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Lobbyland

Labor mates in lobbyland: ‘I just get paid more’

With billions of dollars up for grabs, former politicians and advisers know they can charge handsomely to help big companies gain access to mammoth federal deals.

  • by David Crowe
A series of stable measures of the job market are all pointing in the same direction.

The crude piece of career advice I think about all the time

Next time you find yourself in a difficult situation at work, this admittedly crude advice might just help.

  • by Tim Duggan
The father and alleged murderer from Lalor Park with one of the children.
Updated
Crime

Father charged with murder of three children in Lalor Park house fire

A father who allegedly set fire to his home, trapping three children inside, has been charged with their murder.

  • by Jessica McSweeney and Clare Sibthorpe
Johnny Carr and Bokana Novakovic in a scene from Macbeth (An Undoing)

Lady Macbeth deserves a better fate than Shakespeare dealt her. This play offers that chance

Horrors both supernatural and human abound in this creative and provocative re-working of The Scottish Play.

  • by Cameron Woodhead, Andrew Fuhrmann, Vyshnavee Wijekumar, Michael Dwyer, Jessica Nicholas and Tony Way
Black swans are highly susceptible to bird flu.

Black swans in ‘significant peril’ from bird flu

Australia’s poultry industry is grappling with an outbreak of H7 bird flu, but the H5N1 strain, which has spread to every other continent, could wipe out native species.

  • by Mike Foley
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Club Origami

An imaginary world that is a delight for fans of Japanese playfulness

Our critics deliver their verdict on the latest shows around town.

  • by Chantal Nguyen and Harriet Cunningham
President Joe Biden with NATO leaders at the summit in Washington.

Australia news LIVE: Record drug use revealed by wastewater testing; Support for Biden slips further

Follow today’s national news headlines with our live blog.

  • by Josefine Ganko
Photograph shows the sun setting over Katoomba this evening. NSW will turn it’s clocks forward one hour as daylight saving starts tomorrow night. October 6 2018. Photograph by Dean Sewell.

‘There’s no benefit’: Call to cut back daylight saving in NSW

NSW should knock two months off daylight saving and let it run from November to March because post-pandemic work habits have largely made it redundant, critics say.

  • by Catherine Naylor
Charlie Cale
Breaking
Wallabies

Rookie replaces injured Wallabies skipper as Wales call in cricket legend’s grandson

Wallabies captain Liam Wright will miss the second Test due to injury, while Warren Gatland and Wales have called up a breakaway with a famous surname.

  • by Iain Payten
annie the clumsy and Rashida Jones in Sunny.

Rashida Jones’ new series packs a lot in but still never feels rushed

A black comedy about grieving, a buddy comedy with a robot, a conspiracy thriller about Big Tech – there’s a lot to absorb in Sunny.

  • by Craig Mathieson
The list of challenges facing Xi Jinping and China is growing.

The US warns China as frustration builds

A senior US official has taken aim at China, saying “more creative approaches may be necessary” to protect the global economy.

  • by Stephen Bartholomeusz
Barty loved being back on court but has no intention of returning professionally.

Barty rapt to be on centre court, but please don’t ask again about a comeback

Ash Barty was feeding her toddler when she learned she’d be playing on Wimbledon’s centre stage. Although thrilled with the upgrade, she was emphatic when asked if it whetted her appetite for a return to the pro tour.

  • by Marc McGowan
AFP arrested American national Guang Shi at URBNSURF wave pool at Sydney Olympic Park on Monday.

Dramatic sting at Sydney’s new urban surf pool catches alleged drug importer

The Californian man allegedly thought he was importing millions of dollars worth of drugs into Sydney, before police pounced in front of afternoon wave riders.

  • by Sally Rawsthorne
For former Socceroo Warren Spink, life hasn’t been the same since his injury against Japan in 1996.

