Opinion
Opinion
University
If we want more young people to go to uni, stop screwing them over
A generation of young people is being dudded with unfair levels of debt, indexation and repayment thresholds which mean getting a pay rise may leave them worse off.
- by Chip Le Grand
Latest
Analysis
Earnings season
‘Too much optimism’: Investors nervous despite resilient recent earnings
Despite some cautious optimism over company earnings this month, some investors and economists have flagged tough times ahead.
- by Millie Muroi
Analysis
Matildas
The Matildas don’t need Sam Kerr to win. But they do need a striker
The unexpected re-emergence of Michelle Heyman has given Tony Gustavsson a selection headache as he considers his 18-player Olympic squad with qualification all but secured.
- by Vince Rugari
Opinion
Education
Focus on fairness is an education, but Albanese’s ambition has yet to be tested
The Albanese government has talked a good game on significant education reform. Soon, it will be time for action.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
School funding
Two-class school system a great way to entrench low productivity
You’d expect a Labor government to care about public school students getting a decent education. We’ll soon find out if it does.
- by Ross Gittins
Analysis
Political leadership
Voters don’t care about Albanese’s broken promise – but now they expect much more from him
Labor is drifting towards the unhealthy primary vote of the last election – just enough to win, not enough to feel safe. On these numbers, betting agencies will be adjusting their odds on a hung parliament.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
Education
Bogged down by admin, it’s no wonder public school teachers are going private
Many teachers in the public sector operate under excessive workloads, chiefly because they’re juggling extra tasks like running school carnivals and writing newsletters.
- by Caroline Milburn
Keating up with the latest: Former PM still quotable
But does Paul Keating understand that once one leaves political office, the involvement and the career is finished?
Editorial
Mardi Gras
Sydney’s gay community is rightly hurt and angry. Police should not march in this year’s Mardi Gras
Journeys towards justice and equality tend to involve two steps forward and one step back. We are at such a moment in Sydney.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
China relations
What China’s blossoming relationship with the Taliban says about its long-game
Through an alliance with Iran and burgeoning ties with Afghanistan, Beijing is looking past the Indo-Pacific and toward another region.
- by Amin Saikal
Analysis
US Votes 2024
‘I’m not giving up this fight’: Haley vows to stay in the race
Nikki Haley didn’t lose the Republican primary for a lack of trying. While Trump barely campaigned in South Carolina until this week, she held about 30 events and spent millions on advertising.
- by Farrah Tomazin
Analysis
Australian cricket
Why the fall of Test cricket would hurt Australia the most
Australian cricket has bet most of its chips on the health of Tests. Cricket Australia chair Mike Baird must lead the way to save them.
- by Daniel Brettig
Analysis
Electric vehicles
Investors flee tumbling EV upstarts once hailed as the ‘next Tesla’
A duo of electric vehicle companies chasing Tesla’s tail have disappointed investors with their recent results.
- by Esha Dey
Opinion
Liberal Party
As Morrison leaves parliament, we should honour his legacy
Fallen Australian leaders are eventually remembered for the good, not the bad. Scott Morrison will be no different.
- by George Brandis
Opinion
Religion
How C.S. Lewis made me a Christian
The author of the Narnia books helped shape my understanding of good and bad.
- by Barney Zwartz
Opinion
Financial planners
Do I really need to pay for two different financial advisors?
While it might feel like a lot to pay for advice from separate planners, it’s worth doing.
- by Paul Benson
Opinion
Gender pay gap
How we can fight to help women achieve pay parity in the workplace
On Tuesday morning, there’s likely to be some awkward conversations as the latest gender pay gap data is released. But it can also be an opportunity.
- by Victoria Devine
Analysis
The Future of Work
For disabled employees, the end of remote work is worrying
Momentum for disabled worker employment gains is petering out, and some believe job seekers with disabilities may face a different outlook in 2024.
- by Amina Niasse
Analysis
Mardi Gras
Ahead of its biggest night of the year, Sydney’s gay community mourns
Mardi Gras organisers consider how to commemorate Luke Davies and Jesse Baird as their deaths rock the local community.
- by Mary Ward
Opinion
Taylor Swift
Is it OK to mine your past relationships to feed your art? Looking at you Tay Tay
Artists invade the privacy of their loved ones with their work – but how much exposure is too much?
- by Jacqueline Maley
Opinion
Governance
Banducci and Joyce shared special talents, and one crucial weakness
Brad Banducci, like Alan Joyce before him, was very good at lobbying governments. But the public lost patience with them, so they checked out.
- by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Opinion
Five Minutes with Fitz
‘I like a show!’: From producing The Voice to directing funerals
Julie Ward had a stellar career as producer of The Voice and other hit TV shows. Now she helps people at their most vulnerable: when a loved one has died.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Hip pocket
When it comes to this insurance, it’s time for a healthy debate
More than half of us have private health insurance, but it’s not cheap. So, do you really need it? Here are a few things to consider.
- by Dominic Powell
Analysis
AFL 2024
Bringing the heat: The next step in the Blues’ quest for greatness
For Carlton to really make the September running this season, Michael Voss has indicated his team needs to make a statement through the home-and-away campaign, a point Harry McKay is keen to back up.
- by Jon Pierik
Opinion
US Votes 2024
A Swift endorsement would boost Biden, so why hasn’t it happened?
Like most cultural figures in America, Taylor Swift is appalled by Donald Trump. She endorsed Joe Biden in 2020. But this campaign, she’s been silent.
