Martin McKenzie-Murray

As the country attempts to make sense of the massacre at Bondi Beach, the principal reactions are a mix of fear, sorrow and anger.

For the author, his daughter’s delight at practising her favourite gymnastics feat scores a perfect 10.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup draw was a stunning own goal of self-love and sycophancy with a Trumped-up ‘peace prize’ – all in the service of further monetising the world game.

Watching young cricket players on a pitch close to home, the author is visited by memories that flow from the action.

A shadowy network of ‘dark fleets’ is allowing Russia’s oil export market to escape sanction and threatens to undo any of the good Australia has done in supplying military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

The England men’s cricket team arrived with swagger and talent, further validating the author’s unbridled loathing. Their humiliation in the first Ashes Test was righteous.

In 1985, chess great Viktor Korchnoi was persuaded to take on Géza Maróczy. What really set the challenge apart was that the Hungarian grandmaster had died decades earlier.

Celebrated neurosurgeon Charlie Teo blames The Saturday Paper for his self-exile to China, although he says it’s okay to hug the theatre nurses there.

Fifteen months after the appointment of an administrator to clean up the CFMEU, threats of violence and retribution still bedevil anyone not toeing the union’s old-school line.

While sporting competitions are held up as great and virtuous unifiers, the reality – from as far back as the ancient Greeks – is that corruption and politicisation are always lurking nearby.

He took Spurs to their first trophy in 17 years but was still punted. Now Ange Postecoglou’s ignominious exit from Forest has all but sealed his English Premier League fate.

The Qantas data breach highlights what cybersecurity experts have feared for years – that the outsourcing and offshoring of data management leaves companies and government agencies vulnerable to increasingly sophisticated attacks.

Hard work and discipline took the bookish and ungainly John Amaechi to the NBA – and when his team abandoned him, to a new profession. In a 2007 memoir, he spoke his truth.

Martin Scorsese’s Raging Bull won an Oscar for Robert De Niro, with his portrayal of boxer Jake LaMotta’s misogyny, depravity and violence in and outside the ring.

He was the force behind a quarter-century of Manchester United success. But while Sir Alex Ferguson is lauded as a hero of the club, his influence on their demise is equally telling.

Before the Olympics were open to women swimmers, Australian Annette Kellerman was pushing the boundaries of propriety – with a determination that would make her a star.

As the search for sovereign citizen Dezi Freeman expands into the largest ever tactical deployment of police, a profile is emerging of an ideology that excuses murder in the name of resistance.

When an battered Subbuteo set was bequeathed to the author in the mid-1990s, it ignited a passion – just not for the tiny soccer game itself.

The media’s willingness and the public’s desire to hype elite athletes perpetuates a circus of transactionality in which simply being admirable is not enough.

As the NSW government considers backing the Shooters party on a bill that would ease restrictions on weapons, those close to the 1996 massacre warn against any move that could fuel the national surge in gun ownership.

Fifty years after Norman Mailer published The Fight – on the Rumble in the Jungle between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman – it remains a seminal work in the sporting canon.

He dared to dream and now the author can slumber easily as his beloved Fremantle FC contests the AFL finals, in a season where every top eight team is a realistic chance for the flag.

After five years of failed appeals and obfuscation, Qantas has been fined a record $90 million for breaching industrial laws when it outsourced its ground crews.

The makers of the documentary series Celtics City, on the most successful basketball team in NBA history, hoped to replicate the popularity of ESPN’s The Last Dance. They did not.

A Fremantle Dockers hero for many seasons, dual Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe is proof that no matter how godlike some athletes may appear, they are all mortal.

In an Australian first, the Victorian parliament is holding a public inquiry into the coercive practices and abuses of cults and fringe religious groups.

A crusade for nuclear disarmament disguised as a sports film, Amazing Grace and Chuck was also a stinker – but it certainly captured the zeitgeist of a generation fearing world’s end.

