Mining’s multi-billion-dollar black hole
As the boom ends, poor oversight and lax bonds leave governments stuck with an enormous bill for mining’s clean-up.
News
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On the ethical fringe of euthanasia
“Here is a man who can clearly tell you how he’s arrived at his decision ... He’s had a great life, his family has died, he’s now 87 and decided to up stumps.”
The consequences for the elderly when even doctors insist euthanasia is an irrational act.
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The tale of the stolen Rupert Bunny painting
Neighbouring families worth millions, a colourful character’s deceased estate, and at the centre, a stolen painting – a scurrilous tale that would do Dickens proud.
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ASX has had its biggest week for floats in five months; Iron ore dives; real wages have fallen.
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Is this budget proposal for the good of our health?
Amid the rancour over last week’s federal budget, the government’s proposed medical research fund has drawn one unlikely high-profile supporter.
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DLP senator John Madigan happy to be the family guy
As one of eight crossbench senators set to wield enormous power come July, Ballarat’s John Madigan is ready to stand and be counted.
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India looks to Modi to restore the economy
Two-horse race for president. King’s longevity holds the answer. Watching Korea. Transmission cut.
Opinion
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Julian Meyrick
A call for a National Theatre of Australia
“We don’t revive Australian classic drama very much and we are not regularly promoting younger Australian playwrights into the mainstream repertoire.”
Letters & Editorial
Culture
Time piece: Tehching Hsieh exhibition
Tehching Hsieh once locked himself in a cage for a year. Later, he tied himself to a woman for the same period. He talks about the rigours of making art where time is of the essence.
Brisbane’s double-barrelled DZ Deathrays
In the tradition of the Buzzcocks and Suicide, Brisbane duo DZ Deathrays let loose some feel-good nihilism.
Food
Life
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As we build new worlds to inhabit online, such as Minecraft and Second Life, can we avoid re-creating the problems of our real lives?
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George Calombaris and March Studio reincarnate The Press Club
With George Calombaris’s favourite painting as its starting point, March Studio has created a stately golden space for the new Press Club.
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Front and centre: Tameka Butt, 22, soccer player
As the Australian women's soccer team gets set to face Japan in the 2014 Asian Cup decider, we talk to Matildas midfielder Tameka Butt.
Books
The Quiz
1. The acronym ASADA stands for…?
2. Kronenbourg beer comes from which country? (Bonus points for naming which countries Asahi, Steinlager, Stella Artois and Corona are brewed in.)
3. Who was made Empress of India in 1877?
4. From which Australian town did Japanese prisoners of war stage a breakout in August 1944?
5. Which artist, born in 1887 in present-day Belarus, painted works featuring a violin-playing goat and a cow holding an umbrella?
6. Who is the Roman goddess of peace?
7. Who is credited with having written Profiles in Courage, a 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning volume of short biographies?
8. Who stars in the title role of Maleficent, in Disney’s new take on the Sleeping Beauty fairytale?
9. Which rank, along with bishops and archbishops, is in the upper echelon of the Roman Catholic Church, directly below the Pope?
10. Which herb starting with ‘t’ acts as the main flavouring component of a traditional Béarnaise sauce?
Quotes
POLITICS
“The point of the story is that sometimes you’ve got to throw a punch to be the best and fairest.”
The prime minister, who definitely did not punch a wall either side of a young woman’s head at university, explains how he was once rewarded on the rugby field for biffing an opponent.
EDUCATION
“The concept of aspiration … ends in 2017.”
The architect of Labor’s education funding reforms explains why more than just the walls of universities should be fearful of this prime minister.
PROMISES
“I will do my best, having made a mistake yesterday, to make none today.”
The same prime minister confesses he regrets winking during a radio phone call from a 67-year-old pensioner who had resorted through hardship to working as a phone sex line operator. He won’t do it again.
LOVE
“We have different coloured eyes, different figures, I have a totally different style than she does.”
Geoffrey Edelsten’s new girlfriend, only 47 years his junior, expresses surprise she has been likened to former wife Brynne Edelsten. They are completely different women, although they both have an affection for glittery cadavers.
WORLD
“A tragic assault on human freedom.”
The Nigerian president condemns terrorist bombings linked to Boko Haram, the extremist group responsible for the kidnapping of 300 girls last month.
FUNDING
“I’ve always said families should be kept out of the front line.”
The prime minister explains why his daughter’s $60,000 design school scholarship, absent from his register of pecuniary interests, should not be scrutinised. It’s only fair, given the protection afforded to families on the front line of the budget.
