Michael Maguire not only won an historic premiership at South Sydney, he handed NRL debuts to no fewer than six Rabbitohs who will start against his side on Saturday night.

Maguire was in no mood to reflect on his time at Souths this week – "I'm all about the Wests Tigers now'' – as he tries to stop his old club making it ten wins from 11 starts.

But the coach's legacy has not been forgotten at Redfern, especially by the half-dozen players who were granted their first-grade wish by Maguire.

When Maguire started at Souths in 2012, so did baby-faced rookie halfback Adam Reynolds, as well as young English prop George Burgess. The following season twin Tom Burgess made his Souths debut.

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Maguire placed plenty of faith in mature-aged playmaker Cody Walker to get the job done for the suspended Luke Keary in round one of 2016 against the Sydney Roosters, while young guns Cameron Murray and Campbell Graham were the future of Souths; players Maguire would loved to have worked with further had he not been sacked at the end of 2017.

Graham was still a schoolboy at Marcellin College when Maguire let him know he would make his debut at the SCG on a Friday night against St George Illawarra.

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"I'll always be thankful for Madge showing faith in me and giving me my start,'' Graham told the Herald.

"I remember I was studying for a geography exam or something, and once I got the call from Madge the study went out the window.

"I was coming in once or twice a week to train, sometimes during school hours, and the school were good with it.

"Rob Jennings went down with a knee problem, I was fortunate enough to get the call, and he basically said, 'You're in, the boys are psyched you're playing, and I'm excited to see what you can do'. I was blown away. I'll forever have respect for him. He's a great coach and a great bloke. He created a good culture here, there was a lot of discipline, and he left his imprint here at Souths.''

Walker came close to having his first NRL start when he was at the Melbourne Storm, but it was Maguire who handed him his debut at 26.

"He said to me at the start of the pre-season there could be an opportunity there with Luke being suspended for round one, I don't want you to get too far ahead of yourself, and just train hard.

"Then the week leading up to the first game, he gave me the call, but I didn't want to get over-excited. The last time I got the call to debut [in Melbourne], I did my hammy the next day. It would have been round 10, 2014.

"He's been a great help to me and I still class him as one of my mates. I messaged him when he got the job at the Tigers and congratulated him, hoped him and [wife] Joelle and the kids were doing great. He messaged me back and said thanks. He also messaged me after the Indigenous game and said, 'Congratulations on being captain'.

"He's intense but it's who he is. He's successful everywhere he has been.''

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The Reserve Bank will go further than previously thought by cutting the cash rate not two, but three times before 2019 is over, according to a leading economist.

Westpac chief economist Bill Evans , who in February became the first top economist from the big four banks to predict two rate cuts this year, said on Friday he now believes the central bank will go further into uncharted territory as it cuts from the long-standing record low of 1.5 per cent.

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Mr Evans on Tuesday brought forward his prediction for cuts from August and November to June and August. He says this week's comments by RBA Governor Philip Lowe that a June cut was on the cards led him to believe there will also be a 0.25 percentage point reduction in November.

Following the three cuts, the high-profile economist – whose revised prediction was followed by a 0.3 per cent fall in the Australian dollar – then expects the cash rate to stay at 0.75 per cent throughout 2020.

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"Our central forecast for the terminal cash rate in this cycle is 0.75 per cent with risks to the downside," Mr Evans said.

"We would certainly see 0.5 per cent as the floor for the cash rate, with QE (quantitative easing) a more effective policy tool thereafter."

Quantitative easing is a monetary tool where central banks buy government bonds and other assets to inject cash into the economy and increase the money supply.

For the cash rate to stay at 0.75 per cent, Mr Evans said the housing market would have to stabilise and there would need to be a sustained confidence boost from a stable federal government in a position to embrace genuine reform.

He said the terms of trade would also have to hold up much better than assumed in budget estimates, and for global trade tensions to ease.

The Australian dollar traded at 68.85 US cents in early afternoon in Sydney, from 69.05 US cents just before Mr Evans' note was released.

