Opinion
Analysis
NRL 2025
Ciraldo crafted rugby league’s best defence. Now, can he pull it apart?
Canterbury’s evolution with Lachlan Galvin has taken another important stride towards September and finals football.
- by Dan Walsh
Latest
Opinion
Housing affordability
It’s hard not to hate investors when the property game we play is unfair
It shouldn’t take luck – having the right parents (and grandparents) – to buy a house.
- by Millie Muroi
Opinion
West Coast Eagles
They’re the richest club in the land, so should West Coast get a leg-up from the league?
Just seven years on from lifting the cup, should the Eagles be afforded assistance for a situation much of their own making?
- by Paddy Sweeney
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Australia recognising Palestine would infuriate Netanyahu – but not the people of Israel
The Albanese government has considered itself a friend of Israel. But Benjamin Netanyahu’s callous mistreatment of Palestinians has gone too far.
- by Peter Hartcher
Opinion
Gen X
Being a Gen Xer is my affliction. Is Gen Z’s enthusiasm curing me? Hmm, maybe
If Gen X suffered from one malady, it was self-consciousness, with a secondary diagnosis of apathy. These are not useful traits to be holding on to in 2025.
- by Bunny Banyai
Protest a bridge too far? Not when humanity is forgotten
We should march in silence to honour the dead, the tortured and the enslaved, writes Dawn Cohen.
Editorial
Poker machines
Earth to Macquarie Street: How much more evidence is needed on dirty money and pokies?
NSW governments have promised gambling reform for years, but only the venues have changed.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Retail
Bargain-hungry Australians are shopping their hearts out
We may be spending less on eating out, but the rest of the retail sector is pumping. And a couple of rate cuts between now and spring could really send registers ringing.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Trump's America
How Trump, Musk and Murdoch got embroiled in the same tawdry saga
The Epstein files were meant to bring justice to prominent figures from the left, such as the Clintons. Instead, they’ve engulfed high-profile figures from the right.
- by Melanie La'Brooy
Opinion
AFL 2025
Why I owe Richmond a grovelling apology – with a catch
I, Bob Murphy, would like to formally apologise to the Richmond Football Club. I was wrong.
- by Bob Murphy
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Palestine recognition train has left the station. Will Albanese jump aboard?
Western leaders are vowing to recognise Palestine for different purposes, but some advocates for the cause have come to believe it is a sideshow.
- by Matthew Knott
Opinion
Federal Reserve
The man who isn’t listening to Trump’s ‘Golden Age’ story
Donald Trump is at boiling point as Fed chief Jerome Powell again ignores the president’s ferocious campaign for lower interest rates. But there was dissension on the board.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
I support the Harbour Bridge protest – not in spite of my Holocaust heritage, but because of it
Millions of people are at risk of being starved, killed and ethnically cleansed on a daily basis. The NSW Premier needs to get out of the way of this protest.
- by David Leser
Analysis
Productivity summit
Nine new ways to make us richer, safer and happier
Anthony Albanese’s economic roundtable has been inundated with ideas to lift Australians’ living standards. Here are nine that would actually work.
- by Shane Wright
Analysis
The Ashes
Ben Stokes thinks he’s Superman, but his body is falling apart with the Ashes in sight
Ben Stokes is the world’s leading all-rounder and England’s inspirational captain, but he has bowled himself into the ground against India and now has a torn shoulder.
- by Daniel Brettig
Opinion
NRL 2025
Readers versus Roy Masters: Your best teams from 2000 to 2025
Are you a better selector than the Western Suburbs coach of the century and the man voted best St George coach
‘Serial pest’ suspended from council. Again
Andrew Thaler, a gonzo broadcaster who was elected to Snowy Monaro Regional Council last year, will be kicked off the council if suspended a third time.
- by Kishor Napier-Raman and Liam Mannix
Analysis
Paris Agreement
What’s in a number? New carbon target sparks new climate warfare
Australia needs to come up with its next emission reduction target under its commitment to the Paris Agreement. The lobbying is intensifying.
- by Nick O'Malley
Opinion
Political leadership
Their founder now calls them unlikeable and authoritarian. Can the Greens change their spots?
The Greens have 10 senators and the balance of power. But leader Larissa Waters has a task ahead of her with a party split over transgender rights and a bleed of supporters to the teals.
- by Shaun Carney
Opinion
NRL 2025
A dash of Cliffy, a hint of JT and Sticky’s sledging: Meet my perfect playmaker
Thirty years worth of champion halfbacks and ballplayers come together to create one perfect rugby league monster as I play the role of mad NRL scientist.
- by Andrew Johns
Opinion
Banking products
Beware the hidden landmines in our credit card fees
Penalty interest rates are often wildly out of step with the Reserve Bank’s steadily falling cash rate.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Epstein fallout
From Epstein to Trump, rich and powerful men have a vulnerable-women problem
Why is it that the more influence a man accrues, the seemingly higher the likelihood he will become an abuser? And why do many of these men seem to get off on targeting vulnerable women in particular?
