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Opinion

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Eagles star Liam Ryan looks to handball during Saturday’s loss to Sydney.

What West Coast must do to avoid having more wooden spoons than premiership cups

With West Coast officially recording the worst season in the history of the competition, what steps must the club take to stop being an uncompetitive rabble?

  • by Brendan Foster

Latest

Ange Postecoglou and Evangelos Marinakis in July.

Meet the ‘Greek oligarch’ who could bring Ange Postecoglou back to the Premier League

Evangelos Marinakis, the Greek owner of Nottingham Forest, is a noted Ange-phile. Could his club be Postecoglou’s next landing spot?

  • by Vince Rugari
Property is an expensive asset to get in and out of – there are a lot of added costs to buy, and to sell.
Opinion
Investing

Is buying a home really better than renting?

Ask yourself these questions before you jump into homeownership.

  • by Paridhi Jain
Life in Aberfeldie.

My mansion-lined suburb’s a little bit posh – but we also have a notorious underbelly

Despite a disreputable side, my tiny neighbourhood is surely the happiest suburb in Melbourne, even if no one knows where we are.

  • by Denis Harvey
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley and Treasurer Jim Chalmers in question time on Monday.

As Ley tried to tear strips off Chalmers, more than half her MPs weren’t even listening

A remarkable 22 Coalition politicians - more than half of all opposition MPs - were on a phone or laptop as Treasurer Jim Chalmers was on his feet in question time.

  • by Paul Sakkal
The weekend of NRL miracle plays in pictures.
Opinion
NRL 2025

The weekend’s footy was astounding. It didn’t even survive until Monday morning smoko

Rugby league - that beautiful, steaming hot mess - almost made it one weekend without a drama. But controversy, scandal and outrage will always reign supreme in this sport.

  • by Dan Walsh
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Life in Oslo was eye-opening.

My summer in Norway left me sad for Australia’s future

In the month I spend there, I learn that Norway is a country where the perks of clever policy abound. But it’s who pays for these perks that is so exasperating.

  • by Lucianne Tonti
Alan Joyce, John Mullen and Vanessa Hudson.

Bonus, anyone? Someone’s going to pay for Qantas’ embarrassing $90m fine

After Justice Lee’s scornful words, some large shareholders appear to be limbering up to protest about executive bonuses.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 24: Josh Treacy of the Dockers is congratulated by Michael Frederick after kicking a goal during the round 24 AFL match between Western Bulldogs and Fremantle Dockers at Marvel Stadium on August 24, 2025 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)
Opinion
AFL 2025

Destructive, decisive: Why Dockers should be more aggressive in finals

Fremantle’s electrifying victory over the Bulldogs not only cemented their return to finals for the first time since 2022 – it highlighted what they’re capable of.

  • by Paddy Sweeney
Jerome Powell’s highly;y anticipated speech has sent a charge through markets.

The Fed chief’s wise words are wasted on Trump

Jerome Powell’s highly nuanced speech highlighted the Trump-inspired uncertainties in the US economy even as Trump ramped up his efforts to gain control of the US central bank. Trump doesn’t do nuance.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Charlie Curnow.
Analysis
AFL 2025

Door ajar on Curnow move, Dons hunt a Lion: The trade state of play at each non-finals team

The off-season kicks off now – or at least becomes the major priority – for the clubs that will watch finals from the sidelines.

  • by Marc McGowan
Donald Trump recently said the Smithsonian – the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, which is based in Washington – is “out of control”.

Trump says he’s worried about getting into heaven. He should be

Trump’s newest painting of himself is a perfect metaphor for the president who sets fires and leaves destruction in his wake.

  • by Maureen Dowd
Dayne Zorko celebrated 300 AFL games with a win.
Analysis
AFL 2025

Top four secured, but one glaring issue threatened Lions’ Zorko party

Their urgency, pressure game and precision moving the ball ultimately got the job done, but the Lions were nearly left to rue a woeful opening term.

  • by Nick Wright
Shark Park in Woolooware, south of Sydney.
Analysis
NRL 2025

The Sharks had an $8m grant for a centre of excellence. Then it all went pear-shaped

Cronulla CEO Dino Mezzatesta complained that every other NRL club had received government funding while his club got nothing. But that’s not the whole truth.

  • by Neil Breen
Treasurer Jim Chalmers addresses a press conference after the economic summit.
Opinion
Red tape

One thing could bring a lasting boost to productivity, but there’s a risk

We need to unclog the pipes of the capitalist machine.

  • by Ross Gittins
President Donald Trump holds the FIFA World Cup Winners Trophy during an announcement in the Oval Office of the White House on Friday.

