Here’s why we should thank the world’s billionaires
We should be grateful to our Rineharts, Pratts, Forrests, Lowys, Palmers, Packers, Triguboffs, Cannon-Brookes and Farquhars. Just hear me out.
Columnists
There’s 160 years of family history in my photo album
There is something both surreal and important, I think, about saving an image of a person whose DNA is shared with you across the generations.
Here I am. No bra, rat hair, Coco Pops for lunch. I do not care
I’m tired of constantly performing, smiling, affirming, brightening, showing up, battening down, sacrificing, giving up and holding myself in. And I’m not the only one.
Why would you want a car with a waggly tail? Because it’s more fun
It’s perfect for stupid things like skids in deserted car parks, playful as a puppy, and just as bonkers. Fast, and a blast, the Audi RS 3 raises a turbo-charged middle finger to the fun police.
As I turn 86 I ponder: what is time, really?
Babies are full of potential, and enjoy the comforting delusion that they’re the centre of the universe. Only later, as time exiles them from that brief age of innocence, do they learn they’re just one of eight billion or so on the planet.
I was a sporty kid, but I had nothing on my older brother
My older brother was a champion footballer. I idolised him. Sadly, he died having never realised the full potential of his sporting prowess.
Meghan is the most trolled person in the world – but I can’t help but like her
The opprobrium directed towards Meghan Markle feels obscene. Pathological. Racist. People want to silence her. Break her. Disappear her. What exactly is it they cannot stand?
This lovely piece of punctuation is on its way out
The useful little chap is drowning, a victim of Relevance Deprivation Syndrome as the dash gains precedence.
Diana and Steve Jobs have more in common than you’d think
On the one hand, consumer behaviour is shaped by rational forces like time-cost equations. But on the other hand, we respond to emotion, perhaps even to allure.
I love my little town. But it’s disappearing fast
Only two business premises in our town survive, but it will soon be one – unless this column inspires a buyer.
She was a great friend. So why did she want to disappear?
No one really knows another’s secret life and I don’t know where my darling friend went to; I couldn’t reach her, and it grieves me deeply that I wasn’t there for her.
An open letter to the finest leader in the universe
That Chinese upstart Xi Jinping might seek to challenge you for the title of President of the Universe, but he doesn’t yet have the economic dominance, let alone the number of ballistic missiles.
What would the Australians of 1925 think of our country today?
In the hundred years since 1925, church-going has lost favour and divorce has been made easier. Indigenous Australians are better recognised. Women remain in the workforce after marriage. Much has changed – but would past generations be critical?
‘Bad’ is having your fingers broken by a torturer’s hammer – this EV is way worse
Unless you are a young Arab gentleman who wants a plaything in the desert, this car is hopeless, and far too expensive. But it does have a neat party trick.
What if Australia had become a version of Africa?
In this boldy reimagined Australia, we would not be a single nation of 28 million – but long ago divvied up into a series of nation states founded by colonial powers.
The dramatic ways the world has changed in my lifetime
On my planet, divorce was a scandal. Ditto illegitimacy. Abortion was a crime. As were homosexuality and SP gambling. Drugs? Pretty much limited to aspros.
What sunrise culture tells us about Australians
Are we a resilient bunch, or just a nation of optimists? Why do so many of us, despite the ills of the world, still rise with the sun and enjoy the early hours of the morning?
Weight loss drugs are changing the way we eat – but at what cost?
A size 16 drops to a 12, a 10 to a six, but when does it all stop? And with these Ozempic-style drugs – as the hangry food noise in our heads diminishes – is the loss of the pleasure of eating worth it?
My wild conspiracy theory about Donald Trump and JD Vance
Was the assassination attempt of Trump during the 2024 campaign a set-up? A scam? I confess to feeling certain suspicions, and now, I’ve let my imagination run wild.
This 5-star Bentley is a gentleman … and a beast
The super-luxe plug-in hybrid Flying Spur Speed weighs more than 2.6 tonnes but can hit 100km/h in 3.5 seconds. Rivals? I can’t think of any.
Australia, get ready for the great wealth transfer
The oldest Boomer this year is 79. By this age the body is sending out subtle and blunt signals that, well, this mortal life has an end point. As Millennials and Gen-Zs inherit, how will the country change?
Driving this BYD is about as fun as sitting on a bus
BYD’s Sealion 7 is neither exciting nor rubbish, it is just … another EV. Somewhere between ‘hmm’, ‘ho’ and ‘hum’ and herein lies the problem for modern carmakers.
The world of future sex looks bleak – and terrifying
We are entering a world that’s accelerating the erasure of women; the erasure of a human female body that is too demanding, messy, hairy, needy, imperfect, challenging, noisy.
After the ABC evicted me due to old age, the hits just kept coming
As you may have read, I’ve had some bitter disappointments in recent months. But I do have some good news.
The questions I want to ask Australians aged 100-plus
Today’s Australian centenarians are growing in net terms at a rate of roughly a thousand per year. There is something about this group that makes me curious.
I’m so sorry, Netflix. You can’t compete with this
There are undoubtedly many easier and less messy ways to get warm. But to me, the open fire combines art and science – and at Elmswood, makes winter welcome.
If we’re going to protect our oceans, this has to stop
David Attenborough’s team has captured some of the most shocking environmental footage ever shot, its impact reminding me of the horror of seeing TV news reports of baby seals being clubbed to death as a child.
The country set to take over Britain as Australia’s top source of immigrants
Britain has held sway as this nation’s leading source of immigrants since 1788 – but a switcheroo is on its way.
The call of home is a siren song to expats – especially as they age
Like many before me, I developed a thirst to return home after 14 years of living in London. I didn’t want to die under England’s glowering skies; or be buried in its dark, damp earth.
We already vote, so why not try ‘interactive government’?
We have the technology to digitally engage all parts of the electorate. Checking in on voter sentiment could enable governments to make tough decisions in live time.
Original URL: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/weekend-australian-magazine/columnists