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Victorian budget
State’s debt to reach $188b; thousands to miss out on free preschool hours
Net debt is set to keep increasing, reaching $187.8 billion by the middle of 2028.
Analysis
Jacinta Allan
The budget is brimming with hairy-chested spin. But the reality is far more nuanced
Treasurer Tim Pallas says the budget aims to tackle two really big problems: high inflation and workforce shortages. But if you take the coming financial year as a benchmark, the reality is far more nuanced.
Opinion
Sexism
Not all men abuse women. But is this how it starts?
If you don’t understand the journey from deeming someone “unrapable” to perpetrating abuse, you don’t understand what happens to women in this nation of ours.
Jenna Price
Columnist and academic
Analysis
Victorian budget
The boastful Daniel Andrews tweet that is no longer fit for purpose
Soft tacos or crunchy tacos? We have to choose because Victoria can’t have both - despite promises from now-departed premier Daniel Andrews.
‘Reasonably balanced’ probability of rate cut or hike next month: RBA governor
Michele Bullock said the probabilities of a rate cut and rate hike were still reasonably balanced, with perhaps “a little bit of signal” that the bank needs to be watchful of risks to the upside.
Box billionaire goes Pratty in pink at the Met Gala
Visy cardboard king Anthony Pratt was one of the brightest figures on the glamour carpet in New York, if not the best dressed.
Exclusive
Literature
The Weirdo books once had a ‘prettiest girls list’. Now, they are re-recording the audiobooks
The best-selling children’s book author is revising his Weirdo audiobooks to remove a “prettiest girls” list. “I was ranked low on a list and it affected me for years,” he says.
Breaking
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Israeli tanks take control of Gaza side of Rafah crossing
Footage released by the Israeli military showed a tank entering the crossing and showed Israeli flags flying from tanks that seized the area.
‘I’m well aware that I’m not in great touch’: Hawkins’ form in focus ahead of games record
The champion Cat will match his triple-premiership teammate Joel Selwood’s games record on Friday night against Port Adelaide when he plays his 355th game for the club.
‘Playing for their future’: Heat on Beveridge, Bulldogs ahead of Tigers clash
Western Bulldogs great Doug Hawkins is “a Bevo man” and has backed the coach to turn the Bulldogs’ season around. But he fears what could happen if his old club is beaten by Richmond on Saturday.
Lehrmann faces legal action from ex-landlord over Sydney northern beaches pad
Bruce Lehrmann, who lost a multimillion-dollar defamation case against Network Ten and Lisa Wilkinson last month, had his rent at the property covered by Seven.
RecipeTin Eats’ easy-peasy sausage and vegie one-tray wonder (with hands-off gravy)
This stonking all-in-one dinner will fill your belly without emptying your wallet.
Opinion
Tips & advice
Do some countries deserve our tourist dollars more than others?
When it comes to choosing a country to travel to, no nation is without sin (even Australia). Where do you draw the line?
Lee Tulloch
Travel columnist
Victorian budget 2024
Analysis
How much money COVID-19 era taxes are raking in for Victoria
These graphs break down expected sources of tax revenue, whether the budget will be in deficit over the coming years and the scale of Victoria’s debt.
Arden hospitals ditched over Metro Tunnel electromagnetic interference
Interference from the new Metro Tunnel station at Arden has forced the Victorian government to ditch a $5 billion plan to build new hospital campuses there.
Victoria
Exclusive
Tragedy
‘The part that is so raw ... is that I am just devastated’: Soul Barn owner has no answers on ‘toxic mushroom’ death
Michelle Mullins says the death of a woman from suspected mushroom poisoning at her Clunes wellness centre has left her devastated. And she says she’s been subjected to an “overwhelming” level of harassment.
Council orders former Goldfingers strip club site to be turned into a park
The derelict site of the former Kilkenny Inn and Goldfingers strip club will be turned into a temporary park by the City of Melbourne because construction on a promised multimillion-dollar development won’t begin next month.
Updated
Courts
Judge must undergo counselling after complaint from state’s top prosecutor
The Judicial Commission of Victoria has ruled some of judge Geoff Chettle’s conduct during a sex crimes trial lacked sensitivity.
