BUMPER EDITION | December 20, 2025 – January 9, 2026
News
Comment
Comment
Paul Bongiorno
An attack on our way of life
“Albanese is convinced Australians want the nation to come together at a time like this. He says we will not allow the country to be divided, because that is what the terrorists seek. Unlike in previous disasters … the opposition and its supporters broke ranks with the government and blamed the prime minister for the atrocity.”
Comment
Stan Grant
This is not Australia
“This is not Australia. I say that over and over again, yet the images on my television screen are telling me it is. This is Bondi Beach. This is summer. This is music and surfing and food and laughter. This is a place of strangers in all our diversity who call ourselves a nation.”
Letters, Cartoon & Editorial
Culture
Profile
Opera star Jonas Kaufmann
Dubbed the world’s greatest tenor, Jonas Kaufmann has forged his stellar career on a mix of thrilling talent, relentless hard work and extraordinary dramatic ability.
Profile
Hamnet director Chloé Zhao
Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s Shakespearean novel, Hamnet, is a film about the collective expression of grief.
Books
Life
Puzzles
Quotes
Media
“Please ensure you are respectful of others at all times, just as you would be in the office.”
The News Corp commercial director reminds staff of company values ahead of a Christmas party at The Ivy. It’s quite possible he doesn’t read his own titles.
Politics
“Significant context was disregarded and much of what I, and others, said about the team and the President was left out.”
The chief-of-staff to Donald Trump criticises a piece on the White House in Vanity Fair. It’s not clear what context needed to be added to her description of Trump as having “an alcoholic’s personality”.
Music
“She dreamt big. She dreamt bigger than all of us. Who wasn’t moved by that?”
The actor includes talent contestant Susan Boyle among his top five Britons of all time. Susanalbumparty forever.
Art
“We will still need the buckets until we complete all the works, but we have a plan to get rid of them.”
The director of the National Gallery of Australia celebrates a federal grant to fix the building’s leaking roof. There’s only $7.4 billion worth of work inside.
Intelligence
“I was paid in the past … for my opinions, that’s clear, and one day I will be back in that space – but that’s not what I’m paid for now.”
The FBI’s deputy director explains the complexity of solving a pipe bomb case that he previously described as an inside job. This is probably why you don’t appoint right-wing podcasters to run security agencies.
Sport
“The people who will be paying for it will be them.”
The chief executive of Racing NSW explains why he has launched defamation suits against a string of niche publications that have been critical of his leadership. All very sporting.
Race
“These posts do not reflect Finland’s values of equality and inclusion.”
The Finnish prime minister issues an apology after coalition partners posted pictures of themselves mocking Asian eyes. Shocking for a country with such ethnic diversity.
Deaths
“Oh how we will miss this man …”
The actress marks the deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. They were allegedly killed by their son.
