Though lit by an arsonist, the coalmine fire choking the town of Morwell is fanned by poor regulation and corporate cost-cutting.
News
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Hockey’s inner cabinet strives to rein in Abbott on economy
“At one point in time, we dries were in a niche and were trying to drag the party in that direction. We’re now mainstream and Tony Abbott is pushing us to the extreme.”
Read
The Hague rules on Timor-Leste material seized in ASIO raids
With vast oil and gas reserves at stake, did the federal government use its espionage agencies to foil Timor-Leste’s case against it in The Hague?
Read
Managing director Mark Scott knows his ABC
“The A is for Australian, and Australians understand that.”
Read
Shoppies boss Joe de Bruyn bows out
A union stalwart stands down but his conservative views continue to influence Australian social policy.
Read
Medibank Private could be first sale of many
As the Abbott government hunts for budget ballast in every nook and cranny, it is considering how best to sell Australia’s largest private health insurer.
Opinion
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Mike Seccombe
Big Tobacco’s plan to stub out plain packaging
“At least one claim made by Philip Morris is true: the company is bigger than Uruguay ... Australia, with an economy 15 times bigger, had the means to meet Big Tobacco’s challenge. ”
Read
Guy Rundle
A collision course in the culture wars
“Who will rise to the challenge of defending the public sector and a progressive system?”
Read
Clem Bastow
I tweet, therefore I am …
“In the world of social media, when a life is ‘lived’ online, how authentic can it really be?”
Letters, Poem & Editorial
Culture
Iconic New York composer John Zorn celebrates his 60th in Australia
Larry Blumenfeld traces the collaborative spirit that helped make John Zorn a singular force in contemporary music.
Life
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James and Imogen Tutton’s Mornington Peninsula home
A passion for Australian art melds with a love of wide open spaces.
Read
Freeing the business of science
Neither academics nor multinational corporations are generally given to sharing but with two Australian scientists championing ‘open science’, hopes are high for a research revolution.
Read
Fast company: Jessica Gallagher, 27, Paralympian
Paralympic bronze medallist Jessica Gallagher knows how to master her fears and the importance of trust.
Books
The Quiz
1. Which plant species was known only through fossil records and thought to be extinct, until it was discovered in 1994 in a NSW national park?
2. What is the term given to a positive number that can be divided evenly only by 1, or itself?
3. In Spanish, amarillo refers to which colour?
4. John and Maxwell are the first names of which Nobel prize-winning author?
5. Chevy Chase is a suburb of which US city?
6. A swimming naked baby featured on the cover of which seminal 1991 rock album?
7. For which film did Philip Seymour Hoffman win a best actor Oscar? (Bonus points for naming any of the three films for which he received a best supporting actor nomination.)
8. From which Balinese prison was Schapelle Corby released last month?
9. Which strait, formerly known as Hellespont, connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara?
10. Who was the only English cricketer to score a Test century during the latest Ashes series?
Quotes
TREES
“I don’t see people who are environmental bandits, I see people who are the ultimate conservationists.’’
The Prime Minister embraces the timber industry at a dinner on Tuesday, promising to overturn World Heritage listings on 74,000 hectares of Tasmanian forest.
WORLD
“In another world.”
The German Chancellor offers her opinion of Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama. The phone call, reported by The New York Times, followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
SPORT
“She screamed terribly and she yelled for help. It was something you can’t explain to someone else, how anxious those screams were.’’
The first witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial explains what she heard the night the Olympian’s girlfriend was killed.
BALANCE
“Business is good right now, but now my personal life is a disaster.”
The mogul muses over his new push into the Chinese film industry. Among other things, he tells Forbes magazine, “The last thing I think I am is perfect.”
CELEBRITY
“Don’t you fucking forget it.”
The thespian celebrates becoming the first Australian to win two Oscars for acting. Blanchett won best actress for her performance in the Woody Allen film Blue Jasmine.
HARMONY
‘‘I’m not sure that Kevin is putting himself in a position of trying to broker peace there. I think this is a visit where he’s trying to enlighten himself.”
The Labor frontbencher seeks to explain the surprise appearance in Russia of two-time former prime minister Kevin Rudd. The trip was apparently planned months ago, suggesting foresight as well as helpfulness.
