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Opinion

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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Canberra rally.

Albanese’s big test as leader is responding to women’s anger. So far, it’s a bad look

Morrison must be feeling either empathy or schadenfreude, as he watches Albanese cop bad press now for his handling of the rally.

  • by Jacqueline Maley

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Illustration: Matt Davidson

It’s time for men to get uncomfortable, and to stay there even if it’s difficult

To turn this tide of violence against women, men, all men, must have the psychological courage to question their own minds.

  • by Elizabeth Oliver
3M Global Headquarters in Maplewood, Minnesota.

New consumer laws needed to protect us from forever chemicals

The federal government must address the hole in the consumer law and make it illegal to sell unsafe products.

  • by The Herald's View
Opinion
Crime

Men who kill their partners were little boys once. What went wrong?

A legion of men will follow the Andrew Tates of this world down their hateful road. Others want to talk about what it means to be a man and re-examine the instructions they were given as boys.

  • by David Leser
Former president Donald Trump’s official advisers are trying to distance him from reports of plans to erode the Federal Reserve Board’s independence.

Trump’s think tanks are planning an assault on the Fed’s independence

If Donald Trump regains the US presidency, his policies will clash with the Federal Reserve Board’s key mandate of providing price stability.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Zach Tuohy and Geelong have figured out the winning formula.
Analysis
AFL 2024

Cats surprise, again, and the competition’s breakout key forward: Key takeouts from round seven

In key takeouts this week: the “frighteningly efficient” Cats, there’s still fight in some of the competition’s old dogs and clubs in need of a key forward will surely be keeping an eye on this Eagle.

  • by Marc McGowan
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Austrar.

How Albanese can make Australia’s future the smart way

As the world stops buying our fossil fuels in coming decades, Australia must hunt around in our natural endowment to find a new comparative advantage.

  • by Ross Gittins
Thousands join the Sydney rally on Saturday.

A royal commission will take too long. Here’s what must be done to keep women safe

A royal commission is an extremely costly and slow institutional tool for responding to what is an urgent problem.

  • by Rosalind Dixon

Scott Morrison has broken an Australian taboo, and we should be grateful

That the former prime minister was an active participant in our toxic political culture should not make us less sympathetic to his own difficulties.

  • by Sean Kelly
Australia’s big four banks were all trading lower on Tuesday.

When interest rates eventually fall, banks will face a critical decision

In previous cycles of Reserve Bank interest-rate changes, the major banks often responded in ways that helped boost their profits. Would they use those tactics today and risk becoming a target for political attacks?

  • by Clancy Yeates
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Opinion
Column 8

Submarines get a battering

While rah-rahs get a bargain.

Thousands protest over violence against women in Sydney on Saturday.

Please, ministers, spare us your pathetic platitudes on the domestic violence crisis

Earth to Albanese government ministers: the existing approach is clearly not working.

Twerk it out ... A wide selection of slang and tech terms has been included in the latest Scrabble dictionary. It won't stop all the arguments though.

There’s a word for this new snowflake version of Scrabble. Do I need to spell it out?

Some devotees have slammed Scrabble’s update as unforgivable. If it gets younger players off their phones, it could be worth it.

  • by Cherie Gilmour
Crocodile Dundee and The Dry 2: Forces of Nature
Opinion
Cinema

Aussie movies used to be fun. A teen hit proves we still have it in us

A recent smash hit Australian film has shown how we can rekindle the successful 1980s and ’90s era of Crocodile Dundee, Mad Max 2 and Muriel’s Wedding.

  • by Roby D’Ottavi
NSW Premier Chris Minns and minister Rose Jackson join the march on Saturday.

Reform laws and amend attitudes to staunch violence

The causal factors of violence against women and children are well known. Little is new other than cyberstalking and surveillance as tools of abuse. The long-standing problem of agencies competing for inadequate resources does not assist victims or aid in violence reduction. Executive government needs to undertake effective law reform and provide adequate funding for first-class services.

Carlton captain Patrick Cripps has a word with the umpire on Saturday afternoon.
Four Points
AFL 2024

Why it’s time the AFL pushed back on this forgotten rule

Push has come to shove for footy’s forgotten rule; a Giants star has become a modern-day great after crossing to Geelong; and Carlton ruckman’s comeback is anything but the pits.

  • by Michael Gleeson
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A fan has a shoey at the watering hole during LIV Golf Adelaide.

When strangers are doing shoeys at the golf, it’s time to rein it in

LIV Golf in Adelaide is an experience like no other. But the fanaticism with the famous party hole is a dangerous game.

