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Opinion

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Pm at national cabinet

Albanese goes back to the future for housing reform

Giving the states a kick up the bum while offering them cash to really put more housing stock into the market is one step to repairing the damage caused by decades of poor policy.

  • by Shane Wright

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Transurban CEO-elect Michelle Jablko

Why appointing a female CEO to run a big company doesn’t feel like progress

What passes for success – or even progress – is still a low bar.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Robbie Farah and the mural dedicated to him at the Sackville Hotel in Rozelle.
Opinion
NRL 2023

Wests Tigers’ next big call: Is Robbie Farah ready to become the general manager?

On the surface it seems ambitious to catapult a recently retired player into the role, but there are very few that have the street smarts and nous that Farah possesses.

  • by Michael Chammas
The Olympic rings graced the Harbour Bridge for the period of the Sydney Olympics.

This World Cup’s been a huge success, but for one Olympic-sized fail

The Sydney Olympics set the standard for promoting Australia to the world. This Women’s World Cup is a reminder of how to get it all wrong.

  • by Anthony Dennis
Xi Jinping has so far resisted unleashing major stimulus to revive China’s faltering economy.

Xi Jinping under pressure as China’s troubles deepen

The Chinese president has so far resisted pulling the trigger on a major move to revive the world’s second-biggest economy. But the push is on.

  • by Jill Disis
This year’s AFL retirees include Richmond’s Jack Riewoldt, North Melbourne pair Ben Cunnington and Jack Ziebell, West Coast’s Nic Naitanui, and former Hawthorn teammates Isaac Smith and Lance Franklin, who finished their respective careers at Geelong and Sydney.
Opinion
AFL 2023

Buddy, Riewoldt top the class: Ranking the AFL’s retirees

The first XI of this year’s AFL retirees have a host of premierships and honours to their name, but as is often the case, it’s the key forwards who stand out above the rest.

  • by Jake Niall
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Shows like the Teletubbies, The Ferals, Round the Twist and Lift Off were among the most popular children’s shows throughout the 90s.

Life is dark and absurd. No wonder kids shows celebrating this are winning awards

Bluey might be feel-good, but encouraging our kids to watch nonsensical thrillers is what will really benefit them in the long run.

  • by Cherie Gilmour
Trump has even turned on Rudy Giuliani, his personal attorney.

How Trump’s ‘Co-conspirator No. 1’ went from hero to crank

Legal experts on both sides say, given the allegations in the indictment, Rudi Giuliani is likely to be the subject of a formal prosecution in the matter at some point.

  • by Bill Wyman
Twice impeached, four-times criminally indicted: former president Donald Trump.
Analysis
US politics

Road back to the White House for Trump now passes through four different courtrooms

The charges in Georgia under anti-organised crime laws carry a penalty of between five and 20 years in prison. Crucially for Trump, they are also unpardonable.

  • by Farrah Tomazin
What Australia is feeling for the Matildas, England felt for the Lionesses last year.

I’m a Pom in Australia – and I’m supporting the Matildas against England

The nation is fast becoming a green-and-gold-tinged emotional mess, but it’s also creating an awkward dilemma for a million British expats living here.

  • by Lucie Morris-Marr
Owen Farrell tackle.

For the sake of rugby, England captain Owen Farrell must be banned

England captain Owen Farrell has been handed a remarkable reprieve and is free to play at the World Cup after his red card for a dangerous tackle against Wales was overturned.

  • by Oliver Brown
Yang Huiyan xxx Country Garden

The good, the bad and the very ugly: Chinese giant faces collapse

Once China’s biggest real estate developer, Country Garden is on the edge. And doubts are growing over whether its 41-year-old major shareholder will dip into her fortune to try to rescue it.

  • by Shuli Ren
After Tom Mundy become better informed about super, he switched to a slightly more aggressive investment option as it is very likely to see him retire with a higher balance.

The simple step that could seriously boost your super savings

Taking a little more investment risk can add tens of thousands of dollars to your super balance by retirement.

  • by John Collett
Apartments overlooking Central Park have fetched in excess of US$50 million.
Opinion
Renting

Lowe is right: New York’s soaring rents shows why freezes won’t work

In his final appearance before parliament as Reserve Bank governor, Philip Lowe voiced his opposition towards rent freezes or caps. He may have a point.

  • by William Bennett
Retirement calculators use different assumptions leading to very different estimates of how much money needs to be saved for a comfortable retirement and expectations of income in retirement

More retirement villages ditch capital gain sharing in contract revamp

Retirement village contracts are moving away from giving residents a share of the capital gain on their unit.

