Good Weekend newsletter
The best of Good Weekend delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
Good Weekend podcast
Behind GW’s best features: we go deeper into our most intriguing issues.
Daily Sudoku
Challenge yourself with today’s four difficulty levels.
Updated
Sydney councils
Clover Moore expected to secure historic fifth term despite swing
Incumbent City of Sydney lord mayor Clover Moore said the election result looked like ensuring “strong, independent, progressive leadership for the city.”
Online crash prevents residents voting in NSW local council elections
Residents unable to have their say due to an online voting system error will not have to pay a $55 fine for failing to vote.
In pictures: City of Sydney election showdown
All the colour from the campaign trail as Sydney goes to the polls.
Updated
Coronavirus pandemic
COVID arrives in Canberra as MPs forced to isolate
A staffer for Greens leader Adam Bandt has tested positive for the coronavirus, triggering tests and isolations in Canberra.
‘Noise of people living’: Bars urge neighbours to live with sound of nightlife
Inner-city residents used to silent nights during lockdowns will be asked to call police as a last resort and put up with the noise of people “living, having fun and connecting” again.
‘Rapidly evolving situation’: More Omicron cases expected in Sydney
Health authorities are expecting to announce several additional cases of the Omicron variant in south-west Sydney on Sunday.
Free TAFE, more uni places in $1.1 billon election bonanza
Labor is promising to make TAFE free for critical jobs across a range of sectors, as well as funding more university places.
Randwick manor sells for $8.97 million at auction, breaking suburb record
While the auction was slow to start and took the better part of an hour to sell, in the end the grand Victorian residence broke a suburb record.
Opinion
Ask an expert
Missed the boom? Quality houses can still appreciate
As a rule of thumb, unencumbered, quality properties in good locations increase in value over time.
George Cochrane
Sydney FC 2 Newcastle Jets 2
Match report
Sydney FC remain winless after collapse against the Jets
Sydney FC are enduring their worst start to a season since 2010 after letting a two-goal lead slip at home to Newcastle.
Exclusive
FIBA World Cup
Cambage left out of Opals squad for home World Cup
The Australian Opals will on Monday name their preliminary squad for next year’s World Cup in Sydney and have made a very bold selection call.
Parents of suspected school shooter plead not guilty to manslaughter
Prosecutors said James and Jennifer Crumbley bought a handgun for their son as a Christmas present and then ignored warning signs on the day of the Michigan school shooting.
Villagers flee as Java’s tallest volcano erupts
People have been filmed dashing away from spiralling volcanic cloud in Indonesia’s East Java province as ash was sprayed 12km into the sky, turning day into night.
Opinion
Sydney Festival
Why it’s time to grab that Dine and Discover voucher
Use your vouchers to see our critics’ picks of the best entertainment in Sydney this summer.
Harriet Cunningham, John Shand, George Palathingal, Nick Galvin, John McDonald, Garry Maddox and Valerie Lawson
Opinion
Style
And just like that, the Sex in the City fails women over 40
From what I’ve seen thus far, the new series appears to be tone-deaf on what women really wear and genuinely find inspiring.
Kellie Hush
Everything you need to know about laser light therapy
Designed to treat dull skin and broken capillaries, and to improve fine lines and skin texture, here’s what you can expect from BroadBand Light.
WEEKEND READS
Two minutes with Danny Katz: Can you give your baby the name of a serial killer?
This is an infamously monstrous murderer, so it’s good you did the “Check the First Name with the Surname Before Committing to the Baby’s Name” test.
She said she might have written her last book – then along came Trump
Writing about a fictional pandemic during a real one was eerie for A Little Life’s Hanya Yanagihara who, in To Paradise, again explores what it is to be alive.
Sydney
Latest battle for teachers’ pay has roots in decades-old conflict
As the NSW teachers’ strike looms next week, the union is using the same tactics that brought hundreds of thousands onto the streets of Sydney in the 1980s.
Man in a serious condition after Central Station stabbing
The man, believed to be in his 40s, was taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital with multiple serious stab wounds.
Exclusive
Pollution
‘Falling apart’: Internal report reveals dozens of toxic risks from power plant
A whistleblower has warned parts of the ageing Bayswater Power Station are falling apart and threatening to spew toxic pollution into surrounding communities.
