Contributors
Indonesia's moral police a threat to democracy
Michael Bachelard When I wrote in March about the Indonesian religious affairs minister wanting to ban mini-skirts because he believed them ''pornographic,'' one comment on the Fairfax website stood out.
Caroline Milburn
Industry's learning difficulty
Opinion The drive to lift education standards is at risk because Australia's smartest students shun teaching, writes Caroline Milburn.
A moderate lament for the imminent passing of privacy
Tim Soutphommasane Opinion Our constant connection through Facebook and its like may have a downside.
Alert, but not alarmed: enemy not at the gates
David Day Opinion Australia needs to reassess its old fears of invasion and defend accordingly.
Christina Curry
Facts behind the active decline
Opinion Physical education needs to be treated with the same respect as any other subject, writes Christina Curry.
Toddlers all dressed up in their shrilling best
HECKLER Opinion EVERY now and then someone of considerable rank in the fashion industry tells us that the more effort we put into our outfits, the happier we'll be. I just wish someone would share this great wisdom with Australia's youngsters.
Who we are
Toe sucking, truth and the hardcore facts
David Dale Opinion Is the cult of celebrity losing its gloss or are we getting our fix in new ways?
Hidden truths behind family spending
Matt Wade Opinion We can be surprisingly vague about family finances.
It's time to embrace a stabilising force
Peter FitzSimons Opinion Those who don't support gay marriage because they think children should have a mother and a father are missing the point.
Living in the jet stream
MICHAEL DUFFY Opinion HAVE you noticed how Sydney is reshaping itself around the airport?
Strange bedfellows in the quest for a head on White House pillows
Peter Baker Opinion It's not undemocratic but it is un-Democratic, and the Republicans are at it too.
Should the government decriminalise drugs?
Opinion We have joined the WikiCurve debating forum with the question: should the government decriminalise drugs?
Let's hop back to beer, in the spirit of good health
Sam de Brito Opinion Is there not a whiff of self-congratulation in the media coverage that Australians are drinking less beer?
US exit creates army ripe for recruitment
Paul McGeough Opinion Numbers coming out of Afghanistan often are scary but try wrapping your head around this one - 123,500.
Bush or bust
FARRAH TOMAZIN Opinion The coalition government should be wary of neglecting country Victoria.
Good cop, mad cop routine is fine for Hollywood, but let's keep it there
Bruce Guthrie Opinion Joyriding is dangerous, but police were way out of line last week.
It will take more than a few gay celebrities to empty the closet
Jane Calvert Opinion A state gay and lesbian advisory committee can't hurt.
It's not just Big Brother: even his toys are watching
Guy Rundle Opinion Total surveillance is just another nail in the coffin of civil society.
How to rekindle interest in the great Australian stories
Michael Heyward Opinion We are in the thick of a debate about how we value our literary heritage. So many writers who matter are out of print. Australian studies are on the margin at many of our universities. And it's getting worse.
Critical vision cloudy
Ronald Millar Opinion The works of Fred Williams remain a source of joy and a reason for pride.
Deportee belongs back in Australia
Jason Pobjoy Opinion Labor can add meeting human rights obligations to its list of broken promises.
We can communicate clearly, but who listens anyway?
Martin McKenzie-Murray Opinion Behind our marketplace of opinion are prejudice, pettiness and hostility.
Wisdom lost in exercise of power
Mary Crooks Opinion The vital lessons learnt in a high-voltage debacle decades ago need to be heeded now.
Island undertakings drown in an ocean of diplomacy
Richard Woolcott Opinion Both the Cocos Islands and Christmas Island were crumbs from the British Empire's table, fed to us when the age of colonialism was drawing to a close. These islands are geographically much closer to Indonesia and Malaysia than they are to Australia and our use of them has the capacity to undermine our international standing and regional aspirations.
Amal Awad
Joke's worn off as films cue the stock Arab
Amal Awad Opinion I look forward to seeing The Dictator, Sacha Baron Cohen's latest attempt at lampooning other cultures, which is released today. I will watch with interest not because I'm convinced it will be much of a film but because, as an Arab Muslim, I'm curious about how we are portrayed in modern cinema.
Points for choosing right track, but long haul needs clear destination
John Brew Opinion The NSW government is to be congratulated on the Transport Minister's announcements yesterday of a shake-up of our passenger rail system. At least Gladys Berejiklian is having a go.
Another deadly pandemic a matter of when, not if
Graham Phillips Opinion We need to be better organised to fight any future threats.
It's up to us to help young Africans fit in
Denise Ryan Opinion Fear is stopping many from welcoming our city's newest migrants.
Truth is the forgotten family value
George Monbiot Opinion Cultural conservatives' moral concerns about marriage are based on a view of history that is almost entirely false.
A lack of Roman Charity in the debate on motherhood
HELEN RAZER Opinion Just in time for Mother's Day, the US edition of Time magazine went to market with a curious but unmistakeably maternal cover.