  • by Rachel Lane
Morningstar’s Michael Malseed says a big part of the reason for the outperformance of global shares is US-listed tech companies
Analysis
Investing

Australian shares beating out global peers over the very long run

An initial investment 30 years ago in the Australian share market, without adding to it, would have grown more than 13 times.

  • by John Collett
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How satisfied we feel with our financial lives isn’t just about how much money we have, it’s more to do with how we compare to others.

My friends all earn more than me, how do I not feel left behind?

Satisfaction with our financial lives isn’t just about how much money we have, it’s more to do with how we compare to others.

  • by Paridhi Jain
If you’ve moved into aged care and on the pension, delaying the sale of your home can affect the amount of money you receive.

How soon do we need to sell the house after entering aged care?

If you’re in aged care and on the pension, delaying the sale of your home can affect the amount of money you receive.

  • by Noel Whittaker
Illustration by Simon Letch

There are less painful tools to fix inflation, so why aren’t we using them?

Our politicians and their economic advisers need to find a better way to skin the cat.

  • by Ross Gittins
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Outrage about a holiday we might actually relate to

Readers respond to the push for a Matildas public holiday; The Voice; and seas rising in the Pacific.

Matildas players and supporters celebrate Cortnee Vine’s winning penalty against France.

Rise of the Matildas shows why women’s football is bigger than a game

If you think the Matildas’ success has been a helluva ride, you ain’t seen anything yet.

  • by Moya Dodd
"Australia’s climate is continuing to warm, and the frequency of extreme events such as bushfires, droughts, and marine heatwaves is growing”: Dr Jacj Brown, CSIRO.

How surging insurance bills could help us deal with climate change

Insurance increases – and some areas being declared uninsurable – are a price signal from a hotter, riskier planet. Will they end up driving our adaptation to the climate crisis?

  • by Liam Mannix
Daniel Andrews

Why no one wants to look for the Labor Party’s signature forgers

Victoria’s integrity bodies aren’t set up to deal with misconduct like this. It means the Labor Party will be more focused on the leakers than the forgers.

  • by Annika Smethurst
Is Joyce’s support helping Albanese with the Voice? That’s a whole different referendum.

Should companies have a Voice or mind their own business?

Appreciative as the prime minister might be of Qantas boss Alan Joyce’s support, it’s a risky strategy for the government.

  • by Elizabeth Knight

Anyone who jinxes the Matildas by declaring a public holiday too early is a bum

Albanese is clearly trying to follow the example of Bob Hawke back in 1983 when he proclaimed an informal public holiday after our America’s Cup win. But there’s a vital difference.

  • by Kerri Sackville
Grandparents are often
Opinion
Childcare

Should grandparents be paid for childcare or should Nanna do it for nada?

The best part of being a grandparent is getting to hand them back, right? Well, it doesn’t always work that way.

  • by Hannah Vanderheide
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Threads has has a big debut with millions of sign-ups, but Meta has a lot of work to do.

Is Mark Zuckerberg’s Threads just a flash in the pan?

Dubbed as the “Twitter killer”, the Facebook billionaire’s latest venture burst on the scene. By week two, though, signups began to drop off.

  • by Barbara Ortutay
RMIT finance academic Angel Zhong says many Australians struggle with financial literacy.

‘Costing us a fortune’: Australians still failing basic financial literacy tests

Australians continue to be stumped by these basic finance questions. Can you answer them?

  • by John Collett
Jerome Powell is confident of being able to negotiate a “soft landing” but it is far from guaranteed.

Waiting game: US needs to stay patient to avoid disaster

The US Federal Reserve is playing a waiting game as it tries to make a “soft landing” from its inflation battle. If it trips up, it could lead America into a recession.

  • by Steve Matthews
Robotinho prediction

Robotinho predicts Women’s World Cup semi-final scores … and who will win the final

How far can the Matildas go? Who will lift the trophy? We asked our resident AI expert the tournament’s big questions.

  • by "Robotinho", James Lemon and Mark Stehle
For women in the workforce, the time is ripe to ask for a pay rise.
Opinion
Employment

Why the time is ripe for women to ask for a pay rise

Women’s participation in the workforce is growing, giving them the power to demand higher wages.

  • by Kris Grant
“The truth will set you free” is an under
Opinion
Religion

When Jesus said ‘the truth will set you free’, he wasn’t talking about Netflix or Amazon

“The truth will set you free” is surely one of the most quoted of all Bible verses, often cited by people who have no idea where it comes from. But it is also one of the most misunderstood.

  • by Barney Zwartz
Opinion
Renting

Why freezing rents could make more people homeless

Only when housing is plentiful will it also be affordable. So we need to build more dwellings where people want to live.

