Your morning Briefing: Australia takes the fight to match fixers

Hello readers and welcome to your two-minute digest of the day’s top stories.

Hello readers and welcome to your two-minute digest of what’s making news this morning.

31/7/2018: Bronwyn Thompson came 4th in long jump at the Athens Olympics ... all three Russians before her later tested positive for drugs, at a training track near her home at Mount Gravatt, Brisbane. She backs the idea of the government cracking down on corruption in sport domestically.. Lyndon Mechielsen/The Australian

Game over for match-fixers, cheats

Athletes would be jailed for passing inside information to bookmakers, and suspected drug cheats would be stripped of protection against self-incrimination, under a dramatic integrity overhaul being considered by the federal government to protect Australian sport from a $US1 trillion, illegal betting industry. An examination of the risks to Australian sport led by James Wood QC warns the nation’s peak anti-doping agency is in need of significant reform and that a fragmented defence against match-fixing has left sport competitions vulnerable to criminal infiltration and exploitation.

Bronwyn Thompson, a retired Australian long jumper denied an Olympic gold medal by a trio of Russian athletes all subsequently found guilty of doping, welcomed a stronger, national stance against corruption in sport.

“Overall I think we do a good job but there are still some individuals out there who let us down. It’s good when the government promotes that and stands up for it.”

Bronwyn Thompson

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MP Emma Husar with her friend Fordy Trace in Brisbane.

Husar’s Mars rove

Federal Labor MP Emma Husar went to a Bruno Mars concert in Brisbane with a close friend who is a police officer, months after other officers from the same area command in western Sydney were called to her house over an alleged incident involving a ­family member. The Australian has confirmed from large deleted portions of Ms Husar’s personal Facebook page and parliamentary expenses records that she skipped the second day of an NDIS parliamentary hearing in far north Queensland in March and travelled instead to join the friend at the concert in Brisbane.

Janet Albrechtsen, meantime, says Labor’s defence of Emma Husar has been riddled with nonsense and hypocrisy, and it’s time this whiffy case was dealt with.

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One Nation Chief of Staff James Ashby is seen at a pre-polling station in Morayfield, Queensland, Friday, July 27, 2018. (AAP Image/Darren England) NO ARCHIVING

One Nation plane probe

Federal prosecutors are evaluating a brief of evidence relating to Pauline Hanson’s chief of staff James Ashby over One Nat­ion’s use of a light plane during the 2016 ­election campaign. The Commonwealth Director of Public Prosecutions said it had ­received a brief of evidence concerning Mr Ashby, 39, following an investigation by the Australian Electoral Commission.

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Rod Clement Margin Call cartoon for 01-08-2018. Version: Business Cartoon (1280x720 - Aspect ratio preserved, Canvas added)COPYRIGHT: The Australian's artists each have different copyright agreements in place regarding re-use of their work in other publications.Please seek advice from the artists themselves or the Managing Editor of The Australian regarding re-use.

What’s in a nickname?

Inflated future barrister fees, writes Margin Call. At least, that’s if you are one of the rising young legal eagles who have make their names at Kenneth Hayne’s banking royal commission. Who has the most to prove?

Rowena “Shock And” Orr earned her nickname way back in round one, the commercial lending practice hearing. Also soon to benefit from his stint of public service is Michael Hodge, who transformed from “Baby face” to “The Baby-faced assassin” with his $2bn deconstruction of AMP’s Jack Regan in round two. Mark “Heart Attack” Costello’s legal career was transformed after his questioning of Dover boss Terry McMaster ended with the financial adviser’s collapse.

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Canberra Raiders rugby player Mal Meninga, 12 Jul 1993.

Immortal Mal?

NRL Hall of Fame inductees Petero Civoniceva and Gorden Tallis have rallied in support of Mal Meninga, saying it’s time for the Maroons icon to be crowned a rugby league Immortal. The NRL will celebrate one of the most significant chapters in the code’s history tonight when two more Immortals are unveiled at a gala dinner at the SCG. Ten players are in contention for the honour, including Meninga, former Broncos skipper Darren Lockyer, Souths legend Ron Coote, tryscoring winger Ken Irvine and Roosters pioneer Dally Messenger. Meninga has twice been overlooked.

“Mal’s time is now. He has been overlooked before but the timing is right for Mal to become an Immortal. As a kid growing up in Brisbane, Mal was such a dominant figure right at the start with Brisbane Souths before he became one of the greats at Canberra, Queensland and Australia ... when he walks into a room, you feel the presence of greatness.”

Petero Civoniceva

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Kudelka’s view

Jon Kudelka Letters Cartoon for 01-08-2018.Version: Letters Cartoon (1280x720 - Aspect ratio preserved, Canvas added)COPYRIGHT: The Australian's artists each have different copyright agreements in place regarding re-use of their work in other publications.Please seek advice from the artists themselves or the Managing Editor of The Australian regarding re-use.