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The Morning Edition podcast

Get behind the headlines of the most important stories, with Peter Hartcher every Thursday.


The old bank vault door at Swillhouse’s the Baxter Inn.

The sordid bet that unfolded behind this bank vault door

Graphic content: When Swillhouse opened a new whisky bar, the all-male team was issued a challenge: a special prize for being the first one to have sex with a customer.

Exclusive
Investigation

Swillhouse CEO Anton Forte stands down from restaurant association board

Swillhouse CEO Anton Forte stands down from restaurant association board

Revelations in a Herald and Good Food investigation triggered immediate industry blowback as sponsors, artists and partners pulled out of an upcoming festival.

‘It’s a toxic culture’: The sexual assault reckoning in the hospitality industry

Bars are common sites of abuse but fine-dining restaurants are not immune, and cultural change is urgently needed.

City of Parramatta chief executive Gail Connolly and then-City of Parramatta lord mayor Donna Davis.

Former lord mayor ‘broke protocol’ in CEO negotiations, report alleges

Councillor and now MP Donna Davis led the City of Parramatta’s search for a new chief executive, but a key person was missing from the recruitment panel.

The new millionaires’ row: Where home sellers make million-dollar profits

Home sellers are making million-dollar profits in some suburbs.

It wasn’t that long ago that a million-dollar house was special. Now, sellers in sought-after suburbs are making seven-figure gains.

How ‘metro mania’ could derail the housing crisis

Chris Minns and his government cannot claim credit for building the metro, but he should capitalise on it.

Alexandra Smith
Alexandra Smith

State Political Editor

Exclusive
Trade

‘Don’t target Australia’: Fears of trade sanctions from Biden administration

Trade Minister Don Farrell is meeting his US counterparts in an effort to head off trade actions against Australia’s beef and sheep exports in the remaining five months of the Biden presidency.

Australia is braced for the prospect of a protectionist Donald Trump presidency, but a more immediate threat has emerged in the US.

What Dutton shares with our most famous fly spray

Illustration: Dionne Gain

Dutton and Albanese are as unpopular as each other. For a first-term opposition leader, that is a good result.

Shaun Carney
Shaun Carney

Columnist

Teals want MPs punished for poor behaviour, Speaker agrees

Kylea Tink said she will explore the possibility of making a complaint about Coalition MPs sending out electronic direct mail that she said is “inflammatory”.

Ron Coote after being named Australian rugby league’s 14th Immortal.

Ron Coote inducted as 14th Immortal in NRL Hall of Fame ceremony

The South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs legend played 15 times for NSW and captained Australia to a World Cup triumph in 1970.

Opinion
Opinion

Sorry, Graham, but it was my job to kick field goals. This is why blockers are unavoidable

Knights players during their golden point loss to the Sharks.

We should never see a repeat of the fiasco at the end of the Sharks versus Knights game.

Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns

League columnist

‘Coach’ Walz has the runs – and lessons – on the board to stare down Trump and co

It’s a long way from Mankato West High School to maybe holding the second-highest office in the US.

Peter FitzSimons
Peter FitzSimons

Columnist and author

Bodies retrieved from sunken super yacht in Sicily

Italian Firefighters scuba divers bring ashore in a blue bag the body of one of the victims of the UK flag vessel Bayesian.

The British-flagged Bayesian, a 56-metre-long superyacht owned by British tech magnate Mike Lynch, was hit by a fierce, pre-dawn storm.

Analysis
Cash

Savers told to act fast as term deposit rates tumble

Term deposit interest rates are falling fast, leaving savers will not much time to act

There is still a window of opportunity to lock in a good term deposit interest rate, but only if you act fast.

What to know before you buy your tween viral skincare

Thanks to social media, adolescents have greater access to beauty advice than ever. But which products do they really need?

Icebreaker was acquired by Simon and Schuster for publication in Australia. A school in Wandong issued a warning to parents about the cover. 

Don’t judge book by its cover: Warning over sexually graphic novel

When Alyshia bought Icebreaker for her 10-year-old based on its cover, she had no idea it contained dozens of explicit sex scenes.

The ‘golden age of travel’? Twelve reasons it was actually terrible

Qantas economy class on board a Boeing 747 jumbo jet, circa 1970.

In the age of crowded destinations and flight delays, it’s tempting to think things were much better years ago. Let’s look at the facts.

Opinion
Divorce

If only Ben and Jennifer had followed my divorcee’s guide to marriage

Divorce is always monumentally unpleasant. I’ve tried it, and I rate it zero stars. But there is an excellent way to avoid it.

