Opinion
Analysis
NRL 2024
‘You know I barrack for Queensland?’ How Roosters won race for Fifita
Fed up with waiting, Roosters supremo Nick Politis was contemplating pulling the four-year, $3.3 million offer on the table to David Fifita. Then his phone rang.
- by Michael Chammas
Latest
Opinion
Wall Street
Warren Buffett has a $285 billion problem
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway has become too big, and it’s getting bigger by the day. It makes it a lot less exciting.
- by Justin Fox
Opinion
NRL 2024
‘It’s not personal’: V’landys dismisses talk of Gould fallout after NRL breach notice
But the ARL Commission chairman has promised greater scrutiny on club officials who slam the game in their media roles.
- by Andrew Webster
Opinion
Work therapy
I didn’t get a job because I’m Gen Z. Why did that happen?
It might seem like your potential employer was discriminating against your youth, but the truth is probably more complex.
- by Jonathan Rivett
Analysis
Workplace culture
Why open-plan offices are bad news for ADHD workers
Bright overhead lighting, noisy phone calls, unpredictable office temperature and smells from the kitchen are all triggers that can overload workers with ADHD.
- by Adam Mawardi
Opinion
GDP
The economy’s just the means to an end. So, are we getting our money’s worth?
Our materialism puts us on a “hedonic treadmill”. We think buying a bit more stuff will make us happier and, at first, it does. But pretty soon the thrill wears off.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Victorian budget
Pallas says Labor’s promises have been delayed. Many would say they’ve been broken
Parents whose children will never attend promised childcare or see promised school upgrades are unlikely to be satisfied by the treasurer’s postponement of election pledges.
- by Annika Smethurst
Opinion
Concussion crisis
Five ways to kick off the concussion debate without stopping the game
This problem is too complicated to reduce it to the kick-off debate.
- by Michael Morgan and Anthony Boyd
Opinion
Federal budget
If Chalmers gets the budget wrong, interest rate rises may kill his government
For Treasurer Jim Chalmers, this budget is existential. Bad decisions could increase unemployment or provoke more interest rate rises. Both would be political nails in the government’s coffin.
- by Shane Wright
Letters
Letters
No scientist can’t be shocked by this cut to cancer research
Readers are floored by the Victorian state budget cuts to a cancer research centre.
Opinion
Mother's Day
By cancelling Mother’s Day, this school is so inclusive it excludes mums
Hunter Valley Grammar School has cancelled its Mother’s Day gift stall for children in K-6 and replaced it with a “Family Gift Stall”.
- by Brad Emery
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Biden had hoped to send a quiet message, then Israel leaked it
The US decision to pause the delivery of bombs represents a significant turning point in its relationship with Israel. But it may not necessarily be a breaking point.
- by Peter Baker
Opinion
Big four
CBA lowers the curtain on a profit season banks would rather forget
This season was not one that banks will be crowing about – all experienced a fall in profits and the themes were remarkably similar.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
When uni students endorse terror, it’s time for political intervention
The university protests in Australia arising from the Israel-Gaza conflict have moved beyond a debate about free speech.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
AFL 2024
Homophobic and dumb: Why the punishment is right for Powell’s slur
Gold Coast player’s language shows that changing behaviour takes both time and decisive action.
- by Peter Ryan
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Uni protests are messy, but they prove that campuses have come back to life
A sad legacy of lockdowns is that too many of us are unable to stop and listen to another side. But the noise of the encampments shows that campuses have come back to life.
- by Alexandra Wake
Opinion
Gadgets
Apple’s tone-deaf iPad ad triggers our darkest AI fears
Apple has made its worst marketing faux pas since it forced everyone to listen to U2.
- by Dave Lee
Opinion
Energy
It’s not easy being green for UK and European oil giants
The oil super majors are eyeing shifting their primary stock exchange listings to New York as a stronger push to reduce fossil fuels in their home markets weighs on their share prices.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The world’s turned a blind eye, but I’ve seen Gaza’s horrors
More than half a million children are sheltering in Rafah. Families I spoke to there as an Australian aid worker told me they were terrified, wondering how they will protect their kids.
- by Sacha Myers
Opinion
AFL 2024
Why AFL needs to embrace the coaching merry-go-round
In overseas sports, head coaches often transition swiftly between roles, quitting or being fired from one franchise to resurface as the head coach at another. The AFL’s landscape with more entrenched coaches underscores the need for more open minds on changing clubs.
- by Kane Cornes
Opinion
Concussion crisis
Why I will continue to argue for concussion victims – past and future
The column written by my colleague last week shocked me, but this issue is far bigger than a difference of opinion.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
NRL 2024
Why this is the most important three weeks of Nicho Hynes’ career
Over the next month, the Sharks have a golden chance to shake their tag as flat-track bullies – and their star man can prove he belongs at Origin level.
- by Andrew Johns
Analysis
AFL 2024
Courage, a near miss and a shoulder hanging by a thread: The 20-second passage of play that shook the MCG
We break down the key moments from a play Blues fans will never forget the last time their side took on the Demons at the mighty MCG.
- by Andrew Wu
Analysis
Tax deductions
Why sorting your tax early this year is more important than ever
You need to look for every tax deduction and defer any income you can, and take advice on your particular circumstances so you don’t overdo it.
- by Julia Hartman
Opinion
Political leadership
Albanese’s is an ‘experimental’ government – and it looks like the experiment is failing
It’s the first federal government I’ve seen that has sought to build most of its political and policy mandate after winning office rather than before it.
- by Shaun Carney
Opinion
Sunday Life
Mums, learn to put yourself first for once in your life
“Motherhood is as easy as climbing Everest in high heels and hotpants, carrying a disco ball.”
