menu_open Columnists

The Sydney Morning Herald

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

What the Wallabies have to get right against Fiji

The Wallabies have one Test against Fiji to blow out the cobwebs because Super-Rugby quality won’t cut it against the Lions.

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Paul Cully

Trump and his multitrillion-dollar Sharpie sign off on cuts ‘no one will notice’

The US president figures no one will notice the loss of healthcare and school lunches among the poor. Could he be right?

latest 4

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tony Wright

As Trump’s big, beautiful debt gets ever bigger, let’s give thanks for the RBA

It remains one of the most memorable – for all the wrong reasons – images of this century. President George Bush, on the deck of the USS Abraham...

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Shane Wright

Tax reform should be the latest patron of the arts

These are bleak days for arts institutions and organisations, which depend on public and private funding to survive. Many still struggle post-COVID...

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Herald&x27S View

The major retirement planning question we’re all getting wrong

When it comes to retirement, we’ve been taught to chase a number. A big, scary, often impossible number. $1 million. $2 million. Enough to live off...

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Bec Wilson

Forget the Midas touch, investing now requires diamond hands

As July officially rolls around, it’s safe to say the last 12 months have been a wild ride, at least financially. According to SuperRatings, our...

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Nicole Pedersen-Mckinnon

The one simple choice that could transform your workday

In 2023, an Australian news presenter descended into helpless giggles when her on-air guest accidentally applied a Zoom filter that adorned him with...

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Patrick Lenton

No elbows on the table and other rules to live and dine by

I have a friend who attended a posh boarding school, some seven decades ago, and he’s been teaching me the correct way to ask for the salt. No way...

latest 7

The Sydney Morning Herald

Richard Glover

Lions series won’t be won on penalties and collapsed scrums

TFF had a little fun with my Thursday column, this week, trying to educate the leaguies on the glory of the Lions. Ahem ... “Just how many people...

latest 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Fitzsimons

The writing was on the wall for the Blues – in black and white this time

For Carlton, the writing was on the wall – and not just at their home base – that this contest against the Magpies wouldn’t be a pleasant...

latest 6

The Sydney Morning Herald

Jake Niall

Bravo to Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. It was vulgar but they did their wedding right

The last thing I did before running out the door for my second wedding was stick on the veil from my first. From when I was half my age, 24, not...

yesterday 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Kate Halfpenny

I’ve worked in childcare for 50 years. This is the worst I’ve seen it

I have worked for more than 50 years in early education and care as an academic, centre director, writer, consultant, resource developer and...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Anne Stonehouse

The Konstas conundrum: When will the golden boy of Australian cricket come good?

St George’s: The frustration was evident on Sam Konstas’ face as he slowly walked off the Grenada National Cricket Stadium, shaking his head after...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tom Decent

‘That real hard edge’: Dual-code prodigy leads Queensland’s new era of NRLW stars

Broncos NRLW superstar Tamika Upton has declared Reegan Hicks is in line to produce a breakout campaign, as the club seek to bounce back from their...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Nick Wright

Rude customers? Retail review gives us one star, at best

“Please remember to treat our team respectfully as they assist you.” (Telstra, recorded phone call.) “During this stressful time we ask everyone...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Malcolm Knox

Trump’s big, beautiful mistake will have China licking its lips

China’s leaders must be wondering whether they are hallucinating or the United States’ political class have lost their minds, committing economic...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Ambrose Evans-Pritchard

Trump has hung Ukraine out to dry, though Zelensky did all he asked

Volodymyr Zelensky thought he had done everything right. When US President Donald Trump demanded that he sign away Ukraine’s mineral rights in...

yesterday 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Owen Matthews

When the world keeps you awake: Finding sleep in anxious times

Words like payload worry me. Deploy and warhead. Bunker-busting munitions. Diagrams to illustrate how the Shahed-136 drone works, from target-lock...

yesterday 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

David Astle

Childcare horrors are shocking, but they’re no surprise to me

It’s the stuff of nightmares. Broken bones. Burnt hands. Children strapped into high chairs for hours and force-fed until they vomit. Toddlers...

yesterday 4

The Sydney Morning Herald

Adele Ferguson

Why do I lie awake at night? Because it kept my ancestors alive

Gloom begets gloom. Darkness is the perfect environment for anxiety. As I’m taking nightly refuge in bed, whatever anxieties I currently have...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Anson Cameron

As China prepares to invade Taiwan, a reality check: sitting on the sidelines won’t help us

Prime  Minister  Anthony Albanese’s second visit to China – pencilled in for this month – will come weeks before the People’s Liberation...

yesterday 3

The Sydney Morning Herald

Jennifer Parker

‘Everything will turn to dust’: As Gaza crumbles, its fate lies knotted to that of one man

For an odd, anxious period at the start of the week, it appeared as though Donald Trump’s confounding ability to reshape the world around him had...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Nick O&x27Malley

Lance Armstrong is back, but he should be banned from any association with cycling

This weekend marks the Grand Départ, in the 112th Tour de France. Between now and the end of the month, a third of the 200 or so riders rolling out...

yesterday 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Darren Kane

Between Xi and Trump, can PM afford to be ‘relaxed and comfortable’?

Anthony Albanese will definitely meet Xi Jinping on Chinese soil in 11 or 12 days’ time before he meets Donald Trump in India or somewhere...

yesterday 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

James Massola

Triumph of cowardice over creativity a huge cause for concern

Creative Australia’s one job is to invest in and champion Australian creativity. But its botched handling of the appointment of artist Khaled...

yesterday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Herald&x27S View

How Canberra’s most popular book might influence my hunt for a first home

Anyone who has rented (or knows a renter) knows the woes of living on someone else’s terms: unresponsive landlords, rent hikes and the threat of...

yesterday 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Millie Muroi

My colleague is attention-seeking and noisy. How do I make them stop?

