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Lance Armstrong could find his way back into cycling as a sponsor.

Lance Armstrong is back, but he should be banned from any association with cycling

After being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping, Lance Armstrong shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near professional cycling.

  • by Darren Kane

Latest

Trump’s big, beautiful bill is a big step backwards for America.

Trump’s big, beautiful mistake will have China licking its lips

China’s leaders must be wondering whether they are hallucinating as Trump’s White House commits economic and geopolitical self-harm on a breathtaking scale.

  • by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Illustration.
Opinion
Shopping

Rude customers? Retail review gives us one star, at best

The customer is not always right. If you missed it, there’s a law against abusing retail staff. What’s become of the social order?

  • by Malcolm Knox
Sleep study Insomnia gif
Opinion
WordPlay

When the world keeps you awake: Finding sleep in anxious times

Globally, if not personally, life can be too heavy to carry for a day, let alone a night as well.

  • by David Astle
Opinion
Sleep

Why do I lie awake at night? Because it kept my ancestors alive

Those who slept soundly in the past woke in bears’ bellies and have no descendants.

  • by Anson Cameron
A missile is launched from an unspecified location in China in response to then US speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022.

As China prepares to invade Taiwan, a reality check: sitting on the sidelines won’t help us

Australia must prepare. China attacking Taiwan is not inevitable, but if it happens, it will become a wide-ranging Indo-Pacific conflict.

  • by Jennifer Parker
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Illustration: Monique Westermann
Opinion
Childcare

Childcare horrors are shocking, but they’re no surprise to me

I’ve been investigating the childcare industry for almost a year. Now, Australia’s children deserve no less than a royal commission or independent inquiry.

  • by Adele Ferguson
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Denmark on Thursday.

Trump has hung Ukraine out to dry, though Zelensky did all he asked

The US decision to cut off munitions already promised seems cruel and gratuitous.

  • by Owen Matthews
Netanyahu has an eye on his own political future as the future of Israel.

‘Everything will turn to dust’: As Gaza crumbles, its fate lies knotted to that of one man

When it comes to ending the war, Benjamin Netanyahu’s political future is as much a factor as the demands of Israel and Hamas.

  • by Nick O'Malley
A freeze-frame of Konstas’ caught behind dismissal off the bowling of Anderson Phillip.

The Konstas conundrum: When will the golden boy of Australian cricket come good?

Sam Konstas’ 25 from 37 balls in the first innings of the second Test in Grenada was his second-highest Test score. Here’s what he did differently.

  • by Tom Decent
News of a Melbourne daycare worker being charged with abuse has rocked parents across Australia.

I’ve worked in childcare for 50 years. I’ve never been more concerned

I’ve run childcare centres and used them as a parent and grandparent. It takes a leap of faith to trust them with the most precious thing in your life.

  • by Anne Stonehouse
Queensland’s future NRLW stars composite.
Analysis
NRL 2025

‘That real hard edge’: Dual-code prodigy leads Queensland’s new era of NRLW stars

This will be the third code an 18-year-old Broncos star is poised to conquer, as she leads Queensland’s next generation of stars to watch in 2025.

  • by Nick Wright
Newlyweds Lauren Sanchez Bezos and Jeff Bezos leave Venice.
Opinion
Weddings

Bravo to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. It was vulgar but they did their wedding right

Why shouldn’t two people in love throw an ultra-decadent party for their second marriage? Who says second weddings have to be quietly dignified affairs?

  • by Kate Halfpenny
The relentless pace of modern work can wear us down, especially during winter.

Modern work demands we be ‘always on’. It’s wearing us down

When workplace pressures pile up, they can lead to chronic exhaustion, emotional flatness or a growing sense of cynicism.

  • by Amanda Gordon
The solution might not be simple or obvious, and if a reprimand is required, there may be unpleasant conversations.

My colleague is attention-seeking and noisy. How do I make them stop?

The noise is obviously a problem, but a larger concern may be the indifference or impotence of your workplace leaders.

  • by Jonathan Rivett
Sydney’s preliminary clearance rate picked up to 67.5 per cent in the week to Saturday from 59.5 per cent a week earlier.

How Canberra’s most popular book might influence my hunt for a first home

Can two American journalists help me buy my first home? Probably not. But they’ve got an abundantly good idea.

  • by Millie Muroi
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Illustration by Simon Letch

Between Xi and Trump, can PM afford to be ‘relaxed and comfortable’?

Anthony Albanese, like his Liberal predecessor John Howard, doesn’t like to be hurried. But there’s risk in getting the political timing wrong.

