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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Analysis
NRL 2026
‘25 years of war’: Wests Tigers need a strongman to take charge
The boardroom bickering that has bedevilled the joint venture since its inception in 1999 will only come to an end when the club appoints a real leader to run the show.
- by Roy Masters
Opinion
Political expenses
Anika Wells is a talent. She could be PM one day, but Albanese should sack her as sports minister
Imagine the booing of cricket fans if she dares to turn up at the Boxing Day Test.
- by James Massola
Opinion
Social media
The social media ban may be a more seismic shift than we realise
There aren’t many cases like this where the divide between experts and the people is so stark. But the implications go far beyond the issue of youth mental health.
- by Waleed Aly
Opinion
Title Deeds
What it’s like to live in a $37m apartment at Sydney’s Crown Residences
There’s room service, a powder room half the size of a normal rental and uninterrupted views. Even getting locked out is different.
- by Kristy Johnson
Opinion
Media & marketing
From AFP raid target to eulogist: Sky’s Whittaker gets the last word on Richo
In this week’s On Background, Boris forgives an old target, scuttlebutt over a succession in Guardian Towers, a clampdown on Christmas misbehaviour, Seven swings the axe and Global Roaming’s expansion continues.
- by Calum Jaspan
Opinion
Christmas
What to do when your child plays detective to unmask Santa
If you are accused of being Santa, perhaps diffuse the crisis by answering a question with a question.
- by Melissa Coburn
Analysis
Political expenses
Albanese is getting close to his ‘I don’t hold a hose’ moment
The prime minister’s sudden insistence the expenses saga has nothing to do with him has left even some of his own colleagues blinking.
- by Rob Harris
Analysis
Venezuela
With single act, Nobel Peace Prize winner drastically raises stakes in Trump stand-off
Overnight, Maria Corina Machado has re-established herself as a major player in an escalating game of brinkmanship between the US president and Venezuela’s leader.
- by Anatoly Kurmanaev, Henrik Pryser Libell and Simon Romero
Opinion
Elon Musk
Master of the universe: Musk wants to take data centres to space
He’s already the world’s richest man. His latest move is making Elon Musk look increasingly like the poster boy for extreme universal capitalism.
- by Elizabeth Knight
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
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
Original URL: https://www.watoday.com.au/opinion