Good morning Valued Subscriber,
ACT bureaucrats raced to change the draft Territory Plan so that any future developer of the Phillip swimming pool site would have to provide only a 25-metre pool, Megan Doherty reports. The pool has been a talking point this week with news Geocon plans to build almost 700 apartments on the site, and ahead of a hot weekend set to prompt many to look for a cooling dip. Thirteen years ago, six kindergarteners made the front page of The Canberra Times on their first day of "big school". In an adorable and poignant follow-up, reporter Sarah Lansdown and photographer Gary Ramage checked in with the students at the end of their schooling.
In court, a man facing attempted murder charges over a machete attack has had his bid for bail rejected when the grandmother he claimed to be a carer for told the court she hadn't seen him for months. Tim Piccone reports the accused sweated profusely, patted his forehead with tissues and cried during his bail hearing on Friday.
And money collected from a tax specifically aimed at reducing domestic and family violence has not been spent transparently, the auditor-general has found. Lucy Bladen reports on audit of the safer families levy, paid by ACT homeowners. Keep cool today because it's going to be a hot, sunny Saturday. The temperature should reach 32 degrees. Enjoy your weekend. John-Paul Moloney, managing editor | 