Your morning Briefing: Phelps open to tearing down the government

Welcome to your 2-minute briefing on the day’s top stories and must-reads.

Hello readers. Here is your 2-minute digest of what’s making news today.

21/09/2018. Independent candidate for Wentworth, Dr Kerryn Phelps arrives unannounced in Double Bay to speak with locals and press. Jane Dempster/The Australian.

‘Tearing down the government’

Kerryn Phelps has left open the prospect of voting against the government in a motion of no confidence if she wins Malcolm Turnbull’s former seat of Wentworth tomorrow. The independent candidate is rated a strong chance of causing an upset in the traditional Liberal stronghold in Sydney’s east in the by-election, costing the Morrison government its one-seat majority.

Graham Richardson, meantime, writes that Scott Morrison inherited this mess, but it is up to him to sort it out quick smart while Maurice Newman says Turnbull is the gift that keeps giving to Labor, and Ean Higgins goes walkabout with John Howard on the campaign trail. Keep up with all the latest ahead of the Wentworth by-election in our live blog, PoliticsNow.

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Meshal Saad Albostani died in a suspicious car accident.

Saudi’s suspicious death

One of the Saudi Arabian suspects in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi has reportedly died in a suspicious car accident.

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The Cosompolitan casino, James Packer and Matthew Grounds.

Bad bromance

It is arguably corporate Australia’s most talked about bromance: the complex relationship between gaming billionaire James Packer and his go-to investment banker, UBS boss Matthew Grounds. And now, thanks to the epic ­efforts of our esteemed colleague Damon Kitney in his leave-no-stone-unturned biography of the late Kerry Packer’s only son, The Prince of Fortune: The Untold Story of Being James Packer, Margin Call can reveal the untold story of the breakdown in Packer’s and Grounds’ decades-long personal and professional bond. And don’t miss revealing interviews with Packer, Frank Lowy, Alan Joyce and more in a special 10th anniversary issue of The Deal.

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Kudelka’s view

Jon Kudelka Letters Cartoon for 19-10-2018. 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.