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A broken sign post that says ‘ETHICS’ being bombarded by a shower of meteors (some labelled ‘CRISIS’). Illustration / artwork for John Faine story by Matt Davidson

Crisis? What crisis? When power and criticism collide

Public criticism is dismissed as partisan, brushed aside because of who said it – regardless of whether it is accurate. The problem bedevils state and federal governments, whoever is in power.

  • by Jon Faine

Latest

Point Break turns 30.

The only thing worse than Point Break? Keanu Reeves’ acting in it

As with many surfers passing their peak, the film is still acting the teenager, more ludicrous with each year.

  • by Malcolm Knox
Sam Burgess after an appearance at Moss Vale court in February.
Analysis
NRL 2021

Rehab has changed my life, says Burgess

The former South Sydney star says his next ambition is to become involved in rugby league again.

  • by Danny Weidler
Prime Minister Scott Morrison came under fire from Michael Slater.

Why Slater unloaded on the PM

Clearly shaken, Slater told me he meant no disrespect.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Latika Bourke

Australia is a beacon of multiculturalism. How did it lose its humanity?

It’s horrifying to see the ease with which leaders propose sending Australians to Christmas Island to quarantine at a detention centre so awful it’s meant to deter asylum seekers.

  • by Latika Bourke
Doctors have been reporting cancellation of vaccination appointments.

Beervax or bust: Let’s pay people to be vaccinated

Until Australia has a wide vaccine coverage, it won’t leave COVID-19 behind so let’s try linking cash to the jab.

  • by Julian Savulescu
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SMH LETTERS DINKUS
LETTERS
Letters

A disturbing list

Age readers have their say.

Bill and Melinda Gates in 2001 at a tennis match in Seattle.

In the Christian covenant of marriage, there’s always a third party

One of the saddest bits of news this week, for me, was the announcement that Bill and Melinda Gates are separating after 27 years.

  • by Barney Zwartz

I invested in shares for the first time this week: here’s how I did it

Hundreds of thousands of Aussies are dipping their toe into the sharemarket for the first time. Here’s how to join the investing revolution.

  • by Jessica Irvine
Remaining ignorant to money saving opportunities will hurt your financial future.
Opinion
Budgeting

The five most common money mistakes

By using these tips and tricks, you can put yourself well on track to securing your financial future.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
When you are retired, superannuation benefits are “non-preserved” and accessible.

How to balance a share portfolio with super in retirement

A superannuation “recontribution strategy” can be a viable option if you have unspent cash reserves in retirement.

  • by George Cochrane
Restaurants are breathing a sigh of relief for this Mother’s Day.
Opinion
Editorial

Mother’s Day is more relevant than ever

Let us not forget Mother’s Day was originally conceived, in 1908, to recognise the sacrifices mothers make, both for their children and for society at large.

French star Antoine Dupont.
Opinion
Wallabies

Why the Wallabies are now favourites against France

A few months ago, I said Australia should not expect to win a match in their upcoming three-Test series against France. I’d like to retract those comments.

  • by Andrew Mehrtens
Relatives perform the last rites for the cremation of a man who died after contracting Covid-19 on the banks of the Ganges river in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.

India ban has shamed Liberals, but not enough for many to speak out against it

The decision to make it a criminal offence for Australians to try to return home from India has shamed Coalition MPs, but they fear speaking out against it.

  • by Rob Harris
Tension in the skies. A Taiwanese F-16 flies near a Chinese bomber as it passes near Taiwan in 2020.

Ill-disciplined chest-thumping has put war at centre of what’s left of the Australia-China relationship

The Morrison government has trashed a 50-year convention when it comes to public comment about Taiwan.

  • by Kevin Rudd
Hurtling toward election day.

Voters driven to distraction by Morrison’s short-term splurge

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is quickly rebuilding a coronavirus-ravaged economy in the short term. But beyond this, his plans are a mystery.

  • by Peter Hartcher
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Rising tide of immigration.

The race card just doesn’t stack up in Australia

Indians are Australia’s second-largest overseas-born community. If he wants to get re-elected, Prime Minister Scott Morrison better hope that the 720,000 migrants have short memories.

  • by George Megalogenis
A report into gymnastics in Australia has made for grim reading.
Editorial
Gymnastics

Australia’s gymnastic governing bodies must confront sport’s ugly past

With the abuse of gymnasts so pervasive in so many countries, it must be asked whether the myopic focus on Olympic medals needs to be abandoned as the sole measure of success.

