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Albanese promises $10 billion fund to cut housing costs for workers
Labor’s budget response seeks to galvanise voter concerns about soaring house prices while offering apprenticeship incentives and vowing to do more to protect women from sexual harassment.
Analysis
ALP
Albanese plays it safe just when big ideas are needed
The shortage of big policies in the Labor leader’s budget reply could mean he’s keeping his powder dry. But it could also mean he doesn’t have enough gunpowder.
Labor opens door to delaying high-end tax cuts to save budget
Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers says the cost of the government’s stage three tax cuts has to be balanced against record levels of budget debt and deficit.
COVID-19 CRISIS
Experts say Australia could complete vaccination program by December
Australia has moved to snap up 25 million doses of Moderna’s mRNA vaccine in a bid to avoid further vaccine supply delays.
Business bristles as new fines target COVID-19 check-in compliance
The owner of an Indian restaurant listed as an exposure site for the latest COVID-19 case has called on the state government to start penalising individuals who deliberately flout QR check-in rules.
‘Family first’: Socceroos goalkeeper makes shock retirement call, citing pandemic
Mitch Langerak is retiring from international football in the prime of his career because of reservations about travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australian IPL stars could return this weekend to quarantine in Sydney
A deal is close to being finalised which would allow the cricketers to quarantine in Sydney rather than the Howard Springs facility, with Indian cricket authorities to foot the bill.
Analysis
Talk shows
Ellen DeGeneres is ending her talk show, but was she really cancelled?
Social media was quick to proclaim the multiple Emmy-winning chat show host had been #cancelled, but the truth is far more complicated.
Exclusive
NAPLAN
Calls for NAPLAN to be replaced with national bank of class tests
Teachers could dip into the Assessment Resource System whenever they wanted to give their students quick, relevant assessments, the Gonski Institute said
Victoria pushes Canberra for rethink on regulating gig economy
Claiming a “leadership vacuum” in Canberra, Victoria is seeking the support of other states and territories as it pushes for changes to the gig economy.
Netanyahu declares he will deploy military to quell ‘anarchy’
Amid the most severe outbreak of violence between Israel and the Gaza Strip since a 2014 war, people are asking an all-too-familiar question: Where should we go?
A win for gin: Federal budget boost lifts the spirits of local distillers
The federal government will increase the excise refund cap for small distillers, as new alcohol consumption data reveals the growing demand for gin.
Thanks to Will Smith, the cult of the dad bod continues
Dad bod idolatry isn’t new, but when the Men In Black star unexpectedly shared that he was “in the worst shape of my life”, it sparked a moment.
Jacinda Ardern plans for New Zealand to re-connect with post-pandemic world
Tough lockdowns and its geographical location have helped NZ eliminate the coronavirus but left the nation isolated from the rest of the world.
FEDERAL BUDGET 2021
Albanese to back youth start-up ideas in business, jobs pitch
Anthony Albanese will position himself as a leader for the future by promising a Labor government would tap into the energy and ideas of young Australians to accelerate the creation of new businesses and jobs.
Opinion
Frydenberg’s Afterpay budget throws Thatcherite legacy on funeral pyre
Fiscal sobriety is surplus to requirements for the Morrison government, but the conservatives have lost their narrative on achieving long-term economic growth.
Andrew Charlton
Former economic advisor to the Prime Minister
Local
Ministers maul Maribyrnong after councillors block housing project
Labor councillors in Melbourne’s inner west halted a social housing project, despite the area having the state’s longest list of people waiting for a new home.
Magistrate loses patience with Pusey’s repeated interjections in fresh court case
Richard Pusey, the man jailed for filming dying police officers after an Eastern Freeway crash has had a new plea hearing adjourned.
Greening the suburbs: Half-a-million trees to be planted in Melbourne’s west
The Victorian government will offer grants to groups and councils to encourage the planting of 500,000 trees in Melbourne’s west starting in September.
