3+ day, 10+ hour ago (580+ words) The Age's team behind the coverage of the trial of triple-murderer Erin Patterson has won the Walkley award for coverage of a major news event or issue after months of dedicated and insightful reporting. Journalists from The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald won six categories at the 70th Walkleys, journalism's annual national awards for excellence, in a ceremony on Thursday night at the ICC Sydney. The Herald's health editor Kate Aubusson, reporter Emily Kaine and Age investigative reporter Aisha Dow.Credit: Sydney Morning Herald Reporters Aisha Dow, Kate Aubusson and Emily Kaine won the Walkley for specialist and beat reporting for their relentless coverage of medical misogyny. Liam Mannix and William Davis were finalists in the same category for their detailed documentation of academic wrongdoing by a disgraced Australian scientist Mark Smyth. The groundbreaking visual story documenting the pursuit of…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (87+ words) Test your knowledge of Melbourne and Victoria with Stephen Brook's quiz. Save articles for later Add articles to your saved list and come back to them any time. This plaque is in a park in inner-suburban Melbourne and was dedicated in 1988 to celebrate the area's history as an epicentre of pigeon racing. Where is it? Check next week's quiz for the answer. Last week's WHERE AM I? The Black Caviar statue is in Nagambie, in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria....

1+ week, 5+ day ago (30+ words) Will my account disappear completely and the content be deleted? Or will I get it back when I turn 16? What happens if I am mistakenly identified as under 16?...

3+ day, 5+ hour ago (565+ words) Students at Western Australia's biggest university have sounded the alarm over a possible merger of the state's public institutions, believing any "so-called benefits" would come at the cost of fewer courses, staff cuts, bigger classes and more online delivery. Curtin University, the University of Western Australia and Murdoch University are all in the firing line for a merger, with Edith Cowan University likely exempt due to the opening of its new inner-city campus in 2026. Curtin Student Guild president Dylan Storer. Earlier in the month, WA Premier Roger Cook said the number of universities in Perth could be "considered too many" for the city's size. But Curtin Student Guild president Dylan Storer said that idea was not grounded in fact. "The state benefits from diversity, specialisation and institutional autonomy " a merger would make WA's sector slower, less competitive and less responsive…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (748+ words) Parents at some of Melbourne's top private schools will have to find thousands of dollars more for their children's education next year, as tuition fees at some institutions soar by more than twice the rate of inflation. One school, St Kevin's College, has increased year-12 tuition charges by 16 per cent for 2026, but even after the $5000 annual increase, the Toorak institution will remain considerably more affordable than most of its peer schools. St Kevin's has outpaced other nearby private schools in raising fees by 16 per cent. Credit: Jason South An analysis of the charges from the high-fee schools that have published their 2026 rates, shows their average fees increasing $2146, or nearly 5 per cent from this year, well above the headline inflation rate of 3.2 per cent. Geelong Grammar looks set to remain the state's most expensive school next year. Year 12 fees will push…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (502+ words) Parents at Brisbane State High School have urged the state government to scrap plans to build residential towers on a prime parcel of inner-city land, calling instead for the former factory site in their catchment to be turned into playing fields. The government-owned land on the former Visy site " at one stage slated to become a broadcasting hub during the Olympics " went to tender for residential development in mid-October. But State High P&C president Chris Dutkowski said so many new homes being built in the catchment would strain enrolments at the partially selective school. Brisbane State High School is predicted to surpass 3800 students by 2029.Credit: Brisbane Times/Dan Peled Just over 2200 students live within State High's catchment, and 92 per cent attend the school, which is required to accept local students because of its state school status. It offers about…...

3+ week, 4+ day ago (784+ words) A north shore all-boys private school is set to raise fees above $50,000 next year, making it the third Sydney institution to break through that barrier as schools prepare to hike prices by 4 to 7 per cent. Shore School is among the first NSW private schools to release fees for 2026 " a month ahead of schedule " lifting prices just under 4 per cent as principals say rising teacher salaries, compliance and building costs are putting pressure on budgets. The school will lift year 11 fees to $50,630 next year, which includes the cost of tuition and levies for camps, technology and resources. Parents of year 12 students will pay $49,615 for tuition and levies, an increase of about 3.9 per cent. Shore School in North Sydney will lift its fees just under 4 per cent in 2026.Credit: Flavio Brancaleone In the past two years, fees at two eastern suburbs private…...

1+ week, 5+ day ago (714+ words) A 10-minute walk from Linda Scott's home is a small community kindergarten where she had hoped to send her three-year-old daughter, Remi. But Scott's application for a place was denied by Glen Eira Council which, unlike some others in the area, does not give residents priority access to their local kindergarten. Linda Scott, with husband Liam Cooney and daughter Remi, wants the council to change the way it allocates kindergarten places so local families have priority.Credit: Simon Schluter Instead, Remi was assigned a place at a kindergarten in Elsternwick, six kilometres from her home in Bentleigh. Travelling to and from Elsternwick twice a day would mean an hour in the car for Scott, instead of walking around the corner to Bentleigh West Kindergarten. Scott is among a group of parents lobbying Glen Eira Council to add a proximity clause…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (704+ words) Year 12 school leavers could face increased difficulty securing a spot at university from next year with at least one institution expected to cut admissions in response to a major funding overhaul. The government is moving to exert greater control over the allocation of places, giving each university its own "managed growth target" which is effectively a cap on domestic admissions from 2027. Analysts say that universities are poised to cut admissions due to the changes.Credit: Oscar Colman Analysts expect that universities which are significantly over-enrolled will cut admissions from as early as next year in a bid to bring enrolments down in preparation for the new policy. Education Minister Jason Clare said the new policy is moving to a managed system rather than a previous "Hunger Games" approach, with an extra 9500 Commonwealth supported places given to institutions next year. "More…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (675+ words) One year after Brisbane's most expensive private school sailed past $35,000 in annual fees for the first time, two more schools have hit the same barrier. Year 12 costs at Brisbane Boys' College and Anglican Church Grammar School (Churchie) will rise by as much as 7.8 per cent to $36,492 and $36,232, respectively. At Brisbane's most expensive private school, Brisbane Grammar School, tuition fees and compulsory levies for a year 12 student exceeded $35,000 for the first time last year. At the current rate, Brisbane Grammar School's fees will exceed $40,000 by 2029.Credit: Felicity Caldwell In 2026, Brisbane Grammar's fees were set to grow by another 4.2 per cent to just under $38,000 " an annual jump that, if continued, would see it exceed $40,000 before 2029. Analysis of the charges from those private schools that have released their 2026 fees indicated dollar-amount increases averaged just over $1100 across two dozen schools. Generally, increases equated to…...