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Opinion

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Megan Herbert
LETTERS
Letters

The young are the future, we need to support them

Age readers respond to the recent commentary on the Baby Boomer generation.

Latest

A young James Packer celebrates with jockey Greg Hall after his victory on Merlene in the 1996 Golden Slipper at Rosehill.

From Todman to ‘meet Chris Waller’: The champions and chancers of Rosehill Gardens

The Golden Slipper shines bright among memories of the western Sydney racecourse. But it was the people as much as the horses who wrote the Rosehill story.

  • by Max Presnell
The downtime on holidays can be a great opportunity to discuss topics put in the too-hard basket throughout the year.
Opinion
Christmas

Hey kids, let’s talk about sex (and politics) on our summer walks

These subjects are too often regarded as taboo, but parents need to discuss them with their children – and the summer holidays are the perfect opportunity.

  • by Daisy Turnbull
Mark Nawaqanitawase taking on Georgia during the Rugby World Cup in September.

‘I’m not doing this to have a crack at rugby’: Why Wallabies star couldn’t say no to Roosters

Speaking publicly for the first time since his shock move, Mark Nawaqanitawase says he is not part of a code war and that some of the things being said about him are laughable.

  • by Danny Weidler
Imran Khan after captaining Pakistan to World Cup glory in Australia in 1992.

The ups and downright disasters of Pakistan in Australia

Pakistan have been brilliant in Australia but also terrible – often within the same series, or even the same match.

  • by Daniel Brettig
Taylor Swift on stage in Argentina in November.

The world is falling apart. Over to you Tay-Tay. No pressure

Artists like Taylor Swift have the right to express their political opinions as they like. But that right should never become an obligation.

  • by Jacqueline Maley
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Amidst the holiday hustle, we’re actually in the perfect position to conduct a comprehensive financial audit.
Opinion
Budgeting

Eight ways to practise financial self-care this Christmas

As we continue to gear up for this festive season, we also need to look after ourselves a bit more than usual – personally and financially.

  • by Victoria Devine
While the common advice is to save money at all costs, there is such a thing as ‘underspending’ and it’s not healthy.

How do I leave 1% of my will to charity?

Leaving instructions to donate a small part of your estate to charity can be achieved with some careful planning.

  • by Paul Benson
A Birds Aren’t Real billboard in Memphis, Tennessee.
Opinion
Populism

Left-wing populism: Come for the rent caps, stay for the conspiracy theories

When most people think about populism, they think about right-wing policies. But left-wing populism is on the rise around the world and in Australia.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Bruce Lehrmann and Ben Roberts-Smith
Opinion
Courts

Lehrmann case brings home the risks of suing for a court victory

The similarity between the stakes of two high-profile defamation cases doesn’t end with the fact that they share the same lawyers.

  • by Nick McKenzie

The best bits of Fitz: The chats that most moved me in 2023

Having come to this Q&A format reluctantly, it has become a labour of love.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Real Money kids budgeting financial literacy teaching children generic
Opinion
Hip pocket

How to teach your kids to budget, and sleigh it

Christmas is the perfect time to teach your kids the wonders of a budget, with ample opportunities to talk about money.

  • by Dominic Powell
There are few things more satisfying than giving someone a gift they truly love. Like me, in a stocking.
Opinion
Christmas

How to buy a Secret Santa gift for the person you hoped you wouldn’t get

Every year, I get my father-in-law in Secret Santa, and every year, the experience is the same: a crushing reminder that he will never love me (or at least love my gifts).

  • by Thomas Mitchell
Matt Golding
LETTERS
Letters

Change unlikely to come to the public service

Age readers respond to the Ombudsman’s report into the Victorian public service.

David Warner during this year’s Ashes.

Warner set his own path, does he deserve to go out on his own terms?

Based on the numbers, David Warner deserves the accolades. But the Australian cricket team is not his property or play thing and his form has been declining at Test level for some years.

  • by Geoff Lawson
In the closet? ... <i>Frozen</i>'s Queen Elsa and her magic powers compared to lesbianism.
Opinion
Parenting

Sorry Frozen, but it’s time children let it go once and for all

I know I’m treading on thin ice here, but it’s been a decade since Disney released its tale of Elsa. Can children please find something new to love?

  • by Cherie Gilmour
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Shan Masood scored a double century against the PM’s XI.

The message Pakistan’s players must heed if they are to challenge Australia

Despite the political turmoil that pervades the PCB, Pakistan has produced some of the most exciting cricketers the game has seen. Can the current crop upset their hosts?

