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Expert daily insight into the stories that drive the nation.
Eight new cases as state emerges from lockdown; Qld case stayed at backpackers
Victoria’s restrictions have eased as the state recorded eight new, locally acquired cases of COVID-19, all linked to current outbreaks. In Queensland, a man thought to have been infectious since July 22 stayed at a Brisbane backpacker hostel.
Updated
Coronavirus pandemic
State records eight new COVID cases as Victorians awake to eased restrictions
Cafe tills are ringing and school bells chiming once again across Victoria as the state cautiously emerges from its fifth coronavirus lockdown.
Opinion
Scott Morrison
Politicised COVID response obscures path back to ‘normal’
Shaun Carney
Regular columnist
Opinion
Opinion
Delta dip locked in for economy, but what goes down must come up
Ross Gittins
Economics Editor
Opinion
Coronavirus pandemic
Little freedoms that mean so much: We’ll take the win, but we’re counting the cost
The end of a lockdown can still feel daunting, but there’s light there too, and pride, and more than a little joy. It’s the little freedoms that mean so much.
Nick Miller
Arts Editor
‘Not out of the woods’: Lockdown fatigue takes toll on high school students
A new Mission Australia report details the impact of lockdowns on young people in 2020, and warns the strain is far from over.
Opinion
First Person Pandemic
When going ‘back to school’ means freedom and friendship
It wasn’t until this year when we went into the third, fourth and fifth lockdowns that I realised how much we missed when we were being taught remotely.
Ahelee Rahman
Year 11 student
Live
Tokyo Olympics
A case of ‘the twisties’: Ex-gymnast explains how Biles’ vault may have come unstuck
Former Olympian Melissa Marlowe offered a possible explanation for Biles’ withdrawal last night as commentator Piers Morgan came under fire for calling Biles’ reasoning a ‘joke’.
Latest live posts
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Medal path opens up for McSweyn
The path to a medal for Stewart McSweyn has opened up with a key rival pulling out of the Olympics.
Updated
Simone Biles
‘I have to focus on my mental health’: Simone Biles pulls out of team final
Superstar gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from Tuesday night’s competition at the Tokyo Olympics, saying she had to focus on her mental health.
Langer hopes Australia’s one-day win not a T20 mirage
Australia’s success in the one-day series against the West Indies can’t hide their T20 failings as the World Cup approaches.
YouTube on track to overtake BBC as main source of news for young Britons: regulator
YouTube is used for news by 33 per cent of 12- to 15-year-olds, up from 30 per cent last year and 27 per cent in 2018.
I’m not coping with my promotion. What should I do?
After a questioner took a position he always wanted, only to realise he wasn’t ready for the extra responsibility, our resident expert Kirstin Ferguson has a few reassurances.
Exclusive
Coronavirus pandemic
‘Missing out on vital care’: GPs call for telehealth rule change after crackdown
More than 400 GPs have received compliance letters and many have been asked to pay funds back to the government after consultations fell foul of strict Medicare rules.
Going green: BHP trumps Twiggy in nickel deal, Rio to build $3.3b lithium mine
The world’s biggest miners are accelerating their push into metals poised to benefit from the green-energy transition.
CBD
City life
Victorian Bar outrage over Mean Girls
A planned health and wellbeing talk for the Victorian Bar has left some of its female members feeling neither healthy nor well.
Local
Updated
Weather
Trees down, buildings damaged, hundreds of calls for help – and more to come
Strong winds and severe weather battered Victoria on Tuesday night, downing hundreds of trees and damaging dozens of buildings.
Crown forks out $61 million in unpaid tax, interest
The move follows the revelation last month that since 2012 Crown rorted the government by making illegal deductions to its tax bill.
Man arrested in connection with Docklands shooting
A 32-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the shooting of a woman in Docklands earlier this month, after a lengthy stand-off with police in Point Cook.
‘Bold, brazen’: No jail for man who sexually assaulted four women in public places
A man who sexually assaulted four women in public places has been spared jail despite the profound impact his “despicable” crimes had on his victims.
$200 fine for Sydney removalists who brought Delta to Melbourne
COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar confirmed the Department of Health had issued a $200 infringement to one of the movers for failing to comply with mask rules.
CORONAVIRUS CRISIS
New support package tipped for battered businesses
Struggling small businesses are expected to get some relief in measures underwritten by the Victorian and federal governments.
Elation as schools reopen after ‘toughest’ remote learning period
Victoria’s fifth period of remote learning was far from the longest, but for many families it was the hardest, with parents struggling to keep their children’s spirits up.
Politics
Exclusive
Income tax
Stage 3 tax cuts to cost $184b as decade of deficits looms
A new analysis of the government’s upcoming tax cuts, now supported by Labor, shows they will cost the budget more than $184 billion by 2031.
Business
Exclusive
White collar crime
Forum’s $500k car crash footage emerges, investors dodge bullet
The spectacular crash comes as high net worth investors unknowingly funded the alleged fraudsters’ purchase of a $50m property portfolio using Westpac’s money.
World
Updated
Coronavirus pandemic
Joe Biden to require vaccines for all federal workers: report
The US President plans to announce “next steps” in the effort to get more Americans to get the vaccination, as the country copes with outbreaks of the Delta variant.
Opinion
Delta lockdown strategy a success, but is it sustainable?
Annika Smethurst
State Political Editor
Olympic memories stir the embers of hope
Julie Szego
Author and freelance journalist
Out-and-proud diver’s words as important as his medal-winning performance
Rob Harris
National Affairs Editor
Check your passwords: streaming video account theft booms in lockdown
Adam Turner
Technology journalist
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Property bydomain
Gap between house and unit rents gets first-home buyers into the market
A widening gap between rents for houses and units across Australia's capitals could open a window for first-home buyers to get into the market quicker.
How a 'dingy' basement was transformed into a pied-a-terre
But before this could happen architect Brad Swartz first had to sort out a dodgy 1980s renovation in this well-located property.
Life & Culture
From opera to undies: Out-of-work prop guy solves a hidden problem
Working up to 14-hour days as deputy head of props for Opera Australia, Adamson has long been bothered by a hidden problem.
Sport
Delay the Ashes or change rules to avoid farcical tour
If families of the England players are not allowed to enter Australia then the England and Wales Cricket Board must stand firm and say series is off.
Live
Tokyo Olympics
Tokyo Olympics LIVE updates: Simone Biles’ shock withdrawal, Titmus headlines swimming, rowing finals get under way
Simone Biles’ shock withdrawal from team gymnastics after a poor vault result has left the world stunned.
‘Big five’ oppose AFL on $36m redistribution plan
Essendon, Richmond, Collingwood, West Coast and Hawthorn have voiced fierce opposition to an AFL plan for $36 million to be redistributed to clubs in need during COVID-19.
‘It’s anyone’s race’: Titmus aiming to emulate Gould in second Ledecky showdown
Two days after Ariarne Titmus beat Katie Ledecky in the 400m freestyle final, the Australian is out for more glory in the 200m freestyle decider.
Updated
Tokyo Olympics
‘We have to protect our minds and our bodies’
Superstar gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from Tuesday night’s competition at the Tokyo Olympics, saying she had to focus on her mental health.
Medal path opens up for Australia’s McSweyn
The path to a medal for Stewart McSweyn has opened up with a key rival pulling out of the Olympics.
AFLW draft a family affair in 2021
This year’s AFLW draft featured three top-10 draftees joining their siblings at the elite level.
Have Your Say
The end of American exceptionalism in the Olympic pool
The pandemic has disrupted the natural order of world swimming. The American team that has emerged from it in Tokyo is not the dominant force it was.
