Martin McKenzie-Murray

is The Saturday Paper’s associate editor.

By this author


Sport November 11, 2023

The lasting legacy of Magic Johnson

Decades after his retirement, interest in NBA legend Earvin ‘Magic’ Johnson has not dimmed. A recent documentary, an HBO series on his 1980s Lakers and an 800-page biography are testaments to his enduring legacy.

News November 04, 2023

ACU academics stranded by department closure

A plan to save the Australian Catholic University’s accreditation has backfired spectacularly with the dismantling of its prestigious philosophy department less than five years on – leaving some of the world-class academics it courted considering legal action.

Sport November 04, 2023

Jack Riewoldt’s The Bright Side

Far from offering thoughtful insight into the venerated career of Richmond full-forward Jack Riewoldt, his new memoir, The Bright Side, is a dull cover letter for future employment.

Sport October 28, 2023

The reality of fantasy leagues

The creation of fantasy sports leagues has allowed avid fans to become armchair coaches. But at what point is love of the game sacrificed to ruthless analysis and numbers on a page?

News October 21, 2023

The key failures of the ‘Yes’ campaign

With the Voice referendum ending in a ‘No’ vote, does its failure lie in a divided country or with the overestimation of a prime minister who loves to note he has been underestimated?

Sport October 21, 2023

Five of the best sports books

When it comes to revelling in the glory of sport, sometimes the written word can equal the mastery of those on the field or in the ring.

Sport October 14, 2023

Does the Beckham docuseries kick any goals?

A docuseries that could have been a deep dive into soccer superstar David Beckham’s fame and frailties delivers very little other than celebrity interviews and slick montages.

News October 07, 2023

The Australian refugee laws splitting families

An arbitrary law against the settlement of boat arrivals means a mother and daughter face deportation, a decade after arriving, while her husband and son are made citizens.

Sport October 07, 2023

Ange Postecoglou: the Premier League’s romantic

As the first Australian to manage an English Premier League team, Ange Postecoglou is used to being underestimated. But he’s seizing opportunity, and is about to be taken a lot more seriously.

podcast September 28, 2023

Olympus has fallen: Dan Andrews is gone

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin Mckenzie-Murray on the duality of Dan and what made him into a controversial, but extremely popular leader.

News September 23, 2023

Fact check: Nine key lies told about the Voice to Parliament

As the campaign for the Voice to Parliament enters its final weeks, the ‘No’ case has begun making absurd claims such as ‘white people … will be paying to live here’.

Sport September 16, 2023

The battleground of sports concussion

Controversy in the AFL Tribunal follows a Senate report into head trauma in sport, and raises further questions about the willingness to risk bodies – and minds – for the sake of victory.

Sport September 09, 2023

Spain’s Me Too moment plays on

While Spain played a glorious final to claim the FIFA Women’s World Cup, the victory has been overshadowed by the ensuing fallout from an unwanted kiss and animosity towards the coach.

podcast September 05, 2023

Is Australia prepared for a second Trump presidency?

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray, on Trump, Australia’s dependence on America and the future of our alliance.

News September 02, 2023

What a Trump 2024 election victory would mean for Australia

The frontrunner for the Republican nomination is the centre of at least four criminal investigations, but even jail wouldn’t prevent him running for office. What would his return mean for Australia’s relationship with its most powerful ally?

Sport September 02, 2023

At Home With The Furys

The mystique of Tyson Fury, one of the most fearsome fighters ever to grace the ring, unravels in a new reality TV series.

Sport August 26, 2023

Daniel Andrews’ Commonwealth Games debacle

Having bid for the 2026 Commonwealth Games on an impulsive whim, Daniel Andrews was on a course that says a lot about politics in Victoria.

podcast August 23, 2023

Alan Jones’ radical online comeback

Associate editor for The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on who’s behind ADH TV and whether Australians have an appetite for far right news.

News August 19, 2023

ADH TV gives Alan Jones a new platform

ADH TV, with the backing of James Packer and a 20-something chief executive, is giving Alan Jones and others an online platform to the right of Sky News.

Sport August 17, 2023

The Matildas’ wonderful ride

A breathtaking goal from Sam Kerr wasn’t enough to seal the finals for the team that has made this World Cup such a memorable national experience – at least the country is spared a tedious debate over a holiday.

Sport August 12, 2023

Surfer Owen Wright on his stunning comeback

Growing up with a domineering father set Owen Wright on a path to sporting success. But nothing could prepare the champion surfer for the physical and mental battles that followed his near-fatal accident.

Sport August 02, 2023

The Matildas come back from the brink

As the FIFA Women’s World Cup leaves Matildas fans veering from despondency to euphoria, uncertainty over the status of the talismanic Sam Kerr remains.

podcast August 02, 2023

Does Peter Dutton have a secret on Nauru?

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray, on what impact Australia has really had on Nauru and whether we’ve spent a fortune to make a tiny island nation worse off.

News July 29, 2023

Australia aided ‘corrupt gangster operation’ on Nauru

As details emerge of Australian involvement in bribery on Nauru, a senior immigration official describes how ‘corruption was aided and abetted’ by our government.

Sport July 29, 2023

The Matildas’ moment of truth

The Matildas’ depiction as the saviours of grassroots women’s soccer risks patronising them as a ‘source of inspiration’ rather than the hard-nosed professionals they need to be.

Sport July 19, 2023

Let the Commonwealth Games be cancelled

Following the state’s grim Covid lockdowns, the Victorian government embarked on an ambitious plan to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games in the regions. Was it just playing politics with an event already on a losing trajectory?

News July 15, 2023

The fight against disinformation on the Voice

A proposed new law designed to fight online misinformation is little comfort to ‘Yes’ campaigners who are horrified by what is being spread on social media.

Sport July 15, 2023

The American Gladiators Documentary

An entertaining, sometimes disturbing new ESPN documentary looks at the American Gladiators TV series, and is both captivated and thwarted by the show’s evasive impresario.

Sport July 06, 2023

Outrage and hypocrisy at the second Ashes Test

Despite the outrage and name-calling that marred the final day of the second Ashes Test, the thrilling cricket played by both teams has finally brought fun back to the game.

podcast July 04, 2023

What people inside the Yes campaign really think

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Marty McKenzie-Murray, on what’s going on inside the ‘Yes’ campaign as it struggles to secure the necessary majorities.

News July 01, 2023

How the ‘Yes’ campaign is responding to sliding support

In a series of interviews, campaigners for the Voice to Parliament lay out the struggles of dealing with a disingenuous media as support drops below 50 per cent.

Sport July 01, 2023

Powerchair footballer breaking down the barriers

Having been born with a rare neuromuscular condition, Rebecca Evans faced a world of challenges and inequality. But her discovery – and ensuing love – of powerchair football has enabled her to play sport at the highest level.

podcast May 25, 2023

The PwC tax scandal: Should private consultants be trusted?

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray, on what happened when the Australian government trusted PwC to fix our tax system.

Sport June 24, 2023

Australian Test cricket team silences critics

Just months after the Australian men’s Test cricket team were written off for being too weak and woke, they have begun their Ashes campaign as world champions with something to prove.

Sport June 10, 2023

The A-League struggles as Ange Postecoglou shines

The latest A-League Men’s season may have finished with a whimper not a bang, but the star of former Socceroos coach Ange Postecoglou continues to rise.

News June 03, 2023

Crackdown on vaping targets youth addiction

New rules to limit access to vaping products to people with a prescription are aimed at curbing a worrying rise in youth smoking.

Sport May 27, 2023

Quitting time for Damien Hardwick

The media sideshow that followed Damien Hardwick’s resignation as Richmond coach this week was yet another demonstration of the obsessive scrutiny and lack of perspective that dogs the AFL.

News May 20, 2023

Consequences of the PwC tax leaks scandal

The PwC tax leaks scandal has raised serious questions about who governments get advice from – and whether turning to the private sector has fatally undermined the public service.

Sport May 20, 2023

Heroes, villains and the booing of Buddy Franklin

One legend endured a hostile Magpies fan base, another backflipped her way to FA Cup glory, and a third turned the LA Lakers into genuine contenders. Here, a look at the latest heroes and villains in sport.

Sport May 13, 2023

Interpreting the lores of war and football

When the author feared his four-year-old daughter would never share his love of the AFL, he didn’t anticipate that her allegiance might fixate on a club he loathed during a commemoration of something he could not explain.

News May 06, 2023

The ‘No’ campaign bid to ‘create confusion’

The campaign against the Voice to Parliament is not so much a co-ordinated assault based on solid arguments as an attempt to disrupt and obfuscate.

Sport May 06, 2023

Top shots

From Collingwood proving their winning streak is about more than just luck to the NRL gambling on an American audience, the world of sport again provided an action-packed highlight reel.

News April 29, 2023

‘Unfinished business’: The people behind the ‘Yes’ case

Behind the ‘Yes’ campaign is a carefully calculated mix of ruthless political expertise, business experience and grassroots involvement.

Sport April 29, 2023

From the ashes

A sports ground may seem fitting as a resting place for our loved ones, though it’s hardly final. And some of our more complicated losses can never truly be laid to rest.

Sport April 22, 2023

A lens on the rise and fall of Boris Becker

A new documentary on German tennis great Boris Becker reveals how his prodigious self-belief became the catalyst for both his success and his spectacular unravelling.

Sport April 15, 2023

Footy and father–daughter bonding

When his own faith is waning, can a sports-mad dad lure his daughter away from her My Little Ponies and into the sad embrace of his beloved Fremantle FC?

podcast April 12, 2023

Why Australia won’t ban TikTok before the US does

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Marty McKenzie-Murray, on how the company behind TikTok learned to walk the party line.