Updated
Women's AFL
‘A disgrace’: Kennett threatens legal action over Hawks’ AFLW snub
Hawthorn president Jeff Kennett has not ruled out legal action against the AFL after the Hawks were advised they would need to re-apply for entry into the AFLW.
Exclusive
Schools
Student-teacher relationships banned for two years after school
Victorian teachers will be banned from having sex with former students for at least two years after they finish their secondary education under a shake-up of rules governing teacher behaviour.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
Sunday closures, $10k sign-on bonuses as restaurants, cafes battle staff shortage
Finding a place to eat that’s open on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday might not be as easy as it once was in Australia’s food capital, as a major staff shortage forces hospitality owners to cut back on their trading hours.
Opinion
WHO’s counting on us to stop the next pandemic
It is in Australia’s enlightened self-interest to make more of a financial and intellectual contribution to global health efforts, especially the World Health Organisation.
Brendan Crabb and Jane Halton
Politics
Myanmar situation ‘very bleak’ as Australia reaches out to government in exile
Australian diplomats have begun talking to Myanmar’s government in exile but Australia won’t impose additional sanctions against the country’s military government.
Business
Musk halts use of bitcoin for Tesla cars over climate concerns
Tesla will no longer accept bitcoin for car purchases, chief executive Elon Musk said on Wednesday, citing long-brewing environmental concerns for a swift reversal in the company’s position on the cryptocurrency.
World
Two climbers die on Mount Everest in the first fatalities of the climbing season
A Swiss and an American climber have died on Mount Everest, hiking company officials said on Thursday.
Opinion
Five years after Don Dale, it seems young black lives still don’t matter
Teela Reid
Lawyer and Wiradjuri/Wailwan woman
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Property bydomain
The Byron Bay real estate boom hits a surprising new extreme
Just when you thought the Byron Bay market couldn't get crazier, a barely dressed, slightly intoxicated agent sells a trophy home sight unseen for $12.5 million.
From 'white hot to red hot': Why auction results are a little less wild
'Wounded underbidders', otherwise known as those who have lost out at auctions repeatedly, have finally become buyers, and desperation has slightly eased.
Life & Culture
QUICK Q
Media & marketing
Don’t be ashamed of your ‘guilty pleasure’ TV binges
Netflix’s head of original programming in Australia is ‘happy with being at Ted Lasso levels of uplift’.
Sport
Opinion
AFL 2021
Why Patrick Cripps is worth at least $1 million a year
A once-mighty club is in a seemingly endless rebuild, but their out-of-contract co-captain is not the problem.
Wayne Carey
Two-time AFL premiership captain
Australian IPL stars could return this weekend to quarantine in Sydney
A deal is close to being finalised which would allow the cricketers to quarantine in Sydney rather than the Howard Springs facility, with Indian cricket authorities to foot the bill.
‘Family first’: Socceroos goalkeeper makes shock retirement call, citing pandemic
Mitch Langerak is retiring from international football in the prime of his career because of reservations about travel amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘We deserve more respect’: Netballers up in arms over Ricky Stuart comments
NRL 360 host Paul Kent on Wednesday repeated comments allegedly made to him by Stuart, which suggested netball wasn’t tough. It didn’t go down well.
Swimmers get welcome vaccine delay ahead of cut-throat Olympic trials
Australia’s best aquatic athletes unveiled the Speedo race suit for Tokyo as good news was delivered on the vaccine rollout ahead of the Games.
‘There’s limits’: Simpson keeps door ajar for Rioli to return to Eagles
West Coast coach Adam Simpson said the club would consult its players, stakeholders and the AFL before it decides the fate of Willie Rioli next week.
Updated
Women's AFL
‘Disgrace’: Kennett threatens legal action over AFLW snub
AFL is set to delay an announcement on AFLW expansion, instead set to initiate a tender process for the four remaining clubs without teams in the national women’s league.
Have Your Say
‘Boutique quarantine’ best hope for Melbourne GP
The desperate COVID-19 situation in Brazil, where the race is set down for November 7, has heightened concerns about feasibility of Albert Park hosting F1 a fortnight later.
