Opinion
Opinion
State of Origin
The Blues’ fantasy land is just over there - but they’re not there yet
There were only a handful of minutes left in the first half of Origin II when NSW players, coaches and fans must have wondered if someone had slipped something into their drink.
- by Andrew Webster
Latest
Analysis
State of Origin
‘Got what we deserved’: The five vital moments of Origin II
Stephen Crichton and Mitchell Moses featured on a highlights reel that was already extensive by half-time on Wednesday night.
- by Christian Nicolussi
Analysis
General insurance
How to avoid paying more than you should for insurance
As the cost of home and motor vehicle insurance continues to rise, here is what you can do.
- by John Collett
Opinion
Trial by Water
I was Lindy Chamberlain’s lawyer. Her case is eerily similar to Robert Farquharson’s
For four decades, I have seen junk science and biases based on the behaviour of an accused playing a substantial role in police investigations, prosecutions and juries.
- by Stuart Tipple
Opinion
State of Origin
No one can overcome my kiss of death – not even the mighty Maroons
Mitchell Moses led NSW to the promised land, defying my best work.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
State of Origin
Tragic to Madge-ic to ... Brisbane, where Origin cycles on and all bets are off
Origin really only knows one way: profound despair followed by uncontrolled hubris followed by depression followed by over-confidence. It’s the Blues’ turn to enjoy the high.
- by Malcolm Knox
LETTERS
Letters
When politics and science do not align on climate change
The debate over climate change shows politics and science are not in accord, say readers.
Opinion
City life
State Library should stay open at night for booze-free chats
Melbourne needs more third places. After 6pm, the library should say “laptops away” and turn the space from study zone into a place for booze-free conversation.
- by Simon Taylor
Opinion
Social media
A teen social media ban will drive them to secrecy – that’s exactly what predators want
Teenagers by nature strive to find a way to engage in whatever their parents try to ban. They’re not pet dogs. They will get over fences.
- by Sonia Orchard
Opinion
Casinos
The ex-poker player who played a winning hand to get Star’s top job
Steve McCann doesn’t need to meet any financial hurdles to receive a gargantuan pay package, but he’s still the best insurance policy The Star board can buy.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Government debt
Macron’s snap election could trigger the next debt crisis
This weekend’s elections have the potential to blow out France’s debt and threaten the stability of the eurozone and its single currency.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Retail
Why haggling in op shops should be banned
I work in an op shop and have reluctantly discovered that charity often begins - and ends - at home.
- by Jo Stubbings
Opinion
ICC Men’s World Cup
Who should follow Warner out of the losing T20 World Cup team?
Australia had just one player under 30 in the team that lost to India and missed the Twenty20 World Cup finals. What changes need to be made?
- by Malcolm Conn
Analysis
Super Fit
How do you actually spend your super? Here’s all you need to know
Spending your superannuation can be daunting and, at times, confusing. Here’s all you need to know about accessing your nest egg.
- by Bec Wilson
Opinion
Ask an expert
I have $1.9m in my pension account. Can I add in more to save on tax?
While adding to your super once it hits the cap isn’t possible, your savings can still grow through the power of compound interest.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Money psychology
Money can’t buy happiness? No, but it certainly helps
Why do we insist that specifically money doesn’t buy happiness? What’s wrong with having it both ways?
- by Paridhi Jain
Opinion
Charity
I’m being generous this EOFY, but the taxman is not
We’re less generous than we used to be. Could that be because the taxman is hassling us about our benevolence?
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
He’s ‘rooting’ for Putin’s war in Ukraine: How did Tucker Carlson get an Australian visa?
The issue with Carlson is not so much his political outlook or unstinting support for Donald Trump. Rather, it is his attitude to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
- by Jon Richardson
Letters
Letters
Residents shut out as 50 storey towers overshadow their suburb
Readers react to the state government’s plan for seven new towers in Box Hill, the Julian Assange deal, and the Coalition’s nuclear push.
Opinion
Assange saga
Julian Assange and I once campaigned to save the Fitzroy Pool. Now my old friend is coming home
I’ve known Julian for three decades. For nearly half that time, he has been denied his freedom. That he will finally be able to come home and spend time with his wife and young children, is almost overwhelming.
- by Suelette Dreyfus
Analysis
Retail
Why grocery giants won’t lose sleep over $9b penalty threat
Coles and Woolworths face multibillion-dollar fines if they put the squeeze on suppliers, but is this is a realistic threat?
- by Colin Kruger
Editorial
Editorial
Rail loop’s unprecedented building boom requires careful planning
The Victorian government needs to provide assurance its seizure of development decision-making along the massive project is guided by broader thinking.
- The Age's View
Analysis
Assange saga
The campaign to free Assange is over. The public argument about him is not
The campaign to free Julian Assange has reached a dramatic final moment. A moment that will divide opinion just as much as every other phase in his remarkable life.
- by David Crowe
Analysis
ICC Men’s World Cup
Drama and farce reign, but Australia didn’t deserve a World Cup semi-final
Afghanistan sealed Australia’s World Cup fate at 1.05am Caribbean time, but the defining moment of a failed campaign arrived well before then.
- by Daniel Brettig
Opinion
Aviation
Alarms will be sounding at Qantas, but not in the cockpit
It’s not as though Qantas can look at its latest result in the World Airline Awards and shrug its shoulders. Instead, it should roll up its sleeves.
