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Opinion

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Letters
Letters

I can assure you, life on JobSeeker is no picnic

Can Australia still claim to be the land of the fair go? Readers offer their views.

Latest

Stormy Daniels and Donald Trump.

In the president v the porn star, Stormy Daniels is a legal dominatrix

The compelling part of this case is not whether Trump did something wrong with business papers, but how it shows – in a vivid way – that he’s the wrong man for the job.

  • by Maureen Dowd
X owner Elon Musk and the Albanese government have been locked in a legal battle over the graphic video of the Sydney church stabbing.
Opinion
Elon Musk

Picking fights with social media giants seems to be ending in tears

Australia’s government and regulators have plenty of allies in their attempts to rein in the behaviour of platform owners – but it’s just not that easy.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Top of the world: Jimmy Anderson celebrates his record-breaking wicket with friend and teammate Alastair Cook.

His career pre-dates YouTube and Facebook, now Anderson’s exit sets stage for a Bazball Ashes assault

They admired his skill and sometimes were taken aback by his sledging. How Jimmy Anderson was seen through Australian eyes.

  • by Daniel Brettig
People aged under 25 who choose to have children should get much greater government support.
Opinion
Parenting

We should stop funding IVF and pay under-25s to have children

When egg freezing, with all its associated costs and uncertain outcomes, looks more attractive than just getting down to it, we are in the grip of crazy collective thinking.

  • by Ramona Koval
Playmaker Daniel Rioli was in fine form, roaming across half-back for Richmond.
Four Points
AFL 2024

Gold Coast don’t need more pimply kids, but the Tigers do: Why a Rioli trade could be on

The Suns are interested in talented Tiger Daniel Rioli, and a trade could be mutually beneficial for both parties.

  • by Michael Gleeson
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Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas militant group’s leader in the Gaza Strip pirctured in 2018.

Sinwar drew up the attack that started the war in Gaza. Now he’s key to ending it

Even as Israel attempts to kill the man it considers the architect of the October 7 attack, it has been forced to negotiate with him to free the remaining hostages.

  • by Patrick Kingsley, Julian Barnes and Adam Rasgon
Joe Biden became his party’s presumptive nominee when he won enough delegates in Georgia.
Opinion
Trade wars

The US is tightening the screws on China

Joe Biden is throwing the kitchen sink at a key part of China’s economy.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
A

Unable to crack the housing market, I went looking for cocaine

No, I’m not contemplating becoming a drug dealer, but I will need something close to a lottery win to get me out of the rental rat race.

  • by Millie Muroi
Wests Tigers coach Benji Marshall (second from left) on the bench in Tamworth.
Analysis
NRL 2024

The Tigers are hurtling to the bottom again. This play sums up why Benji Marshall has a huge problem

The best teams constantly talk about attention to detail. One moment in Tamworth on Saturday sums up how far the Tigers are still off the pace after six straight losses.

  • by Adam Pengilly
Emotions were raw as the AFL paid tribute to former Fremantle and Greater Western Sydney player Cam McCarthy at the weekend.
Analysis
AFL 2024

A reminder that footy is just a game, and why Dees need Petracca to be their Dusty: Key takeouts from round nine

The outpouring of grief for Cam McCarthy underpinned round nine and showed us that footballers are as fragile as the rest of us, while Christian Petracca gave us a glimpse of what might be the answer to Melbourne’s forward woes.

  • by Andrew Stafford
Everyone has a role to play.
Opinion
Family

Bookkeeper or insect killer? Everyone has a role to play in a family

There’s no pleasure in life greater than being asked to open a jar of olives by a loved one.

  • by Richard Glover
Harry Johnson-Holmes is helped from the field.

Engine gloom: Unprecedented injury carnage at Tahs demands answers

The Waratahs started the season with 10 front rowers in their squad. Five months on, they are all injured.

  • by Iain Payten
Remarks by Treasurer Jim Chalmers seem to say there’ll be no one-off increase in the pitifully inadequate rate of unemployment benefits in Tuesday night’s budget.
Opinion
JobSeeker

Labor’s persistent refusal to fix the JobSeeker payment is shameful

Australia has the lowest benefits for the short-term unemployed among 34 countries in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

  • by Ross Gittins
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton.

Both Albanese and Dutton believe they’re on the right track. But one of them must be wrong

The difficulty in politics is that at some point – and you never know when – the risk calculus flips. Tomorrow’s budget might tell us if we’re there yet.

  • by Sean Kelly
A class action lawsuit is been issued against Optus after a major hack last year.

Optus desperately needs a reset. Here’s what comes next

Australia’s second-largest telco is priming for a much-needed reboot after suffering the nation’s worst data breaches and telecommunications outages.

