Your morning Briefing: Coalition in new year Newspoll bounce

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

Hello readers. A lifeline for ScoMo in the latest newspoll with a Coalition bounce, and Judith Sloan says the response to power cuts was not cool.

Australia Day in Cronulla. Crowds flock to get their selfie with Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Cronulla Beach. Photos by Chris Pavlich for The Daily Telegraph

Poll bounce

Scott Morrison has been thrown an electoral lifeline with the Coalition ­returning to its highest poll ratings since the removal of Malcolm Turnbull. Simon Benson writes that the first Newspoll of 2019 will be of alarm to Bill Shorten as the government ramps up its attack on Labor’s negative gearing and dividend policies.

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A view of Parliament House in Canberra, Thursday, May 3, 2018. The Australian Federal Parliament is celebrating its 30th anniversary next week. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch) NO ARCHIVING

$8bn swamp

The cost of the political class, or swamp as Donald Trump might call it, has been estimated at more than $8 billion a year, writes Adam Creighton.

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Judith Sloan's new big main image.

‘Not cool’

Surely Richard Di Natale was joking but someone really needs to tell Victoria’s Energy Minister Lily D’Ambrosio she’s dreamin’ as she sits in her airconditioned office, according to Judith Sloan.

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Oliver Yates with his daughter Monica in 2015. Facebook

Lib turncoat

Disgruntled Liberal Party figure and renewable energy backer Oliver Yates is set to run as an independent candidate against Josh Frydenberg in Kooyong.

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PERTH, AUSTRALIA - JANUARY 28: Andrew Tye of the Scorchers bowls during the Big Bash League match between the Perth Scorchers and the Melbourne Renegades at Optus Stadium on January 28, 2019 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Big Bash botched?

The players and broadcasters are complaining, the pitches are poor, the crowds and ratings are down, the competition stretched longer than ever before and the finish line still weeks away. All that aside, how good is the Big Bash League? Sorry, great product that it is, it’s just not as good as it was and a lot of key people are concerned with its trajectory, writes Peter Lalor.

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Johannes Leak’s view

Johannes Leak Letters cartoon for 29-01-19Version: 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.