Good Weekend Talks
In-depth conversations with the people fascinating Australians right now, from sport to politics to the arts.
Sunday Life
Indulge in the best ‘me time’ reading with our new digital magazine edition.
Live Well newsletter
Make the most of your health, relationships, fitness and nutrition.
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.
Exclusive
Planning
25% less open space per person: Crunch on parks as Melbourne population rises
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.
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
Crocs in the House? How politicians test the boundaries of parliament’s dress code
Some state MPs are ditching their collared shirts, voting in their activewear and even wearing Crocs. But some limits remain.
Israeli hostage recovered in Gaza was ‘killed months ago’; Netanyahu faces huge protests
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
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 a robot.
Norman Day
Architect
I did one of Australia’s greatest treks the easy way. It wasn’t that easy
This renowned trek is sensibly divided into a two-speed society. By the end of the fifth day, we were being held together by ibuprofen, knee braces and chocolate.
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
Five Minutes with Fitz
I’ve sent Bob Dylan love letters for years, and I just got a reply!
When I interviewed legendary music promoter Michael Chugg, he had a surprise for me.
Peter FitzSimons
Columnist and author
‘They deserve the goal’: Beveridge backs goal-line mark to Cat Stengle
At first, it looked like a behind to Geelong. But on video review, a mark was awarded to Tyson Stengle, who turned it into a goal as the Cats got home by four points.
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.
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.
Basketball courts, swim schools and soon, even axe throwing: The future of shopping centres
A shopping centre in suburban Melbourne offers a glimpse into what lies ahead for shoppers as we increasingly buy online and major retailers reduce their footprint or shut down stores.
Could planned burns be making our forests more flammable?
Hazard-reduction burns are designed to clear undergrowth and reduce the risk of big fires but the science is far from settled.
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 Zomi Frankcom and six fellow aid workers.
Exclusive
Title Deeds
Liam Hemsworth plots $14.6 million designer digs in Byron 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
Hip pocket
The overlooked tool that can guarantee your retirement income
Retirees are often wary of annuities, also known as a lifetime or fixed-term pension. Here’s what you need to know.
Dominic Powell
Money Editor
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
The army, police, men in black suits... They were told they saw nothing but the Westall UFO witnesses say ‘it definitely happened’
A group of former residents of Melbourne’s south-east say their unexplained sighting from almost 60 years ago still puzzles them.
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.
Exclusive
Fashion retail
How a dress rented 53 times has saved the equivalent of 159 trees
There’s a new trend in fashion: sustainability, with many shoppers no longer trying before they buy, merely renting.
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.
AFL
Opinion
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
As it happened: Tired Cats hold on for tight win over Bulldogs
Geelong outlasted the Western Bulldogs and kept their undefeated start going but not without a late scare.
Politics
Unprecedented spread of coral bleaching along Great Barrier Reef
Massive bleaching along the 2300-kilometre ecosystem may trigger the announcement of a global event following similar incidents in the northern hemisphere.
Business
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
World
Julie Bishop named United Nations special envoy for Myanmar
Myanmar has been locked in civil war since the army took power from Aung Suu Kyi’s elected government in 2021.
Opinion
China blocked my visa. I spent three years getting as close as I could
Eryk Bagshaw
North Asia correspondent
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
Explore
Got a news tip?
Share information with our journalists securely and confidentially. Learn more
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
From love-to-hate to hot property: Why Collingwood players are so marketable
After winning the premiership, Collingwood players are on a ticket to ride. And no red carpet seems complete without them.
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.
‘They deserve the goal’: Beveridge backs goal-line mark to Cat Stengle
At first, it looked like a behind to Geelong. But on video review, a mark was awarded to Tyson Stengle, who turned it into a goal as the Cats got home by four points.
Analysis
EPL
Why Ange’s Spurs still have a role to play in Premier League ‘title race’
Spurs are in a unique position: they have the chance to severely dent Arsenal’s title hopes, but also need their fiercest rivals to go as deep as possible in Europe for their own sake.
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.
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.
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
