Your morning Briefing

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

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

Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party, will be acting Prime Minister in Perth.Picture: Ross Swanborough.281017

China’s rise puts focus on security

Australia will shoulder greater ­responsibility for security and economic stability in an increasingly volatile Indo-Pacific region, as a balance to China’s rising power and growing uncertainty in the US about the cost and value of its international leadership, ­accor­ding to the first review of the nation’s foreign policy settings in 14 years. The 2017 foreign policy white paper to be released today by ­Malcolm Turnbull and Julie Bishop makes explicit references to China’s pursuit of influence to suit “its own interests”, while warning the region is engaged in an open contest for the principles and values on which order will be based. Cameron Stewart suggests that at the heart of Australia’s new Foreign Policy white paper is a plea for the United States under Donald Trump to remain engaged in the Indo-Pacific and not to abandon its global leadership role.

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Generic image of NBN rollout

The NBN paradox

Whether a home is connected to the National Broadband Network via super-fast and expensive all-fibre connections or cheaper fibre to the “node” makes almost no difference to what internet speed customers are willing to pay for, Anthony Klan reveals. NBN take-up figures show houses connected via the ALP’s gold-plated fibre-to-the-premises connections are in fact 25 per cent more likely to buy the cheapest and slowest internet package than those households with fibre-to-the-node connections, which include some copper wiring but cost taxpayers half as much to install.

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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is seen during a press conference in Bundaberg, Wednesday, November 22, 2017. Ms Palaszczuk is on the campaign trail ahead of the November 25 state election. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING

Labor’s Adani and Safe Schools secrets

The Palaszczuk Labor government is set to offer infrastructure funding and a royalty holiday for Adani’s Carmichael mine that will together cost Queensland taxpayers almost $500 million over the first five years of production. Despite vowing that no public funds would go to the coal project, it has emerged that the state government has been in negotiations to take over and upgrade several council roads to the mine in central Queensland at a cost of up to $100m. This comes on top of a secret incentive deal with Adani that will delay the payment of $360m in coal royalties for the five years after it opens. Queensland Labor has also been ­accused of plotting to reintroduce the controversial Safe Schools program, amid revelations it plans to invest in a program to support same-sex-attracted and trans­gender students and tackle homo­phobia. Don’t miss the latest from the Queensland election cut and thrust in our live blog, Campaign Trail.

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ASIC chairman Tony D'Aloisio at ASIC's head office in Sydney.

CBA’s term deposit switch hits savers

The Australian Securities & Investments Commission killed a major investigation into Commonwealth Bank over short-changing customers on term deposit interest rates, with the practice, which was later ­followed by other players in the industry, ­estimated to have cost savers as much as $1 billion. A “no further action” report detailing the decision to stop the investigation in 2010, when the regulator was led by Tony D’Aloisio, has been kept secret because an unnamed “former staff member” objected to its release to The Australian under Freedom of Information laws.

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Sam Kerr of the Matildas congratulates Tameka Butt of the Matildas (right) after she scores a goal during the first of two matches in an International Series between the Matildas and China PR at Melbourne Rectangular Stadium, commercially known as AAMI Park, in Melbourne, Wednesday, November 22, 2017. (AAP Image/Joe Castro) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY

Slammin Sam brace routs China

Sam Kerr’s out-of-this-world strike has headlined a record-breaking Matildas rout of China. The red-hot forward scored a double either side of Tameka Butt’s deflected strike in a 3-0 defeat of their Asian rivals in Melbourne. Kerr’s effort equalled legendary forward Sarah Walsh’s Matildas record for scoring in five straight games. The brace also helped Australia to a sixth victory in a row, off the back of the midyear Tournament of Nations success and back-to-back home wins over Brazil in September.

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Illustration: Eric Lobbecke.

Shorten leg-ups a kick in the head for Turnbull

If any Liberal in the aptly named coward’s castle moves to destroy the PM, it will guarantee ­defeat and fracture the party, writes Niki Savva in a key piece of analysis. Everywhere Turnbull turns, someone is waiting to give Shorten a leg-up. First the leg-up from the Nats on banks, second the leg-up from the journos, then a third leg-up from Christopher Pyne announcing a new sitting schedule for the lower house, which scored a remarkable trifecta of own goals with a single strike.

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Kudelka’s view

Jon Kudelka Letters Cartoon for 23-11-17 Version: (650x366)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.