‘My brain was smashed’: Knocked unconscious for nine minutes, this ex-Socceroo is living a nightmare

Almost 30 years later, Warren Spink has still not recovered from the traumatic head injury he suffered playing for Australia against Japan in 1996.

  • by Vince Rugari
Humpback whale off the coast of Cronulla and Bundeena this winter.

‘Absolutely incorrect’: The evidence is in on whales and offshore wind farms

Those who hold doubts about offshore wind farms may not be aware that their misgivings have been deliberately planted.

  • by Caitlin Fitzsimmons
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Emmanuel Macron’s standing among the French public is at a new low.

Respect for Macron falls to new low among French public

Emmanuel Macron was once France’s young and charismatic president who embodied hope. He is now widely despised, considered narcissistic and disconnected.

  • by Rob Harris
Joe Biden, George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Barack Obama at the June fundraiser.

I love Joe Biden. But we need a new nominee

I saw Biden three weeks ago at my fundraiser for him. It’s devastating to say it, but he’s not the same man he was and he won’t win the election.

  • by George Clooney
Wall Street is set for its 37th time this year

Tech stocks boost ASX as Wall Street notches up another win

Tech stocks, miners and real estate investment trusts lifted the ASX on Thursday after US stocks moved higher to send Wall Street toward more records.

  • by Millie Muroi
When Hutchison started his journalism cadetship at the Herald Sun in 1993, he was the odd man out among his peers, says one former colleague. “Look where he’s at now – a millionaire, and the most high-profile of us all.”

Craig Hutchison to sell NBL’s Perth Wildcats for $40m

Craig Hutchison’s embattled media and sports business has sold NBL franchise the Perth Wildcats for $40 million.

  • by Calum Jaspan
Rebel Wilson in the UK in April this year.

Rebel Wilson’s latest film withdrawn as actor lashes producers

Wilson has accused the producers of her directorial debut film of “viciousness”.

  • by Helen Pitt
Dwarfed by the Kazinga Channel in Uganda, two lions make a record-breaking 1.3 kilometre swim through crocodile-infested waters.

The world’s toughest lion broke an epic record. Australians were filming

Jacob the lion has survived being mauled, trapped and gored. Now his life – charted by an Australian biologist – has a dramatic new chapter.

  • by Angus Dalton
Junior Wallabies five-eighth Harry McLaughlin-Phillips during a previous under 20s championship game against Italy.

Junior Wallabies’ appeal dismissed after under 20s washout

Australia’s young stars were denied their shout at a place in the world championship finals when a game was cancelled due to a muddy pitch. Two games were later played on the same field.

  • by Iain Payten
Jimmy Anderson (right) congratulates Gus Atkinson.

Newcomer thrives as cricket’s circle of life closes in on Jimmy Anderson

Jimmy Anderson started his Test cricket career with a bag of wickets at Lord’s, just as Gus Atkinson did on debut in Anderson’s farewell Test 21 years later.

  • by Adam Collins
Ollie Watkins scores for England.

Watkins’ late goal fires England into Euro 2024 final

England are into their first major tournament final on foreign soil after an Ollie Watkins strike booked Gareth Southgate’s maligned side a date with Spain in Berlin.

  • by Mitch Phillips
Louise Hunt, Carole Hunt and Hannah Hunt were found dead in their home in Hertfordshire.
Updated
Crime

Suspected crossbow killer served in army and has brother who is a convicted murderer

A manhunt was sparked after Carol Hunt and her daughters Hannah, 28, and Louise, 25, were found fatally injured at the family home near London.

  • by Pan Pylas
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Bank of America’s Leo Lukenas died in May from a heart attack, a few days after completing a $3 billion transaction.

‘Selling your soul to the devil’: Tensions rising as Wall Street grapples with 100-hour work weeks

The death of Bank of America associate Leo Lukenas from a heart attack just days after completing a $3 billion deal has put an unwelcome spotlight on Wall Street.

  • by Katherine Doherty
Twisters.

