Opinion
Opinion
Social media
Social media bans are nothing new to me, and here’s why they don’t work
We need to educate everyone, not just those under 16, about how to navigate the beast.
- by Brodie Lancaster
Latest
Opinion
Federal Reserve
‘It’s really tariffs’: Cutting through the fog, Fed lowers rates again
The US central bank cut interest rates for the third time, but with the spectre of a new Trump-appointed chair looming, dissent among its members is intensifying.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Analysis
The Ashes
Stick with Bazball or swallow some pride? How England can save the Ashes
England are 2-0 down and the knives are out over the Bazball philosophy of coach Brendon McCullum and his team. So we’ve piloted in cricket writers Andrew Wu and Tom Decent to take over for the third Test. What would they do to resurrect England in Adelaide?
- by Tom Decent and Andrew Wu
Analysis
Social media
Cat and mouse: How under-16s are circumventing the social media ban
Most kids on social media will be blocked, but here’s how the most relentless plan to stay.
- by Tim Biggs and David Swan
Opinion
Social media
If I had a teenager, I’d rather they were addicted to smoking than scrolling
Two-thirds of the British public think increased social media use is a key driver of rising youth mental health problems and 75 per cent support banning under-16s from social media.
- by Fred Thomas
Opinion
Political expenses
Politicians work damn hard. Let’s be careful about shredding their ‘perks’
We need women in politics. While questions are rightly asked about Anika Wells’ expense claims, the rules were designed to make family life manageable for politicians.
- by Alexandra Smith
Opinion
Road safety
Drivers aged over 40 are pushing us towards record-high road tolls
The nation’s road and transport ministers hope to halve the road toll by 2030. But deaths and accidents are increasing, at a huge human and financial cost.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Sunday Life
Christmas etiquette used to be simple. These are the new rules for our bizarre times
It’s the most wonderful time of the year … if you don’t make these mistakes.
- by Kathy Lette
Glowing eulogies for ‘Richo’ disappoint Labor faithful
My vote will always be for Labor and I support Anthony Albanese as prime minister, but I’m afraid the gloss has worn off somewhat, writes Ann Roxborough.
Editorial
Anika Wells
Wells’ expenses a costly distraction from admirable social media ban
The Albanese government has needlessly allowed Anika Wells’ expenses to cast a shadow over its big-ticket reform.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Interest rates
The only way is up: The RBA’s interest rate reprieve is over
As interest rate cycles go, this will go down as a disappointing one for borrowers.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Social media
I wrote the book on anxious kids. It doesn’t matter if this ban isn’t perfect
The American author of The Anxious Generation writes that parents around the world are cheering on Australia as its pioneering social media law comes into effect today.
- by Jonathan Haidt
Opinion
Barnaby Joyce
I take it all back. Barnaby is a fool, after all
I’ve defended him as a sharp political strategist, but his move to One Nation is utterly idiotic.
- by RK Crosby
Opinion
Trade wars
Tariff rescue: Trump gives Band-Aids to the farmers he hurt
Trump’s $18 billion Band-Aid for embattled US farmers won’t make China buy more soybeans or fix the rising costs of equipment.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
![Communications Minister Anika Wells [right] alongside Courier Mail editor Melanie Pilling [second right] in New York in September.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.8504%2C$multiply_0.6243%2C$ratio_1.5%2C$width_756%2C$x_36%2C$y_0/t_crop_custom/q_62%2Ce_sharpen:60%2Cf_auto/c0318a773b77da6e274d3c4dad2099fa762c7a87d38a4eff099c2edd3bb4cd2e)
Exclusive
Media & marketing
Vanishing act: The Anika Wells expenses exclusive pulled by News Corp
The media company’s free mass-market news site, news.com.au, snagged a red-hot story, so why did it spike it a few hours later?
- by Calum Jaspan
Opinion
Ask an expert
We’ve paid off the house. Where should we invest our money now?
For years, people have argued over the benefits of shares versus property. But I think there is one clear winner.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Pension
How gifting your grandkids money could actually increase your pension
If you’re gifting from a financial asset – like money in the bank or shares – giving it away won’t hurt your pension. In fact, it could help.
- by Rachel Lane
Editorial
Social media
Government blinded by the lights of its own media ban
The Albanese government has overreached in promoting world-first child safety law.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Housing affordability
Slacking off at work? It’s a rational response to unaffordable housing
If you think young people need to work harder, you may not be thinking rationally. But if you want them to, there’s one thing that could help.
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
The Ashes
A piece of turf the size of a doormat is deciding another Ashes series
The inability, or refusal, of England’s bowlers to recognise and compete for this sacred patch of real estate has been disastrous.
- by Greg Chappell
Opinion
Islamic State
They’re Australians whose cause was bloodthirsty and lawless. Here’s why we should bring them home
The real reason Australia won’t do the right thing and repatriate its ISIS brides is the prime minister’s increasing habit of jumping at shadows.
- by Michael Bachelard
Opinion
Political expenses
The real reason Anika Wells is bound to survive this scandal
Ministerial survival depends on a single, unwavering principle: the prime minister refuses to give ground to his enemies. He’d sooner sandpaper his own shins.
- by Rob Harris
Analysis
ALP
Richo’s sins are washed as the Love Boat, Gold Coast and other scandals fade into the mist
The great and the good assembled to farewell Graham Richardson, honoured for his singular talent in wielding political influence.