Forty years on, a fast and ferocious title fight between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas ‘The Hit Man’ Hearns remains one of the greatest bouts in boxing’s history.

Once a dominant force in Test cricket, the West Indies has in recent years dissolved into a hapless team rent by administrative problems, disunity and lack of funds.

The death of a still-young sporting hero brings with it breathy accolades and gauche clichés, but it also delivers a strange sense of disbelief and bafflement for the fans left behind.

From humble beginnings in a highly segregated city, Arthur Ashe rose to become the first, and only, Black man to win a Wimbledon singles title – on July 5, 1975.

A week after the High Court endorsed the CFMEU’s administrators, the union had to cancel a branch meeting out of concern for members’ safety.

William Hazlitt’s account of an 1821 bare-knuckle fight in an English field is considered one of the first examples of modern sportswriting, and remains a triumphant example of the genre.

On this day, three decades ago, the careers of two sporting legends took sharply divergent paths.

It was only a matter of time before the most powerful man in the world and the richest would have a spectacular falling out.

The turmoil over the stadium that threatens to topple the Tasmanian government has its origins in the high-handed and ill-considered demands of the AFL.

As Fremantle’s AFL season lurches from shattering losses to promise and potential, diehard fans know to ignore the hype, hope for the best and always – always – prepare for the worst.

Eephus, a languid film about ageing recreational baseball players engaged in an epic game, reminds the author of his childhood on pitches and fields – when sport framed how he saw the world.

Tenacity got him to the top of the soccer world, but parental devotion played a huge part – it was in recognition of this that Craig Johnston’s illustrious career prematurely ended.

Sent to Australia under the false assertion they were orphans, adoptees from South Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam speak of the lies they have struggled to reconcile, and doubt the Albanese government’s promised inquiry can bring resolution.

The churn of sporting memoirs sees multitudes published and just as quickly forgotten, but the 1976 diary of Millwall FC midfielder Eamon Dunphy stands out for its honest insights.

A confounding failure to recognise risk, despite numerous warnings, remains at the heart of the Bradford City stadium fire that claimed 56 lives four decades ago.

As the coronial inquest begins into last year’s mass stabbing at a Bondi Junction shopping centre, the female police officer who ended the killing spree tells how those three minutes of terror also restored her faith in humanity.

It was mawkish and fanciful, but 1989’s Field of Dreams became a cult classic among baseball fans, proving, in the US at least, nostalgia and mass delusion add up to a Hollywood home run.

From humble rural beginnings, Shirley Strickland went on to become Australia’s most decorated track athlete – but not without attracting the attention of ASIO.

While headlines on the so-called tobacco wars focus on firebombings, extortion and gangland jealousies, skyrocketing government taxes on tobacco have long been fuelling the fire behind the scenes.

Quiet evenings in the front bar of the local pub forged for the author a companionship based on a love of sport and literature, and a tantalising connection with Samuel Beckett.   

Taking his daughter to her first live sporting event was, for the author and his young charge, a moment of both anxious anticipation and wondrous novelty.

As Donald Trump silences America’s public broadcasters in order to control the narrative, the ABC seeks a guarantee from the Coalition that its long-term funding will remain.

Once greats of the game, today’s AFL pundits are quick to forget their own youthful indiscretions as they hypocritically pile criticism at the feet of precocious rising stars.

The Victorian Auditor-General’s Office has long suffered accusations of being a toxic workplace, and staff wonder when this will be addressed by parliament.

Broken after losing his heavyweight title to Muhammad Ali in 1974, boxer George Foreman found God and a new audience as a television entrepreneur.

The chief investigator of the CFMEU broke ranks to reveal a lack of action to clean up corruption on worksites, exposing Victoria’s premier and police.

A new film, September 5, recounts the infamous terrorist attack that took place midway through the 1972 Munich Olympics, from the point of view of an American TV crew.

Considered one of the best sports films ever made, Hoosiers – about a high-school basketball team in Indiana – owes much to the soulful performance of the late Gene Hackman.

