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Many Australians could pay down their mortgage in half the time if they followed three simple steps, according to a leading personal finance expert. Money coach Max Phelps, the author of Getting Your Money $hit Together, said controlling expenses, finding additional income and more effective planning were the key elements to quickly paying off a home loan.     Financial guru Max Phelps (pictured above) is regarded as Australia's leading money expert Getting ahead financially and sticking to a budget are challenges many couples face (stock image) Paying off a home loan is the primary goal for millions of hard working Australians (stock image) 'For countless Australians, paying off their mortgage is currently their largest financial goal,' Phelps told Daily Mail Australia. 'Plenty of people find this hard to believe, but it is definitely possible for most people to pay it down in half the time. 'The best and only way is to pay more than the minimum repayment.' CON

Julie Burgess vowed to stand by her four boys through the 'highs and lows' after the death of their father when they were just teenagers. The poignant promise to her sons resurfaced amid a raft of ugly allegations against her second eldest son, former South Sydney Rabbitohs star Sam. On Friday, The Australian published bold claims against the 31-year-old relating to his relationship with ex-wife Phoebe Hooke, professional career and supposed wild partying.    The next day, Julie, known as 'Mrs B' among players and staff in the NRL, emerged from crisis talks with her sons. She was wrapped in an oversized grey hoodie and tinted glasses, and was shadowed by her eldest son Luke and lawyer Brian Wrench.    In spite of the accusations, Mrs Burgess has made it clear she will support her four boys through anything, and said they'd been through 'quite a few lows' as a family in the past. Julie Burgess (pictured with her four boys as children) vowed to stand by her fo

A huge brown snake measuring nearly two metres in length has been found in a backyard. Snake catchers described the huge reptile as a 'whopper' as they were called to rescue it from the courtyard of palliative care centre Clare Holland House, in Canberra.  The snake weighed more than 1kg and measured 1.8metres.  Gavin Smith, from the ACT Snake Removals, said the reptile was about three times heavier than a regular brown snake.  He said: 'To give you some idea of its excessive bulk, proportionate to the average adult brown snake that weighs maybe 650g, this guy approximately three times heavier and resembled a python in girth.  'You certainly don't get that big and strong without being a decent age, and having a lot of sense. What a truly magnificent and majestic being!' ACT snake catcher Gavin Smith encountered the largest eastern brown snake he'd ever seen on Monday after people at a palliative care centre in Canberra saw the reptile in the courtyard Mr Sm

To order a print of this Paul Thomas cartoon or one by Pugh, visit Mailpictures.newsprints.co.uk or call 0191 6030 178.   

Embattled footballer Sam Burgess has hit back at his ex-wife after she accused him of domestic violence in a newspaper article. Burgess's lawyer Bryan Wrench suggested Phoebe Burgess or her father Mitchell Hooke might have committed contempt of court by co-operating with the media. Mr Wrench raised his concerns during the mention of an apprehended violence order at Moss Vale Local Court on Wednesday. He said Phoebe Burgess had made a 50-page statement to police about her ex-husband which had never been seen by him but which appeared in The Australian newspaper. 'To be quite blunt, it appears that this is born out of either malice or retaliation,' Mr Wrench told the court. Embattled footballer Sam Burgess has hit back at his ex-wife after she accused him of domestic violence in a newspaper article  Burgess's lawyer Bryan Wrench (pictured at back, with Burgess' mum Julie and brother Luke) suggested in Moss Vale Local Court on Wednesday that Phoebe Burgess or her fath

Italy is considering making the use of masks outdoors mandatory nationwide to fight the coronavirus. Infections in Italy - the first European country to be hit by the virus - have risen steadily over the past two months. The regions of Lazio, around Rome, and Campania, around Naples, have already made mask wearing mandatory outside. And authorities are 'working on a proposal' to make it a compulsary rule nation-wide, Health Minister Roberto Speranza told the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday.  On Saturday, Italy saw 2,844 new cases, its highest daily count since April, but still far below the numbers being recorded in France, Spain and Britain Italy has seen some 36,000 deaths since its outbreak came to light on February 21, the second highest official toll in Europe after Britain Infections in Italy (Rome, pictured) - the first European country to be hit by the virus - have risen steadily over the past two months  On Saturday, Italy saw 2,844 new cases, its highest daily count si