  • The Age's View
Jarryd Hayne, 33, had faced a maximum possible sentence of 14 years in jail; he has been has been sentenced to five years and nine months.

‘Brotherhood’ that rallies in support of Hayne is the domain of disgraceful cowards

Jarryd Hayne is in prison where he belongs, but there’s something we need to discuss.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
West Coast’s Jack Darling kicks a goal.
Opinion
AFL 2021

We’re not talking footy, we’re playing it

It’s what media and fans are not talking about this season that says most about the game’s evolution.

  • by Greg Baum
Please Explain podcast.

Report on Victoria’s hotel quarantine failure reveals a culture of cover-up

Today on Please Explain, Tory Maguire and The Age’s state political editor Annika Smethurst speak about the leaked report on Victoria’s hotel quarantine failures.

  • by Tory Maguire
The Olympics’ motto is faster, higher, stronger - it’s the motto the Reserve Bank wants the federal government to adopt.

Going for gold: RBA urges government to go faster, higher, stronger

Ahead of the federal budget, the Reserve Bank has urged the government to adopt the Olympic motto of citius, altius, fortius.

  • by Shane Wright
Clancy Glover knows what his last servant died of.

Whatchamacall a mother’s love? The dog seems to know

From thingamajig to dooverlackie, decoding the mysterious sayings of adults is still no easy task.

  • by Richard Glover
Nicholas Harding’s Wilpena Pound and Eucalyptus (Sliding Rock) (2019-20).

Exhibition an SOS to save our future

It isn’t the tree’s age-old, symbolic significance that forms the focus of this exhibition; it’s the destruction of wilderness that threatens the very basis of human life.

  • by John McDonald
Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley.
Analysis
AFL 2021

The Buckley call: How do you judge a coach 10 years in?

Clubs rarely reappoint coaches who have not won a premiership in their first 10 years at a club, but then, how many coaches have won a final in each of their past three seasons?

  • by Peter Ryan
Queensland Health is investigating any links between the vaccine and blood clots. (File image)

Why waiving patent rights on COVID-19 vaccines is not the answer

To increase production of vaccines, we must work with the patent owners, not against them.

  • by Andrew Christie
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Women walk by a “no trespassing” sign at a park with a backdrop of the Olympic rings in Tokyo.
Opinion
Olympics

Devil is in the lack of detail for Olympic hopefuls over risk of infection in Tokyo

There is a risk the Tokyo Olympics could become the uber-spreader event of the COVID-19 age. Doomsdayist? Perhaps, but nobody has a crystal ball.

  • by Darren Kane
The Reds celebrate a victory on their way to Saturday night’s Super Rugby final against the Brumbies.

Australian sides must not talk themselves down before trans-Tasman clashes

There are some very encouraging signs for Australian rugby, and the nation’s Super teams don’t need to fear what awaits across the ditch.

  • by Paul Cully
Opinion
Gardening

Our couch-bound kids don’t know what they’re missing out on

When I was young, I felt incredibly envious of kids who broke limbs, or had their tonsils out. And I was greatly disappointed that none of these things ever happened to me.

  • by Monica Dux
Exploiting fear: Women are over-represented in less secure jobs.
Opinion
MyCareer

Fear and loathing in the workplace: We must do better

A manager once reminded me that despite what he termed the “new age” management ideas about engagement, inclusivity and respect, fear still works to motivate.

  • by Jim Bright
Employees definitely perform better when they’re led by a profit-focused supervisor.

Is there anything as important as profit?

Of all the factors critical to business performance, few are as critical as profit.

  • by James Adonis
Entente is one of two Gai Waterhouse-Adrian Bott hopes in the Gosford Cup on Saturday.

Glitz of Randwick and Rosehill gives way to milk-bar mood at Gosford

All eyes will be on Gosford on Saturday as the club hosts its first stand-alone Saturday meeting.

  • by Max Presnell
Associate Professor David Ranson.
Analysis
Naked City

Not like CSI: How pathologists really rebuild lives after death

“If I look at the homicide cases I have done the cause of death in 99 per cent of the cases has been bleeding obvious.”

  • by John Silvester
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Opinion
Jobs

Huge problem: Immigrants are not taking our jobs

Like most anti-immigrant rhetoric, ‘they took our jobs’ is high on fear but low on fact.