  • by David Swan
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Letters
Letters

Victoria has the biggest debt and least ability to repay it

Readers comment on Victoria’s debt burden and argue it’s far worse than the government has admitted to.

Illustration by Andrew Dyson

Housing system is broke and broken, but government alone can’t solve this crisis

No silver bullet is going to fix our housing woes, but there is now a window of opportunity through which real and significant change can occur.

  • by Scott Langford
Family feuds: Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus wants a simpler approach in custody cases that is focused on children.

Too often, alcohol and family violence go together. Now, we need to separate them

The kids who hide in closets and bathrooms – hearing furniture being thrown and adults screaming – know that when drinking is involved, it’s like pouring petrol on a bonfire.

  • by Kym Valentine
NSW halfback options Nicho Hynes and Mitchell Moses after Nathan Cleary’s injury.

NSW have a halfback problem. Here are six contenders to replace Cleary

Nathan Cleary will miss the entire State of Origin series and two other main contenders to replace him are injured. Has the halves curse struck the Blues again?

  • by Adam Pengilly
Yarra Valley Grammar School principal, Mark Merry.

Expelling problem students sounds impressive. But all it does is pass the buck

In kicking the can of responsibility for the Yarra Valley Grammar students who ranked their female classmates to another school, parents are missing the point.

  • by Adam Voigt
Analysis
Aviation

The undoing of Bonza: Can Bazza, Sheila and Bruce be rescued?

Bonza has farewelled the first of its five seized aircraft as it sets off for less financially stricken pastures. Now, the company’s administrators turn to facing its 60,000 creditors and $100 million in unpaid debts.

  • by Amelia McGuire
Jack de Belin on the charge for the Dragons.
Analysis
NRL 2024

De Belin family’s fury after perjury charge

The Dragons star’s parents and sister have lashed out at the police who investigated his case.

  • by Danny Weidler
The new Magic Keyboard looks like a laptop keyboard.
Analysis
Gadgets

With a series of firsts, Apple’s new iPad launch points to changes ahead

At Apple’s new heritage-listed headquarters in London, the company gave hints about the future in its reveal of new iPads and accessories.

  • by Tim Biggs
The government’s plan to pay students $319 a week for placements is a start, but just because something is better than nothing doesn’t inherently make it good.
Opinion
University

Labor’s paid placements are a slap in the face, not a saving grace

The plan to pay students $319 a week for placements is a start, but just because something is better than nothing doesn’t inherently make it good.

  • by Victoria Devine
Coming into money early on in life can be a wonderful opportunity to learn about investing and financial markets.

What should my daughter do with her $20,000 inheritance?

Coming into money early on in life can be a wonderful opportunity to learn about investing and financial markets.

  • by Paul Benson
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 Sex-bots – glamorous, artificial lovers that never complain – are already on the market.
Opinion
Harassment

What happens if a sexbot is your first intimate encounter? Nothing good

Artificial intelligence, particularly its intersection with pornography, could have a huge impact on gender relations offline.

  • by Jacqueline Maley
Apartments offer a more achievable alternative for those looking for a way into the property market, but there are a few factors to consider before signing on the dotted line.
Opinion
Home loans

Downsizing the Australian dream: What to consider when buying an apartment

Apartments offer a more achievable alternative for those looking for a way into the property market, but there are a few factors to consider before signing on the dotted line.

  • by Dominic Powell
What’s the story? Treasurer Jim Chalmers gives some teasers at a news conference on Friday.

Jim Chalmers, the budget and the art of make-believe

The treasurer has rewritten the narrative on federal budgets. On Tuesday night, we’ll get to decide whether we believe his story – or at least want to believe it.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness
David Marr: “David Speers wanted actual insiders on Insiders, and I was never a Canberra reporter.”

David Marr on Dutton, Waleed … and being an outsider on Insiders

Is there still space in the mainstream media for the public intellectual? Well, there is today at least.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Journalist Cheng Lei (centre, aged 9) with dad Chu-yong and mum Hua in Hunan province, China, 1984, right before Chu-yong came to Australia as a visiting scholar.
Opinion
Motherhood

I love my mum, but I try to be the mother she wasn’t

I did not recognise my mum from the maternal stereotypes I saw in laundry detergent and chicken dinner commercials.

  • by Cheng Lei
The Bulldogs celebrate another goal against the Tigers on Saturday night.
Analysis
AFL 2024

The moment star Tiger would want back in horror loss to Dogs

Throughout their previous seven defeats, Richmond had performed admirably while undermanned, competing hard only to be overwhelmed late by more experienced teams. Not so against the Dogs.

