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Opinion

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Andrew Dyson
LETTERS
Letters

A new flag? Wattle that say about us to the world?

Age readers react to suggestions of changing the national flag, and offer their own ideas.

Latest

The Matildas.
Opinion
Paris 2024

Why I still have faith that the Matildas can keep their Olympic dream alive

Australia is pretty quick to dump on an underperforming team, but there are two reasons why I think the Matildas can reach the knockout phase from here.

  • by Elise Kellond-Knight
Rex offers plane passengers a competitive service in the regions.
Opinion
Aviation

Why Rex must be saved from its egotistical self

Rex must become a public company. Not doing this and selling the remnants will mean even bigger monopolies.

  • by Jeremy Burfoot
Luxury … good inflation figures may enable people to afford blueberries on their milk and muesli.
Analysis
Inflation

Why the price of your breakfast might point to the Reserve Bank’s next decision

Muesli and milk was becoming a luxury as inflation soared. But there are good signs the nation’s inflation pressures are finally starting to abate.

  • by Shane Wright
A gold-winning performance from Simone Biles.
Analysis
Paris 2024

Why the brain is just as important in gymnastics as physical strength

Gymnasts are known for their physical feats, but it’s their split-second decision-making that separates the medal winners from the ones going home empty-handed.

  • by Tony Blazevich
The future of Eels star Mitchell Moses may come into question.
Analysis
NRL 2024

Could Mitchell Moses be next? Why there may be more bad news for embattled Eels

Still reeling from the news that Blaize Talagi is on the move, Parramatta must now face the prospect of Mitchell Moses following suit.

  • by Adrian Proszenko
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If we’re not willing to pursue perfection, we’ll never achieve great things.
Opinion
Psychology

We demand this attribute of our Olympians, yet it has become a dirty word

The world’s top athletes are desperately pursuing their best performance at the Paris Games. They know the tiniest slip can mean the difference between a place on the podium and a painful defeat. We shouldn’t be afraid of ambition.

  • by Robert James Stove
Chinese swimmer Muhan Tang.
Analysis
Paris 2024

The swimmer and her dodgy Quarter Pounder: Inside the latest Chinese doping scandal

It is hypocritical for anyone who welcomes Shayna Jack’s involvement in Paris to begrudge Tang Muhan’s participation.

  • by Chip Le Grand

Neither Dutton nor Pezzullo convinced me to set up Home Affairs

I must correct my former colleague. I was persuaded to set up the Department of Home Affairs, in the end, by my own team.

  • by Malcolm Turnbull
Lady Gaga perform amid a cloud of pom poms.
Opinion
Paris 2024

Fun and Games: Take a bow Paris, the opening ceremony … and Arnie

Paris has so far dished up a most-French start to an Olympic Games. And, I’ll tell a man, I’m here for it.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Rex has experienced a "spectacular drop of patronage".
Opinion
Aviation

A hex on Rex: The real reason it has hit the decks

The chat in aviation circles is that the government is expected to take part-ownership of Rex conditional on the airline shrinking back to its regional roots.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Now picture him getting chased by a shark.
Opinion
Olympics

The Paris Olympics have been fine. Here’s how they could be improved

In the swimming, I’d like to see the inclusion of sharks.

  • by Richard Glover
It’s worth adding that the ATO recommends using an independent valuer when the valuation is complex,

Does ATO need to know how I spend my pension?

While all regulated super funds have to report members’ pension payments to the ATO every three months, what happens when you manage your own super?

  • by Noel Whittaker
With Baby Boomers getting older, we have a large wave of inheritance on the horizon.

How to avoid the ‘oldest daughter’ effect when inheriting money

Women in Australia are increasingly being tasked with managing the finances not just for their immediate family, but also for their parents.

  • by Grace Bacon
Kamala Harris and the Democrats who are lining up to be her potential vice president.

Days away from a crucial decision: Who will Harris choose as her White House running mate?

Kamala Harris’ pick as her potential vice president has taken on greater significance since the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, and could sway a close election.

  • by Farrah Tomazin
Rex launched capital city services as part of a new strategy, putting it in competition with Qantas and Virgin Australia.
Opinion
Aviation

Back to the future: What Rex needs to do to survive

Rex has become the latest to discover just how difficult, if not impossible, it is to crack the Qantas/Virgin duopoly. But all may not be lost.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
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Analysis
Collectables

Love it or loathe it, 1980s architecture is back in the frame

Whether it’s the return of big shoulder pads or the Memphis movement from the early 1980s, sometimes it’s difficult to pinpoint when and where there’s a shift in direction.

  • by Stephen Crafti
Advisers say critical financial decisions are made decades before retirement.
Opinion
Investing

Why get-rich-quick schemes are doomed to disappoint

The boosts of dopamine, validation and adrenaline that come with short-lived wins can still leave you in a hole when it comes to securing your financial future.

