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Budget
State road and rail network in line for $3b budget boost
The federal government’s pandemic recovery package includes funds for a massive new freight terminal designed to remove thousands of trucks from Melbourne’s clogged roads every day.
Exclusive
Coronavirus pandemic
Australia to reopen borders next year to bring back migrants
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg says he believes in restoring migration to levels seen before the pandemic as soon as the government’s health experts declared it possible.
Exclusive
Income tax
COVID will help make stage 3 tax cuts cheaper
The budget cost of the federal government’s stage 3 tax cuts aimed at middle and high-income earners will be far cheaper than originally believed due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and overly optimistic wage forecasts.
Exclusive
Casinos
The Star proposes $12b casino merger with James Packer’s Crown Resorts
Casino group Star Entertainment has proposed merging with James Packer’s beleaguered Crown Resorts in a deal that would create a $12 billion gambling giant
Opinion
Gambling
Packer’s get out of jail card could also be his worst nightmare
James Packer wants out of Crown casino, but the proposal that will deliver him the exit strategy he so desperately wants comes from a despised rival.
Elizabeth Knight
Business columnist
Opinion
Home tech
Bluetooth speakers ... The worst idea ever invented gets used by the people with the least shame
Only those with awful musical taste are tempted to put the portable bluetooth speaker to public use.
Penny Flanagan
Penny Flanagan
MasterChef recap: Cucumber granita for no good reason
The brief: to create a delicious demonstration of a common food-related phrase. So who brings home the bacon, and who just goes home?
Why we feel anxious in the morning – and what to do about it
Some mental health experts describe 7am as stress o’clock as work-related anxiety – brought on by the pandemic – continues to affect many.
COVID-19 CRISIS
Exclusive
Coronavirus pandemic
How the coronavirus pandemic is shifting global attitudes
Sporting events, travel and holidays were higher priorities in Australia than in any of the other countries surveyed, with more than one in three saying these activities were a top priority.
‘It’s not 1962’: Push to get up to speed on Indigenous history
The architect of a curriculum review’s draft changes on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history says critics are in denial about Australia’s true identity and want children to be taught an outmoded version of the national story.
Melbourne Airport spends $45m in third-runway buying spree
Melbourne Airport spent millions buying land around its border as part of preparations for a new runway – despite not yet having final sign-off for the project from Canberra.
TAFEs given ‘letter of comfort’ to guard against insolvency
Five of Victoria’s 12 TAFE institutes reported a deficit last year, prompting the Andrews government to extend a funding guarantee.
Updated
AFL 2021
Teague remains resolute as Carlton fans grow impatient
Having led premiership contenders the Western Bulldogs by 27 points at the 24-minute mark of the third quarter, Carlton coughed up eight straight goals to sink to a 16-point loss, the continuation of a trend of in-game fadeouts during the coach’s almost two years at the helm.
Opinion
Geelong Cats
Four Points: The undersold Chris Scott, middle finger to the AFL, and the joy of Eddie Betts
Despite his superb winning rate as Geelong coach, Chris Scott gets undersold by Geelong people, and opposition fans alike. He deserves more recognition.
Michael Gleeson
Sports columnist
AFL
Updated
‘Playing with fire’: Port wear prison bar guernsey to sing the song after Showdown win
Ken Hinkley described the decision to wear the forbidden black-and-white heritage jumpers as “a show of respect” but Eddie McGuire says it’s a “poke in the eye” to the AFL.
Inside the battle to save Tasmania’s giant kelp forests
Kelp forests along the state’s east coast were once so dense they were marked on shipping maps. But climate change has warmed the ocean, causing a 95 per cent decline.
Local
Bid for secret hearing rejected in ‘cheater’ defamation case
A man battling in court against a former partner who allegedly outed him as a love rat to his new fiancee has lost his bid to have his defamation trial heard in secret.
Inside the battle to save Tasmania’s giant kelp forests
Kelp forests along the state’s east coast were once so dense they were marked on shipping maps. But climate change has warmed the ocean, causing a 95 per cent decline.
‘No more bingo!’ How creative writing tells the truth of loneliness in old age
A unique collaboration between an award-winning author and an academic tells how aged care residents experience ‘the worst bloody feeling in the world’.