There’s no flying cow, but this Twister sequel is still highly ridiculous

Forget the sexual tension, Twisters is at its best when Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones are dodging an inventive variety of heavy objects.

  • by Sandra Hall
Feeney Pyne

Lobbyland: Pyne, Feeney open doors in defence

A weapons supplier with more than $200 million in federal deals has emerged as one of the best-connected companies in federal politics.

  • by David Crowe
President Joe Biden shakes hands with George Clooney during the Kennedy Centre honourees reception at the White House in Washington, December 2022.

Pelosi refuses to endorse Biden as Clooney says president should not run

In yet another damaging blow to Joe Biden, Democrat party elder and ally of the president, Nancy Pelosi has refused to explicitly endorse him.

  • by Farrah Tomazin
Emma Stone in a scene from Kinds of Kindness
★★
Review

Emma Stone returns for another wacky film, but sadly this is no Poor Things

If the filmmaker’s much-praised, award-winning Poor Things was the main meal, Kinds of Kindness is the offcuts.

  • by Robert Moran
Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum have zero chemistry in Fly Me to the Moon.
★★
Review

Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum’s NASA comedy fails to take off

As a marketing whiz and an astronaut, the stars have zero chemistry in the wildly overextended and flat rom-com Fly Me to the Moon.

  • by Jake Wilson
Georges River is the slowest council in great Sydney when it comes to determining housing DAs.

Revealed: How fast each Sydney council approves new homes

According to a new league table, 21 Sydney councils are taking more than an average 115 days to approve development applications. See how yours ranks.

  • by Alexandra Smith
A greyhound called Self Sink has a horrific accident at Wentworth Park, Sydney in May. It was euthanised shortly afterwards.
Graphic content
Greyhound racing

New details of horrific cruelty emerge as premier backs greyhound racing

An explosive report by greyhound racing’s former chief vet alleges a litany of welfare issues ranging from appalling animal distress to the discovery of burned and frozen carcasses.

  • by Jordan Baker
Sam Walker and the Roosters celebrate a try.
Opinion
NRL 2024

Why Sam Walker is the new Alfie Langer, and the next Maroons No.7

His dad played with Alfie Langer and, until now, there hasn’t been a player so similar to the little genius.

  • by Andrew Johns
Detached house vendors made larger profits than unit vendors.

The type of home that’s more than twice as profitable as its neighbour

The gap highlights the “haves” and “have nots” even among those fortunate enough to be able to buy their own home.

  • by Elizabeth Redman
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Jessica Hull and Faith Kipyegon
Opinion
Paris 2024

‘She said I was marvellous’: Why world record breaker congratulated Aussie rival

Jessica Hull set an Australian record in the 1500m final of Sunday’s Diamond League meeting – but was still beaten by track legend Faith Kipyegon.

  • by Peter FitzSimons
The NSW government will push ahead with an overhaul of the city’s patchwork of toll roads, putting it on a collision course with motorway giant Transurban. Pictured is an aerial view of the M7.

Sydney’s toll road shake-up is coming. The scene is set for a showdown

The NSW government will push ahead with an overhaul of the city’s patchwork of toll roads, putting it on a collision course with motorway giant Transurban.

  • by Matt O'Sullivan
Illustration: Dionne Gain
Opinion
Energy

Energy policy is becoming Australia’s own Brexit, and proving just as intractable

If the Coalition isn’t making up the policy as it’s going along, then it’s doing a Vegas-level impression of a political outfit that is.

  • by Shaun Carney
Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer.

Why the next Baby Reindeer may be too afraid to step into the spotlight

Caught in the clash between documentary, embellishment and a $US170 million lawsuit, getting the facts straight on TV has never been more important.

  • by Michael Idato
Exclusive
Homelessness

The areas first in line for Victoria’s new homelessness scheme

People at risk of sleeping rough in Melbourne’s north and west and on the eastern fringes will be among the first to access an overhauled homelessness-to-housing program.

