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In-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts.
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Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition.
Exclusive
Planning
Garden state status under threat amid squeeze on public open space
Parks and nature reserves are vital for wellbeing and Melbourne has about 13,000 hectares of open space specifically set aside for public recreation. But at the rate the city is densifying and expanding, access could fall dramatically.
Exclusive
Public transport
Ditch the timetable: Metro Tunnel trains on track to run every three minutes
The state government initially promised a “turn up and go” service but didn’t specify precisely how often trains would run.
Israel pressed to co-operate with Australian probe into aid worker killings
The Albanese government is also urging Israel to take further action if troops are found guilty of wrong-doing in the deaths of Australian Zomi Frankcom and six fellow aid workers.
Opinion
Defamation
So much litigation, so little clarity: The Lehrmann case is a sordid labyrinth
For so many involved, the grimy details of this defamation trial have strayed far from natural justice.
Jacqueline Maley
Columnist and senior journalist
Opinion
City life
Bloated, backward and banal, Vic Market rebuild is the opposite of good planning
Melbourne’s beloved city market is sensual, lively, and bustling with energy but is set to be overshadowed by a series of banal towers that look like they were produced by an AI robot.
Norman Day
Architect
Crocs in the chamber? Pollies test boundaries of parliamentary dress code
Some state MPs are ditching their collared shirts, voting in their activewear and even wearing Crocs. But some limits remain.
‘It definitely happened’: Westall UFO witnesses want answers to decades-long mystery
A group of former residents of Melbourne’s south-east say their unexplained sighting from almost 60 years ago still puzzles them.
Opinion
JK Rowling
This is how cancel culture ends. Thank you, JK Rowling
When the author dared police to arrest her – if they believed she’d broken new hate-speech laws – she struck a blow for freedom.
Parnell Palme McGuinness
Columnist and communications adviser
Opinion
Live music
Kids have not ‘gone soft’ when it comes to music festivals
The rapid decline of music festivals is symptomatic of a bigger problem – and it’s not the fault of young people.
Millie Muroi
Business Reporter
This community club took extreme measures to kill off its pokies
The Hastings Club was slowly going broke and couldn’t get out of its pokies contracts, so its members acted by putting it into liquidation.
Dockers’ dissent delivers controversial double-goal win for the Blues
Gather Round’s first close encounter has concluded in the most contentious final minute of the 2024 season to date.
Updated
Border security
Search in challenging terrain for missing man who arrived in WA on an ‘unknown vessel’
The man, who was thought to have arrived on a boat along with others, is believed to have become separated from the group near Mitchell Plateau, in the remote far northern reaches of the Kimberley region.
Unprecedented spread of coral bleaching along Great Barrier Reef
Massive bleaching along the 2300km ecosystem may trigger the announcement of a global event following similar incidents in the northern hemisphere.
Backlash over renewables rollout pushes projects into native species habitat
The federal government is caught between twin pledges to double renewable energy and to end the steady stream of native species extinctions.
Opinion
Inside China
China blocked my visa. I spent three years getting as close as I could
Suddenly, like The New York Times, The Washington Post and the ABC, we were blocked. Why? We will never know for certain. But in the end, China’s actions amplified voices it had hoped to suppress.
Eryk Bagshaw
North Asia correspondent
Exclusive
Title Deeds
Liam Hemsworth plots $14.6m designer digs in Byron Bay hinterland
The house won’t be nearly visible from space like his big brother Chris’s place, but including land cost it will set him back more than $20m.
Opinion
Ask an expert
My bush property is too big for me to get the pension. What can I do?
Being on acreage can be pleasant but the size of your property can stymie your pension options.
Paul Benson
Money contributor
WEEKEND READS
Dicey Topics
Sex before, not after, a romantic dinner – and other advice from foodie Alison Roman
The New York-based cook and food writer on weighing up expiry dates, dining with political opposites – and how history will judge meat-eaters.
Wait, it closes this weekend? A last-minute guide to navigating the Triennial
The first rule of seeing the Triennial is don’t try to see all of the Triennial. But if you have an hour or a day, here’s how to maximise your experience.
Victoria
Exclusive
Fossil fuels
‘Sheen’ in water: Ageing oil pipeline off Gippsland coast shut off as leak probed
A pipeline linking two oil platforms is being investigated as the source of a suspected hydrocarbon spill in Bass Strait.
Blame game kicks off over asbestos mulch mystery
The state opposition accused the government of dropping the ball, while a union expressed concern that workers may have been exposed to asbestos.
More than just a market, South Melbourne is a village too
Built on the success of the gold rush, South Melbourne has ridden the highs and lows of Victorian history. It’s carved out a place on the edge of the CBD.