Kerri Sackville
Kerri Sackville

Columnist and author

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NRL 2024

Secret settlement sets up Volkman’s NRL comeback after Dragons dispute

Secret settlement sets up Volkman’s NRL comeback after Dragons dispute

Ronald Volkman was at the centre of one of the most bizarre contract squabbles in NRL history. After nine months in limbo, the matter is settled.

Adam O’Brien watching over training.
Exclusive

The clause in the coach’s contract that could shake up the Newcastle Knights

Adam O’Brien needs his team to finish 12th or higher this season to activate the last two years of his new contract extension.

Sydney

Anthony Roberts (left), Alister Henskens and Mark Speakman.

‘Stop sending me text messages. Cowardly’: Senior Libs deny leaking to Hadley

2GB shock jock outs two “cowardly” conservative Liberal MPs, Alister Henskens and Anthony Roberts, claiming the pair have been privately texting him to undermine Mark Speakman.

Newington College student pleads guilty over child pornography

Newington College has planned to increase means-tested bursaries to 100.

The prestigious private school is embroiled in a scandal after an 18-year-old filmed a fellow student and shared it with his peers.

Married father-of-three accused of raping boy, 13, in Mount Druitt park

A child was allegedly raped at knifepoint.

The man was arrested after a 13-year-old boy was allegedly lured from a suburban train station and attacked at knife point.

‘Enraged’ husband shoots at family, stranger, before turning gun on himself

‘Enraged’ husband shoots at family, stranger, before turning gun on himself

A man pulled a gun on his family and shot a passerby in a violent spree, ending in the discovery of his body in a creek.

Sydney University student found dead in Burwood unit identified

Xiaoting Wang was found dead in her Burwood unit.

Detectives are appealing for help from the community to solve the death of the student who will be remembered at a vigil next week.

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SYDNEY METRO

Commuters on the metro on Monday.
Analysis

‘We can re-humanise the city’: The metro’s unrealised promise for Sydney

For once, the rhetoric is justified – but planning and policy choices will be required to make the most out of Sydney’s expensive and impressive new toy.

Commuters at Central Station on the first day of the new metro line.

‘Isn’t it beautiful?’ How Sydneysiders greeted the gleaming new metro

Tens of thousands of Sydney commuters tapped their Opal cards onto the seven new glistening stations running through the CBD. Here is the people’s verdict.

Opinion

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Property

The penthouse atop Sydney’s tallest residential tower has sold.

It just sold for $30 million, but is it Sydney’s best penthouse?

Over two floors, there’s a party-ready balcony, 300-bottle wine cellar, spa, butler’s pantry, dressing room and luxe finishes for the new owner to enjoy.

The cost of building materials was coming under control. 

The type of property where prices are getting cheaper - or barely rising

Some builders are offering discounts to secure contracts, as the key costs of construction come off the boil.

Good Food

Lifestyle

Culture

Traveller

Sport

Ron Coote after being named Australian rugby league’s 14th Immortal.

Ron Coote inducted as 14th Immortal on NRL Hall of Fame night

Coote, a South Sydney and Eastern Suburbs legend, played 15 times for NSW and in 1970 captained Australia to a World Cup triumph in England.

Knights players during their golden point loss to the Sharks.
Opinion
NRL 2024

Sorry, Graham, but it was my job to kick field goals. This is why blockers are unavoidable

The NRL’s argument is good in theory, but it’s just not practical. We should never see a repeat of the fiasco at the end of the Sharks v Knights game.

Andrew Johns
Andrew Johns

League columnist

 Tim Walz

‘Coach’ Walz has the runs – and lessons – on the board to stare down Trump and Co.

It’s a long way from Mankato West High School to maybe holding the second-highest office in the United States.

Peter FitzSimons
Peter FitzSimons

Columnist and author

Isaac Kailea of the Wallabies is tackled

Rebuilding Waratahs sign another Wallaby – and Rebel – for 2025

Former Rebels prop Isaac Kailea is the latest Wallaby to join the Waratahs.

Sierra Kerr.

She can surf and skate for Australia and had a golf handicap of six. Meet Sierra Kerr

The first day of her final year of high school will have to wait as the daughter of a former pro surfer debuts alongside Kelly Slater in Fiji.

Nick Kyrgios and Jannik Sinner

Tennis drug testers have lost all credibility over Sinner silence

Professional tennis players are furious Jannik Sinner has not been suspended after returning two positive drugs tests - regardless of how small the amount was.

Oliver Brown
Ronald Volkman wants a fresh start in the NRL.

Secret settlement sets up Volkman’s NRL comeback after Dragons dispute

Ronald Volkman was at the centre of one of the most bizarre contract squabbles in NRL history. After nine months in limbo, the matter is settled.

Racing

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