“‘I’d rather have this senate than the previous one,’ a Liberal senator said. ‘I actually think this is a more conservative senate.’”
While the Turnbull campaign had various flaws, its troubles began in March when he picked a fight with the minor parties.
News
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How GetUp! boosted Labor in Election 2016
“We targeted members of the right wing of the Coalition. We went back over voting records on various issues, and looked at those who voted for Tony Abbott versus Malcolm Turnbull.”
Activist group GetUp! made 40,000 phone calls in seats selected to target Abbott-aligned parliamentarians, helping Labor win its key gains.
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The return of Pauline Hanson and One Nation
“Race policies are not the only reason people voted for her. It was an ‘up yours’ [to regular politics]. And I don’t want to relive the nightmare of the ’90s.”
Pauline Hanson’s return to parliament is a sign of the increasing disconnect between the major parties and voters.
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Baby boomers, inheritance and contested wills
“Guardianship Tribunals emerged as the new fight club for siblings arguing about control of their inheritance.”
With the legal system being manipulated by greedy baby boomers trying to prematurely cash in on their inheritance, disputes involving wills have been growing at an astonishing rate.
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Cycling laws in NSW at the crossroads
“The government have said to motorists, ‘Listen, guys, the cyclists have been treated favourably up until now compared to you but we’re going to put that right.’ That’s ignited even more this feeling of us versus them.”
NSW Police is cracking down on cyclists in a bid to ‘educate and promote awareness’. Some riders, however, claim the aim is to drive them off the streets.
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Chilcot Report drops bomb on Tony Blair and British Labour
Ruling on China’s maritime claims; Ramadan ends with suicide attacks; Hillary Clinton questioned by FBI; two women vying for Tory leadership.
Opinion
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Guy Rundle
The new political reality
“People have had enough of being courtiers for Liberal whims or a distant and self-satisfied Labor elite. Any seat where NXT and the Greens can share 30-40 per cent of the vote between them will be in play.”
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Paul Bongiorno
Mediscare testing
“Turnbull’s ‘I have a scream’ speech on election night betrayed his anger and hurt. 'The boss is in a bad place,’ was the way it was put to me.”
Letters, Poem & Editorial
Culture
Legendary Hard-Ons guitarist Blackie is halfway through an epic project – he’s releasing a new song every day of 2016.
Malthouse Theatre’s ‘The Events’
A masterful portrayal of the survivor of a mass shooting bears witness to the challenges of faith, healing and compassion.
Food
Life
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Darbys Falls Observatory, Cowra
Peering up at the universe to connect with people, at the Darbys Falls Observatory in Cowra, NSW.
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Hawaiian style with Double Rainbouu
Double Rainbouu’s rapid success has come from collections built around their foundation garment – a contemporary Hawaiian shirt.
Read
Blades of glory: Alyce Burnett, 23, kayaker
Olympic kayaker Alyce Burnett on being the nerdy underdog.
Books
The Quiz
1. The 1940 film Rebecca was produced by David O. Selznick. Who directed it?
2. The ruins of the ancient city of Babylon are in which modern-day country?
3. What is the name for the process of splitting an atom?
4. What is a baby wombat called?
5. What is the imperial measure of one foot to the nearest centimetre?
6. Which is further north: Townsville or Broome?
7. What is the national flower of India?
8. On the shores of which island did the worst civilian maritime disaster in Australian coastal waters occur?
9. A courgette is known as what in Australia?
10. Who defeated David Nalbandian to win the men’s singles Wimbledon title in 2002? (Bonus point for naming which country Nalbandian is from.)
Quotes
WAR
“I don’t retreat from it. I don’t believe, based on the information available to me, that it was the wrong decision. I really don’t.”
The former prime minister responds to the 2.5 million-word Chilcot Report which, based on the information available, found invading Iraq was the wrong decision. It really did.
POLITICS
“Our democracy at the moment is not working. The only cure we’ve got is to have a dictator like in China or something like that.”
The white goods salesman longs for a more stable system of government. GST on online shopping is the price you pay for totalitarianism.
SPORT
“I don’t love this sport. But I don’t know what else to do without it.”
The tennis player on losing to Andy Murray in the fourth round of Wimbledon. The sport, to be fair, doesn’t much love him either.
ANIMALS
“The industry is not capable, in the short or medium term, of reforming.”
The NSW premier announces plans to ban greyhound racing in the state from July 2017. If you still want to watch a hapless creature chasing an illusory treat, however, there are always his government’s casino approvals.
IMMIGRATION
“In part I think we’re victim of our own success.”
The minister for immigration argues that the success of Coalition detention policies meant demonised boat people were not a big enough issue in the election. Dutton, likewise, is a prisoner of his own humanity.
ADVERTISING
“It’s the most stupid thing I think I’ve seen in my whole life.”
The president of the jury at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity castigates a Nivea campaign featuring a robotic seagull that defecates sunscreen onto children.
