Your morning Briefing: ScoMo to Shorten: It’s personal

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

Hello readers and welcome to your 2-minute digest of today’s top stories and must-reads.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten.

‘It’s personal’

Scott Morrison is promising to open an intimate war with Bill Shorten over the next six months, using his clear personal electoral dominance over the Opposition Leader to redefine the political battleground. As former prime minister John Howard warned senior Coalition figures to hold their nerve after the disastrous Liberal rout in Victoria, the Prime Minister called for internal calm. Keep up with the latest from parliament in our live blog, PoliticsNow.

“There will be a choice at the next election and it will not be involving any premier of any of the states, it will be between me and you.”

Scott Morrison

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Generic stock image Parramatta. The Leigh Memorial church on Parramatta's Macquarie st.Parramatta Stock Images(AAP Image/ Justin Sanson)

Majority for religious protection

A clear majority of Australians — including nearly 60 per cent of Labor voters — has backed new laws to prevent individuals, schools and companies from being discriminated against ­because of their religious beliefs and practices. The special Newspol comes as the government weighs up its response to a review into ­religious freedom conducted by former Liberal attorney-general Philip Ruddock and commissioned in the wake of the successful same-sex marriage plebiscite last November.

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Australian Style Investments owner Nicholas Bolton, 26 years old, at his home in Melbourne, Victoria. Bolton has found himself in a stoush against major shareholders and investors of the new Brisbane Airport Link.

Upstart backs Cat

Controversial greenmailer Nick Bolton has emerged as a backer of former Domain boss Antony Catalano’s 11th-hour plan to derail the $4 billion merger between Fairfax Media and Nine Entertainment. Mr Bolton’s investment vehicle Aurora Funds Management and Mr Catalano are set to appear before judge Jacqueline Gleeson in the Federal Court in Sydney this morning in a desperate bid to stop the merger, which has already been approved by Fairfax shareholders and the competition regulator.

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The Mars probe has sent its first photo of the red planet moments after landing.

Mars landing

NASA has successfully landed its spacecraft on Mars after a perilous six month journey.

The tense final minutes of the landing on the InSight lander was counted down live on television by experts at NASA Mission Control in Pasadena California while crowds also watched a live feed in New York’s Times Square. The successful landing is a triumph for NASA and comes after a journey of more than 300 million miles over more than six months.

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Johannes Leak’s view

Johannes Leak letters page cartoon for 27/11/2018Version: 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.