The futures market had already fully priced in two rate cuts by December, a conviction that hardened with Mr Evans' note.

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At one point in his sneaker collecting "career", DJ Jerome Salele’a owned 400 pairs.

These days, the 34-year-old has considerably fewer – he keeps about 50 at his home in Sydney's south-west, with the remainder in storage – but his passion for "kickz" is as strong as ever.

New Zealand-born Salele'a is part of the global community of "sneaker enthusiasts" (he hates the term "sneaker freaker" but loves the magazine of the same name started by Melburnian Simon Wood) that congregate through online forums, meet-ups and events, such as this weekend's SneakerCon in Sydney.

Rarity is the sneaker-lovers' drug, although unlike collectors of, say, wine or art, sneaker heads will often purchase things they don't even like. Salele'a explains: "[I may] buy a pair [I don't like] to trade a pair I am chasing."

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Salele'a has spent "well into six figures" on his collection, with some pairs worth several thousands. But his all-time favourite shoe is a Puma Clyde, which was first launched in the 1970s and retails for less than $100, excluding rare colourways and limited editions.

Although the sneaker community has been dominated, publicly at least, by young men, Salele'a says women are becoming more active, thanks mainly to social media and celebrity culture.

"My partner collects, she loves them as well," he says. "I have been jealous of the women's releases for years. I'm a size 14 men's and I could never fit them. They have had some crazy colourways that guys never get, like an all purple [Nike Air] Jordan."

Speaking of Jordans, named after the famous Chicago Bulls champion Michael Jordan, they are something of a holy grail for collectors, especially after the NBA banned the original 1984 version for breaching uniform rules.

To this day, almost weekly, brands manipulate the market through "drops" of hard-to-get styles that can trade immediately for 10 times their face value. This week, Nike went one step further by releasing its first "virtual" sneaker in partnership with the online game Fortnite that players can purchase for their avatars for about $18.

Brooklyn native Alan Vinogradov, 33, co-founded SneakerCon after he and his brother found trading shoes on eBay a frustrating experience. Since 2009, they have staged events as far away as China for up to 20,000 fans.

Vinogradov, who is in Australia for the Sydney expo, said sneakers inspire an emotional connection for collectors.

"A lot of these shoes are very rare and you can't go into any sneaker store and get them," he says.

Jay Mijares, who runs The Kickz Stand community and events, adds nostalgia to the emotive pull of sneaker collecting. "It's about being part of historic moments or just getting that pair you never could get when you were younger," he says.

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Salele'a agrees the thrill of the chase is part of the appeal, although he acknowledges the internet has completely reshaped the sneaker landscape.

"If they have a limited drop in Paris, Japan or New York, you can buy it [from home]. In the early 2000s, you would see the same guys in the line [at stores], waiting, camping overnight … you started seeing trends – you made a little community."

Salele'a estimates he wears about 25 per cent of his collection, although that ratio was once as high as 80 per cent. He says the casualisation of dress standards, including CEOs wearing sneakers, has meant old stereotypes about sneaker wearers have also dissipated.

"My old CEO, who was worth $400 million, used to walk around the office wearing Air Max 90s. [Apple founder] Steve Jobs wore a pair of $10 sneakers. [It's great] seeing sneakers not just looked at as 'less than' because you aren't wearing a suit and tie. The stigma has lifted."

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The artistic director of the Australian Ballet, David McAllister, has announced he is stepping down after two decades in the role.

Australian Ballet chairman Craig Dunn announced the news at the company's annual general meeting in Melbourne today.

McAllister will finish up at the end of next year, which will be his 20th year at the helm of Australia's national ballet company.

“David has taken The Australian Ballet to new heights during his two decades as artistic director,” Dunn said.

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“His leadership of the company has been extraordinarily successful and he will leave an enduring legacy."

Dunn said there was a "succession-planning process" under way.

McAllister began his career at the Australian Ballet in 1983. He was promoted to principal artist six years later and, in 2001, made the transition from dancer to artistic director of the Australian Ballet.

