menu_open Columnists

The Examiner

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

A moral obligation requires moral reform: a response to Linda Reynolds

A moral obligation requires moral reform: a response to Linda Reynolds

Linda Reynolds argues that reforming the National Disability Insurance Scheme is a "national obligation." On that point, she is right - but...

latest 10

The Examiner

Zoë Wundenberg

Warwick Thornton's outback western offers a rare ray of hope

Warwick Thornton's outback western offers a rare ray of hope

Wolfram (M, 100 minutes) While this outback drama is one of a growing number of stories on screen about Indigenous dispossession, it is also a tale of...

latest 2

The Examiner

Jane freebury

Don't mess with this single mum - she's locked and loaded

Don't mess with this single mum - she's locked and loaded

Seven Snipers (MA15 , 88 minutes) It's not easy being a single mother - or a former combat sniper. Being both is even harder, especially when the...

latest 0

The Examiner

Ron Cerabona

Anti-Semitism royal commission's interim report leaves key questions dangling

Anti-Semitism royal commission's interim report leaves key questions dangling

The interim report from the royal commission on anti-Semitism, set up after the Bondi massacre, leaves hanging more questions than it answers....

latest 10

The Examiner

Michelle Grattan

The Devil Wears Prada is back - but it's wearing a little thin

The Devil Wears Prada is back - but it's wearing a little thin

The Devil Wears Prada 2 (M, 122 minutes) How time flies. It's been two decades since the release of the very enjoyable comedy The Devil Wears...

latest 0

The Examiner

Ron Cerabona

The rot in our universities: we're failing our students and no one seems to care

The rot in our universities: we're failing our students and no one seems to care

The very best news for the Australian National University is that Julie Bishop, its chancellor, is on the way out. As Julie Hare, veteran higher...

latest 9

The Examiner

Jenna Price

Men are hardwired for denial. It's killing them

Men are hardwired for denial. It's killing them

"This won't take long," promised the specialist as I nervously lowered my pants. "It'll be over before you know it." He...

latest 9

The Examiner

Garry Linnell

Licence to thrill: who'll be the next James Bond?

Licence to thrill: who'll be the next James Bond?

The bond, James Bond, market is heating up. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to continue reading For almost a year, Denis...

yesterday 10

The Examiner

The Examiner

How we do business today is affecting services in regional Australia

How we do business today is affecting services in regional Australia

It costs more to do business in the regions than it does in the city. This has always been the case. It's as true for businesses selling things...

yesterday 10

The Examiner

Adam Triggs

Forget peak oil, peak geopolitics will wean us off the stuff

Forget peak oil, peak geopolitics will wean us off the stuff

The drone strikes on the refinery sparked an inferno that caused toxic black smoke to rise like an angry fist, a grey smudge visible from space....

yesterday 6

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

No surprise America has lost its shock value

No surprise America has lost its shock value

A friend was watching CNN and saw the whole thing unfold in real time. He texted me immediately. But the news didn't shock me as much as my...

previous day 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Change is coming fast, and politicians need to evolve or wither away

Change is coming fast, and politicians need to evolve or wither away

Sometimes evolution can be quite quick, almost revolutionary. Politics is similar to biology that way. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or...

tuesday 10

The Examiner

Crispin Hull

A week of memories we shouldn't allow to fade

A week of memories we shouldn't allow to fade

It's the season of anniversaries. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to continue reading The big one, of course, was Anzac Day...

tuesday 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Thirty years after Port Arthur, we must defend the truth from cruel deniers

Thirty years after Port Arthur, we must defend the truth from cruel deniers

For many Tasmanians, Port Arthur will always be our "where were you when" memory. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to...

27.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Anthony Haneveer

How will the new NDIS criteria be used to work out who's eligible?

How will the new NDIS criteria be used to work out who's eligible?

Last week the government unveiled plans to reduce the number of people in the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) by 160,000 over the next...

27.04.2026 6

The Examiner

Georgia Van Toorn

It's time for Australia's super-rich to pay their fair share

It's time for Australia's super-rich to pay their fair share

For a lot of Australians, life has become much more expensive. Prices for groceries, rent, insurance, gas bills are up and the cost of petrol is...

27.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Ebony Bennett

We seem to have arrived at the age of silent radio

We seem to have arrived at the age of silent radio

When construction began on the houses in the new estate around the corner a few years ago, there was always one voice raised in anger on the building...

27.04.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Why we should keep seeing Hawthorn games in Launceston when Devils arrive

Why we should keep seeing Hawthorn games in Launceston when Devils arrive

When North Melbourne was given the okay to play a few home games in Sydney in the late 1990s, the Swans were not impressed. Subscribe now for...

26.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Laurie Bullock

There is a palpable sense that we might be on the cusp of a serious political fracture

There is a palpable sense that we might be on the cusp of a serious political fracture

Among the many conceits of political discourse are the words used to explain outcomes as if they are temporary aberrations. Subscribe now for...

26.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Mark Kenny

We know Albanese's government is gutless. But one minister is bucking the trend

We know Albanese's government is gutless. But one minister is bucking the trend

New National Disability Insurance Scheme reforms pose a novel test of character for the Albanese government. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login...

24.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Jack Waterford

A soldier's bones, a PM's letter: Anzac Day is not ancient history

At Gallipoli, up at the battleground we know as the Nek, we were walking carefully through the eroded impressions of 110-year-old trenches on a hot...

24.04.2026 7

The Examiner

John Paul Moloney

Politically, the baby boomers' day is done

Politically, the baby boomers' day is done

Politically, it's a very bad time to be a baby boomer. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to continue reading It is not just...

