of the once-great race’s Australasian flavour.
- by Max Presnell
Opinion
Coronavirus pandemic
I am COVID-positive in India but I’m one of the lucky ones
After more than a year of writing about the pandemic in India, here I was experiencing the story first-hand with the virus firmly settled inside me.
- by Amrit Dhillon
Opinion
Friendship
That time in our lives when we need to really start living
As we age, shock diagnoses and lost friends teach us the importance of living now and of finding challenges and connection simply by saying yes.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Analysis
NRL 2021
Threatened species: How size and cut-and-paste coaching are smothering creative halves
It’s a halves market in the NRL with players in the twilight of their careers getting paid millions. Why has the production line of quality playmakers dried up?
- by Andrew Webster
Analysis
AFL 2021
What is going wrong with St Kilda’s misfiring midfield?
It says much about the depth of St Kilda’s malaise early in 2021 that there has been an almost messianic air surrounding a 33-year-old reasonably banged-up ruckman.
- by Daniel Cherny
Opinion
Sydney Writers' Festival
It’s time we celebrate the world’s ‘perfect’ bookworms
The reader, after all, is the one who brings a book to life: casting, filming, even choreographing the sex scenes. Of course, there are plenty of bad books too.
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
Federal budget
New economic rule: The budget’s the only game in town
With monetary policy having lost its potency, fiscal policy is the only lever left for the government to stimulate growth and keep our economy recovering.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
World politics
Tony Blair rocks the world with his shaggy new look
Long hair is connected to the images of heavy metal rock stars and hippies. What we do not associate with long hair: former world leaders.
- by Vanessa Friedman