  • by Greg Chappell
Max Douglas takes the full force of a high tackle from Pone Fa’amausili, which led to a red card.

Rugby is tackling the greatest danger to the game – while golf drops the ball

You can’t have nursing homes full of banged-up ex-athletes suffering from repeated brain traumas, but you also can’t remove the contact element from rugby because then it isn’t rugby.

  • by Darren Kane
Mitchell Johnson.

Say what you want about Mitchell Johnson, at least it was interesting

The one thing this week’s cricket imbroglio achieved was to remind us there’s a home Test next week.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
A Palestinian child is treated after Israeli airstrikes on Gaza last month.
Tony Wright’s Column
Israeli-Palestinian conflict

There are worse things stolen from children than the colour of the sea

The TV at home is tuned to Bluey instead of the news when my granddaughter is around, for the images of children suffering are too ghastly for a child.

  • by Tony Wright
New Year's Eve Fireworks

Fireworks are seen over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Sydney Opera House from Grosvenor Place during New Year’s Eve celebrations in Sydney, Tuesday December 31, 2019. (City of Sydney/Daniel Tran) NO ARCHIVING

How you can claim a possible $3000 before New Year

Private health extras allowances typically expire on December 31. And there’s even more on offer this year than most.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Will human resources ever aspire to base their practices on evidence, rather than chasing the latest trends?

How to overcome anxiety and nail your next job interview

Job interviews can be stressful, but if you take the time to prepare (and sit up straight) you can wow your prospective employer.

  • by Shadé Zahrai
The office’s resident Grinch tends to delight in being needlessly miserable. It is in our interests to avoid being caught in their clutches.

’Tis the season to avoid the office Grinch at all costs

Some people in the workplace tend to delight in being needlessly miserable. It is in our interests to avoid being caught in their clutches.

  • by Jim Bright
Don’t assume a financial advisor will automatically sort out your mess for you. It pays to do your research and be prepared.

Better financial advice is a Christmas gift for all – especially retirees

There’s lots of talk about what the new changes this week will do for the industry, but here’s what it really means for everyday Australians.

  • by Bec Wilson
Illustration by Jim Pavlidis
Opinion
ALP

‘Good story’ for workers but will Labor’s fair go agenda pay off?

The Albanese government has a suite of policies designed to correct some of the glaring inequity in Australia’s system. This week we saw the first phase.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Mourners grieve for peace activist Vivian Silver, 74, who was killed during the October 7 Hamas attack on kibbutz Be’eri, during a memorial service last month.

We can choose not to become polarised and inflammatory

The current war between Israel and Hamas has left me overwhelmed. It can be tempting to become blinded by grief, or to become overtaken by rage. But there is another path.

  • by Ellyse Borghi
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Cop28 kicked off last week in Dubai.

Hot air: The COP climate conference is a fossilised racket

The annual COP gathering has become an outdated concept that risks stopping the progress the world has made.

  • by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Andrew Dyson
LETTERS
Letters

Directed funding adds up to more maths teachers

Age readers react to the current shortcomings in the education field.

Former premier Daniel Andrews, left, and Ombudsman Deborah Glass.

Victorians are already paying for the corrosion of the public service

There has been little evidence that the ombudsman’s report detailing the erosion of the sector is being taken seriously on Spring Street.

  • The Age's View
Apple wants to make the Mac as popular for gaming is it is for creative work.
Analysis
Video games

‘Just the beginning’: Apple’s new era of gaming on Mac

The tech giant has big plans to take a larger slice of the half-a-trillion-dollar global business.

  • by Tim Biggs

‘Cossie livs’ is the word of the year. I can think of a much better one

Australians do not want persuasion or reason. They want a word for their grievance against other Australians. To put it finely, people just have the shits.

  • by Malcolm Knox
Ukrainian combat medic Hannah Hurava is an Australian-built Bushmaster in Eastern Ukraine.

Have our Bushmasters helped the Ukrainians? I asked Hannah Hurava

Traversing minefields in an Australian-built Bushmaster, Ukrainian combat medic Hannah Hurava has seen the unforgettable human price of war.

  • by Chris Uhlmann
Analysis
Naked City

Hands up if you know which is the state’s most powerful union

It is flush with cash, has assets of more than $100 million and a membership of 98 per cent of its workforce. And it’s about to flex its muscles.

