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Exclusive
Sex, sleaze and hospitality
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
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.
Exclusive
Sydney councils
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
It wasn’t that long ago that a million-dollar house was special. Now, sellers in sought-after suburbs are making seven-figure gains.
Opinion
Sydney Metro
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
State Political Editor
Exclusive
Trade
‘Don’t target Australia’: Fears of trade sanctions from Biden administration
Australia is braced for the prospect of a protectionist Donald Trump presidency, but a more immediate threat has emerged in the US.
Opinion
Political leadership
What Dutton shares with our most famous fly spray
Dutton and Albanese are as unpopular as each other. For a first-term opposition leader, that is a good result.
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 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
We should never see a repeat of the fiasco at the end of the Sharks versus Knights game.
Andrew Johns
League columnist
Opinion
US Votes 2024
‘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
Columnist and author
Bodies retrieved from sunken super yacht in Sicily
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
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?
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
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
Columnist and author
NRL 2024
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.
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
‘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
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
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
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
Detectives are appealing for help from the community to solve the death of the student who will be remembered at a vigil next week.
SYDNEY METRO
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.
‘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.
Politics
Target domestic violence offenders like terrorists: commissioner
Molly Ticehurst’s alleged killer demonstrated serious red flags. If he had been monitored with the same resources as terror suspects, “she might still be alive”, says Micaela Cronin.
Business
Watchdog sets sights on insurers as premiums, complaints soar
Amid a surge in insurance premiums, the corporate regulator says acting against insurance misconduct will be a key focus.
World
Exclusive
US Votes 2024
The rising Democrat star who thinks Joe Biden deserves better
Even after Joe Biden got a rapturous reception on the floor of the Democratic National Convention, Gavin Newsom thinks he is worth more.
Opinion
Many fear Trump will take power with guns. But his real weapon is the gavel
Maher Mughrabi
Editor and senior writer
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Property
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 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
Feeling used: how do I deal with being ghosted after interview?
I’m always taken aback that something as basic as a recruitment process can be so royally botched, writes Kirstin Ferguson.
Culture
‘People are entitled to think what they like’: Reforming The Saints without Chris Bailey
The partnership behind one of our most iconic bands ended badly but what happened next is less straightforward.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
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.
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
League columnist
Opinion
US Votes 2024
‘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
Columnist and author
Rebuilding Waratahs sign another Wallaby – and Rebel – for 2025
Former Rebels prop Isaac Kailea is the latest Wallaby to join the Waratahs.
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.
Opinion
Drugs in sport
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
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.
Have Your Say
What the Wallabies must learn from their Boks bashing
After a pair of heavy defeats to the Springboks on home soil, the Wallabies travel to Argentina for the next stage of their Rugby Championship campaign.