‘Party of independents’ a contradiction in terms?
Any move by some current independents to form a party would be fraught, writes political columnist MICHELLE GRATTAN.
- Politics
- Politics
Mad as hell and I’m not going to take this any more!
"Anger can get that cut-through and then some. Even if irritating, it stays in our minds longer than a positive message." Columnist ANDREW HUGHES looks at the political power of anger.
- Arts & Entertainment
Awesome spiders really up close and personal
The male Maratus spider may well be the sexiest insect in the world, if viewed properly, far sexier than the peacock after whom the tiny arachnid has been nicknamed, writes arts editor HELEN MUSA.
- News
Nerdy grrrl’s story of surviving a career in technology
Carol Wapshere's memoir, How to be an IT Grrrl, traces a career that spans decades, countries, and a tech industry that was not built with people like her in mind, reports DHWANI PATHAK.
- Opinion
Out of this world, epic it was and Epic it wasn’t
What a privilege it was to have been present to hear one of the world’s great scientific gurus... pity about the venue, bemoans letter writer DENNIS MARTIN.
- Opinion
Cartoon / Dose of Dorin
Another cartoon from the wry eye of PAUL DORIN.
- News
Here’s why diphtheria is back in Australia
Diphtheria, whooping cough and measles have come back in Australia. ADRIAN ESTERMAN explores the reasons for their return.
- Arts & Entertainment
Chilling, sci-fi mystery set in a retirement home!
Sam Cooper plans to spend his senior years living quietly at a leafy village until something sinister starts stalking the neighbourhood. NICK OVERALL says that despite being a sci-fi mystery, The Boroughs is ultimately a story of ageing.
- Arts & Entertainment
Inventive production of a musical classic
"Audiences never seem to tire of the epic scale of its uplifting story nor of the glorious score in which every song is a classic." BILL STEPHENS reviews the Queanbeyan Players' new production of Les Miserables.
News
Australia mourns as Israeli ambassador visits Bondi
As the Jewish community mourns the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack Israel's ambassador has visited the site, as Australia considers tighter gun laws.
Update
‘Guilty’: mushroom cook convicted of triple murder
Mushroom cook Erin Patterson intentionally poisoned four members of her estranged husband's family, a jury has found after a week of deliberations.
News
Coroner finds cop who shot indigenous teen a racist
A coroner has found the death of a 19-year-old Warlpiri-Luritja man in a remote community was avoidable, and the former police officer who shot him was racist.
Update
Few clues to motive in ‘horrifying’ Bondi rampage
NSW Premier Chris Minns says women were targeted in the Bondi Junction mass stabbing but lengthy inquiries to come may never conclusively find a motive.
News
‘Biggest hypocrite’: clash over climate expenses
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has defended the $150 million cost of Australia chairing the UN's climate summit, while blasting the coalition over travel.
Hughes man charged with blackmail, aggravated robbery
New housing support fund in ACT Budget
Second ‘ISIS bride’ group to face charges upon return
Energy prices likely to drop for Aussie households
Pros and cons to creating formal party, ex-teal says
Teens navigating sex, relationships earlier than ever
Lifestyle
Hunter & Barrel brings real fire-grill steak to Canberra
Premium steakhouse Hunter & Barrel will open its doors at the Canberra Centre, 20 Scotts Crossing, on May 8, bringing its signature fire-led dining experience to the nation’s capital.
Sponsored Content
Arts & Entertainment
Bigger, bolder Footloose back for ‘explosive’ season
Footloose: The Musical returns to Canberra in a new production – bigger, bolder and more explosive than ever before – at the Royal Theatre, May 8-10.
Sponsored Content
News
‘Never again’: lessons from a new-look war memorial
The Australian War Memorial sits on a "fault line" in the national debate, its director says, as he reflects on how history guides its $580 million refurb.
News
‘Biggest hypocrite’: clash over climate expenses
Energy Minister Chris Bowen has defended the $150 million cost of Australia chairing the UN's climate summit, while blasting the coalition over travel.