  • by Adam Pengilly
Like the average Sydney homeowner, early two thirds of my income will go toward servicing my new home loan.

I spent more time choosing groceries than buying my first home

I’ve spent longer debating which frozen dumplings to buy at the supermarket than committing to a mortgage that ends two years before I’m eligible for the pension.

  • by Amber Schultz
Tim Ryan of the Reds scores one of his three tries.
Tight Five
Super Rugby

Kiwis open to an Anzac Day Bledisloe – but based on this weekend, there’s no need

A round of trans-Tasman clashes in Super Rugby was compelling and showed the competition is flying.

  • by Paul Cully
Former Canterbury player Jackson Topine.
Analysis
NRL 2024

Topine’s dad sent early legal threat to Bulldogs

A text message from Marcus Topine to a Bulldogs staffer in July last year set the tone for the $4 million claim against the club.

  • by Danny Weidler
Scott Pendlebury and Steele Sidebottom: Collingwood’s only dual premiership players since the 1950s.
Analysis
AFL 2024

Tough calls needed: Good Old Collingwood has seemed more old than good

The most immediate task for Collingwood is to handle the older players in a manner that maximises performance in 2024 and also begins the task of transitioning to 2025 and beyond.

  • by Jake Niall
American teens spend nearly five hours a day on social apps, according to polls by Gallup.

Should children be on social media? Too late, they already are

Are worsening mental health outcomes and social media related? The timing is suggestive: mental health began to slide just as smartphones and social apps took off.

Working out you’ve been caught in a scam can feel awful, but it’s something we all need to talk about more.
Opinion
Scams

We can’t afford to be ashamed about getting scammed

Realising you’ve been caught in a scam can feel awful, but hiding it and staying quiet helps nobody.

  • by Victoria Devine
Just because you’ve paid tax throughout your life doesn’t automatically entitle you to a full pension.

I’ve paid taxes all my life. Am I entitled to a full pension?

Your entitlement to an age pension is determined based on need, not the amount of tax you’ve paid.

  • by Paul Benson
Australian teenagers spend about 14 hours online each week.

Time to tackle this crisis in our community

We are facing a very real crisis in our community with the way the attitudes and behaviour of young men towards women is being shaped.

  • by The Herald's View
Jim Chalmers will hand down the federal budget on Tuesday, May 14.

Why Jim Chalmers may be the government’s David Campese

As he prepares to hand down his third budget, the treasurer explains why the economy’s soft, and why he’s not craving the prime ministership.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
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Young boys need positive male role models.
Opinion
Parenting

Dads pass misogyny to their sons. The cycle of domestic violence won’t stop until they do

A study found at least a third of Australian men thought a man should have the final say about decisions in their relationship and were owed sex by women.

  • by Jordan Baker
The Parramatta Light Rail project has reached a major milestone in the heart of Western Sydney overnight, when the first tram rolled through Parramatta CBD as testing ramps up ahead of services beginning later this year.
Opinion
City life

How Sydney’s light rail became Hollywood’s most unlikely star

Sometimes you have to have your city reflected at you through the eyes of an outsider to see its best bits.

  • by Mary Ward
A household with a $500,000 mortgage is paying $1134 a month more on its mortgage than it was in May 2022.
Opinion
Hip pocket

So you’ve got an offset account, but are you using it wisely?

Homeowners are squirrelling away billions in offset accounts, but many aren’t using them to their full potential and are missing out on significant home loan savings.

  • by Dominic Powell
Opinion
Crime

Cads, you’re on notice – we now have a contemporary definition of rape

The Lehrmann defamation ruling will change society, thanks to Justice Michael Lee’s distinction between a cad and a rapist.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Ruby Kraner-Tucci with her dad, Joe.
Opinion
Healthcare

My dad spent three weeks in ICU. This is what I learnt about our health system

I went into the hospital knowing nothing about our healthcare system. Those three weeks taught me life lessons that will never leave me.

  • by Ruby Kraner-Tucci
Australia’s war on babies is worse than we first thought.
Opinion
Strata

It’s been a bad week to be a baby

You think being booted from a comedy show is unfair? Strata is stopping my kid from crawling on communal grass.

  • by Thomas Mitchell
Teachers should decide the best way to teach students.

Explicit teaching is essential in every class

Explicit learning, or rote learning as it used to be known, definitely has its place but it doesn’t lend itself to every subject.

A fan hugs the Melbourne Rebels mascot.
Tight Five
Super Rugby

Do the maths: Rescuing Rebels would be throwing more borrowed money after bad

The Rebels aren’t the only ones on trial as their increasingly bitter battle with Rugby Australia plays out – it’s the entire concept of the five-team model.

