Puzzled with David Astle newsletter
For subscribers: Tips and tricks from our puzzles guru, plus try our quizzes, crosswords and puzzles.
The Morning Edition podcast
Get behind the headlines of the most important stories, with Peter Hartcher every Thursday.
Considering post-grad study?
Find the right course to advance your career with Campus, your essential higher education guide
Exclusive
Federal budget
Mothballing Nauru’s detention centre could save $250 million in a year
Home Affairs expects the centre to move from an “active state” to “enduring capability” – empty but operated by a skeleton staff.
Keffiyeh scarf effectively banned from floor of Victorian parliament
The development comes a week after Greens MP Gabrielle de Vietri was asked to leave the chamber for refusing to take off her keffiyeh scarf, which is commonly worn to show support for Palestine.
Russell Hill told fellow campers about his love for the High Country. A week later, he was killed there
Campers who came across Russell Hill in the alpine region have told a Supreme Court jury he was a kind-natured and approachable man.
They sold the bike to pay for their dad’s funeral. But 12 years later, it came back
It was one of those ideas that families talk about but don’t often go through with. If they could pull it off, it would put an end to years of regret. But it needed to be done secretly, to maintain an element of surprise.
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
I was chancellor at Monash Uni, but I’m on the side of students’ right to protest
Calls for “intifada” are antisemitic, but it is not clear that police should end an entire protest in response to isolated criminal offences.
Alan Finkel
Former chief scientist
Review
Carlton
Not too fancy, not too casual, this bistro finds the Goldilocks zone (and brings the ’90s back)
Nostalgic for those elegant bistros of the not-too-distant past? Even if you weren’t there, you’ll recognise the appeal of this Carlton newcomer.
Opinion
Air travel
The battle for carry-on bag space on planes has become a joke
I’m guilty of taking a bit more than is strictly allowed in my carry-on but some people – there’s no polite way to say this – are absolute piss-takers.
Ben Groundwater
Travel writer
Move over resort wear, Kim Kardashian has spoken
Once dominated by swimwear brands, Australian Fashion Week is broadening the definition of ‘resort’ wear – one sweater at a time.
Coalition budget response was ‘shambolic’: Chalmers
The treasurer has called on the Coalition to unveil the details of many of their policies, including their nuclear policy and increases to defence spending.
Opinion
Mergers & acquisitions
Diamonds for sale: Inside the plan to crash BHP’s $64 billion party
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Senior business columnist
Opinion
US Votes 2024
If the US election were held today, Trump would win
Trump’s many outrages are plain for all to see, yet thus far he is playing the winning hand against Joe Biden.
Bruce Wolpe
Senior fellow at the US Studies Centre and former political staffer
‘Cult of Donald Trump’ goes on trial – and on display – in hush money case
Michael Cohen testified that after his home was raided in 2018, he received a call from Trump, who told him: “Don’t worry, I’m president ... you’re gonna be OK.”
Fears Musk’s ‘tantrum’ sackings could hit Australian EV drivers
Mercurial chief executive Elon Musk’s decision to fire the team responsible for Superchargers, widely considered to be the gold-star model of charging stations, has left the industry reeling.
How the Hawks helped Bateman through the darkest point of his life
Chance Bateman is no stranger to racism in football, but it’s also where he has found a deep sense of belonging. It’s why he in honoured to have helped design Hawthorn’s Indigenous guernsey this year.
Tony Armstrong reveals the ‘thing’ he’ll never give up
The popular ABC News Breakfast presenter criss-crossed the country on a bike in search of people’s most precious possessions for his new show.
Federal Budget 2024
The three-minute budget: Everything you need to know
Labor has unveiled its economic plan for the next four years and beyond. Here is a quick rundown of the essentials.
Analysis
Are you a winner or loser in this budget?
Your guide to who gained the most – and who missed out – in Jim Chalmers’ third federal budget.
Victoria
Pro-Palestine protesters splash fake blood on deputy premier’s office
Ben Carroll’s Niddrie office was defaced in a spate of vandalism that also targeted Seven and the ABC, before protesters halted Melbourne’s peak-hour traffic.
Victoria’s GST windfall could be short-lived
While billions of dollars will flow to infrastructure projects and bulk-billing clinics, the state’s GST take remains the same.
World’s oldest Chinese dragon vandalised in attack on Victorian museum
Two separate dragons were damaged in the attack. Police have released images of two suspects they are looking for.
Updated
Crime
Luxury car swindler targeted as burning cars slam into suburban home
An SUV and a ute were set alight in the early hours of Tuesday and driven into a multimillion-dollar Essendon property linked to ex-bankrupt Andrew Triantafyllos.