We work in a very small office space. In the middle is a cupboard filled with various odds and ends. Noise from this part of the office tends to...

yesterday 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Jonathan Rivett

Modern work demands we be ‘always on’. It’s wearing us down

Ever found yourself frozen at your desk, staring blankly at your inbox, thinking: “I just can’t do this any more”? You’re not alone. As a workplace...

yesterday 8

The Sydney Morning Herald

Amanda Gordon

Lions for leaguies: My guide to the greatest rugby show on turf

Everyone, after me: A-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh, a-wimoweh. In the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lions sleep tonight ... And so they do. But...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Peter Fitzsimons

Revelations about alleged abuse confirm urgency of childcare reforms

Just a day after the Herald raised the question of the oversight of childcare, fresh revelations about the alleged abuse of children have emerged...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

The Herald&x27S View

Why Melburnians celebrate the failure of Sydney’s ‘Vile Kyle’

“We’d rather live in Melbourne Though some folks say it’s faulty. Sydney’s got its strippers But we’ve got Henry Bolte. We’ve got...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tony Wright

The Diddy trial: A test for the music industry’s conscience

Almost eight years after rape accusations against heavyweight movie producer Harvey Weinstein upended the film business and created a powerful...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Michael Idato

Villain or victim? Qantas cyberattack will be a test of customer faith

Nothing tests a consumer’s fragile faith or a company’s integrity quite like a cyberattack. Qantas’ brand is in a particularly precarious position...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Elizabeth Knight

Being busy doesn’t make you special, so lay off the drama

We all know the type. The colleague that hurries past your desk with a furrowed brow. The person who’s always late to the meeting. The one who...

previous day 40

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tim Duggan

We have a great law to tackle workplace sexual harassers. Pity it’s never been used

Two important events concerning sexual harassment took place this week. Australian female-led hospitality advocacy group Sorry Not Sorry toured the...

previous day 4

The Sydney Morning Herald

Karen O&x27Connell

Worse than every parent’s worst nightmare, but here’s one big thing to keep kids safe

It is impossible to overstate the distress, fury and anguish that parents, grandparents and educators in Australia are feeling in the wake of the...

previous day 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Georgie Dent

Iran’s latest decision reveals flaw in Trump’s big plan

An axiom in the national security world says you cannot bomb a country into giving up its nuclear weapons programs. The attack itself only...

previous day 4

The Sydney Morning Herald

David E. Sanger

Relentless push for profit is failing our kids

The childcare operators that employed alleged child sex offender Joshua Dale Brown have said there is no indication so far of any negligence on...

previous day 1

The Sydney Morning Herald

Colin Kruger

‘Their strength has become a liability’: The problem with Carlton and how to fix it

Carlton president Rob Priestly says it’s all about the next eight weeks at Ikon Park, but the Blues’ problems run deeper than that. Whatever...

previous day 1

The Sydney Morning Herald

Chris Pelchen

Trump’s foolish war on the world is a mess

With less than a week to the deadline for the next phase of Donald Trump’s tariffs, it is clear that the “90 deals in 90 days” that the...

previous day 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Stephen Bartholomeusz

Enough with the beeping machines! They are making our lives worse, not better

Recently, my high-end fridge started smugly beeping at me every two or three minutes. (We didn’t buy this fridge, I hasten to add – it came with...

previous day 20

The Sydney Morning Herald

Jane Caro

Why Penrith can’t win the premiership, but Brisbane still have a shot

We all know it’s nearly impossible to win a premiership from outside the top four. Of the 117 title winners since 1908, 115 of them have done so...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Andrew Johns

Albanese is the conservative who mugged the Liberals. Let’s hope he seizes the moment

Anthony Albanese is a man who likes props. In the 2022 election campaign, he regularly brandished a one-dollar coin to emphasise his support for a...

previous day 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Shaun Carney

I was all for smart trolleys at the supermarket - until they made me feel dumb

My Gen Z-er children barely summon an eyeroll at my midlife failings. I’ve entered that twilight zone where I no longer fall over but have a fall....

previous day 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Claire Heaney

The anatomy of a record Wimbledon serve

Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard may have left the Wimbledon field for another year, but his record-breaking 246km/h serve will be remembered – not least...

previous day 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Brittany Busch

The Lions are already roaring. How worried should the Wallabies be?

So far, in 164 minutes on Australian soil, we have seen the British and Irish Lions post two dominant wins, scoring 16 tries and 106 points, and...

previous day 1

The Sydney Morning Herald

Iain Payten

Steve’s marriage fell apart. Then he discovered a $25,000 debt

When Steve’s* marriage came to an end, his biggest surprise came when he discovered the large debt left from his wife’s prolific spending. As the...

wednesday 10

The Sydney Morning Herald

Emily Chantiri

Young, socialist, Muslim NY mayoral candidate is the start of a revolution

Zohran Mamdani just pulled off the political upset of the year in New York’s Democratic mayoral primary. It was a David and Goliath moment, powered...

wednesday 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Tushaar Garg

Ley’s revelations about coercive control will help women. It’s a shame her party won’t do the same

When Sussan Ley revealed last week she’d been a victim of coercive control, my first response was “poor bloody woman”. Then “thank God she got...

wednesday 9

The Sydney Morning Herald

Jenna Price

How moving into aged care could boost your pension

The move into aged care sparks a flurry of financial decisions – none more emotionally charged than what to do with the family home. To preserve...

wednesday 2

The Sydney Morning Herald

Rachel Lane