News April 08, 2023

Australia cracks down on TikTok

As Australia follows the US and other countries to ban TikTok on government devices, will the next move be a total veto of the Chinese-controlled social media app?

Sport April 08, 2023

Michael Jordan and the making of a billion-dollar shoe industry

In a perfect synergy of clever marketing and innovative design, two sports brands took the humble basketball shoe and turned it into a billion-dollar phenomenon.

Sport April 01, 2023

The hyperbole and hypocrisy of the AOC

Matt Carroll, the latest boss of the Australian Olympic Committee, is out with a begging bowl and spurious claims that funding elite sport lifts community participation.

podcast March 28, 2023

Banks are failing around the world. Could it happen here?

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on the trouble in the banking sector and whether it could spread to Australia.

News March 25, 2023

What the US bank crisis means for Australia

The bank failures that have forced the US government to step in again with emergency support highlight the dangers of weak regulation, and raise concerns about how far this contagion could spread.

Sport March 25, 2023

AFL Tribunal contradicts its stance on blows to head

While former players are taking the AFL to court for not protecting them from concussion, the league showed astonishing leniency for ‘vicious’ head-high contact.

podcast March 21, 2023

‘Treating private jets like Ubers’: Inside the Hillsong papers

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on how Hillsong spent its money, and why a whistleblower came forward.

News March 18, 2023

‘Fraud, money laundering’: Inside the Hillsong papers

A cache of leaked financial documents alleges staggering misconduct and outrageous spending at the Australian megachurch.

News March 11, 2023

How the Sally Rugg case typifies life in politics

Sally Rugg’s case against her boss highlights some realities of life as a political staffer – the role attracts young and idealistic people who can be demoralised by its demands.

Sport March 11, 2023

Jack Ginnivan, the AFL and Crown’s grip

The wall-to-wall coverage of a rising AFL star’s indiscretion in a pub toilet serves as a convenient shroud to the league’s support of a gambling behemoth.

Sport March 04, 2023

The ascent of Diamonds defender Sunday Aryang

After last year becoming the first African-born netballer to play for the Australian Diamonds, Sunday Aryang is set for an epic 2023, with a domestic title defence and a World Cup in her sights.

News February 25, 2023

The farce of the so-called ‘spy balloons’

Against a backdrop of anxiety over Chinese military ambitions, America began shooting unidentified objects from the sky. What followed was a farce of bravado and misidentification.

Sport February 25, 2023

Peter Bol’s doping allegations

Doping allegations against Australian runner Peter Bol have dented his reputation and also called into question the procedures and protocols around testing for banned substances.

Sport February 17, 2023

Testing times for the Australian cricket team

After an uninspiring and one-sided summer of Test cricket on home soil, the Australian men’s team now faces annihilation in India and a barrage of angry questions from fans and ex-players.

podcast February 13, 2023

How the Adani empire keeps critics silenced

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on Gautam Adani’s rise and how it’s built on silencing his critics.

News February 11, 2023

The rise and fall of Gautam Adani

From his first investment in cling wrap, Gautam Adani built the third largest fortune in the world – but claims of stock manipulation have almost halved the value of his company.

Sport February 11, 2023

Sponsorship shockwaves in FIFA Women’s World Cup

FIFA’s rumoured Women’s World Cup sponsorship deal with Saudi Arabia has left the host nations – and the Matildas – feeling hijacked and frustrated.

podcast February 02, 2023

Why it’s so expensive to see a doctor

Associate editor of The Saturday Paper, Martin McKenzie-Murray, on why Medicare is being overhauled, and the people responsible for deciding the future of Australia’s public health system.

Sport February 04, 2023

Novak Djokovic, Bridget McKenzie and hypocrisy

As debate rages over Novak Djokovic’s tennis supremacy – surely beyond question now – the hypocrisy of a certain former minister for Sport should also be garnering attention.

News January 28, 2023

Butler vows Medicare reform on the way

The battlelines are drawn as the Health minister promises the greatest reform of Medicare since the scheme began.

Sport January 28, 2023

Michael Clarke and the boys in a bubble

In the world of elite Australian cricket under the leadership of Michael Clarke, sportsmanship and a love of the game were subsumed by self-regard.

Sport January 21, 2023

Sam Stosur’s legacy of grace

There were no tantrums or histrionics, no blame games or brattishness in Sam Stosur’s tennis career. Nor was enough credit given to a genuine champion, both on and off the court.

News January 14, 2023

The fault lines around Covid

The government’s lack of transparency and failure to emphasise mask-wearing are key flaws in its handling of Covid, health policy experts say.

Sport January 14, 2023

The lost life of Ekaterina Alexandrovskaya

A documentary on one of Australia’s most successful figure-skating duos focuses on their professional rise and aspirations but fails to interrogate why, away from the sport, a young woman’s life was spinning out of control.

Sport January 07, 2023

The greatest penalty for Australian soccer

Just as Australian soccer was basking in the glory of the Socceroos’ unexpected World Cup success, ugly scenes at an A-League Melbourne derby threaten to damage the game’s reputation beyond repair.

News December 17, 2022

2022: Year in review

While Vladimir Putin stunned the world with his war, a chancer was ditched, the Queen died, crypto choked, Neil Young’s Harvest turned 50 and ‘goblin mode’ had a moment.

Sport December 17, 2022

The art of trading basketball cards

In the rough and tumble of collecting basketball cards, a young man learns about power plays and the surprises of human nature.

Sport December 10, 2022

How this World Cup can change Australian soccer

Devoid of international stars, the Socceroos were widely written off before the World Cup. Following their success, will their self-belief and fighting spirit spark a new era of talent and interest in our domestic leagues?

Sport December 03, 2022

The twilight of Ronaldo and Messi

As the sun begins to set on the illustrious careers of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, both men – one imperious, one inscrutable – pursue the trophy that has so far eluded them.

Comment November 26, 2022

The story of Daniel Andrews

“First, he was Daniel Andrews, then Dan Andrews and then, simply, Dan. The shortening of his name has been inverse to his growing stature and now the man who was patronised for his beige obscurity and tubby frame when he became opposition leader 12 years …”

Sport November 26, 2022

The machinations of Qatar’s World Cup

The opening ceremony of the World Cup in Qatar was the appropriately cringe-worthy beginning to an event long tainted by controversy and corruption.

Sport November 19, 2022

Looking back on World Cups past

As Qatar’s atrocious human rights record and FIFA’s dodgy dealings cast a shadow over the World Cup, it’s worth reflecting on five moments that bathed the tournament in glorious light.

podcast November 17, 2022

Charlie Teo: The media’s ‘maverick, miracle doctor’

Contributor to The Monthly, Martin McKenzie-Murray, on Dr Charlie Teo and how the media built the image of a maverick miracle worker.

News November 12, 2022

The people left behind on Nauru

Australia is now paying $750,000 a day to a notorious US private prisons operator to keep the remaining 100 or so asylum seekers in conditions that are slowing destroying their mental and physical health.

Sport November 12, 2022

The sorry saga of the Brooklyn Nets

From Dream Team to Scream Team, the Brooklyn Nets have become the laughing stock of the NBA as the Ben Simmons–Kyrie Irving sideshow rolls on.

Sport November 05, 2022

The AFL’s Hawthorn inquiry

The woman at the centre of damning allegations against the Hawthorn Football Club has vowed not to participate in an AFL inquiry she claims is too-hastily convened and deeply flawed.

podcast November 02, 2022

Did the home of the Melbourne Cup make the city’s floods worse?

Martin McKenzie-Murray on the Maribyrnong flood.

News October 29, 2022

The Maribyrnong flood debacle

While homes are in ruins, residents displaced and fingers pointed regarding the recent Maribyrnong floods, one question is everywhere: did a wall built to protect Flemington Racecourse make it worse?

Sport October 29, 2022

Who wins with sponsor boycotts?

Far from being an act of charitable benevolence, sports sponsorship is about winning influence on the back of a love of the game. So, who loses when the relationships sour?

Sport October 22, 2022

The Aussie hoax of the fair game

A new book that holds Australian sport up as inspiration for a better society ignores its lavish history of drug abuse,  assault and racism.

Sport October 15, 2022

The Carlsen v Niemann chess cheating scandal

Chess rarely makes headlines but in past weeks the game has been embroiled in a scandal involving a self-admitted cheat, a world-conquering champion and a vibrating sex toy.

Sport October 08, 2022

A tragic week in sport

In a week where more than 100 Indonesian soccer fans died senselessly in a pitch invasion and the AFL sank deeper into controversy, there seemed little – save Lauren Jackson’s last hurrah – to be inspired and optimistic about.

Sport October 01, 2022

Tom Boyd’s change of heart

While much of the speculation surrounding Tom Boyd’s early exit from AFL was around the state of his mental health, the real reason was much simpler: he no longer loved the game.

Comment September 24, 2022

The news you missed since the Queen died

“Two weeks ago, on the day Queen Elizabeth II died, Steve Bannon surrendered himself to authorities. In the Solomon Islands, an election was delayed. In France, President Emmanuel Macron was embarrassed when people did not attend his unity conference. …”

Sport September 24, 2022

The unravelling of Bulldogs star Tom Boyd

From No. 1 draft pick to million-dollar man, Tom Boyd looked set for a stellar AFL career. But the demons he put down to homesickness were far stronger than he could have predicted.

Sport September 17, 2022

Raging bullshit: Mike Tyson series fails to deliver

Mike, the biopic series on heavyweight boxing champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson, tries to rise above being a breezy sketch of the hero/villain, but it fails to deliver a knockout punch.