Queensland Ballet artistic director, Li Cunxin, who danced with Mr McAllister at the Australian Ballet, said the company would always bear the mark of its longest serving artistic director.

"I think there will be two areas in partciular where you will see his mark," Li said. "Obviously as a dancer he left his mark, because he really was a wonderful dancer and he had a very successul career dancing. The other area is as an artistic director … he has really grown that company and steered the company to a wonderful success.

"Not many artists have that kind of privilege to be incredibly successful as a dancer and incredibly successful as an artistic director. To do both at the same company is even rarer."

Celebrated Australian choreographer Graeme Murphy, who has created a number of ballets for the Australian Ballet, said McAllister could retire with a clear conscience knowing he leaves the company in a better state than he found it.

"He has been a great champion of choreographers, which makes me very fond of him, he has produced beautiful dances and he has moved the company on in many, many ways, from financial to creative," Murphy said.

"This is a company that had international success, has produced beautiful principles, increased audiences and has kept pushing boundries. He has balanced blockbuster ballets with new works and there has been growth, and that is possibly the most important, because in the arts the worst thing you can do is to stay static."

The Sydney Morning Herald's veteran dance critic Jill Sykes said McAllister's greatest legacy would be the quality of the dancers under his leadership.

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"David McAllister's legacy of two decades is an outstandingly talented and skilful group of dancers, for which he is to be congratulated. Their technical ability has gone far beyond that of the company he inherited," she said.

McAllister will program the 2020 season, to be announced in September this year, and the search will now begin for a replacement.

Many in the industry feel Li would be an ideal replacement for McAllister, to the detriment of Queensalnd Ballet, however Li said he was not interested in the role.

Murphy has also ruled himself out of throwing his hat in the ring.

"I don't have a hat and if I did I wouldn't be throwing it anywhere," he said.

Sykes said the search should focus on talent who can bring excitement to the company.

"I would hope the company's new director might offer more excitement of choice in works and choreographers," she said.

Justin Hemmes' construction boss has agreed to pay the Sydney hospitality tsar's Merivale group almost $230,000 in the wake of allegations he authorised false invoices to be paid into his bank account.

In civil proceedings on Thursday, NSW Supreme Court Justice Michael Pembroke finalised the settlement deal by making consent orders that Joel Cheeseman, 30, pay $229,811 – the same amount police claim he fleeced from the bar and restaurant empire by authorising false invoices.

The judge did not make any findings as to whether Mr Cheeseman was liable, and Mr Cheeseman made no admissions. It is understood Mr Cheeseman's legal costs to defend the case would have exceeded the amount claimed.

Merivale obtained a freezing order against Mr Cheeseman earlier this month, requiring him not to remove from Australia, transfer or diminish the value of any of his assets up to the value of $300,000.

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He was also subpoenaed to provide statements and other documentation relating to three bank accounts, and any other accounts held in his name or where he is a signatory, and all documentation showing the transfer of money in and out of those accounts, over a period between August 2015 and May 2019.

But the freezing order was lifted on Thursday after Mr Cheeseman agreed to the pay the sum, as well as interest of more than $15,000 and legal costs.

Meanwhile, Mr Cheeseman is due to face the Downing Centre Local Court next week on a charge of dishonestly obtaining a financial advantage or causing disadvantage by deception.

Police allege that, between August 2017 and October 2018, he authorised fake invoices to be paid by Merivale into his bank account on five separate occasions. He has not yet entered a plea.

The criminal charges require intention and other elements to be proven, and the standard of proof is higher than for a civil claim.

According to Mr Cheeseman's LinkedIn profile – which appears to have been recently removed – he has worked for the sprawling pub group since May 2015, initially as a group facilities manager before moving into the construction project manager role, in which he claims to "currently oversee and manage all construction for Merivale".

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Dating has never been more confusing. People make specific plans to meet up and then cut off all contact and block you. (That's called "cloaking.") Others might ghost and then attempt to come back from the dead. (Also known as zombie-ing.) Having a word for confusing dating behavior can make it a little easier to bear – it allows you to describe what happened and commiserate with others who've experienced something similar.