Elite athletes and their coaches are forever seeking better ways to elicit peak performances – the answer may be streams of invective.

As a report from Geoffrey Watson exposes more alleged wrongdoing in NSW, members of the CFMEU wonder if enough is being done to reform their troubled union.

Another year, another AFL season and another chance for the author to pray the curse that damns his Fremantle Dockers to only middling success will finally be expunged.

As the Kansas City Chiefs lost their grip on the Super Bowl in a fizzer, the bigger spectacle was the appearance of Donald Trump and the very public feud between two rappers.

With an increase in anti-Semitism, police and security agencies are contending with a complex convergence of different groups and the possibility that some have been recruited by foreign actors.

How a rank and incompetent unknown came to take the pitch in an English Premier League match remains the stuff of sporting legend.

Ange Postecoglou’s tenure at Tottenham Hotspur is not fitting the Australian manager’s usual script of stubbornness, borne out by brilliance and eventual vindication.

As the school year begins, teachers across the country are considering whether they can manage the unpaid overtime, stress with parents and struggle with under-resourced classrooms.

With each January comes an Australian Open, and with each Australian Open comes another controversy involving Novak Djokovic, the tournament’s most successful, and villainous, figure.

Nick Kyrgios has spent the best part of a decade being contemptuous of both tennis and the media. Now, as his game slides further, he is embracing the latter.

As Prime Minister Anthony Albanese begins a campaign to reset his political fortunes, insiders anticipate an early election will be called to avoid a horror budget.

A tantalising series between India and Australia – complete with polar opposite debutants and the jubilant return of Scott Boland – saw Test cricket reclaim its place as a crowd favourite.

Politically speaking, disillusionment and discord prevailed at home and abroad this year. Our solace is the careful equanimity of a Japanese toilet cleaner.

The Olympics burst back from Covid restrictions with French flair, Lions roared, Panthers pounced and a teen named Gout Gout ran very fast – this was the world of sport in 2024.

The Christmas truce of 1914 was a moment of shared humanity during the early months of the Great War, but the role of soccer in it has been wildly exaggerated.

Concerns have been raised over the effectiveness of the CFMEU’s administrator, as the union continues to employ illegal ‘no ticket’ practices on sites and demand payments for sacked officials.

The sleazy world of professional wrestling impresario Vince McMahon trades on scandal and brutality – and has left in its wake a trail of lost lives, broken men and allegations of abuse.

The first Test against India started promisingly enough, but Australia’s humiliating capitulation raises tough questions for selectors over the form and age of supposedly star players.

To many, Taylor v Serrano was just a card-filler before Tyson and Paul’s blockbuster bout. Instead, the women put on a captivating display of boxing, easily eclipsing the circus act that followed.

Losing her leg to cancer at age three set Ellie Cole on a path to Paralympic glory. Now retired, she is turning her energy to mentoring others with disability – both in sport and at work.

The sale of Babe Ruth by the Boston Red Sox convinced fans that the ‘Curse of the Bambino’ had doomed the team for generations. It’s now 20 years since the hex was broken.

One-time teenage tennis sensation Jelena Dokic endured years of abuse by an obsessive father, but rather than being broken, she found the courage to speak out.

As Jewish academics and students say anti-Semitism has been allowed to fester at the University of Sydney, vice-chancellor Mark Scott has apologised for his handling of student protests.

For Karen Murphy, pursuing a full-time career in lawn bowls was a risk that paid off in spades: first gold medals and international glory, and now induction into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame.

From childhood fanatic to Socceroos coach, Ange Postecoglou has had a long, successful and often complicated relationship with the beautiful game, as a new biography reveals.

Beyond straight match reports and timely player updates, the art of sportswriting, when done well, can be as transcendent and game-changing as the most exquisite display of athleticism.

Sports films typically centre on a loveable underdog beating the odds. The hero in 1969’s Downhill Racer is more like disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong – all ambition and no soul.

