Opinion
Opinion
Political unrest
‘On the streets I once walked dead bodies lay prostrate and forgotten’
I’m heartbroken by the violence that erupted in the vibrant city where I treated patients only last year.
- by Dr Rory Marples
Latest
Opinion
Capital gains tax
How you can shelter $137,500 of capital gains in one super move
If you’re looking to put the proceeds of an investment property into super, you can, but you’ll need to act fast.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Opinion
Life insurance
The bureaucratic nightmare plaguing our super – and how to avoid it
Superannuation, and insurance inside super, are caught in a tangled web of rules that many people don’t know about until they’re trapped too.
- by Bec Wilson
Opinion
UFC
Why the hell is the NSW taxpayer filling pockets of Dana White and his appalling ‘sport’?
The UFC – run by White, a bully recently filmed slapping his wife – is in Sydney this weekend. You and I are tipping in $16 million for the privilege.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Democracy
Trump’s the great attention thief. It’s time to focus, people
Don’t let the re-elected US president hijack your senses or you’ll miss the real story.
- by Julia Baird
Analysis
Pop culture
Forget the Super Bowl, Australia has front-row tickets to Drake’s despair
As Kendrick Lamar’s Not Like Us victory lap extends from the Grammys to the Superbowl halftime show, Australia has proven a convenient location for Drake to nurse his wounds.
- by Thomas Mitchell
He’s back! Steve Smith regains golden touch with Alex Carey’s help
Steve Smith is back to something like his best, Alex Carey has never played better, and Australia are batting Sri Lanka out of the Test.
- by Daniel Brettig
Analysis
Joe Schmidt
Wallabies would be unwise to rule out a foreign coach. Here are five of the best
If the next Wallabies coach flops, an Australian passport or an Akubra isn’t going to shield him from criticism.
- by Paul Cully
Opinion
Censorship
When cancel culture goes this far, our democracy is in peril
An Australian human rights lawyer is the latest victim of a campaign to shut down Jewish people who dare to criticise Israel.
- by Josh Bornstein
Analysis
Putin's Russia
‘Slow death’: Russia in deep trouble as its rainy day fund runs dry
Vladimir Putin is nervous and Russia’s billionaire oligarchs are squirming over the state of the economy.
- by Szu Ping Chan
Opinion
Trump's America
Trump’s ‘golden age’ spirals into a pit of fool’s gold
When I covered Trump 1.0, I wrote “shocking but unsurprising” … This time it’s “SHOCKING AND SURPRISING”.
- by Nick Bryant
Analysis
US politics
While you were distracted, Trump came in like a wrecking ball
The US president has kept the world’s eyes elsewhere with his “shock and awe” approach to power. Back at home, his allies and opponents got to work.
- by Michael Koziol
Four ways Australians will feel Trump’s tariffs on China
Donald Trump says tariffs will make Americans as rich as hell. They are likely to push Australians into financial purgatory.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Courts
I get Sam Kerr’s fear, all women do. But that doesn’t give you a free pass
Women have all had enough of being mansplained to, sexually assaulted, or kissed without permission, that we want to jump straight to the sisterhood.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Opinion
Mental health
I grew up with social media but dodged its worst effects. I might be the exception
New research indicates young people’s plummeting mental health isn’t just correlated with social media use – it’s caused by it.
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
Sam Kerr
Kerr discovers one drunken night has more impact than all those brilliant goals
This is not a defence of the Matildas star, but context is needed around her police charges.
- by Malcolm Knox
Analysis
NRL 2025
The Broncos’ depth was questioned. These men are out to bolster it
Hopoate is among the train-and-trial Broncos out to convince coach Michael Maguire they warrant an NRL call-up. We break down their chances.
- by Nick Wright
Opinion
Work therapy
How come I have to pay tax every year but some companies pay none?
The list of ways companies can avoid paying tax is as long as your arm, but there are a few simple explanations for this harrowing quandary.
- by Jonathan Rivett
Opinion
WordPlay
‘Bouncy pork’ and ‘clown bus’: The new words that went viral overseas
Before 2025 gets too old, let’s see the alternative coinages that captured the global year that was.
- by David Astle
Analysis
Phones
Apple, Samsung turn to thin phones to lure upgraders
Apple is widely tipped to reveal an iPhone 17 Air this year, even thinner than its skinniest (and most bendable) model to date: the iPhone 6.
- by Tim Biggs
Opinion
Work/life balance
Why we need to learn to take real holidays (without checking our emails)
Staying connected to work while on holiday makes us feel more burnt out and less refreshed. Why do we do it?
- by Dr Sarah Cotton
Opinion
Middle East tensions
Even better than real estate is Trump’s ability to spin a tall tale
For the developer in the White House, every problem looks like it can be solved with hotels and casinos, but can we really take Trump’s words seriously?
- by Waleed Aly
Analysis
Australian rugby
Who will replace Schmidt? Rating the Wallabies coaching contenders
Joe Schmidt has decided against taking the Wallabies to the 2027 Rugby World Cup. Who could replace him?
- by Iain Payten
Opinion
Company mergers
Scrapping $97b Honda deal would leave Nissan stranded
Like the driver who stubbornly insists they know where they’re going but ends up lost, pride may have caught up with Nissan when it shelved its tie-up with Honda.