After confabbing with colleagues, friends and a one-and-done Tinder date I'm somehow Facebook friends with, here's our attempt to make sense of the frustrating things you might experience while looking for love in 2019. (Most of these have happened to me or someone I know.) Yes, we're trying to make "textual chemistry" happen.

Career-zoned (verb)

When someone rejects you romantically but wants to connect professionally. Natural hazard of living in Washington, D.C., where some daters would rather be LinkedIn than HookingUp. Example: At the young Republican mixer, I thought he was hitting on me. But turns out he just wanted to know if I could introduce him to Kellyanne Conway. I'm tired of getting career-zoned, so I sent him George Conway's email instead.

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Textual chemistry (noun)

On text, your connection is off-the-charts hot. In person, it barely registers. Example: My Bumble match and I were messaging till 3 a.m., sparring about the Oxford comma, but once we met up, the vibe was so awkward. It was nothing more than textual chemistry.

Soul-mining (verb)

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When someone tries to cram three months of emotional intimacy into your first three hours together. May seem exciting in the moment, but is usually followed by never seeing each other again. Think of it as an emotional one-night stand, or Before Sunrise reenactment without the sequels. Example: I thought it was sweet my Tinder date wanted to do the 36 questions to fall in love, but once she ghosted, I realized she was just soul-mining me.

Heart-bargain (verb or noun)

The law student or lawyer who tries to reason their way into or out of an emotional decision, such as a marriage proposal or a breakup. Example: I said we should move in together, but he heart-bargained me down to a weekend vacation.

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Owl (noun)

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That person who texts only when you're asleep – not in a booty call kind of way, but because they spend their days in a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or they just want to seem inaccessible. Problem is: If you can't find a time to text when you're both awake, how will you ever meet up? Example: Who-who could be texting me at this hour? Oh right – it's my owl.

Instabait (verb or noun)

Uploading Instagram stories to prod a FOMO-prone crush to get in touch. May work in the short-term, but effects are likely to disappear quickly. Example: I hadn't heard from Anna in days! So I Instabaited her with pics from that hot new bar we'd talked about checking out, she DMed me, "We should totally go." We never went.

Faux beau (noun)

That guy who acts like a boyfriend, all as a ruse to just continue his string of hookups. Example: He introduced me to his friends and his parents, even brought me to a work dinner – and then said he wasn't ready for a relationship. What a faux beau!

Popsicle (verb or noun)

When your instinct is to play it the opposite of cool, but you try (just this once!) to play hard to get. Like the frozen dessert, your chill does not come naturally and may appear only seasonally. Since you are not at all skilled at this game, you act so chill that the object of your affection deems you uninterested and moves on. Example: I'm really into Sam, but I popsicled too hard. He got a brain freeze and stopped texting back.

Social-squatter (noun)

Someone who breaks up with you but wants to keep seeing your friends platonically. Understandable because your friends are awesome, but totally unacceptable. Example: Aaron dumped me, but then tried to get my besties to join his bocce team?! What a social-squatter.

Ted (noun)

That person who doesn't realize the type of grand gestures that look like devotion on screen – like when Ben Stiller's character in There's Something About Mary goes to extreme lengths to track down his high school crush years later – are actually super-creepy when performed in real life. Example: I broke up with Dan, and then he showed up at the airport, where he professed his love through a flash mob and everyone watching started chanting "Take him back! Take him back!" I got on that plane, alone and safe.

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I used to think rallies worked. I used to believe that the power of large volumes of people could sway the mood of the wider population and break through to politicians and other people of importance. But on Friday I have begun to doubt this, a lot.

I will be upfront with you and state that I believe man-made climate change is happening and the future of the world as we know it is in jeopardy. We will soon be unable to look our children in the eyes and tell them it will be OK unless we act fast and act big. I sign online petitions, I annoy politicians, I have changed many of my own individual practices and that of those I have influence on, namely my workplace. When I was younger I even attended a couple of rallies – I tend to be too far away to make any these days and to be honest, after Friday, I doubt I would bother.

