Opinion
Opinion
Ask an expert
Should I move from a small super fund to a major one?
While a small fund can seem like it lags bigger ones, it can still be a winner when it comes to returns.
- by Paul Benson
Latest
Opinion
Hiring & firing
Redundancies aren’t always bad. Here’s what to do if it happens to you
Being made redundant doesn’t have to be a bad thing, especially if you know how to negotiate your way out the door.
- by Victoria Devine
Analysis
NRL 2024
Why Paul Kent may have done Fox Sports a favour
The ratings for NRL 360 during Kent’s absence last year made for interesting reading, and co-host Braith Anasta wasn’t shy in letting his 50,000 Instagram followers know about it.
- by Danny Weidler
Opinion
IPL
The joy of six has not been entirely lost, but it’s getting there
Cricket is overdoing a good thing with sixes. It is one thing to reinvigorate a sport to stay in line with the times, another to indulge it to death.
- by Greg Baum
Opinion
Domestic violence
Where does this violent debate leave the good men we know and love?
These men are receptive to anti-misogyny campaigns, but they are also the ones who least need them.
- by Jacqueline Maley
Opinion
Islam
We need to talk about the way we talk about DV and terrorism
Weasel words aren’t helping. It’s time we were brave enough to name the real threats.
- by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Opinion
Religion
Not in my name or His: The wilful damage all in the name of faith
In his life and teaching, Jesus was far more interested in how people treated each other than in setting up institutional loyalty.
- by Julie Perrin
Opinion
Five Minutes with Fitz
Keen to become PM, Hannah Ferguson might just have the cheek to get there
The 25-year-old is making her voice heard in the campaign to end violence against women.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Hip pocket
It’s ‘good’ debt, but should you pay your HECS off early?
Australia’s student loan system is a relatively fair scheme, but rising inflation means balances are booming. It’s time to study your options.
- by Dominic Powell
Opinion
Sunday Life
The worst part of being a grown-up is coming up with a family meal each evening
Food is glorious, but the cooking part has never been my strength.
- by Jessica Rowe
The unwanted first for Hawkins as he approaches Cats games record
The coming week will be one of reflection, as Tom Hawkins equals Joel Selwood’s games record at Geelong. There will be reminiscing of past glories, and with this a stark reminder that the Hawkins of today is not quite the Hawkins of yesteryear.
- by Andrew Wu
Analysis
Radio
Kyle and Jackie O have hit Melbourne’s airwaves. I listened for a week … so you don’t have to
It’s brazen, profane, sexual, demeaning and frequently flouts broadcasting standards but at times, it’s weirdly compelling. Here’s what it was like to take in a full week of their antics.
- by Stephen Brook
Opinion
Palm Beach
Can you put a price on peace and quiet? Apparently, you can in Palm Beach
If there’s one thing that separates the rich from the rest of us, it’s their obsession with silence.
- by Thomas Mitchell
Analysis
Software
What next for Scott Farquhar, the godfather of Australian tech?
The billionaire head of the ‘Atlassian mafia’ has the chance to further re-shape Australia’s technology sector, according to those closest to him.
- by David Swan
Opinion
Wallabies
The top four Wallabies bolters ... and my pick for new captain
Time is running out for Wallabies hopefuls to impress new coach Joe Schmidt. Here are the players putting their hands up for a first international call-up.
- by Paul Cully
Opinion
The Fitz Files
When daylight swimming was illegal at Manly beach
How one man’s fight to change the law paved the way for Manly Swimming Club’s great legacy.
- by Peter FitzSimons
Opinion
Musings
I signed up for a one-way ticket to hell and (somehow) came out transformed
Group fitness: the term is a combination of two of my least favourite things.
- by James Colley
Opinion
Retirement living
Seven secrets to getting juicy deals on retirement travel
The sector serving retirees with travel is packed with well-kept secrets. Today, I’m going to share a few of the finest.
- by Bec Wilson
Opinion
Budgeting
After 20 years of columns, here’s what’s changed about money
Twenty years ago, I was still writing about rampant interest rates and booming property prices. But much has changed.
- by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Opinion
Jobs
The way we work is fundamentally broken. How do we fix it?
All the research is showing, no matter which way you look at it, the way we are working is broken. It’s a problem we must urgently address.
- by Tim Duggan
Opinion
Political leadership
Paul Keating’s apprentice is painting a vastly differently portrait of Australia
If Jim Chalmers can deliver on his big picture, Australia will win on a global scale. If not, the title of Christopher Malouf’s Archibald Prize portrait will be vindicated.
- by Peter Hartcher
Opinion
Domestic violence
The AFL’s ‘call to arms’ is a step forward. Shame about the steps backwards
While the league unites against domestic violence, it must walk the talk.
- by Julia Baird
Opinion
Social media
Influencers are paid to love themselves loopy. But at what cost?
Something strangely dark wells up inside while I’m looking at the Instagram post of a popular Australian fashion influencer.
- by Jo Stubbings
Analysis
AFL 2024
If McKay and Curnow don’t get you, Daicos will
Carlton’s forward line titans threatened early and late, but it was Nick Daicos who stood tallest when it mattered most.
- by Greg Baum
Analysis
AFL 2024
Can Sam Taylor walk the talk? That and four other burning Sydney derby questions
We take a closer look at Saturday’s tantalising clash between the high-flying Swans and Giants at the SCG.
- by Vince Rugari
Opinion
Russia-Ukraine war
Western banks have no excuse for funding Putin’s war machine
Some of the world’s biggest banks are now generating far more money in Russia than they were before the war started. It is shameful.
