September 2024
‘Beautiful chaos’: Iconic Melbourne power diner owner calls time
Simon Hartley has hosted every prime minister since Gough Whitlam at his CBD restaurant Becco. But on Friday, he held the last supper.
July 2023
Robo-debt report cold comfort for victim wrongly charged $65k
Rosemary Gay’s life was turned upside down when she received a letter in late 2016 that said she owed $65,000 to be paid within 28 days.
What the robo-debt report said about key players
Scott Morrison and a series of former Coalition government ministers came in for strong criticism in the royal commission’s final report. Here’s what the commissioner said, and her key recommendations.
Former ministers and officials brace for robo-debt judgment day
Ex-ministers and senior officials involved with the failed robo-debt scheme face a raft of possible adverse findings when the royal commission reports on Friday.
May 2023
Vested interests thwart school reform
The Albanese government has correctly identified the things that need to change in our classrooms. The test will be facing down unions, academics and state bureaucrats.
March 2023
Trump faces fingerprints, mug shots after historic indictment
Donald Trump has become the first former US president to be charged with a crime, the culmination of a political rise defined by unprecedented scandal. How the announcement of Trump’s indictment unfolded.
This Aston voter likes Albo but will vote Liberal anyway
Melbourne barrister and councillor Roshena Campbell is widely expected to win Saturday’s by-election, retaining the seat vacated by Alan Tudge for the Liberals.
‘Three would be cataclysmic’: Why Aston is about more than one seat
Already on the backfoot with Melbourne voters, the Coalition could be forced to ask itself some hard questions about relevance and leadership if Aston comes a cropper.
Lose Aston, and road back is even longer for the Libs
The stakes are not as high as they might have been in 2001, but for the purposes of lifting morale and seeding hope in the Liberal Party, a win is critical.
No great expectations in Aston byelection, party leaders insist
Albanese says anything less than a solid swing towards the Coalition will be a failure for Dutton, who, in turn, is playing down prospects, citing the Moira Deeming issue.
Warning sign for Aston after Chinese voters spurn Liberals in NSW
The top 10 electorates in NSW by Chinese ancestry all swung away from the Liberals at the state election on Saturday, mirroring a trend at last year’s federal election.
Who is winning the war of words on WeChat in the NSW election?
NSW Labor leader Chris Minns has paid up for advertising on Chinese social media app WeChat as he looks to attract voters in key battleground seats.
‘I feel like a failure’: Assistant ombudsman testifies on robo-debt
An assistant ombudsman said she felt like a failure after being unable to convince her boss to raise questions about the lawfulness and accuracy of the robo-debt scheme in 2017.
PwC robo-debt report marked for cabinet to keep it from public
An adverse PwC robo-debt report was to be marked for cabinet, to stop it be published, amid fears it would fuel more bad news, the robo-debt commission heard.
February 2023
Cost of living, interest rates set to dominate Aston fight
Liberal candidate for Aston Roshena Campbell says renters locked out of the property market and families rolling off fixed mortgages need more help from the federal government.
Super tax changes won’t impact punters with $150k: PM
Anthony Albanese insists major super changes won’t be made; major employers, including BHP and Wesfarmers, are saying labour turnover has dipped. Recap how the Financial Review Workforce Summit unfolded.
Son ‘let down by system’, says mother of robo-debt victim
The robo-debt royal commission heard how a victim took his life after being told he owed $17,000 in welfare debts.
Robo-debt disgrace shows why AI cannot replace important jobs
New AI systems such as ChatGPT are untrustworthy, and the robo-debt scandal has shown the peril of abdicating responsibility to unfeeling bots.
Albanese says 100 years of history shows Labor won’t win Aston
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has dampened any expectations of Labor winning Aston byelection forced by the resignation of Liberal MP Alan Tudge.
Former state MP seeks preselection in ‘new Liberal heartland’
Former Victorian MP Cathrine Burnett-Wake has thrown her hat in the ring to replace ex-cabinet minister Alan Tudge at a byelection in Aston.