Clive Palmer’s bold bid to build his senate bloc
With the upper house balance of power soon in his grasp, the PUP leader has approached senators Xenophon and Madigan to join his bloc.
News
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Catching teenage baby murderer Harley Hicks
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Part two of The Saturday Paper’s report on the brutal killing of 11-month-old Zayden Veal-Whitting, and the court case that followed. (Part one.)
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Renovated truths and a royal commission into trade unions
Lack of evidence has done nothing to extinguish the fires of controversy over Julia Gillard’s former relationship with Bruce Wilson, and the media campaign that followed.
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Super funds benefit from corporate tax avoidance
“To what extent are union fund members, as investors, exploiting themselves as workers, consumers and citizens who use government services?”
While most are appalled by stories of corporate tax avoidance, we are also enjoying the benefits through investment in these companies by our super funds.
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Napthine government considers the economic impact of game-hunting
Changes to the control of game-hunting in Victoria may be giving shooters the upper hand.
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Obama not feeling the love of his usual allies
PNG's LNG debut; mines in spotlight; digging deep on Freeport deal.
Opinion
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Brigid Delaney
The blunting of the snark
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If it were reclassified as news, BuzzFeed would be the 10th most-read news website in Australia.
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Letters, Poem & Editorial
Culture
Pearce’s finest role as acting’s go-to guy
Once a painfully shy little boy, Guy Pearce has transformed himself into one of Australia’s finest – and most in-demand – character actors.
Scarlett Johansson’s loving the alien in Under the Skin
With Kubrick and Cocteau in its DNA, Under the Skin stars Scarlett Johansson as the man-eater who fell to Earth.
All the world’s a stage for Robyn Archer
Quiet please, there's a lady on stage. Lights go up on renowned artistic director Robyn Archer.
Food
Life
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Hidden history in Sydney’s Millers Point
The ingenuity of the historic Millers Point workers’ flats will be lost when the public housing’s harbour views are sold off.
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No time for cold feet in the Yukon
A bar in Dawson City, in Canada's Yukon, takes ‘dipping a toe in the water’ to a new and stomach-turning level.
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On the ball: Les Murray, 68, soccer presenter
As the World Cup kicks off, Les Murray shares his thoughts on the Socceroos and the suitability of future hosts Russia and Qatar.
Books
The Quiz
1. What is the atomic number of helium on the periodic table?
2. What is the title of the most recent Muppet movie?
3. Name the Roman goddess of wisdom, who is often depicted with an owl.
4. In which country was the singer Lorde born?
5. Thanksgiving celebrations in the US take place on what day of the week?
6. How do you write the number 99 in Roman numerals?
7. What was the name of Basil Fawlty’s wife in the series Fawlty Towers? (Bonus points for naming the chambermaid and the waiter.)
8. In the Jewish faith, the Day of Atonement is also known as ...?
9. What is the name of the ill-fated lover who dies at the conclusion of the opera La bohème?
10. Golfer Rory McIlroy recently called off his engagement to former world No. 1 tennis player ...?
Quotes
EMPLOYMENT
“All of our senators are not professional politicians. Ricky Muir works every day in a sawmill. He’s got five kids to support.”
The leader of the PUP pack defends Muir, who in an interview didn’t know what “balance of power” meant, among other things. Until now, he had been best known for throwing kangaroo poo at a friend.
LAW
“I’ll be remembered as the journalist called a dog-fucker who stood up for his rights.”
The conservative columnist celebrates a financial settlement with the ABC over depiction of him in furtive coitus with a labradoodle. Here we were thinking he’d be remembered for lines like this: “The government had no reason to believe other than that AWB Ltd was behaving properly.”
CRIME
“He was a sinister pervert who had a demon lurking beneath the charming character.”
The prosecutor in Rolf Harris’s trial for sexual assault on what the children’s entertainer will likely be remembered for.
POLITICS
“We should do what we reasonably can to limit emissions and avoid man-made climate change, but we shouldn’t clobber the economy.”
The Austrian prime minister, on tour in Canadia, works hard to make sure inaction on climate change is what he is remembered for.
SPORT
“I was surprised because I thought my comments were pretty innocent.”
The Australian tennis player expresses surprise that saying he did “not think that highly of the women’s game” might be frowned on. He will remember to do better.
WELFARE
“If you draw a diagram of the welfare system, it looks like a bird’s nest.”
The minister for social services on “simplifying” social security, which will be his legacy. The analogy does not quite hold: you can live in a bird’s nest.
