Opinion
Analysis
NRL 2024
TV hides the blemishes, but NRL living large thanks to halo effect
The schedulers of the NRL’s draw deserve much credit for an exhilarating start to the season by successfully building on the Las Vegas showcase.
- by Roy Masters
Latest
Opinion
The Fitz Files
Well played, Headsy: Greats line up to farewell legend of the game
Ian Heads not only documented the great stories of his day – he featured in many of them.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Analysis
Wallabies
Coach Joe Schmidt will pick fewer overseas Wallabies, not more
The future of the Giteau Law may be of little consequence for the new Australian coach.
- by Paul Cully
Opinion
Comedy
The everyday debates guaranteed to start an argument
Do you stack your cutlery in the dishwasher pointy end up or down?
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
Workplace culture
Will the right to disconnect disrupt the way we work?
Employees who want to get ahead likely won’t invoke the right, and those who do may find that managers gravitate towards workers who are more available.
- by Amanda Lyras
Analysis
Workplace culture
Feel like what you do at work goes unrecognised? You’re not alone
Not being recognised for the work we do is prompting many of us to look for greener pastures.
- by Nina Hendy
Opinion
Retirement living
What a modern retirement plan should look like
Retirement has gone from a time when we stepped back into the shadows to being one of the most exciting phases of our lives. Here’s how to plan for it.
- by Bec Wilson
Opinion
National security
After a week of mass-murder and terror, we must take a look in the mirror
Albanese expected the week would be dominated by the unveiling of the government’s new defence strategy. Instead, Australia’s internal security was on the agenda.
- by Peter Hartcher
Opinion
Crime
Rape myths are extremely dangerous. Did the Lehrmann verdict bust them?
After the awful, vitriolic and often ignorant public debate we’ve seen during the Lehrmann trial, now is the time to elevate the best drivers of change: experts, evidence and experience.
- by Julia Baird
Opinion
Home loans
How to get a bit of breathing space on your home loan
You can forget about pandemic-level mortgage breaks – but you can still get some reprieve on your loan if you follow these five steps.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Opinion
AFL 2024
The art of the sporting apology, and how it became a business
Somewhere in the sports world, someone is always apologising, and saying sorry has become a business with its own skill set.
- by Greg Baum
Analysis
Media & marketing
ABC local radio just hit rock bottom. What’s next?
The national broadcaster peaked during bushfires and COVID-19 and it has been downhill for a long time.
- by Calum Jaspan
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israel and Iran are following the rules of the jungle, not the rule of law
Countries such as Australia should unilaterally impose sanctions on the leaders of both countries to compel them to recommit to law and peace.
- by Ben Saul
Opinion
Social media
Could we all do without social media?
In moments of stress or boredom, I find myself watching weird videos on social media. That’s not why I installed the app.
- by Tim Biggs
Police have given up on fat bikes
In Gwandalan, we have a plethora of unlicensed underage riders, often without helmets, riding noisy, unregistered two-wheeled machines, who even ride at speed on one wheel through the shopping area.
Editorial
Social media
Government beginning to look impotent in its failure to rein in X
The response of politicians to the growing repugnance to social media’s malign influence following the Sydney stabbings is big on rhetoric, but a large gap yawns between their words and actions.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Horse racing
Max’s wisdom and advice will stay with me beyond the track
Turf great Max Presnell has gone from hero to friend and mentor for racing writer Chris Roots.
- by Chris Roots
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Only one man can stop the world plunging into full-scale war
Benjamin Netanyahu’s popularity in Israel is at an all-time low. Yet, we are waiting, helplessly, to see what risk he will take next.
- by Geraldine Brooks
Analysis
IPL
The ‘gimmick’ that has sparked a cricket culture war
A rule change has India’s stars up in arms, with plenty of potential consequences for this year’s Twenty20 World Cup.
- by Daniel Brettig
Opinion
US politics
Civil War is a movie. If Trump wins, will it be a reality?
With the instigator of the Capitol Hill riot standing a good chance of returning to power, the question of whether the US is headed towards Civil War 2.0 no longer feels hyperbolic.
- by Nick Bryant
Opinion
Defamation
Lisa Wilkinson has claimed victory. Who is she kidding?
If you’re going to be for all women, you have to acknowledge when you f--- over other women.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Analysis
World elections
In India elections are a matter of faith, and criticism is akin to blasphemy
Close to a billion Indians are eligible to vote in a 44-day national election beginning today. It will be the largest democratic exercise in history.
- by Zach Hope
Opinion
Work therapy
We’ve been told we need to work from the office full-time. Why?
A blanket everyone-back-to-work policy is rarely a judicious move, especially when so many employees are content with the existing policy.
- by Jonathan Rivett
Opinion
Defamation
There was no conspiracy, so why pursue Higgins over her payout?
The court decision has made essential findings about what took place, but it is already being used to justify yet another hunt for targets.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
Productivity
The pandemic pumped up productivity. Then the bubble burst
Here’s how we’re tracking now, and why putting in more work isn’t the answer.