Endless summer: The Sydney cricketer set to play his 500th first-grade match
When Rob Aitken made his first-grade debut, Bob Hawke had just finished up as the Australian prime minister and Pat Cummins hadn’t been born.
Where’s Kerry? NSW changes tactics with latest response
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant has been conspicuous by her absence as the state deals with the latest Omicron threat.
SEE & DO
Opinion
Wonder in unlikely places: decoding the art of Jeffrey Smart
The artist was notorious for his unwillingness to explain. An Italian art crawl offered some clues to a young critic with a head full of half-baked ideas.
John McDonald
Art critic
Five of the most underrated day trips from Sydney
Revive the good old-fashioned day trip and you’ll be surprised at the variety and distractions close to home.
Politics
A year of reckoning over the treatment of women, so what hope is there for politics?
After a year of painful conversations about the treatment of women and traumatic disclosures of appalling incidents, the federal government has a blueprint to fix things.
Business
Opinion
Cosmetic Cowboys
Controversial cosmetic surgeon quits as regulators circle
Just over a month after an investigation by this masthead revealed a series of disturbing allegations, celebrity cosmetic surgeon Dr Daniel Lanzer has retired.
Adele Ferguson
Investigative journalist and columnist
World
Analysis
International affairs
After the sub snub, Macron flexes military strength in Middle East
The French President’s visit to Saudi Arabia coincides with a weekend of festivities that will help to rebuild the image of the kingdom’s controversial prince.
Samy Adghirni
Opinion
Why Albanese is playing a dead bat
Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
Explore
Got a news tip?
Share information with our journalists securely and confidentially. Learn more
Property
Exclusive
Title Deeds
Pony for Christmas? Sydney’s well-heeled gallop for equestrian estates
There was a time when really lucky girls and boys scored a pony for Christmas, but in these heady times it seems an equestrian estate is more the thing.
The ‘bank’ first-home buyers are relying on to keep up with prices
First-home buyers are increasingly turning to the bank of mum and dad, with $100,000 cash gifts becoming the norm in some markets.
Lifestyle
Everyone is hooked on the idea but 10,000 steps a day is not the ideal
A new study, led by researchers at the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, found the magic number is actually less than 10,000 steps a day.
Opinion
Health
Want to lose weight and have sex? Do the housework
Richard Glover
Broadcaster and Sydney Morning Herald columnist
Culture
A historical odyssey through Europe: Olga Tokarczuk’s masterpiece
The Nobel prize winner’s massive novel chronicles the rhythms and patterns of history through an expansive network of characters.
Sport
‘We’re not building a house of straw’: Bennett calls for patience as Dolphins struggle to lure stars
This isn’t the first time Wayne Bennett has built a team from the ground up. Which is why he’s not panicking despite filling just one of 30 Dolphins roster spots.
Two years after Headingley, Stokes still giving Langer ‘nightmares’
Justin Langer admits he still has nightmares about Ben Stokes’ brilliance in 2019 and said he adds another level of excitement to the upcoming Ashes series.
Sydney FC 2 Newcastle Jets 2
Match report
Sydney FC still winless after second-half slump against Jets
Sydney FC are enduring their worst start to a season since 2010 after letting a two-goal lead slip at home to Newcastle, although they were denied all three points by a controversial VAR decision.
Exclusive
FIBA World Cup
Big call: Cambage left out of Opals squad for home World Cup
The Australian Opals will on Monday name their preliminary squad for next year’s FIBA World Cup in Sydney and have made a bold selection call to bypass their best player.
Langer says Paine’s career may not be over despite sexting scandal
The Australia coach has spoken for the first time since Paine’s resignation, saying the former captain may yet return to the national side.
New kid on The Block: Rising Indigenous Kings star Bayles set to make a difference
For some, pursuing your dreams means getting out of Redfern but, in rising Sydney Kings star Biwali Bayles’ case, it meant coming home.
Light prep no obstacle to heavy-duty series for Australia’s quicks
Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc may be light on for match practice having not played a first-class game since April but face heavy-duty workloads with five Tests across six weeks.
Have Your Say
How La Nina, a WA premier and the toss of a coin could decide the Ashes
Pat Cummins’ biggest call this summer could come before a ball is bowled as the opening day at the Gabba shapes as vital to the series.
Geoff Lawson
Cricket columnist
