Opinion
Opinion
Australian cricket
Forget the haters, it’s still Cricket Australia who owe Warner an apology
Few athletes upend and distort how a sport is played. Tiger Woods more than traversed that threshold. In time, we’ll realise David Warner also passed that test.
- by Darren Kane
Latest
Analysis
Cybersecurity
Low cost, high reward: The hackers holding Australia to ransom
Cyber attacks on companies are common enough, but will only become more so – and AI will drive an increase in their quantity and quality.
- by David Swan and Colin Kruger
Opinion
Trump's America
Trump insurrection didn’t end on January 6. That’s just when it began
Three years ago, American democracy was attacked by a mob loyal to Donald Trump. The aftermath has only emboldened the Republican frontrunner who may yet win back the White House.
- by Bruce Wolpe
Opinion
Australian cricket
The giant on the outer who’s a great option to eventually replace Cummins
Tall Test batters aren’t common, but a big Western Australian looms as a great option to lead his nation.
- by Greg Chappell
Opinion
Political leadership
January’s heat can catch you out – and careless leaders often get burnt
While December is seen as Canberra’s killing season, it is often in January when the real political carnage can occur.
- by Nick Bryant
Analysis
Gadgets
Screen-free future: Three advances that put the phone in the background
Could the phone be replaced by technology that keeps the benefits of connectivity, but loses the addictive qualities of screens?
- by Tim Biggs
Small population can ease renovation fears
There is no shortage. The real problem is excessive demand, and maybe we could just settle for less.
Opinion
My First Job
My first job … as a hosiery sales assistant
As a knockabout 16-year-old, I knew tights: they were scratchy things we wore to school. But tights were not the main game here. I soon learnt of stockings, garters and pantyhose.
- by Felicity Lewis
Opinion
Diet
I turned to the internet for dessert recipes. It was my saddest Google search ever
Now that there are many things I can’t eat, food is all I think about.
- by Kerri Sackville
Opinion
Law
New laws bring in the new year, but do they punish or enlarge us?
Many Australians will not have noticed while on holiday, but reams of legislation came into effect on January 1.
- by Malcolm Knox
Analysis
Comedy
A decade ago, Ricky Gervais told me something that might explain his incendiary new show
His comments give an insight into his “take no prisoners” comedic approach in Armageddon. And for Netflix, it’s good for business.
- by Michael Idato
Opinion
Summer reads
My beach town is overrun by people from Melbourne. I absolutely love it
City dwellers are the scourge of summer for beachside locals. They pinch all the good parking spots and clean out the shops of sourdough baguettes. I welcome them.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Analysis
Epstein fallout
Epstein files could not have come at a worse time for Prince Andrew
The reminder of Prince Andrew’s dealings with the late convicted sex trafficker is the kind of Christmas present the royal could live without.
- by Victoria Ward
Opinion
Electric vehicles
Business won’t switch to EVs while tax lurks for guzzlers are so generous
Take it from an accountant: taxpayers give too much help to ute and 4WD buyers to tempt small businesses to convert to electric vehicles.
- by Denise Mills
Opinion
Australian cricket
Why money – not the weather – is the biggest threat to Sydney losing New Year’s Test
Cricket Australia wants more NSW government funding for the SCG to keep hosting the landmark Test, but will Chris Minns cough up?
- by Andrew Webster
Opinion
AUKUS
If Trump returns to the White House, should we rethink the US alliance?
Shared democratic values underpin the US-Australia alliance, but Donald Trump has told us how he will wield power if he wins again – and it’s not democracy.
- by Dr Emma Shortis
Opinion
Interest rates
The Reserve Bank doesn’t set your interest rates, but here’s why we watch
To understand how the Reserve Bank’s decisions flow through to your mortgage, we’ll need to dive into the secret life of banks.
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
Oil
Oil’s global glut threatens to drag prices lower in ‘tricky year’ ahead
Traders wonder if OPEC+ will deliver enough of the cutbacks to rein in the looming surplus.
- by Yongchang Chin and Devika Krishna Kumar
Analysis
Australian cricket
Three cheers for Pakistan’s unexpected fighters
Pakistan have offered this series plenty of fight and character; in particular, they have done far better here than England.
- by Daniel Brettig
Rude politicians should be punished at the ballot box
What great role models our politicians are for young people. Being loud, aggressive and disrespectful seems to be the only way they think to make a point.
Editorial
Workplace safety
MPs behaving badly is the ugly public face of democracy
Voters have grown tired of the endless futile negativity that passes for political debate.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Foreign relations
A spotlight on our leaders is welcome before they choose to take us to war
The Albanese government has rightly demanded answers about why cabinet papers on Iraq War deliberations went missing. But will this bring transparency to any future decision to take Australia to war?
- by David Livingstone
Opinion
Air accident
How did so many survive the Japanese plane crash? It was no miracle
To call the swift evacuation of this burning plane miraculous diminishes the significance of a very human achievement.
- by Milad Haghani and Rico Merkert
Opinion
Monetary policy
How central banks saved the world. And will again
Reviled not long ago for letting prices surge, US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and his peers have been anointed by traders as saviours of the world.