Sport September 10, 2022

The redemption of Ben Stokes

An unflinching new documentary on cricket all-rounder Ben Stokes lays bare the career highs and personal lows of England’s latest Test captain.

Sport September 03, 2022

Holli Wheeler’s multidimensional game

Even a career-threatening ACL injury and the challenges of juggling work and elite sport couldn’t wrest NRLW player Holli Wheeler from the game that sets her heart on fire.

Sport August 27, 2022

Charting the course for the AFLW

Have the AFLW’s pathways, funding and development been left behind in the rush to expand to an 18-team competition?

Sport August 20, 2022

The evolution of brand Serena

Serena Williams has never hidden her light under a bushel, but the lavish corporate spin on her career as she prepares to walk away from tennis cheapens her achievements.

Sport August 13, 2022

Eddie Betts and the shameful legacy of the Crows’ camp

Legendary AFL player Eddie Betts has revealed harrowing experiences at the Adelaide Crows, after a boot camp where players were mock-kidnapped, abused and traumatised.

Sport August 06, 2022

Manly pride jersey debate goes beyond the binary

The furore surrounding seven Manly NRL players’ refusal to wear the club’s rainbow pride jersey provides easy fodder for columnists but fails to interrogate what true inclusivity means.

Sport July 30, 2022

Skating through fear with Poppy Olsen

From the age of eight, Poppy Olsen knew exactly what she wanted to do. And by following her dream, she placed fifth in park skateboarding at the Tokyo Olympics and secured her spot among the world’s best on four small wheels.

podcast July 27, 2022

Who is that unmasked man? Covid-19 and the politics of fatigue

Today, associate editor of The Saturday Paper Martin McKenzie-Murray on Covid-19 and the politics of fatigue.

News July 23, 2022

Next Covid wave: ‘The government is gaslighting the community’

As leaders ignore calls from their chief health officers for mask mandates, politicians have become ‘the tail wagging the dog’ on precautions to help manage the third wave of Omicron.

Sport July 23, 2022

The Australian stuffing his face for world fame

How a chance visit to a country New South Wales pub started James Webb on a path to hot dog-fuelled success on the world stage.

Sport July 16, 2022

Nick Kyrgios and a lesson in public outrage

When it comes to dividing the public, Nick Kyrgios is second to none among sports stars. But while he happily trades on his renowned recalcitrance, it is both his friend and his enemy in equal measure.

Sport July 09, 2022

The story of the Australian Sports Museum

As well as providing a location for the most revered sporting paraphernalia, the Australian Sports Museum – one of the few success stories of its kind in the world – also serves as an important lens into the national psyche.

podcast June 30, 2022

The ruling that could end trans inclusion in sport

Trans athletes have effectively been banned from elite swimming. The decision and the document released by FINA could have an impact not just on swimmers, but on how other sports around the world handle participation and inclusion. So what does it say?

Sport July 02, 2022

Adam Sandler’s basketball Hustle

Adam Sandler’s turn as an NBA scout elevates Hustle to sit among the great sports films.

Sport June 25, 2022

The debate over FINA’s decision on transgender athletes

The decision to restrict the participation of transgender swimmers at an elite level has heightened debate over fairness and inclusion, and sparked conflict between athletes and researchers alike.

Sport June 18, 2022

Socceroos head to the World Cup

Just when it looked as though the Socceroos would be watching the 2022 FIFA World Cup at home on their tellies, a penalty shootout pulled victory from the jaws of defeat.

Sport June 11, 2022

The slow rise of the Fremantle Dockers

For the Fremantle Dockers, the slow road to success has been paved with good intentions, some ugly footy and flashes of  wizardry. Finally, the club’s devoted fans have hit a gratifying purple patch.

Sport June 04, 2022

The case for handing golf courses back to the public

The pandemic’s transformation of a Melbourne golf course into a public oasis has become part of a broader movement to open up these spaces for community use.

Sport May 28, 2022

Skye Nicolson on boxing and resilience

Boxer Skye Nicolson began life knowing the world can be cruel, but every personal and professional blow has helped shape her into the resilient and determined person she is today.

Sport May 21, 2022

Greg Norman’s dubious links

Greg Norman’s ambivalence towards the atrocities of the Saudi regime are not born of ignorance but rather of a blinding obsession with bringing down the PGA Tour.

Sport May 14, 2022

The resurrection of Wayne Carey

First came the uncanny talent, then the veneration, then a series of outrages followed by a criminal conviction – then a resilient career in media.

Sport April 30, 2022

David Pocock’s next battleground

Never a believer in the adage that sport and politics shouldn’t mix, David Pocock has made it his mission to charge down the dysfunctionalities of government. But can he distinguish himself as a true independent?

Sport April 23, 2022

David Pocock’s duelling loyalties

As a rugby union player, no one questioned David Pocock’s dedication to his sport. It soon became apparent the Zimbabwean-born Wallaby brought the same fierce commitment to other causes close to his heart.

Sport April 16, 2022

Welcoming back the Australian Grand Prix

Following the last-minute cancellation of the 2020 Australian F1 Grand Prix, calls went out for the race to be dumped altogether. But rather than fall victim to Covid-19 and naysayers, the event is now well and truly back on track.

Sport April 09, 2022

Loud, indulgent and fitting: Shane Warne’s MCG memorial

The state memorial service for cricketer Shane Warne juxtaposed the personal grief of immediate family with a boisterous public celebration of a life lived large.

Sport April 02, 2022

Beveridge v Morris in the court of public opinion

The outburst by Luke Beveridge illustrates the problem when a coach’s duty of care to his players comes up against the media’s pursuit of information in the ‘public interest’.

Sport March 26, 2022

Roman Abramovich’s crumbling web

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has thrown soccer powerhouse Chelsea FC’s future into limbo, with its billionaire saviour, Roman Abramovich, entangled in sanctions against his homeland.

Sport March 19, 2022

The chutzpah of the Showtime Lakers

It can sometimes feel like a frenetic comic book, but the new HBO series on the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s encapsulates the entertainment value of the team itself.

Sport March 12, 2022

Shane Warne, thanks for the memories

As a man, Shane Warne was no stranger to controversy and scandal. As a cricketer, he was the stuff of legend. Now his untimely death has left millions of Australians in mourning for a deeply flawed and deeply gifted stranger they felt they knew.

Sport March 05, 2022

The dark history of Russian sport

If powerful nations are allowed to get away with blatant cheating and corruption in the sporting arena, it’s no wonder their bullying tactics are at full force in international politics.

Sport February 26, 2022

Looking back on Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch

Nick Hornby’s Fever Pitch captures a singular love of soccer. Although the game may have evolved enormously in the 30 years since its release, the book still has much to say about masculine frailties and obsessive fandom.

Sport February 19, 2022

What does the national cricket coach actually do?

Justin Langer’s departure as the Australian men’s cricket team coach sparked speculation and controversy. It also pulled focus on the requirements and necessity of the role.

Sport February 12, 2022

What have we learnt from the Justin Langer saga?

Justin Langer was a dogged opener over many seasons for the Australian men’s cricket team. But after ascending to the role of head coach, that same gritty determination brought him undone at the hands of an arrogant Cricket Australia.

Sport February 05, 2022

A fairytale finish for the Australian Open

This year’s Australian Open got off to a shaky start amid controversy and accusations. By day 14 it was a tournament for the ages.

Sport January 29, 2022

David Campese, the last dream seller

The on-field exceptionalism of Wallabies great David Campese has been somewhat overshadowed by his difficult off-field personality. A new biography hopes to shine fresh light on the legend.

Sport January 22, 2022

Novak Djokovic and government double standards

The deportation of tennis world No. 1 Novak Djokovic is the triumph of a terrible system over a terrible person.

Sport January 08, 2022

Sports films to keep the summer alive

In no particular order, here are five sports films to watch this summer.

Sport December 18, 2021

Hannah Mouncey on the court of public opinion

In 2017, trans athlete Hannah Mouncey looked set to be drafted into the AFLW. Tackling the scrutiny surrounding the bid, and the subsequent rejection, was to prove her biggest challenge.

Sport December 11, 2021

Hannah Mouncey on finding herself

As a member of the Australian handball team, Hannah Mouncey felt at home on the court. But off it, she was in turmoil knowing she was about to ‘set fire’ to her life.

Sport December 04, 2021

What the ghostwriters really think about sports memoirs

The supposedly candid memoirs of elite athletes serve as a money-making promotional tool. Despite the name on the cover, they are usually written by someone else.

Sport November 27, 2021

Tim Paine and the danger of redemption narratives

The man brought in to replace a shamefaced Steve Smith as Australia’s Test cricket captain has now also resigned in tears – but is he a victim of the inflated reverence placed on the position?

Sport November 20, 2021

Muggsy Bogues on family ties

As his own career began to decline due to injury, Muggsy Bogues adopted a new game plan – to save his older brother from drug addiction.

Sport November 13, 2021

NBA player Muggsy Bogues on channelling grief

As the shortest man ever to play NBA, Muggsy Bogues managed to tenaciously transform his perceived disadvantage into one of his greatest assets.

Sport November 06, 2021

Muggsy Bogues, the NBA’s shortest player

In a league dominated by men built like skyscrapers, 160-centimetre Muggsy Bogues went from being the butt of jokes to the stuff of legend.

Sport October 30, 2021

Paralympic swimmer Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson on becoming bulletproof

Born with a rare genetic disorder, Paralympian Grant ‘Scooter’ Patterson has won fans the world over for his larrikin quips and easygoing nature. Now with Tokyo medals under his belt, the swimmer is looking towards his next challenge.