  • by Brendan Coates and Joey Moloney
Nic Naitanui

Mesmerising to witness: How Nic Naitanui changed the game forever

Remember his first goal against Hawthorn in 2009, in a torrential downpour with the game on the line? We didn’t know then, but he was going to be a champion.

  • by Brendan Foster
Voice

Voice paradox starting to take political toll on Albanese

Labor has lost support at a time of huge division over its pledge to find a new way to end Indigenous disadvantage.

  • by David Crowe

Putin sent this critic to prison as a birthday present. I spoke to him from his cell

He’s been sentenced to 8½ years in jail for discussing the massacre of Ukrainian civilians. His lawyer conveyed my questions to him and returned with his handwritten responses.

  • by Peter Hartcher
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Richmond are on the lookout for a new senior coach.
Analysis
AFL 2023

Revealed: What the Tigers are asking for in their next coach

The job description document that Richmond sent out to candidates for the senior coaching position contains words not traditionally associated with AFL coaches, nor with a combative macho game that has been a playground for Alpha males.

  • by Jake Niall
When gender isn't an issue ... but boys and girls are forced onto separate fields in their late teens.

A Matildas public holiday won’t fix football’s funding failures

A joyful Women’s World Cup should not blind us from the inequalities plaguing the world game in Australia.

  • by Millie Muroi
Caroline Springs is home to a statue that none of the locals really understand the meaning of.

‘You’re from Caroline Springs? You must be rich, then’

We were waiting for the neighbourhood to build up around us. It didn’t take long for families who didn’t want to leave the west to flock to Caroline Springs.

  • by Tracy-Kate Simambo
Matildas and the AFLW

Why the Matildas’ success should have the AFL ‘very worried’

As Australia prepares for a week of extraordinary Women’s World Cup hype, the AFL season edges towards the end of its home-and-away season. But what does the Matildas’ success mean for the AFLW?

Mackenzie Arnold celebrates with her fellow Matildas after Cortnee Vine’s winning kick.

Matildas means money: Capitalising on Australia’s hottest brand

How fitting are the colours – green and gold? The Matildas have become an extremely valuable brand.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Collingwood’s Bobby Hill goals against Geelong; West Coast coach Adam Simpson is under more pressure after the derby loss to Fremantle; and, Sam Powell-Pepper on the burst for Port Adelaide.
Analysis
AFL 2023

Derby loss heaps more pressure on Eagles coach; Pies, Port back on winners’ list: Key takeouts from round 22

Of all the drubbings his team has copped this year, losing the WA derby by 101 points might be the most damaging for West Coast coach Adam Simpson, while the Pies and Power rebounded in round 21 after mini form slumps.

  • by Jon Pierik

It’s what you don’t know about the Matildas that makes them miraculous

At every obstacle, the players have rallied, fought and pursued their dreams with the kind of vigour reserved only for the truly extraordinary – and perhaps even a little crazy.

  • by Lucy Zelic
Mackenzie Arnold (right) embraces her Matildas teammates after Australia won the penalty shootout against France in the World Cup quarter-final.

Sweaty, unaffected joy: Matildas are bigger than sport and a reminder of what sport is about

The beauty of this World Cup is that it rises above the whiny pettiness of the NRL and AFL.

  • by Andrew Webster
China’s president Xi Jinping has become more erratic.

China’s economic problems could make it more dangerous

China’s path to global dominance seems to have disappeared. It makes it more of a threat to global security.

  • by Paul Krugman
Tottenham’s head coach Ange Postecoglou
Analysis
EPL

Spurs show they are now shaped by Ange Postecoglou, not Harry Kane

The Australian’s EPL debut was delayed due to a water shortage, the toilets malfunctioned at half-time, but he did escape with a draw in his first game in charge.

  • by Thom Gibbs
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Sam Kerr returns to Sydney with the Matildas squad.

The Matildas have run themselves into the ground. How much more can they give?

Six of Tony Gustavsson’s players haven’t missed a second of the World Cup yet, and another two have almost joined them. How does it compare to European champions England?

  • by Adam Pengilly
England’s Alessia Russo in action against Colombia in the quarter-final.

Of course the Australia-England rivalry is renewed with so much at stake

The Matildas’ World Cup semi-final against the Lionesses is on a far more even keel than it would have been considered a year ago, or nine months ago, or even last week.

  • by Emma Kemp
Rents have risen steeply.
Opinion
Inflation

Hate price rises? Please blame supply and demand, not me

It’s clear that psychology has also played a big part in the great post-pandemic price surge. It didn’t cause it, but it caused it to be bigger than it might have been.

  • by Ross Gittins
Critical minerals race
Opinion
Renewables

How I learnt to stop worrying and love Biden’s IRA

Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is transforming energy policy in the US and Australia needs to get with the program, fast.

  • by Nick O'Malley