- by Kathy Lette
Letters
Letters
I’m a state school principal, and most of our parents don’t need $400
Readers react to the Victorian state budget with wildly different views, but all agree its $400 school bonus to parents, whatever their income, is unfair.
Opinion
Parenting
How do you know if you were ‘raised right’? I’ve always felt like I’m missing something
To be brought up with money, power, beauty and status are advantages few of us are lucky to have. But to be “raised right” is a scarcer, more valuable privilege.
- by Wendy Syfret
The Scoop
AFL 2024
Roos unable to ‘meaningfully change’ Tarryn Thomas’ behaviour: CEO’s email to rival clubs
The midfielder completed four different behavioural programs before being sacked by North Melbourne once the league’s ban was announced.
- by Sam McClure
Opinion
Private schools
What are the consequences of being a ‘wifey’ or ‘unrapable’? I hope those girls never find out
When my own high school rating list came out, that ranking stayed with me forever. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.
- by Katy Hall
Opinion
Mergers & acquisitions
‘A joke’: The $2.2b deal with no detail that has left investors fuming
Hostilities have broken out over wealth powerhouse Perpetual’s deal to sell two of its major divisions and brand to private equity giant KKR.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Analysis
China relations
PM’s rinse-and-repeat response to China jet incident will do little to deter aggression
How stable are relations with China if the People’s Liberation Army is regularly putting the lives of Australian military personnel at risk?
- by Matthew Knott
Opinion
Social media
TikTok makes a stand against forced sale or ban in the US
TikTok has filed a court challenge against a recently-enacted US law that would force its Chinese parent to divest its US business or close it down.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Analysis
US Votes 2024
Stormy Daniels tells a story of sex with Trump as he listens in disgust
After about half an hour of giving evidence, the 45-year-old started disclosing intimate details about the former president, so much so that the judge baulked at some of the testimony.
- by Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich, Maggie Haberman, Michael Rothfeld and Jonathan Swan
Opinion
Aviation
Sorry, not sorry: Qantas perfects the art of the non-apology
To suggest that the airline’s settlement over the ghost flights matter makes Qantas a trustworthy company is to be wilfully blind to its recent history.
- by Joe Aston
Analysis
Gadgets
Apple’s iPad event: Five things you should know
We’ve had our hands on all of Apple’s newly announced hardware. Here are our first impressions.
- by Tim Biggs
Opinion
Ask an expert
If I use up my super on a lavish holiday, can I still get the pension?
Taking an expensive overseas holiday using your superannuation should have no bearing on your pension eligibility when the time comes.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Home loans
Parents thinking of helping kids into property must consider this
I have long been of the “help sooner rather than later” view, but if you hand over a lump sum to your children, is it going to be a gift or a loan?
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Investing
Why this is the most poorly understood thing in finance
It’s a factor many investors wring their hands about, but it’s worth learning how to manage it properly.
- by Paridhi Jain
Editorial
Editorial
Victoria is driving towards a debt cliff. Here’s one way to hit the brakes
Projections that the state’s debt would rise from $135.9 billion this year to $187.8 billion by mid-2028 highlight a need for drastic action.
- The Age's View
Opinion
CBD
Virtually good value: A jolly Joe Hockey gig costs $20,000 a pop
The former treasurer, who once declared an end to the “age of entitlement”, has a big price tag attached to his time.
- by Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
Opinion
National security
When politicians fire up on ‘security’, my bulldust detector goes to DEFCON 1
Using “security” as a justification for a policy initiative opens the door to interventions that are, in the words of former Treasury secretary Dr Ken Henry, “frankly, bad”.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Investing
Our obsession with property is pathological. Something’s gotta give
Forget the Sunday trip to Bunnings - investing in property is the greatest Australian pastime of all, and queuing for house inspections is our national sport.
- by William Bennett
Opinion
Road safety
I’m about to turn 90, and I didn’t want to give up my licence. One moment changed my mind
I learned to drive on the Bathurst track and back in the day I owned a Ford GT. I know how to handle a car. Yet, I’ve made the heartbreaking decision to give up driving, and to sell my car.
- by Jayne Malone
Opinion
Cyber bullying
What I wish I’d known about suicide before my son died
He’d come to me and said: “Hey Dad, I’ve made a mistake.” My son was the victim of sextortion.
- by Wayne Holdsworth
Letters
Letters
Teenage boys are confused. A pile-on won’t help
Readers react to the expulsion of the Yarra Valley Grammar students who ranked their female classmates and the question of male entitlement.
Opinion
AFL 2024
Why personalities like Sam Draper should be celebrated, not gagged
Seeing Sam Draper’s reaction to the crucial decision late in the Bombers’ last-minute win against Adelaide was revealing and hilarious – unless you barracked for the Crows.
- by Mathew Stokes
Analysis
Victorian budget
Victoria the ‘basket case’ state: This debt isn’t like a household mortgage
Most home owners understand that if you are serious about getting your mortgage under control, you can’t keep borrowing more money to pay for other things.
- by Chip Le Grand
Opinion
Money & relationships
To have and to hold: When an engagement goes belly up, who gets to keep the ring?
As a psychologist, when I was weighing the question of who should keep the $100,000 bling after the bitter break-up of a Victorian couple, I considered the advice of two experts: a family lawyer and film star Elizabeth Taylor.
- by Peter Quarry
Analysis
Quantum Computing
Confused by the quantum computing race? It’s just like the Oscars
The government just bet $1 billion on one kind of quantum. But there are many other contenders in the race for the golden gong.
- by Angus Dalton