- by Harriet Alexander
Wentworth Park closure a start: next, ban greyhound racing
The news that NSW Labor will use the site for wider community purposes is welcome – but they will give the industry $10 million so that this cruel sport can continue elsewhere.
Opinion
Social media
Social media ban shouldn’t be judged by its impact on day one
Regardless of workarounds and likely teething problems, the impact of the law will be measured not over days and weeks, but over the much longer term.
- by Tim Biggs
Analysis
The Ashes
The dual pathways open for Khawaja’s Ashes re-election
In electoral terms, Usman Khawaja now has two pathways to the votes required for a Test recall before the end of this Ashes.
- by Daniel Brettig
Analysis
Greyhound racing
One idea would have transformed this sport. It’s been ignored
The greyhound industry in NSW is bedevilled by welfare concerns that have still not been addressed.
- by Jordan Baker
Opinion
Donald Trump
Hail to the king: Trump will steer battle for the future of Hollywood
Donald Trump is almost certainly going to have the final say on who wins and who gets fired in the $160 billion contest over Warner Bros.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
FIFA World Cup
Now, for FIFA’s next trick: Introducing in-game advertising breaks by stealth
FIFA’s solution to the real problem of the summer heat at next year’s World Cup is a deliberate over-correction, designed to maximise revenue under the guise of player welfare.
- by Vince Rugari
Opinion
Retail
How did we do? Absolutely fine, until you sent me a stupid email
Give me a good table, clean toilets and actors I can actually hear. Just don’t ask me for feedback.
- by Jenna Price
Analysis
Interest rates
Rates on hold as RBA grows wary about inflation pressures
The Reserve Bank has finished the year with official interest rates at 3.6 per cent. But the next move may be up.
- by Shane Wright and Millie Muroi
Opinion
Active investing
From AI to Bitcoin: These five trends will dominate markets in 2026
Gold and silver will keep their lustre, but can Bitcoin become their digital equivalent?
- by Billy Leung
Opinion
Investing
It might seem ‘safe’, but your savings account could be costing you
Having thousands of dollars in the bank doesn’t come with the elation some might imagine. For many, it comes with stress.
- by Paridhi Jain
Opinion
Foreign relations
Secrecy over Pentagon review suggests there’s stuff in there Australia doesn’t want to talk about
The Pentagon’s AUKUS review might be an American document, but the Australian government has a duty to its own taxpayers to insist upon greater transparency.
- by Michael Koziol
Opinion
Trade
‘They’re killing their own customers’: Beijing, we have a $1.5 trillion problem
China has posted a record trade surplus of more than $US1 trillion, and that is before the year is even finished. Its trading partners are threatening to revolt.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
NRL 2026
Bold plan for an extended substitutes bench could revolutionise the NRL
Some of the most successful coaches in rugby league want to potentially double the size of the current bench as the game becomes faster and more brutal. But will the change work?
- by Roy Masters
Opinion
Live music
Singer’s beach ball rant reveals the fine line between amazing festivals and Garbage
Two music festivals held over the weekend highlighted what’s great, and what’s not, about the experience.
- by Karl Quinn
Opinion
The Ashes
The passive-aggressive tactics that helped Australia smoke England out of the Ashes
Bazball is built on constant, frenetic, stampeding action, but sometimes the best thing to do in a cricket match is nothing.
- by Greg Baum
Editorial
Private schools
Vicious hazing attack has no place in any school
The principal of The Scots College was slow to react to a brutal initiation ceremony by his students.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Foreign relations
America first? Maybe not, if you ask Trump-voting Americans
A poll suggests a clear majority of Americans – especially MAGA Republicans – want the US to defend Ukraine and Taiwan, even while Donald Trump is equivocal.
- by Michael Koziol
Australia needs to grasp chance to reset defence expectations with the US
When Marles and Wong go to the US, it would benefit us all if they got down to brass tacks about the defence of Australia in the event of war – above and beyond our own military spending.
- by Jennifer Parker
Opinion
Digital hygiene
Why Australia’s social media ban for under 16s is set to go global
The new law will not solve every problem with “surveillance capitalism” and predatory online behaviour, but it shows governments can address public worries and not just shrug them off.
- by Terry Flew
Wells ruckus is a beat-up prompted by gender bias
If there is dissatisfaction with entitlements for federal MPs, the entitlements should be questioned, not the minister’s valid use of them.
Analysis
Political expenses
Albanese’s words from 2015 that reveal tension at the heart of Wells scandal
Parliamentary entitlement scandals exploded 10 years ago, leading to a change in the rules. What Anthony Albanese said then is instructive.
- by Rob Harris
Opinion
The Ashes
Archer copped a brutal Ashes ‘champing’. It was sledging in the right spirit
The heated exchange between Steve Smith and Jofra Archer was refreshing because the pair were having a dig without crossing the line. It was also flawless comedy.
- by Emma Kemp
Opinion
Dating
Gen Zs like me have stopped dating altogether. We’re opting for friends with (other) benefits
And we’ve consecrated this as our summer of friendship.
- by Grace Lagan
Opinion
Business investment
From Tim Tam to Four’N Twenty: Aussie icons enjoy government sweeteners
The federal government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund is typically associated with funding cutting-edge local ventures, so why is it tipping money into biscuits and pies?
- by Elizabeth Knight
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/opinion-1ql