- by Daniel Moss
Opinion
Political leadership
The most popular politicians in Australia are all outspoken women. Come again?
Last year was one of the most divisive in memory. But three senators from very different walks of life managed to cut through and speak to voters.
- by Michelle Griffin
Analysis
Australian cricket
Storm clouds over Sydney and so too the health of Test cricket
Sydney’s Test match started with blue skies but play ended under storm clouds. The same trend is true for Test cricket.
- by Daniel Brettig
Hands off our trees
In the northern suburbs, residents need to be vigilant and stop illegal tree removals, as councils cannot police illegal tree removal on their own.
Editorial
HSC
HSC coaching colleges growth skews access to tertiary courses
The exponential growth of HSC coaching colleges threatens to undermine the level playing field that the Year 12 examination theoretically offers all students of an equal shot at tertiary education.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Pets
Feeling the heat from climate change? Spare a thought for our pets
Animals are the silent victims of our escalating extreme weather events driven by human-induced climate change.
- by Gundi Rhoades
Opinion
Refugees
Locked up for seven years and beaten: Khan Ali is a face of asylum policy shame
In the mental health hospital where 30-year-old Khan Ali Safdary now resides, the Afghan refugee says: “Persecutions I endured in Australia are unparalleled.”
- by Saba Vasefi
Opinion
Australian Open
Tennis Australia must stare down the Saudi threat to summer Down Under
It’s easy to be confused about the huge changes to our summer. Then there’s the speculation of further upheaval caused by the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund which has turned golf on its head, and which will undoubtedly affect tennis.
- by Paul McNamee
Opinion
Australian cricket
Warner’s hundreds made headlines, but Australia will miss intangibles more
David Warner’s all-round contribution to the Australian team will be nearly impossible to replace. But there are two candidates who hold a big advantage – and here’s why.
- by Mark Taylor
Opinion
Competition
Loyalty or laziness? Whatever you call it, the banks are cashing in
Australians are being done over by electricity providers and banks that bet we won’t call it a day. And it’s costing us billions of dollars a year.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Corporate ethics
Woke corporatism has started to implode
If companies can get back to making decent products at a fair price, and paying their staff and customers on time, the system will be a lot stronger.
- by Matthew Lynn
Danish royals well versed in modesty and respect
Welcome to the throne, Queen Mary, I trust you’ll like it.
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The war in Gaza is changing, but the end is not yet in sight
Thousands of Israeli troops are returning home because of a faltering economy, a frustrated United States and a changed situation on the ground in Gaza.
- by Matthew Knott
Opinion
New Year
Cummins, Musk, Pezzullo, Swift: Their 2023s can shape our 2024s
Let’s seek new year inspiration from those who were conspicuous – for better or worse – in 2023.
- by Jenna Price
Analysis
Cybersecurity
Protecting passwords: The best ways to keep your data safe
Cyberattacks and data breaches are a fact of everyday life, but there are ways to make sure your passwords – and your most sensitive information – isn’t caught up.
- by David Swan
Editorial
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israel’s slight change of tactics is a double-edged sword
Israel’s decision to recalibrate its strategy to deal with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon carries the seeds of both hope and further carnage.
- The Herald's View
Analysis
World politics
What to expect around the world in 2024
Amid hope for less war and a better year, our correspondents take a look at the major issues they will be watching in their patch.
- by Eryk Bagshaw, Chris Barrett, Lucy Cormack, Rob Harris, Farrah Tomazin, Lia Timson and Matt Wade
Opinion
My First Job
‘Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?’ My astonishing summer as a hotel maid
Of all the jobs, it is most astonishing that anyone let me be a professional cleaner.
- by Michelle Griffin
Opinion
My First Job
I’m in a bit of a pickle, get me out of here
Crossing the city to work in a factory on a revolutionary island was an eye-opening experience. There were no two ways around it: I was simply foul.
- by Jason Steger
Opinion
My First Job
They hired me because of my older sister. Turned out, I was not my older sister
The coffee chain probably thought they’d hit the jackpot when my older sister asked them to give me a job. I could be a Solange to her Beyonce. How wrong they were.
- by Wendy Syfret
Opinion
My First Job
I was toiling to make it pitch perfect. But then the commandos choppered in
Fresh out of school, I’d been appointed for one week in December as a groundsman at the Royal Military College Duntroon. Rolling pitches was dull apart from one strange day.
- by Michael Bachelard
Opinion
My First Job
Some jobs look better on paper. Being a hotel mascot is one of them
After four years it was time for a fresh start. And that fresh start looked like a big blue and white costume that was dirty, unwieldy, and way too hot.
- by David Swan
Opinion
My First Job
My government job was insanely boring. Thankfully, it was the peak of World Series Cricket
It was here that I learnt two invaluable truths about government red tape: One, it actually exists, and two, it makes for excellent cricket balls.
- by Karl Quinn
Opinion
My First Job
A fancy party and I was the hired help. Farm handing had become too real
It wasn’t my idea of fun. I believed a school holiday was supposed to be a holiday. But 30 bucks was 30 bucks.
- by Tony Wright