  • by Paul Cully
Wally Lewis

Three extraordinary events signal the end of ‘she’ll be right’ era

This week was something of a king tide in the realms of concussion-in-sport news, headed by a heartfelt plea from rugby league great Wally Lewis.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Almost a quarter of NSW public school children are now aged six by August of the year they start school, new data shows.
Opinion
Spending

Want to stretch money like a solo parent? Here are our 11 best hacks

You are welcome to debate me, but I believe no one stretches money like a solo parent. Here’s the best tips I’ve heard.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
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Super through our working life is relatively straightforward. The retirement phase is far harder to navigate.

Why is retirement spending so difficult to navigate?

Super through our working life is relatively straightforward. The retirement phase presents an entirely different situation.

  • by Bec Wilson
Should you use an alias on your resume to avoid bias?
Opinion
Jobs

Would you change your name to get a job?

Research has shown it could be your name that is causing you to be placed in the reject pile. But why should applicants to do all the work?

  • by Jim Bright
Joel Svensson recovering a Bluetooth tracker from a DV victim’s car.
Opinion
Crime

The fact my job exists shows just what men will do to harass ex-partners

We think of security as something reserved for the wealthy or famous. But it’s everyday women who are being killed by men at the rate of one every week who need it the most.

  • by Joel Svensson
Albanese, Musk, Dutton

Musk puts seat belts in cybertrucks. Now he must put them in cyberspace

What Elon Musk is doing is rogue even in an industry of rogues. He needs to be strapped in, or it will be maximum drama and maximum Musk.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Jim Chalmersxxxxxxxxxxxx

Treasurer Jim Chalmers wants stronger foreign investment rules. What does that mean?

In a world of rising geopolitical tensions, Australia is tightening up its foreign investment laws in lockstep with many other Western nations.

  • by Anne Hyland
There are companies in Australia offering genuinely sustainable products and services but it’s far too difficult to sort the good from the bad.

Green petrol and eco plastic? Fake ‘Earth friendly’ claims are out of control

The use of vague environmental claims that confuse consumers, such as “eco” or “green”, is being banned in the EU. Australia should do the same.

  • by Erin Turner and Gerard Brody
Molly Ticehurst died in the regional NSW town of Forbes.

Male anger problem needs radical action

A royal commission is a good idea, but only if the government commits to implementing the recommendations. This needs to be a whole of community approach, not just whole of government.

Illustration:  Simon Letch
Opinion
Doping

The wait of history: How and why East German medals should be reallocated

The GDR athletes were victims of doping, too. But if just a fraction of the 489 medals they won over nine Games were reallocated, it might be a worthwhile and cathartic exercise.

  • by Darren Kane
A dolphin trapped in shark nets at Bondi died in the week before nets are due to be removed for the winter season.
Editorial
Marine life

Sydney’s shark nets will be removed for winter. They should not be reinstalled

The nets are outdated, provide little protection, and have killed thousands of marine creatures.

  • The Herald's View
Elon Musk

This X-rated man-child is so powerful, he got our politicians to agree on something

Social inequality keeps growing, bombs keep landing, and our planet keeps burning. Yet, our leaders can find common ground only about a social media platform that’s close to its putrid end.

  • by Malcolm Knox
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South Sydney are now 1-6 and face premiers Penrith next Thursday.
Analysis
NRL 2024

The Rabbitohs are going from bad to worse. Here are their latest coach-killers

In just a year, South Sydney have gone from beating Penrith to having 54 points put on them against Melbourne. Watch our five key reasons that it happened.

  • by Christian Nicolussi
Justice Michael Lee is considered by advocates to have called out rape myths in his judgment in the Lehrmann v Network Ten case.
Opinion
Crime

I was raped and didn’t speak up. Thanks to Justice Lee, these days I might

In the weeks since Justice Michael Lee’s ruling in the Lehrmann defamation case, I have felt lighter than I have in decades.

  • by Anonymous
Many are turning off Coachella because of its association with influencer culture.

Tech issues and outrageous pricing aren’t the worst things about Coachella

The problem for the festival is that it is synonymous not with iconic music but with A-listers and overpriced beer.

  • by Ed Power
Meghan, with husband Prince Harry earlier this month, is launching a jam.

Meghan made strawberry jam and her mates have lost their minds

Much has annoyed me this week: Albo trekking the Kokoda, BabyGate, puppacinos. But nothing compares to the rage I feel about Meghan claiming to reinvent a fete staple.

  • by Kate Halfpenny