Sport October 23, 2021

Newcastle United and the enduring power of sportswashing

A Saudi-led consortium’s takeover of EPL club Newcastle United has buoyed the spirits of long-suffering fans, reaffirmed the power of sportswashing, and driven a financial stake through the heart of the Beautiful Game.

Sport October 13, 2021

‘I wanted to offer something new’: Brandon Jack on becoming a writer

In becoming a writer, Brandon Jack studies Charles Bukowski and Patti Smith with the same dedication as he trains for the AFL – but struggles with the final ruthlessness of memoir.

Sport October 09, 2021

Searching for purpose: Brandon Jack’s dwindling passion for AFL

After debuting for the Sydney Swans as a teenager, Brandon Jack’s AFL career fails to flourish and he soon becomes bitter and unmotivated. What he needs – and discovers – is a new passion.

Sport October 02, 2021

All guts, no glory: Brandon Jack exposes the ugly side of football

While most sporting memoirs paint a glossy picture of on-field moments, former Sydney Swans player Brandon Jack is not afraid to unmask the ugly side of his fleeting success.

Sport September 25, 2021

The big dance

Despite a hectic, Covid-influenced season, the AFL grand final is back in its traditional September slot. As fans await the opening bounce, two stories sum up the essence of the game.

Sport September 18, 2021

David Smerdon’s rise to grandmaster

After failing to achieve his dream of becoming a chess grandmaster in Europe, David Smerdon returned home to Australia to pursue a career. But when the opportunity presented itself once more, he grabbed it with both hands.

Sport September 11, 2021

‘I was sweating’: David Smerdon on playing Magnus Carlsen

The chance discovery of his father’s chess set had David Smerdon winning games before he could read and becoming an international master by age 14. Next he would go head to head with the world’s greatest players.

Sport September 04, 2021

Ben Simmons and the yips

Once revered for his on-court magic, basketballer Ben Simmons is now ridiculed for his brazen refusal to put up shots. What next for the out-of-sorts Aussie superstar?

Sport August 28, 2021

Paralympian Liesl Tesch’s path to politics

For decorated Paralympian Liesl Tesch, a move to NSW parliament’s lower house opened up a new world of dirty tactics and absorbing games.

Sport August 21, 2021

The beginnings of Paralympian Liesl Tesch

Liesl Tesch grew up with an unconventional childhood – before becoming one of Australia’s most celebrated paralympians.

Sport July 17, 2021

Ash Barty’s Wimbledon victory

Ash Barty’s win at Wimbledon last weekend was a childhood dream, fulfilled with grace and humility.

Culture February 27, 2021

Tether

“He was calmer now than he was three years ago when she stopped breathing. It was just the two of them, and she’d eaten too much doughnut. He could tell immediately, but he also knew that she would usually spit out the excess. But not this time. …”

Sport January 30, 2021

AFL footballers playing concussion roulette

John Barnes retired from a 200-plus-game AFL career thinking it had set him up for a comfortable future. Instead he now suffers from epilepsy and watches debilitated from the sidelines as former greats succumb to CTE brain injuries.

News December 05, 2020

The Nicola Gobbo report

As the royal commission into the handling of police informants releases its final report, it’s been revealed that Victoria Police’s use of gangland lawyer Nicola Gobbo as an informant may have contaminated more than 1000 convictions.

News December 21, 2019

2019: The year that was

In a year when we reckoned with climate catastrophe, hypocritical world leaders and the increasing erosion of our privacy, we also witnessed the resistance of the Hong Kong protesters and the triumph of Ash Barty.

Portrait September 14, 2019

AFL player and coach Danny Frawley

The full life, troubled mind and untimely death of AFL icon Danny Frawley.

News July 06, 2019

‘She’s with Lucifer now – her master’

Since the death of cult leader Anne Hamilton-Byrne, survivors of The Family are reckoning with loss and meaning.

News June 29, 2019

No truth behind Dutton’s medivac rhetoric

The government is aiming to repeal the medivac law, saying it will restart the boats, bring criminals to the country and overcrowd our hospital system. But what are the facts behind these claims?

News June 22, 2019

Rosie Batty: the private toll of public grief

This week, Luke Batty would have turned 17. For his mother the years since his death have been marked by public esteem and an intense personal hell.

News June 15, 2019

‘The act is a dog’: whistleblower shields too weak

After last week’s AFP raids, public servants speak out about Mike Pezzullo’s hypocrisy, the government’s culture of secrecy and whistleblower protections.

Sport June 15, 2019

Mixed martial artist Damien Brown’s toughest mission

Soldier turned prison guard Damien Brown is a man used to staring down danger. But his bid to become a UFC fighter posed one of his greatest challenges.

News June 08, 2019

Divisions over religious freedom

With the Coalition’s ‘miracle election’ and Israel Folau’s wrongful dismissal claim, religious freedom is back in the news. But resolution between progressives and conservatives on the matter remains unlikely.

News June 01, 2019

Corrections system in lockdown

With the Victorian prison and custodial system full to bursting, the Andrews government has pledged $1.8 billion for Corrections. But will pouring in money do anything to temper criminality?

News May 25, 2019

Nauru on the edge

Australia’s offshore processing contracts with Nauru have abetted the longstanding corruption in the micro-nation. With elections looming in the coming months, Nauruans have grave concerns about their country’s future.

News May 18, 2019

Unusual secrecy around 1950s nuclear testing

Files documenting British nuclear testing in the 1950s have suddenly gone missing. Many who have studied this questionable period of history wonder why.

News May 11, 2019

Testing Israel Folau’s faith

As Israel Folau awaits sanction from Rugby Australia over his social media posts, arguments over religious freedoms, hate speech and employers’ rights rage on the sidelines.

News May 04, 2019

Medical treatment denied to Nauru politicians

As it becomes clear that Australia has helped establish an authoritarian regime on Nauru, government opponents are being denied medical care.

News April 27, 2019

What is next for the Australian Greens

While high-profile candidate Julian Burnside has animated the Greens in Kooyong, party strategists fear there is a lot to lose.

News April 20, 2019

Julian Assange: master of disguise

The arrest of Julian Assange is just another chapter in a story of complications and contradictions.

News April 13, 2019

Controlling social media

After the Christchurch massacre, the Coalition and Labor passed a bill prohibiting the sharing of abhorrent material on social media, but experts argue the new law will achieve little.

News April 06, 2019

Police informants inquiry

As a royal commission investigates the use of informants by Victoria Police, questions are being raised again about corruption in the force.

Sport April 06, 2019

Spinning the sandpapergate scandal

As Steve Smith and David Warner’s 12-month ball-tampering ban ends, what lessons have been learnt from Australian cricket’s darkest hour?

News February 09, 2019

Alex Bhathal and discord in the Greens

The resignation of Greens stalwart Alex Bhathal has again shone a spotlight on the party’s infighting and dysfunction.

News February 02, 2019

The Hakeem al-Araibi case

How politics, power struggles and the 2022 FIFA World Cup are all at play in the detention of Melbourne-based soccer player and Bahraini refugee Hakeem al-Araibi.

News January 26, 2019

Senior Liberals fear election chaos

As Scott Morrison prepares for the election, the Liberal Party in Victoria is broken and contemplating the risk of a split, while the NSW government revolts.

News December 22, 2018

2018: Death and the maidens

In a year bookended by National Party MPs in disgrace, we saw big banks and cricketers shamed, international politics teeter and literary and musical icons shuffle off this mortal coil. A look back at the year that was.

Sport December 22, 2018

The Boxing Day Test

For cricket fans disillusioned and despondent over Australia’s ignominious fall from Test cricket grace, the current series against India promises the best Christmas gift of all.

News December 15, 2018

Fourth AFP officer suicides at work

After a fourth officer’s suicide in just 18 months at Australian Federal Police headquarters, staff hold little hope the organisation will change.

News December 08, 2018

Lawyer X: “Say nice things at my eulogy and enjoy the Royal Commission”

In the wake of this week’s High Court ruling, details emerge of Victoria Police’s unprecedented use of a top criminal lawyer as an informant during Melbourne’s gangland wars.

News December 01, 2018

Inside the Victorian election dirt files

In the wake of the Victorian election, billed as a triumph of positivity over negative campaigning, staffers reveal the lengths political parties went to in releasing dirt on their opponents.

News November 24, 2018

Russian online trolling reaches Australia

Russia and China have sought to influence opinion in Australia using social media, a parliamentary joint committee heard this week, in operations ranging from advocating political positions to ‘fake news’.

News November 17, 2018

After Bourke Street: no easy answer

After three people were stabbed, one fatally, in the centre of Melbourne, terror experts, authorities and politicians are at odds on how to stop ‘lone wolf’ attackers.

News November 10, 2018

Future of kids on Nauru still unknown

The government’s pledge to get children off Nauru only highlights that there remains no permanent solution for asylum seekers detained offshore.

News November 03, 2018

Cricket chairman’s slow reckoning

While cheating players were quickly sanctioned for what Cricket Australia’s Longstaff report damned as a win-at-all-costs mentality, the game’s administrators have been slow to accept responsibility.

News October 27, 2018

The national apology and what comes next

After years of struggle, Chrissie Foster this week watched the prime minister apologise to victims and survivors of institutional child abuse. Now a new fight begins for redress.

News October 20, 2018

Conversion therapy in Australia

A report released this week confirms conversion therapy is still practised in Australia, despite being deemed unethical and harmful by psychologists, as former Greens leader Bob Brown talks about his experience of similar procedures.

News October 13, 2018

The power of Alan Jones

As advertising on the Opera House shows the political influence of Alan Jones, his rivals and confidants marvel at his singular power.

