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Illustration: Matt Golding
Letters
Letters

Queen Victoria Market’s future is clear

Sunday Age readers have their say.

Latest

What Omicron? Why (and how) I bought shares this week...

This week, I found myself having to live out the famous advice of legendary US investor Warren Buffet: To “be greedy when others are fearful”.

  • by Jessica Irvine
Fixed interest rates – often the preference for property investors wanting cost certainty – are on the rise.
Opinion
Home loans

The cheapest mortgage interest rates for property investors

There are still some attractive interest rates available if you want to buy – or refinance – an investment property.

  • by Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon
Planning for the future involves looking further than one step ahead.

Is this the secret to saving humanity?

The better question for our future selves might not be, what world do I want to leave behind, but what world am I proud to leave?

  • by Dewi Cooke
Jamie Whincup.
Analysis
Supercars

The sliding doors moment that made Jamie Whincup

Jamie Whincup is a bona fide legend of the Supercars championship, but his career trajectory was not smooth, certainly at the start.

  • by Michael Lynch
On Tuesday, advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will make more detailed recommendations on which youngsters should get vaccinated, with a final decision by the agency’s director expected shortly afterwards.
Editorial
Vaccination

Restrictions on unvaccinated should end sooner, not later

Keeping a vaccine mandate in place without a particular end point will only continue to fuel anti-vaxxer victimhood - and to unnecessarily punish those credulous souls who truly believe the garbage they have been fed.

  • The Age's View
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French President Emmanuel Macron, right, and Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, both have something to prove when they meet again this weekend.

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.

  • by Samy Adghirni
Grandchildren left an investment property in a will would not be charged CGT until they sell it.

Missed the boom? Quality properties can still appreciate

As a rule of thumb, unencumbered, quality properties in good locations increase in value over time.

  • by George Cochrane
James Anderson would love nothing more than to get a crack at Australia’s top order on a juicy Gabba deck.

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.

  • by Geoff Lawson
The local hub of democracy: council elections.

Local democracy is the new black, but need it be so blackened by developers?

Development interests hold too much sway in some councils. Saturday is your chance to vote them out.

  • by Elizabeth Farrelly
Tasmanian MP stuck by her guns in the Prime Minister’s office.

Why Bridget Archer is a badass not a victim

The Tasmanian MP’s meeting with the Prime Minister was painted as a story of female weakness, but there’s another interpretation.

  • by Parnell Palme McGuinness
Social media video of Daniel Lanzer marking up a patient for cosmetic surgery

Controversial cosmetic surgeon Dr Daniel Lanzer 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.

  • by Adele Ferguson
Illustration: Simon Letch
Opinion
Jobs

It’s the stupid economy - and navigating its volatility will test the PM’s grip on power

Australia can no longer claim to be a role model in protecting both lives and livelihoods.

  • by George Megalogenis
Illustration: John Shakespeare

Why Albanese is playing a dead bat

Scott Morrison will keep bowling up scare campaigns to put voters off Labor. The Opposition Leader’s strategy in reply? Don’t be scary. Labor will avoid spooking voters, even if that disappoints the party’s true believers.

  • by Peter Hartcher
View of a busy Piccadilly Circus, as tourists return to the capital following the relaxation of coronavirus restrictions and quarantine rules in England over the past few weeks. (Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Travel AFR Perspective  CARRUTHERS travel story

Getting people back into their workplaces will revitalise Melbourne

Returning to the CBD might be hard after six lockdowns, but there are benefits to shopping instore and working in an office.

  • by Roshena Campbell
Finding harmony at work.
Opinion
MyCareer

Harmony in the workplace isn’t random, but it can be natural

Finding harmony in the workplace can be a balance between blending in and standing out.

  • by Jim Bright
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Prime Minister Scott Morrison goes on the offensive in Parliament.

We deserve so much better from our politicians

The return to “politics as usual” in Canberra was chaotic, bereft of policy, and a lesson in how not to behave.

  • The Age's View
Cummins will become the 47th man to lead the Australian Test side in Brisbane on Wednesday.
The Fitz Files
Test cricket

A pat on the back for our new man Cummins

You know the rules. It’s time for everyone who has ever had any interaction with Pat Cummins to dust off their best anecdotes. Myself, I’ve got nothing. But ...

  • by Peter FitzSimons
Jhye Richardson, David Warner and Usman Khawaja.
Opinion
The Ashes

Equal parts art and science: the formula to selecting Australia’s first Test team

Putting a successful team together is equal parts art and science. Only following the data has led many selection panels down an endless, dark tunnel.