Police
Hughes man charged with blackmail, aggravated robbery
A 30-year-old Hughes man has been charged following an alleged blackmail and aggravated robbery in Belconnen last month.
News
New housing support fund in ACT Budget
The ACT Government will spend $7.4 million on new support measures aimed at helping low-income households manage housing and cost-of-living pressures as part of the 2026-27 Budget.
Police
Second ‘ISIS bride’ group to face charges upon return
A second group of women and children linked to Islamic State are set to arrive back in Australia after years spent in a Syrian refugee camp.
News
Energy prices likely to drop for Aussie households
Households and small businesses will likely experience a fall in their energy bills in welcome relief after the Middle East war caused global energy shocks.
Politics
Pros and cons to creating formal party, ex-teal says
While a formal teal party could erode support among some voters, it would also help independent MPs share resources and collaborate on policies.
News
Teens navigating sex, relationships earlier than ever
Young people are calling out for education on relationships, consent and sex, not just biology or risk, while navigating these topics earlier than ever.
News
Stolen Generations still paying price of forced removal
The many thousands of Indigenous children who were forcibly removed from their families from 1910 to 1970 are being remembered as part of National Sorry Day.
News
Nerdy grrrl’s story of surviving a career in technology
Carol Wapshere's memoir, How to be an IT Grrrl, traces a career that spans decades, countries, and a tech industry that was not built with people like her in mind, reports DHWANI PATHAK.
Daily Puzzles
Any move by some current independents to form a party would be fraught, writes political columnist MICHELLE GRATTAN.
"Anger can get that cut-through and then some. Even if irritating, it stays in our minds longer than a positive message." Columnist ANDREW HUGHES looks at the political power of anger.
Albanese and Chalmers underestimated budget backlash
Shhh… no-one mention the intergenerational debt
Tomorrow’s calling but we’re not funded for it
Mixed result as Angus throws everything at his budget reply
Steel yourself for another billion-dollar deficit
We all know what’s coming next if we’re not careful
Views
Out of this world, epic it was and Epic it wasn’t
What a privilege it was to have been present to hear one of the world’s great scientific gurus... pity about the venue, bemoans letter writer DENNIS MARTIN.
Opinion
A quatrain: Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker
"A quatrain is a stanza or verse in poetry that has four lines. It often follows a rhyming formula of 'couplets', 'alternating rhymes' and 'enclosed rhymes'," writes Whimsy columnist CLIVE WILLIAMS.
Opinion
Stop the waste: abolish the Ombudsman’s office
"A bit harsh? Alas, as at the end of 2025, only 37 per cent of surveyed Ombudsman customers were satisfied. Also telling, and dismal, is that the office aspiration is only 65 per cent." bemoans HUGH SELBY.
Opinion
KEEPING UP THE ACT
KEEPING UP THE ACT reveals the power of ACT Labor's Justice Warriors and how they get things done for the community! Yeah, naw!
Opinion
Being punished for the temerity of working hard!
"In Treasurer Jim Chalmer's intergenerational equity-obsession budget, the boomer generation in particular is being punished for the temerity of working hard, and taking risks in buying properties!" writes columnist ROSS FITZGERALD.
Letters
‘Absurd’ amount to upgrade Sydney rail service
"A fraction of the money saved by not extending the tram to Woden could be used turning the Kingston Railway Station into a welcoming and convenient environment for tourists and business travellers alike," writes BEATRICE BODART-BAILEY.
Letters
Chalmers didn’t seize the superannuation nettle
The treasurer has 'totally' squibbed it in making changes to unsustainable superannuation benefits, says letter writer IAN DE LANDELLES.
Opinion
How prejudice thrives by trumping justice
'In justice, we converted the desirable aim of taking seriously those who make complaints of being forced into unwanted sexual acts into the prejudiced assertion that what they allege is true,' writes legal affairs columnist HUGH SELBY.
