Liberal slush funds expose Hartcher and bitter factional wars
“The Central Coast has operated like a law unto itself for a long time. Hartcher for years separated himself from the party. It was like an independent kingdom up there.”
Behind the ICAC revelations that have already toppled a premier, a factional feud threatens the entire party.
News
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Breaking the law to force euthanasia debate
Inside the conspiracy of silence holding back the euthanasia debate, and the doctor waiting for police to arrest him.
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PUP to fight Pyne’s uni funding cuts
“The co-author of Pyne’s review of higher education thinks it would be better to shift the cost to students, via higher fees, rather than cutting university funding.”
Student resistance to Christopher Pyne’s plan to allow universities to raise their fees will find an unlikely champion in Clive Palmer’s senate bloc.
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“I’m good thx, but i think dhs is lookin for me again.”
The child protection system struggles to balance the needs of children at risk with the desire to keep families together.
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Joe Skrzynski on how he leaves SBS
The former chairman of SBS, Joe Skrzynski, talks about the relevance of broadcasting for our migrant society.
Read
Rebel rancher Cliven Bundy no longer right’s hero
Slave rant prompts fall from grace; conservatives see red over inequality claims; superannuation funds cheer buried treasures.
Opinion
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John Hirst
How to reboot Labor’s program
“Why would anyone join the Labor Party when it has not got an inspiring program? The young idealists will remain with the Greens.”
An insider’s outside view
Returning for a second season
The Lucky Country is an insider’s outside view of Australia’s most important political and economic debates. Hosted by The Australia Institute’s Chief Economist Richard Denniss, The Lucky Country is a weekly podcast from Schwartz Media which applies common sense to complex issues.
Find The Lucky Country on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts.
Letters & Editorial
Culture
Art dealer Adrian Newstead’s remote control
He helped make Aboriginal art a boom industry. Meet Coo-ee gallery owner Adrian Newstead.
Food
Life
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Prince Alfred Park pool an urban oasis
The designers of the new Prince Alfred Park pool went to great lengths to deliver a distinguished building, with subtle nods to summers past.
Read
Seeking divine approval at Chilkur Balaji
At a temple in south India, devotees find that prayer is the most effective way to cut visa red tape.
Read
Fast on her feet: Miao Miao, 33, table tennis player
Australia’s most successful table tennis player, Miao Miao compares table tennis in China and Australia.
Books
The Quiz
1. Dutchman Jacco Verhaeren is head coach of which Australian sporting body?
2. How many strings on a mandolin? (Bonus points for naming how many strings on a cello, a standard acoustic guitar, a double bass.)
3. Where in the body is insulin produced?
4. George R. R. Martin wrote the international best-selling series of epic fantasy novels that became the television series…?
5. What is the English translation for the Spanish phrase “Tengo hambre”?
6. Which two colours make up the flag of Ukraine?
7. What are the three given names of the son of Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge?
8. Culinary duo Clarissa Dickson Wright and Jennifer Paterson were better known as…
9. What name has been given to the Scottish thistle mascot of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games?
10. Who is deputy premier of NSW?
Quotes
RETIREMENT
A quarter of a century is a long time, and my current term still has three years to run.
The reigning king of senate estimates shows what “no surprises” government really looks like, giving a three-year warning he will retire.
ELECTIONS
I do have concerns in the middle of an election about the timing.
The Sinn Féin leader acknowledges the awkwardness of being arrested for questioning over the murder of Jean McConville at the same time as his party campaigns for seats in the European elections. He denies his involvement.
FREEDOM
In Tecoma to see ppl exercising human rights. No protestors, only customers speaking thru spending & @McDonalds property rights.
The human rights commissioner backs the incontrovertible rights hidden in all Happy Meals, visiting the much-protested McDonald’s outlet in the Victorian town of Tecoma.
DEATH
He was one of the nicest and best actors I have ever worked with.
The actor mourns Bob Hoskins, whom he starred opposite in Mona Lisa. Hoskins died of pneumonia this week. He was 71.
PROMISES
If there was a permanent increase in taxation, that would certainly be inconsistent with the sort of things that were said before the election.
The prime minister muses over whether a “deficit reduction levy” might clash with the “sort of things” said before the election, like that there would be “no new tax collection” under a Coalition government.
DRUGS
I realise that this has caused some commotion and some people feel that they’ve been let down, and I deeply apologise for that.
The one-time champion swimmer responds to being arrested for alleged cocaine possession. At press time, a decent “black line-white line” joke was yet to be written.