  • by Jan Fran
Hamish McLennan and the Wallabies.
Analysis
Wallabies

Why is rugby so scared of going back to its roots?

Amateur rugby is generally agreed to be the code’s strongpoint but Rugby Australia is going to extraordinary lengths to stop its elite level from slipping back to that same amateur status.

  • by Malcolm Knox
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg said the Morrison government remains committed to its stage three tax cuts.

Our closed borders have turbo-charged the economy’s recovery

The economy’s rebound from the lockdowns of last year has been truly remarkable – far better than anyone dared to hope. Even so, it’s not quite as miraculous as it looks.

  • by Ross Gittins
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Gretel Bueta of the Firebirds in action against the NSW Swifts in round one.

Mum’s the word: why I’m in awe of dual-role netballers

As we approach Mother’s Day, it is nothing short of inspirational to see outstanding athletes on court while their children sit in the stands.

  • by Liz Ellis
Joe Biden is spending up big.

Biden’s risky spending poses a danger for the world

Joe Biden’s spending spree is unlike anything peacetime America has seen and has global implications.

  • by Liam Halligan
Amazon's purchase of Whole Foods catapulted it near the top of the $US700 billion grocery industry.

The shopping war that Amazon is losing

Amazon has been so successful in the last year that words almost fail me. Except in one area.

  • by Shira Ovide
The emergency declaration went through the national security committee and had the approval of Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Scott Morrison learning all the wrong lessons from travel ban backlash

The Prime Minister chose to blame the media rather than accept responsibility for his government’s poor handling of the emergency declaration.

  • by David Crowe
The Holiday Inn quarantine hotel at Melbourne Airport was the source of one of Victoria’s outbreaks.

Culture of cover-up puts Victorians at risk

Denying errors damages public confidence – and risks sending the state back into lockdown.

  • by Annika Smethurst
By the end of the century a quarter of Australia’s population will be over 65, and their expertise will be needed.

In this more enlightened time, how can ageism still exist?

Older people have so much experience and wisdom to offer. How is ageism still such a stumbling block in our ageing society?

  • by Jonathan Rivett

Jewish business gathering for ScoMo organised at warp speed

In eight days, the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce organised a lunch for 650 people at Crown.

  • by Stephen Brook and Samantha Hutchinson
Spotify already operates the world's largest paid music service, and is now challenging Apple as the dominant way people listen to podcasts.
Analysis
Podcasts

Apple and Spotify’s podcast plays could leave smaller shows behind

The tech giants are pushing to own podcast subscriptions within their respective apps, but independent content creators are worried they will get squeezed out.

  • by Tim Biggs
Daniel Carr served in East Timor, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Analysis
ADF

Damaged lives: lifting the lid on the consequences of war

As Australia prepares to confront suicides among military veterans, some of those suffering PTSD and depression sit for Chris Hopkins’ camera and tell their stories.

  • by Tony Wright
The distinction between science and ideology is hardly a neat one.

Our policy on India leaves us in a weird place

This week, more than any other I can recall, put our contradictory relationship with the world on full display.

  • by Waleed Aly
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A wind turbine on farm land near Hamburg, Germany.

Europe’s carbon tariff plan will ‘trigger a race to the top’, but there will be tensions

There is no time to lose in transitioning to a world run on clean technology but it will have its risks and obstacles, write two senior European lawmakers.

  • by Frans Timmermans and Josep Borrell
ALP
Editorial
ALP

Labor should focus on the pandemic recovery, not party infighting

The factional brawl that’s broken out over preselections highlights the absence of Premier Daniel Andrews, perhaps the only figure with the power to quell the strife.

  • The Age's View
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 10: Action during the round eight Super RugbyAU match between the Queensland Reds and the ACT Brumbies at Suncorp Stadium, on April 10, 2021, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Regi Varghese/Getty Images)
Analysis
Super Rugby

The Brumbies start fast and the Reds finish strong. Who wins the rest?

Queensland and the Brumbies are the last two sides left standing in Super Rugby AU, and the form guide shows how tightly contested the final will be.

  • by Morgan Turinui
Dejected Cats stand on the Gabba after the final siren of the 2020 grand final.
Opinion
AFL 2021

Grand final revenge? Key Cats owe it to themselves to lift

Geelong can begin their journey towards redemption on Friday night, in a contest that could have huge top-four ramifications.

  • by Wayne Carey