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Opinion

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China’s leaders vowed to kick-start spending by offering subsidies for households to buy cars and appliances. But many consumers aren’t biting.

China’s desperate bid to fix one of its biggest problems has backfired

Four months ago, China’s leaders announced what seemed like a straightforward and proven plan to recharge the economy, but its citizens are not playing ball.

  • by Keith Bradsher

Latest

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Payman’s defection a personal choice

As a Labor Senator or any major party representative, Senator Payman should be prioritising the governance of Australia.

King Donald.
Tony Wright’s Column
US Votes 2024

Donald Trump and the king who could do no wrong, but lost his head

The US Supreme Court grants immunity from prosecution for former presidents like Donald Trump. But could a king really do no wrong and keep his head?

  • by Tony Wright
Feeling the love: Bulldogs players celebrate a golden point win over Cronulla.
Analysis
NRL 2024

The art in Ciraldo’s Dogs of War: How one man’s obsession revived Belmore

The Bulldogs bucking of NRL numbers and conventions, as well as a roster and defensive overhaul, has a finals return looming.

  • by Dan Walsh
Robotinho euro24 quarter finals

Robotinho predicts the result of the quarter-finals at Euro 2024

We’re reaching the pointy end of the Euros and a weekend where some big names will fall. Will Spain and France march on, how far can Turkey go, and can England bore their way through, again? The answers are all here.

  • by Robotinho and Mark Stehle
Jay Shah with Indian skipper Rohit Sharma.
Analysis
India

His dad is Modi’s right-hand man. India’s Jay Shah may soon be running world cricket

Why was Jay Shah on the podium when India won the Twenty20 World Cup? There is an election coming up.

  • by Daniel Brettig
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Usman Khawaja spoke at the MCG on Friday, after being charged with breaching ICC regulations.
Opinion
Racism

Batter to boat-rocker … and neither Khawaja nor Dutton will back down

As a breed, Australian cricketers are generally on the conservative side of things, but the softly spoken opener has shattered the convention.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Nathan Cleary and Jarome Luai celebrate victory in last year’s grand final, their third straight premiership win together.
Opinion
NRL 2024

The first team to stem the tide of tries will emerge victorious

NRL coaches can be forgiven for feeling like King Canute when it comes to repelling attack.

  • by Roy Masters
Newly elected UK PM Keir Starmer and his wife Victoria on election day in London.
Analysis
UK politics

Celebrations will be short-lived for Starmer, staring down Britain’s monumental challenges

Britain’s new prime minister faces perhaps the most monumental challenges of any incoming UK leader since Clement Attlee’s Labour Party won in a landslide in 1945.

  • by Rob Harris

When I met Starmer, he’d have won my ‘least likely PM’ vote. Look at him now

He’s cautious, a bit bland and with no big vision, but he’s ousted the crooked Conservatives in this chaos-weary country.

  • by Kathy Lette
There’s a simple way for men to get in the good books with their partners.
Opinion
Marriage

What makes for a good husband? It’s the small things

At a time when almost half of Australian marriages end in divorce, TV presenter Richard Hammond has some smart advice for men. And it’s got nothing to do with a sexy hotel stay or a Zamel’s catalogue.

  • by Kate Halfpenny
Joe Schmidt with Laurie Fisher.
Analysis
Wallabies

The currency of hard graft: Deciphering Joe Schmidt’s first Wallabies team

Rugby Australia bosses would sell their grannies for a win over Wales on Saturday but Schmidt appears focused on the long game.

  • by Iain Payten
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - JULY 04:  Wallabies head coach Joe Schmidt looks on during a Wallabies training session at David Phillips Sports Complex on July 04, 2024 in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Opinion
Wallabies

Rugby union is not about to collapse, despite what the NRL keeps telling us

A new era starts under new Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt on Saturday against Wales.

  • by Andrew Webster
Self-portrait with the Yellow Christ, 1890–91.
Opinion
Review

Master or monster: The artist equally loathed and revered

Call it charisma, presence or personal magnetism. Paul Gauguin had it in abundance.

  • by John McDonald
Workers should always read their contracts carefully, as once signed, there can be little you can do to change it.

Did my workplace trick me into signing away my bonuses?

Workers should always read their contracts carefully, as once signed, there can be little you can do to change it.

  • by Jonathan Rivett

If you care about your offspring, you should support ‘nature positive’

So much has been lost, and with such serious consequences, a consensus has emerged that we must now commit to nature repair.

  • by Ross Gittins
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If a mortgage is out of reach, it is a lot easier to skip jobs, notwithstanding eye-watering rents.
Opinion
Jobs

Why do young people hate their jobs? I’ll give you a clue

Why should young workers slave away at a job they hate when the traditional rewards of hard work, such as owning a house, are so far out of reach?

