The bowler’s smarts and stamina from the first ball in Perth to the last in Sydney – not to mention his batting – made him a worthy man of the series It was right that Mitchell Starc should clean up the last two English wickets of this Ashes. Right, too, that Travis Head should mop up a few more runs, but for all of the enjoyment that Head brings with his Jayasuriya-lite batting and his Boon-lite persona, the difference in the series has been the other left-hander. The fifth morning of the Sydney Test took Starc to 31 wickets at 19, and crossing 30 is the stuff of great Ashes series. Sixteen other Australians have done it, a list mostly comprised of players who only need be identified by surnames. In the manner of schoolteachers meeting you as an adult, some people are stuck with a memory of Starc as he was at the beginning: a lanky possessor of promise with the risk of being wayward, expensive or injured. In the manner of truly fast bowlers, he is seen as part animal, part force of nature: his feats are elements unleashed, not the work of brain and skill. He is admired for that while still viewed as livestock. Like, Gandalf’s horse is awesome, but it’s still a horse. Continue reading...

As England deservedly celebrates a long-awaited Test win in Australia, everyone else involved counts the cost of a farcical and damaging two-day disaster at the MCG.

Given how parlous England’s batting has been, there was the strong chance that 152 for the home team in Melbourne presaged worse to come. So it turned out. For a while, Boxing Day 2025 felt like a re-enactment of Boxing Day 2010. We’re talking an amateur historical re-enactment, given the lower intensity and higher number of participants with private lives under investigation, but still, the broad shape of the thing was much the same. You had England choosing to bowl on a cloudy morning and finishing off the hosts in time for an early tea. The original instance lasted 42.5 overs, this repeat lasted 45.2, only 15 deliveries between them. Yet this year’s edition felt different for more reasons than just a higher scoring rate that yielded 152 all out versus 98 all out last time around. In 2010, England owned the day, a James Anderson swing masterclass ripping out a paralysed middle order, Chris Tremlett lopping off top and tail like a legumier preparing string beans. The rehash was a less complete bowling effort that drew a strangely faltering batting response: chop-ons and leg-side nicks and run outs, occasionally the bowling team via Josh Tongue remembering to pitch the ball up before rocketing through someone’s defences. Continue reading...

The "pub test" tends to be applied when we've run out of avenues to pursue a public figure, but are still super annoyed.

The Liberal conservatives' success in forcing their party to dump its commitment to the net zero emissions reduction target has been a triumph of ideology over pragmatism.

Renowned for wrangling factions in the Hawke government, and as an effective environment minister, the politician made ‘whatever it takes’ his mantra * Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Branded the “minister for kneecaps” during his time as a Labor senator, Graham Richardson was a political powerbroker who exerted substantial influence over the party’s factions, and therefore its leadership. A master of factional horse-trading, Richardson’s political career was peppered with controversy. Although dogged by various scandals, the gregarious, lunch-loving “Richo” , became one of Australia’s most skilful and well-connected political operators. Continue reading...

ANALYSIS: The prime minister’s flattery of Donald Trump may be about preserving US relations, but he ought to focus on leaders who will really shape Australia’s future.

When the Reserve Bank decided not to cut interest rates at the end of September, numerous reasons were given, but one stands out because it appears to be completely wrong.

Imagine that a young woman is raped in your office. You are a minister and she is the most junior member of your staff. In the footage you see later, she is too drunk to put on her shoes. She walks barefoot through the parliament with her colleague, who you also employ.

"He who controls the present controls the past."

Welcome to the Rocket Docket, Lindsey Halligan!

Michele Bullock doesn’t think our current cash rate is ‘very restrictive’. Do the figures back her up?

Competing bills rejected in Senate as Republicans and Democrats accuse each other of partisan politics. Follow the latest news and updates after the US government shut down * US government shuts down * Tracker: how each US senator voted This shutdown is expected to be worse than previous ones. The impact on federal workers could be even more severe. Before Trump’s most recent threat of mass layoffs on Tuesday, a memo released last week by the White House’s office of management and budget told agencies not just to prepare for temporary furloughs but for permanent layoffs in the event of a shutdown. Continue reading...

For all US President Donald Trump's boasts about ending wars and being a worthy candidate for a Nobel Peace Prize, he has failed to end the war in Gaza and build a sustainable future for both Israelis and Palestinians. At least for now.

This unapologetic trawl through a doomed campaign reveals a celebrity-obsessed party high on its own supply. It would be hilarious if it wasn’t so tragic, says columnist Nesrine Malik

The Australian’s Greg Sheridan is backing Matt Canavan’s electorally dangerous campaign against renewable energy to the hilt

The white Christian nationalist provocateur wasn’t a promoter of civil discourse. He preached hate, bigotry, and division

The weekend’s protests are a reminder of Australia’s distinctive record

They're failing — so far.

Texas Republicans just unveiled a shocking plan to give their party five new House seats.