Why one in three Australians is going camping or on a caravan trip

Fiona Carruthers Travel editor Financial Review, Sep 24, 2021 Feeling the pinch of lockdown? Desperate for a holiday but worried about being back in crowded indoor spaces and on planes once the nation reopens? Join the renaissance of nostalgic travel with a good old-fashioned camping or caravan trip. One in three Australians can’t be wrong, after all. Adrian and Michelle …

McGowan Government’s State Budget surplus reaches record $5.8 billion

Peter Law The West Australian, 24 September 2021 Premier Mark McGowan. Credit: Iain Gillespie/The West Australian The WA Government’s mammoth Budget surplus last financial year has grown to $5.8 billion, making it the largest ever booked by any State government in Australia. The 2020-21 surplus was revised up by $213 million in a report released Treasury yesterday, two weeks after …

Concerns at Melaleuca Women’s Prison as Hakea male inmates jump fence and women find rat droppings in cereal

Briana Fiore The West Australian, 24 September 2021 The Melaleuca women’s prison in Canning Vale. Credit: Nic Ellis/The West Australian There are concerns for women inside Melaleuca prison following claims their breakfast cereal may have contained rat droppings and male prisoners from Hakea managed to jump over the fence. A report handed down in Parliament painted a grim picture of …

Paul Murray: Will McGowan ensure principles behind rewrite of WA’s electoral laws are applied in the Senate?

Paul Murray The West Australian, 25 September 2021 Premier Mark McGowan. Credit: Daniel Wilkins/The West Australian Will all-powerful Premier Mark McGowan now ensure that the principles behind his government’s rewrite of WA’s electoral laws are applied to this State’s representation in the Senate? If he is an honest and principled politician, he will insist on such consistency. But maybe he’ll …

Equal Opportunity Act: Have your say on how the law could be improved

Lindy JenkinsThe West Australian, 25 September 2021   Illustration: Don Lindsay Credit: Don Lindsay/The West Australian In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev became leader of the Soviet Union, Microsoft introduced its Windows operating system and Neighbours debuted on Australian television. It was also the year that Western Australia’s anti-discrimination laws took effect, in the form of the Equal Opportunity Act. For 36 …

Latest on worldwide spread of coronavirus

AAPAAP/The West Australian, September 2021 6:02AM The US CDC has backed a booster shot of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Americans aged 65 and older. Credit: AP EUROPE * England’s COVID-19 weekly reproduction “R” number was estimated to have fallen to between 0.8 and 1.0, the government said, and the epidemic could be shrinking in the country. * Norway will reopen …

Cancer dad’s brave message for other men

John KidmanAAP/The West Ausrealian, 25 September 2021 Andrei Norris wants others to know prostate cancer is not just an old man’s disease. Credit: AAP Andrei Norris is a fighter. At 45, he was diagnosed with aggressive, locally advanced prostate cancer and has spent three years battling it hard. But it’s not going away. The father-of-two had major surgery, was placed …

Federal police move on $31m in crime assets

Op_Maidos $6.1 million in cash from a Girrawheen property, 26November 2020 Picture – Supplied exclusive Geoff Chambers CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT  The Weekend Australian, September 24, 2021 The Australian Federal Police is ramping up pressure on criminals to hand over more than $31m in assets seized under Operation Ironside – including homes, luxury cars and cryptocurrency – after successfully securing $6.1m …

Don’t hold your breath waiting for tax reform

Peter van Onselen Treasurer Josh Frydenberg during Question Time. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Martin OllmanThe Weekend Australian, September 25, 2021 Not fit for purpose: it may not be the most encouraging way to describe Australia’s taxation system but it’s certainly the most accurate. Former Treasury secretary Ken Henry has belled the cat when it comes to the deficiencies of the …

Australia’s ODI winning streak stretches to 26 with insane victory over India

The Aussies recorded the most nailbiting victory of their 26-game streak. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images) By Jasper Bruce NCA NewsWire/The Weekend Australian, September 24, 2021 Australia has stretched its record-breaking WODI streak to 26 in unbelievable circumstances, with the second match against India going down to the last ball on Friday night. The Aussies were forced to chase down the …