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Scientists catch, tattoo and release cleaner wrasse fish on Lizard Island as part of a behavioural research project.

The scientists working to keep the ‘lights’ on at the Great Barrier Reef

Mass coral mortality is the worst it’s ever been. Some scientists say neither side of politics is prepared to reckon with reality.

  • by Angus Dalton

Latest

The $400 school saving bonus is not means-tested.
Opinion
Welfare

Dear Jacinta Allan, thanks for the $400, but I really didn’t need it

Millions of parents are under intense pressure. But plenty are in cruise mode – financially chastened, but hardly on the bones of their bums. So why are we all getting free money?

  • by Tom Ormonde
Harriet Snaith

I grieve for the childhood my abuser took from me

If one child was spared as a result of my legal nightmare, it was worth it.

  • by Harriet Snaith
REA Group’s success has helped underpin Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp.

Murdoch’s $30b property jewel faces rebel rich-lister with a cause

A gun-toting tech tycoon is taking aim at Australia’s real estate sector, and it has already cost Rupert Murdoch and other REA Group investors billions.

  • by Colin Kruger
Donald Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ is nearing.
Analysis
Trade

Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ is a trillion-dollar promise that can’t all be true

As the event and its mixed messages about tariffs nears, the Donald Trump’s White House appears to have liberated itself from reality.

  • by Michael Koziol
Opinion
Education

Detaining school parents is a bit much, but banning them makes sense

Teachers are fleeing the classroom, and monstrous parents are often to blame.

  • by Jenna Price
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Peter Dutton says he will prioritise male-dominated industries.

Dutton’s ‘me too’ election strategy is great … unless you’re a woman

If you’re employed in these sectors Dutton has earmarked as priorities, it’s great news. But what’s the plan for women? Signing up for the next season of Farmer Wants a Wife?

  • by Katy Hall
Services to support independence and everyday living such as help with showering, dressing, meal preparation and home maintenance are all priced around $100 per hour.
Opinion
Aged care

$15 per food delivery? These new aged care prices are outrageous

The government has released new indicative prices of home care offerings, and they’ve got me wondering how much care and support will people actually receive.

  • by Rachel Lane
Risks are everywhere in life, not just in the stock market.

Think investing is like gambling? You’re dead wrong. Here’s why

Decrying investing as “gambling” is a simplified view that ignores the financial risks we must evaluate over the course of our lives.

  • by Paridhi Jain
Hutchison’s 96-year-old multi-billionaire founder Li Ka-shing.
Opinion
Ports

Was Li Ka-shing pushed to sell Panama ports, or did he jump?

Trump sees the sale of CK Hutchison’s ports as a victory, China sees it as coercion. For the 96-year-old Hong Kong billionaire, it might just be a good opportunity.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Warren Buffett

The ‘Oracle’ and ‘Superman’ are holding on to their billions. It could be a bad sign for all of us

Warren Buffett and Li Ka-shing are two of the world’s most revered investors. Now in their 90s, both are hoarding cash. Is it an omen of a major financial downturn?

  • by Shuli Ren
John Quayle, Lachlan Murdoch, Ian Roberts, Andrew Johns
Opinion
NRL 2025

Thirty years on, the Super League war still impacts the game

On April 1, 1995 News Limited raided ARL clubs for players and coaches in a move that started a bitter three-year war and split the code.

  • by Roy Masters
Manly coach Anthony Seibold.
Analysis
NRL 2025

More Broadway than Brookvale: How Seibold ended up in hot seat at Manly

History shows that Manly often manage to end on the worst possible terms with their favourite sons.

  • by Dan Walsh
Illustration by Joe Benke

Australians are clear on our biggest threats. But our leaders don’t want to discuss it

Voters want to know what the contenders for the prime ministership will do to protect the national interest. Neither Albanese nor Dutton so far have any answers for them.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Wiseman House in Glenroy

My suburb was meant to be the Toorak of the north but our reputation took a nefarious turn

A ranking of Melbourne’s suburbs once listed mine at 184th place. Its name used to make taxi drivers fearful, but life here has changed.

  • by Michael Church
A Buddhist monk walks near a collapsed pagoda in Mandalay after Friday’s earthquake.
Analysis
Myanmar coup

Quake disaster has exposed a Trump-sized void on the world stage. China is stepping in

The US has not been perfect in its application of soft power over the years, but diplomacy and aid are preferable to war and weapons.

  • by Michael Ruffles
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PM Dutton would dodge The Lodge for Kirribilli. Can’t blame him. But is this WFH or WTF?

Peter Dutton wants to live in Kirribilli if he’s elected PM. But it’s not near his constituency or his workplace. Is he going to work from home? Surely not.

  • by Michelle Cazzulino
Sam Kerr has been sidelined with an ACL injury since January.

Why Football Australia made right call in keeping Sam Kerr as captain

As a train-on player only, she won’t wear the captain’s armband on Friday night at Allianz Stadium in the first of two friendlies between the Matildas and South Korea. But she will wear it again.