- by Gearoid Reidy
Opinion
Political leadership
Dutton borrows from Trump, but he won’t follow him into these trenches
The opposition leader wants to avoid culture wars but is short of ideas in the big economic fights.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
Joe Schmidt
Say it ain’t so, Joe! Coach’s departure a bitter blow for Australian rugby
With the Promised Land just around the corner, Joe Schmidt has prioritised his real family over his Wallabies family – a decision that must be respected, painful as it is.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
US politics
Voters elected Trump but got an unvetted, all-powerful co-president in Elon Musk
Donald Trump and Elon Musk are ripping up the US Constitution and giving away their nation’s data. King Charles I would be jealous.
- by Jamelle Bouie
Analysis
Trump diplomacy
Albanese’s formulas aren’t enough to handle a president like Trump
Being a close ally of the US does not mean we have to be so slavish that we abandon independent thinking.
- by Matthew Knott
Opinion
AI
AI can do many things. But it won’t help you with this
The writing’s on the wall: AI is trying to deskill me, but I won’t let it.
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
Work/life balance
No, Elon, ‘working the weekend’ is not a superpower
We urgently need to push back on unhealthy narratives that demand we work more and harder.
- by Tim Duggan
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Trump wants to turn Gaza into the Gold Coast. His motive is blindingly transparent
Donald Trump, the property tycoon, tells us Gaza is “a demolition site”. You can almost picture him negotiating with the agent for a better price.
- by Michael Koziol
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
My Gaza was beautiful. We had beachfront views. Trump thinks we’re broken, but we will rebuild
Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza doesn’t surprise me. Palestinians have always understood what repeatedly targeting us with 2000-pound bombs was about.
- by Samah Sabawi
Opinion
Trump's White House
Trump tightens screws on Chinese giants by shutting 87-year-old loophole
Donald Trump’s torrent of executive orders since taking office have sparked confusion and chaos. Now China’s e-commerce superstars Temu and Shein are in his crosshairs.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Analysis
Oscars
As the Emilia Pérez saga escalates, let’s shed a tear for poor old Netflix
The streamer must have thought that elusive best picture statue was finally within sight. But its dreams of glory are fast evaporating.
- by Karl Quinn
Opinion
Courts
Kerr’s right, she’s been treated differently – and that puts the Matildas in the dock too
Football Australia has built the women’s game around Sam Kerr. That means her UK trial - however it ends - will have significant implications for the Matildas brand.
- by Tracey Holmes
Opinion
Political leadership
Trump’s re-election has enabled Dutton the chance to play his role of a lifetime
The Coalition’s failure to release a single fully costed, credible policy shows just how lucky Peter Dutton believes himself to be.
- by Niki Savva
Opinion
Test cricket
Dylan, Konstas, The Shark and booing. It’s been quite a summer
Six weeks away from a laptop resulted in some very twitchy fingers. This column is a catch up.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Analysis
Interest rates
Why interest-only home loans aren’t as cheap as they seem
When it comes to investment properties, I see many clients opt for interest-only loans. However, they’re often a false economy.
- by Julia Hartman
Analysis
NRL 2025
These men fly under the radar. Now, they fight for their NRL futures
We break down every NRL club’s under-the-radar prospects who are coming off contract, but will need to find greater gears for their clubs and futures in 2025.
- by Nick Wright
Opinion
Media & marketing
ABC’s departing boss finds himself in the last place he wanted to be
Managing director David Anderson’s farewell tour has taken an unlikely direction.
- by Colin Kruger
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Nations such as Australia must push back against Trump’s illegal Gaza scheme
Trump’s proposal to relocate Palestinians, if it were without their consent, would constitute a war crime.
- by Ben Saul
Opinion
Sovereign wealth
There are better things for Trump to do with America’s cash – if it had any
Donald Trump has ordered the creation of an American sovereign wealth fund. There are many reasons why America doesn’t need one - and can’t afford one.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Trump just dressed up ethnic cleansing as a real estate opportunity, and blew up ‘America First’
Here’s the dire place we find ourselves three weeks into the second Trump administration.
- by Matthew Knott
Opinion
Inside China
China’s ‘Mr Big’ is playing a dangerous game with Trump
Dealing with an unpredictable, domineering Trump is not for everyone. Is Xi Jinping up for the fight?
- by Shuli Ren
Opinion
Donald Trump
Trump is running America the way America ran Iraq
The first days of the second Trump term are reminiscent of the disastrous administration George W. Bush put in place after invading Iraq.
- by Michelle Goldberg
Analysis
NRL 2025
Why half an NRL field is a dead zone
Making the NRL a faster game has curtailed attacking opportunities.
- by Roy Masters
Analysis
AFL 2025
Who’s in the emergency room and who has a clean bill of health? A physio’s guide to AFL pre-season
A month out from the first bounce, some injuries could have a big impact on the season proper. Which clubs are in the most trouble, and which are full steam ahead?
- by Libby Birch
Opinion
Budgeting
How to create a budget you don’t hate
You’re doing yourself and your money a disservice when you don’t have a plan. Here’s how to make one without tearing your hair out.
- by Victoria Vivente
Opinion
Money psychology
Struggling to save? Your emotions could be holding you back
You can know everything there is to know about the world of finance, but it’s all for naught if you lack this one thing.
- by Paridhi Jain
Opinion
Ask an expert
My super has reached $2m, can I dodge the transfer balance cap?
The transfer balance cap is a lifetime limit on the amount a person can move from super accumulation phase, and there aren’t many ways around it.
- by Noel Whittaker
Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/topic/opinion-1ql