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Opinion

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Opinion
Column 8

An outhouse lacking charm

Where they’ll get you in the end.

Latest

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
Police can caution young offenders rather than prosecuting them.

‘It’s not good enough’: Police crack down harder on young Indigenous offenders

NSW Police are much more likely to simply caution rather than prosecute non-Aboriginal youth who cross the line.

  • by Don Weatherburn
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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
CBA offered to reduce one borrower’s rate from the 8.8 per cent reference to 5.84 per cent in late February.

Housing crisis soon to be catastrophe

Forget stadiums, racetracks and more motorways; our governments need to act now on the lack of affordable housing.

It is that laugh that creates so much of the negative commentary?

Kamala Harris’ new election chant? Make America Nice Again

Kamala Harris is apparently tough and will need to withstand the abuse and vitriol which will come her way from Trump and his MAGA supporters.

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
Police Commissioner Karen Webb.
Editorial
Indigenous

NSW Police can no longer be on remand as a law unto itself

NSW Police are failing in their aim to reduce Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system.

  • The Herald's View
The new Metro overlaps with Sydney’s Global Economic Zone.
Analysis
Sydney Metro

How new metro line links Sydneysiders to the rest of the globe

The new metro is overlaid along what’s known as Sydney’s global economic corridor and will help power more than 41 per cent of the state’s economic output.

  • by Matt Wade
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The independent watchdog for NSW Police says the force can do more to stop high numbers of Aboriginal people ending up in jail.
Analysis
Indigenous

Police had a plan to help reduce Aboriginal incarceration. Then this happened ...

Prison numbers are going in the wrong direction for Aboriginal people. But NSW Police say they should not be held accountable for helping to bring them down.

  • by Patrick Begley
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
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Opinion
Column 8

The puzzling ways of the early riser

And the enduring passion of the Australian Olympian.

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
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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
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
The Parramatta girls home at the Parramatta Female Factory precinct.

Why Sydney’s best minds should be looking at heritage buildings

Yet another significant part of Parramatta’s history is at risk of being compromised.

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
Ash Barty in action at the Tokyo Olympics.
Opinion
Paris 2024

The athletes Olympic medallist Ash Barty is desperate to watch in Paris

She won three grand slam tennis titles but Barty will cherish her Olympic bronze medal forever.

  • by Ash Barty
This photo of Kaylee McKeown at the Australian Swimming trials last month shows us where drag influences a race. The pressure of McKeown’s head pushing into the water forces the water up into a wave in front of her, which takes energy from her and slows her down. This is something that affects all swimmers.
Science of sport
Paris 2024

Why staying underwater (and using a dolphin kick) might be the key to gold

Ariarne Titmus and Kaylee McKeown will be racing the best swimmers in the world in Paris, but they have another foe to overcome to win gold.

  • by Tony Blazevich
For better or worse, there’s wiggle room in our squiggles.
Opinion
WordPlay

The English language is full of surprises. Here are my three favourites

English, I thought I knew you.

  • by David Astle
Microsoft has poured millions of dollars and significant resources into its new Copilot AI tools.
Analysis
AI

Will Microsoft’s new AI assistants revolutionise the office? Maybe one day

Microsoft has poured millions of dollars and significant resources into its new Copilot AI tools. It might be a while until it sees a return on investment.

  • by Matt Day
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Feelings of pretence might seem gloomy but there can be benefits.

The surprising upside of impostor syndrome

Impostor thoughts, while often labelled as wholly negative, might just have a silver lining.

  • by Shadé Zahrai
French President Emmanuel Macron poses with French athletes as he visits the Olympic Village on Monday.
Opinion
Paris 2024

Je ne regrette rien: How I scored an interview with French President Emmanuel Macron

The phrase “No regrets” was in the back of my mind when I cheekily squared up to the French leader.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Albanese sells his cabinet reshuffle as steady as he goes

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s ministerial reshuffle allows him to claim stability is a hallmark of his government.

  • The Herald's View
Time for change … charge downs, HIAs, the Bunker and ref abuse.
Opinion
NRL 2024

How to make the greatest game of all even greater

Six-agains, more teams in the finals, fewer games, ditch the disruptors … and don’t mention the Bunker. What needs to change in rugby league?

Vincent Namatjira’s portraits of Gina Rinehart were the subject of requests for removal.

Rinehart no match for artistic freedom

Nowadays, the portraits in major galleries are selected on their artistic merit, not the thickness of the subject’s wallet.

Kamala Harris and Donald Trump

Harris, Trump and the fight for America’s soul

There are 100 days to go until the US election, and it’s going to get even uglier. Hell, it’s only the future of the free world.

  • by Bruce Wolpe
Optimists had hoped for a change of course at last week’s third plenum. Instead, they got another kick in the stomach.
Opinion
Trade wars

China’s trade policy is almost a declaration of economic war

Forget free trade: Beijing aims to demolish its rivals and achieve monopolistic hegemony across entire industries, seeing trade as ideological warfare against democracies.

  • by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
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A scourge on our society: We need to talk about financial abuse

Economic abuse can take many forms and, like all forms of abuse, impacts people from all socio-economic backgrounds and across many different relationships.

  • by Victoria Devine
On paper, the US economy is leading the world, but voters want more. Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden, who hopes she’ll take his place.

Hero to political toast: The achievement Harris should keep quiet about

Joe Biden unleashed a surge in spending that briefly slashed the childhood poverty rate in half. Even so, politicians just “can’t get no respect” for economic wins.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Karl Stefanovic gets into the Olympic spirit on the streets of Paris.
Opinion
Olympics

Straaaaaaya! Humility, you’re disqualified. The Olympics boasting has well and truly begun

Brace yourself for weeks of green-and-gold wigs, Vegemite references, Akubras and opining about how we are simply just the best at everything. THE BEST.

  • by Kate Halfpenny
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The CrowdStrike offices in Austin, Texas.

‘The world is in meltdown’: Inside the front lines of the CrowdStrike outage

It was at about 3.30pm on an otherwise quiet and uneventful Friday that Ashwin Pal’s phone began blowing up.

  • by David Swan
Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns this week.

So Kamala is the ‘childless cat lady’? White male power plays its hateful gender card

Brace for more attacks on Kamala Harris as the hounds of misinformation, juiced on the steroids of misogyny and racism, are unleashed.

  • by Julia Baird
Effective job-hopping can further your career, but employers may have questions in your interview.
Opinion
Careers

More pay, better skills: How job-hopping can turbocharge your career

Job-hopping divides employers, but a growing number of professionals are embracing it as a strategy for career advancement.

  • by Téa Angelos
While being rostered on to work on a public holiday can feel like a tough gig, if your work has given you enough notice, there may not be much you can do.

Why is my colleague making fun of my standing desk?

Your slightly crabby teammate may think you’re participating in a frivolous fad rather than making a change for genuine health reasons. They’d be wrong.

  • by Jonathan Rivett