- by Ben Marlow
Opinion
WordPlay
My recent crossword sparked beef. Was my food clue a trifle fishy?
With words always gaining new meanings, setting crosswords is no piece of cake.
- by David Astle
Opinion
Religion
Morrison broke a taboo with anxiety, but he’s broken a bigger one in his book
Former prime minister Scott Morrison made Christian faith part of his electoral pitch. His new memoir does not fully dispel the criticism that he called on it at his convenience.
- by Justine Toh
Analysis
Federal budget
Six simple words that could fire the gun on the next election
The federal budget, if you pay close attention, could reveal Labor’s hand – and its plan to be sensible but boring.
- by James Massola
Opinion
ICC Men’s World Cup
Australian selectors optimistic at best in ignoring T20’s A-kid
George Bailey and his panel think they are being risk-averse with their World Cup squad. They are actually risking everything as the world changes without them.
- by Malcolm Knox
Opinion
US election
Why Donald Trump will benefit from the US college chaos
A lesson from 1968 – and, indeed, from the 1972 election – is that campus unrest favours the Republicans.
- by Nick Bryant
Opinion
Real life
My wedding plan was perfection, then I turned my feet into two blocks of ice
My scheduling and Be Your Best strategy seemed to have paid off, before suddenly I realised it hadn’t.
- by Kate Halfpenny
Opinion
US Votes 2024
Alarm bells: Donald Trump is flirting with some very dangerous ideas
Donald Trump is as addicted to magical thinking and denial of reality as any petty strongman or dictator. That’s why his economic plans should have us all worried.
- by Paul Krugman
Opinion
Comedy
Eight pressing questions I’ve left unanswered for decades
The answers are surely a quick Google away. But do I really need to know?
- by Richard Glover
Opinion
Flexible working
Bosses demanding a return to the office should stop and listen to women
The benefits of flexible work are particularly appreciated by women, who have indicated clearly it is non-negotiable.
- by Pip Dexter
Opinion
NRL 2024
Peter FitzSimons is hurting the concussion cause, not helping it
The former Wallaby would have greater impact if he took us with him on his concussion crusade rather than continually belittling us.
- by Andrew Webster
Opinion
Productivity
Is a Future Made in Australia a good idea or a bad one? Maybe a bit of both
Why would Anthony Albanese and his smart economists, Jim Chalmers and Chris Bowen, want to reverse the bipartisan policy of the past 40 years and take us back to the future?
- by Ross Gittins
Analysis
NRL 2024
Any more losses like this and Souths might lose Bennett as well
No one would have been a keener observer of South Sydney’s latest loss than Wayne Bennett. The enormity of the job, should he wish to accept it, has just been laid bare.
- by Adrian Proszenko
Opinion
Work therapy
Was my colleague being callous by not comforting a co-worker?
We should be careful about making assumptions about people’s intentions in any situation, including at work, as people’s thoughts can be hard to deduce.
- by Jonathan Rivett
Opinion
Domestic violence
Holding all men responsible for a violent minority has failed to keep women safe
The more I heard the discourse around respect and violence, the more it reminded me of being told that it was up to all Muslims to own the problem of terrorism and solve it.
- by Waleed Aly
Analysis
Media & marketing
Breaking news: Will social media kill the evening bulletin?
Competition from agile digital outlets and social media giants is forcing a major rethink of how TV news is delivered, and who is best suited to do so.
- by Calum Jaspan
Analysis
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Cops to remain on Ivy League campus until after graduations
The sight of law enforcement officers in and around a prestigious college campus is somewhat jarring, even with its history of activism.
- by Farrah Tomazin
Opinion
Immigration
‘Community safety is our priority,’ the government says. Tell that to Ninette Simons
The Albanese government wanted the alleged basher of Ninette Simons to remain behind bars, but it cannot escape the political fallout from the fact he was set free.
- by David Crowe
Opinion
Competition
Competition kicks the stuffing out of NAB and Woolworths
This week’s results provide a reality check for those who argue that the highly concentrated banking and supermarkets sectors lack competition.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
General insurance
Who’d pay $3440 to insure my tiny car? My ex-insurer thought I would
My Kia Picanto is worth about as much as a Taylor Swift ticket. Check out the swifty my ex-insurer tried to pull.
- by Margot Saville
Opinion
Wallabies
Why the Wallabies must snub game’s hottest property and NRL target
Max Jorgensen is a teenage phenomenon with a huge future. But decisions need to be made about how to best maximise his potential.
- by Iain Payten
Opinion
Interest rates
Why no news from the Fed is good news
The US central bank is sticking to the “higher for longer” interest rate scenario factored into financial markets, while downplaying the prospect of widely feared rate hikes.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Freedom of speech
I’ve seen the fear of Jewish students and colleagues: One academic’s plea to uni protesters
I am no fan of Benjamin Netanyahu and the war he is prosecuting, but I am deeply concerned by the illiberal and simplistic turn that the protests at Sydney University are taking.
- by Catharine Lumby
Opinion
AFL 2024
The move that could end Carlton’s 29-year premiership drought
Jeremy Cameron has been a formidable weapon for Geelong this year. It’s time for the Blues to copy the Cats, which could finally put them on a stronger path to ending a premiership drought that is now in its 29th year.
- by Kane Cornes
Analysis
NRL 2024
Bennett beckons, but is it wise for Souths to get back with an ex?
History offers mixed results regarding coaches who return to their former clubs, and nostalgia has a tendency to distort the reality of past break-ups.
- by Emma Kemp