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The Saturday Paper
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An independent weekly newspaper, from the publisher of @themonthly.com.au

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​​“A society that comes out of a painful event like this, our instincts might be to cry for blood … when the reality is, you know, the most utility, the most useful response we can make, would be just to look at these gun laws.” satpa.pe/Pezggxz
‘It’s unimaginable what we as a community have just experienced’
As the country attempts to make sense of the massacre at Bondi Beach, the principal reactions are a mix of fear, sorrow and anger.
satpa.pe
January 4, 2026 at 11:07 PM
"This is not Australia," writes Stan Grant. “I say that over and over again, yet the images on my television screen are telling me it is. This is Bondi Beach." satpa.pe/TOD7OcP
This is not Australia
satpa.pe
January 4, 2026 at 2:47 PM
“Those six minutes shook Australia to its core," writes Paul Bongiorno. “Challenged was the assumption that we are a safe, multicultural, tolerant nation, immune from the hatreds that feed foreign conflicts.” satpa.pe/fWrC481
An attack on our way of life
satpa.pe
January 4, 2026 at 9:03 AM
Why can’t car designers accommodate safety constraints and still create varied and interesting forms? satpa.pe/1K7netN
Do today’s cars have to be so dull?
Car design evolved from the production-centric era of Henry Ford, to the expressive styles of the mid 20th century. Why is this millennium’s vision so boring?
satpa.pe
January 4, 2026 at 3:41 AM
Editorial: For several years, the Jewish community has been warning about rising anti-Semitism. Synagogues have been set alight. Cars have been firebombed. Hatred has been written onto the walls of homes. The response has been indifferent. satpa.pe/fpRDCda
The dull crack of anti-Semitism
This is not like other hatreds. It is ancient and particular. It is sly. It has its own tropes and symbols. For centuries it has contorted into different justifications, but it has always been the same.
satpa.pe
January 3, 2026 at 9:19 PM
“The politicians love this. They ridicule faith. They see moral equivalence. They play their word games. They plot and scheme and dog whistle for a bump in the polls. Then they ask, how did this happen?” satpa.pe/CUnCHXS
This is not Australia
satpa.pe
January 3, 2026 at 3:25 PM
“More than half the gas exported from Australia is given away for free. What little revenue is collected is dwarfed by HECS repayments – but no one expects to see the head of the student union barging into the prime minister’s office to demand a better deal.” satpa.pe/BoUkwzE
The fight Chalmers has to have
ANALYSIS: Having finally persuaded most voters that it is the better economic manager, Labor is well placed to pursue an obvious solution to the problems to come.
satpa.pe
January 3, 2026 at 10:19 AM
“More than half the gas exported from Australia is given away for free. What little revenue is collected is dwarfed by HECS repayments – but no one expects to see the head of the student union barging into the prime minister’s office to demand a better deal.” satpa.pe/nLPNEKN
The fight Chalmers has to have
ANALYSIS: Having finally persuaded most voters that it is the better economic manager, Labor is well placed to pursue an obvious solution to the problems to come.
satpa.pe
January 3, 2026 at 6:14 AM
Editorial: For several years, the Jewish community has been warning about rising anti-Semitism. Synagogues have been set alight. Cars have been firebombed. Hatred has been written onto the walls of homes. The response has been indifferent. satpa.pe/TUvvZvn
The dull crack of anti-Semitism
This is not like other hatreds. It is ancient and particular. It is sly. It has its own tropes and symbols. For centuries it has contorted into different justifications, but it has always been the same.
satpa.pe
January 3, 2026 at 2:13 AM
“Albanese is convinced Australians want the nation to come together at a time like this," writes Paul Bongiorno. "Unlike in previous disasters … the opposition and its supporters broke ranks with the government and blamed the prime minister for the atrocity.” satpa.pe/EScQI5X
An attack on our way of life
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 9:56 PM
“Albanese is convinced Australians want the nation to come together at a time like this," writes Paul Bongiorno. "Unlike in previous disasters … the opposition and its supporters broke ranks with the government and blamed the prime minister for the atrocity.” satpa.pe/a6I3oh0
An attack on our way of life
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 7:55 PM
“I think everyone’s hope was, if the others, James and Elizabeth, got control, then maybe The Aus would just die — but it hasn’t and that’s still a problem for us.” satpa.pe/EKH2jS4
How Anthony Albanese approaches the Murdoch press
The prime minister has taken a more nuanced approach to his relationship with the Murdoch press, proving the company no longer has a veto over policy.
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 5:59 PM
“I think everyone’s hope was, if the others, James and Elizabeth, got control, then maybe The Aus would just die — but it hasn’t and that’s still a problem for us.” satpa.pe/beO5tob
How Anthony Albanese approaches the Murdoch press
The prime minister has taken a more nuanced approach to his relationship with the Murdoch press, proving the company no longer has a veto over policy.
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 4:38 PM
“I think everyone’s hope was, if the others, James and Elizabeth, got control, then maybe The Aus would just die — but it hasn’t and that’s still a problem for us.” satpa.pe/OJpEDnA
How Anthony Albanese approaches the Murdoch press
The prime minister has taken a more nuanced approach to his relationship with the Murdoch press, proving the company no longer has a veto over policy.
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 2:46 PM
“Albanese is convinced Australians want the nation to come together at a time like this," writes Paul Bongiorno. "Unlike in previous disasters … the opposition and its supporters broke ranks with the government and blamed the prime minister for the atrocity.” satpa.pe/DJDzUKe
An attack on our way of life
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 12:57 PM
"I just want to share how I have coped – I hope without growing wizened in the soul. And how I even manage to be happy, or at least content, most of the time."

