Your morning Briefing: Bill Shorten in backdown on borders

Your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories and must-reads.

Hello readers. Bill Shorten has backed down on border protection, and have Baby Boomers had it too good for too long?

Leader of the Opposition Bill Shorten meets with staff during a tour of the Liberty One Steel manufacturing plant in Revesby, Sydney, Friday, February 8, 2019. (AAP Image/Dean Lewins) NO ARCHIVING

Border backdown

Bill Shorten has secured support from Labor caucus for a retreat on the refugee medivac bill reopening factional splits on border protection. Dennis Shanahan suggests the Labor leader has blinked so hard on border protection he could have his eyes closed for days.

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FILE - In this Monday, Feb. 4, 2019, file photo, refugee soccer player Bahraini Hakeem al-Araibi leaves the criminal court in Bangkok, Thailand. A Thai court on Monday, Feb. 11, 2019, has ordered the release of al-Araibi after prosecutors said they were no longer seeking his extradition to Bahrain. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit, File)

Hakeem freed

Diplomacy is a dark art but rarely has it worked in more mysterious ways than over the release of Australian footballer Hakeem al-Araibi. Amanda Hodge has the story.

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Tony Mokbel being worked on by paramedics at Barwon prison Lara after being stabbed sometime today. Picture: Nine News

Mokbel stabbed

One of Australia’s most notorious criminals is fighting for his life in hospital after a prison-yard stabbing.

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Smiling senior couple on an airplane heading overseas - portrait

Boomers’ breaks unfair

An over-generous tax-free threshold for over-65s has heralded generational unfairness, writes Adam Creighton.

“There aren’t many countries where a couple can have a $3 million home, $3.2m in financial assets (in super), a further $1.1m outside of super, yet pay zero income tax and face a marginal income tax rate of 15 per cent.”

Adam Creighton

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MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - FEBRUARY 11: Alyssa Healy winner of the Belinda Clark Award and Pat Cummins the winner of the Allan Border Medal pose during the 2019 Australian Cricket Awards at Crown Palladium on February 11, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Cummins, Healy honoured

Pat Cummins and Alyssa Healy have been honoured at tonight’s Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne.

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Johannes Leak’s view

Johannes Leak Letters Cartoon for 12-02-2019. 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.