Opinion
Opinion
Cars
Bleak reminders of dangers inherent in our most-loved holiday activities
A spate of drownings and an escalating road toll have provided a sobering end to the year.
- by The Herald's View
Latest
Opinion
Culture wars
I’m done with outrage, but in 2024 I plan to chat … hard
So here’s my suggestion for a communal new year’s resolution: let’s make 2024 a year for forthright discussion – without all the vitriol.
- by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Analysis
New Year
The stories that shone some light in the darkness of 2023
This was, in so many ways, a horrific year. Thank God for the Tillies.
- by Neil McMahon
Opinion
Religion
This year, make a resolution that will actually make a difference
Only 8 per cent of people are still keeping their resolutions by year’s end. Here’s why make them and quit them – plus an idea for something better.
- by Barney Zwartz
Opinion
Renting
Being a Sydney renter is a moving tale, but all my evictions have all been honourable
If you’re a tenant, you become accustomed to mistreatment. But I’ve embraced the slowmadic lifestyle and you can too.
- by Jayce Carrano
Opinion
Style
My mother had a never-ending quest for the perfect Hot Day Dress
The consummate Hot Day Dress is made of the thinnest cotton you can legally wear, cut in a way so as little fabric as possible will actually touch your skin.
- by Wendy Syfret
Analysis
Australian cricket
Australia’s all-conquering skipper, and the player of her generation: The stars of our top XIs for 2023
The importance of skipper Pat Cummins and Usman Khawaja to Australia’s Test side has been reflected by the pair being the only players to retain their places in our team of the year.
- by Andrew Wu
Opinion
Australian cricket
Money is an unstoppable force in cricket, and the game needs to evolve or perish
Producing cricketers takes years of fertiliser and water from mums, dads, coaches, ground staff, councils and a myriad of volunteers, so cashed-up privateers should be making a serious contribution to the bottom line.
- by Geoff Lawson
Opinion
Australian cricket
Why Warner the destroyer deserves a fond farewell in Sydney
I know how hard it is to do what he has done through 111 Tests, so I hope that David’s harshest critics acknowledge his talent and contribution and forgive his human frailties.
- by Greg Chappell
Opinion
Literature prizes
I leave our library with a greater burden – and that’s my reward
What makes this young writer optimistic about the future of Sydney? Read her winning essay in the 14-18 age group of The Sydney Morning Herald’s inaugural prize.
- by Eliza Hoh
Topless massages to private flights: CEO mishaps around the world in 2023
While some chief executives seemed to relish the spotlight, Elon Musk chief among them, others were inadvertently thrust into social media’s harsh glare.
- by Jo Constantz
Opinion
City life
Sydney must decide the city it wants to be. Paris has some clues
Cities have auras, and Sydney feels as though it is slowly coming into its own again. The cost of living – and housing in particular – remains the greatest impediment.
- by Michael Koziol
Editorial
New Year
The new year can bring hope and promise
Sydney’s New Year offering to the world is that there is a happy land.
- The Herald's View
Analysis
Spending
The single issue that will hold the NSW economy back in 2024
The NSW economy will slow next year, but there’s a thorny problem set to drag on activity for a decade or more.
- by Matt Wade
Opinion
World politics
The world seems to be spinning in reverse. Have we reached the end of progress?
It’s been another regressive year for the planet. Pessimism abounds – yet there are occasional shards of light.
- by Nick Bryant
Analysis
Gadgets
Honey I tracked the kids: How to supervise with technology
Tracking your child’s location is not something to be taken lightly, but there are many options available.
- by Tim Biggs
Opinion
The Fitz Files
Matildas, V’landys, Eddie and Barassi: The best and worst of the year in sport
From the Penrith three-peat to the rise of the Matildas and the LIV-PGA Tour greed battle, there’s been plenty to write about in 2023.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Analysis
Boxing Day Test
Cometh the hour, Cummins the man
Two modernising captains have set the tone for this series, but when the crunch came, it was a good cricketer succumbing to an all-time great.
- by Greg Baum
Analysis
Boxing Day Test
Australia win a scrap – and the world’s best can still improve
The Australians triumphed in a scrap on the fourth evening at the MCG, and have room for improvement next year.
- by Daniel Brettig
Opposition’s Red Sea strategies
Peter Dutton has criticised the government for not sending a boat to the Red Sea. In an even bigger surprise, the sun will rise tomorrow.
Opinion
New Year
I’m no longer a COVID virgin, but I’m trying to stay positive
After four years of dodging the bloody thing, I’ve succumbed. And it’s given me a great excuse to ditch the party hat.
- by Jo Stubbings
Opinion
Test cricket
David Warner’s leaps and bounds through an era with seven names on it
The opener will be the first of an almost magnificent seven Australian cricketers, who came together in 2011, to retire from the Test arena.
- by Malcolm Knox
Opinion
New Year
My new year’s resolutions? Have more fun, foster a child and get a tattoo
Only half of Baby Boomers make a new year’s resolution, compared to 92 per cent of Gen Z. You’d be surprised how few people follow through with them.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Netanyahu isn’t destroying Hamas – he’s making it stronger
At heart, Benjamin Netanyahu is a survivor, a political tactician. But he is not a strategist and far from being a statesman. And therein lies the conundrum.
