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Opinion

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Tim Beresford, the chief executive of the Australian Financial Security Authority, there is a lot of misunderstanding by the public of how bankruptcy works
Analysis
Insolvency

New reforms welcomed after significant jump in bankruptcies

A likely reason for the spike, apart from higher interest rates, is the ATO’s resumption of collection of outstanding taxes after a pause during COVID.

  • by John Collett

Latest

Financial perfectionism often inhibits people from taking the actions and risks that would lead them to financial success more efficiently.

How do I avoid my kids being taxed at 66%?

Children are taxed at a much higher rate than adults, but this won’t apply to their own earnings.

  • by Noel Whittaker
It’s becoming harder and harder for first homebuyers to get a loan.

Why first-time buyers are finding it harder to get a mortgage

More first home buyers are struggling to get their mortgage applications over the line with lenders.

  • by John Collett

There are no ‘safe’ seats any more, and here’s why that’s good news

More power for crossbenchers at the federal level could be a good way to break the big-party logjam. It couldn’t could be worse than what we’ve got.

  • by Ross Gittins
To get loan help over the line explain how you intend to turn your circumstances around and understand that nothing – ever – is free

Sydney council land grabs ignore housing crisis and cost of living

Despite the severe housing crisis, Sydney councils are spending an inordinate amount of time and energy plotting mergers and demergers they can’t afford.

  • by Michael Koziol
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Opinion
Column 8

The beer-ocratic movement is brewing

Where there are votes on tap.

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Telstra CEO Vicki Brady: “As we propose specific changes, we will talk them through with our teams”.

Telstra must get pricing pain right to prevent a customer revolt

Realistically, Telstra was always going to re-price this year, so customers should have been waiting for that shoe to drop.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Dane Gagai and Selwyn Cobbo
Analysis
NRL 2024

‘Point to prove’: Why returning stars’ traits may signal Maroons’ game plan

A Maroons champion feared his Origin days were over, but his selection could speak to how Queensland intend to counter their rivals in the decider.

  • by Nick Wright
Alex de Minaur has lost just one set on his way to the quarters.
Analysis
Wimbledon

‘I’m a different player’: How de Minaur can take down Djokovic

The biggest match of Alex de Minaur’s career has arrived as he prepares to face the great Novak Djokovic in a last-eight clash at Wimbledon. Both players are dealing with physical issues, but the numbers from this year’s Wimbledon suggest the Serb will be tough to beat.

  • by Marc McGowan
Zoya Patel and her son.
Opinion
Parenting

As the child of immigrants, I feel a loss for experiences my son will never have

I knew my partner and I were on the same page about raising children, but I didn’t anticipate the impossibility of giving my son full access to my culture and the opportunity to embrace his heritage.

  • by Zoya Patel
There is very strong competition for selective school places.

Local high schools should be supported as well as selective ones

While some parents will always want to send their children to an independent school the possibilities if all other students attended their local high school are amazing. The local school’s NAPLAN results would be better. All students would live locally, rather than having to travel to a school out of their area.

Alex de Minaur beat Arthur Fils in the fourth round at Wimbledon but had to survive a small injury scare towards the end of the match.
Analysis
Wimbledon

‘A few painkillers will help’: Hip injury could dent one of de Minaur’s biggest weapons

Australia’s Alex de Minaur pulled off a stunning victory against Arthur Fils, and now faces grand slam great Novak Djokovic in a quarter-final that will be the biggest match of his life.

  • by Marc McGowan and Marnie Vinall
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Editorial
Editorial

Children in a cancer hospital are not soldiers of war

The Russian missile attack on a Kyiv paediatric hospital has brought worldwide condemnation yet Russia blamed Ukraine air defences.

  • The Herald's View
Violence in Alice Springs.
Analysis
Crime

What’s happening in Alice Springs?

The Northern Territory government has announced a three-night curfew in the town after recent “civil disturbances”.

  • by Ben Cubby
Holding onto the job: US President Joe Biden.

I’ve been covering Biden for years. I’m surprised Democrats let him run again

In 2020, the US president presented himself as a transitional figure who would unite the country before passing onto a new generation – yet here he is.

  • by Farrah Tomazin
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden

For Democrats, replacing Biden will solve one problem but create another

Joe Biden is the ultimate decider on whether to stay on or to step aside, but key meetings this week may force his hand and open the door for Kamala Harris.

  • by Bruce Wolpe
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In the world of finance and investing, small mistakes can end up costing you a lot over time.
Analysis
Investing

Seven common investing mistakes to avoid at all cost

In the world of finance and investing, small mistakes can end up costing you a lot over time.