- by Millie Muroi
Facing alliterative rivalry between the Mighty Ms and the High Cs
Meanwhile, the flat white is quietly taking over the world.
Opinion
Marriage
Should I have married my husband? Red flag culture would say no
If I’d listened to the relationship experts on social media I wouldn’t have made the best decision of my life.
- by Hannah Vanderheide
Systemic mental health failures are on repeat
The only 100 per cent “safe” strategy is to keep people in hospital forever, but, apart from forensic psychiatry, that is unfair to the person and requires resources we do not have.
Opinion
Casinos
Star shows it has dud hand in bid to keep licence
A clear pattern is emerging from the Bell inquiry into Star Entertainment – that of a financially and culturally embattled company being managed by a chief executive desperately juggling too many problems.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Editorial
Assange saga
For pity’s sake, it’s time to bring Assange saga to an end
Julian Assange has always polarised opinion. Now, for some, his plight has evoked a sense of pity.
- The Herald's View
Analysis
Inflation
If the Reserve Bank were a football coach, it would have been sacked eons ago
The bank’s job is to hold inflation between 2 and 3 per cent. Since mid-2014, it has hit that mark on just four occasions.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Crime
The problem isn’t the definition of terrorism, it’s that the label determines our response
What happened at Bondi Junction isn’t any less horrific if we conclude it isn’t terrorism. The victims are no less dead, and their deaths are no less tragic. The problem of violence against women isn’t any less serious.
- by Waleed Aly
Analysis
US Votes 2024
Lust, power, politics, money: In court with Donald Trump
The case in which the ex-president is accused of falsifying business records to hide an affair ahead of an election has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster.
- by Farrah Tomazin
Opinion
AFL 2024
Why Beveridge has to go – and the man who should replace him
Pressure is building on Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, and despite public denials from both the club and coach, it is clear the relationship is strained and change is needed.
- by Kane Cornes
Opinion
IMF
US and China’s mounting debts could hurt us all
Rising government debt and deficits in the world’s two largest economies could have spillover effects on the rest of the global economy.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Cycling
Are we waiting until someone is killed before we ban the illegal fat bike?
Fat bikes are motorbikes masquerading as e-bikes. They are illegal and potential lethal weapons.
- by Pat Stringa
Opinion
Test cricket
Batters or batsman? Aggers, it’s not a hill to die on
Jonathan Agnew is one of the greats, but he’s fighting a losing battle against the term “batter” in modern cricket at a time when authorities want to get more women and girls playing the game.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Analysis
NRL 2024
Star centre is doubly destructive at fullback. So what do Roosters do about Manu?
James Tedesco isn’t moving from fullback, leaving Trent Robinson with a tactical conundrum his coaching rivals would love to have.
- by Dan Walsh
Opinion
NRL 2024
Why the Roosters are the NRL’s most perplexing team
At the start of the year, I thought they were top-four material. Right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if they stumble into the eight or miss the finals altogether.
- by Andrew Johns
Opinion
Gold
Mystery gold buyer is betting on geopolitical and financial mayhem
A powerful force is stalking the world’s gold market. It is operating in the shadows. Is somebody preparing for an escalation of the shadow Third World War?
- by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Starvation is true horror. Sanctions against Israel are Australia’s only choice
To be morally consistent with previous actions and to uphold to amendments Wong herself pushed for, Australia must change its tune towards Israel.
- by Marc Purcell
Opinion
University
I made mistakes at university, just not enough of them
The mistakes you make during uni will shape your life, in big and small ways. So don’t overthink it – just enjoy the ride.
- by Bella Westaway
Editorial
Casinos
Star casino’s bluff poker is a short-term end game
The management of Sydney’s Star casino continues to labour under the delusion it can treat the authority charged with regulating the industry with contempt.
- The Herald's View
Church horror exposes divided communities
It is naive for anyone to think that there are no deep divisions among races and ethnicities in Australia.
Opinion
Federal budget
Albanese’s big funding problem has been diagnosed but not yet cured
The government says it will deliver $74 billion in savings from NDIS spending across a decade. But it’s not yet apparent how this will be done.
- by Chris Richardson
Opinion
Rare earths
In the rare earths Game of Thrones, Gina Rinehart grabs the crown
The federal government declared “the road to net zero runs through Australia’s resources sector”, and Rinehart will be hoping for a decent spoonful from the profit pot at the end of that road.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Inside China
China’s Xi Jinping might have to revise his five-year plan
China’s latest economic data highlights a glut of excess capacity and a flood of cheap exports, which is generating a growing backlash from a number of its trading partners.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
World markets
Debt-saturated markets may soon face a ‘Minsky’ moment
Sell in May and go away, says the old stock market adage. Maybe that should be brought forward a week or two this time around.
- by Jeremy Warner
Opinion
WordPlay
Taylor Swift’s poetic licence: why all the fuss around her new album title?
Grammar pedants have been swift to judge, but pop often plays loose with punctuation.
- by David Astle