- by David Evans
Opinion
Assange saga
I’m relieved for Julian Assange. I’m also deeply concerned
My own prison ordeal gave me a taste of what Assange may be feeling. He’s out – but the chilling effect on press freedom remains.
- by Peter Greste
Opinion
Online shopping
Hot luxury to bargain bin: The red flag that should have warned investors
A lot of naysayer told-you-sos were around when Cettire spectacularly missed profit expectations this week. Now its shares and luxury clothes are discounted.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Competition
Apple’s future could be shaped outside the US amid $57b threat in Europe
Apple has just become the first tech giant to be accused of breaching new European competition laws designed to rein in Big Tech.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Sam Mostyn
Sam Mostyn’s big fat pay rise isn’t what you think. The PM should have said so
What the government did was not fair. Bring on the republic. I’d be happy with Mostyn as the first president.
- by Jenna Price
Analysis
State of Origin
‘Focus on the physical’: Inside the Blues’ emotional bonding session
Roy Masters joined the NSW squad for their jersey presentation and team meeting on Monday evening.
- by Roy Masters
Analysis
EOFY
Last-minute ways to boost your finances before EOFY
It is not too late to save on tax and boost retirement savings, but only if you act quickly.
- by John Collett
Opinion
State of Origin
Billy v Madge: The real reason behind NSW coach’s ‘glass houses’ sledge
The stage is set for a frosty pre-match press conference in Melbourne. Will Maguire’s gamble in firing up his former Storm fullback be worth it?
- by Andrew Webster
Opinion
ABC
Comedy panels over smart analysis? That’s not what the ABC needs right now
Panel shows loaded with comedians and repeats of Hard Quiz may be cheap and easy, but they’re hardly a triumph.
- by Debi Enker
Analysis
AFL 2024
Claws for concern: Geelong’s defence is leaky, but that’s not Tom Stewart’s fault
Champion Cat Tom Stewart is being targeted by opposition teams, as per usual. But his teammates aren’t supporting him as they should.
- by Peter Ryan
Analysis
Climate policy
How Labor convinced a former Liberal treasurer to take a key climate job
Matt Kean’s appointment to head the Climate Change Authority has outraged federal Liberals and Nationals, who believe one of their own has joined the enemy.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
What most Israelis hope will happen to Netanyahu when the war is over
More would vote for a man who’s not even in parliament if an election were held today, according to a poll published on Friday.
- by Peter Hartcher
Letters
Letters
Let’s use some facts to test Dutton’s nuclear claims
Readers react to Coalition claims about the benefits and costs of the introduction of nuclear power across Australia.
Opinion
Documentaries
Becoming a Celine Dion fan had nothing to do with her songs
A funny thing happened last Thursday night. I fell in love with a singer I’d always shunned.
- by Michael Ruffles
Analysis
Nuclear energy
Nuclear debate is getting heated, but whose energy plan stacks up?
Will the government’s renewables plan cost $1 trillion? Is nuclear energy cheaper? Can a reactor be up and running by 2037? We answer the nuclear debate’s biggest questions.
- by Mike Foley
Analysis
AFL 2024
The charts that show how the umpires stopped blowing the whistle
The AFL had encouraged umpires to pay more holding-the-ball free kicks in a league directive in late May but, after an early spike, this round had the lowest average since round two.
- by Jon Pierik
Analysis
Paris 2024
The USA’s Olympic swimming trials have finished. Australia’s stars have work to do
Five weeks out from the Olympics, we crunch the numbers to see just how Australia’s swimmers are faring against their US rivals.
- by Tom Decent
Opinion
Solomon Lew
How Lew is lining himself up to be the ultimate winner
He has taken his sweet time, but Solomon Lew is putting the pieces in place to cash out a decent part of the retail empire he has spent decades building.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Trains
High-speed trains are no silver bullet, but they could help shift house prices
A business case cannot be made for bullet trains in Australia, but faster rail connections in and around Sydney and Melbourne would be a winner for decentralisation.
- by Millie Muroi
Analysis
Logies
Tony vs Larry vs Rob: Unpacking the battle for the Gold Logie
The race for the top gong will be a battle between Tony Armstrong, Larry Emdur and Robert Irwin.
- by Thomas Mitchell
Opinion
Regulation
The multitrillion-dollar threat that could spark another financial crisis
A fast-growing part of the financial system is setting off alarm bells.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Analysis
ICC Men’s World Cup
Five things Australia must do to save their T20 World Cup campaign
An historic loss to Afghanistan has left Australia in serious danger of missing the T20 World Cup finals just seven months after claiming the one-day World Cup.
- by Malcolm Conn
Opinion
Political leadership
‘Charlatan’? Aussie politicians are #%!* when it comes to insults
Given the predicament our nation is in, it would be reassuring to know our leaders were at the top of their game. Judging by the quality of their insults, we’re in deep trouble.
- by Michelle Cazzulino
Opinion
Inheritance
Mum jokes I won’t be left an inheritance. I might not mind
Would you rather keep paying high taxes on your income, or more tax when you die?
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
Nuclear energy
Dutton’s nuclear plan is surrounded by false claims and policy gaps – but people are listening
Australians are still paying a price for the energy policy disputes of the past. The nuclear proposal is unlikely to end the argument.
- by David Crowe
Analysis
State of Origin
On AFL grounds, rugby league’s best kickers can get ‘lost’ in Origin
Since the NRL started taking a match to non-traditional states each year, the game’s best kickers have grappled with playing on AFL grounds. Does an oval field make a difference?
- by Adam Pengilly