Sucking up to Trump is now the diplomatic norm. But does it work?

Displays of deference by world leaders towards Donald Trump look so worshipful and self-belittling, they resemble courtiers tip-toeing around a mad monarch.

  • by Nick Bryant
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Rob Valetini of Australia during the Castle Lager Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Australia at DHL Stadium on August 23 in Cape Town.

The Wallabies are on a different planet to last year. Next to 2023, it’s a new galaxy

It was a potentially game-changing fortnight for the Wallabies in South Africa. And one of the most significant moments came in the dying moments of the Test they lost.

  • by Iain Payten
Charlie Cameron celebrates a goal in the Lions’ victory over Hawthorn.
Analysis
AFL 2025

Finals have almost arrived. These are the weaknesses that could expose the top eight

Finals-like pressure exposed the strengths and weaknesses of several teams in the final round of the season. What comes next for the top eight teams will expose the pretenders.

  • by Jake Niall
Polycystic ovary syndrome is believed to be the most common endocrine condition in women of reproductive age, affecting between 6 and 13 per cent.

A doctor said I was ‘too skinny’ to have PCOS. Five years later, I received a diagnosis

Despite having many symptoms associated with polycystic ovary syndrome, the absence of one left me in limbo for too long.

  • by Hannah Bambra
Wallabies
Opinion
Wallabies

The ref’s call that cruelled the Wallabies

The Springboks should have had a man in the sin bin at a crucial stage of the Test match in Cape Town.

  • by Paul Cully
Last week, the government announced children will be moved off the National Disability Insurance Scheme and onto the Thriving Kids scheme.
Opinion
Disability

NDIS wasn’t equitable or sustainable for families. As a paediatrician, I welcome change

While the NDIS has enabled better access to supports for some children, it is neither.

  • by Harriet Hiscock
Anthony Albanese is still to meet Donald Trump in person.

White House? Looks like Albanese’s in Trump’s doghouse

Only three G20 nations have yet to secure a meeting with Trump: Brazil, Mexico - and Australia. It’s getting embarrassing for Anthony Albanese.

  • by George Brandis
Universal Store chief executive Alice Barbery.
Analysis
Retail

Subway’s new challenger, the next Penfolds: Six ASX chiefs on what’s next

Furniture, wine, milk and pies: the chiefs of Australia’s biggest retailers reveal what they’re plotting for the new financial year.

  • by Jessica Yun
Jake Trbojevic and brother Tom both make the grade.
Opinion
NRL 2025

Mestrov to meet Trbojevic brothers amid simmering tension at Manly

The Trbojevic brothers are the most popular players at Manly, and it’s an open secret on the Northern Beaches that Tom is unhappy with the club.

  • by Danny Weidler
Employees covered under EBAs are lucky enough to get a guaranteed annual wage increase. Just don’t call it a ‘pay rise’.
Opinion
Employment

Another great Australian dream goes by the wayside

We’re still a long, long way from enjoying the 15-hour working week predicted in the 1930s.

  • by Victoria Devine
Izak Rankine’s only chance of playing in this year’s finals is if the Crows lose one.
Opinion
AFL 2025

The Rankine rule: How to close the loophole that helps a losing side

If we assume Izak Rankine’s presence boosts Adelaide’s chances on grand final day, it means the Crows will be better off having lost along the way than having cleared every hurdle.

  • by Waleed Aly
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The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, all of them consonants, and is read from right to left.
Opinion
Religion

Revival of ancient tongue a miracle of our times

Learning the Hebrew alphabet in kindergarten, as my children did, Jewish children become part of something much bigger.

  • by Nomi Kaltmann
Saints fans love him, and why wouldn’t they?

How Wanganeen-Milera has made me feel like a fan again

This season needed Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera. The decision he made to stay with the Saints was good for football and a reminder the game’s best elements remain.

  • by Mathew Stokes
Women belong in the kitchen. Discuss.

Year 9s were asked if women should stay in the kitchen. People were outraged. I wasn’t

Just because the tradwife concept is anathema to feminists like me doesn’t mean we shouldn’t interrogate why women are drawn to its simplistic promises.

  • by Jacqueline Maley
Retirement doesn’t have to be something you fall into. It can be something you ease into, deliberately, and on your own terms.

Why Australians fear this stage of life more than we think

Once upon a time, retirement was the prize at the end of the grind. But work has changed.

  • by Bec Wilson
  AI
Opinion
AI

If AI just cut out the middle moron, would that be so bad?

