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Opinion

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Ellie Blackburn of the Western Bulldogs.
Analysis
AFLW

Wasting talent: Why 11 games a year is not enough for AFLW players

Many AFLW players fear the lack of games at the top level and the reluctance by some clubs to let them play in their state league is shunting their development as footballers. 

  • by Marnie Vinall

Latest

He’s warned us before on the China threat. Can we afford to ignore him again?

Mike Pezzullo was disgraced as a public servant. But his qualifications as a defence strategist remain intact.

  • by Peter Hartcher
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Opinion
Column 8

Honest Don’s dog days

A collie for the feloncholy or a stormy spaniel?

Harley Reid cops two-match ban.

‘We’re going to end up with a Steven Bradbury winner’: Should the Rising Star criteria change?

This week on the Real Footy podcast, Jake Niall, Caroline Wilson and Sam McClure debate whether “fairness” should be considered when judging the Rising Star award.

  • by Staff writers
Gai Waterhouse and Peter V’landys
Editorial
Planning

Rosehill sale a race between public good and vested interests

One of the most exciting and beneficial plans of recent times, the sale of Rosehill Racecourse, is under threat from vested interests with little apparent regard for the public good.

  • The Herald's View
Donald Trump cage-side at the UFC tournament in New Jersey.

Trump’s martyr schtick is working, at least with my Republican siblings

Donald Trump has been playing the victim since his bombshell conviction, and if my family straw poll is indicative, it’s an effective strategy.

  • by Maureen Dowd
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Raising age restrictions on social media would help some Australian teenagers with comparison culture and the normalisation of filters.

Without a filter, I saw my face and cried. This is the reality for teens on social media

In high school, I covered my mirror with paper to avoid seeing my own reflection. The only time I looked at myself was with a beauty filter applied.

  • by Lucia Frazzetto
Josh Frydenberg

Frydenberg 2.0 presents a problem for the Liberals

A faction in Kooyong has started to agitate for Mr Josh Frydenberg to be the Liberal candidate in this seat. The current selected candidate, Amelia Hamer, won the right to be the candidate with a large majority vote nine weeks ago. Will we next hear that she has “generously” stepped aside for Mr Frydenberg? Being a woman, she must know what action is expected of her.

Josh Frydenberg says he will not contest his former seat of Kooyong at the next federal election.

If not now, when? Frydenberg now bets on a distant future

The former treasurer has no realistic way to contest the next election. Could he try for Kooyong later? The truth is that nobody gets a smooth elevation to the top.

  • by David Crowe
Carlton skipper Patrick Cripps shows Port’s Jason Horne-Francis a clean set of heels.
Analysis
AFL 2024

Horne-Francis is emerging, but not yet ready to come to grips with Cripps

In key takeouts this week: Carlton’s big dog hands Port’s young pup a lesson, the race for this year’s Rising Star award gets blown wide open and forget the premiership for the moment; Melbourne simply need to focus on making the finals.

  • by Marc McGowan
Josh Frydenberg hoses down speculation of a return to politics.

The Liberal Party created the perfect female candidate in ... Josh Frydenberg?

Could it be that a boundary redistribution was a pretext to Fryden-float this balloon of an idea of a return to politics for the former treasurer?

  • by Jacqueline Maley
Brett Blundy and Solomon Lew are two of the country’s highest-profile retailing billionaires.

Prize catch for Lovisa as retail billionaires’ poaching season hots up

Poaching John Cheston from kids stationery group Smiggle feels like a declaration of retail war.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Mohammad bin Salman is now the most important decision-maker in Saudi Arabia.
Opinion
Oil

How the oil cartel’s grip on the world is getting weaker

The OPEC+ oil cartel’s power and influence is waning and it is being forced to make difficult choices as it grapples with a number of threats.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
James Tedesco has been recalled to the NSW side for Origin I.

After Tedesco’s recall, the Origin opener has Blues upset written all over it

The Roosters star’s shock call-up by Michael Maguire didn’t cause much of a stink – but it reeks of an Origin miracle.

  • by Andrew Webster
Armed drones are changing the way war is waged.
Opinion
AI

Civilian deaths from killer drones are this generation’s ‘Oppenheimer moment’

The geopolitical tensions and challenges faced by physicists and other scientists 70 years ago in their search for nuclear arms control is now being replicated in the 21st century.

  • by Mary Wareham
AI-based relationships could spur - or disrupt - real ones. An image from Replika, an AI-companion service.
Opinion
AI

The girlfriend AI experience could spur, or destroy, real relationships

AI has the potential to make the market for fake intimacy much larger. People can subscribe for a fraction of the cost of a human sex worker, and with no stigma or legal consequences.

