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ABC boss defends Laura Tingle ahead of Senate questioning
David Anderson gave his opening statement to Senate estimates, pre-emptively defending the ABC 7.30 chief political correspondent’s comments that Australia is a racist country.
New Zealand warns Australia not to rip up deportation deal
The Albanese government softened immigration laws as part of an effort to improve diplomatic relations with New Zealand in the Ardern era.
Police found a phone in the mud. Now they hope for a breakthrough in the Samantha Murphy search
The first physical clue to the missing Ballarat mother’s fate has emerged. Police are investigating whether it contains data that might give them answers.
Here comes winter … with Victoria set for soaking
May will be the 14th consecutive month of record-breaking ocean temperatures globally, as 2024 shapes up to shatter last year’s heat record.
Teens showed friend ‘bloody knife’ after Doncaster doctor’s death
After entering not guilty pleas, two teenagers accused of killing Ash Gordon have had their cases fast-tracked to a higher court.
You might not like it, but bracket creep is aiding the inflation fight: Treasury boss
The head of the federal Treasury, Steven Kennedy, says bracket creep has been a helpful stabilising force over the past three years.
Opinion
AFL 2024
Forget the contract, Max King must leave the Saints
The St Kilda forward is at a crucial moment in his career and needs to start asking the hard questions about his future.
Kane Cornes
AFL columnist
Clarkson’s language revealed as AFL probes whether swearing was directed at officials
The outcome of the investigation will be shaped by whether Clarkson was expressing frustration or directing the language at officials.
Updated
Super Rugby
Bye bye Bledisloe? Victoria’s fury at Rebels collapse
The state government said Rugby Australia’s decision to axe the state’s team imperiled major events like the Bledisloe and World cups.
★★★★★
Review
Martin Freeman is back in the best, most intense police drama in years
Created and written by former police officer Tony Schumacher, The Responder returns for another compelling – if anxiety-inducing – season.
At 30, this writer put bad boys and drink behind her. Then she sold 30 million books
Novelist Marian Keyes’ life is divided into two, but she says her painful youth still haunts her.
Analysis
US Votes 2024
Trump’s air of confidence has vanished as jurors deliberate in hush-money case
The former US president has vehemently denied wrongdoing. Now 12 jurors will decide his fate.
Alistair Thomson went bushwalking in the NT outback. No one has heard from him since
The Victorian man, 64, started walking alone on the Larapinta Trail about 240 kilometres west of Alice Springs. No one has heard from him for nine days.
An image calling for ‘All Eyes on Rafah’ is going viral, but it seems AI-generated
More than 40 million Instagram users have shared this graphic to their stories using a user-generated template.
Opinion
WordPlay
Why the Streisand effect could be morphing into the Gina effect
The moment you tell us to look away, we can’t stop gawking, as Gina Rinehart recently found out to her detriment.
David Astle
Crossword compiler and ABC Radio Melbourne presenter
‘This is women’s surfing’: A perfect 10 as history made at Teahupo’o
Women were banished from Teahupo’o for 15 years because it was deemed too dangerous. In heaving, two-metre waves on Thursday, the women dominated like never before.
SEE & DO
This coming-of-age novel features strikingly precise characterisation
Our reviewers cast their eyes over new fiction and non-fiction releases including a swashbuckling tale of a woman pirate and a deep dive into the symphony beneath the waves.
Bob Dylan, Socrates and a speaking sky: this thrilling book has it all
Poet Anne Carson pairs words and drawings in a celebration of beauty and absurdity.
Victoria
‘The scale is our issue’: Well-heeled residents up in arms over Port Melbourne housing plan
Port Melbourne residents have joined forces with former tenants of the Barak Beacon public housing block to fight plans to build an 11-storey tower on the site.
‘I’ve checked my own safety when I go out’: Premier on new domestic violence laws
After a spate of women being killed across Australia, the Allan government has announced a raft of reforms to better prevent domestic violence and protect victims.
Updated
Missing person
Phone found in fresh search for Samantha Murphy’s body
A police source, speaking anonymously owing to the sensitivity of the investigation, is confident the phone belonged to the 51-year-old mother.
‘This should not have occurred’: Uni admits it underpaid staff
Deakin University has turned itself in to the Fair Work Ombudsman after discovering it had been underpaying casual academic staff – two years after the union first accused it of doing so.
