Opinion
Opinion
Inside China
China’s $217 billion attempt to stimulate a sluggish economy
China has announced spending that will make its budget deficit the largest in 30 years. It’s the biggest attempt yet to lift a weak growth rate that is threatening Xi Jinping’s long-term ambitions.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Latest
Opinion
Friendship
Should I let my girlfriend’s husband kiss me on the lips?
The etiquette of kissing today is unclear and not just because of COVID. Even before the pandemic, whom, when and where to kiss has been a landmine of doubting pouters.
- by Jo Stubbings
Opinion
State Parliament
Hands off Moore Park Golf Course. Giving public courses to developers is rough
The claim that golf is an elite sport is ridiculous. Played by 1.5 million Australians, it is among our most democratic and egalitarian sports.
- by Duncan Fine
Opinion
Matildas
Swede nothings: Gustavsson coy on Matildas future with US job still vacant
The coach talked and talked until there was nothing left to say. Except, perhaps, what everybody really wanted to know: will he still be around for the Olympics?
- by Emma Kemp
Opinion
NRL 2023
Wests Tigers financial shortfall covered for now … but that may not always be the case
The NRL joint venture club will ride out a series of payouts that hit the 2023 bottom line.
- by Roy Masters
Opinion
State Parliament
Hell hath no fury like my cancelled bus. Time for Minns to get on board
Labor won by convincing enough voters that the Coalition had left NSW with a host of headaches. But as Sarah Mitchell pointedly reminded Prue Car – and Labor – this week: “It’s your turn now.”
- by Alexandra Smith
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Will the Gaza war spread through the Middle East? Hezbollah has the answer
While the lethal Lebanese force is helping Hamas with rockets from the north, it will be wary about provoking Israel’s unbridled wrath.
- by Rodger Shanahan
Opinion
Careers
‘Career or baby’: Why women in the tech sector still face an impossible choice
The very thing that makes the tech and start-up industries so appealing are also the things that can make it an incredibly difficult industry to start a family in.
- by Michelle Battersby
‘Selfish elitism and separatism’: No easy answer to public v private education debate
The polices of the Howard government have led to today’s inequity in education.
Opinion
Executive shake-up
Continuous explosions: Magellan chief executive exits with a bang
It is paradoxical that Andrew Formica says the key to stemming the outflow of funds across Magellan’s products is to have “less noise” when the shock departure of the chief executive screams chaos.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Analysis
Inflation
The inflation blockbuster coming to Australian mortgages
Like the trailer for a new movie, the most recent inflation figures are a tease for the Reserve Bank’s next meeting with an interest rate rise top billing.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Aviation
My prayers that a second airport would make things quieter fell on deaf ears
I’ve just discovered that when the new Western Sydney Airport finally opens in 2026, aircraft noise in my area is likely to increase.
- by Nick O'Malley
Editorial
Planning
There is nothing sacrosanct about golf courses
Converting part of Moore Park golf course into a public park is a good outcome for locals.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Energy
China’s slowdown and the looming glut of fossil fuels
The International Energy Agency predicts peak demand for oil, gas and coal within this decade. It would be grim news for major fossil fuel exporters like Australia.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Foreign relations
Is Albanese dining with the next US president? There are wildcards on the menu
Joe Biden is handling global crises well, but there is no guarantee he will be the Democratic nominee for the next presidency.
- by Bruce Wolpe
THE ENGLISH VIEW
EPL
Tottenham are no longer ‘Spursy’ under Ange Postecoglou – they are the real deal
This is an ode to Ange. Never before, in the Premier League, has a manager had such a rapidly transformative effect on a squad, on a club, on a fan base.
- by Jason Burt and Kieran Crichard
Opinion
Education
Unisex school toilets aren’t the bogeyman you think they are
Instead of the classic boys and girls bathrooms, a Victorian primary school has opted for unisex toilets. But is this the education hill we should die on?
- by Adam Voigt
Analysis
AI
Why AI tech stock boom could be headed for dotcom-style bust
This year’s technology rally defies logic, echoing the famous dotcom boom and bust of the early 2000s.
- by Dan Miles
Opinion
Active investing
In defence of day traders: Not all of us are ‘Dumb Money’
The release of Dumb Money in cinemas this week gives us retail traders a bad name.
- by William Bennett
Analysis
Charity
Why charities shouldn’t be ‘crucified’ for acting like corporates
Non-profit organisations are prohibited from investing and amplifying the good they do, says humanitarian activist and author Dan Pallotta.
- by John Collett
Opinion
Active investing
Four simple things to think about before investing a cent
What many people don’t realise is that good investing starts long before you invest the money.
- by Paridhi Jain
Opinion
Ask an expert
I have $4.5 million in assets - can I get a Seniors Health Card?
Even if you have millions of dollars in assets, you can still be eligible for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.
- by Noel Whittaker
Opinion
School funding
How identity politics has plunged our public schools into crisis
The inequity of our school funding system means the less government help a school needs, the more it’s given, and the more a school needs the more likely it won’t be given enough.
- by Ross Gittins
Opinion
Sleep
Why I’m not losing sleep over my chronic insomnia
It’s been three decades since I began waking up in the middle of the night, but it’s not all doom, gloom and yawning.