  • by Allison Schrager
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SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - MAY 31:  Josh Nasser of the Reds is tackled during the round 15 Super Rugby Pacific match between NSW Waratahs and Queensland Reds at Allianz Stadium, on May 31, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)

Waratahs rebuild creates opportunities – and issues

Powering up the Waratahs scrum with Rebels stars could help NSW regain some lost ground. But it could also fuel one of the Tahs’ oldest problems.

  • by Paul Cully
Libby Birch has crossed to the Kangaroos’ AFLW team and can’t wait for pre-season training to start.
Opinion
AFLW

Bring it on! Why I can’t wait for AFLW pre-season training to start

I’m not the only one who has an exciting new challenge ahead of them this AFLW season. While pre-season training promises to be testing, I can’t wait for it to start on Monday.

  • by Libby Birch
Treasury secretary Steven Kennedy speech at the Australian Business Economist lunch on Thursday.
Opinion
Inflation

What’s happening in the economy is that no one’s sure what’s happening

After shocks including a global pandemic, war and supply chain disruptions, predicting the next move in our economy has become harder than we’re used to.

  • by Ross Gittins
Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton .

As Albanese beats around the bush, Dutton’s delusions are taking root

Everyone’s avoiding the difficult issues, and that’s good news for Peter Dutton and his simplistic “policy” solutions.

  • by Sean Kelly
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Opinion
Column 8

How MPs give themselves a lift

Though there’s always a case for the removal of plaque.

They say they ‘need’ Frydenberg. There’s an awkward problem with his return

The rush to restore Josh Frydenberg to parliament looks like a sure Liberal victory. But it’s a huge risk when anyone stops to think.

  • by David Crowe
Lila Moss has inherited the looks of her mum, Kate Moss, as well as her designer wardrobe.
Opinion
Style

Nepo babies come in many shapes, but fashion nepo babies are the worst of all

It doesn’t bother me that Kaia Gerber inherited her mum’s looks and career. But my blood boiled when she wore Crawford’s Versace dress to her birthday party.

  • by Wendy Syfret
Former president Donald Trump.

Labor inaction plays into the hands of a Trump-lite

In Peter Hartcher’s incisive article about Donald Trump he explains why Trump is likely to win; “America no longer offers a dream to ordinary working people”. The same can probably be said for Australia. Labor has deserted its traditional base; “ordinary working people” who have borne the brunt of higher interest rates and the general cost of living.

Immigration Minister Andrew Giles is facing opposition calls to resign.
Opinion
Refugees

Migration and crime blame game enters ugly territory

The finger-pointing over migration and crime is beginning to get ugly.

  • by The Herald's View
“My father never hit my mother or I, but his temper was forever lurking.”

My father’s confession stunned me. In his mind, he was both the punisher and the victim

My father never hit my mother or I, but his temper was forever lurking. Then one day, he explained the reason for it all: “I have been punishing your mother.”

  • by Susanne Davies
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There are no fun facts about the next UK PM, but that’s his strength

Sir Keir Starmer looks certain to lead Britain with the most left-wing Labour government on economic matters since Harold Wilson was PM.

  • by George Brandis
Trump delivers remarks at Trump Tower the day after his guilty verdict.

New York, the city that made Trump rich and famous, has turned on him

Trump’s conviction was the third and heaviest blow he has been dealt in New York – a series of challenges to his ego, his bottom line, and now, perhaps, his freedom.

  • by Jesse McKinley and Maggie Haberman
Downsizing.

Can we downsize into a more expensive home and still add to super?

There are a raft of conditions to consider when making a downsizer contribution that you need to keep in mind.

  • by Paul Benson
The truth is, I wouldn’t wish an inheritance on anyone, but as generations get older, it’s a tough conversation many of us are having.

You’re not entitled to an inheritance, so here’s how to ask about it

The truth is, I wouldn’t wish an inheritance on anyone, but as generations get older, it’s a tough conversation many of us are having.

  • by Victoria Devine
Joseph Suaalii warming up with the NSW Blues at a training camp in the Blue Mountains.
Analysis
NRL 2024

Return to NRL after rugby no done deal, says Suaalii

Rejoining the Roosters is no certainty for Joseph Suaalii when his contract with Rugby Australia runs out in 2027.

  • by Danny Weidler
A moment to celebrate: Young Bulldog Sam Darcy.
Analysis
AFL 2024

Darcy, Daicos brilliance shows why father-sons must cost more

Nick Daicos is a generational footballer and Sam Darcy has the tool kit to become one. They show the inadequacies of the father-son rule, which is to be reformed.

