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John Hanscombe

John Hanscombe

Canberra Times

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For golden retriever Gus, the struggle is real

For golden retriever Gus, the struggle is real

Wait, what? Why are all these people yelling at me? Did I poop in the laundry again? I'm sure I didn't but my recall's not that good so...

thursday 9

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

For golden retriever Gus, the struggle is real

For golden retriever Gus, the struggle is real

Wait, what? Why are all these people yelling at me? Did I poop in the laundry again? I'm sure I didn't but my recall's not that good so...

thursday 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Donald forced to drain the swamp he oversaw

Donald forced to drain the swamp he oversaw

It was going to be the best blue you've ever seen. Tremendous American flag blue. Bluer than any blue. Something to make Washington so proud....

24.06.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Donald forced to drain the swamp he oversaw

Donald forced to drain the swamp he oversaw

It was going to be the best blue you've ever seen. Tremendous American flag blue. Bluer than any blue. Something to make Washington so proud....

24.06.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The Coalition gives itself a wedgie on tax reform

The Coalition gives itself a wedgie on tax reform

It was the worst of pranks, painful and humiliating. The tormentor would sneak up behind you, grab the waistband of your undies and yank upwards as...

23.06.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The Coalition gives itself a wedgie on tax reform

The Coalition gives itself a wedgie on tax reform

It was the worst of pranks, painful and humiliating. The tormentor would sneak up behind you, grab the waistband of your undies and yank upwards as...

23.06.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Saxa salt with a serve of chips on the shoulder

Saxa salt with a serve of chips on the shoulder

This is an important announcement from the Australian Department of Monocultural Affairs. To preserve our way of life the following regulations will...

22.06.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Saxa salt with a serve of chips on the shoulder

Saxa salt with a serve of chips on the shoulder

This is an important announcement from the Australian Department of Monocultural Affairs. To preserve our way of life the following regulations will...

22.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Hanson in the hot seat gets a little, well, heated

Hanson in the hot seat gets a little, well, heated

Look, I want want to be mean but I can't find any other way to say this: Pauline Hanson is not fit to run the country. Not if her address to the...

18.06.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Hanson in the hot seat gets a little, well, heated

Hanson in the hot seat gets a little, well, heated

Look, I want want to be mean but I can't find any other way to say this: Pauline Hanson is not fit to run the country. Not if her address to the...

18.06.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The unsung heroes who toyed with our tastebuds

I'll never forget that first olive. Spat out like a bullet from a gun. My face contorted with disgust. Salty and sour like nothing I'd ever...

17.06.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The unsung heroes who toyed with our tastebuds

I'll never forget that first olive. Spat out like a bullet from a gun. My face contorted with disgust. Salty and sour like nothing I'd ever...

17.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

A cheap car lot one day, thuggish circus the next

There were a couple of reasons I felt particularly proud to be an Aussie the past couple of days. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup...

16.06.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

A cheap car lot one day, thuggish circus the next

There were a couple of reasons I felt particularly proud to be an Aussie the past couple of days. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup...

16.06.2026 10

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The gift horse Hanson should have looked in the mouth

Pauline Hanson makes no secret of her distrust of and disdain for China. She's criticised the prime minister for engaging with Beijing, called...

15.06.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The gift horse Hanson should have looked in the mouth

Pauline Hanson makes no secret of her distrust of and disdain for China. She's criticised the prime minister for engaging with Beijing, called...

15.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Young me wouldn't believe the tech we're drowning in

"Had you told me 10 years ago that I'd be spending $100 a month on television, I'd have thought you were insane." Subscribe now...

11.06.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Young me wouldn't believe the tech we're drowning in

"Had you told me 10 years ago that I'd be spending $100 a month on television, I'd have thought you were insane." Subscribe now...

11.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Someone, anyone, step up to ward off Hanson

It was almost 10 years ago when the unthinkable happened. Sitting in an American-style diner on a bright November day, I watched as the results came...

10.06.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Someone, anyone, step up to ward off Hanson

It was almost 10 years ago when the unthinkable happened. Sitting in an American-style diner on a bright November day, I watched as the results came...

10.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

When retail therapy becomes retail torture

Bookshops should be realms of quiet adventure. You might enter with vague purpose, to satisfy a hankering for a taut thriller or complex history. And...

09.06.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

When retail therapy becomes retail torture

Bookshops should be realms of quiet adventure. You might enter with vague purpose, to satisfy a hankering for a taut thriller or complex history. And...