  • by Broede Carmody
Siblings  Jack 10, and Sophie 12, using lime bikes to explore Sydney, in Oxford st in Paddington,  Wednesday 10th of July 2024. Photo: Dion Georgopoulos / The Sydney Morning Herald

Geo-fence technology to be used in Sydney share bike crackdown

Riders are likely to be forced to park bikes in designated areas under a future regulatory regime being worked on by no less than 13 government agencies.

  • by Michael Koziol
Jimmy Barnes kicking of the book tour of his new memoir Working Class Boy in 2016.

The best celebrity memoirs have exactly what literature today lacks

As more and more crossed my desk, I found that the best of them were written with a robust, fearless honesty that I’ve almost given up looking for in current fiction.

  • by David Free
Online piracy seemed to be a thing of the past in Australia, but now it’s back with a vengeance.

Streaming was supposed to kill off online piracy. Instead, the problem is skyrocketing

Australians have been consistently consuming more online content unlawfully over the past three years after a period of significant decline. What’s driving the sudden turn?

  • by Nell Geraets

Eight new books to read this weekend

Our reviewers cast their eyes over recent fiction and non-fiction.

  • by Cameron Woodhead and Fiona Capp
Sha’Carri Richardson on the podium at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

Do we perform better when we look good? These athletes think so

Whether you’re preparing for the Olympics or a session at your local gym, experts agree that looking good can improve your performance.

  • by Gyan Yankovich
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At Austrian spas, there are very strict rules around clothing.

‘Get undressed, or get out’: Here, it’s normal to get naked with colleagues

I have nothing against getting my clothes off with a bunch of strangers, but when it comes to friends and colleagues, would I feel different?

  • by Keith Austin

I’m attending my 50-year school reunion. This is what I’m expecting it to teach me

Yes, we get fatter, thinner, greyer, wrinklier and either balder or hairier or both, but I bet my old classmates remain essentially the individuals I remember.

  • by Jane Caro
Essential workers index image for SMH

Triple 0: The Sydney suburbs with no police, firefighters or paramedics

The five Sydney suburbs that are home to the most police officers are, on average, 45 kilometres from the CBD. For solicitors, the average is less than four kilometres.

  • by Matt Wade and Craig Butt
Alex de Minaur’s reaction was muted after advancing to the quarter-finals because of a hip injury.
Analysis
Wimbledon

He’s no Lleyton-lite: Why a sore hip won’t halt the Demon’s rise

A hip injury robbed Alex de Minaur of his chance to play Novak Djokovic on Wimbledon’s centre court in the biggest match of his life, but his legitimacy as a player cannot be taken away.

  • by Marc McGowan
The Samsung Galaxy Ring will skip Australia when it launches on July 31.

Quirky wearables come full circle with Samsung’s ‘smart ring’

The Korean tech giant has unveiled a new line of folding phones, along with a ‘health ring’ designed to be worn at all times.

  • by Tim Biggs and David Swan
Most Australians are able to earn more than their parents did, a new report has found.

Gen X, Millennial Australians better off than their parents – but not all

Australians are largely growing up to be better off than their parents, but there are risks younger generations may not gain much ground.

  • by Rachel Clun
Alex de Minaur hurt himself late in his fourth round match and had to withdraw before the start of his quarter-final against Novak Djokovic.
Updated
Wimbledon

Injury forces de Minaur out of Wimbledon hours before his blockbuster match against Djokovic

The Australian star made the announcement at an impromptu media conference hours before he was due to take to the court to face the grand slam champion.

  • by Marc McGowan
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Opinion
Column 8

A high calibre town

Better than living in oblivion.

When things finally bubbled over in Origin III.

The last Origin decider in Brisbane featured a brawl. It’s why the Blues won’t back down again

Michael Maguire has preached to his team not to take a backwards step. So, if there’s a repeat of the last major State of Origin brawl, Blues players won’t be slow to react.

