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Chris Barrett

Chris Barrett

Chris Barrett is an investigative reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent, and chief sports reporter.

Former AFL umpire coach Frank Kalayzich (right) departs a Fair Work Commission hearing

‘Like The Castle’: Fired AFL umpire coach takes on league after ‘frog march’ incident

Frank Kalayzich, who was awarded life membership for his involvement with the sport, has now launched unlawful dismissal proceedings.

  • Chris Barrett

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Pope Leo XIV visited Australia four times before his election as head of the Catholic Church.

Royal Randwick lined up for Pope visit on a bumper weekend

Anthony Albanese invited Pope Leo XIV to a major Catholic gathering in Sydney in 2028 and planning is under way for a papal Mass if he takes up the offer.

  • Chris Barrett
Brandon Smith made his second appearance for Souths against the Titans on Sunday.

Brandon Smith questioned by police over person linked to drug probe

The Souths recruit is not accused of wrongdoing, but it has emerged that he pleaded guilty to drugs offences while an emerging player in Townsville a decade ago.

  • Chris Barrett and Michael Chammas
Racing NSW hopes its Birdcage-like facility will attract names of the calibre of Liz Hurley (left), who attended last year’s Melbourne Cup carnival.

Sydney’s $7m bid to steal the trackside glitz and glamour from Melbourne

Sydney is launching its own trackside version of the Melbourne Cup carnival’s corporate and celebrity mecca in the latest chapter in interstate racing rivalry.

  • Chris Barrett
Horses race at Sydney’s Royal Randwick racecourse.

Email blunder exposes financial status of high-profile trainers

The gaffe highlights concerns within the $3 billion racing industry about having to hand over personal information under new requirements from the sport’s regulator.

  • Chris Barrett
Nova Peris has become a prominent advocate for Israel and voice against antisemitism.

‘Does not belong in this country’: Hockey Australia stands by Peris as more anti-Islam re-posts emerge

The Olympic champion shared a series of social media posts scathing of the religion in the lead-up to her election as a director of the government-funded sport.

  • Chris Barrett
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The rebranded Woolly Bay Hotel was the setting for the Giants’ function.

Sydney pub in hot water over wild AFL after-season players’ party

Thirteen GWS Giants players were sanctioned by the AFL over the event, at which a player simulated acts on a sex doll. Now the venue faces disciplinary action.

  • Chris Barrett
RAFAH, EGYPT - JULY 27: Trucks carrying aid enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing on July 27, 2025 in Rafah, Egypt. Israel announce a “tactical pause” in fighting in some parts of Gaza, including near the Rafah crossing, from 10 AM to 8 PM today to allow for shipments of humanitarian aid, as concern grows about a deepening hunger crisis in the Palestinian territory. (Photo by Ali Moustafa/Getty Images)

Trucks start moving towards border crossing as Israel airdrops aid on Gaza

Israel has been under increasing international pressure to allow more aid into Gaza as reports grow of starvation-related deaths.

  • Wafaa Shurafa, Samy Magdy and Chris Barrett
Nova Peris, pictured celebrating winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games (left) and taking cover in a bomb shelter in Israel last month.

Anti-Muslim post shadows Nova Peris’ election to Olympic sport board

The gold medallist became a Hockey Australia director weeks after sharing a comment that called Muslims “Satan worshipping cockroaches that need to be eradicated”.

  • Chris Barrett
Former boxing world champion Anthony Mundine believes bare knuckle fighting is safer than other combat sports such as gloved boxing.

Mundine challenges McGregor to fight as doctors hit back at bare-knuckle claims

As former boxing champion Anthony Mundine prepares to launch Australia’s first bare-knuckle fighting event in Brisbane, medical experts say the sport is “brutal, outdated and dangerous”.

  • Courtney Kruk, Nick Wright and Chris Barrett