  • by Jim Bright
Masculinity is in crisis, and young men need support to find their way.
Opinion
Sexism

Gen Z men have a problem with feminism. We need to talk about why

Earlier this year, a global study found one generation of men more than any other thinks feminism has gone too far. That generation, I’m uncomfortable to say, is mine.

  • by Daniel Cash
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Opinion
Column 8

Is shelf stacking the new branch stacking?

And do three lions make an early crow?

Payman’s exit tells a different story

Senator Fatima Payman’s resignation from the Labor Party is a symptom of the Middle East’s capacity to impose itself on Australian politics, no matter how distant it is.

  • by Rodger Shanahan
Victoria’s gas connection ban will apply to granny flats, but now new homes without planning permits.
Analysis
Gas

Yes, we really are dumb enough to import our own gas. Here’s why

There’s plenty of blame to go around for the current mess we’re in.

  • by Mike Foley
Donald Trump

Forcing Biden out would have only one beneficiary

By building a case for Joe Biden’s incapacity, Democrats risk increasing the probability of the thing they most desperately seek to avoid.

  • by Charles M Blow
Anthony Albanese and Fatima Payman.

Labor’s caucus system a valuable part of democracy

While some may view the Labor pledge of caucus solidarity as a quaint anachronism, it remains the bedrock on which Labor has built a reputation as a stable party of reform and progress.

Senator Fatima Payman during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday.

Fatima Payman has hurt Labor badly. And she isn’t done yet

Senator Fatima Payman’s defection to the crossbench has caused major damage to the government. And she isn’t done yet, either.

  • by James Massola
Senator Fatima Payman during a press conference at Parliament House in Canberra on Thursday 4 July 2024.
Editorial
Fatima Payman

Payman’s short-lived rebellion ends in a whimper – for now

Mystery still surrounds why Senator Fatima Payman mounted her one-woman rebellion.

  • The Herald's View
England captain Ben Stokes.
Opinion
England

The Bazball reality: England entertain, but their opponents win

England’s lofty Bazball rhetoric is divorced from the reality that Ben Stokes’ team faces. They entertain; their opponents win.

  • by Daniel Brettig
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Booktopia co-founder Tony Nash returned to the company after being ousted by the board
Opinion
Insolvency

A series of unfortunate events: Demise of Booktopia is a page turner

A blindingly bright-coloured flag appeared only a month ago when the listed company told the market that directors’ fees for the year would be paid by issuing shares, rather than in cash.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
French champagne cork France bubbly generic sparkling wines celebrating celebrations parties party. SMH GOOD WEEKEND Picture by iSTOCK GW110528
Opinion
NACC

Amid champagne gifts and shameless rorting, one institution is fighting back

The national audit office has released a series of scandalous reports that show our public bureaucracy falling apart, at a cost to us all.

  • by Shane Wright
Our obsession with endless meetings must stop somewhere.

We need to get out of ‘meeting hell’. Here’s how

There are several ways to break our addiction to meetings, ranging from large measures to small tweaks.

  • by Tim Duggan
A debate watch party at the Nite Owl Drive-In theater in Miami, Florida.

How the Trump-Biden debate increased the chance of a rate rise in Australia

A rise in Australian bond yields this week shows how a showdown between two elderly and less-than-impressive politicians could send ripples of unease throughout the global system.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
AFL football manager Laura Kane (centre) and coaches: (left, top to bottom) Damien Hardwick (Gold Coast), Ross Lyon (St Kilda), Chris Scott (Geelong) and (right) Luke Beveridge (Western Bulldogs), Adam Simpson (West Coast) and Michael Voss (Carlton).
Opinion
AFL 2024

Too many whingers: Why the footy sook-fest has to stop

The constant complaining in the AFL has gone too far and threatens to tarnish the code’s reputation as Australia’s premier sport.

  • by Kane Cornes
Opinion
Wildlife

Fun gal seeks fungi … because mushrooms have had such a bad rap

I won’t settle for any old fungus when I’m out foraging. I’m going for the holy grail.

  • by Jo Stubbings
Great Britain players Jasmine Joyce, Celia Quansah and Ellie Boatman pose for the ‘Strong Is Beautiful’ campaign for London lingerie brand Bluebella.
Opinion
Paris 2024

Sorry, but rugby players posing in lingerie in 2024 is not ‘regressive’

Just as female athletes are transcending stereotypes, their agency is being stripped by former female athletes applying the very paternalistic lens they themselves sought to escape.