  • by Adam Pengilly
GP Jamal Rifi in front of his medical centre in Belmore, Sydney.

‘I’ll be fighting tooth and nail’: Muslim leader vows to back Labor

The government has run into trouble trying to find an envoy for Islamophobia, someone it hoped to unveil at the same time as the new antisemitism envoy.

  • by David Crowe and Paul Sakkal
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Joe Ingles, Lauren Jackson and Patty Mills pose after being selected for their fifth Olympics.

Three tonnes of tuna and 2400 pies: Australia’s Olympic team by the numbers

The Australian Olympic Committee has released a breakdown of quirky statistics about the team heading to France.

  • by Tom Decent
Greyhound trainer Luke Azzopardi with Ollie Impact at his Londonderry kennels.

‘It’s just another hit for us’: Veteran greyhound trainer bites back

Luke Azzopardi’s life has been built around greyhounds for five decades. He’s well aware of the latest controversies.

  • by Chris Roots
The two pub properties on Taylor Square were going to be amalgamated and developed into a hospitality mega-complex.

Collapse of $61m pub deal casts fresh gloom over Oxford Street

The two pubs were sold last year with grand plans to create an Ivy-style mega-complex on Taylor Square. Those prospects appear to be dashed.

  • by Michael Koziol, Carolyn Cummins and Ben Grubb
Dylan Pietsch made his Wallabies debut against Wales on Saturday.

Wallabies debutant says he was ‘ghosted’ after Eddie Jones selection snub

Dylan Pietsch finally made his Wallabies debut last Saturday, becoming the 15th Indigenous player in the side’s history after a false start in last year’s World Cup, when he says he was “ghosted” by then coach Eddie Jones’ camp.

  • by Marnie Vinall
Universities are increasingly moving away from ATAR admissions
Exclusive
University

Elite unis lower ATARs in favour of special entry schemes

Universities are increasingly moving to US-style portfolio-based entry schemes, leading to fears they could undermine the HSC.

  • by Daniella White
Family members in crisis, partners with sleep apnoea, noisy neighbours — all of these can cause sleep problems.

A restless partner or noisy neighbours? How to deal with sleep disruptions

A sleep disorder specialist shares tips to sleeping better, even when those around you are keeping you awake.

  • by Lisa Strauss
Emily Carey and Liam Woodrum in Geek Girl.

Chase away the winter chills with these cheerful, uplifting TV series

From Geek Girl to Graham Norton, these television favourites will warm the heart and lift the spirits.

  • by Debi Enker
Qin Haiyang celebrates his 2023 world championship win against Australia’s Zac Stubblety-Cook in the men’s 200m breaststroke.

WADA claims vindication, fails to restore trust

The Paris pool deck will be ground zero for athlete mistrust in anti-doping after WADA released its review of the Chinese swimming scandal.

  • by Chip Le Grand and Tom Decent
Greyhound

State-sanctioned cruelty to greyhounds needs to stop

The fate of dogs in the racing industry reminds us yet again that this routine cruelty is morally unsustainable.

Achey, fakey art: One of the so-called Picassos in the toilet cubicle at Mona.

Mona’s ‘priceless’ toilet cubicle Picassos? They’re forged

The controversy around the Ladies Lounge, a conceptual women-only space at Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art, has taken yet another turn.

  • by Karl Quinn
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Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, pictured last Friday in Sydney.

As it happened: Australian real wage growth among worst in OECD; Marles to pledge support for Ukraine at NATO summit

Read the national news headlines for Wednesday, July 10.

  • by Josefine Ganko and Lachlan Abbott
Wall Street is having another mixed session.

Miners, utilities drag ASX into the red

The ASX closed out a quiet session in negative territory on the back of a mixed lead from Wall Street, after Fed chair Jerome Powell did little to change the market’s expectations of when the US central bank will cut rates.

  • by Jessica Yun
Mike Baird in 2016.

