Madeleine Heffernan
Madeleine Heffernan is an Explainer reporter for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. She has also reported on education, city, business and consumer affairs for the publications.
- Explainer
- Real life
The final paper trail: How to make your executor’s job easier
Where there’s a will, there’s an executor – the person who manages your estate when you’ve died. Who do you choose for this important role, and how can you help smooth their way?
- Madeleine Heffernan
Latest
- Explainer
- US election
An oyster farmer, a firefighter, a Kennedy: The Democrats taking the fight to the Republicans
Across the United States, parties are choosing candidates for midterm elections in November. Who are the emerging Democrat stars? And who’s in the frame to run for the presidency in 2028?
- Angus Holland and Madeleine Heffernan
- Explainer
- Healthcare
‘A second chance’: How do organ donations work?
Every year, hundreds of Australians receive a lifesaving organ donation. What’s it like to gift a kidney or have a change of heart, literally? And how do transplants happen?
- Madeleine Heffernan
- Explainer
- Middle East at war
‘We will hunt you down’: Is Pete Hegseth for real?
It’s been a busy year for Donald Trump’s unconventional pick for secretary of war. Now, with the war in Iran, he’s firmly in the spotlight. Where did he come from? How is he performing so far?
- Angus Holland and Madeleine Heffernan
- Explainer
- Petrol prices
The narrow strip of water off Iran affecting petrol prices
About a fifth of the world’s oil and LNG passes through the Strait of Hormuz every day. What happens when a war breaks out across it – and how does it affect petrol prices?
- Angus Holland, Jackson Graham and Madeleine Heffernan
- Explainer
- Health
Bunions, corns, plantar fasciitis: How to nail foot trouble before it’s too late
Some people get the “ick” over feet. Yet problems such as corns and callus are very common. Here’s what causes them – and the painful condition known as “jogger’s heel”.
- Madeleine Heffernan
From stiff to sought-after: Australia’s ‘healthy addiction’ to golf
The sport’s growing popularity has extinguished calls for courses to be converted to housing or parkland, Golf Australia says.
- Madeleine Heffernan
The checkout challenge: How Melbourne’s retailers are battling a crime wave
Retail workers have been instructed to let thieves take what they want rather than risk a violent confrontation, but steps are being taken to counter rising crime.
- Madeleine Heffernan
We shop at ‘Temu in real life’. Are the products safe?
Panda Mart sells tens of thousands of discounted imported products, and faces legal action over safety concerns. Here’s what a product safety expert thinks of our 11 items for under $30.
- Madeleine Heffernan
‘How are we going to stay in contact?’ Teens wake to a social media-free world
Everyone under 16 is now forbidden from using social media platforms. Will it mean less screen time – or creative ways to get around the law?
- Nicole Precel and Madeleine Heffernan