  • by John Silvester
At 39, Harry’s at a time in his life many of us who get a bit lost along the way also face.

BFF wedding snub could be Prince Harry’s tipping point

Harry is England personified. Son of the King. Fought for his country. Loves belting around on British polo pitches. The UK is his home, his history. His heart.

  • by Kate Halfpenny
It turns out onions aren’t the best disguise for a hapless journalist.
Analysis
Naked City

Onions or bust: The day I was Sly, but not sly enough

After a couple of mafia-related murders, I tried to go undercover at a wholesale market, a bag of onions as my bluff – but instead wandered around, narrowly avoiding being hit by forklifts.

  • by John Silvester
On top of the world: Australia has won the World Test Championship,  retained the Ashes and has now become the one-day world champions under Pat Cummins’ leadership.

Albo takes long handle to Captain Planet’s critics

The PM has backed Pat Cummins’ right to have a view on issues outside the cricketing arena.

  • by Andrew Webster
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Illustration: John Shakespeare

Should my work let me respond to an investigation even after I’ve left?

While you might feel robbed of your chance to respond, it may be better to try to forget office politics and enjoy your retirement.

  • by Jonathan Rivett
Should children be told Santa Claus is real?

Why the Reserve Bank’s wishes might land it on the naughty list

One quarter of weaker growth won’t worry the Reserve Bank, but consumers are weakening, and waking up to the start of a recession would be an unwelcome gift.

  • by Millie Muroi
When the economy starts going backwards, expect to see Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese open the public purse strings.
Opinion
Income tax

Stage 3 tax cuts are no big deal, with one exception

There’s no doubt stage 3 tax cuts are skewed towards higher income earners. But some context is needed.

  • by Steven Hamilton
Reforming a complex and sensitive policy area like disability is no easy task.
Analysis
Disability

‘What will happen to my child?’ The tough question families on NDIS want answered

In five years, there will be a new support service to divert families from joining the National Disability Insurance Scheme. What about those who qualify now?

  • by Natassia Chrysanthos
Jim Pavlidis
LETTERS
Letters

A deeper probe into politicised public service needed

Age readers respond to the Ombudsman’s report into the public service.

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has denied that public servants were frozen out of the early development of the Suburban Rail Loop.

For Victorian Labor, reports of dodgy behaviour are of no concern

The government’s response to this week’s ombudsman’s report brings to mind a line from The Simpsons.

  • by Annika Smethurst
Maverick investor, Nick Bolton.

How this maverick investor pulled off a $20 million virtual corporate heist

This isn’t Nick Bolton’s first rodeo, but it will count as his most lucrative for his investment company Keybridge.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Peta Murphy February this year. Diagnosed with cancer in 2015, she died, at 50, on Monday.

Murphy’s law: will Peta’s colleagues gamble on her brave legacy?

A phased ban on gambling advertising drove Labor MP Peta Murphy until her death this week. How willing is federal cabinet to see her work completed?

  • by David Crowe
The federal budget is improving but the national economy is struggling, putting more pressure on Treasurer Jim Chalmers.

Can’t afford the sugar to coat these poor national accounts

Consumers have been flattened by taxes, inflation and the Reserve Bank.

  • by Shane Wright
Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman is being courted over his ability to offset oil embargoes directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The oil cartel may be losing control of the market

The Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel is trying to force prices higher. It isn’t working.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
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Opinion
Style

Seriously, some things you just shouldn’t do in a string bikini

While summers get hotter, cossies get briefer. If you must wear your little sister’s swimmers, there are activities you should never attempt.

  • by Annemarie Fleming
Kathy Lette has partied with aristocracy to rock royalty.

I’ve partied with royals and rockers. This is the best bash I’ve ever attended

Let me set the scene for you. Mick Jagger’s London home last year. Me, gyrating with the swivel-hipped dance demon himself.

  • by Kathy Lette
Dan Tehan
Analysis
Immigration

How Labor rushed through detention laws without debate

After angry late-night scenes in the House of Representatives, the government ensured the vote was held about 10pm to minimise media coverage of the final passage of the law.

  • by David Crowe
Gautam Gandha tees off at the first hole at Moore Park Golf Course.
Opinion
World golf

Why making the cut at Moore Park takes a swing at wrong target

The rich and famous who play on Sydney’s private courses won’t miss a thing if Moore Park Golf Course is altered. The big losers will be everyday mums, dads, children and groups of friends.

  • by Paul Zalunardo