Bill Kelty has joined other Labor elder statesmen in criticising Anthony Albanese for what he sees as the government’s inaction on a series of issues – particularly over the housing crisis and its support for the AUKUS agreement.

The victim of a violent father, John Healy sought consolation in alcohol before ending up in prison. He took to chess with a skill matched only by his talent for self-destruction.

The sudden death in 1993 of NBA star Reggie Lewis on the far side of the world was unsettling and profound to the author, then a 12-year-old child dealing with his own anxiety and fears.

As new figures reveal almost one in 12 students was suspended in NSW high schools last year, teachers say a combination of factors has made their job nearly impossible.

When sporting superstars retire, it is usually accompanied by a grand event or gesture in their honour, something Richmond’s Dustin Martin had no interest in when he gave the game away.

Thirty years on from the epic basketball game at the centre of Space Jam, key figures recall the day an ingenious Bugs Bunny teamed with the legendary Michael Jordan in a stand for good against evil.

ABC chair Kim Williams describes the challenges facing the broadcaster as managing director David Anderson steps away, and the ‘generational schism’ it must address.

For legally blind Paralympic cyclist turned surfer Matt Formston, every challenge is an opportunity to think bigger, including tackling the ‘Mount Everest of surfing’.

Superstition dictates the lives of many athletes and sports fans, from the order of putting on a kit to talking to inanimate objects – and the author is not immune.

A decade after the murder of her son, Rosie Batty is still dealing with the pain of losing him and what it means to find enjoyment.

Was the routine of Australian Olympic breaker Raygun – which received a zero-point score in Paris – ironic, spectacularly inept or just insulting?

It’s not only the gold medallists who earn their moment in the Olympic spotlight. Athletes of all kinds have proved themselves to be spectacularly meme-worthy.

Amid sliding literacy rates, Australian governments are finally picking a side in a longstanding, global war over how children should learn to read.

Drama is part of every Olympic Games and true to the nature of the French capital, the Paris edition has delivered this essential ingredient.

The habitual despair of Fremantle Dockers fans has been replaced by something almost unrecognisable: hope.

The downfall of former CFMEU Victorian secretary John Setka has left the union in turmoil and the Labor Party in damage control – and they all saw it coming.

A new miniseries exposes the ‘plantation mentality’ of billionaire landlord and former LA Clippers owner Donald Sterling, who also liked naming buildings after himself.

As she prepares for the inaugural Olympics breakdancing event, Australian Rachael Gunn wrestles with what it means to compete in a form defined by Black and Hispanic culture – and disadvantage – in America.

Former and current union officials are frustrated with the empire building of CFMEU Victorian leader John Setka, who is still moulding it in his image just six months before he is due to step down.

As a New York blue blood turned writer, George Plimpton’s sports journalism was life itself: centred on entertainment, humour and his own, often hapless, participation.

Gillon McLachlan moved on to Tabcorp and the previous AFL boss went to Crown. Is there an unholy alliance between sporting leagues and gambling agencies?

As the head of the Victorian branch of the CFMEU prepares to step down in December, many of his current and former colleagues say his legacy is overshadowed by brutality and some question if he will ever really depart.

The UEFA European Football Championship in Germany, where England is vying for their first title, stirs memories of the troubled genius who lit up the 1996 tournament.

The staging of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup matches in New York, Florida and Texas has introduced cricket to American sports fans. What will they make of it?

For each Olympiad, the IOC commissions a feature-length film. One stands atop the dais for infamy – Leni Riefenstahl’s Olympia, shot during the 1936 Berlin Games at Hitler’s behest.

When it comes to ranking Australian sporting legends, one name is too often left off the list – Heather McKay, who lost just two matches in a 19-year squash career.

A new documentary recalls England’s first appearance in a UEFA European Football Championship final, which descended into chaos as thousands of drunken, drug-addled fans stormed Wembley Stadium.