  • by Greg Chappell
Labor climate change spokesman Chris Bowen and Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese.
Analysis
ALP

Nerves aplenty over climate policy powderkeg

Labor MPs know the party’s new climate target will bring them under attack from both sides for doing too little or too much.

  • by David Crowe
 The Brothers Grimm wish they could spin a yarn as magical was waiters helping you choose a wine do.

For a slice of travelling life, restaurants are on my itinerary

Hooray for eating out! Here are three things Amelia missed about that – and three more she didn’t miss at all.

  • by Amelia Lester
Theatre, movies, dance, music and shows to see in Sydney this summer. 

Plenty to savour as Sydney’s arts-filled summer beckons

Staying home? Grab those new Dine and Discover vouchers and use our critics’ picks of the best entertainment in Sydney this summer.

  • by Harriet Cunningham, John Shand, George Palathingal, Nick Galvin, John McDonald, Garry Maddox and Valerie Lawson
Alex Carey will replace Tim Paine as wicketkeeper in the Australian Test team.
Opinion
The Ashes

The gloves are off for these Ashes and Australia will be better without Paine

Though nobody would recommend it as a solution to a looming problem, the sad ending to Tim Paine’s career should have a positive impact on Australia’s cricket.

  • by Malcolm Knox
The sad truth is, in recent years we’ve been saving more than we’ve needed to fund investment in the expansion of our economy, so we’ve been investing more in other people’s economies than they’ve been investing in ours.
Opinion
GDP

A quick economic rebound seems assured - but then what?

Australia’s economy has recovered nicely after the Delta-induced lockdowns, but digging into the numbers raises concerns.

  • by Ross Gittins
Author Alice Sebold.
Opinion
Family

Fragile ego? Or, we just don’t care? Why sorry can be the hardest word.

A little apology goes a long way for all involved because there’s an exchange of vulnerabilities.

  • by Kate Halfpenny
Former Liberal staffer Rachelle Miller and Education Minister Alan Tudge.

Grotty week for PM as Parliament’s noxious culture is laid bare

On issues relating to women, Morrison walks among landmines. Rachelle Miller’s latest claims against Alan Tudge show how dangerously and unexpectedly one can detonate.

  • by Michelle Grattan
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Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore with deputy Jess Scully.

I interviewed Clover Moore’s five challengers. All are women. Here’s to a fairer city

This weekend’s election is a serious political contest - without the mudslinging.

  • by Gary Nunn
Historian Clare Wright with yet another statue of a dead, white male. ‘Landmark’ commemorates Lieutenant Governor Charles Joseph La Trobe by Charles Robb at LaTrobe University Bundoora Campus.
Opinion
City life

We need commemorative justice for our statues of women

There’s no easy solution to Melbourne’s embarrassingly low number of statues of women, but help could be at hand in a couple of storage lockers.

  • by Cara Waters
Actor and singer Marisha Wallace has seen her travel plans upended by the Omicron variant.

‘No way to know how bad it will get’: Omicron threatens fragile global economic recovery

As the world grapples with the arrival of the latest coronavirus variant, extreme uncertainty about the economy may turn out to be the only certainty.

  • by Patricia Cohen
Small companies are paying thousands of dollars a month to be spruiked to investors via paid content as a new breed of promoters cash in on traditional retail brokers exiting the space.
Opinion
Wellbeing

Is a wellbeing economy the solution to our ills?

As Victoria recovers from the damage to our economy, health and society caused by the pandemic, we need to start looking at new ways to build back better.

  • by Alexandra Jones
The Omicron variant has been detected in countries around the world.

We saw Omicron coming, but we didn’t think to act

Scientists’ warnings about new COVID-19 variants emerging from Africa were well known. Why didn’t Australia do something?

  • by Waleed Aly
School’s out for Greg Hunt and Christian Porter who are retiring from federal politics.

School’s out for Parliament but candidates are circling

The final sitting day of the year had a very Alice Cooper vibe to it.

  • by Stephen Brook and Samantha Hutchinson
Cars may be undergoing huge changes on the inside, but you wouldn’t know it to look at them.
Opinion
Innovation

Cars keep getting smarter. But do they have to look so boring?

Cars are growing brains – and I’m glad. I just wish they weren’t also losing heart, soul and personality.

  • by Farhad Manjoo
Scott Morrison used the draft integrity commission bill, with its formal front page and black binding, as a prop to claim a sort of strength, but really confirmed the government’s weakness.