Walking through Melbourne CBD and looking at the faces of the drivers, public transport users and pedestrians caught up in the climate protest, I have begun to think that this traditional form of mass protest may have run its course. In the age of social media and very busy lives, such disruption to passers-by may actually be detrimental to the cause and serve to tick people off more than engage them with the issue of protest.

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The disruption relegates the protesters immediately into the left-wing nutter category who have less than nothing to do and whose message isn’t worth listening to. Even though, in this case, I think it absolutely is.

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I witnessed a number of bystanders sigh in exasperation, many horns honking and lots of angry u-turns by motorists, who then drove off angry. So instead of feeling grateful or interested that protesters were taking time out of their own busy lives to bring this to Parliament’s doorstep, many stalked off fuming. And this is the last thing that needs to be happening with those of the population left who still need to be convinced.

We have tried to communicate with those "climate deniers" and "climate undecided" with protest and facts, but so far these are not working. The federal election vote was unequivocally the largest smack round the philosophical earhole we could have taken, so clearly the way in which we have been attempting to appeal to power has not been working. We need to change our approach.

Surely, between us and the tech-savvy young people who are battling bravely with this cause we can come up with a way of protesting that doesn’t irritate and alienate, but rather inspires thought, engagement and ultimately, change. So far I haven’t come up with anything that is either legal or financially achievable, but there has to be something.

So, fist bump to the people staging a "die-in" today, no apologies to those inconvenienced by the truth, but I think it’s imperative we try something different. Our planet is depending on it.

Nicola Philp is a regular columnist based in Apollo Bay.

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“Will we ever sleep again? What have we done wrong?”

These are the questions infant and child sleep consultant Chantal Cohen hears regularly from exhausted parents.

Sleep deprivation is a universal experience for new parents. Anyone who has been active in tending to the needs of a newborn will recognise the all-consuming fog that seems to tinge your every waking moment (and there are so many waking moments) when you are so sleep deprived that you search for your glasses while wearing them.

And for many parents, particularly those whose baby’s wakefulness lasts beyond the first six months, the effects of never getting enough sleep can seep into every aspect of their life, affecting their health, work, friendships, marriage, relationships with older children, and their self-esteem.

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The effect of sleep deprivation can be far-reaching, but for some, it leads to serious and persistent drops in mood, and can be a trigger for postnatal depression and anxiety (PNDA).

More than one in seven mothers and up to one in 10 fathers experience postnatal depression and/or anxiety, and sleep can be a major factor in its development and maintenance. In fact, studies have shown that new mothers with poor sleep quality are more than three times as likely to suffer depression.

It makes sense: if you’re not getting enough sleep, your reserves to deal with one of the most challenging and transformative periods of life are depleted. We all know that when we are really tired we become more irritable, cranky, and emotionally fragile and we also know the flattening of our mood that comes with exhaustion; so is it any wonder that for some people, particularly those with a predisposition, these feelings reach clinical level?

Running counselling sessions and parents groups at family care centre Tresillian, social worker Margaret Booker sees many parents who struggle with low mood and mood disorders triggered by exhaustion.

“It’s universal to feel tired, to feel exhausted, to not be getting enough sleep when there is a baby in the house,” she says. "And that exhaustion can be a pathway to the mood disorders.”

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Child sleep consultant Chantal Cohen, who spends her days (and nights!) helping families get more sleep, agrees, saying she finds a large proportion of her clients are experiencing PNDA.

Many feel pressured to “make” their baby sleep, and the feelings of failure they experience when they won’t absolutely trashes their confidence. Exhaustion just makes those feelings worse.

According to Cohen, many parents who are chronically exhausted find they can’t sleep even when they have the opportunity because they are “primed to be ‘on’ all the time”.

“Increased cortisol and adrenaline are coursing through your body and you’re just lying there, awake, ready to jump at the baby’s first sound. It makes you sick and it makes you anxious.”