- by Christopher Bantick
Vote-chasing politicians created scourge of the super-sized ute
As well as costing us all, dual-cab super-utes are little more than statements of macho indulgence and folly.
Why Israel’s ground invasion hasn’t happened ... yet
Troops have been amassed at the Gaza border since the days following Hamas’ bloody incursion into Israel, but they have yet to push into Hamas-held territory.
- by James Lemon
Opinion
Pharmaceuticals
‘Tip of the iceberg’: Investing in the Ozempic revolution
Investment mania around a new family of drugs that purportedly offer a miracle cure for obesity has made some pharmaceutical companies into supergiants.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Gender equality
Why we urgently needed a list of the hottest women in Infrastructure
Even if the Women’s Economic Equality Taskforce is funded to the max, the frank and fearless young men of the public service remind us we’ve still got problems.
- by Jenna Price
Editorial
Australian economy
Joe Hockey has a point about spending. It’s a shame he’s a bad salesman
Joe Hockey’s tenure as treasurer is widely viewed as a disaster. But that doesn’t mean his warnings on government spending are wrong.
- The Herald's View
Analysis
Spending
Shoppers urged to buy sustainable presents this Christmas
Australians are expected to spend $10.5 billion on Christmas gifts this year, and consumers are urged to spend on presents that will not end up in landfill.
- by John Collett
Analysis
Media & marketing
Seven boss content with ‘last-mover advantage’ on streaming
The Kerry Stokes-controlled network is pitching its all-in approach to free-to-air television as an asset to advertisers.
- by Calum Jaspan
Opinion
Billionaires
Gina Rinehart and Andrew Forrest battle it out in green energy race
Which iron ore magnate has more money invested in advancing the energy transition? Green evangelist Andrew Forrest or culture warrior Gina Rinehart? Believe it or not, at this point it’s neck and neck.
- by David Fickling
Opinion
Alcohol
We need to fix our drinking culture, but I don’t think this will do it
If graphic warning labels do prove to reduce alcohol-related deaths, then I will bravely endure them. But I won’t stop my biweekly tipple.
- by Kerri Sackville
Opinion
Interest rates
The world’s most important interest rate sounds a warning
The yield on US 10-year government bonds briefly hit 5 per cent on Monday for the first time since 2007, a level that could threaten the prices of property and shares.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Analysis
First-home buyers
One-third of first home buyers helped by new low-deposit scheme
Property price rises mean more first-time buyers are taking advantage of the government’s low-deposit scheme.
- by John Collett
Opinion
Cars
Hate all the monster utes on our streets? Your tax dollars helped pay for them
Take to the roads, any road, any time, and you’ll quickly see bad tax policy at work.
- by Shane Wright
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
What’s next in Gaza? Let’s recall what happened to Islamic State
Of history’s various urban wars, the closest precedent is the Battle of Mosul in 2016-17, when an eight-nation force including Australia drove the Islamic State out of that Iraqi city.
- by Peter Hartcher
Developments must factor in the green and golf
Before the government builds dwellings for thousands more people across Sydney, it should ensure that adequate green space is factored into the development
Editorial
China relations
Grapes of wrath change to mend bilateral relationship with China
Beijing’s decision to review its tariffs on Australian wine is a significant breakthrough for the Albanese government and a further thawing in the relationship.
- The Herald's View
Opinion
Aviation
Qantas board braces for clash with shareholders
Just how much venom Qantas’ shareholders choose to spew at the airline’s board in the upcoming annual general meeting has got corporate circles buzzing.
- by Elizabeth Knight
Opinion
Cricket World Cup
The sad truth: Why this World Cup is a fan-free zone
It’s not just that there are so few Westerners; there are few anybodies. The ICC is displeased about half-empty stadiums, but won’t say so publicly.
- by Greg Baum
Opinion
AI
China-US AI tensions take another turn for the worse
After the US announced tighter restrictions on exports of advanced semiconductors to China last week, China has responded by introducing export controls on graphite, a critical material used in the batteries of electric vehicles.
- by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Opinion
Rugby World Cup
Imagine if it was reversed. Why rugby must not brush racism allegation under carpet
We are facing the frankly bizarre situation in which the only party promising to thoroughly explore the allegation made against Bongi Mbonambi is South Africa.
- by Oliver Brown
Opinion
State Parliament
Stop moaning about Moore Park Golf Course. Sacrifices need to be made
With a housing affordability and supply crisis dogging NSW more than any other state, sacrifices will be necessary.
- by Brad Emery
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
If women were in charge, the world would be a better place
Women and children are collateral damage. It’s crazy that half the population of the world still have virtually no say in how it’s run.
- by Anne Ring
Analysis
China relations
After ending the freeze with Australia, China fancies joining trade bloc
After three years, all but one of half a dozen exports caught up in $20 billion in trade strikes by the Chinese government have been given an official reprieve.
- by Eryk Bagshaw
Tight Five
Rugby World Cup
Strong as an Ox: With bench power like this, Boks are favourites to defend their World Cup
If the All Blacks win it, they will have done it the hard way: this South African team is smart, and their talent goes deep.
- by Paul Cully