News October 06, 2018

Trump, Kavanaugh, bravado and fantasy

Donald Trump’s treatment of Christine Blasey Ford after her testimony of alleged sexual assault at the hands of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh confirms the president’s shamelessness and the damage it can cause.

News September 22, 2018

Exclusive: Australia enforces Nauru’s blacklist

Documents reveal the Australian government was called on to enforce Nauru’s blacklist of political dissidents working in offshore detention.

News September 15, 2018

Changing the discourse on suicide

Reflecting on the limits of language around suicide, the author writes of his own experience of depression and the call for a more open discussion of mental health.

News September 08, 2018

Nauru’s fraught Pacific relations exposed

As host of this week’s Pacific Islands Forum, Nauru faced uncomfortable questions about its compromised relationship with Australia and censure of its stance towards China.

News September 01, 2018

Pope Francis accused

Amid fresh claims of abuse and cover-ups in the Catholic Church – this time targeting the Pope himself – dwindling numbers of Irish faithful reflect a growing disquiet.

News August 25, 2018

Failing children held on Nauru

The lives of children detained on Nauru are hanging in the balance due to traumatic withdrawal syndrome, while the government fights in court to prevent them receiving medical care.

News August 18, 2018

White nationalists and the ’Sky King’

The man who stole a commercial aeroplane in Seattle, and took his life by crashing it, has become a folk hero to neo-Nazi groups and incels, drafted into a poisonous delusion that is becoming mainstream.

News July 21, 2018

Donald Trump’s unexpected critic

Following Donald Trump’s extraordinary capitulation to Russia, a Perth father whose three children were killed on MH17 becomes his clearest critic.

News July 14, 2018

Rescuing the Wild Boars

Miraculous good fortune came into play to locate the missing members of a Thai soccer team, trapped with their coach deep underground. Then, as the world held its breath, it took extraordinary expertise and cooperation to extricate them.

News July 07, 2018

Asylum seekers left to fend for themselves

The Turnbull government’s policy of reducing support for asylum seekers living in Australia has left refugee advocates fearing political ideology will leave people homeless.

News June 30, 2018

Exclusive: How our crisis hotline failed Sadif Karimi

In the weeks before her death, Sadif Karimi made repeated calls to a domestic violence hotline. She was told she was no longer a client.

News June 23, 2018

Death and dying in offshore detention

As the death toll on Manus and Nauru climbs to 12, the government maintains its merciless policy – now refusing a terminally ill man the right to die in Australia.

News June 16, 2018

Dorothy Hewett, Bob Ellis, art and exploitation

The sexual abuse of Dorothy Hewett’s two teenage daughters in the 1970s reveals a culture subservient to a myth of artistic freedom.

News June 09, 2018

Nauru’s new contempt laws

New contempt laws introduced by the Nauruan government threaten the judiciary, political opponents and freedom of speech – and are unlikely to meet with criticism from Australia.

News June 02, 2018

Building on the Uluru statement

A year on from the historic Uluru statement, constitutional recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples remains in limbo.

News May 26, 2018

One billboard outside Gosford, amusing

Following the storming of his church by far-right activists, Father Rod Bower vows to continue his liberal preachings.

News May 19, 2018

Margaret River and paternal familicide

Though the unusual manner in which Aaron Cockman spoke of the alleged murderer of his children and ex-wife – his former father-in-law – was puzzling to many, psychological studies of similar crimes suggest a way to make sense of its seeming contradictions.

News May 12, 2018

The Victorian right’s capture of the Liberal Party

While the fight for the Liberal Party plays out in its state branches, Michael Kroger’s far right has captured Victoria and is bedding down for Napoleonic preselections.

News May 05, 2018

Sentencing ‘America’s Dad’ Bill Cosby

America elevated him to the status of hero, exemplar and model parent. In truth, Bill Cosby was a deeply flawed man.

News April 28, 2018

Peta Credlin and Sky’s caustic panels

Murdoch’s cable channel Sky News has an undue influence in Canberra, but it is defined by a sour and second-rate discourse.

News April 21, 2018

Comey, Trump and the Hillary emails

Despised by Trump supporters for one reason, and Clinton supporters for another, sacked FBI director James Comey is a critic of America’s ‘moral error’.

News April 14, 2018

The system driving live animal exports

The mass deaths of live exports are no surprise; they show an essential conflict in the priorities of a department shaped by Barnaby Joyce.

News April 07, 2018

Australia props up Nauru’s ‘out of control’ president

As Nauru continues its crackdown on opposition and abolishes higher courts, Australia turns a blind eye in exchange for offshore processing.

News March 31, 2018

The reality of Australian cricket’s boor war

As the public reels from cricket’s ball-tampering scandal, the Australian Test team’s win-at-all-costs attitude has finally seen it caught out.

News March 24, 2018

Batman: how it went wrong for the Greens

Following the Greens’ loss in Batman, the party is coming to terms with the calibrated and carefully timed attacks from within.

News March 17, 2018

Bupa’s play for radical health cover changes

Plans by Bupa to significantly change the way it provides private health benefits have many doctors and analysts fearing Australian health care is heading towards an American model.

News March 10, 2018

Bungle of Joyce

Two years since Barnaby Joyce became deputy prime minister and three months since his byelection victory, a look at the spectacular flame-out that put the former Nationals leader on the back bench.

News March 03, 2018

Inside China’s ‘united front’

As China is accused of breaking into the home of an academic, the extent of its influence in Australian politics is hotly questioned.

News February 24, 2018

Holy Labor crisis, Batman

The byelection for the inner Melbourne seat of Batman highlights Labor’s dilemma over its values.

News February 17, 2018

Church blames fatigue for redress failure

The Catholic Church says governments see no urgency in establishing child abuse redress schemes as interest wanes after the royal commission.

News February 10, 2018

Bernardi and Shelton’s perfect match

A year on from Cory Bernardi’s defection, his political union with Lyle Shelton is founded on Joh-era popular conservatism and a shared ability to attract attention.

News February 03, 2018

Scenes of monarchy at the State of the Union

Pomp and pageantry surround the State of the Union addresses and great importance is bestowed upon them. But did President Trump’s amount to anything more than a sideshow?

News January 27, 2018

Politics, media and the ‘African gangs’

Racist politics and the summer media vacuum conspired to create a ‘gang’ crisis in a city where crime rates have fallen.

News December 23, 2017

Looking back in anger

In a year that shone light on systemic failures and abuse in old institutions, we ceded more control of our lives to new institutions claiming utopian ideals. The year in review.

News December 16, 2017

The year of silence breaking

The allegations of sexual misconduct by men in power condemn not just the perpetrators, but the culture that protects and profits from them.

News December 09, 2017

US link to Sam Dastyari leaks

As the Labor Party searches for answers over the Sam Dastyari leaks, the United States is accused of possible collusion.

News December 02, 2017

The human toll of Manus

The politicised push to eliminate asylum seeker deaths at sea has tragically failed to calculate greater humanitarian costs and the deaths of 11 people.

News December 02, 2017

Donald Trump and the nuclear codes

A congressional hearing into Donald Trump’s authority to launch a nuclear strike brings into focus the grim prospect of atomic warfare and recollections of a time when America stopped worrying and learnt to love the bomb.

News November 25, 2017

Manus Island: Inside the brutal end game

As the government turns its back, the detention centre on Manus Island is smashed apart and the men there are brutalised.

News November 18, 2017

The dual citizenship debacle

The parliamentary dual citizenship crisis doesn’t only threaten the government’s majority – it also deepens the contempt the public has for its political class.

News November 04, 2017

The men on Manus we’ve left behind

Six hundred men are left behind on Manus Island. There is no electricity, water or sanitation. There is also no plan for what happens next.

News October 28, 2017

Inside the debate over Victoria’s assisted dying bill

With Victoria’s upper house preparing to debate Daniel Andrews’ euthanasia bill, supporters argue opponents such as Paul Keating have misread the public mood.

Life October 28, 2017

Life and death at Niagara Falls

A trip to Niagara Falls provokes contemplation of the force of nature and the fragility of life.

News October 21, 2017

Harvey Weinstein’s protective PR racket

As more of his victims come forward, the means by which Harvey Weinstein used influence and inducements to conceal his offending is revealed.

News October 14, 2017

Housing affordability and tenancy laws

An upcoming Victorian byelection promises to have important implications for housing affordability nationwide.

News September 16, 2017

Poker machines on trial

Victoria’s Federal Court will decide whether a poker machine has been illegally designed to entrap users, in the first case of its kind in the country.

News September 09, 2017

Kim Jong-un might be a rational leader

With concern growing over Kim Jong-un’s threats of nuclear attack, analysts are keen to contradict the view he is a madman.

News September 02, 2017

History wars and monument politics

The defacement of a statue of Captain Cook has sparked a fresh debate about the value and meaning of colonial monuments.

News August 26, 2017

The resurgence of neo-Nazism

Donald Trump’s response to the events in Charlottesville has emboldened white supremacists everywhere.

News August 19, 2017

Making war with the ABC

As the ABC faces down sustained attacks from News Corp and other outlets, the government is in the process of changing journalism for good.

News August 12, 2017

Driven to death on Manus Island

As the eighth asylum seeker dies in offshore processing, conditions decline further and the situation worsens for refugees.

News August 05, 2017

Selling Labor’s Sam Dastyari

In the week of a friendly ABC profile and the launch of his confessional memoir, Sam Dastyari’s speedy rehabilitation after his Chinese donations scandal has irked many, even within his party. Is his brash style a positive or a flaw?

News July 29, 2017

In court with Cardinal George Pell

As Cardinal George Pell faces the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court on historic sexual abuse charges, he confronts a system unmoved by his status.

News July 22, 2017

Trump’s first six months of crisis

Six months into his presidency, Donald Trump has shown no signs of growing into the office. His administration is in permanent crisis, spending its time denigrating the news media. Only the Republican Party can moderate him – and they show no appetite for it.

News July 15, 2017

Greens fail on sexual assault allegation

The mishandling of a sexual assault allegation is part of a series of concerns about the culture and conduct of the progressive party.

News July 08, 2017

The people defending Cardinal George Pell

The criminal charges brought against George Pell have seen his defenders come to the fore.

News July 01, 2017

Don Dale lessons

Expert testimony from a US juvenile corrections director about his transformation of Washington’s notorious Oak Hill facility provides the Northern Territory royal commission with possible prescriptions for the failures of Don Dale.

News June 24, 2017

Terrorism and domestic violence

While terrorism is impossible to predict, a correlation may exist between those with domestically abusive pasts and those who hope to commit acts against the state.

the_briefing June 23, 2017

Federal ministers to make ‘abject’ apology

  It is believed that federal ministers Alan Tudge, Greg Hunt and Michael Sukkar will today, through their lawyers, make a special, “abject” apology to the Victorian judiciary. In comments expressed on social media and to The Australian, …

News June 17, 2017

The wrong kind of settlement

The decision to settle a massive case on the mistreatment of asylum seekers is more about secrecy than human rights.

News June 10, 2017

Foreign political donations and the promise of interference laws

Revelations of ASIO’s historic warnings regarding Chinese donations to political parties has belatedly prompted bipartisan support for foreign interference laws.

News June 03, 2017

What we’ve learnt from Schapelle Corby

While Australians made Schapelle Corby a celebrity following her conviction, the media’s discovery that interest had since waned didn’t avoid an unedifying spectacle.

News May 27, 2017

Making sense of the Sydney siege

The coronial inquiry into the Sydney siege finds mistakes made in awarding Man Haron Monis bail, and police tactics in need of review.

News May 20, 2017

The lessons of the WannaCry cyber attack

The global WannaCry cyber attack reveals the vulnerability of our networked computer systems, and the disastrously risky practices of Western intelligence services.

News May 06, 2017

The misguided bans on men’s rights film ‘The Red Pill’

Calls to ban a controversial film about men’s rights activists serve only to lend a substandard work gravitas.

News April 29, 2017

What happened on Manus Island

Peter Dutton’s reckless characterisation of the cause of gunfire on the Manus Island camp only serves to inflame tensions.

News April 22, 2017

Government dismisses shootings on Manus Island

With numerous shots fired at the Manus Island detention centre, the danger to detainees and Australian staff has become undeniable to all but the Australian government.

News April 22, 2017

The promise of renowned neurosurgeon Charlie Teo

For some brain cancer patients, Charlie Teo is seen as a final ray of hope who’s willing to tackle so-called inoperable tumours. But to many of his neurosurgeon peers, the myths far outweigh the miracles.

News April 08, 2017

Filming ‘Chauka’ at Manus Island’s detention facilities

A collaboration between a journalist held on Manus Island and a filmmaker in Holland shows life in detention in all its stark monotony.

News April 01, 2017

Pete Evans and the rejection of science

As a celebrity chef, Pete Evans has enjoyed enormous success. But now the man who celebrated the paleo diet is using his profile to further peddle his distrust of science.

News March 25, 2017

Don Dale guard Conan Zamolo’s disturbing testimony

As the royal commission continues in the Northern Territory, a culture of brutal dysfunction emerges.

News March 18, 2017

RSL in the wars

Plagued by scandal, the RSL has become increasingly about commemoration and less about advocating for veterans.

News March 11, 2017

Inside President Trump’s Camelot

As Donald Trump’s administration marks 50 days in office, the scenes from his White House become yet more narcissistic and bizarre.

News March 04, 2017

Safety fears for Manus Island murder witness

As the Immigration Department faced senate estimates, a witness to the murder of Reza Barati fears retribution from the man he helped convict.

News February 18, 2017

Centrelink’s debt collection ‘pushed him over the edge’

As Centrelink continues its campaign of flawed and inscrutable debt collection, a young man commits suicide.

News February 11, 2017

Federal cuts to family violence reform funding

Barely two years on from strong government responses to family violence, driven by Rosie Batty, federal funding cuts to front-line services threaten to place more women and children than ever in jeopardy.

News February 11, 2017

Making history with the AFL women’s league

Finally granted a league of their own, female Australian Rules players now have the chance of professional progression through the sport. The fans are onboard, but will the dollars – and the skills – follow?

News February 04, 2017

Manus refugees await US resettlement deal

With the US–Australia refugee deal in chaos, the real victims on Manus and Nauru live in anguished hope.

News January 28, 2017

The legal case against US president Donald Trump

Donald Trump assumes the US presidency with emolument proceedings filed against him and investigations under way by up to six state agencies.

News December 24, 2016

2016: the year in review

In a year of extraordinary upsets, an unlikely candidate triumphed, detention remained a scourge and the world lost a wealth of talents.

News December 17, 2016

Dylan Voller: ‘The problem is the justice system itself’

As Australia sees Dylan Voller’s face for the first time, the deeper questions of the royal commission are only beginning.

News December 10, 2016

Sexual harassment in the media

The departure of The Age’s editor-in-chief due to workplace impropriety highlights the ongoing hypocrisy of the media as moral arbiter.

News December 03, 2016

Dennis Nona and moral questions about criminal artists

The sentencing of artist Dennis Nona for child abuse, and fresh reports of Donald Friend’s paedophilia, raises deeper questions about what we do with the art of fallen heroes.

News November 26, 2016

The Hazelwood closure and the future of the Latrobe Valley

While Hazelwood’s closure raises questions about the future of Latrobe Valley – and of energy markets – an insider says Engie got off lightly after the mine fire inquiry.

News November 19, 2016

‘Our hope is destroyed after every good news’

With details unresolved, refugees on Manus and Nauru are bringing cautious optimism to talk of US resettlement.

News November 12, 2016

The blank face of a new America

Donald Trump’s election to the presidency is a symptom of the decline of America and the numbness of its new reality.

News November 05, 2016

George Pell evidence rejected in royal commission counsel submissions

Newly published counsel to the child abuse royal commission rejects Cardinal George Pell’s evidence regarding known church abusers.

News October 29, 2016

What is going on with WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange?

WikiLeaks’ publishing of emails hacked by Russia to embarrass Hillary Clinton shows that its founder has not changed, the world has.

News October 22, 2016

Culture war in offshore detention

The response to Four Corners’ Nauru report underscores a shift in the immigration debate from human lives to media bias.

News October 15, 2016

Donald Trump, a dangerous thug emblematic of America’s decline

From his vulgarity to his misogyny to his love of Putin, Donald Trump is running to destroy the great American experiment.

News October 08, 2016

Leaked UNHCR report: Manus Island world’s worst

As the government prepares to meet with the UNHCR, urgent action is being demanded on mental decay.

News September 17, 2016

‘Lone wolf’ terrorists and community policing

So-called lone wolf attacks make policing terrorism ever more fraught, but recent heroism on a multicultural suburban street shows the community standing together.

News September 10, 2016

The Tromp family’s crisis

Reports of the Tromp family’s sudden flight from their home, and their discovery one by one in confusion and distress, gripped the public imagination. How much do we know, and how much have we a right to know?

News September 03, 2016

Inside Swisse and its vexed ABC sponsorship deal

Amid serious concerns about its products’ efficacy, complementary medicine giant Swisse will do anything for credibility.

News August 27, 2016

The dysfunction of offshore detention on Nauru

As the Coalition defends offshore detention in the wake of leaked files, former Nauru social workers and government officials paint a picture of utter dysfunction.

News August 20, 2016

PTSD and the rehabilitation of returned soldiers

As reports emerge that as many veterans have taken their lives this year as have been killed in the 13 years of the war in Afghanistan, a new narrative is emerging around post-traumatic stress disorder.

News August 13, 2016

How Reclaim Australia hid a ‘terrorist’

Inside the fractured groupings and white power fantasies of Australia’s far right, an alleged terrorist plot was forming.

News August 06, 2016

Inside Australia’s growing homeless crisis

Despite the promise to halve homelessness by 2020, political inertia and piecemeal funding have seen numbers spike.

News July 30, 2016

‘There was political support for this…’: Inside the horrors of Don Dale

Abuse and tough rhetoric on crime are part of the same volatile equation, the former NT child commissioner explains.

News July 23, 2016

Republican National Convention green lights Donald Trump

The Republican National Convention to install Donald Trump as the party’s presidential candidate has put on show bitter internal divisions and the rancorous tone with which his campaign will attack the Democrats’ Hillary Clinton.

News July 16, 2016

Andrew Wilkie and the Chilcot inquiry

Intelligence officer turned whistleblower and politician Andrew Wilkie is calling for Australia to conduct its own version of the Chilcot inquiry into the war in Iraq.

News July 09, 2016

The return of Pauline Hanson and One Nation

Pauline Hanson’s return to parliament is a sign of the increasing disconnect between the major parties and voters.

News July 02, 2016

The Australian Christian Lobby’s bid for influence

The Australian Christian Lobby has a high profile as a religious organisation seeking to influence government policy, but are its claims of intolerance and censorship a sign it realises it is out of step with a secular society?

News June 25, 2016

Criminal charges possible in detention centre operations

A new report into the operation of detention centres alleges possible criminal negligence by the immigration department and its contractors.

News June 18, 2016

Trump, Clinton and Orlando’s Pulse nightclub massacre

Against the backdrop of a US presidential election campaign, the killing of dozens of patrons at a gay nightclub in Florida starkly pits anti-Muslim sentiment against gun control – with fear as the common thread.

News June 11, 2016

Women on Nauru report documents abuse

A new report into the treatment of women on Nauru confirms the dysfunction of offshore detention and the government’s indifference.

News June 04, 2016

The real story on the Great Barrier Reef

As Australia interferes with UN reporting of threats to World Heritage sites, the Great Barrier Reef’s fate is increasingly dire if not already sealed.

News May 28, 2016

Victoria’s apology for homosexual criminality laws

Thirty-five years after homosexuality was decriminalised in Victoria, the state government has issued a formal apology for the ‘prejudice that ruined lives’.

News May 21, 2016

Inside the Brett Whiteley Lavender Bay fakes trial

An art dealer and conservator convicted of dealing in fake Brett Whiteleys now face a lengthy stint in jail. But the twists and turns in the five-week trial proved more colourful than the paintings themselves.

News May 14, 2016

Seeking justice in the Bowraville slain children case

Police racism and legal flaws stymied the investigation into the murders of three Indigenous children in Bowraville. Finally, 25 years later, a conviction is possible.

News May 07, 2016

The rise and rise of Republican wildcard Donald Trump

How did Donald Trump, a man rated one year ago with no chance of becoming a presidential nominee, turn Republican voters to his side?

News April 30, 2016

Manus, Nauru detention: this is not our Australia

As PNG rules detention on Manus Island illegal, the situation on Nauru worsens daily, with self-harm and child suicide attempts rife.

News April 23, 2016

60 Minutes crew released in Beirut

A TV crew’s botched child recovery bid has left a trail of damaged reputations and questions of how far is too far in journalism.

News April 16, 2016

Inner-city lockout laws versus a 24-hour environment

As Sydney equates declining assault rates with late-night lockout laws, Melbourne is eager to become a 24-hour city.

News April 09, 2016

Wilson Security’s appalling record on Nauru

As stories emerge of contractors beating children on Nauru, Wilson Security’s entire operation looks increasingly broken.

News April 02, 2016

Family violence royal commission finds patterns of failure

In its report, the Royal Commission into Family Violence, having heard myriad stories of institutional failure, calls for systemic change, from funding arrangements to intervention responses and rehabilitation.

News March 25, 2016

Joseph Acquaro and the Calabrian Mafia

The murder of lawyer Joseph Acquaro might have opened another chapter in Melbourne’s gangland wars. But it’s also part of the longer story of the Calabrian Mafia’s seeming ability to avoid investigation and prosecution.

News March 19, 2016

Numan Haider inquest reveals policing oversights

The inquest into the shooting of radicalised teenager Numan Haider reveals ASIO phone taps not shared with police, which might have saved him and officers from being put in harm’s way.

News March 12, 2016

Bushfire prevention strategy questioned after Lancefield

After the Lancefield fires, caused by a planned burn, the Victorian government has backed away from Black Saturday royal commission recommendations. But communities remain mistrustful of new strategies.

News March 05, 2016

Cardinal George Pell’s royal commission testimony

The remarkable part of George Pell’s royal commission testimony is not its insensitivity but what it asks people to believe.

News February 27, 2016

Policing domestic violence

As the victim of a violent, menacing partner, Mary turned to the police for help. Years later, she feels as vulnerable as ever.

News February 20, 2016

Backlash against CSIRO’s ‘cowboy’ chief Larry Marshall

As Larry Marshall signals cuts to various programs, CSIRO staff say he is either out of his depth or has questionable motives – or both.

News February 13, 2016

Closing the Gap a ritual of empty words

Malcolm Turnbull’s first Closing the Gap address acknowledges shortcomings and delivers platitudes but fails to make progress.

News February 06, 2016

The lawful truth of the High Court’s offshore detention decision

The High Court’s ruling that offshore detention is legal has cruelly condemned 37 Australian-born babies to a life of uncertainty on a bleak island. What was the government's ‘sleight of hand’ that protected our immigration policy?

News January 30, 2016

Inside corrupt sports betting

Recent allegations concerning top-level tennis highlight a growing market in corruption that goes hand in hand with a rise in online gambling.

News January 23, 2016

Holiday surprises for Malcolm Turnbull

Traditionally, Christmas and new year marks a flat spot for political news. But the past few weeks have thrown up their share of woe for Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

News December 19, 2015

2015: A carnival of cognitive dissonance

If anything existed to make sense of the past year, it was a stubborn refusal to accept realities – in politics, in sport, in life.

News December 12, 2015

Inside the Royal Commission into Trade Union Governance and Corruption

The trade union royal commission has been haunted by politicisation since it began, ranging from the Gillard–AWU claims, to the attempted ousting of Commissioner Dyson Heydon, to last weekend’s arrests. But with all the drama, are we missing the point?

News December 05, 2015

Testifying against child sexual abuse at royal commission

The latest round of royal commission hearings bear witness to despicable cover-ups and blatant disregard for victims.

News December 05, 2015

Ending the silence on suicide

It’s long been a taboo subject, rarely spoken of in public and deliberately withheld from media reports. Now experts are seeking to destigmatise suicide – and help those at risk – by encouraging open, honest and sensitive conversation about what drives someone to want to take their own life.

News November 28, 2015

Peter Dutton’s contempt of court battle

Victoria’s Supreme Court will decide if Peter Dutton is wrongly depriving a man on a bridging visa of the right to a fair trial.

News November 21, 2015

Paris attacks and the dissonance of terror

The horror of Paris, among other recent terrorist attacks, has led to new assessments of the goals and methods of Daesh, and renewed confusion as to how to respond.

News November 14, 2015

Nugan Hand Bank fugitive found in US

The true story of Sydney's shadowy Nugan Hand Bank, and its connections in the 1970s to the CIA, arms dealing and the Asian drug trade, may be closer with the discovery of Michael Jon Hand alive and well in Idaho.

News November 07, 2015

Michelle Payne inspires but fog of sleaze surrounds horseracing

For all the heartwarming stories to come out of Tuesday’s historic Melbourne Cup, a cloud of impurity hovers over the ‘closed culture’ of the racing industry.

News October 31, 2015

Chris Kenny visits Nauru as borders open up to allies

Allowing a supportive journalist access to Nauru does nothing to assuage the levels of secrecy and lies on the island.

News October 17, 2015

The man paid to protect Nauru’s image

The Australian publicist selling the Nauru government’s message on mistreated refugees defends his tactics.

News October 10, 2015

Mass shootings rife as Americans stick to their guns

Despite this year averaging one mass shooting a day, and pleas from the president for legislative changes, the United States clings to its literalist interpretation of the right to bear arms.

News October 03, 2015

The shadow of  tragedy hangs over Luke Batty inquest

Hindsight and evaluation cannot alter the fate of Luke Batty. But a coroner’s report into his ‘unforeseeable’ murder has at least identified systemic failings in the handling of mental illness and domestic violence.

News September 26, 2015

Adam Goodes’ bipartisan career ends but legacy will live on

His stellar career has lately been dogged by controversy, but Adam Goodes retires as a proud Indigenous man calling out his code’s racist underbelly.

News September 19, 2015

Children behind bars

For asylum-seeker children detained on Christmas Island, the perils of crossing treacherous seas in unsafe vessels was just the beginning of their despair.

News September 12, 2015

Hiding sexual abuse behind prestige at Geelong Grammar

For students of the elite Geelong Grammar School, sexual abuse survived within a subculture of hazing born in the ‘Great Public Schools’ of England.

News September 05, 2015

Inside Border Force’s power

Border Force is the contrivance of a knot of ambitious bureaucrats whose aim is to militarise Immigration.

News August 29, 2015

Nauru’s systemic dysfunction

With a new tender imminent for Nauru's detention centre operations, and a senate inquiry report still due, stories continue to emerge of mismanagement, dysfunction and extra-judicial governance.

News August 22, 2015

Nauru rapes: ‘There is a war on women’

One woman lies catatonic in hospital after being raped and beaten. Another was raped and immolated. This is the world awaiting refugees released from detention on Nauru.

News August 15, 2015

Inside controversial rideshare firm Uber’s radical model

Rideshare company Uber’s aggressive fight against the taxi industry and the tax office has caught governments off guard.

News August 08, 2015

The hidden politics of family violence

The royal commission into domestic violence has replayed many received wisdoms. But there are certain things that cannot be said.

News August 01, 2015

Royal commission examines Jehovah Witnesses cover-up

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ fiercely literal reading of the Bible has distanced them from the law and politics, but the royal commission into child sexual abuse is ending that.

News July 25, 2015

Inside the strange dynamic of Reclaim Australia’s rallies

The Reclaim Australia protests and counter-protests reveal the unedifying anger on the outer fringes of politics.

News July 18, 2015

Abbott’s campaign to kill renewable energy sector

Unable to disband a financing body it despises, the Abbott government has set about rigging renewable energy investment to fail.

News July 11, 2015

Spyware company’s shadowy deals exposed

Millionaire hackers' spyware clients include South Sudan, Russia, Saudi Arabia – and Australia.

News July 04, 2015

The battle for open-access information

A Melbourne-based PhD candidate’s online open-access publishing forum is a boon for those wishing to access texts and transcripts free. But at what cost to the authors of some of these works?

News June 20, 2015

Accused from Pinochet’s Chile still in Australia

Despite Chilean extradition orders, a former employee of Pinochet’s secret police has been allowed to remain – free – in Australia.

News June 13, 2015

Abbott’s war on Gillian Triggs

The government is trying to ridicule the president of the Human Rights Commission out of office. But she won’t go.

News June 06, 2015

Les Murray and the FIFA scandal

As corruption arrests shake global football body FIFA, Australia’s unwavering support for the organisation is in question.

News May 30, 2015

Inside the Ridsdale child sexual abuse inquiry

Gerald Ridsdale’s testimony is about the church’s protection of paedophiles, but it is also about ending the shame of victims.

News May 23, 2015

Inside George Brandis’s Australia Council arts heist

The arts minister’s shock annexation of Australia Council funding is about long-running tension over the purpose of the humanities.

News May 16, 2015

The difficulties and despair of searching for missing persons

Trying to track the hundreds of missing children and adults in Australia is fraught for police and devastating for families.

News May 09, 2015

The AFP’s Bali Nine defence

Defence relations between Australia and Indonesia remain strong despite cooling diplomacy, as the AFP maintains it was unable to act before the Bali Nine were arrested abroad.

News May 02, 2015

Inside the fight to save Bali Nine’s Chan and Sukumaran

The executions of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran end a 10-year struggle between quiet advocacy and Indonesian sovereignty.

News April 25, 2015

The delicate balance of policing suburban extremists

The arrest of five teenagers in counterterrorism raids this week sparked fresh claims of racism and police brutality. It also highlighted the need for deeper investigation into the motivation of young  jihadists.

News April 18, 2015

Islamic State’s online strategies

Hobart airport’s hacking debacle highlights the ways extremist groups are becoming more cyber-savvy.

News April 11, 2015

Reclaim Australia protests threaten more division

Ugly clashes at Reclaim Australia rallies around the country may have only served to cement a feeling of ‘us’ and ‘them’.

News April 04, 2015

Lubitz and the minds of airline pilots

The Germanwings tragedy raises vexed questions about vetting air crew and mitigation of risk.

News March 28, 2015

Nauru abuse goes further than the Moss review

Sex with under-age detainees and pressure to cover up abuse show Nauru’s dysfunction goes well beyond the Moss review.

News March 21, 2015

Inside men’s rights groups

The world of men’s rights activism is an echo chamber of private resentments, violent misogyny and permanent victimhood.

News March 14, 2015

Report offers little hope for families of MH370 victims

On the first anniversary of flight MH370’s disappearance, the Malaysian government’s report into its fate offers a wealth of data but nothing to explain to the families of the missing what happened.

News March 07, 2015

Inside the Knox Grammar’s sexual abuse scandal

How one man’s blindness allowed a generation of sexual abuse at Sydney’s Knox Grammar.

News December 20, 2014

The year that was: Seeking meaning inside a vacuum

Martin McKenzie-Murray chronicles the year, from spirited victories on the sports field to the final moments of the Sydney siege and what followed.

News December 13, 2014

Taliban targets Afghan family as Scott Morrison stalls

As Scott Morrison enlarges his powers, he becomes directly responsible for cases like Shaima’s.

News November 29, 2014

Phillip Hughes, gone too soon

A freak accident has cut short the career of a talented young cricketer and stunned a sports-loving nation.

News November 29, 2014

Medean tragedy of the baby dumped in a drain

“Filicide seems so unnatural. A wild disavowal of the tenderness and protection innate to evolution and refined by civilisation. ”

News November 22, 2014

ASIO and other intelligence agencies reach for the spy

Savvy terrorists and changing security issues have forced our intelligence agencies to pump huge money into funding and recruitment.

News November 15, 2014

Fear and abuse: the Nauru letters

One woman molested after a suicide attempt, as other abuse is left uninvestigated. These are the horrific conditions on Nauru.

News November 08, 2014

Web of abuse grows as online bullies spread malice

Online harassment is becoming a growing scourge, but its victims – most frequently young women – are offered little protection.

News November 01, 2014

Rosie Batty’s voice

As an inquest searches for answers that may not exist, a grieving mother brings eloquence to an incoherent system.

Portrait November 01, 2014

Man in black Scott Ludlam keeps calm and carries on

Greens senator Scott Ludlam on spying, terrorism and the bigger hidden threats.

News October 25, 2014

Pyne needling

The death of a political icon made Education Minister Christopher Pyne’s push for deregulation of university fees even harder to sell.

Business October 18, 2014

The power of the electricty market

A senate inquiry is pending into the long-flawed system delivering rising electricity prices.

News October 11, 2014

Abuse on Nauru, Scott Morrison’s wretched island

Reports of sexual abuse and cruelty on Nauru are the latest in a long line of woes for the detention centre.

News October 04, 2014

Testing the vitality of the Australian Dream

Contrary to assumptions we are becoming hyper-aspirational and individualistic, our storied egalitarianism may still hold true.

News September 27, 2014

Inside the terror of the suburbs

Before the newly charged rhetoric of terrorism, Numan Haider was a disturbed kid. Then he became a radical threat.

News September 20, 2014

Turbulent times as Qantas fights for survival

Poor decision-making by the powers that be and decades of stoic resistance to change have sent Qantas’s fortunes into a tailspin.

News September 13, 2014

Abetz still in the woods, fighting a lost war

As Tasmania lags behind Australia, Eric Abetz is reigniting old battles.

News September 06, 2014

Whiteley or wrongly: alleged con man opens up on art fraud charges

Weeks from facing court, the man charged with dealing in fake Brett Whiteleys speaks of his love of art and hate for the rich.

News August 30, 2014

George Pell’s blindness on child sex abuse

The Catholic Church presents an implacable face as victims of abuse stream forward.

News August 23, 2014

How the Essendon Bombers crashed to earth

A Federal Court ruling on the ASADA v Essendon saga is pending. So how did it all come to this?

News August 09, 2014

Political advisers wag the dog

With politics now in the thrall of a 24/7 news cycle, media advisers are becoming worryingly central to decision-making.

News August 02, 2014

Relations in the firing line in wake of MH17

Condemnation offset by caution is imperative in negotiating the aftermath of MH17. But for grief-stricken families, it means little.

Law & Crime July 26, 2014

How Section 19A stigmatises HIV/AIDS in murder law

International AIDS Conference delegates were surprised by a Victorian government announcement to amend a law targeting murder by infection.

News July 18, 2014

Unholy discourse clouds debate on Australians fighting in Syria

Does silencing dissent at home serve to encourage Muslim Australians to embrace jihad?

News July 12, 2014

Rolf Harris reaction masks our blind spot on child abuse

Tabloids rush to cover celebrity paedophiles but they refuse campaigns against the epidemic of family child abuse.

News July 05, 2014

Inside the Tamil’s burning protests

As Sri Lankan asylum seekers attempt self-immolation, and scores are turned back by boat, the government buries its head.

News June 28, 2014

Peter Greste’s cruel imprisonment in Egypt

Peter Greste has become an innocent pawn in Egypt’s propaganda war, his parents collateral damage.

News June 21, 2014

High Court win on school chaplaincy funding

The High Court has ruled against the government’s controversial school chaplaincy scheme. A report on the man who beat God.

News June 14, 2014

Renovated truths and a royal commission into trade unions

Lack of evidence has done nothing to extinguish the fires of controversy over Julia Gillard’s former relationship with Bruce Wilson, and the media campaign that followed.

News June 07, 2014

Tracing the path of teenage baby killer Harley Hicks

A mother wakes to find her baby beaten to death in his cot, murdered by an ice-addicted stranger. Here, part one in a two-part series.

News May 31, 2014

Cornall report into the death of Reza Barati on Manus Island

The report into Reza Barati’s death on Manus Island only serves to highlight the reckless endorsement by both sides of politics of a grossly unsuitable processing centre.

News May 24, 2014

On the ethical fringe of  euthanasia

The consequences for the elderly when even doctors insist euthanasia is an irrational act.

Business May 17, 2014

Exposing privileged trading

How two uni mates ended up at the centre of a multimillion-dollar insider trading scandal.

News May 10, 2014

Inside the mind of a paedophile

It’s an act so abhorrent people recoil at its mention. Martin McKenzie-Murray unpicks the stigma, and his own experience, to examine what is actually known about child abusers.

News May 03, 2014

Breaking the law to force euthanasia debate

Inside the conspiracy of silence holding back the euthanasia debate, and the doctor waiting for police to arrest him.

News April 26, 2014

Our family violence shame

Government pledges to act on domestic violence have failed to stop the spate of family murders.

News April 19, 2014

The two sides of Oscar Pistorius

He’s known as Blade Runner, but it was the steel of a gun that derailed Pistorius’s extraordinary life.

News April 12, 2014

Greste family’s stoic wait for news

For the parents of an Australian journalist imprisoned in Egypt, the past 100 days have been interminable.

News April 05, 2014

Hunting Australia’s neo-Nazis

Amid death threats and bungled attempts to out him, one man refuses to let go of his perilous mission.

News March 29, 2014

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 leaves just mystery

Misinformation, outlandish theories and a tragic lack of ‘closure’ followed the March 8 disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines flight.

News March 22, 2014

The hidden shame of domestic violence and a failing system

While reports of ‘coward’ punches grab the headlines, a far more insidious crime is lurking in our suburbs.

Comment March 15, 2014

Abortion divides Liberal Party on preselection

Abortion law is back on the agenda in Victoria, a pawn in political power plays.

News March 08, 2014

Why Morwell is burning

Though lit by an arsonist, the coalmine fire choking the town of Morwell is fanned by poor regulation and corporate cost-cutting.

News February 28, 2014

Rosie Batty’s public sorrow

The death of 11-year-old Luke Batty at the hands of a violent father sent shockwaves through the nation. The boy’s mother speaks out.