Cam McCarthy was more than just a set of stats – the former GWS and Fremantle forward was a quirky and gifted footballer who reached the heights of the AFL, only to fall into despair.

The coinciding of the AFL’s round eight stand against gender-based violence and the NSW Hall of Fame’s plan to bestow ‘Legend’ status on Wayne Carey highlights the yawning gap between platitudes and action.

The author’s visit to the Australian Sports Museum with his young daughter stirs memories as unexpected as they are profound.

Video reviews have successfully reduced umpiring clangers in sports such as tennis and cricket, but in free-flowing games such as soccer, technology threatens to kill spontaneity.

He was a charmer and a violent narcissist whose trial for double murder reopened the fault line of race in the US. Will O.J. Simpson’s death end the circus that surrounded his life?

Is the upcoming bout between former heavy weight champion and convicted rapist Mike Tyson and young YouTube celebrity Jake Paul a genuine contest, or just money-grabbing ‘sports-adjacent’ nonsense?

While Andrew Wilkie’s recent speech to parliament suggests the AFL employs secretive and sinister policies to cover up drug use among players, the public outrage is overblown.

A tale of two states and their bids to host world-class sporting tournaments exposes the myths surrounding the benefits of such events versus their monumental costs.

Idolised one minute and condemned the next, Sam Kerr is the perfect example of how the public fetishises celebrity, aided and abetted by a greedy news cycle.

Where Melbourne once had Eddie Everywhere, Perth now finds itself  increasingly in the thrall of Basil Zempilas, its lord mayor, preselected state Liberal candidate and favourite son of Kerry Stokes.

Ten years ago, Martin McKenzie-Murray saw the destruction of Morwell’s coal mine fire. Its legacy is a community disillusioned and abandoned by a corporate disaster.

A father’s destructive impulses and coercive control lead to unimaginable tragedy in a new biopic about one of professional wrestling’s most famous families.

In Michael Mann’s biopic Ferrari, the motor racing legend’s fatalism and obsession with winning is hauntingly portrayed. But does it fully capture the callousness of his ambition?

In the ’80s and early ’90s, the West Indies produced some of the most fearsome cricket teams the world has seen. Can the brilliant fast bowler Shamar Joseph help the Caribbean rise again?

With Kim Williams the ABC’s next chair, the broadcaster is struggling with a no-confidence motion against its managing director and an unfair dismissal case that questions the independence of editorial leaders.

Tennis rules requiring hushed silence during play still defer to days of long pants and crinolines, nobility and amateurism. In an era of fiery and petulant stars, surely it’s time to move on.

Looking back over 2023, Albanese lost his sheen, two global conflicts raged, the Voice was defeated and a rabble-rousing punk-poet and an electrifying prose stylist quietly slipped away.

It’s been a year of nailbiting NRL and AFL grand finals, wonderful world cups, Ashes accusations and Novak Djokovic winning yet again. But four things ranked above all others.

As a coroner’s report into the untimely death of former footballer Shane Tuck acknowledges the AFL’s attempts to mitigate the risks associated with head knocks, his widow claims the league’s duty of care remains grossly inadequate.

Elite sport has its share of child prodigy stories, which make compelling reading for ambitious parents. Tiger Woods is a reminder that each is a cautionary tale.

Despite a national shortage of dentists, the process for migrants to have their qualifications recognised here is slow and expensive – and affects a significant number of refugees.

While eulogies for former England manager Terry Venables describe a colourful character,  in Australia he will be best remembered for one dream-shattering night in 1997.

Dismissed recently as too woke, the Australian men’s cricket team overran home-town favourites India to claim the ICC World Cup and surely the most unlikely success of the year.

From an Optus breakdown to a rising soccer star’s big break, a father’s release to an opposition player’s arrest, a six-wicket over to a 600-gamer’s farewell – the sporting month is off to an enthralling start.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

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.

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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?

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

“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 …”

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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?

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

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.

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.

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.

“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. …”

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.