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Relocation push for homes in flood-hit towns where insurance costs are about to go ‘through the roof’
After two floods inside two years in parts of Victoria, insurance experts are concerned coverage will become increasingly unaffordable for many residents in flood-prone parts of the state.
‘What were they thinking?’ Victoria lashed over failed port project
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan says the government is confident it can successfully mitigate the environmental impacts of the terminal in protected wetlands.
‘Pathetic response. Send in the dogs’: Police to target music festival after mass overdose
Police will use sniffer dogs and boost their presence at a hip-hop festival this weekend as renewed calls to trial pill testing were shut down by Premier Jacinta Allan.
The great step sideways: The factors inspiring a mid-life career switch
Former radio host Brigitte Duclos is one of a large number of Australians making a mid-life career change, as jobs mobility hits its highest levels in a decade.
Flood fears for Shepparton, Murchison, Echuca as waters edge downstream
Flooding has subsided in Rochester and Seymour but the Victorian SES has warned Gippsland and the state’s north are still under threat.
The ‘traumatising’ way we teach kids to swim needs to change: Olympic champ
One of Australia’s greatest swimmers, Shane Gould, says dunking children in swimming classes can cause a lifelong fear of the water and undermine the development of swimming skills.
Even assassination? Judges sceptical of Trump’s immunity defence
According to Trump and his lawyers, presidents shouldn’t even be charged for assassinating a political rival unless they’ve been impeached and convicted in Congress first.
Breaking
Extremism
Ecuador TV studio stormed live on air by masked bandits brandishing guns
The people, wearing balaclavas and largely dressed in black, were seen wielding large guns and accosting huddled staffers on the live feed, which eventually cut out.
Bank of mum and dad be warned if your kids are house-hunting in 2024
Rising rents, prices and interest rates have all taken a toll, but a reprieve may be in sight as property price growth slows.
★★★★★
Review
Netflix’s adaptation of this bestseller is incredible
Fans of Trent Dalton’s Boy Swallows Universe will not be disappointed with this faithful adaptation.
Opinion
Air travel
‘If it’s not Boeing, I’m not going’? Perhaps not any more
I’m one of those people who doesn’t tend to even check what sort of aircraft I will be flying on when I book a ticket.
Ben Groundwater
Travel writer
Opinion
Satire
Hypocrisy over Khawaja’s armband now borders on the absurd
Despite fears about the future of Test cricket, the International Cricket Council – which is based in human rights bastion United Arab Emirates – has made its priority squelching one player’s freedom of expression.
Alan Attwood
Contributor
Thanks, Lleyton: Why the number of Aussie men in the top 100 has soared
Most of the Aussie men now in the world’s top 100 players are not household names – but someone who is helped them rise up the ranks.
From breakfast spots to beachfront dining: The Good Food guide to Torquay
It’s always been the centre of every Victorian surfer’s universe, now Torquay is riding a food and drink wave. Here’s what you need to know.
Analysis
Coronavirus pandemic
The COVID-19 variant that is doubling hospital admissions
This variant is heavily mutated and very infectious. What do we know about it? And could it earn its own Greek alphabet name?
Supermarket giants warned of significant government intervention as food prices soar
Supermarkets have been warned that all options are on the table to bring grocery prices down as federal Labor makes cost-of-living relief its central policy goal ahead of the next election.
Behind the headlines
Special series
I was about to get married. Then my phone exploded with calls from one person
He called four times in four minutes. It must be important, I thought – but I’d sworn to myself I wouldn’t answer my phone. Not today, of all days.
Special series
A man stepped out on the road with an AK-47. I traded my life back with cigarettes – and a desperate joke
Everyone in Rwanda knew travelling after dark was inviting trouble. I’d taken a risk for a trivial reason, and now a large man with an assault rifle was at the window of the car, making demands.
Victoria
This bluestone Brunswick warehouse will become a cabaret-style venue. Nearby residents are not happy
Merri-bek council approved the conversion of the heritage-listed building, which will host up to 500 patrons, despite 90 objections from locals.