  • by Paridhi Jain
ASIO says a foreign intelligence network has been targeting Australian and one federal politician.

‘Judgment was sacrificed to ambition’: Malcolm Turnbull’s ASIO folly rightly reversed

Despite the warnings of Australia’s most senior national security professionals, Peter Dutton and Mike Pezzullo convinced Turnbull to act in error.

  • by George Brandis
Anthony Albanese’s reshuffle is a deft piece of political management.

Albanese has work to do to keep electorate onboard

Polling shows people are tuning out from the federal government. Its reshuffle gives it a chance to get people back on board – or face extinction.

  • by The Age's View
Maddison Levi breaks clear to score Australia’s third try against Ireland at Paris 2024.
Opinion
Paris 2024

Global rugby loves this women’s team - all of Australia should too

The Australian women’s sevens team hasn’t just energised the fans at Stade de France this week - they have become the beacons of hope for Rugby Australia.

  • by Alicia Lucas
Rex’s east coast city route offered cheap, no-frills flights.
Opinion
Aviation

Rex offered cheap and reliable flights. I knew it couldn’t last

If the government wants to do better for consumers in a cost-of-living crisis it should talk less and act more and embark on reform of the airline industry that allows competition to flourish.

  • by David King
The US dollar has appreciated nearly 5 per cent against those of its major trading partners since late December.

The tale of Mrs Watanabe and two central banks

If the Bank of Japan ends up raising rates even as the US fed is contemplating a cut, it will unleash an unprecedented level of volatility in currency markets.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Potential home buyers, and those already with a mortgage, will be watching closely Wednesday’s inflation figures.
Analysis
Inflation

Why Wednesday’s inflation figures mean the RBA faces its toughest decision in a generation

Some economists believe the result of tomorrow’s consumer price index is all the RBA will need to push the official cash rate to a fresh 12-year high.

  • by Shane Wright
Life is mirroring art in the US 2024 election.

Veep is funny, but the danger of Trump no laughing matter

I wrote the sitcom Veep, and its fictional take on politics is no guide to the actual threat the US election outcome poses.

  • by Armando Iannucci
Searching for a cure to a midlife health crisis, Mike Knapp found an explanation for previous struggles.
Opinion
Autism

My surprising mid-life diagnosis makes me proud

Being told I was neurodivergent was like discovering you’ve been wearing a silly hat since the day you were born, though no one ever thought to mention it.

  • by Mike Knapp
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Construction site for the North East Link at Trinity Grammar, Bulleen.
Letters
Letters

Million-dollar payouts to private schools fail the pub test

Readers react to North East Link compensation to private schools, traders being kicked out of Prahran Market, and John Pesutto’s new planning policy.

Australia’s Blake Glovers, fourth left, celebrates after scoring his side’s first goal against Argentina at Paris 2024.
Opinion
Paris 2024

Believe the hype, Kookaburras can soar to gold

Good judges all agree that a medal is the bare minimum and gold is the true standard for the Australian men’s hockey team.

  • by Jamie Dwyer
Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman in Deadpool & Wolverine.

Could Deadpool & Wolverine have hit No.1 without an underage audience?

Deadpool & Wolverine has broken R-rated records box office records. But when it comes to R-ratings and movie tickets, almost anything goes.

  • by Michael Idato
Marcus Bontempelli’s Bulldogs are firing.
Analysis
AFL 2024

The race for the AFL top eight is looking for a premiership hero

The Western Bulldogs have injected a sense of energy into the finals contest which still has 12 teams jostling for position. Will your team make it?

  • by Katie Bice
The MCG is the heart of Melbourne, but it is in danger of losing its edge.
Opinion
AFL 2024

The harsh truth about the MCG and what it should do with its newfound wealth

Sporting bosses often have tricky problems to solve. Those running the MCG, however, have a delicious challenge to contemplate.

  • by Andrew Jones
Donald Trump speaks at the Bitcoin2024 conference in Nashville.

Trump’s deluded desire for a lower US dollar

Weakening the US dollar would inject massive uncertainty and volatility into the global economy and will be bad news for open economies like Australia’s.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
People walk past a propaganda billboard showing Chinese President Xi Jinping along a street in Beijing, Friday, March 2, 2018. The annual meetings of China's top legislative bodies are set to begin on Saturday, during which the two-term limit on China's presidency is expected to be removed. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

China has a solar problem that is not going away

China has come to dominate the global market for solar energy, but it’s a different story at home.

  • by Keith Bradsher
Celebrations and protest on Sydney Harbour on January 26, 1988, the year Australia marked its bicentenary.