‘What were you thinking?’ Stoush erupts over fence dubbed a ‘glaring eyesore’
To some, it’s an eyesore that needs a fresh coat of paint or even bulldozing. But for the fence’s owners, it’s just a mix-up over dirt.
AFL 2024
Exclusive
Who is whispering in the umpire’s ear and why some AFL coaches aren’t happy
AFL umpires are receiving in-game feedback through an earpiece from an official at the ground, prompting senior coaches to seek answers from the league.
AFL Briefing
Port Adelaide skipper Connor Rozee will miss prime-time Blues clash
The Power have taken a no-risk approach with Rozee and ruled him out of the Adelaide Oval encounter against the Blues.
Politics
Mortgage pain on the rise as inflation remains high
Delinquency rates have more than doubled in some suburbs as households struggle to keep up with the rising cost of living.
Business
Privacy watchdog facing questions over aborted TikTok probe
Australia’s privacy commissioner says her office did not conduct rigorous testing of the TikTok app before deciding to close its inquiry into the company.
World
Australian among 14 convicted in Hong Kong under national security law
It’s the former British colony’s biggest national security case under a law imposed by Beijing that has all but wiped out public dissent.
Opinion
Laura Tingle called out racism. So why is she the one facing a backlash?
Giri Sivaraman
Race discrimination commissioner
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Property
‘We all seem to be happier’: Where you can be a sea-changer for under $750,000 in Victoria
The finest homes of Torquay and Portsea might be out of reach, but Melburnians are ditching the commute for more affordable and less hectic options.
Eight of our favourite luxury homes for sale right now
From a palatial penthouse to an elegant Italianate villa and a hinterland showstopper with infinity-edge pool, here’s our pick of the bunch.
Good Food
Lifestyle
Opinion
Parenting
I regularly travel for work. Why do people keep asking who’s looking after my child?
These questions are no doubt benign in their intention. But my husband also travels for work, and I’m willing to bet no one asks him who has our daughter.
Melissa Singer
National fashion editor
Culture
Why being an Archibald finalist can mean a lot more than fame
On Thursday, 57 artists will be announced as Archibald finalists, and the winner of the Packing Room prize will be revealed.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
Opinion
AFL 2024
Forget the contract, Max King must leave the Saints
The St Kilda forward is at a crucial moment in his career and needs to start asking the hard questions about his future.
Kane Cornes
AFL columnist
Updated
Super Rugby
Collapse of Rebels sparks legal battle, puts MCG World Cup final in doubt
Rugby Australia has shut down the Melbourne Rebels after 14 seasons, sparking a court battle with the consortium that planned to save the club and casting extreme doubt on the Victorian government’s commitment to hosting the 2027 World Cup final.
Clarkson’s language revealed as AFL probes whether swearing was directed at officials
The outcome of the investigation will be shaped by whether Clarkson was expressing frustration or directing the language at officials.
AFL Briefing
AFL 2024
Lyon calls for transparency on umpire comms; Bombers avoid virus catastrophe
Ross Lyon and Sam Mitchell have very different views on umpire coaches speaking with umpires during breaks in play, while St Kilda’s newest player had a life-changing night on Wednesday.
Craig Hutchison’s sports empire offered $40m to sell Perth Wildcats
Sports Entertainment Group is considering an offer for its NBL club Perth Wildcats, as an August deadline looms for the group’s multimillion-dollar debt repayment.
‘This is women’s surfing’: A perfect 10 as history made at Teahupo’o
Women were banished from Teahupo’o for 15 years because it was deemed too dangerous. In heaving, two-metre waves on Thursday, the women dominated like never before.
‘It’s been a stressful week’: Crunch time arrives for Matildas’ Olympic hopefuls
Tony Gustavsson will unveil his 18-player Olympic squad next week, and said there are likely only three spots left up for grabs ahead of Friday night’s friendly with China.
Have Your Say
Watch how the AFL tightened holding-the-ball calls; Wounded Pies lose Pendles
The AFL has ordered umpires to reduce the “reasonable time” they give tackled players to dispose of the ball; a throwback to how holding-the-ball decisions were made in 2006, one senior umpire says.