Latest news with #TheAge
News18
37 minutes ago
- Sport
- News18
Champions League T20 Is Back! Timeline Revealed For Iconic Tournament's Return
In a bitter-sweet development for cricket, a men's T20 Champions League could reportedly be relaunched as soon as September next year, but, at the same time, the decision-makers at the International Cricket Council (ICC) are also set to rule on curtailing Test cricket. According to a report in The Age, key cricket nations backed the proposal of a T20 Champions League at the ICC meeting currently taking place in Singapore. The first iteration of the global franchise tournament was launched in 2008 and ran until 2014, when the broadcaster, ESPN Star, ran into losses.
The Age
a day ago
- Politics
- The Age
The reach of climate change encircles the world
To submit a letter to The Age, email letters@ Please include your home address and telephone number. No attachments, please include your letter in the body of the email. See here for our rules and tips on getting your letter published. Reach of climate change Having grown up in London, I read with interest David Crowe's description of life there under climate change (' The heat is on in London and it's turned deadly ', 19/7). They have many problems with out-of-date infrastructure like buses and housing. It is encouraging that much is being done overthere, like conserving water and using more appropriate species of plants. My former home city is a case study in climate action and inaction. More could have been done sooner, but short-term political and financial interests often got priority. Now London has sweaty buses and hundreds of extra deaths in worsening heatwaves. There is also inadequate action in Australia and elsewhere. The Age on Saturday carries other relevant stories, including of Victorian farmers helping each other after a severe drought, withextra farm costs pushing up prices of lamb and beef in our supermarkets. Another article describes how the Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is threatened by rising seas and coastal erosion. Many Tuvaluans want to migrate to Australia. Impacts of the climate crisis will be relevant more and more in our news, and in our lives. John Hughes, Mentone Out-of-touch Liberals The charmless and contrarian attitude of the Liberal Party is on full display with its claim that Anthony Albanese's trip to China is 'indulgent' (at least they didn't go so far as to call it a junket). It must really gall them that in a little over three years the relationship with China – our biggest trading partner by far and one with which we have a significant trade surplus – has so dramatically improved. But then it was Peter Dutton who said we must prepare for war, and although he didn't say it out loud, it seemed pretty obvious which country he was referring to. So I guess for them nothing has really changed, except that they have proven to be even more out of touch with what Australians want from their government. Brandon Mack, Deepdene Left behind Columnist Jake Niall has only scratched the surface (″ A fix to AFL's flawed fixture ″, 18/7). For a ″fair″ competition to exist there is only one way this can happen. Like virtually all other national team sport competitions, each team plays each other team twice, once at home and once away. In this respect the AFL is a national disaster, and the AFL should have been working towards something like this when it first formed decades ago. Increasingly it is moving further and further away. This dimension of unfairness within the competition (there are many others eg, variations in the interpretation of rules between and within umpires) is why I have no interest in the game now. It is so unfair. Ian Anderson, Maldon Not wild about this AFL Wildcard rounds exist in US professional sports as part of, or entry to, the competition's final series. Many of these competitions are split into conferences, and then divisions, with division winners typically gaining automatic entry to the finals. However, you can have the situation where the runner-up in one division has a superior record to the winner of another division. Wildcard games give well-performed teams who did not win their division a chance to play in the finals. The AFL sports media has been constantly raising a proposed extension of the current finals system by a week, with 7th playing 10th, and 8th playing 9th, prior to the regular finals and persist in calling this a ″wildcard″ round. There is nothing wild about it, it's just another week of finals in a competition without conferences. Pedantry aside, extending the AFL finals series to 10th would reward inferior teams. In the past 10 years, only two teams finishing 10th have won more than 50 per cent of their games – Fremantle last year (12 wins and a draw) and Geelong in 2015 (12 wins). In the same period, four teams finished 10th winning fewer than half of their games. Do we really want teams with a losing record to be playing finals? Mark Southby, Oakleigh
The Age
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Age
Albanese is in China and Morrison is in his head
