Opinion
Analysis
UK politics
UK politics so much funnier than fiction, comedy writer finds it ‘hard to match’
The Tories are in a spot of bother as the UK heads to an election. A possible catastrophic defeat would be both self-inflicted and richly deserved.
- by Rob Harris
Latest
Opinion
Comedy
Help, I’m pathetically addicted to loyalty points
Fifty bonus points for slivered almonds I’m never going to use? Sign me up!
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
Defence capability
Sorry, it’s not gallantry that wins wars, it’s economic might
Whatever their causes, wars are usually won by the side with the most economic resources. Here’s why.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Work therapy
My work wants my biometric data. Am I right to feel uncomfortable?
Given the problem of identity theft in the electronic age and of the growing sophistication of bad digital actors, handing over biometric data can feel iffy.
- by Jonathan Rivett
Opinion
Victorian budget
Beware of budget spin: Pallas set to pitch poor economy as a win for Victorians
It is difficult to decide which is more worrying – Victoria’s precarious economic position or the government desperately trying to spin a tale of success.
- by Annika Smethurst
Opinion
Social media
The charts that prove social media has bigger dangers than Elon Musk’s ego
The argument about the violent terror attack video is urgent and important. But what if the greater danger is slow and insidious?
- by David Crowe
Editorial
Domestic violence
This is Jacinta Allan’s Port Arthur moment
If the killings are to stop and women are to be safe in all areas of their lives, governments must be willing to explore stronger measures to mitigate the scourge of male violence.
- The Age's View
Letters
Letters
Outrage and action is needed on male violence
Readers discuss the plague of domestic violence and argue that it’s time to take action rather than wait for “cultural change”.
Analysis
AFL 2024
Benchmark result for Bombers: A draw in which Essendon won much more
This was Essendon’s greatest test since Brad Scott took over a club that was divided, if not broken in key respects.
- by Jake Niall
Opinion
Middle East tensions
Iran’s show of force has demonstrated that Israel is not invincible
This month’s military exchanges between Israel and Iran may have largely been a show of force, but they have sent a number of clear messages about any future conflict.
- by Amin Saikal
Opinion
Company mergers
BHP’s clever plan for dealing with Anglo’s poison pills
BHP has approached the embattled Anglo American mining house with an all-scrip offer that would see the group’s most troublesome assets spun off.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Sunday Life
Is there an age when we give up on love?
I’m now in my 50s and after three decades of engaging in mating, dating and relating, I’m over the drama. And the compromise. And the expectations. Also, the hurt.
- by Wendy Squires
Opinion
NRL 2024
NRL rule changes are messing with players’ minds
In the high-pressure match environment players are struggling to comprehend and understand “policy tweaks” to how the game is officiated.
- by Roy Masters
Opinion
US politics
Whether Trump did or didn’t let loose, there’s a whiff of defeat about him
Just when you thought the most buffoonish member of the US right could not get any sillier, he managed to pull it off – and it stinks.
- by Bill Wyman
Opinion
AFL 2024
I once mocked a star for shirking a contest. I won’t do it again
When a player flinches on the footy field, there’s nowhere to hide. But the old-school approach of humiliation has reached its use-by date.
- by Kane Cornes
Opinion
NRL 2024
How Dragons have gone from bunnies to bullies in Flanagan’s new era
Even if the Roosters beat St George Illawarra on Anzac Day, they will wake up sore on Friday morning. It’s a large reason why the Dragons looked to have turned the corner.
- by Andrew Johns
Analysis
AFL 2024
The ‘boggy’ issue Dees need to address to smoke them in September
Goodwin could chuckle at how his Demons butchered the ball against Richmond, but it will be no laughing matter should there be a repeat in the next fortnight.
- by Andrew Wu
Opinion
Australian economy
Albanese’s latest plan is triggering elite economists. Don’t listen to them
Despite our expensive subsidies for property investors, commentators who have made their careers by calling for ever more reform hate Labor’s signature policy.
- by Shaun Carney
Opinion
Anzac Day
The missing emotion that needs to be articulated on Anzac Day – rage
Eleven decades on from the horrors of Gallipoli, I am yet to see a thunderous piece of writing saying what needs to be said.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Coffee
I live in Brunswick East and drink flat whites. Now I’m engaged in a sordid affair
As a Melburnian, your coffee order signals a certain sense of taste. So what happens when you decide you’re not a flat white person anymore?
- by Bianca O'Neill
Editorial
Anzac Day
Anzac Day rightly highlights sacrifice, but it also spotlights shortcomings
The day is a deeply poignant occasion to reflect on sacrifice. That’s why Defence’s failings are all the more glaring.
- The Age's View
Opinion
Jobs
A $50k bonus, cheap uni, extra healthcare: the 4400 navy jobs no one wants
From submarines to aged care, the government and opposition have grand plans. But neither know where the workers will be found for them.
- by Shane Wright
Letters
Letters
ANZAC Day: stopping to feel the fear and imagine the horror
Readers discuss the meaning of Anzac Day and the state government’s decision to not proceed with a safe injecting room in Melbourne’s CBD.