Updated
Victoria floods
Good Samaritan Mitch recounts the moment he saved a woman whose car was swept 100m along a creek
Mitch had gone to the swollen creek to take a photo when he saw a “bloke wandering around with his hands on his head pointing... [and saying] ‘me mum, me mum!’”
Updated
Victoria floods
Floods easing but the danger is not over for some parts of the state
Flood conditions are easing across much of Victoria as communities in the state start the clean-up after the deluge, with at least two dozen properties inundated.
Water receding in Rochester, but residents argue more needs to be done
The northern Victorian town awoke to news of the best kind of error: emergency authorities had slightly overestimated the flood peak.
Australia experiencing a COVID ‘wave on wave’
A surge of cases fuelled by a new, fast-moving sub-variant is likely to peak in coming weeks, several experts predict.
Politics
What would it cost to give everyone free dental check-ups?
The government will consider eight potential ways of expanding Medicare to help improve the smiles of Australians for between $2 billion and $11 billion a year.
Business
Musk’s antics no threat to EV sector, rival executive says
Despite repeated and ongoing controversies, the electric vehicle sector has “moved beyond” Elon Musk’s behaviour, according to a top rival.
World
Israel needs to stop ‘undercutting’ Palestinians, says Blinken
The US and Israel remain deeply divided over how Gaza will be run when — and if — its current Hamas rulers are defeated.
Opinion
Politicians making a meal out of big supermarket pricing
Elizabeth Knight
Business columnist
Explore
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Property
Byron Bay property prices fell 25 per cent. So what’s next?
It’s been a turbulent few years of boom and bust for the property market in popular Byron Bay. So, is now the time to buy?
Melbourne suburbs where property values fell most – and where they are now
Many neighbourhoods where property prices plunged in the downturn have started to recover, but some are closer to their peaks than others.
Good Food
Lifestyle
Would you trust a computer to choose your wardrobe? We tried it
2023 was the year for generative AI in fashion. So, how do ‘virtual stylists’ work, and would they be able to choose a winning outfit?
Culture
Analysis
Golden Globes
Disappointed Barbie: Was the hot pink hit snubbed at the Golden Globes?
It received the most nominations, yet left with only two wins. What could this mean for Greta Gerwig’s fantasy-land film at the Oscars?
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
Captain Healy leads Australia to series win in India
Led from the front by Alyssa Healy - with a dash of luck - Australia chased down 148 to beat India in their third T20 international and claim the series win.
Novak returns to centre court showing no signs of wrist problem
Novak Djokovic, the king of Melbourne Park, has returned to centre court showing no apparent signs of his wrist complaint ahead of his shot at an 11th Australian Open.
The revolutionary procedure that could salvage Sam Kerr’s Olympic dream
Most experts have already put a red line through the Matildas captain’s prospects of competing in Paris but leading Sydney sports doctor Tom Cross is adamant there is a way.
After three decades, 15 majors and $750 million, Woods announces Nike split
One of the most lucrative partnerships in sports marketing history has come to an end with the news Tiger Woods and Nike will part ways after 27 years.
Last year, she beat the world No. 1. But there’s only one win Svitolina cares about
Tennis trophies are no longer what drive Ukrainian player Elina Svitolina. Her focus today? Using the game to continue shining a light on her war-torn country.
Tributes flow for Beckenbauer, ‘a legend of German and world football’
Franz Beckenbauer, one of only three men to win the World Cup as player and coach and considered by many to be Europe’s finest player, has died aged 78.
Dangerfield says players open to mid-season trade period in 2024
Patrick Dangerfield said he would be rapt if a mid-season trade period was introduced as early as this season but suspects the dramatic change won’t occur until 2025.
Have Your Say
Four-day Tests set to be back on agenda in bid to save oldest format
Should four-day Test matches be part of the formula to ensure the game’s long form is played and enjoyed for another 150 years?