Asbestos found at three more parks in Melbourne
Asbestos-contaminated material has now been found at four Hobsons Bay parks – at least three of which are linked to Victorian government Big Build projects.
Harpreet nearly drowned. He wants to help others in his community after recent tragedies
The Indian-Australian community is reeling from multiple drowning tragedies. What needs to change?
AFL
Opinion
Clayton Oliver and the Demons walking a tightrope
Caroline Wilson
Football columnist for The Age
Analysis
Port’s talent shamed Essendon; the Bombers should invite their recruiters to the post-mortem
To properly review an underwhelming performance, Brad Scott could do worse than invite his recruiting department in and ask where they might locate players of the calibre of Port’s midfield.
Swans overcome scare to fend off Harley Reid-inspired Eagles
The West Coast Eagles turned back the clock on Saturday, even if they were still not quite good enough to beat the Swans.
Politics
‘Inexcusable’: Angry Australia condemns aid worker killings, Israel suspends two officers
The Israeli military has dismissed two army officers who were involved in the operation that killed Australian Zomi Frankcom and six fellow aid workers.
Business
Opinion
Shipping
Stuck ships and supply chain inflation
Global supply chains don’t have as much slack as they did, say, last summer, after pandemic disruptions were mostly a thing of the past, because Baltimore isn’t the only problem.
Paul Krugman
World
Israeli troops recover body of hostage from Gaza’s Khan Younis, military says
The body of a hostage held in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip has been recovered, three months after he pleaded for his release in a video issued by his Palestinian captors.
Opinion
The sick joke that insults our new GG – and Beyonce
Julia Baird
Journalist, broadcaster, historian and author
Channel Seven’s grubby Spotlight ‘exclusive’ puts my trade to shame
Ray Martin
Veteran broadcaster and journalist
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Property
First home buyer nabs Richmond terrace for $1.135m, ‘less than what it was worth’
Both the buyer and the underbidder expected the two-bedroom house in a sought-after location to sell for even more.
‘Ultimate place to raise a family’: Melbourne’s top suburbs if you can’t afford the inner city
Home buyers here can enjoy an unbeatable lifestyle and find the commute is not a problem.
Good Food
Lifestyle
Opinion
Family
Forget siblings, the best family relationship is cousins
Your cousin is you but also not you, like yourself in a misty mirror.
Richard Glover
Broadcaster and columnist
Opinion
Health and nutrition
Making sense of health headlines shouldn’t be so difficult – or dangerous
Sarah Berry
Lifestyle Health Editor
Opinion
Sunday Life
Boomers are afraid to sell the family home and downsize. Can you blame us?
Jane Caro
Novelist, author and commentator
Culture
She turned David Bowie into Ziggy Stardust. It changed her life forever
Suzi Ronson was working in a hair salon in London when she gave Mrs Jones’ son the look that defined an era.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
Dockers’ dissent delivers controversial double-goal win for the Blues
Gather Round’s first close encounter has concluded in the most contentious final minute of the 2024 season to date, as Carlton booted two goals, one from a mark that Dockers players claimed was touched, and then the sealer from a free against Jordan Clark for dissent.
‘That is how you win premierships’: Miers praises tired but undefeated Cats; Blues celebrate comeback win
Follow along for all the major moments and post game reactions as AFL Saturday of Gather Round plays out in South Australia.
Finlayson admits homophobic slur, apologises to Essendon player
The AFL has confirmed it is investigating Port forward Jeremy Finlayson for the homophobic slur towards an Essendon player on Friday night.
Australian cyclist’s wife feared the worst amid his horror crash
Jay Vine’s wife has revealed how she feared he might have died when the star Australian cyclist was lying prostrate in a ditch after a dreadful crash in northern Spain.
Analysis
AFL 2024
Port’s talent embarrassed Essendon; the Bombers should invite their recruiters to the post-mortem
To properly review an underwhelming performance, Brad Scott could do worse than invite his recruiting department in and ask where they might locate players of the calibre of Port’s midfield.
Sport quiz: Rack your brains about Guenther Steiner and Bells Beach surfing
Challenge yourself with our sports quiz, a mix of questions about the latest in world and local sport, and the big events in sporting history.
Swans overcome scare to fend off Harley Reid-inspired Eagles
The West Coast Eagles turned back the clock on Saturday, even if they were still not quite good enough to beat the Swans.
Have Your Say
Clayton Oliver and the Demons walking a tightrope
As star Melbourne midfielder continues his cautious behavioural rehabilitation, his club is also trying to overcome six months of on- and off-field horrors
Caroline Wilson
Football columnist for The Age