  • by Vince Rugari
Errol Gulden, Nick Daicos and Will Ashcroft are among the young batch of AFL stars making their mark on the game.
Analysis
AFL 2025

Cripps, Bont and Petracca better watch out; the kids are coming for them

It’s young talent time in the AFL, with a host of up-and-coming players making their mark. By season’s end, it’s possible one or more of them will have usurped the league’s modern greats.

  • by Marc McGowan
Fed chairman Jerome Powell has been reluctant to speculate about how Donald Trump’s policies might affect the central bank’s decisions.

The Trump fire is burning on Wall Street

The American people are losing confidence in Donald Trump, sending shockwaves through Wall Street. And that’s before “Liberation Day”.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Max Jorgensen leaves the field injured against the Hurricanes
Analysis
Super Rugby

Hip-drop tackles are a blight on the game and rugby bosses need to stamp them out

There is a lot of debate about what constitutes a “hip drop” tackle, but common sense tells you they’re an accident waiting to happen.

  • by Paul Cully
Peter Dutton visits a mosque

From yum cha to a mosque: Dutton sells himself as a multicultural champion

In his first weekend on the campaign trail Peter Dutton visited a mosque before a church, synagogue or a Hindu temple, inviting voters to take another look at him.

  • by Matthew Knott
Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Prime Minister Anthony Albanese deserve some credit for our economic good fortunes.

Debt and deficit: Labor’s budget naysayers ignore the cold hard facts

When it comes to the budget, there’s been an element of good management as well as good luck, for which Chalmers and Albanese deserve some credit.

  • by Ross Gittins
Forty per cent of voters now rank Peter Dutton (left) and the Coalition as best to manage the economy, with only 24 per cent naming Anthony Albanese and Labor.

What the major parties avoid could be as important as what gets their focus

A Dutton government would no doubt be very different from the Albanese government, but the differences being debated are mostly minor.

  • by Sean Kelly
square PM dutts

Labor has finally found a more convincing message. The mystery is why it took so long

Australians’ opinions have flipped in just a few weeks on whether Anthony Albanese or Peter Dutton will be victorious in the federal election.

  • by David Crowe
Richmond’s Rhyan Mansell has been offered a three-game ban by the AFL’s match review officer for rough conduct after he shoved his Saints opponent Liam O’Connell into a marking contest.
Four Points
AFL 2025

Rhyan Mansell and Richmond should cop his three-match ban

Also in Four Points this week: much of what’s gone wrong at Carlton has been out of Michael Voss’ control. But the Blues have won just two of their past 10 games, and face a huge match against Collingwood this week.

  • by Michael Gleeson
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Daly Cherry-Evans and Manly fans on Sunday.
Analysis
NRL 2025

Brookvale faithful deliver a (pleasantly) shocking verdict on DCE

Daly Cherry-Evans’ decision to leave the Sea Eagles after 15 years was met with understanding and appreciation, not the vitriol usually synonymous with sport.

  • by Neil Breen
Latrell Mitchell and James Tedesco.
Analysis
NRL 2025

Latrell and the Roosters - rugby league theatre at its finest

Why do the biggest moments around Mitchell - the biggest personality in the game - always seem to come against his former club?

  • by Dan Walsh
A generic photo of ADF soldier (main) and Melbourne-based academic Samantha Crompvoets (inset).

Whoever wins the election, stop the rot in Defence. We’re in peril as never before

Australia confronts the greatest ever threats to its security, yet our bloated defence aristocracy is intellectually stunted. We need urgent action – and that includes a debate on the introduction of national service.

  • by Mick Ryan
Gout Gout and Lachlan Kennedy after the 200m.

The AFL created a TV vacuum. Gout and Kennedy filled it

Teen sprint sensation Gout Gout now has something in Australia he hasn’t had before – competition. And it will be on show again next week.

  • by Michael Gleeson
US President Donald Trump and Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth in the Oval Office.

Hillary Clinton on Trump’s ‘dumb power’: it’s feeble, friendless, stupid and lethal

The blundering Signal chat may be the least of the Trump administration’s dangerous moves. As a former senior spy put it, “we’re shooting ourselves in the head, not the foot”.

  • by Hillary Clinton
Research showed Woolworths customers are paying as much as 3.7 per cent more for a basket of groceries than they were last year.

Why a bikini wax and a block of chocolate suddenly have a lot in common

We’ve all noticed the cost-of-living crunch in big things such as rent and mortgage repayments. But the micro-stings continue to bite.

  • by Melissa Singer
Veteran nous: Jack Gunston played an important role in the Hawks’ win over the Giants on Saturday night.

In the game of the season so far, Hawks showed they are the team to beat in 2025

In what shaped as the game of the season to date, it was the Hawks who prevailed in a tactical masterpiece against the Giants in Launceston on Saturday night.

