The Sydney Morning Herald

They attend university at a higher rate than their constituents, but when it comes to discipline, most MPs in the state opt for one of a small handful of subjects. A Herald analysis of politicians’ tertiary education shows 73 per cent (98 of 135) politicians in the upper and lower houses of NSW parliament hold a bachelor’s degree or higher qualification. Read the full story by Cindy Yin: https://lnkd.in/gCVaMsNs #tertiaryeducation #university

Who is the greatest GOAT of them all? We invited our writers to rank their top 10 greatest athletes of all time, then compiled a top 50 based on their votes. Scroll through the list, lose your mind over the selections, and leave some feedback for our experts in the comments section. Let the countdown begin: https://lnkd.in/gc_v9B4N

Wildfires fuelled by powerful winds are laying waste to Los Angeles in the middle of winter. The extent of the loss of homes in the Pacific Palisades is clear in before-and-after images of the iconic Sunset Boulevard that runs through the area. ⁠Follow our live blog: https://lnkd.in/gYBHMZAf

Opinion: Hear, hear, Albo: Get these cabana sand-bagsers off our beaches. If there’s one thing Australians hate more than a prime minister with a tin ear, it’s a shoreline with an obstructed view, writes Michelle Cazzulino. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gfZgSKd5

The cost of building a high-speed train line from Sydney to the Central Coast is estimated at up to $32 billion. The cost estimates are contained in confidential modelling, obtained by the Herald, from two years ago by the then-Coalition state government. Read the full story by Matt O'Sullivan: https://lnkd.in/gSrXaeEH #highspeedtrain #publictransport

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has rallied Australians against a popular summer target: the wave of cabanas being used by beachgoers to secure prime sandy real estate. Cabana use is divisive on social media, with many critical of beaches crowded with the portable structures and others noting the shade stands could obscure lifesavers’ view of the surf. Others argue they are useful for sun protection. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gpc2McxD

If you’re paying anything less than $5.50 for a small cappuccino in Australia, coffee roaster Pablo & Rusty’s chief executive Abdullah Ramay reckons you’re getting a great deal. “The cost of this thing should’ve been $7-plus. If you’ve been buying coffee for $4.50 … the cafe’s been subsidising,” he said. “You should thank your cafe owner and barista; you’ve been getting the bargain of the century.” “They don’t want to disappoint their customers. They also don’t want their customers to leave: ‘What if I put my prices up, and the person next to me doesn’t?’” Read the full story from Jessica Yun: https://lnkd.in/ggXteXMD

Six years ago, the Herald reported that fees at Sydney’s most expensive private schools were about to reach $38,000. This year, as education editor Lucy Carroll reported last week, they’ll hit $51,000. Every time I read annual fee stories, I’m flummoxed by the same question, writes Jordan Baker. Who can afford this? The answer is grandparents; those same cashed-up Boomers who have inflated the housing market by buying houses for their children. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gSTybD4p

The NSW government says the economy will expand by just 0.75 per cent in the year to June 2025 – a major downgrade compared with the 2 per cent growth predicted only six months ago. That forecast, in the latest half-yearly budget review, means NSW economic growth this financial year will be the worst since 1991, outside the unique disruptions of the COVID-19 crisis. #NSW #economy

A popular beach on Sydney Airport’s doorstep has been quietly closed to swimming and fishing due to fears it is contaminated with cancer-causing “forever chemicals”. However, families with young children continue to splash in the water alongside top racehorses and this week fishermen were seen casting their lines into Tower Beach, on the Botany Bay foreshore. Read the full story by Carrie Fellner: https://lnkd.in/gKzDf55r #foreverchemicals #pfas