  • by Andrew Wu
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Letters
Letters

Parents don’t need more money, they need to instil values

A moral vacuum can’t be addressed by stuffing it with cash and mission statements, writes a reader.

No book should ever be banned, but if you’re really worried about kids’ safety, maybe we should start censoring some of the classics.
Opinion
Literature

Scared of same-sex parents? Wait until you meet this caterpillar with an eating disorder

No book should ever be banned, but if you’re really worried about kids’ safety, maybe we should start censoring some of the classics.

  • by Thomas Mitchell
The Wallabies and All Blacks doing battle in Melbourne in 2022.
Analysis
World Rugby

World Rugby ushers in law changes to speed up game, but have they opened a new loophole?

With the goal of reducing stoppages and making rugby more appealing to fans, new laws and law trials have been announced. But some people aren’t happy.

  • by Iain Payten
A young Richmond fan.
Opinion
Family

I know which footy team my family supports. Not all of them have realised it yet

When your firstborn taunts you with pictures of them wearing another team’s colours it’s enough to make you question your parenting skills.

  • by Claire Heaney
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Last year’s Norm Smith medallist Bobby Hill would be on top of the All Stars wish list.
Analysis
AFL 2024

‘It’s bigger than that’: The match the AFL wants to revive after a decade in the wilderness

The AFL is pushing to stage an Indigenous exhibition game on the eve of next season in a bid to address the decline in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander footballers playing the game.

  • by Caroline Wilson
Is retired AFL superstar Buddy Franklin roast-worthy?

Time for an Australian sporting superstar to be roasted

If it’s good enough for the great Tom Brady, it’s good enough for one of our own.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Carter Gordon

Rebels have handed RA an all-time hospital pass

Australian rugby has plenty of issues, but as the Rebels’ shambles shows, many have been self-inflicted.

  • by Paul Cully
Noosa was expecting a bumper Easter before the Brisbane lockdown.

Many of us aren’t engaged at work. What’s so bad about that?

A significant number of the workforce have always seen work as a means to an end, rather than an end in and of itself.

  • by Jim Bright
Many of us, especially older Australians, are still holding on to cash. It’s time to let it go.
Opinion
Cash

Cash is dead. Why are we still pretending it isn’t?

Cash will be gone in just seven years time, but many of us are still trying to hold on to the past. It’s time we move forward and embrace it.

  • by Bec Wilson
Interest rates are unlikely to drop soon, so it’s best to find savings where you can.
Opinion
Home loans

The five best quality home loans charging under 6 per cent

With rate cuts now not likely until next year, anyone who hasn’t already optimised their interest really ought to.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Employers should focus on uncovering individuals who bring new and valuable perspectives to the table.
Opinion
Hiring

Should you hire for equity or for excellence?

Should the focus of recruitment be on ensuring fairness and inclusion, or on securing the highest level of individual talent? Is there a way to hire for both?

  • by Lauren Anderson

Chalmers has navigated a steady course. But can he nail a tricky landing?

Like a pilot negotiating fierce crosswinds, Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ dexterity will be judged on whether the economic landing is soft or hard.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Foreign Secretary David Cameron prepares to address guests in his first keynote speech since returning to politics.
Analysis
UK politics

One more time, with feeling: The reinvention of David Cameron

The former British prime minister’s shock return to politics was cynically received by the public. Now he’s got less than a year to rewrite his legacy.

  • by Rob Harris
Elon Musk, billionaire and chief executive officer of Tesla, at the Viva Tech fair in Paris in June.
Opinion
WordPlay

When it comes to names, does Elon Musk have the X-Factor?

The decision to ditch a brand name that has become part of the vernacular has sparked lively debate on a social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

  • by David Astle
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Premier Jacinta Allan touring the North East Link site on Thursday.

State’s finances tied to a runaway debt train of government’s own design

Victoria is the financially weakest state in the federation. It didn’t have to be this way.

  • The Age's View
The image used to promote the National Gallery of Victoria’s new Pharaoh exhibition shows a figure that is probably Thumose III.
Opinion
Arts

Why I won’t go to the NGV’s perplexing and problematic Pharaoh blockbuster

When Indigenous artefacts are being returned, and there is global recognition of the sanctity of the dead. Why do we make an exception for Egyptian rulers?

  • by Alan Attwood
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Letters
Letters

Holding all Jews responsible for Israel is unacceptable

Readers debate students’ right to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza and what are its implications when it threatens Jewish students.

Tarryn Thomas is serving an 18-match AFL suspension and was sacked by North Melbourne.
Opinion
AFL 2024

Latest allegations should spell the end of Tarryn Thomas’ career

If new allegations of harassment against former Kangaroo Tarryn Thomas are verified, his case to return to play AFL football must be ruled off for good.

  • by Greg Baum