The evidence agrees. A 2015 review of research found that women who experience insomnia and sleep disturbance are more likely to become depressed, and women who are depressed are more likely to experience insomnia. This is supported by research from the Black Dog Institute, who found insomnia is both a risk factor and a symptom of depression. It leads to a cycle of feeling low because you’re not sleeping and not sleeping because you’re feeling low.

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Cohen says that, when her clients experience success in helping their child to sleep better, they report feeling much happier, have far more energy, and feel more connected to their baby.

This is also supported by research. A study of 80 mothers and their infants in Adelaide in 2012 found that, following explicit instruction about sleep and settling techniques, not only did the number of night wakings decrease, but there was a corresponding decrease maternal stress, anxiety, and depression.

However, if you’re experiencing clinical postnatal depression and/or anxiety, simply regaining sleep alone is unlikely to be a miracle cure. Parents who suspect they or their partner may be experiencing PNDA should enlist the help of their GP and/or call the PANDA helpline (1300 726 306) who can direct them to the right services.

But what about when you just can’t seem to get your baby to sleep no matter what you try, and it’s really affecting your mood?

“Parents know that if they could just get their baby to sleep they’d feel better. But they can’t get more sleep. So they have to learn to manage their mood psychologically," says Booker. Acceptance, she says, is the key.

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“We have to accept the reality that we’re just not getting sufficient sleep because otherwise we just struggle against the wrong thing, which will just make us feel worse … we need to minimise the sequelae of not getting enough sleep rather than agonise over it. We trick ourselves into thinking we don’t really care about sleep and that we can cope without it.”

Booker teaches her group therapy clients cognitive behavioural therapy, mindfulness, and how to integrate self-care in daily life, but she says that one of the most important things is the sharing your experiences with others who can relate and support you. She believes in the power of women making deep connections and understanding each other to help each other to cope.

“Getting mothers together to get that mutual support is so important," she says “When they can really connect with other women, they’re going to be fine.”

Booker encourages parents seeking guidance about their baby’s sleep to call Tresillian’s helpline to speak to a qualified baby health nurse (1300 272 736), speak to their GP or Early Childhood Health Centre, or book into one of Tresillian’s courses and workshops.

 Lifeline 13 11 14

beyondblue 1300 224 636.

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Anthony Albanese has called on Labor to reconnect with aspirational Australians who rejected the party at the federal election, declaring that voters have "conflict fatigue" over political arguments that pit one part of the community against the other.

Mr Albanese, who is set to become Labor leader within days, said the party needed to end some of the "us and them" rhetoric that shaped its failed election campaign.

"People are looking for solutions rather than arguments, and they’re looking for what unites the community rather than what divides it," he said.

"I think we have to emphasise that. That doesn't mean that we shy away from the issue of inequality. It means, though, that we need to do that in a way that acknowledges the fact that the business community and the private sector create jobs for people."

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Shattered by the election loss to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, senior Labor figures have thrown open a debate on every major policy, including a rethink on franking credits, negative gearing and whether to propose a market mechanism to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The policy review will follow the formal deadline of 10am on Monday for caucus members to stand for the leadership, although Mr Albanese is widely expected to gain the position unchallenged after finance spokesman Jim Chalmers withdrew from the contest on Thursday.

Acknowledging the way suburban and regional voters turned away from Labor last Saturday, Mr Albanese said many Australians wanted a stronger message from Labor about economic growth.

"You need to treat people with respect. I think one of the issues that we had was being seen to be talking about the sharing of wealth when we also needed to talk about the creation of wealth," he said.

"One of the things about the suburbs is the issue of aspiration. People do aspire to improve their living standards, their wages, and they do want more opportunities for their kids."

Mr Albanese, a senior member of Labor's left faction and the deputy prime minister during Kevin Rudd's second period as prime minister, said he was a "proud supporter" of the unions but believed working with business was critical to success.