Exclusive
Roads
Western Freeway upgrade under cloud as feud puts key road projects in doubt
A funding standoff between the state and federal governments has thrown the timeline of Victoria’s planned road projects into doubt.
A Grampians town’s remarkable recovery after ‘the beast’
A bushfire wiped out one-third of the tiny Grampians town of Pomonal 12 weeks ago. The town knew about resilience before the fire hit, and now it’s putting it into action.
AFL
Beveridge keeps the faith as pressure grows
Western Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge expects the scrutiny to come, but he won’t deviate from his plan to make the Bulldogs a genuine contender.
Dockers unhappy with ‘manhandling’ of young gun Amiss
Rising Fremantle key forward Jye Amiss is being unfairly “manhandled” off the ball and needs umpires to protect him better, says Dockers coach Justin Longmuir.
Politics
‘Lives are at risk’: Top US official blasts China for Yellow Sea flare incident
The encounter has further strained efforts to stabilise relations with Beijing and comes as Australian officials prepare to host a visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang.
Business
RBA holds interest rates steady ahead of federal budget
But the bank did not rule out further increases as it warned that high petrol prices and a tight jobs market would push inflation higher in the coming months.
World
‘I have to watch every word I tell you people,’ says Trump after judge flags jail
The NY judge overseeing Donald Trump’s criminal trial has had enough of the ex-president’s gag order violations.
Opinion
Gold fever: Why China and the rest of the world are stocking up
Stephen Bartholomeusz
Senior business columnist
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Property
The type of home that got 50 per cent more expensive within four years
Rental prices for units have skyrocketed since COVID-19 lockdown, and house rents have jumped too. Is any relief in sight?
How the conventional wisdom of the property ladder broke down
Previous generations would start with a modest unit and then upsize to a house, but today’s buyers face a different outlook.
Good Food
Lifestyle
What will celebrities wear to this year’s Met Gala?
The annual event, which takes place on the first Monday in May, has surpassed the Oscars red carpet and the Paris Fashion Week front row as the biggest style circus.
Culture
‘As the Doctor and Ruby grew closer, so did we’: A new era for Doctor Who
As Doctor Who enters its new Disney era, stars Ncuti Gatwa and Millie Gibson reveal why they’re like “besties at the back of the school bus”.
Traveller
Drivedrive
From Our Partners
Sport
‘Playing for their future’: Heat on Beveridge, Bulldogs ahead of Tigers clash
Western Bulldogs great Doug Hawkins is “a Bevo man” and has backed the coach to turn the Bulldogs’ season around. But he fears what could happen if his old club is beaten by Richmond on Saturday.
‘I’m not in great touch’: Hawkins’ form in focus ahead of games record
The champion Cat will match his triple-premiership teammate Joel Selwood’s games record on Friday night against Port Adelaide when he plays his 355th game for the club.
Cousins won’t be part of the hall of fame class of ’24
Former West Coast champion and skipper Ben Cousins will not be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2024 and is not considered likely to be added to the honour roll any time soon.
Five years ago Tiana tried boxing for the first time. Now she’s off to the Olympics
Tiana Echegaray went to a boxercise class in 2019 to keep fit and it has led her to competing at her first Olympics at the age of 30.
Batting phenom Fraser-McGurk opens up on World Cup snub
Australian short-form batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk said he didn’t feel he had earned a place in the T20 World Cup squad despite his recent pyrotechnics in the Indian Premier League.
AFL Briefing
AFL 2024
Mihocek played on with hamstring injury; AFL greats question the tackle trend
The thought never crossed Brody Mihocek’s mind to leave the ground, despite his hamstring injury. Meanwhile, Leigh Matthews and Nathan Buckley are convinced AFL umpires have changed their interpretation of holding-the-ball decisions.
Australia’s male sprinters on blocks for Paris relay, and they’ve still got our fastest man to call up
Like their female counterparts, Australia’s men’s team has qualified for the 4x100-metre Olympics relay for the first time since Sydney 2000. And they did it without even calling on the services of sprint star Rohan Browning.
Have Your Say
Not a top-four team: How rival recruiters really rate the Bulldogs’ list
It’s hard to get a handle on Bevo’s Bulldogs. List managers polled by The Age point to top-end talent, but a wobbly defence and a one-paced midfield.
