Opinion
Opinion
Inside China
China’s property cancer is spreading through its economy
Four years after its biggest and most indebted property developer collapsed, China’s domestic economy is still struggling with the fallout.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Latest
Opinion
The Ashes
He’s prolific, pioneering, easy on the eye. But Usman Khawaja should retire now
Usman Khawaja has been an ornament to Australian cricket, but the time has come to put him back on the mantelpiece.
- by Greg Baum
Horrific attack raises unbearable truth about violence on our shores
It is here, and it is carried out with a confidence that grows when hostility towards Israel and Jewish people is tolerated.
Opinion
Social media
Good riddance to Mark Zuckerberg’s $105 billion distraction
In 2021, the Facebook founder declared that we would all soon meet, shop and do business in a cartoon world called the Metaverse. Four years on, the world still doesn’t want to know.
- by Andrew Orlowski
Opinion
Antisemitism
This is not for the Jewish community to solve alone: Allegra Spender
The federal member for Wentworth writes: Every single one of us must ask – are we in our actions, in what we say, making our country safer for each other, or less safe?
- by Allegra Spender
Opinion
Bondi shooting
I told a friend the world was trembling, then Bondi erupted
We were two Jewish men and two non-Jewish women, settling down for dinner in Bondi. Then the gunshots rang out.
- by David Leser
Opinion
Bondi shooting
Australia is not a nation familiar with massacre on its streets, and we must never become one
Australian political leaders must act together to harness the national shock and mourning to lead the country out of this cultural and religious quagmire.
- by Tony Wright
Opinion
Psychology
As a trauma expert, here’s how to look after yourself and others after a tragedy like Bondi
Over the next few weeks, months and even years, many Australians will be struggling to process their experiences of Sunday night. Trauma is normal and shouldn’t be dealt with alone.
- by Ahona Guha
Editorial
Bondi shooting
Dark day hurts us all: now we must show unity and resolve
The mass shooting at Bondi Beach that targeted the Jewish community is an obscene crime that diminishes us all.
- The Herald's View
Analysis
Bondi shooting
Albanese’s response to the Bondi massacre will shape Australia’s future
The Port Arthur massacre defined John Howard’s leadership. The massacre at Bondi Beach is Anthony Albanese’s Port Arthur moment, but his task is much more difficult than Howard’s.
- by James Massola
Analysis
Bondi shooting
Australia has gun control under control, right? Looks like we were wrong
We told ourselves John Howard’s gun control reforms would prevent this kind of horror from happening. The awful events of Sunday night show we can no longer rest on those laurels.
- by Jacqueline Maley
Opinion
Trump's White House
Trump loves a deal, but these two are not going to plan
Donald Trump is obsessed with the notion that he is the ultimate dealmaker. He may need to rethink that.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Bondi shooting
‘To be so close that you can hear it happening is terrifying’
Former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan recounts being at Bondi Beach on Sunday night.
- by Michael Vaughan
Editorial
Sydney Metro
Sydney Metro line appears to be off the rails again
The government agency overseeing Sydney’s rail project is missing its own deadlines for awarding contracts.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Political leadership
Albanese talks about his ‘five biggest things’: What’s next?
The PM says the social media ban is one of his biggest achievements. But another issue looms large in 2026.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Trump's America
The war crimes case against Trump and Hegseth
America used to be the conscience of the world. Those days are long gone.
- by Geoffrey Robertson
Opinion
Bondi shooting
I was 100m away when the shots rang out. It has changed Sydney forever
It took 15 seconds for my mind to clock what was happening on shore, then the thought of the Hanukkah event popped into my head. Surely not.
- by Elias Visontay
Opinion
Superannuation
Why our $4.5 trillion super system needs ‘speed bumps’
It’s normally assumed that allowing people to move their money around quickly is a good thing. Recent collapses show how our super system is different.
- by Clancy Yeates
Opinion
Christmas
I’m an atheist, so am I a fraud when I say grace at Christmas?
What does Christianity teach us about Christmas? Quite a lot about love, actually.
- by Jo Pybus
Growing unease about artificial intelligence will only deepen
The public is realising that the more information is gathered, the more the lives of us and our children can be manipulated.
Opinion
Social media
A dorky PM and a nation of rule abiders called big tech’s bluff. It’s changing the world
Australia may be shy of its influence, but it has become a global headline. From Germany to Singapore, people are looking to Australia as a world leader.
- by Cory Alpert
Analysis
Media & marketing
Australia’s competition watchdog eyes Warner Bros mega-deal
The ACCC is likely to closely scrutinise any Warner Brothers deal for its wide-ranging impact on local and global entertainment industries.
- by Calum Jaspan
Opinion
Modern slavery
Unspeakable violence against girls and women meets global silence
Australia has just introduced a world-leading sanctions regime against the Taliban, an important but insufficient step as the world turns away.
- by Virginia Haussegger
Analysis
Social media
Desperate vibes as under 16s crowd into Yope and Lemon8
Young people in Australia are finding social media hiding places but for how long?