Kuwaiti sheikh hopes for third time lucky with Station Pier tower bid
A company controlled by Sheikh Mubarak al-Sabah has lodged fresh plans for a 10-storey apartment development in a prime position next to the Port Melbourne beach.
Alleged Australian Islamic State fighter faces court
An alleged Islamic State recruiter faced court in Melbourne today after being deported from Turkey where he had been jailed for links to the terrorist group.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Restrictions in Sydney extended in bid to avoid ‘superspreading event’
Social restrictions imposed in Greater Sydney in the wake of two locally acquired cases of COVID-19 will be extended by a week.
Airborne COVID-19: Air quality a focus in new advice on spread
Experts call for focus on airborne virus spread, with one saying ‘you could be washing your hands until the cows come home and you could still get COVID-19’.
Politics
Vets to be fast-tracked into Australia as puppy boom and border closures bite
The Australian Veterinary Association says at least 800 more vets are urgently needed to address an acute shortage.
Business
Catalano eyes future of Canberra Times office as ACM goes on sales spree
After selling their Ballarat print site, regional media owners Antony Catalano and Alex Waislitz are considering selling the famous Fyshwick headquarters in Canberra.
World
China rocket debris lands in ocean, draws NASA criticism
The co-ordinates given by state media on Sunday, citing the China Manned Space Engineering Office, put the point of impact in the ocean, west of the Maldives archipelago.
Opinion
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Property bydomain
Mid-century Beaumaris home with one owner sells for $2.035m
Kept by the same family since 1952, the house sold for $385,000 above the reserve over the weekend thanks to a single strategic bid.
How much extra you need to save in a booming property market
Hopeful buyers needed to have been putting away an additional four-figures a week this year to keep up with the market and maintain a 20 per cent deposit.
Life & Culture
Time to start planning big holidays, says Getaway’s Jason Dundas
As the veteran travel show celebrates its 30th birthday, the LA-based presenter says it’s a perfect time to dream about adventures beyond our shores.
Sport
Blues capitulate as Dogs kick eight straight in stunning comeback win
At 27 points down deep into the third quarter, the Western Bulldogs would have been forgiven for thinking that this was just another one of those days against a Carlton side that has had the Dogs’ measure in recent times.
Updated
AFL 2021
Teague remains resolute as Carlton fans grow impatient
Having led premiership contenders the Western Bulldogs by 27 points at the 24-minute mark of the third quarter, Carlton coughed up eight straight goals to sink to a 16-point loss, the continuation of a trend of in-game fadeouts during the coach’s almost two years at the helm.
Opinion
AFL 2021
Four Points: The undersold Chris Scott, middle finger to the AFL, and the joy of Eddie Betts
Despite his superb winning rate as Geelong coach, Chris Scott gets undersold by Geelong people, and opposition fans alike. He deserves more recognition.
Michael Gleeson
Sports columnist
Updated
AFL 2021
‘Playing with fire’: Port wear prison bar guernsey to sing the song after Showdown win
Ken Hinkley described the decision to wear the forbidden black-and-white heritage jumpers as “a show of respect” but Eddie McGuire says it’s a “poke in the eye” to the AFL.
Updated
Melbourne City
Galloway stunner sets City on history-making course in Roar thriller
Melbourne City dominated and looked set to beat Brisbane easily, until the Roar fought back to level. It took a Scott Galloway stunner to seal all three points.
Updated
AFL 2021
No comeback this time for Hawks as Eagles fly higher
Hawthorn trailed by 33 points early in the third term against the Eagles, who were desperate for a win on the road. Instead of roping the visitors in, the margin extended through a third quarter where the Hawks needed to make a charge.
Despite stirring finish, Vixens fall just short
The Melbourne Vixens finished strongly after the Lightning took an early advantage, but just came up short in a Mother’s Day thriller at John Cain Arena.
Have Your Say
Clashes of the titans: The AFL’s murky uniform policies
Welcome to the opaque realm that is the AFL’s clash jumper policies, in which passions often run high and it is argued there are rules for some and rules for others.