- by Bill Wyman
Opinion
Parenting
Welcome to daycare, where everything is totally fine (we swear!)
Leaving your screaming child with strangers might seem traumatic, but where else would they eat mushroom risotto and learn the ukulele?
- by Thomas Mitchell
How Manchester United’s sale could leave Socceroos young gun out in the cold
When Garang Kuol returns to Newcastle United at the end of this season after his loan spell in the Netherlands, his most crucial ally at the Premier League club will not be there.
- by Vince Rugari
Taylor Swift is upholding her brand by being a great role model
Some of our readers aren’t Taylor Swift fans, but admire what she has been able to achieve.
Analysis
Matildas
Five burning questions as the Matildas aim to seal Olympic berth
Tony Gustavsson’s side play the first leg of their Olympic qualifier against Uzbekistan in Tashkent on Saturday night. We take a look at the biggest questions surrounding the team.
- by Vince Rugari
Opinion
The Fitz Files
Hard to swallow: The moment in Wallabies doco where Eddie’s excuses demand a reply
The documentary on Australia’s World Cup debacle is car-crash TV, but one scene should have veered from fly-on-the-wall to scripted film.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Retirement living
How to fuel up your retirement savings faster
Somewhere in our 40s, 50s or 60s, we wake up to the reality that retirement is not as far away as we thought. Here’s how to prepare.
- by Bec Wilson
Opinion
Careers
What do young workers want? A pay rise, or a house
Employers are obsessed with knowing what younger generations want. More often than not, it’s a pay rise.
- by Jim Bright
Opinion
Cash
Why the end of cash could be catastrophic for your kids
With more and more services going cashless, teaching our children good money habits is getting harder.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Opinion
Political leadership
In power, Keating was a gift. Now, at 80, he’s a tragedy
Paul Keating’s incredible economic chutzpah supercharged Australia’s prosperity. But he has become an apologist for China, and that may poison his legacy.
- by Peter Hartcher
Opinion
Smoking & vaping
Dear fellow 20-somethings, you do not look cool vaping, you look like a tool
Hipster cafe inhalers and beer garden puffers: don’t pretend to yourself you’re doing something sophisticated. You’re dining out on toxic lolly mist.
- by Roby D’Ottavi
Opinion
Donald Trump
Why America’s historic weakness strengthens Trump
Even Abraham Lincoln had authoritarian tendencies. So we should not be surprised that so many Americans are drawn to Donald Trump’s autocratic flourishes.
- by Nick Bryant
Opinion
Wallabies
Fast Eddie and ScoMo take responsibility but it’s not their fault
Throughout the new documentary following the Wallabies’ calamitous 2023 Eddie Jones says “I take responsibility” for a disaster before taking actions that show he really believes the opposite.
- by Malcolm Knox
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Vladimir Putin has Russia headed for economic ruin. The West can’t lose its nerve now
Russia’s defence spending has tripled since the invasion of Ukraine, approaching 8 per cent of national output – roughly what it was under the Soviet Union.
- by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Lesson in inequity
Whether it is Scottish castle libraries, plunge pools, executive trips to Henley regattas or the latest comparison between the obscene amount of money spent by a few private schools on capital works and entire state school funding, it is clear that the current funding model is failing students.
Editorial
Space
A modern odyssey lands us at the dawn of a new moon age
As 1969 showed, there is something about a moon landing that lifts spirits around the world – and surely a new moon age dawned on Friday when America returned after 52 years.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Super Rugby
And then there were four? Welcome to a Super Rugby season like no other
With the Crusaders losing talent, and in all likelihood a swansong campaign for the Rebels looming, at least one Australian side might just see a premiership window opening.
- by Paul Cully
Opinion
Defamation
Why Jarryd Hayne’s spitting mate proves that defamation law is an ass
The footballer’s friend held Hayne’s sexual assault victim in “contempt” by spitting in her direction, yet he was granted compensation. The law needs fixing.
- by Geoffrey Watson
Analysis
NRL 2024
Recency bias and a lopsided competition: Breaking down the NRL’s top 50
Playing positions, the form of your team and indeed who that team is all weighed heavily when Nine and Herald experts sat down to map out their list of the game’s best.
- by Roy Masters
Opinion
Celebrity relationships
The romantic-requirements list is a Kardashian trend I can get behind
It sounds lame, but before my first marriage I gave little thought to what it was about my groom that made him worth nailing down.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Two years on, Ukraine’s moral courage shames fickle West
As Russia elevates its war effort to an industrial scale of horror, the US, Europe and Australia have been slow to respond. They could learn a thing or two about will from Ukrainians.
- by Mick Ryan
Opinion
Wall Street
Cathie may have lost $22 billion. But she’s still interesting
A star money manager sometimes need to be more lucky than skilled. They also need to be good storytellers.
- by Shuli Ren
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
‘Serious lapse of judgment’: William’s Gaza intervention raises eyebrows
Members of the British royal family are expected to keep well out of politics, so why did Prince William enter the fray with a controversial statement on the war in Gaza?
- by Rob Harris
Analysis
NRL 2024
Best of the best: Who is the No.1 player in the NRL?
Expert judges from the Herald and Nine have combined to produce the definitive list of the top 50 players in the NRL. Today, we count down the top 10 and crown our champion.
Opinion
NRL 2024
Did NRL rule tweaks help Nathan Cleary put on grand final masterclass?
The six-again rule has changed rugby league for the better, but great players would have been great in any era.
- by Andrew Webster