  • by Emma Kemp
Wests Tigers captain Api Koroisau is sent to the sin-bin.
Opinion
NRL 2024

The bunker is getting it all wrong. These are the changes it needs

The way we use video review technology is driving me crazy. But there are ways to improve it for the fans.

  • by Andrew Johns
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Labor believes Fatima Payman’s rebellion was plotted for a month

The young senator’s decision to cross the floor and to later speak out against her party bears all the hallmarks of a carefully co-ordinated plan, according to Labor figures.

  • by Niki Savva

Wagga Wagga boo-boo? Perhaps, but Speakman must defang yappy Nats

If the NSW Coalition can almost fall apart over a juvenile spat, the leader must take change and reassert his authority.

  • by Alexandra Smith
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Opinion
Column 8

When superheroes go rogue

You can’t pillage a village without breaking a few eggs.

Senator Fatima Payman.

Payman and Palestine challenge our democratic comfort zone

It’s time for Labor to not just allow a conscience vote to its members on issues regarding Gaza but for our society as a whole to acknowledge there is more than one worldview for our collective future. Surely we need this honest discussion more than ever?

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg says ASIC has failed.
Opinion
Regulation

More dog than watchdog: How to fix our broken corporate regulator

ASIC has failed in its sole mandate to enforce the country’s corporate laws and is in a “dire” state with an unenviable prosecutorial rate.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Education Minister Jason Clare.

International student numbers not easy to cut without dire results

The Albanese government’s plan to cut international student numbers could be disastrous, according to universities and business.

  • The Herald's View
Pies skipper Darcy Moore.
Opinion
AFL 2024

Is Darcy Moore really playing ‘awful’ footy? Cornes and McClure go head-to-head

The two footy media heavyweights who don’t shirk the big issues are refusing to back down on Collingwood captain Darcy Moore. Here, they both make their case.

  • by Sam McClure and Kane Cornes
Clint Gutherson, Trent Barrett, Mitchell Moses.
Exclusive
NRL 2024

‘No one is going to help us’: Frustration at Eels as Moses launches dressing room tirade

A seething Mitchell Moses vented his frustration in an impassioned address to senior staff and players.

  • by Michael Chammas
In Kupiansk at the front with the town under heavy artillery shelling. Locals Antonly and Luba, James Baillieu and Ukrainian-Australian journalist Julian Krysh.

Why I left comfortable Melbourne and went into a war zone

A Ukraine local staying put despite the bombing told me, “I want to live my life so as not to be ashamed of myself to my ancestors in heaven when I die.” His words sum up why I went to Ukraine and did what I did.

  • by James Baillieu
Trump's trade war rhetoric has been shaping markets for months.

Donald Trump’s dangerous ideas have these ‘vigilantes’ worried

With Donald Trump favoured to regain the US presidency, a group of investors is starting to focus on the implications of his core economic policies. They’re concerned.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Racism

I was heading off to study abroad, but now my phone is alive with alerts

I can’t help but envy the Anglo-Saxon students in my cohort going on exchange. For them, travel warnings take the form of earthquakes or avalanches.

  • by Satara Uthayakumaran
Anthony Albanese and Fatima Payman.

Payman v Albanese and the personal v the collective: Is Labor stuck in 1902?

The personal view of a young Muslim senator faces off with the oldest requirement of would-be ALP politicians, a written contract to observe the collective.

  • by Tony Wright
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Paying a bit more for hospital cover can mean cover that is actually useful should you ever need to go to hospital.

Why you could be wasting a lot of money on basic health insurance

Those on basic hospital policies may not realise they could be getting a lot more cover by paying a few more dollars a month.

  • by John Collett
In many cases, taxpayers are contributing more to support the self-supporting retiree’s lifestyle than the pensioner’s.
Opinion
Pension

How wealthy retirees cost taxpayers more than pensioners

In many cases, taxpayers are contributing more to support a self-supporting retiree’s lifestyle than a pensioner’s.

  • by Julia Hartman
Winning the lottery will wipe out your pension income, but you should still consider yourself fortunate.
Opinion
Pension

We won the lottery, but lost our pension. Could we have prevented this?

Once you start spending your windfall, you may start to regain some of your lost pension. But consider yourself extremely fortunate and just enjoy the money.

  • by Noel Whittaker
While you’re collecting points to get $50 off or scouring aisles for discounts, you’re probably not focused on problems that are worth more in the long run.

Pinch every penny? Not if you want to actually get ahead

While you’re collecting points to get $50 off or scouring aisles for discounts, you’re probably not focused on problems worth more in the long run.

  • by Paridhi Jain