  • by Natasha Etschmann and Ana Kresina
Michael Clarke is sent on his way at Trent Bridge.
Analysis
Test cricket

Blond highlights: Keeping pace with Anderson’s remarkable 20-year Test career

Australians first laid eyes on a peroxide-tipped Jimmy Anderson more than two decades ago. As he prepares for his farewell from the Test arena, we pick out five of the pace legend’s finest moments.

  • by Dan Walsh
The UK economy remains in the doldrums.

The UK and France now have to deal with very uncertain futures

Two very different election outcomes last weekend have produced very similar challenges that the governments will struggle to deal with.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
REST’s Andrew Lill says exposure to US tech stocks has helped its flagship Core Strategy Option to post good returns.

Strong year for super funds as banks, AI boost returns

Super funds have declared near double-digit returns for the past financial year, largely thanks to outstanding performances by a raft of tech companies.

  • by John Collett
Propel Funeral Partners is Australia’s No.2 player in funerals and cremations.
Opinion
Budgeting

Why your funeral could be a great investment

The cost of funerals has risen 20 per cent in the past few years, so it’s important to have a plan in place when it comes to payment.

  • by Rachel Lane
Liam Martin loves the fact he is hated by Queenslanders.

History points to Maroons three-peat – but don’t put your glasshouse on it

After day one of the State of Origin gibber fest, it’s fair to say “bullying” will be the buzzword of choice in the lead-up to the decider.

  • by Andrew Webster
Incoming Eels coach Jason Ryles.
Analysis
NRL 2024

‘Broncos of the west’: How the Eels landed their man Ryles

Jason Ryles was mowing the lawn at his South Coast home when the phone call from Parramatta came through. The deal was done a few hours later.

  • by Michael Chammas
Illustration by Dionne Gain

Why Trump’s explosive Iran question stumped this former White House insider

Chris Miller’s tenure as Donald Trump’s defence secretary was a brief 72 days. He’s now considered a possibility to return to the job in a second Trump administration.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Morrison and Albanese.

The blaring warning for Albanese that Morrison ignored until he lost

The Liberals ignored constant warnings about their failing on climate, women and integrity until heartland seats abandoned them. Labor should not make the same mistake with Gaza.

  • by Angus Livingston
Jordan Thompson knows all too well the stress of being a professional tennis player.
Analysis
Wimbledon

‘Playing in fear’: Why rankings points mean everything in tennis

Making the top 100 is the holy grail for many tennis players because it is considered the threshold to tour legitimacy, and the gateway to grand slam main draws and enormous prizemoney.

  • by Marc McGowan
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Opinion
Column 8

A lofty life won’t prevent knitted brows

Could be time to zip it.

West Coast coach Adam Simpson has been in the gun recently.
Analysis
AFL 2024

Simpson’s end at West Coast looks likely, despite million-dollar payout

On Monday, West Coast’s hierarchy was silent on the Adam Simpson situation – neither chief executive Don Pyke nor chairman Paul Fitzpatrick willing to venture any comment on the senior coach’s position.

  • by Jake Niall
Index

Tsunami of financial distress a sad indictment of society

The lending rules of our banks have contributed to the mortgage crisis people now face. When interest rates were at record lows, banks were only too willing to allow borrowing. They surely would have been aware this would be unsustainable when interest rates inevitably rose.

Janison will parter with Cambridge Assessments for the first online selective school and opportunity class tests in 2025.

Why selective schools are missing the mark

Despite a revamp, children from disadvantaged backgrounds are severely underrepresented in selective schools. There’s more to do.

  • by Millie Muroi
Isaac Heeney has been suspended for this incident with Jimmy Webster.
Opinion
AFL 2024

A knee-jerk reaction is no answer to a backhander

Isaac Heeney’s suspension has once again prompted calls for a loosening of the criteria for Brownlow Medal eligibility. Those calls should be resisted.

  • by Greg Baum

Will Fatima Payman become the Pauline Hanson of the left? That’s up to her

The now-independent WA senator has chosen performative identity politics over Labor Party solidarity. But her next decision could have even more profound implications for Australian politics.

  • by Peter Hartcher
Woolworths CEO Brad Banducci pays for Woolworths reputation slump

Woolworths boss pays the price for its sagging reputation

Canberra has played a game of one-upmanship on supermarket bashing over the past six months and may make the Guinness World Records for the use of the term price gouging.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
French President Emmanuel Macron.