‘Unacceptable’ pro-Palestine protesters ordered off Deakin campus
Despite the order, protesters at the Burwood encampment have refused to budge, arguing that their small protest is lawful.
AFL 2024
AFL off to the races? League could build ovals in middle of Moonee Valley
The AFL could build two new football ovals in the centre of Moonee Valley racecourse under a long-term lease agreement that would help the league keep up with the sport’s growing demands.
AFL briefing
Blues, Pies, Swans to vie with Paris Games for TV viewers; Dons lose Draper for up to eight weeks
Essendon are hoping Sam Draper will be over his knee concerns by the time they appear in a string of blockbuster games in the final weeks of the season after the ruckman had an operation and the AFL finalised its fixture for rounds 16-23.
Politics
High voltage: The $300 power play Chalmers says will fight inflation
Economists warn that budget spending could pressure the RBA to keep interest rates higher, longer.
Business
Updated
World markets
Miners lead ASX higher after federal budget
The Australian sharemarket stepped up on Wednesday following the federal budget on Tuesday night, with miners, healthcare and consumer discretionary stocks leading the way.
Opinion
Sharemarket
How a cartoon from ‘Roaring Kitty’ sparked a $6.1 billion Wall Street frenzy
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Senior business columnist
Opinion
Mergers & acquisitions
Shadow boxing on as BHP eyes being crowned world’s copper king
Elizabeth Knight
Business columnist
World
King Charles’ first portrait since coronation reveals ‘deep humanity’
The portrait by artist Jonathan Yeo depicts Charles against a background of vivid red hues, with a butterfly just above his shoulder.
Opinion
Why the Treasurer needed to throw women some sugar
Jacqueline Maley
Columnist and senior journalist
Don’t be fooled: this is an election budget with plenty of pork-barrelling
Peter Hartcher
Political and international editor
Explore
Got a news tip?
Share information with our journalists securely and confidentially. Learn more
Property
‘Love it out here’: What it costs to live in Melbourne’s top suburbs for wellbeing
The wellbeing factor of suburbs has been measured on indicators such as health, environment, jobs and income. But it comes at a price.
First home buyers pay $1.3m for ‘very cool, retro house’ in Brunswick East
The sell-off of ex-rental properties across Melbourne is benefiting first home buyers.
Good Food
Lifestyle
Golden goals on Fashion Week day two as designers switch it up to chase customers
On the second day of Australian Fashion Week, the Matildas’ favourite off-pitch brand stepped out of its comfort zone.
Culture
Want to know what happens in ACMI’s playful new show? It’s up to you
Visitors need only keep moving to experience their own animated world inside ACMI’s Beings exhibition.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
Money Talks
AFL 2024
The list-demographics sweet spot fuelling the high-flying Bombers in 2024
We should have seen Essendon’s uprising coming – and the reason why helps explain two other fringe Melbourne-based finals contenders not meeting external expectations.
Analysis
EPL
The Premier League has exposed Postecoglou as a purist in an impure world
The Australian is running Tottenham with principle. But English football is not always good and nourishing, and Postecoglou is not always patient with deviation.
Demon on verge of top 10 but Rome thrashing a French Open warning for Australia’s No.1
Alex de Minaur’s final match before this month’s claycourt grand slam ended in a humbling defeat as he bids to improve his underwhelming record in Paris.
How the Hawks helped Bateman through the darkest point of his life
Chance Bateman is no stranger to racism in football, but it’s also where he has found a deep sense of belonging. It’s why he in honoured to have helped design Hawthorn’s Indigenous guernsey this year.
Exclusive
AFL 2024
Revealed: Saints’ massive offer to make Weitering one of the richest players in the AFL
Carlton’s superstar defender is set to become one of the highest-paid players in the AFL after St Kilda informally pitched him a bumper multi-year deal.
AFL briefing
AFL 2024
Blues, Pies, Swans to vie with Paris Games for TV viewers; Dons lose Draper for up to eight weeks
Essendon are hoping Sam Draper will be over his knee concerns by the time they appear in a string of blockbuster games in the final weeks of the season after the ruckman had an operation and the AFL finalised its fixture for rounds 16-23.
AFL off to the races? League could build ovals in middle of Moonee Valley
The AFL could build two new football ovals in the centre of Moonee Valley racecourse under a long-term lease agreement that would help the league keep up with the sport’s growing demands.
Have Your Say
‘Embarrassing, terrible, absurd’: AFL criticised for letting Cameron play on after head knock
If the AFL truly wants to treat concussion seriously, it needs to tighten up the process for assessing players immediately after they cop an obvious blow to the head.
