Johann Sebastian Bach's The Art of Fugue is a work of high art. But in keeping with the late works of artists such as Shakespeare, Beethoven and Goya, it contains elements of pathos, humour, gravity, exuberance and tragedy.

The label "Aboriginal activist" is often applied to Aboriginal Australians in the public eye, but it's not a very meaningful descriptor, writes Luke Pearson.

Crunch time has come for Australia's elite cricketers after a breakdown in talks to secure a new pay deal left 230 male and female players unemployed as of Saturday morning. So now the governing body has some serious questions to answer, writes Tracey Holmes.

As this year ebbs away, Malcolm Turnbull's hold on the leadership will become more precarious if there is no lift in those relentless Newspolls, writes Michelle Grattan.

No matter how George Pell's case is resolved the fact he is facing charges at all is the biggest crisis of Pope Francis's papacy and will test the Pope on just how true he is to his vow to be "zero tolerance" on a problem that has dogged the church for decades, writes Lisa Millar.