Margaret Simons on grief, coping and gardening: satpa.pe/ed7VLba
How to keep being
In times of great pain and loss, retreating to the garden allows us moments in which to observe, to imagine and ultimately to cope.
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 10:53 AM
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said he was willing to drop a bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization – meeting a key demand of Russia – in return for Western security guarantees as part of a deal to end the war. satpa.pe/zcy96YB
Zelensky willing to trade NATO ambitions for peace
Tonga’s new PM. Pro-democracy billionaire guilty of sedition. Chilean hardliner wins election.
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 6:30 AM
"I just want to share how I have coped – I hope without growing wizened in the soul. And how I even manage to be happy, or at least content, most of the time."

Margaret Simons on grief, coping and gardening: satpa.pe/0Ddoo6g
How to keep being
In times of great pain and loss, retreating to the garden allows us moments in which to observe, to imagine and ultimately to cope.
satpa.pe
January 2, 2026 at 2:13 AM
The government’s failure to detail its response to the 49 recommendations made by anti-Semitism envoy Jill Seagal, has made it vulnerable to criticism, writes Paul Bongiorno. But, there are concerns in cabinet that some of her prescriptions are an overreach. satpa.pe/cSXiT4i
An attack on our way of life
satpa.pe
January 1, 2026 at 9:49 PM
The government’s failure to detail its response to the 49 recommendations made by anti-Semitism envoy Jill Seagal, has made it vulnerable to criticism, writes Paul Bongiorno. But, there are concerns in cabinet that some of her prescriptions are an overreach. satpa.pe/ejtVqTZ
An attack on our way of life
satpa.pe
January 1, 2026 at 6:33 PM
The government’s failure to detail its response to the 49 recommendations made by anti-Semitism envoy Jill Seagal, has made it vulnerable to criticism, writes Paul Bongiorno. But, there are concerns in cabinet that some of her prescriptions are an overreach. satpa.pe/hDRrWbh
An attack on our way of life
satpa.pe
January 1, 2026 at 2:52 PM
“From the moment I get up in the morning, my phone starts ringing with elders of the community telling me that they’re on the verge of a breakdown,” Rabbi Gabi Kaltmann says. “It’s unimaginable what we as a community have just experienced. satpa.pe/Gg0eaux
‘It’s unimaginable what we as a community have just experienced’
As the country attempts to make sense of the massacre at Bondi Beach, the principal reactions are a mix of fear, sorrow and anger.
satpa.pe
January 1, 2026 at 10:31 AM
Subscribe now: satpa.pe/sBcAsl8
January 1, 2026 at 8:27 AM
Vince Gilligan’s sunnily dystopian Plur1bus landed a few weeks before the end of the year and blew everything else out of the water, writes Sarah Krasnostein. satpa.pe/4mzAaDx
Best television: The Rehearsal and The Bear’s fourth act
The Saturday Paper’s television critic looks back at the highlights of 2025.
satpa.pe
January 1, 2026 at 6:46 AM
Outside the ACT, progress on raising the age of criminal responsibility has stalled. Instead, Queensland and Victoria have introduced “adult time for adult crime” laws for children, moves incoming Children's Commissioner warns are not evidence-based. satpa.pe/o7gCNSt
Youth crime is ‘not in a crisis’
The new National Children’s Commissioner cites among her top concerns an increasingly draconian criminal justice system and improvements to the youth social media ban.
satpa.pe
January 1, 2026 at 5:33 AM