Why NSW Labor will not take the same road on greyhounds as Baird

Former premier Mike Baird stunned the industry when he banned greyhound racing. Labor watched on and will not follow his lead despite more damning revelations.

  • by Alexandra Smith
Prince George, Prince William, Prince Louis, Princess Charlotte, Princess Catherine, King Charles and Queen Camilla wave from the Buckingham Palace balcony.

King allows public to see other side of famous palace balcony for first time

Inside the Centre Room at Buckingham Palace, a first group of visitors will be allowed to peer out at where crowds gather for jubilees, royal weddings and birthdays.

  • by Hannah Furness
Greyhounds
SMH editorial
Greyhound racing

The greyhound racing industry has run its course

The NSW greyhound industry was unable to reform itself when it was given a second chance eight years ago. It has now been exposed for further failing to meet community expectations of how to treat animals.

  • by The Herald's View
Anjali Sharma with Senator David Pocock.

In 2022, I left court in tears. Standing in parliament felt like deja vu

Protecting current and future young Australians from the impacts of climate change is all we ask from our politicians. But still, they refuse to safeguard us.

  • by Anjali Sharma
Jack Clark and Jim Weir on the set of Birdeater.

‘We had $0 in the bank account’: How a little Australian thriller went from zero to hero

It was a film festival hit, but for the writers and directors behind Birdeater, it was four years of rain, sweat and tears.

  • by Louise Rugendyke
News Corp is making 20 journalists redundant across its titles.

News Corp cuts 20 journalists, with The Australian and Herald Sun spared

Twenty more journalists will be made redundant at News Corp Australia as part of a wider effort to save as much as $65 million.

  • by Calum Jaspan
g

Sliding Doors moment: Will Demon limp out or step up against Djokovic?

Alex de Minaur has spoken about sliding being a key strategy for him on grass rather than something to avoid. But the rewards of such a tactic come with risks.

  • by Craig O'Shannessy
Paris 2024 Olympics Australian Chef de Mission Anna Meares, photographed at Allianz Stadium giving a press conference before heading to Paris for the Olympics.

River Seine is good to swim in, says Meares

Australian chef de mission Anna Meares says water quality in the River Seine is now at acceptable levels.

  • by Tom Decent
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US President Joe Biden’s poor showing during the debate created uncertainty.
Opinion
Investing

Why markets are fretting less about this US election

Elections make for nervous sharemarkets. But this time it’s different for one reason.

  • by Elizabeth Knight
Grain Producers Australia chief executive Colin Bettles was found with serious injuries in San Francisco.

Australian executive found unconscious in California street

Colin Bettles was found with severe injuries on a San Francisco street and was in the intensive care unit for days before his family tracked him down.

  • by Jessica McSweeney
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No more empty nests: Downsizing a major key to unlock WA housing

Here’s how many spare bedrooms there are in WA – and what’s stopping their owners from moving into something that fits their needs better.

  • by Peter Milne
Billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue hired private investigators to spy on ex-staff including following family members and their children.

Fortescue spies sifted through personal mail of ex-staff, followed family members to Kmart: court told

Billionaire Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue seeks to suppress a 600-page document detailing spying on ex-staff amid allegations of stolen intellectual property.

  • by Anne Hyland
The grasscourts at the All England Club have seemed particularly slippery this year.

It’s struck down a dozen stars so far. Now this slippery issue could decide de Minaur’s quarter-final

Alex de Minaur was just the latest of more than a dozen stars to slip or fall on Wimbledon’s grasscourts this year. But once you get past the “scare factor”, sliding can be a big advantage.

  • by Marc McGowan
Suspect Audrey Denise Miller is seen on CCTV footage with Fasil Teklemariam entering his apartment building on April 1.

Woman killed ‘sugar daddy’ and used severed thumb to steal from bank account, court told

The 22-year-old from Washington is accused of using the thumb of a 53-year-old man to steal money to pay for Uber rides, marijuana and alcohol.

  • by Jenny Gathright