Category: The Saturday Paper

Read moreOct 24, 2020NewsTime for a haircut and catch-upRick MortonAmong all the hardships of Melbourne’s lengthy Covid-19 lockdown, not being able to get a haircut has been rated by many as one of the most psychologically taxing. With salons now reopened, a palpable sense of purpose and identity is returning

Read moreOct 24, 2020NewsVictoria’s hotel quarantine inquiryRoyce KurmelovsWhile Victoria’s hotel quarantine inquiry has been marked by the poor recall of some politicians and senior bureaucrats, the seeds of disaster were likely sown several governments ago.

Read moreOct 24, 2020NewsFailures of the criminal justice systemMike SeccombeAs politicians play a tough-on-crime game to win votes, pushing Australia’s incarceration rates ever upwards, an initiative led by high-profile patrons aims to reform the justice system and end a narrow-minded reliance on prison sentences.

Read moreOct 24, 2020NewsProbe into Western Sydney airport land dealKaren MiddletonA scathing audit of the Infrastructure Department’s purchase of land for the Western Sydney airport has led to an AFP investigation. But this is only the latest controversy in a long history of scandals relating to the Badgerys Creek site.

Read moreOct 24, 2020NewsWhat went wrong inside Australia Post?Rick MortonThe mail carrier’s chief executive has been asked to stand aside after revelations of luxury watches gifted to executives, but the company is facing much deeper crises.

Read moreOct 22, 2020NewsQueensland teenagers launch legal challenge of Adani mineAnna KrienBrooklyn O’Hearn and Claire Galvin have lodged a legal request for the Environment minister to revoke approval for the Carmichael mine, citing research linking its associated emissions with damage to up to 18,000 square kilometres of the World Heritage site.

Read moreOct 17, 2020NewsExclusive: War on refugees moves to final phase onshoreRick MortonWithout warning, the government has removed all support from hundreds of refugees in community detention – denying them housing and income support.

Read moreOct 17, 2020NewsAuditor-general takes PM&C to taskKaren MiddletonAs well as criticising the performance of the prime minister’s department, the auditor-general’s midterm review has a warning about unethical behaviour in the public sector.

Read moreOct 17, 2020NewsPolitics in a pandemicSian PriorFollowing the death of her mother from Covid-19, the author has encountered the ugly ways in which the virus has been politicised by the Victorian opposition and even strangers in the street.

Read moreOct 17, 2020NewsChallenging the secrecy of national cabinetKaren MiddletonLegal experts are questioning the basis on which national cabinet deliberations are deemed to be secret, and the issue has led to an Administrative Appeals Tribunal case.

Read moreOct 17, 2020NewsWhere Victoria’s second-wave cases are still occurringOsman FaruqiMonths into Victoria’s second wave, healthcare workers, cleaners and other front-line staff continue to be at greatest risk of contracting Covid-19, as concerns remain over infection control and the government’s transparency about outbreaks in vulnerable settings.

Read moreOct 17, 2020News‘Poor Gladys’ rings hollow after premier’s ICAC grillingMike SeccombeThe real story this week is not Gladys Berejiklian’s relationship with Daryl Maguire but whether she knew the details of his deal-making – although her supporters would rather you focus on the former.