- by Rodger Shanahan
Opinion
War
Why Australia is less ready to face a more dangerous world in 2024
The year ahead is likely to be more unstable and violent than 2023. We need to be battle-ready.
- by Mick Ryan
Analysis
Boxing Day Test
The botched slips catch that said it all for Pakistan
Pakistan deal themselves into the Boxing Day Test, and out of it, and just possibly back in again, all in a typical Pakistan day.
- by Greg Baum
Editorial
Population
The centre of political power in Australia is drifting south
New migrants are now poised to play a pivotal role in shaping politics in our two biggest capital cities as population shifts changes the game.
- The Herald's View
Dutton’s biggest issue is he’s a middle-aged white male
Peter Dutton will never appeal to the teal voters. The Libs’ only chance of regaining their once secure teal seats is to find a strong female contender for PM
Opinion
City life
Sydney doesn’t have enough rooftop bars. I think I know why
Over-regulation and a nimby culture have conspired to deny the harbour city more rooftop bars.
- by Lyndon Gannon
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
How the watermelon emoji got tied up with the Israel-Hamas war
On and off social media, watermelons are being used as a symbol to communicate solidarity with Palestinians – but the story goes back much further than the current conflict.
- by Callie Holtermann
Opinion
International rugby
Less kicking, fewer subs and faster scrums: My rugby wishlist for 2024
Through the World Cup in France, the team that registered the most kicking metres enjoyed roughly an 80 per cent win rate. It is a damning statistic.
- by Warren Gatland
Opinion
Cooking
The Aussie sunbeam who lit up London: Kathy Lette’s tribute to Bill Granger
I was meant to take Bill under my wing in London, but he simply took flight.
- by Kathy Lette
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Doubts over Israel’s ability to dismantle Hamas grow
Israel has “been saying this for a while, that Hamas is collapsing,” said one intelligence expert. “But it’s just not true.”
- by Neil MacFarquhar
Opinion
Political leadership
Labor’s stumbles distract from the albatross around Dutton’s neck
The opposition leader has found himself in a competitive position, but he needs a plan to win back support in the seats the Coalition lost to teal independents.
- by Paul Sakkal
Opinion
Sharemarket
‘Fool’s game’: Why predictions about the sharemarket are usually wrong
It’s best to ignore forecasts for 2024 – when they’re right it’s only by accident.
- by Jeff Sommer
Opinion
Boxing Day Test
Kids, this is cricket without fireworks and flashing bails, and it’s hard
Just when Pakistan looked like taking the initiative, Australia gave them a blunt reminder that Test cricket here is an intimidating game for visitors.
- by Greg Baum
Banks must show respect over deaths of loved ones
The very last institution you inform of a loved one’s passing is their bank. Only inform the bank once you know you have access to funds in your own name to support yourself.
Opinion
Protests
Gen Z is the generation of protest, but we don’t always get it right
The biggest names of my generation – Malala Yousafzai, Greta Thunberg, Chanel Contos – are activists. But even I, as a teenager, feel alienated by the intransigence of most youth strikes.
- by Saria Ratnam
Editorial
Sydney councils
Surge in tree vandalism shows penalties are not severe enough
Sydney’s holy grail of real estate, the des res with a view, appears to be driving unprecedented destruction of trees around the city but especially in the leafier suburbs.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Private banking
After my mum’s death, I couldn’t believe what the bank did to my 93-year-old dad
Calling the banks bastards is a tired cliche, until you witness their bastardry up close.
- by Sue Williams
Analysis
Royal family
Christmas Day showed King’s vision for monarchy at its clearest yet
Here was The Firm and The Family, together but separate, and as clear a statement of regal intent as the public had seen since Charles took the throne.
- by Hannah Furness
Opinion
City life
The Magic Ticket part two: A free pass to the best moments in Sydney sporting history
Willy Wonka gave out Golden Tickets, but we’ve handed out Magic Tickets to give our journalists the Christmas gift of a free pass to any sporting event ever held in Sydney.
Opinion
Renting
It’s the season for giving, but as a young renter I think I’ve given enough
Young Australians have had little to no say in the policies that have led us to the housing shortage we now face. And yet, our plight seems to be getting worse.
- by Millie Muroi
Analysis
Boxing Day Test
Pakistan drop a catch, but not their bundle
Callow Pakistan went admirably hard at Australia on a disrupted Boxing Day. This touring team will endear themselves to Australian crowds. Perhaps they have already.
- by Greg Baum
Special series
Behind the Headlines
A war raged outside and IS militants lurked in the darkness. Then our fellow Aussies turned on us
Heavy artillery was firing when two nervous American soldiers came to the tent with bad news. It’s a war zone story I’ve always itched to tell, and still infuriates me six years on.
- by Michael Bachelard
Special series
Behind the Headlines
A man stepped out on the road with an AK-47. I traded my life back with cigarettes – and a desperate joke
Everyone in Rwanda knew travelling after dark was inviting trouble. I’d taken a risk for a trivial reason, and now a large man with an assault rifle was at the window of the car, making demands.
- by Tony Wright
Analysis
Boxing Day Test
Deft Khawaja keeps a step ahead of the ICC, and the new ball
Those asking Usman Khawaja to shut up and bat do not realise it was in finding his voice that the opener found his best form.
- by Daniel Brettig