Bigger and better than Australia Day, let’s have the Australia Long Weekend

It is for the Australian people, individually and collectively, to make the decision when and how we want to celebrate our nation. It is up to us to create our own history and help unite the nation.

  • by Elizabeth Elliott, Geoff Cousins and Phil Jenkyn
This was the gold medal Jess Fox really wanted.
Analysis
Paris 2024

The 10-minute game that helped Jess Fox calm her nerves before elusive gold

Having snuck through to the women’s kayak singles final, but not without some drama, Jess Fox needed to zone out and focus. So she opened her phone.

  • by Rob Harris
Jessica Fox celebrates after her faultless run in the women’s slalom on Sunday.
Science of Sport
Paris 2024

Jess Fox and the almost impossible balance between speed and precision

Fox’s stunning success in the canoe slalom relies on a combination of supreme athleticism and an intricate understanding of fluid dynamics.

  • by Tony Blazevich
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The Fadden by-election was a must win for Peter Dutton’s attempts to prove he is making ground against Anthony Albanese

For once, we will vote at the polls on policy, not politics

This rare period of unity within both alternative parties of government means the next election will, refreshingly, be focused on ideas.

  • by George Brandis
Isobel Borlase, 19, is the youngest Opal in the squad brought to Paris for their Olympic campaign, which begins Monday.
Analysis
Paris 2024

Are these Opals the real deal? Take a deep dive into their medal quest

With help from head coach Sandy Brondello, we look at the factors – and faces - that will determine how far the Opals can go.

  • by Konrad Marshall
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Opinion
Investing

Why our federal MPs need stricter rules on trading shares

With the US moving to ban politicians and their spouses from trading shares, Australia should trump them and go further.

  • by Will Bennett
This faked image made the rounds over the weekend, as memesters and scammers both immediately jumped on the Crowd Strike issue.
Analysis
Home tech

Could the next tech meltdown lock us out of our smart homes?

Rumours of the recent CrowdStrike outage hitting smart homes may have been exaggerated, but with more internet-connected devices in our home it’s a scenario worth exploring.

  • by Tim Biggs
Essendon suffered a ‘gutting’ loss to Adelaide.
Analysis
AFL 2024

Bombers blowing up, Dogs are hot while Carlton are cold

It was a round of snakes and ladders as some teams that made early running, battle to stay in contention.

  • by Katie Bice
Tony and Clare

The two problem portfolios that Labor must turn into strengths

Anthony Albanese has given Tony Burke and Clare O’Neil two huge jobs - and two huge opportunities.

  • by Stephanie Peatling
Using your investment income so you can work less and spend more time with your family can be a smart move.

Can my investment windfall let me take more time off work?

Using your investment income so you can work less and spend more time with your family can be a smart move. But you need to think through the pros and the cons.

  • by Paul Benson
Harris speaks to supporters as the Democratic presidential candidate during a campaign rally at West Allis Central High School on July 23, 2024.

Kamalamentum is masking the desperation of Democrats

The speed at which the Democratic consensus on Kamala Harris has shifted should not be considered surprising.

  • by Ross Douthat
Rugby league nice guy Jake Trbojevic swings a baseball bat in front of his Blues brothers in a Suncorp Stadium dressing room.
Analysis
NRL 2024

The behind-the-scenes photo showing how the Blues bought into Maguire’s methods

The code’s nicest man and shock selection as captain, Jake Trbojevic, provided an unlikely moment for the Blues after their Origin success.

  • by Danny Weidler
Kamala Harris will be a vice-president like we've never seen before.

TikTok, TikTok … time’s up for Trump?

Forget policies, this US election will be all about personalities. And what’s working for Kamala Harris right now are the very things Republicans hate about her.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness
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Joe Hockey and Donald Trump. 

Joe Hockey confirms. Donald Trump never cheats … at golf

Peter FitzSimons speaks to the former Australian ambassador to the US about American politics and what he really thinks about Donald Trump.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Barristers at the Supreme Court.

‘Nation’s great shame’: most vulnerable turned away from neglected legal aid

Transformational change is required now to give vital free legal services the stability and certainty they need, and to ensure that access to justice is facilitated for all.

  • by Greg McIntyre
Ian Thorpe and Grant Hackett after winning gold and silver in the 400m freestyle at Athens 2004.
Opinion
Paris 2024

‘I felt like a fraud’: the psychology of silver

We’ve talked a lot about gold medals in the lead-up to Paris but not everyone will realise their dream over the next week.

  • by Grant Hackett
Kamala Harris answers the call from the Obamas.

The Obamas called Kamala Harris. Cameras rolled. Hokeyness ensued

The historical weight of the moment may have been somewhat undercut by the stage management.

  • by Rebecca Davis O’Brien