A controversial plan to create an exclusive high-end beach club on the sand at Bondi Beach has sparked a furious debate between local residents and organisers. Amalfi Beach Club has put in a proposal to Waverley Council to erect luxury cabanas roped off from the public over a 40 metre stretch of sand on Australia's most iconic beach. The proposal from Bondi local Janek Gazecki plans to take over two per cent of the beach near Roscoe Street to serve expensive food and cocktails to 'high net worth' customers. The elite location will host 100 guests in a European-style beach club set up from Thursdays to Sundays, similar to exotic locations in Spain, Croatia and the Greek Islands. The plans feature 20 sun lounges, 10 cabanas and four booths being serviced by private waiters. A two-hour booking in the cabanas costs $80, with food and drinks not included.  Amalfi Beach Club have proposed to Waverley Council to put luxury cabanas on Bondi Beach The plans would cover two per cent

A rogue shopper was spotted sticking a syringe into a number of items at a busy Woolworths.  Police were called to the store on Somerton Road, Roxburgh Park, 21km north of Melbourne, at 4.35pm on Tuesday, to  reports a man was acting erratically.  The man is believed to have stuck a syringe in a number of items, including a loaf of bread. Police were called to a supermarket on Somerton Road, Roxburgh Park, 21km north of Melbourne, at 4.35pm on Tuesday (stock image) These items were removed from shelves when staff realised what had happened.  Officers were told the man then left the store. Police are still looking for the man and an investigation into the incident is ongoing.  

A 29-year-old woman is accused of sexually assaulting two young teenage boys in the NSW Hunter Valley. Last month detectives from the Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad began investigating the alleged sexual abuse of two boys by a woman who was known to them. The woman was arrested at a home near Maitland on Tuesday and charged with sexually touching a child between 10 and 16 years, two counts of having sexual intercourse with a child between 14 and 16 years and two counts of having sexual intercourse with child between 10 and 14 years. A 29-year-old woman is accused of sexually assaulting two young teenage boys in the NSW Hunter Valley (file picture) She was also charged with two  counts of common assault and a drug offence. Police will allege in court that the woman sexually assaulted the boys at a home near Maitland between August and September. The woman will appear at Maitland Local Court on Wednesday.

A British father-of-three who killed a 66-year-old man he thought was a sex pest has escaped a prison term in Spain after agreeing to pay £167,000 in 'blood money,' to his victim's family.  Mark Turner, 47, punched Mario Sauco once outside a bar after he was wrongly told Mr Sauco had pestered his daughter.  The punch floored the Mr Sauco, causing him to hit his head against the pavement and fracture his skull outside the Churchill Bar in Fuengirola. He died ten days later. Mark Turner punched Mario Sauco to the floor outside Churchills bar in Fuengirola. Mr Sauco, 66, fractured his skull on the pavement and died in hospital 10 days later Turner, from Dagenham, East London, fled the country in August 2018, but returned to Spain after a picture was released by police. A court in Malaga convicted him of manslaughter, The Sun reports. But he avoided prison, instead receiving a suspended jail term, by agreeing to pay compensation in a plea deal with Mr Sauco's family. The fa

Thousands of people living in East London are without tap water after a 42-inch pipe burst, sending residents rushing to supermarkets to buy bottle supplies.  The problem was first reported on Tuesday afternoon at around 4.30pm but it was not until nearly midnight that Thames Water discovered the cause of the issue.  They said the issue, which is still ongoing, was caused by a 'large burst pipe' in the Hackney Marshes area. They added that engineers will work through the night to fix the 'complex job' as quickly as possible. Eight of East London's 21 postcodes are still without water, including parts of Leytonstone, East Ham, West Ham and Stratford.    On affected resident, Gourav Sharma, 37, from Leytonstone, told MailOnline that they had had no water since 4.30pm. It meant he and his wife Meena were unable to make formula milk for their six-month-old baby, Ishan, and had to rush to a nearby B&M store to buy bottled water.  A video circulating on social media s