Your noon Briefing: ACTU orders national election protest

Your 2-minute digest of the day’s top stories and a long read for lunchtime.

Hello readers. The ACTU is planning nationwide anti-Coalition strikes during the election campaign, plus Berejiklian’s big blunder and Bishop’s night at the museum.

Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU) Secretary Sally McManus is seen during a press conference in Melbourne, Monday, February 5, 2019. The ACTU will address revelations under FOI Act that there was collusion between Scott Morrison and the banks ahead of an announcement of a Royal Commission. (AAP Image/David Crosling) NO ARCHIVING

ACTU orders national protest

Unions will hold nationwide anti-Coalition protests during the election campaign, with tens of thousands of workers expected to walk off the job on April 10.

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Queensland Deputy Premier Jackie Trad speaks during Question Time at Parliament House in Brisbane, Wednesday, February 27, 2019. (AAP Image/Dan Peled) NO ARCHIVING

Trad threat

Queensland’s Deputy Premier Jackie Trad is threatened by an LNP push to preference the Greens ahead of Labor in her imperilled seat.

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The NSW Libs may lose the election because of the stadiums plan.

Berejiklian’s biggest mistake

NSW’s Premier made a bold move to build two stadiums at once. But what followed was a bigger blunder and the result may be a loss at this month’s election.

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Julie Bishop was a guest at the Powerhouse Museum fundraiser.

Musuem fiasco

Julie Bishop was the big drawcard for the Powerhouse Museum’s fashion fundraiser. But an inquiry heard it descended into a drunken employee free-for-all.

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Former NSW Premier and now Senator Kristina Keneally (left) and former NSW minister Ian Macdonald.

Secret evidence

Former NSW minister Ian Macdonald set to call on Kristina Keneally to repeat secret evidence given to ICAC to support his claim of innocence.

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Civilians evacuated from the Islamic State (IS) group's embattled holdout of Baghouz wait at a screening area held by the US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor, on March 5, 2019. - Kurdish-led forces launched a final assault Friday on the last pocket held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, their spokesman said. The "operation to clear the last remaining pocket of ISIS has just started", Mustefa Bali, the spokesman of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, said in a statement using an acronym for the jihadist group. (Photo by Bulent KILIC / AFP)

The long read: Afterlife of the Caliphate

Islamic State is down but not quite out, and it could be revived, writes David Kilcullen.

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Comment of the day

“I am a lapsed National Party voter and shall stay so until such time as they have in place a leadership team and a Federal executive who understands the Liberal Party needs the National Party more than the Nationals need the Liberals.

“Play the hard game and look after, first and foremost, the national interests of Australia and rural and regional citizens who are responsible for the majority of the ‘new wealth creation’ which Australia needs. Be patriots, not globalists.”

Michael, in reponse to ‘Rebel Nationals ignite energy war’.