- by Kylie Moore-Gilbert
Let’s march for Gaza, and don’t forget the hostages
The right to protest is a democratic freedom we must protect, and the mass starvation of Gazans is a crime against humanity
Opinion
NSW State Parliament
He rots in jail for sex crimes, but this MP keeps his taxpayer-funded salary
Gareth Ward’s bail was revoked on Wednesday and he is in custody. And yet, he is still the member for Kiama.
- by Alexandra Smith
Analysis
Inflation
Inflation hits four-year low – giving RBA no choice but to cut rates
The Reserve Bank was split on its decision to hold rates earlier this month. In two weeks, it will have no choice but to cut.
- by Shane Wright and Millie Muroi
Editorial
Middle East at war
Starmer’s linking ceasefire to statehood is risky business
Australia opts not to follow Britain in making ceasefire a condition for Palestinian statehood.
- The Herald's View
Analysis
Epstein fallout
Trump’s Mar-a-Lago admission raises questions about what he knew about Jeffrey Epstein
There is one question the US president hasn’t been asked, and therefore hasn’t answered: what did he think Jeffrey Epstein was “stealing” these young women for?
- by Michael Koziol
Analysis
NRL 2025
Tigers try to move on as Galvin hopes for his Ivan Cleary moment
At a time when Lachlan Galvin’s departure from Wests Tigers is again being dissected, the club’s marquee man has made a statement about his own future.
- by Adrian Proszenko
Opinion
Pharmaceuticals
Ozempic drugmaker just became a victim of its own success
For blame, look no further than pirates and the president (Trump, of course).
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Trump diplomacy
Egads, Trump hasn’t fallen on his face. His presidency might even be a … success
It’s part luck that his bad policies didn’t turn out much worse. But Trump has also made good decisions and changed his mind when he needs to.
- by Bret Stephens
Opinion
AI
The world’s superpowers turn up the heat in a dangerous battle
The US, China and European Union are pursuing radically different approaches in their scramble to rule the world of AI. That could exacerbate the risks in an inherently risky technology.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Finland
Could young Aussies be convinced to do national service? For the Finns, it’s an act of nationalism
Every male school-leaver in Finland must complete military or community service. What would have to happen here for compulsory national service to become a rite of passage?
- by Carla Krnel
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
‘Total failure’: Israel’s return to war has heaped ruin on Gaza and done little for Israelis
Israel appears to have thought its renewed war on Hamas would bring quick results – but the campaign is now looking like a strategic, diplomatic and humanitarian failure.
- by Patrick Kingsley
Analysis
AFL 2025
$1m payout won’t stop Demons making tough call on Goodwin if necessary
The only thing certain for the Demons as their season draws to a close is that changes are afoot.
- by Michael Gleeson
Opinion
Productivity
What if people just want better jobs, not more stuff?
What if, instead of pursuing an ever-higher material living standard, governments focused on improving workers’ job satisfaction? A good way to lose votes? I doubt it.
- by Ross Gittins
Editorial
Transport for NSW
Boost for e-bike commuters could be the new work from home
The Minns government is looking at a radical proposal to pay cyclists to ride to work
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Ask an expert
Can I transfer funds from my super account to my wife’s to reduce tax?
There’s a perfectly legal option for this that doesn’t require tax office approval.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
Inheritance
The silent struggle facing many adult daughters
When it comes to family, disinheritance is never just about dollars.
- by Yvonne Aoll
Opinion
Family
How to revel in your new empty nest and the constant dance of letting go
This stage of life is more about building bridges back to your kids than fully cutting ties.
- by Bec Wilson
Analysis
Science
CD96: How Mark Smyth hoped to build a cancer-buster
Serious concerns have been raised over Smyth’s CD96 work, which formed the foundation for a cancer drug now being tested in humans.
- by Liam Mannix
Analysis
Trump's White House
What will it cost to renovate the ‘free’ Air Force One? Don’t ask
To hide the cost of renovating the plane Qatar donated to Donald Trump, the US Air Force appears to have tucked it inside an overbudget, behind-schedule nuclear modernisation program.
- by David E. Sanger and Eric Schmitt
Opinion
Legal Cannabis
The medicinal cannabis law was named after my son. Now shady companies are damaging his legacy
I was instrumental in the push to legalise medicinal cannabis in Australia when my son, Dan, was dying of cancer. It changed his life. But unscrupulous operators are ruining what I fought for.
- by Lucy Haslam
Israel’s denials don’t change the fact that children are starving
What more needs to happen before we impose sanctions or cut military ties on Israel or recognise Palestine?
Opinion
University
One uni subject costs $578, the other $2124. What would the average student choose?
I started an arts course this year only to find my choice of subjects meant I would pay as little as $14,000 or as much as $50,000 for my degree. Bizarre cost discrepancies are rife.
- by Saria Ratnam
Analysis
Trump diplomacy
Albanese risks becoming a bystander to Trump’s trade whims
Australia has taken comfort in the fact it had the lowest tariff for exports to the United States, but the risk of that changing leaves the Prime Minister exposed.
- by Matthew Knott
Opinion
Epstein fallout
Bring it on: Is this Murdoch’s late-stage attempt to protect his legacy?
The media mogul who appeared with Donald Trump in the Oval Office has turned into a presidential attack dog.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Original URL: https://www.smh.com.au/topic/opinion-1ql