Analysis
Inflation
Chalmers’ high-wire act just got harder
For two years, the Reserve Bank has been talking about negotiating a narrow economic path. But inflation is buried deep in parts of the economy.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Activist shareholders
Why Goyder survived even though his climate plan was panned
For large investors such as pension and superannuation funds, a vote against what climate activists and experts and some shareholders believe is a vague and feeble plan to reduce emissions in line with the Paris Agreement is a no-brainer.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Social media
Like Grand Designs with bigger blowdries: The strange allure of influencer home renos
While most people in their 20s are struggling to pay rent, a cohort of A-list influencers are ditching make-up and skincare collabs in favour of a new, more lucrative domain.
- by Ruby Feneley
Opinion
Casinos
Chaos, paranoia and overreaction: Robbie Cooke’s tortured Star turn
Former CEO Robbie Cooke thought he had all the experience needed to rescue Star Entertainment, but his career gamble has led to a spectacular bust.
- by Colin Kruger
Opinion
US politics
Joe Biden just had a significant win, but he’s still in the wars
Ongoing wars in Ukraine – and especially in Gaza – remain politically problematic, and potentially fatal, for US President Joe Biden.
- by Bruce Wolpe
Opinion
Electric vehicles
Tesla’s profits are being sunk by a tide of electric cars
First-quarter profits for Elon Musk’s company have more than halved, with the EV market awash with excess capacity and production.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Ask an expert
I just got divorced. What should I do with the settlement?
Port-divorce, it’s best to not rush into any rash financial decisions you could regret later.
- by Paridhi Jain
Analysis
Aged care
Why are people inflating their wealth for better aged care?
Retirees are artificially inflating the value of their assets, in numerous instances borrowing money to get the accommodation of their choice.
- by Rachel Lane
Opinion
Ask an expert
I’m 40, single, and without children. Do I really need a will?
There’s no reason to put your family through additional drama when you pass away, so it’s best to make up a simple will.
- by Noel Whittaker
Analysis
Cars
‘Just didn’t add up’: Could you survive without a car?
More and more of us are opting to go carless as the cost of owning a vehicle continues to rise.
- by Emily Chantiri
Opinion
Energy storage
Buildings as batteries? We need bright ideas like this
Office blocks have an important part to play in our efforts to limit further climate change. How? Keep reading.
- by Ross Gittins
Letters
Letters
I was at Arj Barker’s show – here’s what really happened
Readers on the comedy show where a mother and baby were kicked out, and the decision by Jacinta Allan to reject a CBD safe-injecting room.
Analysis
Social media
Big victim or big mouth? Time for Australia to put Elon Musk in his place
At its heart, this case is about Australian sovereignty over a company that has a deep aversion to government authority.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
Anzac Day
John Curtin, Winston Churchill and the cable that changed the course of Australian history
During World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered Australian troops to defend Britain’s colonial interests. Australian leader John Curtin had other ideas.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
WordPlay
‘Omnishambles’ caught our attention but its origin might surprise you
Justice Lee’s Lehrmann judgment – and, perhaps, his TV diet – issued a new word into the public’s consciousness.
- by David Astle
Opinion
Sex & relationships
Does polyamory make you happier? Yes, but there may be a throuple of hurdles
Many who try polyamory feel they gain substantially from the effort. It seems they share more, with more people, and get more out of it. But there are dangers.
- by Peter Quarry
Analysis
Drug reform
Jacinta Allan shows she’s not Andrews but risks her party’s wrath
The premier abandoned Daniel Andrews’ promise to build a second safe injecting room, despite her own faction pushing strongly for it.
- by Kieran Rooney
Opinion
Casinos
Financially crippled Star gets salt rubbed into its wounds
The NSW casino regulator has given Barangaroo’s Crown Sydney a gold star just as the second public inquiry into Star Entertainment’s culture enters the pointy end of proceedings.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Holidays
My complete solution for managing your money while travelling
These days it’s a choice between credit cards and debit cards – and you need an armoury of these to cater for whatever may come your way.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Bitcoin
The existential threat to bitcoin
Last week’s halving of the supply of new bitcoins and the consequential halving of revenue to the cryptocurrency’s miners raises big questions for its future.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
MICF
I want to have Arj Barker’s babies, but I wouldn’t take them to his shows
Arj Barker was entirely justified in throwing the mum and her baby out of his gig. In fact, a lifetime ban would have been in order.
- by Michelle Cazzulino
Analysis
Income tax
Easy-to-miss deductions that could reduce your tax this year
Work-related handbags, briefcases and sunscreen are just some of the tax deductions that can be overlooked.
- by John Collett
Analysis
Energy
Why Joe Biden’s real enemy is the price of oil
Joe Biden’s battle for re-election as president of the United States now faces a surprise new threat – the surging price of petrol.
- by Jonathan Leake
Opinion
US politics
Despite Obama and Trump, America just proved it’s still the ‘indispensable power’
This multibillion-dollar aid package shores up US friends and allies with priceless support amid existential struggles across three continents.
- by Peter Hartcher
Opinion
Melbourne Writers Festival
Why won’t Melbourne Writers Festival allow live questions any more?
In an unusual move, the Melbourne Writers Festival won’t allow the audience to stand up and ask questions at its sessions – and some festivalgoers are breathing a sigh of relief.
- by Jane Sullivan
Opinion
Anzac Day
How four pillars on the Kokoda Track will change Albanese forever
When Prime Minister Anthony Albanese lurches out of the PNG jungle at Isurava shrine, four words will be etched on his psyche.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Letters
Letters
Derided towers were my home and my heartland
Readers respond to the push to stop the demolition of Melbourne’s public housing towers, and the latest political polling.