Arts
Eisteddfod’s winning bands and orchestras
The Australian National Eisteddfod’s Bands & Orchestras event last week saw awards spread evenly across the competition, with six Platinum awards, 25 Gold, 32 Silver and 11 Bronze awards presented.
Art
Awesome spiders really up close and personal
The male Maratus spider may well be the sexiest insect in the world, if viewed properly, far sexier than the peacock after whom the tiny arachnid has been nicknamed, writes arts editor HELEN MUSA.
Music
Alasdair Stretch blends art song with sharp humour
Arts editor HELEN MUSA reviews Art Song Canberra: A Brief History of the Unrequited, a recital by baritone Alasdair Stretch who ventured from the Renaissance well into the 21st century.
Arts & Entertainment
There’s a new home for circus training in Canberra
Here's the latest Arts in the City column from HELEN MUSA.
Reviews
Lively and knowledgeable gallop around the world of Jane Austen
"It’s playful stuff with a sensible Austen heroine at its centre who is surrounded by unsuitable suitors, a young and feckless sister, and a mother who wants her daughters married off." ALANNA MACLEAN reviews Promise and Promiscuity.
Dance
Bangarra’s triple-bill dance production honours past and present
"A remount of Sheoak, premiered in 2015 and choreographed by Bangarra artistic director Frances Rings, was the final piece in Sheltering." SAMARA PURNELL reviews Bangarra Dance Theatre's latest production.
Music
Spine-tingling beauty as a chord just hung in the air
"This was a superbly satisfying performance of a grand piece of music... with more than a few moments of spine-tingling beauty as a chord just hung in the air or a voice floated above," writes music reviewer GRAHAM McDONALD.
Reviews
Just one rhetorical question: how good was that?
"Although Scott Morrison’s presence hovers over the entire production and largely inspired it, this is a sophisticated work full of shifting perspectives." HELEN MUSA reviews Playback (Or, A Play About But Not Starring a Famous Politician).
Music
Just a few smiles short of making the Romantics proud
"From the opening Schubert setting of The Lord is My Shepherd the choir presented choral singing of high vocal quality with fine balance, excellent dynamic control and contrast, and pleasing clarity of diction," writes reviewer IAN McLEAN.
Lifestyle
Winter wattles brighten gardens
Woolly Wattle is a tough, compact native shrub with bright globular flowers on long stems, ideal for shelter and erosion control, writes gardening columnist JACKIE WARBURTON.
Wine
Cold truths about good chardonnay
"It was a new-style chardonnay with very little butter and the oak flavours subtle. It was a pleasant drink." Wine columnist RICHARD CALVER gets a taste for a chardonnay from Orange.
Dining
Luke brings fire to the new fish markets
Dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON revels in a special eatery at the new Sydney Fish Markets.
Dining
Eightysix is unapologetically itself
Thirteen years ago, a restaurant in Braddon opened with unbridled enthusiasm and a determination to make a difference, writes dining reviewer WENDY JOHNSON.
Canberra culture
Everywhere you look, the heads are down
"We no longer memorise phone numbers or passwords, emergencies no longer feel as risky with instant access to help, and getting lost has become almost impossible with maps guiding every turn," writes PAUL DORIN.
Legal
What if you’re accused of a serious criminal offence in NSW?
Been accused of a criminal act in NSW? This sponsored post advises you to respond with the best tools and resources available to ensure your reputation is protected and that you’re given a fighting chance for justice.
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Technology
How Australia’s EV adoption compares globally
Australia's electric vehicle market closed 2025 at a record high, but a global view paints a more complicated picture, according to this sponsored post.
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Technology
Using our brains to help self-driving cars see danger
Self‑driving cars struggle to see at night or in fog – but imitating the human brain can make them safe, writes PABLO CAMARA.
Health & Fitness
Iconic Vitamin C: is it all it’s supposed to be?
Should you take vitamin C to ward off colds, lower blood pressure or reduce cancer risk? This is what the experts say...
