Your morning Briefing

Welcome to your morning roundup of what’s making news and the must-reads for today.

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

The leader of the federal opposition Bill Shorten (right) and Labor's candidate for Batman, Ged Kearney, speak to media during a visit to East Reservoir Health Centre in Melbourne, Thursday, March 15, 2018. A by-election for the electorate of Batman will be held on March 17.(AAP Image/Julian Smith) NO ARCHIVING

Marginal-seat pain

Bill Shorten has risked igniting a backlash in key election battlegrounds, with official data revealing that almost 90,000 voters across 13 of the most marginal seats in the country would lose an average $2000 a year in refundable tax credits under his policy. As the Labor leader yesterday defended the $59 billion tax grab amid pressure from pensioner and retiree lobby groups, Treasury analysis of tax ­office data reveals seven marginal Labor seats could be vulnerable at an election.

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Roman Quaedvlieg, Commissioner of Australian Border Force appearing at Senate Estimates hearing on Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee at Parliament House in Canberra.

Acts and Omissions

Sacked Border Force chief Roman Quaedvlieg modified internal policies to get his girlfriend a job, concealed his relationship with her from his bosses, broke his oath as commissioner and “wilfully or recklessly’’ misled his own minister. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton laid out a scathing indictment of Mr Quaedvlieg who, before his sacking from his $618,000 a year job by Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove yesterday, was one of the country’s most senior national security officials.

“He engaged in acts, and made omissions, which materially advantaged that candidate over other candidates for ABF employment, and on that basis his conduct also amounted to misbehaviour...”

Peter Dutton

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In this frame from video, emergency personnel work at the scene of a collapsed bridge in the Miami area, Thursday, March 15, 2018. (WPLG-TV via AP)

Bridge collapse

A brand new pedestrian bridge collapsed onto a highway at a Miami-area college, crushing at least five vehicles. The Miami Herald reports possibly five people were dead so far. Several people were seen being loaded into ambulances and authorities said they were searching for people.

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Maile Carnegie from ANZ Bank for The Deal magazine. photo Jeremy Piper

‘End of Big Four’

ANZ executive Maile Carnegie has predicted the end of the “big four” banking market in Australia with banks of the future becoming “dramatically simpler” as they focus on more specialised areas. “There is not going to be room for four big banks delivering a broad range of services to the general population,” Ms Carnegie, who is ANZ’s group executive, digital banking, told The Deal magazine, which appears inside today’s newspaper.

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Andrew Fifita of the Sharks is held up over the line during the Round 2 NRL match between the Cronulla Sutherland Sharks and St George-Illawarra Dragons at Southern Cross Group Stadium in Sydney, Thursday, March 15, 2018. (AAP Image/Craig Golding) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Jumping the Sharks

Forget about the debate over who should play fullback for Cronulla. When the Sharks play like they did in the second half at Southern Cross Stadium in a 20-16 defeat to the Dragons, it wouldn’t matter who wears the No 1 jersey. A litany of errors and penalties consigned Cronulla to their second loss in as many matches to open the season, even the sin-binning of St George Illawarra winger Jason Nightingale not enough to aid their cause.

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Kudelka’s view

Jon Kudelka Cartoon for Letters 16-03-2018Version: 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.