  • by Jon Pierik
Daly Cherry-Evans
Opinion
NRL 2025

The real reason Cherry-Evans fell out of love with the Sea Eagles

The spin that there are no issues between club and player is difficult to swallow, given two incidents where the skipper was sledged in public by a significant Manly figure.

  • by Danny Weidler
Naureen Choudhry and her father Jamil Choudhry hold hands.
Opinion
Religion

Ramadan is a time to find peace and solace. For Naureen it has been so much more this year

Ramadan is a time for Muslims to reflect. When it coincides with personal grief, it can also become a channel for healing.

  • by Naureen Choudhry
Many workers have been stung by non-compete clauses in their employment contracts
Opinion
Employment

As a business owner, I’m glad non-compete contracts are getting the boot

It may seem like a strange thing for a government to be prioritising in an election year. But when you break down the numbers, it quickly becomes clear why.

  • by Victoria Devine
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Calculating what will leave you better off out of a mortgage vs paying rent isn’t as easy as it may first seem.

Should I buy a house before I retire, or keep renting?

Calculating what will leave you better off between a mortgage and paying rent isn’t as easy as it may first seem.

  • by Paul Benson
Brayden Maynard is a heart-and-soul figure at the Pies.
Analysis
AFL 2025

Why Maynard’s decision to stay or go really matters

What value do you place on the intangible impact of a player who’s beloved by teammates, and whose absence would be keenly felt in the locker room? Brayden Maynard is no Glenn Archer, but he’s that type of player.

  • by Jake Niall
A very cross bench
Opinion
Teals

Why do some men find the teals so triggering?

The powerful movement might hold the fate of the nation in its hands come election day.

  • by Jacqueline Maley

If Dutton is to beat Albanese, he must abandon this matchy-matchy phase

Peter Dutton convinced voters he was a credible alternative PM by making difficult choices, not easy ones.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Today’s fast-moving, high-tech environment can make some people feel overwhelmed

Sure, Trump’s stooges messaged their secret war plans to the world, but who hasn’t done something similar?

Haven’t we all written something nasty about someone, and accidentally texted it to them, or shared top level national secrets with an investigative journalist?

  • by Elsie Flanagan-O'Neill
Peter Garrett warns that Peter Dutton’s nuclear plan will help unleash a “carbon bomb”.

I’ve spent my life fighting nuclear. Here’s what Dutton isn’t telling you about his reactors

This deceptive proposal has all the Trumpian hallmarks: a quasi policy announcement intended to serve sectional interests – in this case fossil fuel giants.

  • by Peter Garrett
Mortgages can be a murky business.
Opinion
Hip pocket

All the ways to save money on your mortgage

From redraws to offsets to reducing interest, we unravel some common mortgage mysteries.

  • by Dominic Powell
Woke in fright.
Opinion
Diversity

Being called ‘woke’ used to be a compliment. Wasn’t it?

I recently experienced a flush of delight when it was suggested I was “virtue signalling” in one of my articles.

  • by Jo Pybus
It doesn’t matter if you’re organising a golf weekend, a hens night, or a tactical strike against Houthi strongholds in Yemen; we must all abide by the unspoken group chat rules.

Whether making weekend plans or war plans, these are the unspoken rules of the group chat

Whether you’re organising a golf weekend or a tactical strike against the Houthis, the rules of the group chat apply to us all.

  • by Thomas Mitchell
Election campaign. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison visits the Davenport Strikers Soccer Club in the seat of Braddon. The Federal election will be held on Saturday 21st May 2022. Photographed Wednesday 18th May 2022. Photograph by James  Brickwood. SMH NEWS 220518 ausvotes22. With MP Gavin Pearce - Liberal MP for Braddon. Photo shows the PM tripping into one of the kids on the field whilst playing soccer with them.

Watch your step: Campaign disasters Albanese and Dutton must not repeat

The number one rule for political leaders on the campaign trail is simple: never take a backward step. You never know what you’ll step into.

  • by Tony Wright
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Simon Letch

From Palaszczuk to Crisafulli: Clock is ticking for Brisbane 2032

The last week’s events in Queensland won’t have assuaged any fears over planning for the biggest show on earth.

  • by Darren Kane
Foreman in 1974.

I interviewed George Foreman three times. This was the most surprising thing about him

The former heavyweight champ was a compelling character, who spoke in depth about the Rumble in the Jungle and his lasting friendship with his conqueror, Muhammad Ali.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese during a press conference after visiting Government House to call for an election.

We’re prepared for election of small targets, which is deeply disappointing

Australians deserve better than the kind of visionless politics being dished up by the major parties.

  • The Age's View
AFL football executive Laura Kane.
Opinion
AFL 2025

The AFL’s female footy boss is a victim of unconscious bias from clubs dominated by men

Some of the criticism of Laura Kane is difficult to fathom.

  • by Caroline Wilson

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