- by Tim Biggs
Opinion
Religion
Let there be light and love and art
Faith has many expressions, and art is one of its pre-eminent forms.
- by Maureen Barten
Analysis
Trump diplomacy
‘Crossed the line’: The week Trump turned his back on Europe
A US security plan takes aim at European governments for being weak, with a fixation on open borders, political correctness and censorship.
- by James Rothwell
Opinion
Social media
Thanks Daddy Albo, but we’ve got this parenting thing covered
Perhaps the social media ban for under 16s is really a trick to get parents to do their jobs. Let’s hope it works.
- by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Opinion
Social media
The social media ban (probably) won’t fix our kids
We all want children to have a digital-free childhood. But the ban won’t solve all their problems.
- by Jacqueline Maley
Opinion
Five Minutes with Fitz
Ex-Liberal Party powerbroker says ‘the party is over’
Walter Villatora, former campaign manager for Mike Baird and Tony Abbott, has started a new party: Reform Australia. Here is why.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Social media
My kids are all right, but some troll blames me for the social media ban
It’s a heated debate, sure, but keep it civil, people.
- by Gayle McNaught
She moves, it runs; she doesn’t, it’s pushed
Why all the to-do over Anika Wells and scrutiny of her every trip? Ministers work hard and have to travel, usually without family, so family are allowed to join them.
Opinion
The Ashes
Since 1882, winning the Ashes has never been about entertainment
Douglas Jardine famously grasped the necessity of victory over all else, but Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes have placed the emphasis on stress-free cricket. Is it too late for them to change tack?
- by Geoff Lawson
Opinion
Pets
Why science says you should let your dog lick your face
A new study reveals that the key to a healthy gut and a happy life might just be a big, wet kiss from your pooch.
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
WordPlay
Still despairing about 67? You’ll be OK, Boomer
You don’t have to love this year’s new lingo but it’s here to stay.
- by David Astle
Opinion
Body image
Celebrities are becoming unrecognisable. The problem isn’t Ozempic
As reproductive rights are destroyed and female journalists are told to be “quiet, piggy” by the US president, is it a coincidence that women are quietly erasing themselves?
- by Julia Baird
Opinion
FIFA World Cup
No nominations, no judges, no nothing: Even by FIFA’s standards, Trump’s award is a new low
The whole thing was a massive and toxic brain fart from FIFA president Gianni Infantino, setting a new world record for sycophancy that will define his reign.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Political leadership
Our underachiever nation’s lost 25 years
As we pass the quarter-century mark, Australia has rested too much on the laurels of the Hawke/Keating/Howard reform era.
- by Nick Bryant
Analysis
Healthcare
‘Have they learnt nothing?’ Radical surgery only option for hospital giant
The sale of major hospitals around the country could determine the final fate of Healthscope and its 19,000 staff.
- by Colin Kruger
Opinion
Trump's America
A deep dive into the time of Trumpian magical realism
“What will fiction be like in the Trump era?” one writer wondered eight years ago. Now we have the answer: not as fanciful as reality.
- by Nikki Barrowclough
You can lead drivers to safety, but you can’t make them think
Roads between Sydney and the New England area are dangerous. The problem, however, is not so much the 100km/h limit as those who exceed it.
Editorial
Trump's America
Trump won’t shield US teens on social media but wants to scroll through yours
A plan to vet the social media and personal history of tourists entering the US is a new low in Trumpian chaos.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
The Ashes
Khawaja should play in Adelaide out of ruthlessness, not charity
The decision whether to extend Usman Khawaja’s career has been framed, somewhat insultingly, as a charitable donation.
- by Malcolm Knox
Analysis
China relations
As China unleashed on Japan, the US stayed silent – until Beijing went too far
Taiwan is the reddest of red lines for Beijing, and Japan’s new prime minister has discovered the cost of crossing it.
- by Lisa Visentin
Analysis
US politics
A bunch of deep red Republicans just stood up to Trump. Here’s why it matters
In Indiana, the state Senate roundly rejected a push to redraw the electoral map to benefit Donald Trump. In the end, despite the president’s threats, the vote wasn’t even close.
- by Michael Koziol
Opinion
Social media
I’m 15 and I’ve been podcasting for five years. Do you expect me to stop now?
I’ve been interviewing people about politics since I was 10. This social media ban stifles democracy.
- by Jack Okill
Opinion
USA
Hand over my social media accounts and pics? I’m cancelling my US trip
It’s a strange old time when a country that once symbolised freedom and the open road wants to poke through your social media posts.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Opinion
Interest rates
Interest rates are blunt. But so is the RBA – when it needs to be
Why was RBA boss Michele Bullock so explicit this week? Here’s why it might be intentional.
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
The Ashes
England are in disarray. This is what they should be doing in Noosa
Brendon McCullum liberated English cricket, but this is the coach’s toughest challenge yet. He doesn’t need to ditch Bazball, but he does need to add responsibility and accountability.
- by Greg Chappell
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/opinion