The danger isn’t that artificial intelligence will outsmart us, it’s that humans will be too dumb to use it well.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Investors are back as the fastest growing group of buyers.
Opinion
Hip pocket

How I structure investment property loans for maximum tax perks

Spurred by high rents and expectations of further price growth, investors are back as the fastest growing group of buyers.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon

I took my partner to a sex therapist. Our ‘homework’ led to a thrilling discovery

“I’ve never found him so desirable.”

  • by Kathy Lette
Each mug tells a story.
Opinion
Real life

I keep my kitchen wares perfectly matching - but for one item I embrace chaos

Some people like to keep their kitchen all matchy-matchy, but a well-curated cupboard can hold a life-time of memories.

  • by Claire Thurstans
Letters
Letters

Treaty puts Victoria on right side of history

The progress on a treaty between Victoria and Indigenous groups draws praise.

After weeks of relentless rain, the city of Sydney has finally given up hope.
Opinion
Weather

Game over, Sydney. The sun may be back, but the rain has finally defeated us all

Once a city that was able to weather the weather, this recent bout of record-breaking rain has pushed us all to breaking point. 

  • by Thomas Mitchell
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Opinion
Weather

No, you’re not imagining it. That round shiny thing in the sky is the sun

After weeks – and weeks – of rain, it’s blue skies ahead for the harbour city. For now, at least.

  • by Robyn Willis
The Wallabies celebrate a remarkable victory at Ellis Park.
Analysis
Wallabies

Can the Wallabies beat South Africa again? Yes – if they do these five things

The Wallabies did the unthinkable at Ellis Park last weekend. Here’s how they can pull off back-to-back Test wins in South Africa for the first time since 1963.

  • by Tom Decent
The woman slipped on the wet bathroom floor following a spa bath. (file picture)
Opinion
Real life

Baths are good in theory – but horrendous in practice

I want to suck all the pleasures from life but I don’t understand the appeal of some things.

  • by Richard Glover
“Please rsvp? That’s like saying ATM machine!”
Opinion
WordPlay

I opened my radio show to listeners’ biggest peeves. The phone lines flooded

When it comes to malopropisms and tautologies, you have strong opinions.

  • by David Astle
Donald Trump in the White House on Monday.

Trump is losing his grip as Europe loads up

While Donald Trump still commands the daily news cycle, he no longer commands the West nor the fate of Ukraine as Europe builds up its military capabilities.

  • by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Treasurer Jim Chalmers at the opening of the Economic Reform Roundtable at Parliament House on Tuesday.

Albanese doesn’t share Chalmers’ ambition. He’s got a different one

Even though there’s now an organising principle for this term of government, the PM is unlikely to embrace major reform until circumstances dictate that he should.

  • by Peter Hartcher

Gilead rising: In Trump’s America, misogyny has found a powerful toehold

Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has endorsed a Christian pastor who wrote that “unsubmissive” women are a “truly destructive force”. They’re now saying the quiet bit out loud.

  • by Julia Baird
Under-siege Adelaide star Izak Rankine.
Analysis
AFL 2025

Lawyer up and fight them on the benches: The inside story of the Izak Rankine case

The AFL offered a five-match ban that, to Adelaide’s chagrin, soon became public knowledge. The club’s submission to have Rankine’s ban reduced included two key arguments.

  • by Jake Niall
Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt.

Why Ellis Park marks the start of Wallabies’ next golden era

I say the epic win over South Africa last week was the Wallabies’ most significant since the 1984 grand slam – which launched a 20-year period of unprecedented success.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
ss

If I wait until I’m 55 to sell, can I avoid capital gains tax?

It’s not your age that matters but acting on the opportunity to shelter up to $167,500 of profits.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
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Ebereche Eze.

Alpha move: Arsenal’s Eze heist heaps humiliation on Spurs

The Gunners’ swoop to sign their rivals’ No.1 target from under their noses strengthens their Premier League title push and leaves Tottenham back at square one.

  • by Emma Kemp
Corey Toole will start for the Wallabies against South Africa.
Analysis
Wallabies

Wallabies double down on speed for South Africa rematch

On top of their own selections, South Africa’s decision to drop Eben Etzebeth back to the bench could also help the tourists.

  • by Paul Cully
Editorial
Disability

Cold hard facts and figures don’t tell the whole NDIS story

There is logic to the government’s planned changes to the scheme, but there are also real human risks, especially for children.

  • The Age's View
Early offers have no negative impact on student motivation, according to credible studies.
Opinion
University

Do university early offer schemes dent year 12 motivation? That’s not what we found

Critics osay they lower motivation and standards but the evidence does not back that up.

  • by Eric Knight