24.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Michelle Grattan

After 110 years of Anzac Days, new research shows Australians remain convinced of its importance

After 110 years of Anzac Days, new research shows Australians remain convinced of its importance

110 years ago this week, Anzac Day was held for the first time. It has been observed annually ever since. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or...

24.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Nicole Townsend

I'd rather have a minister for men than a single additional enrolment at the 'rape academy'

I'd rather have a minister for men than a single additional enrolment at the 'rape academy'

I am standing at the counter of one of the big four banks, speaking with a kind and patient teller. Her name is Camille. The amicable calm is suddenly...

24.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Jenna Price

A case that shouldn't be draped in the flag

A case that shouldn't be draped in the flag

He seemed too good to be true. With his chiselled jaw, muscled physique and courageous derring-do under fire, it felt like Ben Roberts-Smith had burst...

24.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Garry Linnell

It was a pleasure spending time with this feisty grandma

It was a pleasure spending time with this feisty grandma

Calle Malaga (M, 116 minutes) It's not easy growing old, for parents or their children. Mother and Son addressed this in sitcom fashion but all...

23.04.2026 5

The Examiner

Ron Cerabona

Our migration program is obviously a mess. But I can show you where the real problem lies

Our migration program is obviously a mess. But I can show you where the real problem lies

You don't need to be a genius to conclude that the government has made a mess of the migration program. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login...

23.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Amanda Vanstone

Parents are sending kids to foster homes because they can't afford to feed them

Parents are sending kids to foster homes because they can't afford to feed them

There's a story I haven't been able to shake from a recent survey of our charity partners. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or...

23.04.2026 20

The Examiner

James Goth

Forget whingeing, this winter I plan to be cosy

Forget whingeing, this winter I plan to be cosy

It wasn't a particularly cold morning but it had rained overnight so I could forgive the smoke curling from the chimney three days before Anzac...

23.04.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

Rote learned, manners have served me well

Rote learned, manners have served me well

Something remarkable happens on Sydney buses. At every stop, disembarking passengers thank the driver. In a world in which good manners have become...

22.04.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

I am living proof of the NDIS's value. Now I fear it will all be taken away

I am living proof of the NDIS's value. Now I fear it will all be taken away

Weekends can be hard. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to continue reading As a person with a disability, I feel incredibly...

21.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Jeramy hope

The hidden public cost of private schools blowing a hole in our budget

The hidden public cost of private schools blowing a hole in our budget

The Coalition and business lobbyists are quite right to say that the federal government must rein in spending and reduce debt. And they were doing it...

21.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Crispin Hull

When the loop is useless, it's best to stay out of it

When the loop is useless, it's best to stay out of it

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au Subscribe now for unlimited...

21.04.2026 10

The Examiner

John Hanscombe

AI isn't coming for your job, it's coming for your to-do list

The AI wave has crashed, and we're now swimming through the detritus. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to continue reading...

20.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Jake Dimarco

Have you quietly stopped caring about work? These are the three things to do

I'll never forget the morning I froze during a client presentation at Kearney, the global management consulting firm, where I was a vice...

20.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Graeme cowan

Not ready to retire? How to make the most of hidden job market for over-50s

For a long time, ageing came with a script. You study. You build a career. You work full time for decades. Then somewhere in your 60s, you step back...

20.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Robyn greaves

Choosing kindness is a quiet act of rebellion for our troubled times

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au Subscribe now for unlimited...

20.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Zoë Wundenberg

Trump's failing grip on global power

Long before the internet put unchecked power in the hands of billionaire technofascists, there was a kid's doll which emitted insults when you...

19.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Mark Kenny

State must act: Compelling fuel firms to reveal what they really pay

Fuel companies are asking Tasmanians to accept something consumers would never tolerate in any other essential market: sudden, sharp price increases...

19.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Craig Thomson

Why our 'special relationship' with the US is a one-way street

US President Donald Trump is letting it be known that he is considering pulling the United States from NATO, and perhaps some of America's...

18.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Jack Waterford

Harry and Meghan? I say 'all power to them'

I've gained a new respect for Harry and Meghan after their Australian visit this week. Subscribe now for unlimited access. Login or signup to...

18.04.2026 10

The Examiner

Megan Doherty

Migration debate deserves better policy approach and less politicking from Liberals

An effective opposition is good at policy. Last term and so far this term, the Coalition has been very poor at policy formulation. Subscribe now for...

17.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Michelle Grattan

A new values statement for migrants misses the point about Australia

Mum had no time for Australian values. In fact, she was pretty vocal on the topic. Australians allowed their kids to roam around after school on...

17.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Jenna Price

Why an antiquated newsroom poster carries an uncomfortable truth

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au Subscribe now for unlimited...

17.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Garry Linnell

Young men are looking for help in all the wrong places

Like most people with a Netflix subscription, I recently watched the latest doco from Louis Theroux called Inside the Manosphere. Subscribe now for...

16.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Adam Triggs

Young people need more than just handouts from the federal budget

The federal government is preparing a budget badged as "intergenerational fairness". The idea it sells is simple: young people are...

16.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Parnell Palme Mcguinness

Spending money on your kids and grandkids is the best investment you can make

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au Subscribe now for unlimited...

16.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Jenna Price

Someone asked if private health insurance was worth it. I told them no

Last week I was asked by someone on a very modest income whether it was worthwhile keeping private health insurance. Subscribe now for unlimited...

14.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Crispin Hull

Artemis shifted humanity's pressing concerns to the far side of the moon

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au Subscribe now for unlimited...

14.04.2026 20

The Examiner

Jenna Price

The talk every parent needs to have before dropping their teen at a party

This is a sample of The Echidna newsletter sent out each weekday morning. To sign up for FREE, go to theechidna.com.au. Subscribe now for unlimited...

13.04.2026 10

The Examiner

James Joyce