09.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Like so many animals, rats can be heroes too

It's dangerous work but they never complain. And they get the job done much faster than humans can. One of them can search 200 square metres in...

08.06.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Like so many animals, rats can be heroes too

It's dangerous work but they never complain. And they get the job done much faster than humans can. One of them can search 200 square metres in...

08.06.2026 30

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The veil lifted on a quiet rebellion on the streets of Tehran

When the ABC's Karishma Vyas began her excellent series of reports from Tehran, giving us a rare glimpse of the war from the other side, I...

04.06.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The veil lifted on a quiet rebellion on the streets of Tehran

When the ABC's Karishma Vyas began her excellent series of reports from Tehran, giving us a rare glimpse of the war from the other side, I...

04.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Left or right, populism always fails the people

The shudder was involuntary, triggered by the news that a Redbridge poll had declared One Nation was Australia's most popular political party....

03.06.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Left or right, populism always fails the people

The shudder was involuntary, triggered by the news that a Redbridge poll had declared One Nation was Australia's most popular political party....

03.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The sky is not the limit but only the beginning

The moon rose full and bright on Sunday evening the textures of its surface clearly visible to the naked eye. Close to the horizon, our near neighbour...

02.06.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The sky is not the limit but only the beginning

The moon rose full and bright on Sunday evening the textures of its surface clearly visible to the naked eye. Close to the horizon, our near neighbour...

02.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

You think that was poor form? Try these insults

The microphone didn't pick it up but those opposite did. And it had Leader of the House Tony Burke up on his feet instantly, demanding the...

01.06.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

You think that was poor form? Try these insults

The microphone didn't pick it up but those opposite did. And it had Leader of the House Tony Burke up on his feet instantly, demanding the...

01.06.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The joy that comes when everything's out to kill you

28.05.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The joy that comes when everything's out to kill you

After a week of showers, heavy and persistent, the break in the weather was welcome. A brief window in which to hang a load of washing in the hope it...

28.05.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Centrestage is likely too crowded for new players

27.05.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Centrestage is likely too crowded for new players

It doesn't make sense. The mere suggestion you could have a party of independents is a contradiction in terms. How can you be a member of a party...

27.05.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Your place in history is part of a great story

26.05.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Your place in history is part of a great story

Age caught up with me again last week. A friend was telling me about a documentary series about the Blitz he'd just watched. To think it happened...

26.05.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Out for a duck in a losing battle against nature

25.05.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Out for a duck in a losing battle against nature

The insurgents use the cover of darkness, arriving just after the sun has set or in the half light before it rises. Elaborate countermeasures to...

25.05.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

I can't mute the leaf blower but I can mute Pauline

It's a toss up. Assailed by the whine of a leaf blower on the weekend, I'd all but decided it was the most annoying sound known to humanity....

21.05.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

I can't mute the leaf blower but I can mute Pauline

It's a toss up. Assailed by the whine of a leaf blower on the weekend, I'd all but decided it was the most annoying sound known to humanity....

21.05.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Nothing like a flash of colour among the bills

It arrived five weeks after we returned. A postcard sent from the Central Post Office in Hanoi, it had made its way to Australia by sea. Subscribe now...

20.05.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Nothing like a flash of colour among the bills

It arrived five weeks after we returned. A postcard sent from the Central Post Office in Hanoi, it had made its way to Australia by sea. Subscribe now...

20.05.2026 30

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

A spiky tale of our most enigmatic native animal

They moved through the forest almost silently, silhouetted against the early morning light shining through the trees. Suddenly stock still, his ears...

19.05.2026 20

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

A spiky tale of our most enigmatic native animal

They moved through the forest almost silently, silhouetted against the early morning light shining through the trees. Suddenly stock still, his ears...

19.05.2026 20

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

Ignore the sandwich generation at your peril

Now, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me - honestly - you've never broken a promise. Of course, you can't. Subscribe now for...

18.05.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Ignore the sandwich generation at your peril

Now, I want you to look me in the eye and tell me - honestly - you've never broken a promise. Of course, you can't. Subscribe now for...

18.05.2026 30

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe

The Goldie dodges a towering, trashy bullet

Incredibly brave or utterly foolish? Three months ago, when plans for a 91-storey Trump tower on the Gold Coast came to light, it took no time for me...

14.05.2026 30

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

The Goldie dodges a towering, trashy bullet

Incredibly brave or utterly foolish? Three months ago, when plans for a 91-storey Trump tower on the Gold Coast came to light, it took no time for me...

14.05.2026 30

Canberra Times

John Hanscombe