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"People have got conflict fatigue," he said in an interview. "They see politicians yelling at each other, they see a lot of conflict, and what they want is for people to come up with practical solutions that improve their lives.

"They want things that improve their living standards and improve their quality of life.

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"And we need to listen to those people and engage with them."

Mr Albanese made no criticism of former leader Bill Shorten but set out his approach to the leadership in the wake of Labor's shock election loss, leaving it with a likely 67 seats compared to the Coalition's 78.

The race is now on for the position of Labor deputy leader, with a three-way contest in the party's  right faction threatening to split its Queensland and Victorian branches after Mr Chalmers, Clare O'Neil and Richard Marles said they would consider replacing high-profile Sydney MP Tanya Plibersek.

In a sharp shift away from the Shorten era, Labor is now also canvassing a new climate change stance that calls for action to reduce emissions but drops a market-based solution to reach the target.

Labor's environment spokesman, Tony Burke, said the science had been compromised by the mechanism and it was now time to consider a direct-action model, as advocated by the Coalition, to avoid an "unthinkable" 15 years without action.

Labor's policy would force businesses that exceeded their emissions cap to buy credits from other businesses through a market-based scheme.

"The principle that we base targets depending on the science, we must not shift on," Mr Burke told the ABC. "If there is going to be any room for compromise, the compromise has to be in what the method is."

Mr Albanese told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age that the key decision was about outcomes on climate change rather than the mechanism but that the first decision was for the government to propose a better policy after its disunity over the National Energy Guarantee.

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"We need to take action on climate change, we need to listen to the science, but we need to do it in a way so that the transition in the economy is in the interests of working people and job creation," he said.

Labor is also grappling with its position on the $158 billion in income tax cuts the Coalition took to the election. The government is looking to ram the cuts through Parliament as soon as it returns to deliver a $1000 boost for many workers, but is refusing to split its seven-year package. The full package will also see tax cuts of up to $11,000 delivered to workers earning more than $200,000 a year by 2024.

Mr Albanese said Labor was prepared to support only the first stage of the package for low- and middle-income earners – potentially delaying tax relief for workers beyond the end of this financial year.

He said the government should not try to legislate changes that would come into effect years after the new Parliament.

"If the government plays politics with this by trying to introduce policies that have an effect on future parliaments, then I think that's hubris on behalf of the government," he said.

Labor MPs are furious at the impact of the party's franking credit policy and the confused message on the Adani coal mine in Queensland, which they say cost them the crucial northern seat of Herbert.

"We equivocated and sent all the wrong messages, not only to coal miners but working class people right across the country," Labor's agriculture spokesman, Joel Fitzgibbon, said.

Outgoing Labor senator Doug Cameron warned Mr Albanese not to abandon the "class warfare" that had characterised Mr Shorten's time as leader.

"The Labor left must not be diverted from critical analysis of inequality, climate change and the power and privilege of the big end of town," he said.

Mr Albanese and shadow treasurer Chris Bowen, have also urged the party to speak more to people of faith, who "no longer feel that progressive politics cares about them".

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It’s a somewhat sad reflection on sport that Minjee Lee might hit No.1 in the world before she so much as turns a head in the street at home. Call her the Invisible Champion of Australia.

She can’t even pick up an Australian sponsor. The top-ranked golfer in this country is at No.2 on the world rankings, and she plays plastered in the corporate logos of a string of overseas companies, right down to the Hana on her cap, endorsing the big Korean bank.

The Koreans have not been shy about celebrating her heritage as the daughter of two immigrants, Soonam and Clara Lee, who moved to Perth from South Korea a couple of decades ago and had two children – Minjee and brother Min Woo, now 20 and also a rising professional golfer.

Is it the media's lack of interest in women's golf? The fact that she plays overseas? Or is it the awful notion that people don't realise that she's an Australian, despite being born in Perth and representing her country at various levels right up to the 2016 Olympic Games?

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Lee declined the fairly common Asian notion of anglicising her first name for western consumption, saying it reflected her heritage.