  • by James Massola
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA - JULY 02: Duhan Van Der Merwe of the British & Irish Lions breaks free of the tackle and scores a try during the tour match between Queensland Reds and British & Irish Lions at Suncorp Stadium on July 02, 2025 in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The Lions are already roaring. How worried should the Wallabies be?

They’ve already had two massive wins on Australian soil. Can the Wallabies stop the Lions juggernaut?

  • by Iain Payten
A side-by-side comparison of world No.1 Jannik Sinner and big-hitting Frenchman Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard serving at Wimbledon.
Analysis
Wimbledon

The anatomy of a record Wimbledon serve

We speak to a professional tennis coach about what went into the fastest-ever serve at the world’s biggest tournament.

  • by Brittany Busch
Will the trolleys be the future of shopping?

I was all for smart trolleys at the supermarket – until they made me feel dumb

The trolley’s digital dashboard is urging me to spend another $20 to unlock a deal. Are these smart trolleys really going to save us money?

  • by Claire Heaney
Joshua Brown is alleged to have abused eight children who attended the Creative Garden Early Learning Centre in Point Cook between April 2022 and January 2023.

Relentless push for profit is failing our kids

Childcare standards need to be lifted across the country but can the for-profit operators meet the challenge?

  • by Colin Kruger
Carlton Blues coach Michael Voss.
Opinion
AFL 2025

‘Their strength has become a liability’: The problem with Carlton and how to fix it

Whatever decision is made about the future of senior coach Michael Voss, the list needs surgery and the game style needs a refresh. We asked a former AFL list boss and senior coach how to fix the Blues  

  • by Chris Pelchen and Brendan McCartney
Only 17 per cent of sexual harassment incidents were reported.
Opinion
Harassment

We have a great law to tackle workplace sexual harassers. Pity it’s never been used

Amid horrific claims of sexual harassment and abuse in the hospitality industry, what if Australia’s world-leading Respect@Work law is a “dead letter”? A law that’s on the books but never enforced might as well not exist.

  • by Karen O'Connell and Josh Bornstein
Qantas has been the target of a cyber attack.

Villain or victim? Qantas cyberattack will be a test of customer faith

The data breach is a blow to the progress of the airline’s rehabilitation.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Trump fancies himself as the ultimate the dealmaker.
Opinion
Trade wars

Trump’s foolish war on the world is a mess

Trump promised “90 deals in 90 days” in April. It’s proving far more difficult than he thought as the clock ticks down.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Professionals are starting to use artificial intelligence to save time. But they’re spending it on more work.

Being busy doesn’t make you special, so lay off the drama

Being “busy” is a common refrain in the workplace, with some people clutching so hard to the descriptor that it’s basically part of their personality.

  • by Tim Duggan
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To keep children safe, we need a national commission to co-ordinate and oversee childcare.

Worse than every parent’s worst nightmare, but here’s one big thing to keep kids safe

The Productivity Commission has already recommended a critical step to protect children in care. Let’s get on with it.

  • by Georgie Dent
A billboard in Melbourne advertising the Kyle & Jackie O show, which has failed to attract Sydney-level audience numbers.
Tony Wright’s Column
Radio ratings

Why Melburnians celebrate the failure of Sydney’s ‘Vile Kyle’

The old Melbourne-Sydney rivalry was revived with the arrival of Kyle Sandilands and Jackie O on Melbourne’s airwaves. But why?

  • by Tony Wright
Mourners gather around the flag-draped coffins of Iranians killed in Israeli strikes, as one of them holds a poster of the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in Tehran.

Iran’s latest decision reveals flaw in Trump’s big plan

The only card left for the Iranians to play is that their uranium survived the US bombing. Maybe they are bluffing. But it exposes the enduring flaw in Trump’s bombing plan.

  • by David E. Sanger
Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs was found guilty of charges but not the more serious ones of human trafficking and kidnapping.
Analysis
Courts

The Diddy trial: A test for the music industry’s conscience

Will the verdict become a genuine inflection point?

  • by Michael Idato
Jamie Roberts helped break Australian hearts in the deciding Test of the British and Irish Lions tour in 2013.

Lions for leaguies: My guide to the greatest rugby show on turf

Followers of the 13-man code can witness a true global sporting spectacle over the next month – right on their doorstep. Let me break it down.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Top four race: Reece Walsh and Nathan Cleary.
Opinion
NRL 2025

Why Penrith can’t win the premiership, but Brisbane still have a shot

The Panthers are off the canvas, but it’s Michael Maguire and the Broncos who can shake up this NRL competition.

  • by Andrew Johns
The uproar surrounding the case of Joshua Dale Brown understandably has parents demanding immediate action.

We can have a good childcare system, or a cheap one. When protecting children, that choice should be easy

For parents waiting to discover whether their children have been abused, talk of urgency and pledges of reform will wear thin if not followed by palpable action.