Toothless corruption watchdog is the PM’s too-hard basket case

The proposed integrity commission is Scott Morrison’s glaring broken promise and an obvious weakness.

  • by David Crowe
Sherralee Fisher, 40, gave up a career in finance to become a teacher and is being fast-tracked into a leadership role in a NSW public school. She was one of 50 people selected to be part of the NSW Department of Education’s FASTstream program that starts next year.

From finance to teaching: one woman’s story of transition

Sherralee Fisher gave up a career in finance to become a teacher and is being fast-tracked into a leadership role at a NSW public school.

  • by Sherralee Fisher
Illustration

Lengthy stints at one workplace mean different things to different people

Whether 10 years with one employer looks good or bad on your CV depends on how you frame your work experience.

  • by Jonathan Rivett
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CEOs interviewed by executive mentor Meredith Hellicar often said: “I didn’t realise that I needed to communicate repeatedly, incessantly, over and over until I was sick to death of hearing my own voice.”

All the world’s a stage: especially the boardroom

Lessons from the opera stage can be applied to finding success in the corporate world – without taking its toll on the person behind the mask.

  • by Garry Pollack
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is playing down any chance of cutting spending at the next budget.

So where’s the government’s plan to rein in spending?

Drastic cuts would be inappropriate, but the Coalition needs a responsible medium-term plan for reduced spending if it wants to be seen as the party of sound economic management.

  • The Age's View
Premier Daniel Andrews on Tuesday.

Rise in the states’ authority leaves the federal government ‘grasping for relevance’

More than 40 years ago Bob Hawke called for the abolition of the states. Perhaps he had it the wrong way around.

  • by Josh Gordon
Greens Senator Lidia Thorpe has apologised to Liberal Hollie Hughes.

Another bad week for women in Parliament. Surprise, surprise

Male politicians have long been treating their female colleagues badly. Sometimes it is a female parliamentarian who offends, as happened this week.

  • by Meredith Burgmann
Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai at the Australian Open in 2020.
Opinion
WTA Tour

Financial loss, net gain: the WTA takes a stance

Unusually for sports administrators, the WTA are aligning their mouth to their principles, not their money.

  • by Greg Baum
The House of Representatives.
Opinion
Sketch

Federal Parliament: If this were a schoolyard, you’d lock it down

In a week when a report found widespread sexual harassment and bullying in Parliament House, parliamentarians themselves indulge in an outbreak of bad behaviour.

  • by Tony Wright
Social media platforms could be required to secure users’ identities before they can register an account.

Exposing online bullies won’t stop social media toxicity

The federal government’s plan to tackle online abuse will not necessarily create a safer environment.

  • by Shireen Morris
API, which owns Priceline pharmacies, watches while its suitors slug it out.

Woolworths and Wesfarmers slug it out for a slice of wellness market

These combatants, two of the biggest and best run companies in Australia, have plenty of form from previous bouts.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg, rebranding as Meta.

The government is trolling us with its ‘anti-troll’ bill

Proposed federal legislation will not make the internet safer, but it will make it harder for regular people to sue if they are defamed on social media.

  • by Michael Douglas
Judi Nealy Principal at Illawarra Grammar school in Wollongong, NSW.

Purpose and principles make for meaningful career

Teaching aligns with this principal’s personal values.

  • by Judi Nealy
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The grandstanding over the debt ceiling says a lot about the state of US politics and the challenges Joe Biden faces in trying to implement his agenda.

It’s five to midnight, again: US debt drama isn’t good for America, or the rest of us

The US government will run out of money on Saturday unless a last-minute deal on the debt ceiling is struck. It says a lot about the state of US politics and the challenges Joe Biden faces in trying to implement his agenda.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
China is churning out more college graduates than ever but their job prospects have changed dramatically.

China’s Gen Zers are anxious about their futures and Beijing has few answers

For years, China’s fast-growing economy set up college graduates for lucrative corporate careers. But the pandemic and a crackdown on booming industries has changed the game.

  • by Shuli Ren
Josh Frydenberg speaks to Bridget Archer after she crossed the floor on Thursday.

Morrison’s winning ways once more on show

The Prime Minister tries to appear relaxed but is obviously not comfortable when his authority is challenged.

  • by Niki Savva
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said parents were understandably concerned about whether tech companies were fulfilling their responsibility to keep children safe online.

Get back: Scott Morrison building his re-election on old hit tunes

With the federal election looming, the Prime Minister is rehashing the hits that made him a surprise smash in 2019.

  • by Shaun Carney