A city in decay My partner and I recently travelled by train from Geelong to Melbourne to enjoy a lunch at Southbank with family. As we walked down Spencer Street to Flinders Street we commented on the state of the footpaths, buildings, overflowing rubbish bins and general filth. More was to come. Alighting from the tram at Flinders Street station we were disgusted with the exterior condition of the station, the footpath and a toilet facility that was flooded and filthy. More was to come. After our lunch, we opted to walk along the Yarra and onto Southern Cross station. Empty wine bottles, discarded clothing, and general rubbish lined the walkway. On a trip to India, we were astounded at the amount of discarded rubbish we observed – Melbourne's CBD appears to running a close second. Perhaps we need Donald to ″make Melbourne Great again″. Heather Rees, Geelong Youth vote Changing the voting age so younger members of the population can vote is such a good idea. Let's follow Britain's excellent example, but make it optional for 16 and 17-year-olds whilst maintaining compulsory voting for everyone aged 18 and over. Denying the vote to enthusiastic young people who follow current affairs and politics and have opinions is wrong when apathetic older people who may have little interest are required to vote. Compulsory voting is what makes our democracy, so let's open it up to eager younger people on an optional basis. Robyn Westwood, Heidelberg Heights The way it was Regarding your correspondent's suggestion that we need a government-owned bank (Letters, 17/7). We had one. It was called the State Savings Bank. My account began at age six when the nice bank people visited schools and we lined up proudly with our coins and bank books to make our deposits. When I married 20 years later and went in with name change details, the teller said I needed my husband's written permission to have the account. Outraged, I changed banks and became active in the fight for women's rights. Jane Ross, San Remo Victoria's unknown costs Everyday Victorians know that we have to budget carefully to cover our food, clothing and other necessities. Yet, as The Age editorial (16/7) stated, the state government is 'pouring every available dollar of capital expenditure into the Suburban Rail Loop″, even while we feel the cutbacks in health, education and other essential services. At the same time, secrecy surrounds the planning, funding and lack of development of urgently needed projects. The SRL bores ahead while there are still no Doncaster, airport or Melton rail lines; and now we suddenly hear of the Outer Melbourne Ring Road, which is needed to take thousands of trucks off the local roads. It is our taxpayer money which is needed for these projects, and as The Age said earlier in the year, secrecy around planning is 'eroding the public's right to know and the fabric of our democracy'. So, what are our government's plans and how do we, the taxpayers, find that money? Elizabeth Meredith, Surrey Hills Animal cruelty Re the ducks of Banyule Creek swimming in a blue soup (″ Workers clean up Banyule Creek after chemical from North East Link works turns it bright blue ″, 17/7), and the alleged poisoning of hundreds of corellas in Springvale South. This suffering is not what most people want to see happen to our native birdlife. We must do better. Debbie Lustig, Elsternwick Changing gears Your correspondent (Letters, 'Slap happy feet', 18/7) correctly points out the safety aspect on choosing one foot for the brake and the other for the accelerator. As a confirmed manual driver, I use the left foot for the clutch and right foot for brake or accelerator. If I were to press the accelerator accidentally instead of the brake, the most likely consequence would be that the car would stall rather than be involved in a collision. So my manual gear stick is both a safety feature and an anti-theft device. Rod Watson, East Brighton Left or right Your correspondent (18/7) suggests the left foot for the brake, and says it is an old maxim. Any suggestion to improve road safety should be considered, but is it an old maxim? My recollection of driver training in the 1970s was that it was left foot for the clutch and right foot for the brake and accelerator. The NRMA website unambiguously recommends the right foot for braking and accelerating. Stephen Minns, South Yarra Take it from Jodie I understand our PM wanting to imitate Gough Whitlam on his Great Wall walk (albeit in an unflattering figure-hugging polo shirt), but why on earth was he advertising Hawthorn FC and iiNet on the obligatory panda sanctuary tour? He needs fashion tips from stylish Jodie. Caroline Leslie, Hawthorn Fashion statements Fashion editor Damien Woolnough's scrutiny of Jodie Haydon's clothing (″ Perfect $599 fashion diplomacy from Jodie Haydon ″, 17/7) perpetuates the inherent sexism surrounding women in the public eye. Though favourably examined, the absence of any mention of who dressed the prime minister suggests Haydon's role is one of an accessory and not a human being. Anders Ross, Heidelberg AND ANOTHER THING Politics It would appear the Coalition hasn't learnt anything. All it does is find fault with everything Labor does, instead of working together in this time of world chaos to make Australia an example to the world. Perry Becker, Bairnsdale Albanese may be ″following in his footsteps″, but there's no way he could fill Whitlam's boots. Bryan Lewis, St Helena Furthermore It's time for an investigation into the use of chemicals in our environment. The creek in Rosanna turning bright blue must be a wake-up call for all. Mary Fenelon, Doncaster East Paul O'Halloran's ″ ' My job is to root out dodgy workers. These are the warning signs to look for in childcare ‴, (17/7) is an essential piece in the puzzle of providing safe, high-quality childcare. Trevor Kerr, Blackburn A few letters to the editor recently have extolled the virtues of national service, all written with the enthusiasm and fervour only the (seemingly) ineligible possess. Angus McLeod, Cremorne If businesses