  • The Age's View

Albanese is the conservative who mugged the Liberals. Let’s hope he seizes the moment

Labor’s landslide success has opened up an opportunity for the government to advocate and implement more substantial and transformative policies than it might otherwise have been prepared to produce.

  • by Shaun Carney

Enough with the beeping machines! They are making our lives worse, not better

No wonder we all feel exhausted, irritated and ready to take a hatchet to our appliances.

  • by Jane Caro
Foreign Minister Penny Wong and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio shake hands before a meeting at the State Department in Washington.

Wong’s trip to Washington may suggest that everything is business as usual. It isn’t

This is an administration that has made its intentions plain. America First is about prioritising US interests and discarding the interests of others, even those of its allies.

  • by Michael Koziol
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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during the G7.

I’ll be there for you: After his welfare revolt bruising, Starmer should call his friend Albanese

Could the Australian PM’s lived experience in facing down tough political challenges offer a path to salvation for Britain’s beleaguered leader?

  • by David Crowe
Benji Marshall and Shane Richardson.
Analysis
NRL 2025

Wests Tigers promised they would change. But it’s starting to look like the same old story

After a positive start to the season, things are beginning to unravel at Wests Tigers, with young guns departing and a fourth successive wooden spoon becoming a possibility.

  • by Michael Chammas
Mo Chara of Kneecap performs at the Glastonbury music festival. The band’s set is now under police investigation.

At Glastonbury, left-wing politics are shocking again

Artists like Kneecap and Bob Vylan are rediscovering the cultural power of shock, largely because of horror unfolding in the Gaza Strip and the minefield of taboos around discussing them.

  • by Michelle Goldberg
Musk and Trump: A feud for the ages
Opinion
Elon Musk

Elon Musk, you’re in a hole. Stop digging!

Doubling down in his attack on Donald Trump is about as far out as one could go on the risk scale. But the Tesla boss and the US president both lack a self-regulation switch.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Not much love lost: US President Donald Trump (left) and Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell.

Trump shows his impotence by attacking the Fed chair

The US president, stepping up his assault on Jerome Powell, threatens to replace him with someone who will do what they’re told. But his powers to control the US central bank are limited.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz

As I dropped my child at kinder, every parent’s worst nightmare was unfolding

Parents already face a range of agonising decisions when weighing up whether to place their children into care. Their safety should be a given. But on weeks like these, we’re reminded that even that can’t be taken for granted.

  • by Melissa Singer
How you choose to pay for aged care matters. The wrong decisions can come at a high price, financially and emotionally
Opinion
Aged care

How moving into aged care could boost your pension

How you choose to pay for aged care matters. The wrong decisions can come at a high price, financially and emotionally.

  • by Rachel Lane
Hidden debts and secret bank accounts can be unwanted surprises during a divorce.
Analysis
Divorce

Steve’s marriage fell apart. Then he discovered a $25,000 debt

Hidden debts and secret bank accounts can be unwanted surprises during a divorce. Here’s how to protect yourself from financial infidelity.

  • by Emily Chantiri
“Mum, how do you spell elephant?“.
Opinion
Parenting

Put down the AI toy: kids need you, not a robot

Generative AI-powered toys are attractive, but they lack humanity. Children deserve better.

  • by Cherie Gilmour
Nest egg looking a little light on? There are strategies you can use to super-charge it.

We’re nearly retired, but worry our super is too low. How can we boost it?

There are some effective strategies you can employ to supercharge your super in the last few years of your working life.

  • by Noel Whittaker
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Illustration
Opinion
NACC

Anti-corruption body wastes time with a triviality

The National Anti-Corruption Commission has decided its first case, which involves a low-level issue.

  • by Geoffrey Watson
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley during an interview in the Nine studio, at Parliament House.

Ley’s revelations about coercive control will help women. It’s a shame her party won’t do the same

The Liberal leader’s comments were astonishing because in her almost 25 years in parliament, she has worked alongside those who undermine women on a daily basis.

  • by Jenna Price
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani triumphed in the recent Democratic primary, defeating his older and more experienced opponent, Andrew Cuomo.

Young, socialist, Muslim NY mayoral candidate is the start of a revolution

Zohran Mamdani scored a surprise victory by running on a “Robin Hood” platform aimed at taxing the rich to make New York City affordable. Other politicians are taking note.

  • by Tushaar Garg
Edwin Maher
Opinion
Ageing

It took crashing into my garage door to realise I had to hand in my driver’s licence

You might remember me from my time as the ABC Victoria weatherman in the ’80s and ’90s, when I had a collection of quirky pointers sent in by viewers.

  • by Edwin Maher

Original URL: https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/topic/opinion-1ql