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Expert daily insight into the stories that drive the nation.
COVID-19 CRISIS
Breaking
Coronavirus pandemic
Australia buys 25 million Moderna vaccine doses
Moderna has struck an agreement with the Morrison government to supply 10 million doses this year and 15 million booster shots in 2022.
WHO needs new powers to control future outbreaks, says expert panel
The report also urges world governments to allow WHO infection experts immediate access to inspect outbreaks anywhere in the world in an effort to prevent future cover-ups and delays.
Inquiry into PM’s office about Higgins’ rape claim resumes
Prime Minister Scott Morrison confirmed on Wednesday night that an inquiry into who in his office knew what about Brittany Higgins’ rape allegations has resumed.
Court bid to oust Porter barrister from acting in defamation fight
A friend of the woman who accused Christian Porter of rape has made a court bid to stop one of his barristers from acting for him in his defamation case against the ABC.
‘Overwhelming sense of grief’: Families face years of separation as border closure drags on
Since Annie Withrow gave birth to her first child last year, she has been anxiously waiting to introduce him to her parents, but hopes this might happen in 2021 are becoming more and more remote.
Primary schools dump ‘predictable’ picture books as reading tools
Schools are dumping literacy texts that let children learn new words with the help of pictures for ‘decodable readers’ that focus on sounds and letter patterns.
The moral of this Disney story: You can’t have your cake and eat it too
The Disney exhibition at ACMI is full of beautiful and historic pieces of art. But the standout may just be a confection made entirely from confectionery.
Opinion
Social media
‘A bizarre, magical land’: an etiquette guide to Facebook Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace is a magical, if bizarre land. Here is an etiquette guide to make this experience better for everyone.
Alice Clarke
Journalist
Hunt accuses Victoria of misleading claim on hospital funding cut
Health Minister Greg Hunt says Victoria’s claim that $93 million has been cut from federal hospital funding is misleading as the state itself asked for less money.
Updated
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Escalating violence bears hallmarks of Gaza war
The death toll in Gaza rose to 43 Palestinians, including 13 children and three women, according to the Health Ministry. Nearly 300 people have been wounded.
What’s wrong with pie floaters, dancing and deejaying at 56?
Scottish polymath Alan Cumming has never stuck to the ‘rules’ about ageing.
Last wild macaw in Rio is lonely and looking for love
Almost every morning Juliet appears. She swoops onto the zoo’s macaw enclosure and, through the fence, engages in behaviour that looks like conjugal canoodling.
If you’re not a ‘high value’ tourist, some places don’t want you any more
Travelling for leisure is a privilege, but New Zealand is looking at taking that privilege away from some people.
Ben Groundwater
Travel writer
FEDERAL BUDGET 2021
Housing boom ‘not expected to be sustained’ budget papers say
The Sydney and Melbourne property boom is facing a slowdown on federal government forecasts as closed international borders and the end of grants hit the housing market brakes.
Billions set aside for possible election war chest
The government moved to neutralise some politically sensitive issues in the budget as well as making sure there is plenty of money for projects that could be announced in a campaign.
Local
Slain woman was like a little sister, says man who helped fund luxury lifestyle
A Melbourne accountant who lent thousands of dollars to Ellie Price before she was killed has denied being her pimp or sugar daddy, maintaining they were close friends.
Babysitters who hurt three-year-old will get to meet their baby daughter
A woman who inflicted a life-changing head injury on a three-year-old boy could soon be deported to China with her partner. Their child, taken at birth, lives there with grandparents.
Farewell to ‘King of Geelong’: Frank Costa honoured in state memorial
Geelong held its first state funeral for 15 years when the city and its people said goodbye to local legend Frank Costa, who died aged 83 on May 2.
Exclusive
Indigenous justice
After less than a week in police custody, Sony was left a quadriplegic
Six days after being taken into police custody, Aboriginal man Sony Ray Austin’s spinal cord was severed and he was rendered a quadriplegic.
Ex-Christian Brother’s jail term extended over abuse of boys in the 1960s
William Houston’s prison term has been extended for abusing two boys at Geelong’s St Augustine’s boys’ home more than 50 years ago, in crimes a judge labelled perverse and depraved.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Casuals bore the brunt as COVID drove unis to shed 7500 jobs
Victorian universities slashed staff last year in anticipation of long-term decline in international student revenue, with insecure workers taking the worst hit.
‘It doesn’t cut it’: Tourism sector hits out at ‘border roulette’
The tourism sector has warned that operators will go under before the government ever reopens the border to international visitors.
Politics
Business gets $20b in tax incentives to boost investment
The budget will extend tax breaks aimed at bringing forward business investment such as spending on utes, tractors, and manufacturing equipment.
Business
Opinion
Federal budget
Thanks Josh! Why the banks love the budget
When the chiefs of Australia’s four banks went to bed after listening to Treasurer Josh Frydenberg deliver a massive spending budget, they surely counted dollars rather than sheep.
Elizabeth Knight
World
Internal emails reveal WHO knew of sex abuse claims in Congo
Young women working on the Ebola outbreak in 2019 claim they were offered or appointed to jobs in return for sex.
Opinion
Have we seen the last head of Australian foreign affairs who speaks Mandarin?
Ciara Morris
Policy officer and student of Mandarin
Explore
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Property bydomain
Burnt by the hot market: Aussie home-buyer sentiment dips
Rapidly rising prices and limited choice have begun to dampen buyer's spirits as their positivity about the market declines.
How first-home buyers can get a $10,000 tax break to buy property
Although it works better if you're on an average income and if you're not planning to buy just yet, it's free money from the taxpayer – here's how to claim it.
Life & Culture
Why we should thank the Beatles’ Love Me Do for Ed Kuepper and the Saints
His songs helped define an era in Australian music, but it all began with the opening harmonica blast and hypnotic beat of the Fab Four’s 1962 hit.
Opinion
Streaming
Detective series Mare of Easttown is a hallelujah moment for TV
Craig Mathieson
Film, music and TV critic
Sport
Updated
AFL 2021
Jones could miss months as Saints mull Frawley debut
St Kilda are fearful injury-prone midfielder Zak Jones may be out until late in the season after he seriously hurt his quad at training on Wednesday.
‘Boutique quarantine’ best hope for Melbourne GP
The desperate COVID situation in Brazil, where the race is set down for November 7, has heightened concerns about the feasibility of Albert Park hosting the F1 drivers and their entourages a fortnight later.
Surgery for Demons young gun Jackson
The door has opened for Sam Weideman to play his first AFL game of the season with Melbourne young gun Luke Jackson sidelined following surgery to repair a broken finger.
Afghanistan Test to be Ashes warm-up for stars
Match against Test minnows Afghanistan will provide much-needed red-ball practice for Test stars Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and David Warner leading into Australia’s defence of the urn.
‘Standout’ tall set to raise his hand in draft boost for North
A highly rated forward-ruckman is set to be picked up by North Melbourne with first pick in the mid-season draft.
City says farewell to the ‘King of Geelong’
Geelong held its first state funeral for 15 years when the city and its people said goodbye to local legend Frank Costa, who died aged 83 on May 2.
‘Bats must consist solely of wood’: MCC rejects bamboo
A day after research suggested bamboo bats could replace willow, club that maintains cricket’s official laws has rejected the idea because bamboo is grass and not wood.
Have Your Say
Why Richmond aren’t punishing Bolton and Rioli
Once upon a time at Tigerland, the fact of Shai Bolton being a gun player coming off contract would probably have been grounds for cynicism about a non-penalty. Richmond aren’t that kind of club any longer.