  • by Jake Niall
The timely delivery of online goods is a pain point for many consumers.

Online businesses owe it to their customers to do better

More than half of problematic transactions are now associated with e-commerce.

  • by The Herald's View
Laura Tingle, chief political correspondent of the ABC’s “7.30” current affairs television program.
Opinion
Racism

If Australia’s a racist country, it’s not just a black and white issue

There is an authorial arrogance to writers’ festival anti-racism, in which whiteness is forever and always the protagonist.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness

‘It was the first time they had heard Alan Jones afraid’: Sally McManus

The union “nun” talks about Albanese, Dutton, pizza, and why she has grudging respect for Michaelia Cash.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Australians lose hundreds of millions of dollars every year to scams.
Opinion
Hip pocket

That sinking feeling: What to do if you fall for a scam

You’re probably kicking yourself, but you’re far from alone – Australians are losing about $20 million a month to scams, and many fall victim more than once.

  • by Dominic Powell
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra

The six reasons Anthony Albanese could still go for an election this year (and get married soon after)

Anthony Albanese has said he plans to serve a full term, but there are at least six good reasons for him to consider going to the polls early.

  • by James Massola
William places a wedding ring on Kate in 2011. The prince prefers not to wear his wedding band.
Opinion
Marriage

I’m with Prince William – you don’t need to put a ring on it

Carats don’t always lead to marriages that stick, so why bother with a wedding band? The course of true love surely runs no smoother with bling wrapped around your fourth finger.

  • by Claire Heaney

Where do all the bookish kids go if their school doesn’t have a library?

They need a retreat to the quiet world of imagination sometimes, away from the hurly-burly of the playground.

  • by Jane Caro
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It’s human levels that should be cut, not immigration

The sooner all nations can agree that reducing our numbers is the only logical way for the survival of Homo sapiens, the better.

The worst of part of being an adult? No one cares about your birthday.

Unhappy birthday to me: How Facebook ruined my big day

The decline of Facebook means no one knows it’s your birthday any more which means I don’t get to hear from people I almost never think about.

  • by Thomas Mitchell
Daly Cherry-Evans
Analysis
NRL 2024

‘I’m enjoying this too much’: Cherry-Evans not ready to retire from Origin arena

This year, like last year, the Maroons skipper has had to field questions about his plans beyond this Origin series. But he’s not ready to walk away from rep footy just yet.

  • by Christian Nicolussi
Luke Keary
Analysis
NRL 2024

212 points in five weeks: The secret sauce that finally has Roosters’ attack firing

This time last year, the Roosters couldn’t score for 79 minutes, and never looked like scoring either. Now the NRL’s most scrutinised attack has left the rest of the competition for dead.

  • by Dan Walsh
Ah, now that’s a proper office space.
Opinion
Comedy

Give me back my landline, my desk drawers, and my dreary old office

The modern office space is a noisy, annoying, overcrowded travesty.

  • by Richard Glover
Helen Toner in May cautioned against over-relying on AI chatbots, saying there was “still a lot we don’t know” about them.
Analysis
AI

Australian at the centre of the high-stakes battle over AI has a warning for the world

There’s a war raging about the future of artificial intelligence - and Melbourne-born Helen Toner is in the thick of it.

  • by David Swan
North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson.
Opinion
AFL 2024

Why Clarkson is in danger of becoming North’s greatest liability

Appointing the four-time premiership coach was meant to herald a bright new era for the Kangaroos, but things haven’t gone according to plan.

  • by Caroline Wilson
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NRL to take back seat, for now, as Origin behemoth emerges again

There is a solution to the mundane nature of the NRL regular season – bring back the “final five”.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Nicole Pedersen McKinnon
Opinion
EOFY

My three-step hack to stack EOFY sales discounts

Brace for incessant ads and annoying jingles: EOFY sales are on the way. Here’s how you can make the most of the savings.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
When you look at people retiring comfortably today, it’s easy to see what the most important foundations of a happy retirement are.

Six financial foundations you need in place (long) before retiring

When you look at people retiring comfortably today, it’s easy to see what the most important foundations of a happy retirement are.

  • by Bec Wilson
People celebrate after former president Donald Trump was found guilty on all counts at Manhattan Criminal Court on Thursday.

The bad thing about the Trump verdict? That people celebrated it

Trump’s business model is tribalism, and the guilty verdict will further entrench it. So, for his political opponents, there is little cause for celebration.

  • by Jacqueline Maley