France’s far right did not win vote but are still waiting in the wings

France faces chaos as President Emmanuel Macron’s gamble to stop the hard right forces him to consider sharing government with the far left.

  • The Herald's View
Double trouble: Josh Battle consoles Sydney’s Logan McDonald after St Kilda’s upset win.
Analysis
Sydney Swans

Swans have more to worry about than McDonald’s late misses

In two consecutive games, Logan McDonald has missed the game-winning shot, but his misses obscure far greater issues for the Swans.

  • by Jonathan Drennan
People gather at the Republique Plaza following the second round of French legislative elections.

What the French election means for the future of Europe’s growing far-right movement

France’s newly created left-wing Coalition may have won the election, but if history shows us anything, it’s that the far right knows how to bide its time.

  • by Dennis Glover
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Young voters say they’re uninspired by a presidential race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

Trump is the master conman, but Biden is giving him a run for his money

Joe Biden, his wife, his vice president and his long-time aides worked hard to conjure a mirage where everything is fine in Bidenworld. That mirage vanished with the debate.

  • by Maureen Dowd
The performance of the tech giants has driven Wall Street to record levels.

Wall Street is disconnected from reality

Wall Street is ignoring what is happening in the world’s biggest economy.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Nate Caddy must play every week when fit.
Analysis
AFL 2024

Big-moment Bomber must keep playing; Swans’ stumbles change flag race

This week in key take-aways: examining whether the Pies trust their depth players, opportunity for change at Carlton, another false dawn for Suns and a selection squeeze at Essendon.

  • by Peter Ryan and Andrew Wu
People stand in a square as they react to projected results after the second round of the legislative elections.

If this was an Olympic event, Le Pen’s far right would not make the podium

It was tense at the Place de La Republique in Paris, as crowds from all sides of the political spectrum gathered to see which way the vote would go.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Kalyn Ponga.
Analysis
NRL 2024

Slater is yet to lose a series as coach. But has he got it wrong this time?

Billy Slater is undefeated at the Queensland helm. But as a shock snubbing continues after the capitulation in game two, has he got it right?

  • by Nick Wright
Without the benefit of bracket creep, governments would be forced to keep making explicit increases in the rates of income tax, or to announce new taxes.
Opinion
Income tax

Yes, we need tax reform, but it offers no easy answers

Surely if we could end the crazy business of bracket creep, we’d pay less tax? Well, yes – but no.

  • by Ross Gittins
Senator Fatima Payman quit the Labor Party on Thursday.
Opinion
ALP

Payman saga shows Labor can’t have its caucus, and eat it too

Fatima Payman has given up her chance to challenge the way Labor Party democracy currently works, and that’s a pity.

  • by Sean Kelly
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Opinion
Column 8

Hunter region hyperspace

Ploughing the fields of history.

Peter Dutton.

Dutton has told his troops to prepare for an early election. Are they up to it?

The veteran politician, a former police officer, lived through the scarring Nelson-Turnbull-Abbott years. He has placed a premium on unity, and it has paid off – at least so far.

  • by James Massola
Isaac Heeney is in trouble for this incident with Jimmy Webster.
Opinion
AFL 2024

Heeney didn’t mean to hit Saint high. It should still be graded intentional

In Four Points this week: when to worry after a shock defeat, and when to stay calm; a Brownlow favourite should be out of contention; Jack Lukosius embodies the Suns’ road woes; and the Tigers become the frontrunners for the top pick in the draft.

  • by Michael Gleeson
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Noah Lolesio
Opinion
Wallabies

Returning Lolesio the conductor the Wallabies badly needed

There were a handful of promising signs for the Wallabies in their win over Wales.

  • by Paul Cully
Letch

Tailgates of hell: Aggressive practice endemic and dangerous

I am not sure if it is laziness or incompetence, but NSW Police must start penalising tailgaters for the reckless manner in which they are endangering the community.

In the early hours, the dog park is a great neutraliser of class and wealth.
Opinion
Pets

Shame, humility and tennis balls: Going to the dog park is like church, but better

God is God. At the park, God is a ball. Priests are dog groomers or walkers. Holy bread is chicken (unless you’re an oodle with an allergy).

  • by Charlotte Mortlock
Jared Waerea-Hargreaves is sin-binned on Sunday.
Analysis
NRL 2024

A sin-binning and stitches in the head? That’ll be a JWH milestone match

Roosters fans were treated to a series of Jared Waerea-Hargreaves exhibits so specific to the player and appropriate to the setting that his record 307th game almost felt performative.

  • by Emma Kemp