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.
PM faces Nats backlash
Australian politics has been rocked by another swing against the Coalition in a clear threat to Malcolm Turnbull and his government, as Queensland voters put Labor Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on a path back to power in the wake of a splintering of conservative support. Voters turned against the Liberal National Party to give Labor a strong chance of securing the 47 seats needed to form majority government, marking another stage in a national trend that has seen the Coalition parties lose 1.5 million votes in seven elections over the past three years. Ms Palaszczuk has left open the door to crossbench negotiations, shelving her ‘no deals’ vow. Paul Kelly writes that for the conservative side, there are two irresistible messages from this poll: the merged LNP failed to manage the political fragmentation of Queensland and the conservatives must turn the truism that “a vote for One Nation means a Labor government” into a national battle cry.
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Heroism then eight years of hell
Whatever he did or failed to do earlier in the flight, the way pilot Dominic James brought it to an end is regarded by aviation buffs as an extraordinary feat of airmanship, the stuff of legend. It was during the night of November 18, 2009, and James was at the controls of a Westwind two-engine jet owned by Pel-Air. He was in command in the left-hand seat, co-pilot Zoe Cupit in the other. In the rear, on a stretcher, lay the very ill Melbourne woman who was the purpose of his CareFlight mission from Australia to Samoa and back: Bernie Currall, who had contracted a severe infection from a botched hysterectomy and needed intensive care in an Australian hospital. Ean Higgins has the Inside Story on a pilot’s act of heroism, then lives destroyed over eight years of hell.
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The new anti-Semitism
Neo-Nazis in Australia are fuelling a rise in anti-Semitic abuse, with a national Jewish organisation reporting a nearly 10 per cent increase in public displays of anti-Jewish hatred. Anti-Semitic material from self-declared Nazi groups has led to a 40 per cent surge in reported threats to Jewish people. This includes material posted by the newly formed Antipodean Resistance group at universities, schools and shopping centres urging people to “Reject Jewish Poison” and “Legalise the Execution of Jews”.
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ASIC eyes loan fraud
ASIC is ramping up surveillance of the $1.5 trillion home lending market, with individuals and a “handful” of large and small lenders under investigation for fabrication of documents and inadequate fraud detection systems. The project, partly funded through the $120 million in extra funding last year from the Turnbull government, will be completed by next September and include a report on the industry’s practices and the level of consumer harm.
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Smith has greatness thrust upon him
Steve Smith has dragged his hastily assembled side to the point of victory in the first Test and further advanced the conviction he is establishing himself as one of the great batsmen and leaders. Set 170 to win, David Warner (60 not out) and Cameron Bancroft (51 not out) are riding in the captain’s slipstream. Australia need 56 runs for victory this morning and have not lost a wicket. In a contest more even than anyone had predicted, Smith’s patient and undefeated Saturday century — the only one in the match — is the difference between the two sides. Follow all the action once play resumes in our live blog.
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Kudelka’s view
China’s great wall of silence
China deliberately concealed information about the coronavirus, and now it is fighting an inquiry. So what is Beijing hiding?
Your noon Briefing
Your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories.