Martin McKenzie-Murray

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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

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

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

“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. …”

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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?

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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’.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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?

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

  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, …

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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?

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

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.

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

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.