“My grandpa gave me that name, so we decided to keep it,” she said this week. “It comes back to my roots. I’m Australian, but my parentage is Korean, so it’s nice to have some part of that, even through my name.’’

Whatever the reasons for her lack of exposure here, Perth's Lee, just 22, is getting better all the time. If she wins this weekend in Virginia, or next week at the US Women's Open in Charleston, she will become the first Australian woman to reach No.1 in the world.

Not even the great Karrie Webb was officially No.1 (although this is a moot point, since the rankings only started in 2006, after Webb’s most dominant period in the game).

Lee has been in the top 10 for the last year after a stellar 2018 when she won once and logged an astonishing 13 top-10s on the LPGA Tour, and she vaulted to No.2 after winning in Los Angeles recently.

Not inclined to whinge about lack of support from home, she just gets on with the job with her jaunty walk and her bright clothes and easy smile.

“If you think about it, all the successful Australian players, I don’t think any of them have Australian sponsors,” she said. “I guess it’s pretty poor in that sense.’’

Lee became the first woman to win the Greg Norman Medal as Australia’s top golfer last year, continuing the upward curve. Hailing from Royal Fremantle Golf Club, she had won the state title at just 10, the United States junior in 2013 and was No.1 on the world amateur rankings by the time she won the 2014 Vic Open at 17, beating the pros.

As a professional she has already won five times on the LPGA Tour, but when she was left off a comprehensive list of Australia’s top sports women last year, her coach Ritchie Smith was gobsmacked. “It really gives me the ‘irrits’,’’ said Smith, who has coached Lee since she was 12. “This is a truly international sport, not cricket or footy.”

Lee’s ball-striking is pure; a flusher, they call her. She’s not long by comparison with some of the other superstars – Sung Hyun Park of South Korea and Ariya Jutanugarn of Thailand, for instance – but she’s getting longer, adding 10 metres to her driving distance this year alone.

Smith recalls this being an issue when he first saw her in Perth at 12. “We’re talking about a little girl and she’s operating against a much higher level and trying to compete with these kids and beating them, but swinging quite inefficiently in order to do so. We took quite a while to fix that.’’

Lee’s mother was a teaching professional at the driving range near the family home in Winthrop, in Perth’s southern suburbs, and her father was a single-figure player, too. Her brother took an immediate shine to the game, but she took her time coming around.

“I was learning how to play piano, I was in the school choir. I don’t think anybody knew that, but I was doing lots of things, even dancing. Golf was just another one of the things that I did when I was younger.”

Clara Lee gave her Post-It notes so that she could set her goals, sticking them on her desk at home, and her parents moved her in year 11 (from MLC College to Corpus Christi) so that she was closer to Royal Fremantle for her long practice sessions. “Driven,” is how Smith describes her.

Her mother still travels with her most of the time when they are not in Perth or the home Lee bought in Dallas, Texas, as a base. “Clara’s influence is massive,” said Smith. “Clara puts the structure in place and the stability and the support.’’

Lee likes having her mother around. “Obviously you’re going to butt heads at some point in your life, but I guess we’ve had a good run so far. I mean I could probably do all the things that she does, but it’s just nice to have the company.’’

At the golf course, she is a solitary figure with a remarkable work ethic, known to lift as much weight in the gym as the young male players when she entered the elite amateur programs. She's unlike Min Woo, who is gregarious, and also her greatest fan. "We describe it as: ‘I’m a squiggly line, and she’s a very straight line, trying to get to a destination'," he said.

While Webb has been a mentor, she likes to practise by herself most of the time. “She doesn’t need anyone pissing in her pocket,’’ said Smith. “She’s going to do it by herself, and she’s going to do it to the best of her ability.’’

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No.1 in the world? It has a nice ring to it, not that she’s holding her breath.

“I feel like I don’t get caught up in anything, really,” she said. “For all my career I’ve never been the type to do that or to think about the rankings too much. I’m always working around my game; not around the end result.

"If you’re working on your game and improving that, it will come. It’s a process that you have to go through for that to happen.’’