really think that it costs them less to accept cash than cards, why not offer a discount for paying cash instead of imposing a surcharge for cards? James Proctor, Maiden Gully With the latest employment figures published, maybe the RBA could convene a special meeting prior to August to reconsider its July rate decision. Arthur Pritchard, Ascot Vale Driving positions Perhaps your correspondent (Letters, 'Slap happy feet', 18/7) can explain which foot is on the clutch pedal if my left foot is on the brake pedal as I try to change down gears in my car? Maybe that is why it is an untaught maxim. Joanne Wilson, South Melbourne When I learnt to drive a manual car I used my left foot for the clutch while my right alternated between brake and accelerator. When I graduated to an automatic car my right foot continued to perform the same actions; my left sits idly on the little footrest thoughtfully provided for the purpose. David Johnston, Healesville
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
‘I'm a big believer in democracy': Electoral reform on cards for City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne's unusual rules allowing businesses two votes in council elections could be wound back and candidates forced to declare donations before election day if Lord Mayor Nick Reece succeeds in convincing the minister for local government to commit to an overhaul. The formal request, made by Reece in a letter to minister Nick Staikos this week, was triggered by a recent council resolution following a Victorian Electoral Commission report on the 2024 council elections which revealed Melbourne's voter participation of 70.79 per cent significantly lagged the state average of 83.79 per cent. It comes after a campaign by The Age during Victoria's local council elections in October last year which highlighted major inadequacies in the City of Melbourne Act 2001, which dictates election rules including that campaign donations don't need to be made public until 40 days after the election. The Act hasn't been reformed since 2001 under the Bracks Labor government. Reece, on behalf of the council, has requested a full review of the Act. The request explicitly asks for the review to consider banning donations from property developers and gambling interests as well as introducing so-called continuous donation reporting. It also seeks a review of the 'appropriateness' of the current voter entitlements. 'I'm a very big believer in democracy. Democracy is a verb. It's something that you do, and it's something you need to keep working on,' he said. Reece said the review should examine whether foreign property owners should still be given a vote, giving an example of a person living in 'Shanghai, who has an apartment in Melbourne, but very rarely visits' and who may have a 'low connection to the city'. In contrast, he said it was also worth reviewing how to better inform international students they are able to vote. Melbourne is the only capital city in Australia where eligible businesses get two votes in council elections, while residents only get one. The NSW government in 2023 repealed a similar rule for the City of Sydney elections, with the-then NSW Labor local government minister describing the system as 'something of which North Korea would be proud'.
The Age
2 days ago
- Business
- The Age
‘I'm a big believer in democracy': Electoral reform on cards for City of Melbourne
The City of Melbourne's unusual rules allowing businesses two votes in council elections could be wound back and candidates forced to declare donations before election day if Lord Mayor Nick Reece succeeds in convincing the minister for local government to commit to an overhaul. The formal request, made by Reece in a letter to minister Nick Staikos this week, was triggered by a recent council resolution following a Victorian Electoral Commission report on the 2024 council elections which revealed Melbourne's voter participation of 70.79 per cent significantly lagged the state average of 83.79 per cent. It comes after a campaign by The Age during Victoria's local council elections in October last year which highlighted major inadequacies in the City of Melbourne Act 2001, which dictates election rules including that campaign donations don't need to be made public until 40 days after the election. The Act hasn't been reformed since 2001 under the Bracks Labor government. Reece, on behalf of the council, has requested a full review of the Act. The request explicitly asks for the review to consider banning donations from property developers and gambling interests as well as introducing so-called continuous donation reporting. It also seeks a review of the 'appropriateness' of the current voter entitlements. 'I'm a very big believer in democracy. Democracy is a verb. It's something that you do, and it's something you need to keep working on,' he said. Reece said the review should examine whether foreign property owners should still be given a vote, giving an example of a person living in 'Shanghai, who has an apartment in Melbourne, but very rarely visits' and who may have a 'low connection to the city'. In contrast, he said it was also worth reviewing how to better inform international students they are able to vote. Melbourne is the only capital city in Australia where eligible businesses get two votes in council elections, while residents only get one. The NSW government in 2023 repealed a similar rule for the City of Sydney elections, with the-then NSW Labor local government minister describing the system as 'something of which North Korea would be proud'.
